"Veronica, have a seat," Hermione instructed her errant daughter as she walked in well after the agreed nine-thirty curfew, as much as she hated it she had to agree with Hiram. Veronica's behaviour as of late was slowly getting out of control she wasn't overtly disrespectful but she was being bratty and if Hermione didn't nip this in the bud Hiram might actually step in and do something more drastic especially as he was striving to present a perfect family image to entice Izzy.
"I've had a long day whatever dad wants you to tell me can wait until tomorrow," Veronica demanded taking off her heels, she spent the rest of the afternoon comforting Archie and assuring him that everything would be okay, even if he let such a huge secret slip, it wasn't like Izzy was about to say something to embarrass Cheryl.
The whole afternoon had been an endless exercise in trying to get answers from Archie which wasn't easy, ever since Fred got shot Archie was moody and she understood why.
Someone had shot Archie's dad and if Izzy hadn't applied pressure to the wound, if they decided to wait for the ambulance or if Dr Masters hadn't been as quick as he was in getting Fred into surgery then Fred would be dead, Archie would have lost his father and that was a lot to deal with so Veronica understood, for the most part.
It was one thing to be moody because he was scared but there was something else going on and the only clue she had was Archie's beourging disdain for Izzy, Veronica didn't want to admit it but the way Archie was acting reminded her of a lot of guys back in New York, even with his explanation she still didn't know how an apology could turn into telling Izzy about Cheryl's suicide attempt.
"I said sit down Veronica" Hermione began again but much more sternly than before refusing to talk again until Veronica was seated, "Now I know you have a problem with what your father did but the truth is I was the one who told him to write that letter to you."
"Wha-"
"Your behaviour needs to improve."
"My behaviour the two of you-"
"We are your parents and we do what's best for you." Hermione cut in again not allowing Veronica to build up steam and start ranting and raving especially seeing as how Hiram wasn't yet aware of their daughter's late entrance to the apartment.
"What's best for me," Veronica stated baffled did she really believe that. "You had dad threaten to send you to jail so I did what you wanted. You asked me to sleep with Archie so he would manipulate his dad into selling their business and don't think I haven't noticed what's going on here, the secret meeting dad is having with Andre, the way he keeps the study locked all the time and the way this house smells like paint-"
"That is beside the point." Hermione interrupted, she didn't need Veronica going down that path, they will be plenty of time for these feeling once she knew about Izzy. "I am here talking about your behaviour and not your dad, it has gone on too long"
"So he can't be bothered to talk to me and sends you" Veronica scoffed, she wasn't sure who was worse her dad using her mum like this or her mum for going along with this and allowing herself to be used knowing what he was doing.
"Enough Veronica" Hiram interrupted walking into the living room "I asked your mum to try and have a quiet word with you in order t get you to act like the daughter we raised thinking you would respond more to a gentler approach but let me be clear; You will behave or I will ensure that you do, we are your parents we do a lot of things that you do not like or appreciate but it is for the family. Riverdale is a fresh start for me, for all of us" Hiram quickly amended noticing the look Hermione was giving him, he really didn't need the headache of dealing with an errant child and an insecure wife. "I won't have you ruining this opportunity with your antics and your little temper tantrum. You have the rest of the night to feel whatever you want to feel but I expect you to wake up with a better attitude in the morning, now apologise to your mother for this rudeness and go to bed you have school in the morning" Hiram said dismissing Veronica.
"What?" Hiram questioned feeling Hermione's eyes boring into the side of his head after Veronica had walked off.
"I was handling it."
"She is acting out because she thinks I am using you to do my dirty work now she has to deal with me, you've got your wish I will handle Veronica from now on" Hiram informed her, if it wasn't so late in the night a glass of scotch would be really nice but he needed a clear head he was going to see Noah tomorrow and ask to be introduced to Isabelle with Andre ruining a simple surveillance order and Hermione acting so irrational he had no choice but to try and inform Isabelle of who he was before Christmas.
"You are going to lose her Hiram," Hermione warned referring to Veronica.
Hiram didn't bother answering before walking away as well, they both knew Veronica wouldn't hold on to her anger for long especially not when it came to Hiram, she was a daddy's girl through and through a few months in prison or a threatening letter wasn't going to change that.
x.x.x.x
Izzy laid in the Cheryl's Queen size bed waiting for her friend to wake up so she could break the news to her, it would be better if she did it than to have Pop tell her that way all the espected anger would be directed at her instead of Pop.
"What are you doing here?" Cheryl yawned finding herself next to Izzy, she was sure Izzy had left last night but the fact that she was still wearing the same clothes meant she hadn't even gone home.
"Waiting for you to wake up." Izzy shrugged staring up at the ceiling "Pop is waiting to take you home." Izzy stated with all the subtlety of a hammer, no one could accuse her of beating around the bush. Izzy pretended she not to feel Cheryl scrambling out of the bed to stare at her and continued talking, "He's been downstair for nearly six hours now arguing with Penelope but the gist of it is he isn't leaving here without you and the last time I went down there he was threatening to call CPS." Izzy continued pretending not to feel Cheryl's anger.
"How dare you" Cheryl seethed, not that she was looking but Izzy was sure that Cheryl was vibrating with anger.
"I gave you two options and you walked away." Izzy reminded her, she was tired, she really should have gone to sleep instead of worrying about Shady man, the shooter, Cheryl.
"This wasn't your decision to make!" Cheryl shouted. "I know you want to help but how I get help isn't up to you, you can't just decide to tell your grandad something personal you-"
"I gave you the chance to do this the right way," Izzy repeated sitting up finally turning to look over at Cheryl, there was no sign of sleep anywhere on her face the news had obviously wiped away any trace of tiredness from her. "You want to be pissed off at me for getting you help then go ahead" Izzy sneered, "I don't actually care. You don't get to bury your head in the sand in denial about a suicide attempt and it may not be my place but I am the only one doing something to fucking help you. Now pack your things Pop is taking you home and I have to get home and shower for school." Izzy demanded getting off the bed.
A part of her knew she was being a tad bit cruel but like she said she didn't really care, she tried the soft approach in getting Cheryl to realise that she needed help and all she got was denial and she wasn't about to spend however many days or weeks it would take to get Cheryl to agree to get help herself, who knew what she would do if left to her own devices.
"I'm not going anywhere!" Cheryl screamed out.
Izzy turned around with letting loose a sharp bark of laughter; she genuinely found it amusing that Cheryl thought she had a choice right now but instead of saying all the things that would let Cheryl know just how little control she actually had over the whole situation Izzy just shook her head and began walking away.
x.x.
"She's awake and she's pissed off," Izzy said as a way of letting her presence be known once she entered the dining room where Pop and Cruella were still at it, still talking, well glaring at each other. "I'm going home to shower and go to school, oh and you might want to make some French toast for her and if you have time some jam won't go amiss she loves those… actually, I'll go to the store after school." Izzy amended she didn't think Pop would actually have time to do anything else today apart from helping get Cheryl settled in plus buying all of Cheryl's favourite food might help ease the teeny-tiny bit of guilt she was feeling; it wasn't enough for her to regret calling Pop but it was enough for her to use a part of her paycheck to go crazy in the grocery store.
"Isabelle" Penelope hissed.
"Do you want me home after school because I kinda promised Jug to go over to his today" Izzy asked ignoring Penelope, it wasn't an exact lie she hadn't promised Jug anything but she did intend on talking to him about his role in Cheryl's suicide attempt and how he'd help her or rather how he didn't.
"I expect you home after school, either call Jughead or go to the diner if you want yo see him or get him to come over and I expect-"
"Calls and texts to let you know where I am, yeah I know." Izzy huffed finishing off his sentences, it was becoming mildly irritating having to text Pop every time she left one place but she got it, there was a shooter on the loose who just killed yet another person earlier that morning while Izzy was lying next to Cheryl, unfortunately the pensioner who had been walking his dog did not make it but there had been a witness who had seen a man wearing a black hood running away from the scene of the crime.
x.x.x.x
Izzy held her head up high as she walked into the music room after school, she gone through the day without so much as side-eyeing Veronica or her friends just so she didn't lose her shit, instead she did the very mature thing and texted her to meet in the music room after school along with her boyfriend, what Veronica probably hadn't known until she walked in was Izzy had sent the exact same text to Betty and Jughead, she wanted all four of them to be in one place because they were the four people who knew about Cheryl and sat back and did nothing so they now had the pleasure of explaining their actions to her.
"Hey" Veronica stated nervously, she didn't know exactly why Izzy texted all of them but three guesses said it had to do with what Archie said yesterday.
"Sit," Izzy instructed, she wasn't about to fake pleasantries for these people.
"What's wrong?" Jughead asked approaching Izzy, she was clearly mad about something.
"Sit down barbie, you too Chucky" Izzy instructed walking past Jughead as if he hadn't spoken
"Can you guys give us a minute?" Jughead questioned from behind Izzy, the fact that she was name-calling right from the get-go meant she was way too pissed to even watch what she would say next.
"Cheryl nearly killed herself so explain why none of you thought to get her any type of help. You didn't go to Penelope, the school councillor, hell you didn't even bother to start a rumour so people knew she needed help so what exactly did you do once you got her out of the river"
"What going on?" Betty looked confused at the hostility being directed at everyone, she thought Izzy had asked her to come because she had an idea for a present that Betty can give to Jughead or maybe she wanted to ask her for advice about what happened yesterday at lunch with Archie.
"That's what I want to know. What was going on in that head of yours." Izzy hissed irritated at the dumbfounded look on their face "I guess I assumed that you had a functioning brain but I could be wrong."
"I get you are in shock but-" Veronica was the first to begin speaking, she suspected to be confronted at some point what she hadn't expected were the glares and the name-calling.
"I was in shock yesterday when Chucky over there told me about Cheryl's suicide attempt." Izzy stated pointing at Archie, "now, now I'm pissed off because I realised that instead of actually helping Cheryl or telling someone what went on you four morons did nothing and now you are going to help me fix this"
"Look we are sorry but-"
"You do realise you played with her life, you get her out of the river and then you go home and do what exactly? Ignore the fact that she tried to kill herself for the last three weeks"
"Iz-"
"What JUG!" Izzy snapped cutting Jug off clearly surprising them. She wasn't sure why everyone was looking at Jughead as if he was some sort of Izzy whisperer like her anger would go away just because it was him talking. "What the hell can you possibly say to defend your actions. Let me know because whilst you kept silent you she could have tried again. She could have hanged herself like Clifford did or taken a gun and blown her brains out or even gone into the kitchen and decided to cut herself. She tried killing herself and instead of telling me or anyone for that matter you did nothing. What would you have done if she had tried again and succeeded." Izzy questioned putting it out there, desperately wanting to know their answers.
"Izzy listen-"
"No. Seriously Jug, she tries to drown herself and you say nothing. Did nothing. What wrong with you?" Izzy questioned staring at Jughead
"Look it wasn't our place to say, she was really embarrassed after it happened and she didn't want anyone to know" Betty spoke up watching the way Jughead was floundering trying to come up with an answer that would satisfy Izzy.
"Oh that solves everything, she was embarrassed. I don't know, why was I so upset." Izzy said flippantly. "Here I thought it was a cry for help, I thought you might have been smart enough to say something when you come across a suicide attempt but if she was embarrassed that makes everything okay."
"That's not what I meant." Betty backtracked gaining such an unimpressed look from Izzy that managed to cut her down to size without Izzy having to say a single word.
"She isn't suicidal and it wasn't up to us to tell." Jughead cut in before Izzy retaliated, he may not know what she was about to say but he knew she was about to insult Betty.
"YES, IT WAS. Even if you didn't tell me you should have told someone, her trying to killing herself that is the literal definition of suicidal."
"Look I get your angry and yes we messed up in not telling anyone what happened but we weren't the ones who went there trying to commit suicide." Jughead snapped feeling defensive. "And can I just mention how obvious it is that you only came here to pick a fight, first you spend two weeks fighting with Cheryl then you get into a fight with Archie yesterday and today you've gathered all of us here just to start another one fight."
Okay Betty or Veronica or even Archie himself had a big mouth. "Nice try Jug but this is on you. Am I being unfair when it wasn't just you there. I am, it is unfair" Izzy acknowledged "But you are the only one I know. I am not friends with those three" She replied pointing her hands towards the others "so I expect you to be the one to tell me not fucking Andrews as a way of gloating and throwing it in my face that I didn't know what she tried to do."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Cheryl, I just knew you wouldn't handle it well but that was no excuse in not telling anyone about what happened," Jughead admitted, hell he was sure they could all admit to having done the wrong thing.
"I'm sorry you didn't tell me too." Izzy was still furious but slightly less so with the apology and acknowledgement from Jug.
"Seriously?" Archie asked shaking his head at her behaviour pulling Izzy's entire focus off Jughead straight onto him.
"What?" Izzy growled she still hadn't forgotten the way he broke the news, she may have bigger fish to fry with Shady man, the shooter investigation and making sure Cheryl lives but she wasn't going to let Andrews off the hook, fuck him being Jug's best friend as well she was going to get her own back one way or another.
"Don't you think are being a tiny bit hypocritical?" Archie asked. "Once you found out about what happened did you take your own advice and tell anyone else. Does Mrs Blossom know about Cheryl?"
Jughead frowned at Archie's words and so did Betty and Veronica, Betty had told him what happen yesterday between Izzy and Archie this morning at breakfast but he thought she was over-exaggerating the situation.
"Listen here you overgrown Chuckie doll, unlike you when I find out someone tried to commit suicide I do the right thing and get them help cause I actually use my brain." Jughead tried reaching out to hold Izzy back from moving any closer to Archie, it had been a while since he had seen this level of animosity from her and while she had never physically attacked someone it didn't mean she never would.
"Let me be crystal clear here; the only person I care about in this room is Jughead; the rest of you mean nothing to me, worse than that you are the people who gambled with Cheryl's life and so the three of you are going to help me keep an eye on her or so help me God I will go out of my way to torment you and make the rest of your high school life a living hell," Izzy promised before walking out of the room, she didn't need their response they either did what she said or she would keep her promise.
This was the first time Betty and Veronica themselves understood why Izzy was nicknamed 'Hurricane Tate', the condemnation dripping from every syllable uttered, the ice-cold glares coming out of her eyes, the tension in the air that had still to disappear they were all still reeling from the threat she'd given.
x.x
It now made sense how Cheryl and Izzy could be friends; it was fair to say both girls could turn nasty when they wanted to.
"Talk about melodramatic." Archie scoffed quietly enought that no one heard, the whole thing from the ambush text to Ronnie and the dramatic demands that they explain themselves to the threat was just ridiculous, he'd felt bad yesterday for telling Izzy about Cheryl but the way she just reacted making this all about her, forcing Jughead to apologise for something he didn't even do.
"I'm sure she'll come around. It wasn't intentional and Cheryl didn't want anyone else to know." Betty reached out comforting Jughead to no effect.
"Izzy is right though, we should have said something," Jughead admitted. If it was anyone else he would have at least gone to the guidance counsellor and tell them what he saw.
"Maybe you should go after her" Betty advised.
"No, it's best if I let her cool down."
"You're her friend-"
"And so is Cheryl" Jug countered. "Anyway this isn't about that."
"Then what was that about?" Betty wondered.
Death.
It's about death and the fact that Izzy doesn't know how to deal with it after seeing her mum die.
Izzy hated death in all it's form and became erratic if she thought someone close to her would die.
Jughead knew this, he had known if Izzy found out about Cheryl she wouldn't take it well, she barely managed to keep her behaviour under control when Jason died even taking to avoiding most of the funeral preparation until the actual burial.
Instead of saying all that Jug just shrugged his shoulders and reminded everyone he was late for his shift at Pop; Wednesday nights were meant to be slow but with the shooting that morning it was more likely to be glacial in pace which worked in his favour, he didn't need any distractions tonight so he and Toni could hopefully follow Shady man.
Writer's thoughts:
What do you guys think? Is Izzy overreacting or is she right in calling all four of them out? It may not be their fault but if Cheryl had tried again then the blame would partly lie with these four for not saying anything. Seems Izzy doesn't play nice when upset even with Cheryl was she hasty in telling Pop and not giving Cheryl a chance to come to terms on her own or did she do the right thing?
Not sure when the next chapter will be posted but I am editing it.
Thanks again for all the comment/ reviews and PM I receive each and every one of them means so much to me and make me happy even the critics, I thank you. Also we have another murder in this crazy town of Riverdale.