EIGHT
august 24th, 12:26pm
"Betty, you missed the count again."
It was the lunchtime cheer practices that seemed to get to everyone the most. Cheryl and Lea split the practices they had - for the most part, Lea was in charge of the lunchtime, and Cheryl took charge of the after-school. It only seemed fair to them both, considering there were fewer midday practices than the consistent after-school ones. That was the only reason Cheryl was willing to pass on any authority over her River Vixens, even if it was to Lea.
So, there the blonde stood. Her arms folded in front of a tired team of girls, who were on their eighth time of running the number for the pep rally later that evening. She knew the routine inside and out, not seeming to grasp the idea that not everyone on the team knew the same as she did.
As she called out the Cooper girl, Betty stumbled even more with her dancing, as they had no choice but to continue while being criticised. A move that was supposed to be synchronised, was barely even representing a canon, as all the girls lined up, briefly cupping their faces with the back of their hands.
They all stumbled to a pause as the music was stopped.
"We're less than six hours away from tonight's pep rally, and that's all you guys have?" Lea asked, glaring across every member of the team. They remained silent. "Guys, this isn't just your ordinary pep rally. This is a rally, in the midst of everything that's going on."
Every member of the team was listening intently, sharing looks to each other.
Lea continued. "If everyone can enjoy themselves for even ten minutes, that's what we're here to do. The very least you can all do is smile."
No one dared to speak for a second, afraid of the countering they might receive. Except, when a certain blonde poked her head out from the line-up.
"Can you go over the move I'm missing?" Betty asked, eyebrows raised.
Lea looked at her for a second before sighing. She moved so she was closer to the team, but had her back to them all. Effortlessly, she demonstrated the move Betty consistently missed: hand on hip, arm in the air as you kick yourself off the ground.
"Everyone else, practice it, too." She called.
There was a sudden raise in the noise level in the room as sneakers squeaked on the gym floor, all girls scurrying to listen to the co-captain. After a minute or two, Lea turned to Betty.
"Do you have it now?" She asked, arching a brow.
Betty nodded. "Yeah, uh, thanks."
There had been a noticeable tension between the two girls ever since Cheryl's after-party, when Betty had called Lea out. But, what exactly could Lea say? Hi, Betty - I don't like you because you're better than me and I'm jealous. Definitely not. The thing Lea hated the most was the fact that Betty liked her, and she was starting to feel pretty bad about it. She merely deflected her feelings by being extra hard on the girl during practices - it was the only thing she felt confident in doing.
"Ready to go again?" Lea called, a little more chirper this time round. "If you feel tired, just remember... I don't care."
Some girls chuckled lightly, and Lea hid her small smile as she turned to press play on the stereo. This time round, everyone was much better, and they listened to what Lea was shouting at them. When they were told to smile, they smiled. If she needed higher jumps, they leaped. By the end of the lunch hour, the routine was polished and perfected; evident in the way how everyone's hair stuck to their head.
At the end of the number, Lea clapped excitedly.
"Good work, guys!" She called, choosing not to comment on how everyone visibly relaxed, knowing she was happy with the routine. "You're all good to go - remember we're meeting an hour before the rally!"
Lea knew that in her next period, she was free, so she took her time when cleaning up the pom-poms and ribbons they were using. She walked around the gym with a clear, plastic box, shoving the blue and yellow streamers in.
"Here." A voice said from over her shoulder. Of course, it was the woman of the hour, Betty.
She was holding out a few pom-poms, with the small stereo tucked under her left arm.
"Oh, thanks." Lea held out the box for her.
The awkward silence between the girls remained as they carried the equipment back to the now, empty locker rooms. Lea put the box down on the bench and politely grabbed the stereo off of Betty, putting it away. They changed and freshened up in complete silence. Betty was ready to leave before she was, and was halfway out of the doors when Lea called her.
Betty stopped, turning back to Lea, expecting to be hit with some form of scrutiny.
"You're really good at being at the front." Lea said, only looking at the girl when she had finished her sentence.
Immediately, Betty was smiling softly. "Thanks. You're really good at being co-captain."
It was the kind of validation that Lea craved, even if it did come from someone she secretly yearned to be. She didn't thank Betty, only smiled back, and the girl left, leaving Lea alone in the locker room.
She would never tell anyone, but Betty was hardly out of time with the other cheerleaders at all. In fact, she was doing a lot Better than most of them, even seniors. For Lea, it just added another reason for disliking her to her long, long, perfect list.
She sighed, grabbing her things before leaving the changing room and heading to the student lounge. All of the lockers were bleak, decorated with scratches from the zippers from backpacks or stickers that were given out for free from universities or health societies that visited the school. The one that stood out the most, was one Lea always felt the need to avoid contact with whenever she walked past.
Jason Blossom's locker was decorated from top to bottom in gifts, balloons, teddy bears, cards - you name it. The unspoken truth amongst the student body was that most of the presents placed around his locker, were mostly from the same kind of clique. People like Jason Blossom didn't receive kindness from people like Jughead Jones, for they never gave it in the first place.
Lea hoped that, whenever she would die, the people who disliked her started to hate her, if only the people who liked her would start to love her. She didn't seem to notice the contradictory of her statement, as she probably took the crown for fakery at Riverdale High.
She walked into the student lounge, the door already wide open, noticing that it was full of people she knew. Betty and Kevin separated themselves from Lea's own friends - people like Reggie, Moose, Luke. Archie Andrews and Chuck Clayton were only in the circle by circumstance. She scowled, noticing the latter seemed to be particularly close to a certain Veronica Lodge, and wondered about the multiple ways the relationship would probably blow up in her face.
She had walked in to hear half of what Reggie was already saying.
"And Sheriff Keller's grilling me," He said, passing a football back and forth between his hands. "Mantle the Magnificent."
Lea snorted, causing a couple of heads to turn, noticing her entrance.
"I can think of a few words to describe you, Reggie." She took a seat next to Luke, who smirked at her. "Magnificent isn't one of them."
Her friends chuckled and Reggie rolled his eyes. "Alright, Lea the Buzz-kill."
She hummed. "It doesn't have the same ring to it. Continue."
He lightly kicked her leg with his foot, carrying on what he was saying. "Like I'd want Blossom dead, when he was like the only good quarterback we had."
"I thought I was a pretty good quarterback in try-outs." Luke argued, holding out his hand for the football, which Reggie threw to him. He caught it. "Case-closed."
"That's why all you do is catch the ball and run, Summers." Reggie teased. "Speaking of offensive tight ends, I should've sent the cops to you, Moose. Because here's another unsolved mystery. What exactly were you and Kevin doing at the river, huh?"
Lea's eyes widened, and her head snapped to look at Kevin, who could hear everything Reggie was saying. She didn't know when the rumour spread that him and Moose were at the river that night, and was a little upset he never told her he was the one to find Jason. Kevin looked back at her with the same wide eyes.
Reggie started to follow her line of sight, and turned to face Kevin. "Or does being with the Sheriff's son give you a free pass, Keller?"
Kevin and Betty rolled their eyes, turning away from the conversation they never wanted to be involved in. Reggie, realising they weren't going to entertain him, turned back to his friends.
"I mean, let's think about it." He said. "If a kid at Riverdale killed Jason, it's not gonna be a jock, right?"
Luke had started to squirm in his seat next to Lea, so much that she turned to him with furrowed brows. He caught her eye for a second, before plastering on his most douchey smile for Reggie. Luke looked just past his chair with a smirk.
"Let's be honest," Luke said. "Isn't it always some spooky, scrawny, pathetic internet troll too busy writing his manifestos to get laid?"
Lea started chuckling softly at his words.
"Some smug, moody, serial-killer-fanboy freak?" Luke leaned forward, pressing his forearms onto his knees. "Like Jughead!"
The blonde's head snapped to where he was looking, finally noticing Jughead, leaning against the vending machine where Archie was furiously struggling with getting his dollar bill in. The boy seemed unamused and frankly, uninterested by what was happening. The football team chuckled and grinned, as though this was their favourite pastime. Lea smiled along with them, even when her head was telling her to stop.
"What was it like when you shot Jason, Juggy?" Luke taunted. "You can tell us, you're amongst friends here."
Jughead said nothing, only looked to Lea in expectancy. He knew, and she knew, she could do something about it. She could stop Luke in his tracks in an instant - so why didn't she?
With no response, Luke continued with support from the footballers. "You didn't - do stuff to the body, did you? Like, after?"
Jughead had shot back, coming to terms with the fact she wasn't going to say anything. "It's called necrophilia, Luke. Can you spell it?"
It was like that was what Luke was looking for. An excuse. He was up from his seat within the next second, and only feet away from Jughead, before there was an infamous blue and yellow letterman jacket in between the two.
"Hey, shut the hell up, Luke." Archie pushed a hand against Luke's chest, keeping the distance between him and Jughead.
Lea had risen from her seat in an instant and was calling Luke back to the couch.
Luke only laughed. "What do you care, Andrews?"
"Nothing, just leave him alone." Archie said.
In reality, Lea knew she should've been doing what Archie was. There was a part of her too gutless to even attempt.
Luke stepped back, looking between the two. "Holy crap. Did you and Donnie Darko kill him together?"
"We didn't. But I wonder if you could tell me what it's like to kill your best friend?" It was a comeback no one expected Archie to say, even Luke.
After that, it all happened so fast. One push and a smart-ass comment from Archie, and all of a sudden, the redhead's back was being shoved into the glass of the vending machine. The glass shattered. Now, everyone was on their feet, either cheering in the eruption of a fight, or trying to get one off of the other. Lea was part of the latter group.
She ran forward, just as Archie had taken a swing to Luke's face. The couches were pushed aside as the two rumbled into them, fighting for the higher ground. Luke found it pretty quickly, ramming his fists into any part of Archie's body he could. He was on top of Archie, as people clamoured at his shoulders, trying to pull him away.
"Luke!" Lea yelled.
Grabbing onto the fabric of his shirt, Luke mistook her for one of the guys, as he swung his arm back, elbowing her in the stomach. Before she could retaliate, Luke had swung his fist forward, hitting Archie right in the cheek, sending his head to the floor. He had passed out. Now, Luke was unmoving, and Lea was raging.
She grabbed the neck of his shirt, her fingernails scratching his neck, and pulled him up from the floor. He stumbled backwards, watching as everyone crowded around the teen on the floor. Lea swatted away the hands of everyone still holding onto Luke, and pulled him out into the hall, still clinging onto his shirt. As the commotion behind them continued, she pushed him out into the empty hallway, watching him breath heavily.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Her tone was harsh and loud.
She watched as he examined his own hands, that were already beginning to bruise. There was blood running down from his nose from the particular nasty hit from Archie.
"Luke!" She yelled, when he didn't respond.
He looked up, frustrated.
"You think I'm gonna let him speak to me like that?" He asked, pointing to the room behind her.
"You started it. What do you expect?" She retaliated. "If that was Jughead, you probably would've sent him to the ER."
Luke scoffed. "Well, was I wrong about anything I said?"
Lea wanted to scream. "Yes! Very!" He looked confused. "You can't go around accusing people like that, Luke. Even if you don't like them."
Hell, if that was the case - Sheriff, lock up Veronica Lodge.
"It was a joke!" He argued.
"Shut up." She held up her hand. "You should've stopped before you started. Go to the nurse."
With that, she walked back into the lounge, leaving Luke alone and bruised in the hallway.
Archie was awake now, sitting on the couch with a cola can against his head. Everyone surrounded him, patting him on the back and talking - even those who cheered against him. It was noticeable when Lea came in without the boy she left with.
"Where is he?" Moose asked.
"I sent him to the nurse." She sighed. She looked at Archie. "You might not wanna go, yet. You might cross paths."
He nodded in understanding, wincing slightly as the can brushed against his nasty, bruising, cheek. Jughead was sitting just behind him on the back of the couch, frowning. He watched as Lea avoided looking at him at all costs, making him frown more.
The bell rung for their last period. Lea grabbed her bag and swung it over her shoulder, before noticing Luke's stuff still on the couch next to hers. In an annoyance, she grabbed his bag, too and swung the letterman jacket over her shoulders like a cape.
Wordlessly, and alone, she walked to her English class. Over the speakers, she heard Principle Weatherbee call for Archie and Luke to come to his office.
Kevin sat down next to her in his usual place and she immediately started speaking.
"When were you going to tell me you found Jason?" She asked.
Kevin sighed, pulling out his books. "I didn't mean to tell anyone. I told Betty and some kids must've overheard."
Reason number thirty-seven, Lea thought. "Oh, I see. You told Betty."
He turned to her, her arms crossed. "Don't start this again."
They looked at each other, unblinking. Lea was the first to take a long blink and look away. She pulled her chair in and flicked through the pages of her textbook. To ease the tension, she thought of the lighter thing on her mind.
"And Kevin?" She asked. He turned to look at her. "Moose Mason?"
The boy grinned sheepishly, before diving into the details.
august 24th, 5:45pm
Lea was putting the last poster on the seats of the bleachers when the crowd started to come in. They were already rowdy and full of energy - just what everyone needed. The poster's were at request of Mayor McCoy and Principle Weatherbee: a picture of Jason with 'IN REMEMBRANCE' written atop.
The seats filled up quickly, despite the rain, and soon enough, the marching band were playing and refreshments were being served. Although not apart of their official routine, the River Vixens madly waved their pom-poms and hyped up the crowd. It was the kind of school-spirit energy that Lea adored.
During her excitement, she found her parents in the crowd. Her mother was present with a camera while her dad merely waved with a smile. She waved back, the ends of her pom-poms wildly brushing past her wrist. In the midst of her happiness, her eye caught onto a particular figure next to the bleachers, who wasn't mirroring her emotions in the slightest.
Jughead watched as the chaos around him happened, perfectly content in his secluded section. Lea had tired to speak to him in the hallways, but could do nothing but watch as he ignored her and walked away. She knew exactly why, and she supposed she deserved it.
She didn't know what it was, but something in her made her put her pride aside. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the boy, becoming strangely aware of the way the rain was already starting to drip from her hair to her shoulders.
"Hi." She spoke quietly.
Jughead leant against the railing with one shoulder. "Hey."
A beat of silence passed between them, as Lea tried to think of what to say first.
"Are you sure you wanna be seen with me during school hours?" He asked. "Your boyfriend might pin us up for murder."
She sighed, looking up from her gaze on the floor. "I'm sorry about him."
Jughead furrowed his brows. "You don't apologise on his behalf. You apologise on your own."
Lea knew he was right, and that was what she shouldn't be apologising for. She nodded. "I don't know why I laughed, Jug."
"I do." He said. "You care more about your social status than your friends."
It was a huge blow to the chest, and Lea only felt it so heavily because she knew it was the truth. She was on a constant mode of auto-pilot that made her choose the newest shoes over the kindest person. You could've asked any student in the school and they would've told you the same - Lea was only nice to you when she wanted something. This, of course, wasn't true for people like Jughead, or even her closest friends like Cheryl or Reggie.
"I-I don't know what you want me to say." She admitted, crossing her arms for a sense of security.
"I don't want you to say anything, but maybe, next time, take a note out of Archie's book." He said. "I don't expect you to take a punch for me, but not laughing at my expense would be a start."
She expected him to walk away, but he stayed, and waited.
Anything Lea was about to say, but couldn't think of, was interrupted by the voice of Principle Weatherbee over the loud speaker, inviting Mayor McCoy to say a few words to the crowd.
"I-uh, I gotta go." She said, slowly backing away.
Jughead nodded, raising his brows, not saying a word. He merely watched as she walked away, then turned to jog towards the other Vixens. He daren't say it to anyone, not even Lea, but he did miss her, and it was hurtful to see the way she laughed at the cruel words thrown his way. If it was anyone else, he doubt he would've cared so heavily. It was the kind of hurt like when you see your childhood friend hanging out with someone else and leaving you behind - it was that exactly.
Lea ran into place, lining up on the front row next to Cheryl.
Through her smile with gritted teeth, Cheryl asked, "Where the hell have you been?"
The blonde brushed her wet hair out of her face and got into position. "Don't worry about it."
"Now, please, join me in welcoming to the field our very own River Vixens, and their special guest stars, my daughter, Josie, and her Pussycats!" Mayor McCoy cheered, and the girls took the stage.
With the immediate introduction of the song Candy Girl, the cheerleaders jumped into action. It wasn't as awkward as Lea thought it'd be, despite the routine itself being questionable. Perhaps it was the team spirit engulfing her, the cheers of the crowd, or the beat of the song. Either way, she tried to forget about the last five minutes, and smiled widely, as her fellow Vixens placed her on their shoulders, pushing her up into the air.
'Sugar, oh, honey, honey.'
The marching band kicked in, and it was like the epitome of a teen movie. They parted, like practiced, and Veronica cat-walked her way to the front. It was the most fun Lea had had in a while, and she thought it was something everyone needed. The time eventually came to resolve the routine in the most stereotypical cheer fashion anyone could think of - cheering loudly and running next to the bleachers. Was it cheesy? Yes. Was it fun? Yes.
She ran quickly with the other Vixens, preparing to hold up the Bulldogs Banner. Dropping her pom-poms, she grabbed a post next to Betty, who was grinning wildly.
"How's your first pep rally as a Vixen?" She asked loudly, over the sound of the football coach calling the football team to the field.
Betty was beaming. "Amazing!"
The crowd erupted as the players ran through the banner, tearing it in half. The energy was high and everyone was having a great time. She saw Luke run past, but he didn't see her - as he carried on running onto the field. Archie took the lead, as the new quarterback.
As they made their way further into the field, Lea caught sight of Cheryl, who was now on stage with Josie and the band. She looked, almost frozen. And before anyone knew it, she had bolted off stage, and was running back towards the school building.
Lea wasted no time in leaving her post to run after her. Even as good as she felt right now, it wasn't in her nature to let Cheryl run off on her own. Anyone could've guessed it - the concerned parents in the stands, Sheriff Keller who watched intently, even Jughead, who was now standing straighter than ever.
Cheryl was clearly quicker than Lea, so by the time the blonde had walked through the front doors of the school, she had to follow the trail of wet footprints. They led her to the girls' locker room. There, she found her best friend, hunched over on the end of a bench, crying.
"Oh, Cheryl." Lea sighed. She rushed forward, placing herself next to her and gently putting a hand on her back.
If it were anyone else, Cheryl would've tried to conceal her tears. Lea had seen her cry enough times for her to be concerned about that. She heard footsteps approach behind them and turned to see Veronica standing in the hallway, watching them. Lea held up her hand to silence her.
"J-Jason." Cheryl mumbled out through her tears. She took a huge gasp. "He's gone."
Lea felt like she could do nothing but watch her friend crumble in front of her. This would be different if no one knew the fate of Jason. You can provide comfort if someone is only missing, but, Cheryl had seen her brother's body. She had been to the morgue and been given the gruesome details. She had helped print out the posters with his face plastered on them. It must've all became too real.
"I-I know, Cher." Lea spoke softly. So soft, it was barely audible.
"No," Cheryl choked out. "Lea, he-he was supposed to come back."
It was quiet, and if Lea wasn't listening hard enough, she probably wouldn't have heard it. She knew by the confused look on Veronicas face, that she had heard it too. As much as the statement sent shivers up her spine, she had to ignore it, for both of their sakes.
"I'm alone." Cheryl cried.
Lea scoffed. "You're not alone, Cheryl. Hardly."
In an instant, Cheryl had turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde. So tight, that Lea thought she was going to choke. Nevertheless, she accepted the hug with her entire heart and soul. She knew that Cheryl could never approach her parents with this, and in reality, who else did she have to go to?
The more she thought about it, maybe Cheryl was alone. There was only so much comfort that Lea could give, and what if that wasn't enough?
"You'll be okay, Cher." She said, mostly speaking into her hair as Cheryl cried into her shoulder. "It'll take time, but you'll be okay. We'll figure this out together."
Moments passed. Moments that felt like hours, before Cheryl had stopped crying and had pulled herself together enough to pull away from Lea's shoulder. She had mascara dripping down her cheeks, and her cherry red lipstick was drastically smudged.
"Lea," She said. Lea looked at her expectantly. "I need to tell you."
"Tell me, what, Cher?" Lea moved pieces of hair out of her face.
Cheryl took a deep breath. "I don't actually think you're Veruca Salt."
Lea tried so hard to find it within her not to laugh, looking back and forth between Cheryl's eyes. It seemed as though she wasn't strong enough, as she burst into giggles. Soon enough, Cheryl was laughing too. The two of them sat there, grinning and laughing on the locker room bench, their clothes soaked through to the skin. Veronica seemed to had left the room ages ago, and it was just the two of them. Eventually they calmed down, and Lea placed a hand on Cheryl's thigh.
"Do you want me to drive you home?" She asked.
The girl looked almost terrified at the idea, and quickly shook her head.
Lea posed another question. "Do you want to go to Pop's?"
Cheryl sighed. "It's like you almost read my mind. Let's go."
They left the rally early, sneaking out of the school before anyone could see them.
Cheryl hopped in the passenger seat of Lea's car, and they drove out of the parking lot, windows down, allowing the cool end of summer air in. It was like ice on their soaked clothes, but it felt nice to feel something. Something other than the brutality of Jason's murder. Something other than arguing with Luke. Something other than the guilt of hiding a friendship.
It was something they both needed.