FIVE
august 15th, 7:25am
It was the first day of Sophomore year. Lea had been awake since around five in the morning, double - triple checking her bag to ensure that she had everything. For half an hour, she debated on whether or not to take her coloured overlays with her. After all, they did make reading easier, which would in turn, make her school life much easier. Another part of her was saying that she hadn't used them for the past six months and she had been getting along fine.
By the time Luke had come round to pick her up, her overlays had been shoved into the bottom drawer at her bedside table. He watched patiently from the doorway as she placed the last few books into her backpack. There was a few moments of silence as he watched her struggle trying to fit six binders into her bag before he spoke.
"You do know that school doesn't start for at least another half an hour, right?" He asked, raising a brow at the mess that surrounded his girlfriend. Lea huffed.
"You do realise that I have to give an introductory tour to a new student today?" She countered, flinging a binder onto her bed, making more space in her bag. "I have to be there early."
Luke pushed himself off the wooden frame, walking into her room. "No one said you had to be there early." He gently stepped over the different shoes and clothes that littered the floor.
"I just did." She finally looked up at him, taking note of his relaxed stance at the end of her bed.
Luke rolled his eyes when she looked away, looking around the room. "I'm almost positive that this room was clean last night."
"Yeah, it was." Lea finally managed to close her backpack. "That was before you came over and ruined it." She swung her bag around her shoulders, adjusting it to fit comfortably around her jacket.
Luke chuckled, walking towards her, gently grabbing her hand and pulling her into him. "I don't recall ruining anything last night."
Lea grabbed both of his hands, intertwining her fingers with his. "Tell that to my bedpost."
Simultaneously, the two looked down to observe Lea's wooden bedpost at the bottom of her bed. Somehow, in their complete innocence, the two had managed to snap one of the legs on her bed. It was currently propped up with multiple hardback books and a dumbbell from her dad's room.
"I'm not taking the blame for that." Luke said, letting go of her hands and choosing to wrap his arms around her instead.
Lea scoffed, looping her fingers around his belt loops. "You're the one who fell onto the bed!"
"I was trying to impress you, sue me."
"Fair enough." She shrugged. "I guess that's a rare occurrence."
Luke scoffed, unravelling his arms and pushing her away slightly. "I see how it is."
In Lea's attempt to pull him back, she caught notice of the time on her watch. 7:35.
"Oh, we need to go!" She was suddenly in a hurry.
Detaching herself from Luke, she rushed to unplug her phone from her bedside, and grabbed her house keys from her table. With a final check over her room, she grabbed her boyfriend's hand and pulled him out of the door and down the staircase. Her dad, Liam caught them just before they were about to leave.
"I'll go start the car." Luke said, walking out the front door.
"Have you got all your pens?" Her dad called from the kitchen. "Paper? Your books? Don't forget your overlays!"
She nodded quickly as he lifted off supplies, watching from the front door, rolling her eyes when he got to the last one.
"I told you that I don't need those anymore." She said as he walked into the hallway. "I stopped using them halfway through last year."
"I can run upstairs and grab it for you if you wan-" Liam made a move to the stairs, ready to run up and grab the coloured overlay sheets. Fortunately for Lea, Luke had beeped the car horn at that exact moment, signalling he was ready.
"Don't worry about it. I'm already running late." She kissed her father on the cheek before dashing out of the front door, her soft curls blowing in the wind behind her as the scurried to Luke's car.
As soon as she closed her door, he was pulling away from the curb and speeding off down the street. They didn't talk for a few minutes, as Lea scrolled through the recent Instagram posts on her phone.
"Have you, uh," Luke started, causing her to look up from her screen. "spoken to Cheryl recently?"
She furrowed her brows. "Uh, yeah, I spoke to her yesterday. Why?"
"I'm just thinking that maybe you should be with her today." He shrugged, turning a corner. "I know she's Cheryl Blossom and all, but we both know that she puts a hard face on."
"Since when did you care about Cheryl's well being?" She asked.
"Oh, I don't. But I know that you do." They came to a stop at a red light, now on the same street as Riverdale High.
"You're right, I do. Her brother died, Luke." He seemed to flinch at her words, muttering under his breath. "In all honesty, she hasn't spoken to me much about it. She refuses to talk about him. She's awfully relaxed for someone whose sibling died."
Lea looked back at Luke from looking at the road when he didn't respond. It seemed as though he was holding his tongue, trying to come up with something to say. Their previous argument was suddenly drilled into her head, and she started to think that maybe she was overstepping boundaries again.
"Sorry," She said softly, watching the students as they pulled into the School parking lot. "I know you don't want to talk about it either."
Luke sighed. "It's fine, I know you don't mean to."
Suddenly, Lea felt a pang of guilt in her chest. Jughead wanted her to investigate, and a huge part of her also wanted to know more. She still didn't know the full story and it was infuriating. Was it worse to temporarily upset someone she loved for the sake of information? She didn't know.
They pulled into a parking spot just before the front doors of the school in silence. There was a sour taste in the air, much different to the adoring air that the lovers shared in her bedroom that morning.
It was always the way with Lea and Luke. One minute, they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and the next, they were at each others throats. They'd convinced all of their friends that they would be the death of each other - and they agreed.
Wordlessly, Luke switched off the engine and got out of the car, opening the backdoor briefly to grab his backpack. Lea checked her reflection in her pocket mirror before doing the same. They walked towards the front doors in silence, only a few steps apart.
Riverdale High was extremely busy; freshmen looked lost, juniors were half asleep, and seniors looked to be about 50 men down. Before they walked through the front doors, Lea adjusted the strap of her bag and shot out her left hand for Luke to hold. When it remained empty, she shot her head to look at him, to find his hands suddenly preoccupied with texting.
Lea cleared her throat, her eyes darting to the people walking past. Luke remained still with his eyes glued to his phone.
"Do I have to wait all day for my boyfriend to hold my hand?" She questioned.
Luke raised his eyebrows and looked up from his phone to look down at Lea's hand.
"That depends." He shrugged. "Do I have to wait all day for you to stop being a bitch?"
Like a shot, Luke's phone was gone and instead was in Lea's hand. They were inches apart as Luke raised his hands in defence under her fuming gaze.
"This isn't how I'm going to start this year, Luke." She snapped, taking a step back. Lea was becoming painfully aware of the scene she had made in front of the main entrance, but Luke remained unbothered.
"Then don't." Luke grabbed her hand holding his phone, gently. He knew what he was doing, as Lea noticed her anger fade at his touch. She wasn't sure if it infuriated her or not that he had such an effect on her. "If you want me to hold your hand, I'll hold your hand."
He winded his fingers around her left hand, now seemingly holding his phone more than he held Lea's palm, something she chose not to take notice of.
And with that, the duo walked through the doors, hand in hand. Luke secured his other hand in his pocket, now holding his phone, and Lea's hand frantically waved at many people who she passed. She greeted people that she barely knew with fake enthusiasm, often stumbling in her tracks to direct freshmen to classrooms.
"Yo, Summers!" The voice of Reggie Mantle echoed throughout the hallway, causing Luke to look over his shoulder. Lea followed his line of sight. "Look who grew up over the summer." Next to him at the end of the hallway, was Archie Andrews. The duo strolled towards the couple, who met them halfway.
"Reg, you don't have to make an announcement to every person you see." Archie chuckled, they all continued to walk down the corridor.
"I wasn't talking about you." Reggie shoved his shoulder, moving to walk on Lea's right as Archie walked on Luke's left. "Looking good, Lawson."
Lea sometimes thought her hidden talent was seeing opportunities to annoy Luke. "Likewise, Mantle."
It was a comment that stunned the whole group, but Lea simply flicked her hair over her shoulder and continued to walk with her head held high. Archie and Reggie dismissed the comment quickly, but she felt Luke squeeze her hand gently twice. It was her sign to leave, and quite frankly, she couldn't wait to.
"I'll catch up with you later, love you." With a kiss on Luke's cheek and a wave to the other boys, she was gone. She could hear the ruckus from Reggie even as she turned the corner into the Office.
Sat in there already was the raven haired girl from the diner, Veronica. Her acrylic nails tapped against her phone screen, barely noticing Lea walking up to her. Biting her tongue to control her overenthusiastic smile, Lea caught her attention.
"Hi! Sorry to keep you waiting, I assume Betty will be here s -"
As if she was summoned, Betty Cooper herself walked out of the principle's office, a small folder in her hands.
"Oh, Lea, you're finally here." She smiled. Lea inhaled sharply and pulled her lips into a wider smile. "Okay, that's great. So, we can begin the tour?" Betty turned towards Veronica, who seemed to be watching the two blonde's as if it were a tennis match.
"Yes, just waiting on you." Lea turned on her heel and exited the room, assuming the two were following. "So, I was thinking that we could begin with the front of the school and work to the back. Maybe find your locker and generally show you aro-" She stopped walking when she noticed she wasn't being followed closely.
"So, I usually start my tours with a little history and context." Lea heard Betty say. Her and Veronica strolled side by side, almost ignoring Lea, who was quite a bit ahead. "Riverdale High first opened its doors in 1941 and -"
"Hasn't been redecorated since, apparently." Veronica made her first snide comment of the day - Lea was keeping a tally chart. "Honestly, I feel like I'm walking through the lost epilogue of Our Town."
Lea's feet stayed planted to the floor as she waited for the two to catch up. In the distance, she could see Kevin heading towards the three.
"So, the girls' bathrooms are right over here. Do you know what locker number you are?" Lea rushed towards Veronica's other side, almost leaning over her shoulder.
"202. So, what's the social scene like here? Any nightclubs?" Veronica asked, turning back towards Betty. Lea had crossed her arms, silencing herself, when Kevin approached.
"A strip club called the Ho Zone, and a tragic gay bar called Innuendo." He quickly walked in front of the three girls, continuing to talk. "Friday nights, football games. Tailgate parties at the Mal-Mart parking lot. Saturday night is movie night, regardless of what's playing at the Bijou, and you better get there early because we don't have reserved seating in Riverdale. And Sunday nights?" He strolled round to Betty's side, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Thank God for HBO."
"Veronica Lodge, Kevin Keller." Betty introduced them both. "Veronica is new here, Kevin is -"
"Gay. Thank God. Let's be best friends." Veronica clapped her hands together before offering one for Kevin to shake.
Lea was stunned by the whole ordeal, from the moment Kevin opened his mouth.
"And as necessary of an introduction as that was, why don't we move on?" Lea placed a hand on Veronica's shoulder and was about to lead her away before Kevin spoke again.
"Is it true what they say about your dad?" He asked, excitement bubbling.
The moment that Veronica froze, they all knew that was the wrong thing to ask. Lea tilted her head towards the boy with a vacant expression.
"That he's the devil incarnate?" Veronica spoke. "I stand by my father. Does everyone here know?"
When Betty and Kevin looked awkwardly around the hallway, Lea responded. "Pretty much."
"Wonderful. Ten minutes in and I'm already the Blue Jasmine of Riverdale High." She sighed. "Lea, can you show me to my locker, please?"
The blonde jumped at the opportunity to take lead, guiding Veronica down the hallway, away from Betty and Kevin. As they walked further away, the chatter between the two behind them became more distant, and soon they were alone.
"It's just over here, near History." Lea pointed out a locker close to the History classroom. The '202' was slightly scratched out, as the numbers always seemed to be on most of the lockers at Riverdale. She watched as Veronica took out a slip of paper from her bag and entered the number to unlock the door. As she opened it, an awful squeaking sound echoed throughout the hallway.
"How welcoming." She muttered, slamming the empty locker shut. "So, other than the squeaky lockers, is there anything else I should know about before I continue?"
Lea quickly racked her brain for anything at all that could be interesting enough to impress Veronica Lodge. "Well, there's the back-to-school semi-formal dance this weekend, if it doesn't get cancelled. It's the most exciting thing going on this week, at least."
"Perfect." Veronica turned on her heel and began to walk down the hallway, expecting Lea to follow her in a hurry, which she did. "Know anyone who needs a date?" Her eyes scanned the hallway for potential guys she could take.
"Kevin would like some company." Lea said, attempting to follow her eyes. She was stopped in her tracks when Veronica's arm flew out as her eyes locked on one specific guy. Archie.
"There's one of the hottie's from yesterday. The red-headed Ansel Elgort."
Archie was walking out of one of the music rooms, oblivious to the two girls watching him.
"Is he your boyfriend?" She asked, not seeming to care what the answer was.
"No, but the idiot that he's walking to is." They watched as Archie approached Luke, who was with some other members of the football team. "The red-head is Archie Andrews. Football player, sudden musician, ginger, single."
"Really? I thought Betty was all over him." Veronica seemed slightly shocked, but very eager as she was told about Archie's availability.
"That's just Betty. They're just friends, so he's a free man."
Many might see what Lea was saying as harsh, or inconsiderate, but as far as she was concerned - she and Betty weren't friends. Even if they were, Betty had no obligatory right to Archie Andrew's heart. It just seemed fair.
"In that case, mind putting in a word? I've tried every flavour of boy but orange." Veronica began to walk down the hallway again, her eyes still following Archie's figure.
"I don't see why not." Lea shrugged. "I think the semi-formal would be a good start, if they still go through with it. Jason's death has really shaken things up." She adjusted the bag strap on her shoulder.
"Wait, someone died?" Veronica stopped walking once more.
"Jason Blossom." She replied, as if it were obvious. When Veronica's face remained unchanged, Lea spoke again. "You really don't know? It's been the biggest news of town all summer."
"I literally arrived yesterday."
"Well, you'll find out at the assembly we're having. There's gonna be speeches and updates. In fact, we should probably get going now." Lea walked, expecting Veronica to follow her. The sharp sound of heels clicking indicated that she had.
"How did he die? Suicide?" She asked, doing her best to keep up with Lea's fast pace.
"He drowned, that's all. Sweetwater River, Independence Day." Lea responded, cringing at her own words. "They still haven't found him, though. So he could just be missing."
"Wow. This town suddenly got a lot more of a Derry twist."
august 15th, 2:05pm
As soon as the Lea walked into the room, her eyes found Luke's figure standing near the podium placed a few paces in front of the bleachers. He was surrounded by solemn teachers, and Cheryl, who looked eager to speak to the students. Luke himself looked as though he wished nothing more than to go home.
Lea and Veronica walked into the gym together, watching as those around them started to take their seats in the bleachers. In her search for a seat for the both of them, her eyes found a familiar pair, sitting at the back of the seats.
Jughead sat alone, with his laptop open on his lap. As they made eye contact, he moved the backpack he had placed next to him and placed it on the ground. He had made space for her.
"There's Betty and Kevin, let's go." Veronica said, walking forward.
Lea was stuck in her spot, eyes flickering between Jughead and the other group presented to her. After what felt like a lifetime, she merely presented a close-lipped smile to the boy, before walking forward to join the trio.
She didn't see the disappointment evident on Jughead's face as he placed his bag back next to him.
"I can't believe on my first day, there's an assembly for someone who died." Veronica said as the two sat down. Lea was on the end of the row.
"Yes, that's truly the most tragic part of it all." Kevin furrowed his brows, looking past the dark haired girl and at Lea. She just shrugged.
As students began to settle down and the final few took their seats, Principle Weatherbee stepped up to the podium.
"Thank you all for coming." He began. "This assembly has been set in place as a signal of remembrance for one of our own, Jason Blossom."
Lea's eyes drifted from the Principle to Luke, who sat on his seat behind the podium, bouncing his leg. Cheryl sat next to him, significantly more put together.
"We at Riverdale considered Jason to be one of our star students. Committed. Punctual. It seems a disappointment that not everyone here knew him personally." There were a few scoffs in the stands. "As even I, feel inadequate to speak about him up here. I'd like to invite one of Jason's closest friends up to say a couple words. Luke Summers."
Across the room, there was scattered claps as Luke walked up to the podium, even some inappropriately timed whistles from the football team. Lea clapped, ignoring the quick glance she received from Veronica.
"Uh, hi." He looked as if he was going to be sick. "I don't really know what to say, they - uh, kinda dragged me up here." A few scattered chuckles. "Um, you all knew Jason, so there's no point in me going over what he was like, or whatever. You all had your own version of him."
As Luke continued to talk, Lea took a quick glance to her left, finding Jughead in the stands. His brows were furrowed as he typed on his laptop. She sighed, almost knowing exactly what he would've been writing.
"Times like these are hard, and - and we'll never be able to say who exactly they're the hardest for. In case this has hit you a bit hard, like it has me, I'd appreciate if we could have a minute of silence for Jason. At Cheryl's request."
The next sixty seconds were the longest of Lea's life. She barely thought about Jason for any of them, and could only assume that the majority of the room felt the same. She would never say it aloud, nor would anyone, but everyone in the room knew that Jason wasn't the golden boy he was made out to be. Most respected him only out of fear. The football team were his closest friends, and everyone knew exactly what kind of guys the Jocks were.
The room was placed into an uncomfortable silence, only interrupted by scattered coughs and the shuffling of people's clothes. Lea could see Cheryl with her head down, muttering a few words to herself. Everyone else, it seemed, was looking around the room, waiting for the minute to pass.
"Uh, thanks." Luke said, breaking the silence. "I've said all I've had to, so now, here's Cheryl."
Luke stepped off the podium and Cheryl stepped forward, donning all black. The room erupted in claps as she approached the mic.
"Thank you for that moment of silence." She said, wearing a solemn look. "Many of you were lucky enough to have known my brother personally. Each and every one of you meant the world to Jason." Scoffs. "I loved my brother. He was, and always will be, my soul mate. So, I speak with the confidence only a twin could have - Jason wouldn't want us to spend the year mourning. Jason would want us to move on with our lives." There was a sudden change in her voice. "Which is why I've asked the school board not to cancel the back-to-school semi-formal."
She smiled as people cheered.
"But rather," She said. "to let us use it as a way to heal, collectively, and celebrate my brother's too, too short life on this mortal coil. Thank you, all."
With a nod from Weatherbee, the assembly was finished. Everyone in the room, teachers included, applauded.
It was odd. The school had never felt so far apart, yet so united. Everyone's fakery was beginning to show. Lea noted that those who did publicly dislike Jason were clapping. Some people were crying. Others, looked bored. There were plenty of middle grounders who almost definitely spent their minute of silence, actually thinking about the red haired boy.
Lea didn't know where she was, yet.