Chapter Five

"You mean you're not coming to our practice?" Cheryl's eyes practically fell out her head, a smile frozen on her face making her appear even more demonic than during her nasty days. "But I wanted to show you some of the new routines I came up with!" She waved her hands through the air, nearly smacking Gabby in the face with her long, almost talon-like fingernails. "It's sure to put us all the way to the state finals if I do say so myself."

Gabby smiled at Cheryl, gently shaking her head. "I think Polly would have something to do with it, too, Cherry."

"Please. She keeps everyone in line and the dance moves and Mean Girls inspired routines are inspired by yours truly." Cheryl flipped her hair over her shoulder, fluttering her eyelashes. Her gaze shifted behind Gabby, making the black teen follow her head, seeing Jason and Polly leaning against each other, quietly kissing amongst the crowd of students that filled Riverdale High's halls. "What, you don't think it's sweet?"

Gabby turned back to Cheryl, who stared at her. Her red lips pursed and Cheryl made a low 'humming' sound, her eyes roving over Gabby's face. Gabby sighed, recognizing it. She hitched her purse up her shoulder, her other hand sliding up to grasp the dog tags around her neck.

"So you have one nice moment of Jason forgiving you and next thing you want to defend him and Polly?" Cheryl asked. She snorted, gently shaking her head. "I knew it. You're as in love with him as all the other girls around here. I mean, it's understandable, he's a Blossom; the highest caliber man you could have."

Gabby smiled. "Why don't you just date him, then?"

Cheryl smiled back. She stepped forward and framed Gabby's face with her hands, gently tucking her hair behind her ears. "Because you're the only one for me, you know that. You're the only one who understands." She stepped back, her smile growing wider. "And you're the only one who has the same measurements as me, making it a million times easier to share our loot when we go shopping. Just like we're going to dot his weekend."

"Ah. I can't." Gabby shook her head. "We've got volleyball this weekend. It's like…a conditioning camp sort of thing. .Two days where it's just the team doing all those boring team building things that everyone pretends to think is fun when we're all just grinning and bearing it."

Cheryl wagged her finger in Gabby's face. "No. Grinning and bearing it is when I have to be with my mother. Team building is when we sit back and openly make snide comments because we're so much better than middle aged miscreants who think that getting excited over singing camp songs is something people over seven enjoy. So, no shopping this weekend. What about an online shopping spree at Chez Thornhill to make up for it? It's on me."

"As long as the next one's on me," Gabby replied.

"Darling, it always is."

Cheryl gave Gabby a quick kiss on the cheek before sashaying down the hallway to the gym. She waved her hands whenever someone came across her path, motioning them out of her way. The crowds parted like the red sea and Cheryl was some sort of God. Which she totally is, Gabby thought.

She turned on her heel, going the other way. Towards the library. Might as well get it over with. She told Archie he could help her get her grades up, Miss. Grundy was waiting for them, and her history teacher waiting to see that her grades did improve, "or else."

Gabby simply snorted in response. It was an empty threat. Everything about Riverdale High was an empty threat. So, what if her grades fell? It just meant her father would donate a new library, a new cafeteria, send a grant to the board to keep her in school because as everyone knew 'money talks'. And yet, if she didn't go to the sessions and something else was donated to the school that the Blossoms hadn't already sent in…well, Gabby didn't want to know what'd happen.

Whispers? Pitying looks? Wondering how the girl who had all the privilege in the world because of who her parents were and what they did managed to fail to spectacularly? Wonder if she was finally starting to break down since her mother left? Start up those rumors again? That she ran off with some drifter and left her family behind?

She folded her arms, continuing down the hallways with the pointed, fixed stare she managed to perfect over the last few years. Where she didn't look too long at what was in front of her; a face, a locker, a window, anything that caught her eye. Her gaze bounced around, just her eyes still stared straight ahead. And, just like Cheryl, everyone parted for her, quickly moving out of the way.

Some girls stared enviously at her, doing a quick scan to figure out where she got her clothes, though all were much too expensive for them to even think of affording. Wondered how she got her hair to look so perfect—hours of careful styling and protecting—wondered how she was able to live through Riverdale—the town with pep that tended to bore people as they got older. It was no wonder the teenagers all tended to live double lives; the perfect child to their parents during the day, ranging hormonal monsters at night.

Gabby made her way to the library, stopped by Josie McCoy as she made her way out. "Jo-Jo," Gabby greeted her friend.

Josie beamed back at her. "My girl, Gabby," Josie replied. She adjusted the cat ears that sat atop her head, buried in her shoulder length curls. Then she reached out and grasped Gabby's arm, squeezing it tightly. "What's up?"

"That outfit!" Gabby replied, making Josie smile, lift her hands, and spin in a quick circle. "You're looking especially ferocious today." She felt a little silly, pampering Josie's feline obsession. Not that she wasn't proud of Josie, Valerie, and Melody. They were making a big name for themselves with their presence in Riverdale. Nearly every event had the Pussycats show up and do a performance; every pep rally, every house party, everything.

"You know, I've got to stick with my brand," Josie agreed, making the two girls laugh. "And, you know there's still a spot for you to join us."

"I'm sorry, do you want to lose your fame and notoriety? You know I love you, girl, but even I don't want to tarnish your band's name like that." Gabby folded her arms. "So, what do you guys have planned coming up?"

"Music, music, and more music," Josie said. She mimicked Gabby's stance, folding her arms. "A day in the life of a pussycat never stops. When we're not writing, we're recording demos to be sent out."

"Hear anything back from New York, yet?"

"Not yet, but we're still hopeful. Homecoming is coming up and there's the pep rally, you know how it goes. I hope to see you there."

"You know I'll be there, cheering and screaming the hardest. I'll even be your stalker fan if you'd like." Gabby laughed along with Josie, just before their laughter awkwardly broke off. It didn't matter how many people supported Josie and the Pussycats, no one would be as big of a supporter as her mother, Mayor McCoy. Mayor McCoy gave everything she could in her power of privilege to help her daughter and her friends move forward in the music industry.

"I don't think I need anything to go that far," Josie said, holding up her hands. "But you can help promote us." She reached into her purse and pulled out brightly colored papers. "We're doing a show at Power Records next week and we need you there."

Gabby smiled, taking the flier. "I'll be there."

"Thanks, girl. I'll see you later."

"Later Jose."

Gabby waved and stepped into the library. She walked straight to the back of the library, where she met up with Archie previously, and found him sitting amongst a pile of books, looking over the same flyer Josie had just given her. "Looks like Josie caught you in her trap," Gabby said, sitting next to her.

"Trapped like a rat?" Archie joked.

Gabby found herself smiling. "Okay, she does have a slight obsession with cats, but that's not so bad." She rested her chin in her hand, picking up her own notebook and textbooks, sliding them around the table before gracefully sitting down, being careful to hook her purse off her chair. "I seem to remember someone who used to do nothing but play fairy princesses every day at recess."

Archie's face turned as red as his hair. He leaned back in his seat, fanning himself with the flier. "That…that had nothing to do with me," he finally defended himself. "That was all Betty. She asked me to play with her."

"You didn't have to wear the tutu and the wings."

Archie cleared his throat. He leaned forward, resting his arms on the table top, focusing as hard as he could on the textbook in front of him. "Let's talk about something else. Did you do the homework from yesterday?" Gabby lifted her eyebrows but didn't respond. "I'll take that as a 'no'."

"I had too much to do," Gabby defended herself. She didn't add she spent a lot of time researching the new interior her father was going to put into her car after apologizing for missing her volleyball practice again. (Let alone the fact she wouldn't get to drive her car for the near future, her fake ID having been confiscated).

"That's really going to help you get your grades up," Archie said.

Gabby shook her head. "What do grades matter anyway."

"They matter a lot. Gets you into a good college, gets you to go wherever you want to go, do whatever you want to do." Archie shrugged. "It helps you realize your dreams."

A snort escaped Gabby's lips. She pressed her chin to her hand. "My dream right now is to get out of here and go to the mall."

"My point exactly." Archie waved his pencil at her. "'If your grades were okay, you wouldn't be here and would be spending all your money on those Gucci's." He looked at Gabby as she started to giggle, holding her hand over her mouth, doing her best—and failing—to keep her laughter at bay. "What?"

"It's Gucci not Gucky," Gabby reminded him. "As in, the famous Italian brand of fashion and leather, founded in 1921."

"And you say you're not good at history."

"Only when it comes to things that matter," Gabby mused. She turned her gaze to the ceiling, tapping her finger to her chin in thought. "Clothes, shoes, jewelry, volleyball, my car…" she pouted. "When she was alive anyway."

Archie's eyebrows came together. "We're only fourteen…how were you able to drive?"

Gabby looked over her shoulder, making sure Miss. Grundy wasn't listening to their conversation. She sat at her desk, focused on some sort of database—Gabby could see it reflected in the lenses of her glasses. The first time she wasn't hovering over their shoulders, ready to answer any question that could come their way. "I have a fake ID."

"I won't tell anyone." Archie went so far as to lift his hand and draw an 'X' across his chest, making Gabby smile again. He smiled back, cleared his throat, and picked up his textbook covering his face. "So, let's get to work."

Gabby sighed and turned away. Disappointment smacked her like a freight train; not a direct hit, a head on collision, but a sweeping of the feet from the harsh winds of the train blowing by. What did she expect, really? That he'd want to keep talking to her after being forced to tutor her? After all the times she made fun of him?

School work was as boring outside of class but in it. But Gabby had no choice. Not unless she wanted everything to collapse around her. For the next hour, the two went over their topic in class—the true history of Native Americans. Gabby barely listened to what Archie had to say, making halfhearted attempts at answers when he'd ask her a question, ask if she understood.

Too many things she couldn't ignore, dividing her attention. The party at Pulse Records, needing to get a dress for Homecoming, needing to get a date for Prom, needing for find a dress for that, figuring out what she was going to do to upgrade her car.

Then the thing that was always on her mind; her mother. And what had been on her mind recently; why her father was at the Why her father was at the Whyte Wyrm when he was supposed to be working. And why he was at the Whyte Wyrm talking to a Southsider—and a Serpent at that—when he not only forbade her from going over there, but acting like he and the Serpent were old friends.

"Gabby?" Archie waved a hand in front of Gabby's face. She leaned back, making sure he didn't wipe his hand over her lases, messing up her mascara. "Did you hear me, or did you get one too many hits of a volleyball to your head?"

Gabby rolled her eyes. "Coming from the guy who has a pistol for an arm but won't go out for the football team?" Archie looked at her curiously. "What?"

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Just…I think that's the first thing you've said to me that wasn't insulting."

Panic shot through Gabby's stomach. Quick as lightning. A reflex. "Sorry, Fartchie, I didn't realize you were keeping score."

Archie chuckled. "Guess that didn't last long."

"So." Gabby pushed her books away and turned to face him completely. She crossed her legs, bouncing her foot up and down. "Why not football?" Archie let out a long breath through his nose. Once again, his cheeks reddened, making his freckles stand out along his cheeks. "I mean, unless you think you'll be playing fetch."

Archie rolled his eyes. "Jughead's just…Jughead. He didn't mean anything by it." He paused. "To Reggie, he totally meant it, but—"

"Please." Gabby rolled her eyes. "Like Jughead knows anything about anything, He thinks wearing that stupid beanie makes him stand out when all it does is make him stand out." She could tell Archie didn't know what she meant. "Jughead has a strong opinion on what everyone else thinks is'. He just acts like he's better than anything and everyone in Riverdale because he hates himself so much."

"Well, he does get a lot of pressure on him from his dad," Archie said, almost as a offhand comment. At Gabby's skeptical eyebrow raise, Archie lowered his head and paled. Revealed something he shouldn't have. He let out a long sigh and said, "Jughead isn't as bad as you make him out to be, and he doesn't hate Riverdale as much as he makes it seem. It's just…" Archie dragged a hand through his hair. "His life is hard. His dad puts a lot on him to be better than he's been. He wanted Jughead to go into sports to stay clean. It's not something that Jughead was interested in and he felt that his dad was just projecting."

"Clean?" Gabby repeated. "Somehow, I don't see Jughead's life being as dirty as you're making it out to be." Then again, his father was part of the Serpents.

Again, Archie shrugged. "It's all in perspective," he pointed out. "You don't always see how people really are. Just the way they want you to see them. And even then, that doesn't make a difference. Once they have an opinion on you, that's it."

"And that's why you don't want to play football?"

"Exactly."

Again, Gabby was startled by how easily and honestly Archie answered the question. She took in a short breath and asked, challengingly, "And what about me?" Archie looked at her out the corner of his eye. "What do you think people think of me?"

Archie started to answer. But an ill-timed distraction, straight out of any movie, caused the two to jump. A loud crashing sound. Archie and Gabby whirled around to find Miss. Grundy sprawled on the floor next to the ladder she'd been climbing, books around her, rubbing her back.

Humpty Grundy had a great fall, Gabby thought before following Archie over to her. The two helped pull her off the ground. "Are you alright?" Archie asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Miss. Grundy replied. She cleaned off her glasses, carefully pushing them up her nose. "Just a little clumsy. I guess I missed my step."

"I don't think you should go back up there," Archie said. His hands dropped to his sides. "Not after you've already fallen."

"Yeah, it doesn't look too safe," Gabby added. She staved off a nasty thought of the floor cracking beneath Miss. Grundy's weight if she fell again. Her eyes shifted down. "Especially not in those shoes." The soles of the older woman's saddle shoes were more than worn down.

"I'm fine, it's fine," Miss. Grundy waved them off. "I'll be okay. I just slipped."

"Let me help you," Archie offered. "There's only a few books that need to be put away."

"Well…if you insist."

"Bonjour, mon amour!" Cheryl greeted, waltzing into the library. She walked up to Gabby, looping their arms together. "Are you ready to get your shop on?" She eyed Miss. Grundy and Archie. "Or you could stay here with the world's funniest comic coming to life."

"Shopping awaits," Gabby replied. "I'm already thinking of my homecoming dress."

"Ooh! Do tell!"

With that, the girls spun on their heel and walked out of the library. Gabby glanced over her shoulder at Archie and Miss. Grundy as they moved the ladder into a safer position. Archie looked up and gave her a small smile.

Gabby smiled back then focused on what Cheryl was saying about the upcoming football game and party at Pulse Records, though couldn't quite focus.

Her crush on that little red-headed boy she'd held onto and kept hidden for years was rearing its ugly head. And as giddy as it would've made anyone normally feel, it filled Gabby with nothing but dread, knowing she couldn't do anything about it.

Most people in Riverdale disliked Thornhill Mansion; kids were terrified of it, too scared to venture up the winding path and flagstone steps to reach the door of the gothic style house. Complete with its very own graveyard, Thornhill stood out amongst Riverdale's picturesque town. Barns filled with the most purebred horses littered the expansive acreage where the Blossom motto "Radices Currere Abyssi" or "Roots Run Deep" was a constant reminder.

And there was no one who ensured the upkeep of the motto than Penelope Blossom. When Gabby and Cheryl arrived at Thornhill, Penelope Blossom greeted him with her peculiar tight-lipped smile that came to her face when anyone came to the massive mansion.

"It's so good to see you, Gabriella," Penelope said. She smoothed Gabby's hair back from her face, then deftly picked lint off the shoulders of her blouse. "As stunning as ever."

"Thank you, Mrs. Blossom," Gabby replied. Behind Penelope, Gabby rolled her eyes and mimed sticking a finger down her throat. Gabby hid a smile, turning her attention back to Penelope. "How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing very well, thank you," Penelope replied. She turned to Cheryl, keeping a hand on Gabby's hair, gently tapping her fingers against it. Almost as if petting a dog. "You see, Cheryl, this is what I'm constantly telling you. Manners will get you everywhere."

"I assure you my manners can't be rivaled, mother," Cheryl said. Her face hardened, eyes turning flinty. And yet, to anyone who didn't know Cheryl, she looked pleasant. "You remember how I charmed the pants off daddy's board of trustees for the farm."

"I do," Penelope replied. Her voice turned so cold chills ran down Gabby's arms. "They bring it up to me constantly. At how inappropriate you were."

"I simply asked how their lives were moving forward," Cheryl said, voice quivering. "I wasn't the one who decided it was a come on and grossly overstepped boundaries to ask when I would be turning eighteen."

Penelope simply turned back to Gabby, smoothed her hair one more time, then took a step back. "You could learn a lot from Gabriella." She pulled on a pair of gloves handed to her by a maid, wiggling her finger into each section. "Now, if you'll excuse me, your father and I have some people we need to meet. Please try not to trash the house. You know how that upsets me. And don't disturb Nana Rose."

"Yes, mother. I know the drill."

Cheryl rolled her eyes and stomped her way up the large staircase to her room. Gabby scurried after her. She watched Cheryl's tight shoulders loosen with each step away from her mother. When she arrived at her room, tossing her purse aside, Cheryl was all smiles.

"Ready to do some serious shopping?" Cheryl asked, grabbing her laptop and stretching out on the floor. She immediately pulled up a shopping site, navigating to dresses and matching shoes. "I'm thinking I can use some silver in my wardrobe."

Gabby stretched out next to Cheryl. "Your mom sucks," Gabby said, making Cheryl smile. She learned long ago it was the only way to deal with Penelope Blossom, agree with what she said, then bad mouth her as soon as she was out of ear shot. Gabby briefly wondered if Cheryl did the same thing about her, pushing the thought away as quickly as it came.

"Aww." Cheryl placed her hand over her heart. "You so get me."

"Of course, I do." Gabby snuggled up against Cheryl's side. "We're Black Cherry aren't we? It'd be a shame if I didn't hate your mother as much as I love you. And did you see the way she pet my hair? Remember how much she played with it when I had my hair curled?"

Cheryl laughed loudly. "I seriously thought she was going to adopt you."

"Mm. It wouldn't have been too bad. We would've been sisters." Gabby reached out and squeezed Cheryl's hand.

Cheryl squeezed back. "We already are." She used her free hand to motion to the computer screen. "Okay, what about this one?"

For the next hour they shopped and shopped, buying anything that caught their attention until becoming bored, switching to another form of entertainment. Looking over their yearbook, pointing out their classmates and coming up with new names for them. Their friends were always given affectionate nicknames, Midge was always called 'Smidge' simply due to her cuteness. Reggie became 'I-Love-Me' and many more of the same.

It was their other classmates that tended to draw their ire, more from Cheryl than anyone else. Gabby sat back and watched with fascination and mild-horror as Cheryl went down the list of all their classmates to give them new nicknames. "Dilton Doiley," Cheryl said.

Gabby snorted. "His name speaks for himself," she commented.

"True." Cheryl flipped the page over. She reached up and tapped her chin with her finger. "Hmmm…Ethel Muggs…" Cheryl tilted her head back, red hair falling form her face as she thought about it. Then her eyes widened, and a positively radiant smile came to her face. "Fuggs!" Cheryl finally declared. "Because she's too fugly to get a man,"

"I don't knowww," Gabby said, dragging the word out as long as she could until Cheryl smacked her on the leg. "Don't you think that's too easy?"

"Well, Cheryl would know all about that." Cheryl rolled her eyes and the two girls turned to face Jason, who leaned casually against the doorframe to Chery's room, hands slid in the pockets of his jeans, legs crossed at the ankle. The similar pose that was in almost every yearbook and made almost every girl swoon. "Being easy, I mean."

Cheryl shook her head. "You know, it really kills a joke when you have to explain it."

"I just needed to be sure my little sister understood that I was, indeed, making fun of her." Jason gave a tight smile, the smug expression on his face otherwise not changing.

"You're only two minutes older than me, Jay-Jay," Cheryl reminded him. "Don't think that makes you smarter." She lifted a perfectly sculpted eyebrow toward Gabby and said pointedly, "It's positively sickening how one drop of attention from mother and father makes it so that he can't function without attention."

"I didn't know it was Asshole Day at Thornhill," Jason taunted, making his deeper voice as high as possible. Mocking his twin sister.

Gabby laughed, tilting her head back. "Do you seriously listen to yourselves when you argue like this?"

"This is nothing." Jason crossed the room, stepping over Cheryl and lowered himself to the floor next to Gabby. He leaned back against the end of Cheryl's bed and stretched out his legs, resting his weight on one arm. He tilted his head and looked at Gabby with wide, innocent brown eyes. "Wait until we're actually fighting for our parents' attention." His eyes continued to bore into Gabby's as he tapped Cheryl with his toes. "A fight little Cher always loses."

"You only lose if you're playing the game," Cheryl replied. Her words were confident, but her voice was stilted with annoyance.

Jason leaned forward, his lips brushing against Gabby's ear. The movements of his lips made shivers roll down Gabby's side. The heat of his body next to hers filled her with a warmth that simultaneously outmatched the chills. Just like stepping into a warm bath. Jason loudly whispered, "She's just bitter."

"No, I'm just bitchy."

"What's the difference?" Gabby asked, this time making Jason laugh.

Then he reached over and picked up Cheryl's yearbook. He frowned, reached into his pocket for a pair of black rimmed glasses. With a flourish, he flipped his hair from his face and slid them on. His eyes shifted back and forth over the page. "Don't you two have anything better to do than give amusingly accurate nicknames to our classmates?"

"No," Gabby and Cheryl said in unison.

"And besides, there's nothing to do in Riverdale," Gabby reminded him. "What else can we do for fun?"

Again, Jason turned a penetrating gaze to her. This time, his eyes were magnified by the lenses in his glasses. "There's always something to do for fun," he said, words heavily weighted.

"Like Polly?" Cheryl taunted.

Jason's gaze immediately snapped to his twin sister. "Watch it," he said calmly. "You can say whatever you want about anyone else in this little town, but I draw the line with Polly." He kept his eyes on Cheryl and said to Gabby. "You be careful with that one, I know how attached at the lips you are,"–Jason paused for effect, making the two girls roll their eyes once more–" But I don't want to see you get dragged down with her."

"You're my friend, too, Jay," Gabby pointed out. She leaned close to him as well. Made sure he knew how it felt. She fluttered her eyelashes and ran a hand through her hair. "What does that say about you?"

Abruptly, Jason flipped himself over so he was on his knees, face close to hers. "That you have good taste," he pointed out. Cheryl snorted loudly, miming sticking a finger down her throat. Jason got to his feet and backed out of the room, taking the yearbook with him. "Stop going through my things," he said.

"Stop going through my things," Cheryl repeated in a high-pitched voice and an exaggerated roll of her eyes. She stood up, brushing off the back of her red, velvet skirt. "God, it's like he can't take a joke anymore." She pouted. "What's happened to my brother?"

"He's got good taste?" Gabby suggested with a shrug.

"No. No one is better than me for Jason and the world is just going to have to deal with it." Chery looked at Gabby closely. "I know it's hard for you to share me, but I never thought I'd have to share you with Jason."

Gabby laughed in surprise. "Excuse me?"

Cheryl reached to her bed and smacked Gabby across the face with a pillow and teased, "I think Jason likes you."

"Please," Gabby said with a roll of her eyes. She tossed the pillow aside. "Jason likes himself."

"Even still." Cheryl reached out and grabbed Gabby's hands, hauling her to her feet. She smoothed Gabby's hair down with deftly movements of her palms. "You're mine. You're my best friend."

"You know it."

"Now, let's go see what else we can do for some fun around Thornhill now that Jason's decided to be a little buzzkill." Hand-in-hand, the girls left Cheryl's bedroom. Gabby let go and pushed ahead of Cheryl, she took a few steps before sliding on her socked feet to the stairs.

Cheryl quickly did the same. When Penelope Blossom wasn't around, Cheryl acted her age, and even younger. Gabby loved when she was able to get her best friend to have moments like that. It didn't happen nearly as much as she'd liked. Cheryl slid past Gabby, jostling her as she went by.

Gabby laughed and shoved Cheryl's shoulder, causing Cheryl to screech and dramatically grab onto the railing of the staircase. Cheryl reached back and slapped Gabby on the arm before taking off down the stairs once more.

Gabby moved to follow her, but not before taking a glance towards Jason's bedroom. She couldn't help it. It was perfectly situated at the very top of the stairs, a great place, he said, to eavesdrop on everything that went through Thornhill manor. To keep an eye on whatever it was that could be going on.

At the moment, Jason sat in an armchair, reading a book. War and Peace, Gabby could see. How fitting. Gabby watched him for a moment before following Cheryl.

She could've sworn maybe, just maybe, before his form was concealed by the hallway, his eyes had flickered upwards towards her, ruby lips pulling back into a smirk.

A/N: Gabby must have a thing for red-heads, lol. Either that or she's very lonely. Hint hint, it's the latter. I love writing Cheryl and Jason so much that I'm contemplating keeping him alive. Hmm hmm, we'll see. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, please let me know what you think. Is the pacing too slow? Any other characters you'd like to see appear?

Let me know!

Cheers,

-Riley