Chapter 4: Friendships
Tired of seeing adventures on café walls
Think I'll take a turn from the known road
Think I'll write a tale of my own
I'm going southbound
to where the ocean's flirting with the coast
Tiger Striped Sky by Roo Panes
"Rosie!"
The brunette paused in her tracks and spun on her heel, pushing herself away from the wall at the bottom of the stairs. Who had called her name? She hoped and prayed that Archie, who was still at the top of the stairs watching Grundy rush off, didn't hear them.
Her question was soon answered as Betty Cooper came into her line of vision.
Rosie was relieved to see her. "Hey, what's up?"
"I just wanted to check in with you," Betty told her. "Are you finding your classes okay?"
She nodded. "I am for the most part. Do you know where World History is located? I've got…"
"Brunner?" Betty guessed with a smile.
Rosie grinned and nodded.
"He's in room 212. I've actually got that class next, too. Can I walk with you?"
"That would be spectacular, also considering I don't know where room 212 is," laughed Rosie.
She was so thankful that Archie hadn't seen her spying on him and the music teacher. The shock of their interaction still plagued her, the scene on replay in the back of her mind.
It's possible Archie may be having an affair with a teacher, Rosie thought. I also could be going crazy and reading way too far into the situation and jumping to insane conclusions.
She had to continually keep herself in check to stay focused on Betty and their own conversation as they traipsed down the hall towards class.
"What did you think of the assembly?" the blonde inquired.
"It was…depressing," Rosie commented dully.
Betty chuckled slightly. "Yeah, that's usually what happens when someone from school drowns in a river."
"Cheryl didn't exactly seem too fazed by it all, though, so that was weird," said Rosie, thinking back to the redhead's attitude towards the whole ordeal.
"Cheryl Blossom has always been a special kind of person," said Betty awkwardly.
This made Rosie laugh.
"What?" giggled Betty.
"Betty, you are so kind with the way you talk about people you so obviously dislike."
Betty cringed. "Am I that obvious? I try not to be."
"I wish I could be more like that," Rosie told her wistfully. "I have a bit of a problem when it comes to speaking my mind. Well, more like telling things the way they are, which rubs a lot of people the wrong way."
"I like it," Betty concluded, nodding.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's refreshing in a town like ours."
"Why do you say that?"
Betty sighed. "My parents run the local newspaper; the Riverdale Register. They twist words and rewrite stories the way they want them to happen. I'm just tired of them printing lies about this town. They've completely glorified Jason's death, which is wrong, despite what they feel about him and what happened with my sister."
Rosie frowned. "What happened with him and your sister?"
"Polly and Jason dated for a while. Then something happened. I honestly don't know. And Polly had a…mental breakdown," Betty relayed sadly. "My parents sent her to live in a group home."
"You must really miss her," Rosie said sympathetically. "I'm so sorry."
Betty shrugged. "There's not much I can do about it now. My mom is just so overprotective about me and my friends and where I am, where I go, what I do, who I do it with…"
Rosie's eyebrows shot up. She could relate.
Speaking of relations, Rosie thought dejectedly, there's my brother now.
And there stood William Green, eagerly chatting up a couple of football players that just happened to be Reggie and Moose. Rosie rolled her eyes at the trio, disgusted and not surprised that Will had chosen those boys to hang around with.
Unfortunately, Reggie spotted Rosie before she and Betty could scurry away fast enough.
"Hey, Rosie! How's it going?" he called, smirking.
Rosie shook her head in annoyance and tried to pass them without any trouble from her brother or the meatheads.
Betty frowned at them all in confusion.
"Dude, that's my sister," the girls heard Will scold.
"That's the unattractive sister you told us about?" Moose questioned, as if in disbelief.
"Dude, that's the girl that Archie banged this summer! She's totally hot! And she's with the hot, goody-two shoes prude of Riverdale High, Betty Cooper," Reggie told him.
"Keep your pants on, Mantle," Rosie spat bitterly as she and Betty stomped by. "Nice to see you, too, Will."
As soon as the boys were out of earshot, Betty nudged her new friend with her elbow.
"That was your brother hanging with Reggie and Moose?" Betty questioned in skepticism.
"The bane of my existence," Rosie replied flatly. "He seeks out the most popular guys in school and manipulates them into hanging out with him until someone better comes along. He's a complete douchebag."
"He can't be that bad if he's related to you," Betty said optimistically.
Rosie smiled. "You are too nice, Betty, but Will and I don't get along. We have very different views of the world and how to survive in it."
"But he's still your family, right?"
Rosie was quiet for a moment, thinking over what it meant for her to call Will her family. What was a family? Whatever it was, she was sure it wasn't what she would called her parents or brother. They hadn't been a family in a long time.
"I don't really know anymore," she replied quietly.
"Hey," said Betty softly, putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder.
They stopped right outside of the classroom.
Rosie glanced up at Betty's empathetic smile.
"If you need to talk to someone, I'm here," she told Rosie. "I want to be here for you."
"Thanks," Rosie said gratefully, smiling back.
Rosie was surprised that anyone was showing such an interest in her besides Archie. Usually, when she moved to a new place, there was only one person that was even vaguely up for becoming friends with her. To have two more people from the same grade that were already friends with so many other people to offer to be there for her? It was unfamiliar territory for her. But she was appreciative and grateful.
Rosie stood at the back of the line in the cafeteria, arms crossed, waiting for the processed crap that claimed to be food.
She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. Spinning on her heel, she found the gesture came from the other new girl, Veronica Lodge.
"Hey," grinned Veronica. "How are you doing?"
"Not terrible," Rosie replied, grinning back. "How about you?"
Veronica shrugged nonchalantly. "This place is nothing like New York. But it's a fresh change. I like it. True, the jocks here are much more…"
"Moronic?" Rosie provided jokingly.
Veronica laughed. "To say it honestly, yes."
"I feel that this school in particular has a fair amount of moronic jocks," Rosie nodded. She spotted her brother at the front of the lunch line, jostling his new friends from the football team around like an idiot. He caught her eye and a look of disgust crossed his face. "I should know since I live with one."
"Your brother plays football?" Veronica wondered, looking at Rosie's line of sight.
Rosie shook her head. "No, basketball. But he sure is buttering up the football players, isn't he?"
"He's a boy. They're always trying to impress each other in an immature manner," Veronica pointed out.
"I guess so," Rosie replied. She turned back to look at the shorter girl, who asked a question before Rosie could speak one syllable.
"So what do you like to do?"
"I'm a songwriter," Rosie told her. "I post covers on SoundCloud and YouTube."
"Wow, that takes courage," Veronica commented, pleasantly surprised. "You seem like a girl with a lot of courage."
Rosie chuckled. "I don't know about courage."
"You seem honest, and I like that," decided Veronica. "I appreciate someone who is open with others."
"I try to be," Rosie agreed. "What about you? What do you like to do?"
"In New York, all I did was shop and party," Veronica said grimly. "I'm still trying to figure that out. However, I do enjoy a well-written, classic novel."
"Well, if you're at all interested in reading more classic novels, I've got a whole bookshelf full of them," Rosie offered.
"Do you? I may just have to take you up on that offer, Rosie."
The two new students continued to chat about classic books they enjoyed as they moved through the cafeteria line.
As they carefully made their way down the steps with their lunch trays, they discussed where they should sit.
"Betty invited us to sit with her," Veronica said, eyes scanning the outside tables for a blonde ponytail.
Rosie observed the other students in their cliques. She saw a boy with a gray, crown-shaped beanie sitting alone on the farthest right table. He wore dark colors and had black hair. In front of him was a laptop, where his fingers flew across the keyboard. She was tempted to ditch Betty and Veronica to sit with this boy. He seemed like he would be the type of person she would have been friends with back in Portland.
But before she could kindly tell Veronica the bad news, the raven-haired girl spoke.
"I see Betty, Archie, and Kevin," she announced. Then she started down the small flight of stairs below them, making a beeline for their new friends.
Rosie's eyes flickered back to the darker haired boy, who was, coincidentally, staring back with a stoic expression on his face. She quickly looked down at her food, and then at Veronica, who was already at the bottom of the steps.
"Come on, slowpoke," she joked.
"Just…trying to spill anything," Rosie made up an excuse.
Out of the corner of her eye, as she passed a table full of varsity jackets, she spotted Will. She rolled her eyes and walked faster. She needed to avoid him at all costs.
As the two girls approached the Riverdale residents' table, they heard music. A familiar melody caught Rosie's attention. She addressed the trio as she and Veronica stood closely by.
"Hey, I think I recognize that song," she joked.
Archie and Betty looked up from the laptop and smiled. Kevin gestured to the two open spots next to him.
"Well, you should," Archie countered quickly, amused. "Not like you produced it or anything."
Two musicians shared a laugh.
"I thought we were going to have to pretend to like it, but it's actually really good," Kevin chimed in.
"I was in awe when he first played it for me," Rosie admitted to the boy next to her. "I was blown away by the lyrics, the vocals, everything."
"Wait, that was you singing?" Veronica deadpanned in awe. "Something you wrote?"
"Yeah, it's a work in progress," said Archie humbly.
"No, it's great," corrected Betty.
"It's incredible, actually, the little snippet I heard," Veronica agreed.
"It would not have sounded like that if it weren't for Rosie," Archie denied.
Rosie shook her head as she popped the lid off her soup cup. "Okay, that's ridiculous. You would have made it sound just as amazing even if you didn't have access to my recording equipment."
"I think he was talking about the production value," Kevin clarified. "Because it is awesome."
"So, Archie, is that your thing? Music?" Veronica questioned. "Are you doing something with that?"
"Yeah, that's the plan," Archie nodded. "So how are both of your first days going? Good?"
Veronica and Rosie shared a somewhat amused look. They had been asked that question a lot that day.
"Math class here is going to be a breeze compared to my advanced calc class in Portland," Rosie told them. "But I keep getting weird looks."
"Small town," Kevin replied. "Most people here have been with the same people since we were in diapers. Two new hot girls with two completely different looks? You're bound to turn heads."
Rosie laughed. "That's sweet of you, Kev."
"Well, and not to be a complete narcissist, but I thought people would be more…" Veronica started.
"Obsessed with you?" finished Kevin. "Any other year, you'd be trending number one for sure. This year, though, it's all about Cheryl trying to win Best Supporting Psycho Oscar for her role as Riverdale High's bereaved Red Widow."
"Hey, I should go," Archie interrupted. "I've got that meeting with Grundy and then football tryouts, so."
"You play football, too? What don't you do?" inquired Veronica rhetorically.
Rosie raised her eyebrows as Archie flew from the table; partly due to the fact that Cheryl Blossom was flouncing over in their direction.
Kevin immediately got down to business. "Before you ask, Blue Jasmine, no, she has not invited him to the dance yet…"
"Still?" Rosie interrupted.
"No, not yet, and don't talk about Archie," Betty fired back rapidly. She went quiet as Cheryl came into earshot.
"Veronica Lodge," she smirked. "I'd heard whisperings." She turned an unimpressed gaze to Rosie. "Ah. My friend Josie told me all about you. Decided to intrude on the sacred Pussycats rehearsal time? Tsk tsk. What a shame." Her focus went back on the other girl. "I'm Cheryl Blossom. May I sit? Betty, would you mind?"
Betty shot Rosie an awkward glance and shuffled down the bench.
"So, what are you four hens gossiping about? Archie's Efron-esque emergence from the chrysalis of puberty?"
Betty's wide eyes settled on Veronica. She shook her head.
"Extracurriculars," Veronica improvised. "Weatherbee wants Rosie and I to sign up for a few."
That's a lie, Rosie thought jokingly.
"Cheerleading!" exclaimed Cheryl. "You must. I'm senior captain of the River Vixens."
"Is cheerleading still a thing?" Kevin said sarcastically.
"Is being the Gay Best Friend still a thing?" Cheryl shot back.
"Obviously," Rosie muttered, taking a bite of her grilled cheese.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Cheryl wondered in a fake, sugary-sweet voice.
Rosie shrugged. "I said, obviously."
"And in what mockery of the English language does that mean?" the redheaded girl probed.
"It means exactly what I said. Kevin is obviously still one of Betty's best friends, so yes, being the Gay Best Friend is still a thing," Rosie said honestly. "I think Kevin has a point. Cheerleading is becoming a thing of the past. We're moving forward into a brighter future of real athletically-inclined sports."
Betty looked horrified, while Kevin unceremoniously held back several snorts. Veronica was not daunted, however, when Cheryl completely dismissed everything Rosie had just said.
"Some say it's retro," she continued, making an obvious jab at Rosie. "I say it's eternal and iconic."
"At Spence, I sat at the top of the Elites' pyramid. I'm in," agreed Veronica. "Betty, you're trying out, too. Rosie, I'd tell you that you needed to, but I think your speech enlightened us all on your current position."
She and Rosie shared a small laugh.
"Of course! Anyone is welcome to try out, but Betty's already got so much on her plate right now…" Cheryl glanced down in disgust at Betty's lunch. Rosie frowned at the snobby redhead. "…and being a Vixen is kind of a full-time thing. But open to all!"
Cheryl stood gracefully and leaned against the table, still addressing the raven-haired girl. "Follow me on Twitter and I'll do the same. My handle is cherylbombshell."
As she walked away, Betty rolled her eyes. Kevin snorted.
"That made my day, Rosie," he told her.
"Glad to be your new source of entertainment," she joked.
"Okay, okay, Betty, you can go ahead and hate on cheerleading like Miss Wannabe over here…"
"Hey!"
"But if Hipster Prince Harry…"
"I'd love to be a cheerleader," Betty confessed. "It would look great on my college applications. But, last year when I tried out, Cheryl said I was too fat."
"'Too season 5 Betty Draper,'" Kevin told Veronica excitedly, referring to the show Mad Men. "It was a great line, but not at all true."
Betty seemed unconvinced of the forced empathy.
"That's a little harsh," Rosie commented.
"That's tame for Cheryl Blossom," Kevin relayed, eyebrows raised.
"Well," said Veronica, "you're a total smoke show now. I mean it. As hot and as smart as you are, you should be the Queen Bey of this drab hive. Look, if you want to be a River Vixen, I'll help you prep. I have moves."
"Okay, you know what? Show me your moves," Betty approved.
"Yes!" cheered Veronica. "You will not regret this, girl." She turned her attention to Rosie. "So. Rosie. You said you were a songwriter?"
"I am," Rosie nodded.
"She's just as good as Archie. And, please don't repeat this to him, but I think even better," Betty complimented.
"Really?" Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Do you play any instruments?"
"Guitar, piano, ukulele, and drums," said Rosie. "I also produce music. I helped Archie produce a lot of his songs this past week."
"You should hear this song she played for me last night," gushed Betty. "It's incredible."
"I'd love to hear your music sometime," Veronica told her.
"Same," Kevin chimed in.
"Well, thank you, guys," Rosie blushed. "You will soon."
"And speaking of doing something soon, we should all go dress shopping for the semi-formal," Veronica suggested.
"When?" Betty inquired.
"How about…tonight?"
Rosie shrugged. Anything to stay away from her house even longer. "That works for me."
Betty smiled. "Today after Vixens auditions?"
Veronica nodded. "Why not?"
"I'm in."
"I think I'll stay out of this hang out," Kevin said, eyebrow cocking. "Dresses aren't exactly my thing."
"We weren't expecting you to, Kev," Betty giggled.
"My family's chauffeur can drop us off and pick us up downtown," said Veronica. "Girls night!"
Rosie was so happy to have found people who wanted to hang out with her.
But as the conversation continued further to skin tone and the best shade of whatever color looked most flattering for a dress, the brunette zoned out. She turned slightly in her seat to see the dark-haired, beanie wearing hipster staring back. They held each other's gaze, something Rosie wasn't expecting. He raised her eyebrows at her once, expression neutral, then went back to whatever he was writing on his laptop.
Who was this boy?
Rosie sat on the bleachers next to the football field. She completed the little Bio homework that her teacher had given out quickly, wanting to work on a new song she had an idea for. Her notebook was out, as well as the piano app on her phone. Determining chords was an important aspect of songwriting for her, especially when it came to the melody.
C chord, D, A….
Nope. Too happy.
C, D minor, F…?
"Fog clouds a new perspective but that's alright…in a town of wonder, the news unfolds…"
She sings the new lyrics aloud with the chords. There was something missing….
C, D minor, F, G…?
She tried it. It sounded right. She smiled.
"Rosie!"
A female voice caught her attention from the track. It was Veronica standing with Betty.
Rosie waved back.
"Come on down!" Veronica called.
Rosie smiled, slung her backpack over her shoulder, tucked her pencil in her songwriting notebook, and shoved her phone into her back pocket. She barreled down the bleacher steps. She jumped off the bottom stepped as she arrived at the track.
She noticed the uniforms. She was immediately overjoyed for her new friends.
"You made it! You both made it!" she exclaimed excitedly. "That's just spectacular."
"Even though you don't think cheerleading is a sport?" winked Veronica.
Rosie chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, even though I don't believe that cheerleading is a sport."
"Thanks, Rosie," Betty said gratefully.
"I just wanted to talk to both you and Betty about the realities of me," Veronica informed. "It sounds vain and self-absorbed, I know, but hear me out."
"Veronica very sweetly defended me during tryouts," explained Betty. "She wants to tell us why."
Rosie, although slightly confused, felt touched that the two girls thought of letting her into their deep discussion.
"And I thought, because you're new and Betty and I would like to get to know you better, that you might like to know more about me, too; given my current familial situation," continued Veronica.
The brunette nodded, glasses bouncing slightly. "I'd love to know more. We can sit up on this first row of bleachers, if you want."
The two other girls shrugged in agreement and filed in after Rosie. They sat three in a row: Betty, Veronica, Rosie.
There was a quiet moment between them as they watched the ginger haired Archie Andrews scrimmage on the field.
"When my dad was arrested, it was the worst thing ever," began the raven-haired girl. "All these trolls started horrible things about us. We'd get letters and emails saying that dad was thief, my mom was a clueless socialite, and that I was the spoiled, rich-bitch ice princess. And what hurt the most about it was…the things the trolls were writing were true. I was like Cheryl. I was worse than Cheryl! So, when my mom said we were moving to Riverdale, I made a pact with myself…to use this as an opportunity to become maybe, hopefully, a better version of myself."
Rosie shot the other new girl a sympathetic glance. That couldn't have been easy for her to endure, especially after only knowing one way of life. And to pick up the pieces of what's left of your family and move on? Rosie could only imagine.
"That's a lot of pressure," Betty commented solemnly.
"I couldn't have done it," Rosie agreed. She felt the urge to spill the beans on her own story. "I grew up with a family that didn't stay in one place for more than two years. Constantly packing, constantly un-packing, constantly saying hello and goodbye to new friends that then become old friends that then became only Facebook friends. When I turned twelve, I was tired. Emotionally, from the inconsistent friendships; physically, from the endless travel; mentally, from the…"
Rosie caught herself. She almost misspoke. Her family was her family, no matter how much they discouraged her or made her feel like dirt. It wasn't right to talk bad about them, no matter how much they had hurt her over the years.
She shook it off and carried on. "But after that, I vowed that making friends wasn't something I was interested in. I tried it for a couple years, but I couldn't anymore. So, when we moved back to Portland, I made the best of friends I had made in a long time. I didn't have many, maybe one or two, but they were my world. We were inseparable. But…then something happened and…and I lost them. When my dad told me that we would be in Riverdale until after I graduate, I was relieved, terrified…thankful. I'm just really glad to be here with you two."
"We're glad you're here," Veronica grinned.
"You've been through a lot, too, Rosie," Betty said. She looked like she wanted to say something else. She hesitated.
Rosie frowned ever so slightly. She spoke gently. "If you need to tell us something, Betty, don't be afraid."
Betty sighed, then spoke. "When Polly and Jason got together, it meant everything to her and nothing to him. And…and things got super intense and weird and toxic and my mom turned on Polly. Said Polly wasn't her daughter anymore, said all these awful things to her. Jason hurt Polly, but it's my mom who broke her."
Rosie, unaware of the Cooper-Blossom dating situation, merely raised her eyebrows. She didn't know Betty even had a sister. She assumed the sister was older, but not by much. Maybe a junior…?
"I'm sorry, Betty," the brunette told her sadly. "That's hard."
All of a sudden, Veronica raised her voice. "Archie!" She turned to Betty. "You're so doing this."
"What?" demanded Betty.
"Slaying your dragons, Betty Cooper, one by one."
Before Rosie could even grasp what was happening, Archie jogged up to the bleachers and leaned on the front railing.
"Hi, Teen Outlander," joked Veronica.
"Hey. Nice outfits, you two. Didn't join in, Rosie?" Archie greeted cheerfully.
"I don't think cheerleading is a sport," she relayed quickly. She wanted to make sure Betty could do what she needed – which was ask out Archie.
Rosie grinned in anticipation as Veronica addressed the two childhood friends.
"Betty here as something she wants to ask you about the Back-to-School Dance."
"It's very important," Rosie chimed in.
Betty glanced over at the two, eyes wide and mouth set in a firm line. She nodded, as if waiting for the other two to do it for her.
"Go on, Betty. Ask," prompted Veronica.
The blonde slid her sleeves over her hands and fidgeted nervously. "I was wondering if you wanted to come with…all three of us."
The confusion tumbled out of Archie, Veronica, and Rosie's mouth in succession.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Excuse me?"
Betty looked over at Veronica and Rosie with an expression of kindness. "It's both of your first dances at Riverdale. You should have someone to go with, even if it's just a friend."
Rosie was speechless. Many emotions ran through her head. The most prevalent included gratefulness, puzzlement, and annoyance. Betty was supposed to only ask Archie, not the other two girls sitting next to her. But she couldn't help but feel happy to be included. But something told her that going with Archie, Betty, and Veronica was not something that she would enjoy.
"I mean, I'd love to," Veronica agreed, surprised. "Rosie? Verdict?"
"Three's a party, but four's a crowd," she replied. "Thanks so much for the offer, Betty, you're too sweet, but…I can attend as your…posse?"
The other three laughed.
"Very nicely put, Ro," Veronica nodded, smiling, using a new nickname for the brunette. "Archie?"
He faltered slightly, shifting his position on the railing. "I-I'm not really in the headspace for a dance."
"Oh. That's okay," Betty said, sounding defeated.
Rosie glanced over at Betty, disappointed for her new friend.
Veronica, on the other hand, was not about to take no for an answer.
"Totally unacceptable, Archiekins! We need an escort. Take a break from being a tortured musical genius and come spend a blissful evening with, not one, but two newly minted River Vixens, backed up by their very wonderful new 'posse.' We'll text you time and place."
Archie's demeanor slowly changed as Veronica made her speech. He glanced over at Rosie, shrugging, and she nodded slightly.
"Okay," he chuckled. "Yeah, okay."
"Perfect! Now get back to mud-wrestling with your anthropomorphic football friends and we will go put on an epic search for our new gowns. How does that sound?" Veronica laughed.
"It sounds great. See you tomorrow?" Archie grinned brightly.
"See you," Rosie called after him.
"Bye," Betty replied, blushing profusely.
Rosie was so thankful for these people.
The night of the dance sprung quickly upon Rosie and her new friends. To her dismay, her brother had also decided that his presence was required at the semi-formal, too.
They entered separately, Will going first, and Rosie second. They hadn't had a conversation about it, but they seemed to have a mutual agreement to avoid each other as much as possible during the event. Will would hang with his 'upper classmen sports pigs,' and Rosie with her 'loser popular wannabe idiots.'
She made a beeline for the snack table, where Kevin was situated.
"Hey, Kev," she greeted. "How is this dance so far for you?"
Kevin spun on his heel, mouth full of cupcake, to see Rosie standing there behind him.
"Hey!" His words were slightly muffled. He finished chewing, then swallowed, and then saw Rosie's dress. His eyes went huge. "You look fantastic!"
Rosie chuckled, thumbing the flowing material. "Really?"
Kevin nodded. "That shade of green is perfect for your hair and it really makes your eyes stand out."
She looked down at the mint green, one-shouldered dress Betty and Veronica had picked out for her. She had borrowed a pair of sandaled heels from Veronica, and had let Betty do her hair half up and half down with loose curls at the ends of her hair. She had gone without her glasses for the night, although, felt somewhat naked without them.
"Thanks, Kevin," she replied.
The dark-haired boy went to take another bite of cupcake, but a blob of frosting cascaded down onto his jacket lapel.
"Aw, man!" he complained. He set down the half-eaten cupcake on the snack table. "I'll be right back."
Rosie, amused, nodded. "Okay."
He rushed off in the direction of what Rosie assumed was the restroom. Rosie smiled ever so slightly at the replay of Kevin's icing glob sliding off the cupcake and onto him in her mind.
She overlooked the snacks, then noticed a certain teacher sitting in the row of foldable chairs in between the two tables.
Having Ms. Grundy in class was somewhat awkward for her. She knew the scandal that encapsulated Ms. Grundy's private life. An affair with a student; Archie Andrews, the new, up and coming football star and underground artist of Riverdale High. The woman was a fantastic musician, but Rosie had a hard time focusing in choir every once in a while, just because she knew.
Before Rosie could make her escape, Ms. Grundy addressed her.
"Ms. Green," she said.
Rosie tried to plaster on a comfortable smile. "Hi, Ms. Grundy. How is chaperoning?"
"I haven't had to split up any grinding teenagers yet, so I'm happy," the teacher joked lightly. "How are you?"
"I just got here, so pretty uneventful so far," she answered. She stepped closer to the music teacher in order to hear her better.
"I've actually been meaning to ask you something, Rosie," Ms. Grundy announced. "About choir."
Rosie was glad to distract herself from the plague of trying not to imagine Ms. Grundy and a certain redheaded student together.
"What about choir?"
"I was wondering if you would consider being mezzo-soprano section lead for the advanced women's choir? I need a strong voice front and center, making sure the girls know what's happening during sectional time and during the general rehearsal time in class."
Rosie felt honored, but conflicted. But she couldn't let Ms. Grundy be suspicious of her hesitation. She couldn't let her know that she knew about the relationship with Archie.
"Wow. Thank you so much, Ms. Grundy," she said, feeling genuinely flattered. "I would love to."
Ms. Grundy looked pleased with her answer. "That's great news. Thank you for being someone I can rely on."
"Of course," Rosie replied.
In her peripheral vision, she saw Veronica striding over to the other punch table.
"Have a good night, Ms. Grundy," she said, bidding her goodbye.
"You, too," the teacher nodded back. "Have fun."
"Thanks."
Rosie's high heels clicked and clacked as she approached the Lodge girl.
"Hey, Ronnie," she greeted. "Where's Betty and Archie?"
"Hey," Veronica replied. "I left the two to their own devices. I'm trying to get Betty to be bold, but something tells me she's going to need more encouragement."
"Well, I can certainly assist with that," grinned Rosie. She spotted Josie and the Pussycats mounting the makeshift stage at the end of the gym.
Kevin suddenly appeared. "You two will never believe what just happened!"
Veronica and Rosie shared a curious glance.
"What happened?" asked Veronica.
"I was in the bathroom cleaning that frosting off my suit jacket and guess who propositioned me into…stuff?"
The two girls shrugged.
"Moose," he declared.
Rosie's eyebrows shot up. Really? That over-masculine jock from the first day of school that Archie hung around with?
"You're kidding," deadpanned Veronica.
"That overcompensated football jerk told you he wanted to…?" Rosie wondered doubtfully.
"I know, I know! I can barely believe it myself," Kevin said, exasperated.
Even though the over-produced track was still playing on the loudspeakers, Cheryl Blossom stepped up to the microphone on the stage. What was she planning this time?
"Ooh! Let's go dance and spy on Betty and Archie!" Veronica said excitedly, pulling the hands of both Kevin and Rosie.
The two let her drag them to the middle of the gym, somewhat near to where Betty was standing – alone.
Where is Archie? Rosie thought. Isn't he supposed to be Betty and Veronica's date?
She scanned the entire gym, waiting to see the flaming red of the boy's hair. And she did – she found him where she, Kevin, and Veronica had just been standing: at the snack tables. But he wasn't chowing down on the cupcakes or squares of mushy cheddar cheese. No, he was sitting next to Ms. Grundy, seemingly deep in conversation.
She sighed, shaking her head. What the heck was he doing talking to her? In the middle of a school dance where anyone the school could see them?
But she stormed away, leaving Archie by himself. He stared wistfully after her, then turned and stood, and walked over to Betty.
"Good evening friends," Cheryl spoke into the microphone. "Are you all having a good time?"
Applause and some cheering erupted from the crowd of students. Rosie, Veronica, and Kevin clapped half-heartedly. None were huge fans of Cheryl.
"As honorary chairperson and de facto queen of tonight's semiformal, it is my great pleasure to introduce this evening's main entertainment. To know them is to be obsessed with them. Though they usually perform their own material, tonight they're making an exception and debuting a cover of the song my parents claim they were listening to the night Jason and I were conceived."
A collective lament of disgust was shared between Rosie, Veronica, and Kevin.
"That's concerning," Rosie muttered, making Kevin chortle in amusement.
"This one's for you, JJ," said Cheryl dreamily. "I give you Josie and the Pussycats."
A more excited, overwhelming scream of delight echoed through the dance floor as the first chords of All Through the Night by James Shear began to play.
Rosie was somewhat impressed by the level of production that the band had done beforehand. It wasn't her style or anything, but she had to appreciate the hard work they had put in to revamp the not-so-great song.
As she was being impressed by Josie and the Pussycats, Veronica had asked Kevin to dance and had moved nearer to Betty and Archie, who were already slow-dancing. She scoffed. She was alone. Just as always.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and she frowned. Who was asking her to dance?
She spun on her heel to find one of her already least-favorite people at Riverdale High School standing before her.
"Want to dance, Rosie?" asked Reggie, flashing a white-toothed grin at her.
"After all that crap you pulled when we first met?" she scoffed, crossing her arms.
"I know that wasn't the most inviting thing to say. But…will you?"
Rosie felt somewhat bad. He looked kind of depressing and a little tipsy at the same time. She rolled her eyes good-naturedly and decided to give in.
"Sure, why not?" she sighed. "But keep your hands on my waist and my waist only. No exceptions."
Reggie just looked happy to have someone to dance with. "Yeah, yeah, of course. Not a problem."
She grabbed the tall jock's wrist and pulled him over next to Veronica and Kevin, who seemed somewhat shocked that she had agreed to slow dance with Reggie Mantle of all people.
But her focus was not on the football player she had her arms around, it was on the blonde and redhead that were swaying together on the other side of the gym.
"What is she waiting for?" hissed Rosie to the other two.
"I don't know," Kevin replied, shaking his head.
"She's got to just say it," Veronica agreed.
Betty glanced over to them with a terrified expression gracing her features. Rosie widened her eyes at the Cooper girl, mouthing just do it, Betty! Tell him what you feel!
Betty's eyes flickered between the three and she plastered on a winning smile before going back to talking to Archie.
"What are you doing?" Reggie inquired.
Rosie's head snapped back to her dancing partner. "Just encouraging a friend to let her feelings be known."
"Uh…okay," shrugged Reggie. "You know…your brother talks about you a lot."
Rosie's nose scrunched as she processed what he had said. "He does?"
"He's always complaining about how annoying you are and how he's glad you're always out of the house," Reggie relayed. "Why?"
Rosie's frown deepened. "That's just my brother. He's always been like that."
"Personally, I don't understand how someone as hot as you could be as annoying as he says you are."
Rosie burst into laughter and Reggie shot her a confused smile, tilting his head slightly. "What's so funny?"
"Nice try, Mantle, but that pick up line was sad and lacked effort," she replied, still laughing a little.
Reggie frowned. "What? That wasn't a pick up line."
That sobered Rosie up quickly. She cleared her throat. "It…it wasn't?"
"No," Reggie said seriously. "I think you're beautiful."
Rosie's eyebrows raised up past her side-swept bangs. She was genuinely frazzled at the comment. "Uh, thanks. That's very sweet of you to say."
As one of the most confusing encounters of her life came to a close, so did the song.
Reggie gently let go and clapped for Josie and the Pussycats.
"Thanks for the dance," he smiled, then strode away.
Rosie was left standing by herself in awe. What had just happened?
She ignored the previous situation and glanced over at Betty, who seemed disheartened as she applauded the band. Archie looked distracted, glancing from Betty to a person near the snack table. Rosie didn't need to spin around and check to realize that it was Ms. Grundy who held his gaze. She shook her head. Archie had ruined what could have been a wonderful relationship because of a mere teacher who was, what, around ten to fifteen years older than him?
Unbeknownst to them all, Cheryl was plotting with her two ladies in waiting.
"Make sure those two turtledoves come to my afterparty. Veronica and Rosie, too," she smirked mischievously. "I'm in the mood for chaos."
Rosie wasn't sure how she had been roped into tagging along to Cheryl Blossom's afterparty at her estate, Thorn Hill, but she wasn't enjoying herself at all.
She sat in between Betty and Veronica, attempting to avoid the subtle glances Reggie Mantle had been sending her way.
"Why is meathead number two staring you down?" muttered Veronica to Rosie.
"I'll tell you later," the brunette whispered back.
Archie caught her eye and they shared an annoyed look. Why were they there and not in the Andrews' garage songwriting?
Cheryl flounced into the room in another red bandage dress, holding an empty glass soda bottle.
"It's game time at Chez Blossom, kiddies," she purred at them all. "We're going old-school tonight. Seven Minutes in Heaven."
Rosie rolled her eyes. She had told herself she would never, ever, in a million years participate in any kind of closet-make out game such as that.
"Who wants to tryst in the Closet of Love first?" wondered Cheryl, eyes glazing over all present on the couches. "My vote is 'A' for Archie."
Rosie audibly snorted, earning an amused glance from Veronica. Betty just looked uncomfortable as the rest looked over to the redhead, whose eyes were the size of dinner plates. He shook his head.
"Anyone care to second it?" inquired Cheryl.
Archie began to protest, but Reggie cut him off. "Yes, Andrews, yes!"
Archie sighed, but didn't argue.
"All right. Gather round, kids. Let's see who's riding the ginger stallion tonight."
Rosie visibly shuddered at Cheryl's statement. Ginger stallion? Ew.
Cheryl placed the bottle on the table and gave it a twirl, walking around the couch in attempts to make it land on her.
The teens' breaths all caught in their throat in anticipation. Who would the spinner point to?
As the cherry soda bottle slowed its whirl, Rosie's shoulders tensed. She hoped it was anyone but Cheryl, for Archie's sake, and for Betty's.
But, to her dismay, it landed on someone else.
Herself.
I am so overwhelmed by the wonderful response I've gotten to this story so far! Thank you everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited Ends of the Earth! You are all so kind and so excited, which makes me so much more motivated to write chapters.
Speaking of which, I hope you enjoyed that one! I always feel like I get stuck in the middle of chapters, then I leave it for a while, and then I come back and I'm able to continue on. It's annoying but kind of cool at the same time.
Anyways, here are my responses to the reviews left for this past chapter:
Naruhina1519: Thanks so much for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying the fic so far. I see Rosie as kind of a mix between Zooey Deschanel and Ellen Page. But I don't really have a set person to represent her. I like giving traits so that the readers can imagine her in their own way but still have features and characteristics to go off of.
The Flying Hawaiian 001: Thank you so so much! One of my biggest aims as a writer is to make sure my characters are solidly developed, so I'm glad Rosie is coming across that way! I hope she's unique enough and able to stand out in the series. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. 😊
TheMuffinGirl31: Thank you for your review! You are too kind. I'll try to update more now that I'm on Winter break. I really hope you liked this chapter!
thebestpeopleinlifearefree: Haha thanks for your review! I hate Grundy too. Don't worry, Juggie will be introduced more officially this next chapter. 😊 Hope you liked this one, too!
xenocanaan: I'm so glad you're enjoying my fic so far! Here's that next chapter for you. Thanks for the review!
I'm going to get back to writing more, so stay tuned!
If you liked this chapter, please leave a review and follow this story! Talk to you all soon.