Chapter Three

School for Gabby was nothing short of boring. Not because nothing happened, it was Riverdale, nothing ever happened, but because she was by herself. Not for the first time she was at her locker by herself, she was in her classes by herself, she was in the locker room for gym by herself. All the times where she would've been with Cheryl she was alone.

Cheryl really knew how to punish people when she really wanted to. And Gabby got nothing but a cold shoulder from the Bombshell all day. So cold that she felt a cold sweat form at her brow every time Cheryl was nearby. When Cheryl was whispering and giggling with Midge and Josie, were they talking about her? When they laughed loudly at their lunch table, was it something Gabby was missing out on? What inside jokes would she have to work hard to decipher later? What did that raised eyebrow and congratulatory smirk mean every time Gabby looked her way?

And Gabby had enough time to think about it, while ignoring the stares that came her way when everyone realized she was alone. Maybe kicked off her high-horse and crushed underneath Cheryl's stiletto red boot was something they all enjoyed. Gabby didn't put too much energy into figuring out whether it was the truth. (Though Jughead's snort as Gabby looked around the lunchroom, clutching her tray to herself while looking for a place to sit was enough to give Gabby a boost in her eye-rolling game to make sure no one else even dared to look smug at her).

Instead, she settled herself into her own little world. A world that, honestly, was slowly crashing and burning. Her email continued to stay empty of anything from her mother, and she was supposed to have time to get in contact with her. She missed her phone call, Gabby never missed a phone call from her mother. Even when she was at the movie theater in the drive in she'd run out and talk to her mother as long as she could. Sometimes missing the entire second half because she needed to hear everything.

Her father…she couldn't remember the last time she and her father had a honest conversation. It seemed that the longer her mother was gone, the longer he stayed at work. Often coming back to the house at the odd hours of the morning, moving as quietly as possible. Often not making it far from the living room where he'd crash to sleep for Gabby to find the next morning.

He'd promised her, promised her that nothing would change while her mother was deployed. How long did that last, dad? Gabby flicked her thumb over her phone screen, scrolling through her social media accounts, making all the laughter and whispers around her from permeating into her brain, making her upset.

Never let them see you sweat. Cheryl rule number 1 of a long list of things Gabby needed to remember when she was in public.

The second thing that bothered Gabby about the day was that Chuck Clayton didn't seem to want to leave her alone. How many events could they go to together before he realized that they were no longer dating? In all honesty, they'd only started going out because their mothers suggested it. When they, awkwardly, sat in the back of Coach Clayton's car at the drive-in—not touching—there was an unmistakable feeling that something was expected to come of them being together.

When Coach Clayton had—finally—left the car so that he could get them some more snacks, Gabby and Chuck had finally said what was on their minds. They were put together because they were some of the only black teen sin Riverdale. Yes, there was Josie, Valerie, and Melody—the Pussycats—but how many guys would suffer the wrath of Mayor McCoy to go out with Josie if something happened? Let alone would Josie, who's one true love in life was music, let any guy get in her way of becoming a music star? Not even Valerie or Melody could talk her into going on any of the dates she was asked out on.

Then again, as far as Gabby was concerned, the Pussycats were a little too close for comfort. There was something to be said of their band name as it was. Chuck, on the other hand, had shot up like a reed, lost his braces, gained some muscle from practicing with the football team over the summer, and became his own man. To a fault. When she and Chuck were alone, they were great together. When he was around his football buddies, that's when he became the asshole Gabby couldn't stand.

The asshole that continuously heckled her at lunch, calling her to sit on his lap and wondering when the next time was they were going to go out. (As if making out at a few parties and pretending to be a 'golden couple' when their parents needed it was 'going out').

But Gabby ignored it all, flashing a large smile on her face as if everything was okay. Laughing intermittently at her phone even though the screen was as black as the midnight sky hovering over the woods in Riverdale. As black as the black hole that Cheryl's absence of her days was. They were best friends, they had to make up at some point. All Gabby had to do was give her some space and things would go back to normal.

Even if that normal was being treated like a social pariah. But if you got on Cheryl Blossom's bad side, you were there for a while. Jason said as much when Gabby caught him at the end of the school day. She'd just gathered her school books from her locker when she watched Jason and Polly Cooper walk by, heads bent toward each other as they spoke quietly.

He held her hand, gently running his fingertips over her knuckles, reassuring her about something. Gabby could tell from the earnest way his head lifted when Polly turned a skeptical eyebrow raise his way. Then he smiled, said something else that made her smile and nod. He pressed a kiss to her forehead them to her lips, making her giggle and turn away. She waved a pom-pom toward him, then rushed off to her River Vixens practice. Cheryl may boast about being a captain, when in all actuality she was the co-captain while Polly was the lead.

Gabby waited until she was sure she'd have Jason's attention before calling out to him. "Jase," Gabby said. He turned to face her. Gabby sighed, pulling her purse up over her shoulder. She held her coat over her arms, covering her hands as she twisted her fingers together. "I just wanted to apologize for what I said earlier." Jason tilted his head, confused. "About Polly." He nodded, clarity coming over his face. "I know you really like her, and it wasn't fair of me."

Jason waved a hand. Waved off her apology. "Forget about it," he said.

"No, I really need to say it. You're one of my best friends, Jase, and I don't want anything to jeopardize that."

Gabby started to say something else then stopped. Instead, she gave him a tiny smile. One she knew that made her dimples stand out and always made him forgive her. How else did she get him to finally start speaking to her again after she accidentally destroyed his completed LEGO Death Star model? Buying another one and some other kits for him probably helped but she was stubborn and didn't want to lose him as a friend.

"Even Cheryl?" Jason prompted. Gabby's smile immediately dropped. Her head jerked back in surprise, eyebrows furrowing. Jason looked away form a moment. He licked his lips and ran his hands over his face before saying, "Look, I know Cheryl can be a handful sometimes. I love her. But she's also one who will do anything to make sure no one gets in her way of what she wants. I don't want you to get caught up in that."

Gabby let out a startled laugh. "Caught up in what? Jase, you know I can handle myself."

"I know you can," Jason said. "You're the one who managed to take down the entire third grade in dodge ball." Despite herself, Gabby started to smile. "You even broke Moose's nose. And Moose is a pretty tough nut to crack." He tapped himself on the chest, where his football pads would have been residing. "Trust me. I've had a whole summer of trying."

"How's it going?" The two started to walk with each other down the hallway. "Being on the football team, I mean?" She and Cheryl had gone to watch his try-out, with Cheryl practicing her new cheers of being River Vixen. If Jason were embarrassed at all, he didn't show it. No, he grinned towards Cheryl and Gabby every time they cheered for him. Even going so far as to say Cheryl's presence really helped him out.

Not many guys would say that about their sisters. Jason was the one who cheered the loudest when Cheryl was named co-captain of the River Vixens, even giving her pointers to be sure she was at her best when she did nothing but practice around Thornhill Mansion. Thankfully Jason was there to do it, Gabby always thought, or else she'd be the guinea pig to Cheryl's crazy plans.

"It's great," Jason replied. A ghost of a smile came to his face. "We have our first game soon. A really big one, too. The guys and I have been working hard to make sure we beat them." He smirked. "Not that it'll be hard, it's against Southside High."

Gabby let out a loud bark of laughter. Southside High. Not a threat at all. Their football team was even weaker than their wrestling team and that was saying something considering they didn't have many options out of the school population that was filled with criminals and burnouts.

"Should be a good show, then."

"The stands will be filled, that's for sure." Jason spun out of the way of Dilton Doiley as he marched past, tying a complicated knot in the tie he wore around his neck. Probably going to his next Boy Scout meeting, she determined. There wasn't much he did in terms of socializing otherwise. "If they can get away from their super important meetings, I mean." He joined in with Gabby's laughter.

"And Polly?"

"What about her?"

"She just seemed really upset before." Not that she didn't expect Polly to be at the front of the crowd, cheering her heart out. No matter how many fights she and Jason had—which, admittedly weren't that many, she was always there for him. "I mean…you didn't tell her what I said, did you?"

Jason smiled. "Polly's a lot tougher than you give her credit for, Gabs. You'd have to say a lot worse to get to her than that." Gabby gave him a knowing look and Jason simply shrugged in response. There wasn't much that would get through Jasons's friendly exterior. He'd reacted badly because it was someone he loved. He would've done the same if it were for Cheryl. "And…everything's fine. We're just working through some things."

"Don't tell me that Riverdale's golden couple is having a lover's spat," Gabby teased.

Jason's smile fell from his face. For a long moment, long enough that he didn't notice she'd stopped walking to look at him, Jason was silent. Finally, he turned back to her, gave a shrug and a boyish smile and said, "Things can't be perfect all the time," before he waved and headed to practice.

The bell above Pop's Chok-o-Lit shop rang as Gabby walked inside. She hitched her purse up her shoulder, looking around for someone to sit with. Of course, no one from Northside was there to rescue her form sitting alone again. The sea of leather jackets that turned her way was enough for her to know she made a mistake.

Just to be sure, Gabby looked at her phone and sighed. It was Southside time. Everyone in Riverdale knew when it was time for the Northside to be in Pops and for the Southside to be in Pops and didn't intermingle much more than they needed to. Jughead, she could see sitting in the corner of the restaurant amongst numerous burger wrappers, seemed to be the only person in Riverdale to not care. He hardly looked at her, when she entered, too engrossed in whatever it was he was plucking away on his laptop.

The Southside, however, didn't seem to pay her much mind either. The younger teen guys sneered at her before looking away, the older guys gave her an obvious once over before turning away. Only one of the teen girls gave her more than a passing glance, and Gabby couldn't help but notice her either. The pink hair she sported atop her head in a bun made it difficult for her to be missed.

Still, her gaze wasn't friendly either. Not as dismissive, but not friendly.

"Gabriella Rush, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Gabby smiled at Pops as he walked down the diner to her, drying his hands on the dishtowel almost constantly draped over his arm. Gabby dropped her purse to her hand, and carefully placed herself on the stool at the counter. Further down the counter she noticed FP Jones give her a quick glance then looked away.

She briefly wondered why Jughead wasn't acknowledging his father, but certainly didn't have any room to talk about it. Her own relationship with her father, while out in Riverdale, was hard enough. How many times could she watch him put back beer after beer while slowly but surely getting progressively more used to it. Waiters and waitresses looking at him in concern as he asked for, yet another beer was enough to make her want to crawl in a hole and die.

"Late day snack," Gabby replied.

Pops smiled. His gaze shifted to the empty stool beside her. "Where's your partner in crime? I don't think I've ever seen you without Cheryl in years."

Gabby frowned. It must've been obvious if Pops noticed it. Then again, Pops knew everything about Riverdale. He was Riverdale as far as anyone was concerned. He didn't care about the Northside and the Southside, didn't care about any of the status of anyone that came through his doors. In Pops' eyes, everyone was his friend and he treated them as such. And Pops was, sort of, a grandfather to her. He was the one who listened to her cry her eyes out over her milkshake that her father had bought to cheer her up the first time her mother was deployed, all the way back in the second grade.

Since then, he consistently asked her how things were going. Making sure she was 'okay'.

Instead of responding to his question, God couldn't she do anything without Cheryl being brought up, Gabby rested her chin in her hands and said, "Pops, you'd do a lot better if you upgraded some things around here." Not that she didn't like the classic look of the diner. She loved it. But after a long day of being excluded, she needed to lash out at something.

"Yeah?" He looked amused. "Like what."

"Well, for starters," Gabby tilted her head towards the Serpents. "You can get rid of the trailer trash."

Pops folded his arms over his chest. He gave her a serious look, his famous smile dropping from his face. "Everyone is welcome here, Gabriella, you know that." Then he smiled and playfully swatted her with his towel, making Gabby pretend to squeal and bring her hands back from being hit. "Even spoiled brats like you."

"Noted."

"So what can I get you?"

"A milkshake is fine."

"Coming right up."

The bell over the door rang again. Somehow, Gabby knew who it was without turning around.

"There you are!" Cheryl dramatically burst open the door of Pops. Gabby, used to such entrances, hardly even flinched as all eyes turned Cheryl's way. This time, the looks were much more menacing. A teen boy with a tattoo on his neck snorted loudly, tapping the back of his fork against the table top. "I was looking all over for you. Jay-Jay said you were on your way here after that tutoring session with Farchie." She spread her arms wide, nearly hitting a passing waitress in the face. "And, here you are."

Part of her wondered how Cheryl knew about Archie tutoring her that afternoon. Not that much tutoring had even gotten done. Miss. Grundy gave them the library to use but she continued to hover around the two, correcting Archie or Gabby on things they said that she deemed wrong. Not to mention her consistent staring over the top of her glasses, as if waiting for them to do something wrong. Archie slowly grew uncomfortable with the attention while Gabby simply shot nasty looks to her, telling Archie to ignore her.

Nevertheless, Gabby didn't pay too much attention anyway. She continued to look over her shoulder, glancing around to see if anyone noticed the two of them together. If word got out, she'd never hear the end of it.

Gabby looked at Cheryl with a raised eyebrow. "You're talking to me, now?"

At that, Cheryl lowered her hand and rolled her eyes. "What's a little trial separation between friends. We can't be together all the time and you know I had to smooth things over with Jason. He's so in love with Polly it's positively sickening." She perched herself on the stool next to Gabby, crossing her legs at the knee. This time, her protruding foot nearly knocked down another waiter. "It's like he's lost his sense of humor or something."

"Or something," Gabby agreed, but didn't press further. She knew what happened when she got in the middle of Cheryl and Jason after a particularly nasty incident when they were eight and arguing over something stupid.

"Anyway, like the saint I am, I decided to forgive you," Cheryl continued. "Today was absolutely boring without you and I don't think I could ever go through it again." She reached out and grasped Gabby's wrists, sticking her lower lip out in a pout. "Please don't leave me again."

Gabby wanted to put Cheryl through the wringer a little bit. Wanted to make her suffer, wanted to make her a little nervous over the way things had played out that day. But with one more look around Pops, Gabby knew she couldn't do it. There weren't many people that truly understood her (and vice versa) or was as much fun to hang out with.

Even if she did have to be careful with jeopardizing it.

After all, they were best friends.

A/N: Wow, writing Gabby's character makes it a lot of things appear to be bashed. I don't mean any of it, it's just from Gabby's POV. (As warped as it is from how much of a façade she puts on, lol). I really liked writing Jason, he's probably going to end up being an even bigger character than I originally intended.

Cheers,

-Riley