Chapter 1: What did he say?
Today was the day that Dante has been dreading. The first day of school.
He was laying in his bed waiting for the time that he usually wakes up. Another sleepless night, it has been like that since Jason left. Apparently he and his sister Cheryl had an accident while the pair rowed a boat. She claimed she dropped her glove in the water and he tried to retrieve it for her, tipping the boat over in the process, thus drowning. Dante couldn't really complain since the plan served its purpose but he really thought that he could have come up with something better.
Finally the alarm clock started to beep and he left his bed. He left his bedroom right away and went straight to the bath room to take a shower. Then he went back to his room to get dressed.
Dante's room was pretty decorated, all in the color black with posters of bands and video games on the walls, a decent sized Tv with a few consoles on it, a small table with his laptop, sketch book and his camera on top, an electric guitar and amplifier beside the window and a boxing bag beside the wardrobe. Inside the wardrobe there were only black clothes. Dante only wore black, no matter the circumstance. But there was one thing there that wasn't black.
Jason's varsity jacket. When Dante arrived at the car that Jason needed him to park, he found the jacket and note in it. The note was a goodbye from Jason, telling him to keep it as a memento of him. Jason hasn't made any contact yet and Dante was starting to get nervous. He hung the jacket right above his Karate trophies.
Today for school Dante put on black jeans, black t-shirt, black high-top shoes and a black hoodie. Dante always preferred to be hooded. After he finished getting dressed he went to the mirror to check himself, his dirty blond hair in the side swept bangs haircut that he has since he was a kid and checked if there were any dark circles under his sea green eyes. Once he finished checking himself, he went downstairs to eat.
His usual breakfast was either toast and coffee or cereal. Today was cereal.
Dante's house was as generic as it could be with nothing really standing out on it. It was mainly his father's fault for that since he was always a practical person.
He finishes eating his breakfast, he picks up his backpack and skateboard. Then he made his way to the door.
Dante still hasn't got used to Riverdale, mostly because he lived in Detroit most of his life and he couldn't believe how small Riverdale was in comparison. And now things just got a bit harder since his only friends weren't around anymore. Right now he was passing through Polly's neighborhood. He's only been in Polly's house twice. But he manage to find out a bit about her family.
Her father is a little creepy, her mother is super judgmental and her sister is eager-to-please. Polly told him that Betty had a crush on her neighbor, Mr. Andrews's son Archie and that her eager-to-please attitude became worse after he left.
While on top of his skateboard, all he could think about was Polly. Was she okay? Did she and Jason manage to get where they were going? Were they going to contact him like they promised? That was all he could think about it while riding his skateboard to school.
The trip to school was just as unremarkable as the school itself. It looks exactly the same with no considerable difference. Dante knew that the days was not going to be very good. Though he is expecting to be at least OK.
While he walks down the hallway. He notices Betty Cooper walking beside some girl he never seen before. She's an olive-skinned, young Latina woman with straight, medium-length glossy jet-black hair, large expressive brown eyes, a slender yet voluptuous physique and long legs. She was definitely new here and Betty was probably showing the school to her. But Dante didn't really care that much, he just walked to his locker and put his skateboard inside.
"Hi Dante." Dante heard someone call him from the side. He moved his head and noticed that it was Ethel Muggs.
Besides Jason and Polly, Ethel was the only other person he's speaks to. But he really doesn't view her as a friend. "Hi Ethel."
"I'm sorry about Jason." Polly told Dante that she had a crush on him. But the feeling is a hundred percent not mutual. Personally he just wanted this talk to be over quick.
"I'll only believe that he's gone when they find his body." Dante said with a unemotional tone.
"His sister is going to do a eulogy to him at the school's assembly." Ethel informed him.
"Ah shit." Dante thought to himself.
Dante just learned two things. One, he's going to have a hard time avoiding Ethel without Jason and Polly around to help him. Two, Cheryl Blossom is a very shitty actress. He was sitting at the school assembly just listening to her talking. Saying that many of them were lucky enough to know Jason personally, and each and every one of them meant the world to him. How she loved her brother. And that he was and always will be her soulmate. Then she started with the confidence only a twin could have in saying that Jason wouldn't want them to spend the year mourning his death. He'd prefer if they moved on with their lives, which is why she had asked the school-board not to cancel the back-to-school semi-formal, but rather allow them to use it to collectively heal, and celebrate Jason's short life.
Dante was a bit disgusted by that. Cheryl should be playing the mourning sister to not draw any suspicion. But luckily it was over quick.
The rest of the day. Dante sat down on the football field. He always sat there to wait for Jason's practice. But now he had no idea why he was there.
"Some habits don't die." Dante said to himself as he sat there watching the other guys practice.
Dante was thinking about going to the back-to-school semi-formal or whatever it was called. Dante isn't exactly a party person but it was better than nothing. Besides if the party sucked, he could just go to Pop's and have a nice burger.
The short answer. The party sucked.
Right now Dante was watching Josie and the Pussycats play a song that Cheryl claims was playing when she and Jason were conceived. All he did was stand there, wearing a full black suit.
"Dante Parker." Dante heard a familiar voice call him from behind.
"Hello Cheryl." Not that Dante wanted to see her any more than he already did today. "It was a nice speech earlier." Dante was lying but it didn't matter.
"I'm so glad you like it." She spoke with a tone of sarcasm. "I'm going to throw an after party and you should come."
"Why?" Dante asked in confusion.
"Because Jason would like for you to try to make new friends." Cheryl said with a fake smile on her face and Dante wondered if Jason asked her to do that.
"I'll try to get there." Dante was not planning on going.
"I'm sure you will, I'll be waiting for you when the party is over."
"You gotta to be kidding me." Dante thought as he knew he would not be able to get away. But also he was asking himself why Cheryl wants him to go so much.
Cheryl kept her promise and waited for him outside with her friends. Dante still don't know why did she dragged him to the party. Right now he was sitting down with a bunch of people he barely knows in his best friend's house without his best friend. It was uncomfortable and annoying for him.
"We're going old school tonight. Seven Minutes in Heaven." Cheryl spoke and made Dante look at her. "Who wants to tryst in the closet of love first? My vote is "D" for Dante." That made Dante widen his eyes in surprise. "Anyone care to second it."
"Yes, Let's see what he's made of." Reggie said making Dante want to punch him.
"Oh shit." Dante thought as Cheryl starts to talk again
"Alright, gather around kids. Let's see who's riding the Dark Gentleman tonight." Dante really didn't like it when Cheryl calls him that.
Cheryl spins the bottle around the table and as the bottle stopped, it pointed at both Betty and the new girl.
"Oh ho ho No way." Reggie said making Dante even more frustrated.
"I guess it's a draw." Cheryl said with evil smile. "I guess it will have to one then the other."
The two girls stare at each other before the new girl stands up first. "Let's get this over with." She says to Dante.
Dante just stands up and follows her to the closet.
Three minutes have passed and the two just stand there as Dante looks around the closet.
"Why did she call you Dark Gentleman?" The girl asked Dante.
"Well when I hang out with my friend Polly, I used to do things like holding the door for her and stuff. So she said that I was a Gentleman and my best friend Jason said that I was a Dark Gentleman because I always wear black." Dante explained to her. "And sorry but I don't even know your name."
"Veronica Lodge." She said.
"Nice to meet you Veronica."
"This Jason was Cheryl's brother?" She asked.
"Yes. We were best friends." Still are but she can't know that.
"I'm sorry then."
"Let's not talk about it. Where you from?" Dante asked.
"New York."
"I used to live in Detroit before living here."
"Have you gotten used to it here yet?"
"Not really, much less now that my friends aren't here."
"Must be tough." Veronica said. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"This girl Polly, she was just a friend?"
"I'm not going to lie, I did feel something for her." Dante used to have a secret crush on Polly but he let go because he didn't want to ruin his friendship with Jason or Polly. "But she was my best friend's girlfriend and I really didn't want to ruin my friendship with either of them." But Dante still thinks about it sometimes.
"Did you ever felt it again, with any other girl?" Veronica asked.
"No." Dante answered as he stare it at her brown eyes. "Did you ever felt it with anyone?"
"Maybe once." She answered while staring at his green eyes. "A nice pair of eyes and a pretty face is a dangerous combination." She joked.
Dante step closer to her. "You think I have a pretty face?"
"I met a lot a guys with pretty faces, Though none of them was a Dark Gentleman." She said.
The two stare at each other's eyes for a bit. Until Dante leaned forward and pressed his lips into hers. They just stood there kissing for what it felt like an eternity or at least until they heard a knock on the door. "Time's up" They heard Cheryl's annoying voice on the other side of the door.
"I guess it's Betty's turn." Veronica said as he walks towards door but before she opens it, she turns her face and smiles at him.
Betty entered the closet a few seconds after and the two stayed quiet for what felt like four minutes. Dante just wanted this to be over with so he could speak with Veronica.
"At least Polly won't worry anymore." She finally spoke up.
"What?" Dante asked in confusion.
"There's lipstick on your face." Dante touched his lips and noticed the lipstick. "Polly once talked about helping you getting a girlfriend."
Dante couldn't complain, he knew she and Jason felt bad about him being the third wheel when they hang out.
"Well, I still don't know yet but..." Dante tried to find the right words to use.
"She'll be much relaxed when she comes back."
"Comes back?" Dante asked in confusion. He though they weren't planning on coming back.
"Oh right. She had mental breakdown, and she had to move to a group home. My parents blame Jason but It was my mother's fault." Betty said but Dante just made a confused expression.
"Cooper? When did she go to this group home?"
"Fourth of July."
With that, Dante walked out of the closet in a hurry.
"Hey the seven minutes didn't pass." Cheryl said.
"Bite me Cheryl."
Dante quickly walked outside of the house and ran as fast as he could.
Dante ran and ran while asking himself what was going on. Polly went to a group home on the Fourth of July but she and Jason were supposed to run away that day. Right now, Dante was running to the location where he left the car in order to see if it's still there. There's no way he left without Polly but if she was sent to a group home by her parents then she didn't leave with him.
After a long run he finally arrived at the spot. And all he could do was watch in horror.
"Oh no no no no. It's still here!?" Dante said out loud when he saw the car exactly the way he left it. Meaning that Jason never took it. "Jason where the hell are you?." That was all he could say.
Unfortunately for him. He got his answer the next day.