READER WARNING: This chapter contains mentions of physical abuse. If this is something that is uncomfortable or triggering to read about, please skip past the italicized section of this chapter. It's nothing graphic, nor does it go into detail, but there are mentions of it. Please, please skip to the line I've put in bold after the italicized portion if what I've warned is true for you!

Please enjoy this new chapter!

Chapter 11: Full Dark, No Stars

The horses are coming

so you better run.

Dog Days by Florence and the Machine

Nerves.

Every single nerve in Rosie's body stood on edge. On attention. On defense. Ready to strike.

Unfortunately, her body was familiar with this sensation. She was reminded of all the times her parents yelled at her for something Will did, or what they assumed she had done wrong.

As she leaned against the tall maple, Kevin standing in front of her, still as ever, eyes as wide as the Pacific Ocean, she was taken back to her childhood. A specific moment – one she hoped she would never, ever remember.

Rosie sat in her driveway in the blistering heat of the California summer. The small girl knew that Los Angeles was a hot city since her mom and dad had told her that sunscreen was required that afternoon. Whenever her mom and dad said she needed sunscreen, she knew that she was living somewhere really hot.

Her hands felt dry from the pastel chalk she was using to sketch meadows on the pavement, but she didn't care. She wiped her fingers on her jean shorts, smudging pink on the pockets. She was creating a field of wildflowers, bumblebees, and a pretty pond filled with colorful fish. She hummed a song she had heard on the radio that morning when she, her mom, and her brother had gone to the grocery store together. It was a sad sounding song, but Rosie liked it. There was something about sad songs that made her feel good inside. Will hated sad songs and always asked their mom to change the radio channel.

Rosie thought that her brother was the most annoying kid on planet Earth. To her, he was like a human version of Curious George – but worse. He just got into trouble and then blamed it on her – not like the real Curious George. The real Curious George got into trouble and then fixed things and made everything better. In her opinion, her brother was a crazy monkey who needed to be sent back to the jungle where he belonged.

Will was out riding his brand-new bicycle with his friends. He was six and a half and he already could ride without his training wheels. Rosie was jealous. She wanted a new bike. Hers was brown and rusted. His was shiny green with electric yellow lightning bolts on the side, a cool wicker basket he could put snacks in, and silver streamers that came out of the end of the handles. And he had a bike horn – a turtle-shaped bike horn that Rosie had asked for at the grocery store that morning. Will had gotten it instead. Rosie thought it was so awesome. You squeezed the shell and a little squeak came out. She wanted something to make her own bicycle look a little cooler – just like Will's. But her mom had said no. For some reason, she had said yes to Will. So he had gotten the new turtle horn instead of Rosie, who had cried a little in the store when her family wasn't looking.

Just then, Will rode by with a couple of his neighborhood friends. He ignored his sister completely as he passed. Rosie ignored him back. She focused on finishing the petals on the flower she was creating.

She looked up and, all of a sudden, Will was doing circles on his bicycle all over her beautiful chalk drawings. She pouted as his wheels ruined her landscape. Tire tracks of all different colors were spread out all over the driveway, including over her original sketches. The pond contained red and green, the flowers had blue and orange on them, and the sun was now pink.

Rosie crossed her arms as her brother cackled and mocked her.

"Your flowers looked stupid, Rosie," he laughed as he rode off down the lane, his friends zipping quickly behind him.

She frowned and called out after him, "Your face looks stupid, Will."

Then, realizing that she would be in massive trouble for a comment like that, spun around to check if either of her parents were outside or near an open window. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realized they hadn't heard or seen anything of that interaction. She stared down at her ruined meadow and sighed. Will had ruined it completely, but that didn't mean she couldn't make it something better.

As she picked up her purple chalk, she heard a small yell. She glanced up to see Will flying down the hill at the top of the street. His bike pedals whirled around and around and around as he picked up speed. Rosie rolled her eyes. He did this all the time to impress his friends, who were at least a year or two older than him.

Then, as he hurriedly rolled closer and closer to the driveway, Rosie realized that he hadn't been using his brakes at all. In fact, his wheels were spinning so fast, she couldn't even see the weird silver wires that crisscrossed the inside of the tires any more. What were those called again? Oh, spokes! She couldn't see the spokes of his tires. They were spinning so fast, it was like inside of the wheel was made of solid silver.

She gasped as he barreled towards her. She threw down her chalk, at this point, not caring if it was crushed by the bike. She hopped up onto the front porch of their small house, leaving tiny, rainbow footprints on the front walk.

Will's screaming got louder as he turned his handlebars into the driveway. He zoomed straight towards the porch where Rosie was seated. She watched in horror as Will suddenly jerked his bike to the right and crashed right into their brand new, shiny, cherry red car.

Rosie shrieked as Will tumbled off his bike and rolled to the side. He immediately cried out in pain. A large, pink lump appeared smack dab in the middle of his forehead. His nose dribbled blood as crimson as the car.

But the car – it was the car that really horrified Rosie. On the back-left side where the brake light should be was nothing but spiky plastic. Will must have shattered it when his front tire slammed into the light. Yellow pieces of plastic littered the driveway. Rosie's eyes skimmed the bike, seeing that the front tire was now lumpy and lopsided.

Rosie was frozen. She didn't know what to do. She knew her parents would be angry with her either way. Will was hurt, and their new car was damaged.

The small girl rushed down the steps and kneeled next to Will, who was screaming bloody murder.

"Are you okay?" she asked, trying to cradle him.

"Ew, no, get away from me!" he screeched in her face. Instead of letting himself be consoled by his sister, he budged away, still whimpering.

Suddenly, the front door banged open, Mrs. Green standing with her mouth open in shock and a wooden spoon in the other. Rosie remembered that she was making spaghetti for dinner.

"What on Earth just happened?" she demanded, racing down to comfort her son. Carol Green hugged the boy close, wiping the blood from his nose with her hand. She had thrown down the spoon next to her.

Before Rosie could explain, Will launched into a teary lie.

"I was just riding my bike with my friends when Rosie pulling me into the driveway and threw me on my bike at the car!" he blubbered. "She made me braked the light thingy on the car, Mama! And my forehead hurts! And my nose feels all funny! Mama, Rosie said she wanted to hurt me!"

This was before Rosie could handle herself calmly around her parents and Will's excuses for his own troubles. At seven years old, she hadn't yet learned about dealing with Will's fibs.

"No, that's not what happened!" she protested quickly. "Will rode down the hill and he didn't use his brakes and he rided right into the car! I promise, Mom! I didn't want to hurt him! I love my brother! I don't want to hurt my brother!"

"How dare you lie about this, Rosemary," she growled quietly. "I will deal with you once we get inside."

Rosie's lip trembled, her palms growing clammy with fear. She knew what that phrase meant.

She glanced at the wooden spoon. She hated that spoon. She hated it with a burning passion. Carol used it to hit her when she was angry with her. Not a lot, just enough to sting.

Rosie's mind instantly went to the small closet in her room. It was dark and smelled funny. Her mom had locked her in there before when she was angry. She didn't want to be put in her closet. She didn't have any books to read or music to listen to.

Carol picked up Will carefully. The boy clung to his mother, wrapping his arms and legs tightly around her neck and torso. She held onto Will with one hand. With the other, she gripped Rosie's wrist tightly and roughly pulled her up the steps and into their house.

Later, Rosie slumped down into her pitch-black closet. Her back stung profusely. As she had predicted, her mother had hit her in the back with the wooden spoon. Carol had done so more times than usual. And Rosie felt it. She had never seen her mother so angry with her.

After Carol had taken the spoon to Rosie's back, she had screamed in the small girl's face. It was about Will, his bike, the car light, and even her chalk drawings.

Rosie had taken it like a champ up until the screaming. The girl was resilient. She cried a little during the hitting, but it was the screaming that broke her. She was bawling by the time Carol lugged her to the closet, slammed it in her face, and clicked the lock on the outside.

Rosie didn't understand why her parents let will get away with so much but punished her for every little thing. Most of it was just yelling at her and calling her names. This was one of the rare times the wooden spoon was used.

But it was a phrase that Carol had said to Rosie during her lecture that stuck with the girl.

"I can make your life a living hell," she had bellowed.

Rosie snapped out of her memory. A small tear trickled down her face. She wiped it away hastily, hoping Kevin hadn't noticed.

"I can make your life a living hell," she whispered.

"What?" Kevin wondered, completely and utterly confused.

Rosie's head whipped back up to the dark-haired Keller boy in front of her. She decided not to disclose that incident with him. She didn't like people knowing about that kind of crap from her past.

"It was something that Grundy said," she relayed. "It just freaked me out."

"Yeah, I can tell," he replied, sighing. "Look, I'm not letting you go back in there alone. I don't want Grundy to come back over and threaten you again. Also, that is completely illegal, and I think we should tell my dad."

"No!" Rosie shook her head quickly. "No, Kev, it's not that serious."

"Um, excuse me, yes, it is! An adult threatened a minor."

"There aren't any witnesses, Kev."

"Uh, hello, me."

"But you couldn't hear our conversation."

Kevin froze, thinking about what she had just said. "Ugh, you're right. You can't just go around making accusations against a teacher in this town."

"I'm new, too," Rosie said. "A new girl going around making accusations that a respected member of the town threatened to make her life a living hell? I highly doubt I'd gain much support from the community."

"You're right," Kevin admitted. "As usual."

The comment made Rosie smile a little.

"I still don't want you going back in there alone," he added.

Rosie nodded. "I don't want to be alone in there."

"I'll try to stay with you as long as I can," he told her. "Is Archie coming? I wouldn't even have to convince or bribe him. He'd do it out of the kindness and love he stores for you –,"

Rosie rolled her eyes good-naturedly and cut him off. "Grundy would have an aneurysm."

Kevin gasped. "Oh my god, TEA."

Rosie laughed. "You are the best, Kev."

"I know," he grinned.

Rosie's sudden good mood dropped once again. "I have to go help the Pussycats set up."

The thought of going back and seeing the music teacher made her stomach turn.

"I'll stay as close to you as possible," Kevin reaffirmed. "I promise. That witch comes anywhere near you, I will defend you like Kim defends Kanye."

The brunette chuckled at his Kardashian reference as they made their way back towards the community center.

"You and your Kardashians," she said, almost ashamed to be friends with such an obsessed lunatic.

"Have you seen their flawless complexions? And their amazing houses and businesses?" he told her, gasping. "They are incredible business women."

Rosie shrugged. "I can't deny they know how to make a name for themselves."

"Exactly," said Kevin, patting her shoulder. "I knew you'd learn."

She rolled her eyes again.

She felt a kind of brotherly love for Kevin that she couldn't explain. They had connected uncannily quickly – almost as quick as she had become friends with Archie. But her friendship with the redhead was very different to her relationship with Kevin. Kevin was that friend you could laugh and talk about everything with. Archie was the friends you could share things with – music, deep feelings, and thoughts. Kevin was the typical gay best friend, but he admitted to being so and was very proud of his title.

Rosie realized that she and the Keller boy even looked similar – brown hair and light blue eyes. Sure, his hair was darker, but they still looked alike. Almost like brother and sister. Rosie realized that Kevin looked more like her than her own brother. It made her smile a little. Riverdale had replacements of her own family all around. Mr. Andrews was, at that point, a fatherly figure she looked up to. Kevin was like the brother she never had. Maybe someday she'd find a real family. One that treated her as a real member instead of a constant guest in their home.

Rosie watched from the sidelines as local restaurants, cafes, and diners set up booths at the Taste of Riverdale.

She stood near the sound booth, Kevin hovering around the different stations near her and checking in every ten minutes or so. She did her best to focus on assisting Josie, Valerie, and Melody with their equipment and during their sound check, but her mind always seemed to drift back to the bone-chilling phrase Grundy uttered during their debacle: "I can make your life a living hell."

That phrase in particular wasn't one that teacher would regularly use when addressing a student in their class – especially a student they had given so much responsibility. Rosie was, in fact, a section leader in choir, which was a fairly big deal. Many other students looked up to her and she was happy to help give musical advice and direction for the girls in the same voice part. She couldn't help but feel that this would all be gone by the time choir came around the next day. Grundy was out for blood – Rosie's blood.

"Excuse me, everyone," echoed a voice from the stage. Josie's mother, Mayor McCoy, was at the microphone. "We are just about to let in all the visitors standing outside those double doors. I just wanted to let you all know how impressed I am with all of your businesses and how much I've enjoyed arranging this event. I want to thank each and every one of you for participating in this year's Taste of Riverdale. And let me just say – everything smells amazing! Let's get this going."

All the business owners and assistants at each booth clapped as the doors opened and citizens of Riverdale began to flood the space.

Rosie was suddenly very alert. Archie had texted her saying he was sneaking in to watch the band play the song they had helped write.

Her eyes skimmed each and every entrance for a patch of bright red. Instead, she spotted the people she least wanted to see there. It was the rest Green family themselves.

Carol strut in, nose in the air, face scrunched, as if disgusted at the aroma of grilling burgers, fresh baked goods, and brewing coffee. Kenny's eyes were directed at his phone, on which he was typing furiously. Will was obviously quite bored and seemed to have protested the event in the first place.

Somehow, the brother and sister caught each other's eye. Trying to be friendly towards Will, Rosie waved. The younger boy rolled his eyes, tapped on his father's arm, and pointed to the brunette, who waved yet again, this time a bit weakly. Kenny's eyebrows raised at the sight of his oldest child, then pulled his son along, Carol following closely behind.

"Hi, guys," Rosie greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Kenny asked, eyes darting around suspiciously.

"I'm controlling the sound board for the local band playing tonight. Mayor McCoy's daughter is the lead singer. Archie and I have been helping them write songs and they asked me to –,"

"McCoy has a daughter?" Will chimed in.

Rosie narrowed her eyes at him. "Yeah. She goes to Riverdale High. She's a sophomore."

"Where is she?" he demanded.

"Backstage," Rosie replied quickly. "You're not allowed back there."

"Says who?"

"Says Mayor McCoy."

"Why is she in charge?"

"She's the freaking mayor, Will."

"So?"

"Oh my gosh, you are impossible."

Finally, Carol but in, her eyes trained on her cell phone. "Rosie, don't call your brother impossible. I'm sure he just wants to be friends with Mayor McCoy's daughter."

Rosie sighed. "Whatever, Mom." She waved off Will's inability to listen to logic. "So what are you doing here?"

"Fred Andrews invited us," Kenny told her. "We're a local business, so we decided to come out and support other local businesses."

"That's great," said Rosie. "Is Mr. Andrews here?"

The brunette played with the end of her braid anxiously. She had wanted to apologize to Fred for getting Archie into trouble. She didn't want to come off as a bad influence on the Andrews boy, as they were becoming such close friends.

"Probably," Carol said, waving a hand at the crowd of people. "Now, we have to go. I don't want to see Hermione Lodge around."

"Veronica's mom? Why?" Rosie questioned curiously.

"We just don't want to see her," Carol answered firmly.

Then with that, Carol Green stalked off to a booth on the other side of the venue. Will trailed her, eyes browsing the crowd for a hopeful glimpse of Josie McCoy.

Rosie was left alone with her dad.

"Get home before your curfew," Kenny told her, voice deadpan. Then, just like his wife and son, he walked off to another part of the event.

The Green girl sighed and shook her head. No goodbye. No 'see you later.' Just a 'be home in time.' Classic Green family. What she was really interested in was why her mom didn't want to see Hermione Lodge. She didn't they even knew each other. Or had heard of each other at that point. Rosie wished she could have kept her eye on Carol when she went past Pop's booth, where Hermione was working. Unfortunately, her mother had been lost in the sea of bodies crowded around the different business stations.

"So how did a gal like you end up working in a place like this?"

Rosie spun around suddenly to see Jughead smirking behind her. His snark was enough to lift her spirits even for just a moment.

"Hey, Jug."

"Rosie - playing assistant to our favorite girl band, I see."

"Yep. They asked during the writing session a few days ago. What are you doing here?"

"You mean besides scoping out the best food in town? Searching for Dilton Doiley. One of his scouts said he'd be here tonight."

Rosie lowered her voice. "Have you heard anything on the gunshot yet?"

He shook his head, beanie flopping about. "Nothing, but I'm sure I'll get the full story from him tonight. And if not tonight, I'll make sure he shows up at the Blue and Gold as soon as possible."

Jughead's face fell slightly as another body approached.

Fred Andrews was approaching the soundbooth, a sheepish expression on his face. Rosie could barely look him in the eye.

She cleared her throat.

"Hi, Mr. Andrews."

"How's it going, Jughead?"

"Great, thanks for asking." The Jones boy turned back to Rosie. "I'll see you later."

The two watched as he quickly walked away, beelined towards the nacho stand on the other side of the venue.

Rosie played with the end of her braid and adjusted her glasses, fiddling with a switch on the soundboard she had noticed was too low.

"Rosie," said Mr. Andrews kindly, "I'm sorry for accusing you of being a bad influence on Archie."

The girl looked up, eyes wide.

"Y-you are?" she gaped, shocked.

Fred chuckled a little. "I am. I can see the effect you have on him. He's more honest with me - even when it's not said respectfully. He's more confident in himself. I can see it. I feel it. And I think I have you to thank for it."

Rosie smiled. "You don't need to thank me, Mr. Andrews. Archie was always talented. Sometimes it just takes someone pointing your own abilities out to you to gain perspective."

"Even so, I am sorry for what I said." He stepped closer to the booth and lowered his voice level. "And I'm sorry for the way your family treats you."

The Green girl's blue eyes widened again. An alarm went off in her brain. It whirred and whirled like a screeching spinning top. What had Archie told him?

"I can see the panic on your face, Rosie. But Archie didn't tell me anything. I can see it. I saw it the moment you all stepped through my trailer door on the construction site."

Rosie's shoulders relaxed.

"But if you ever need a place to stay, a safe place away from those horrible people, please don't hesitate to just show up at my door. You are always welcome in my house."

Rosie shook slightly in disbelief. Her voice trembled. "Really?"

Fred nodded.

"Thank you."

"Now it's my turn to say you don't have to thank me. You deserve a family, Rosie."

After that horrible flashback she'd had of her mother earlier that day, Rosie had been feeling downcast. That constant reminder of the things she had been through as a child had taken a toll on her over time. When she was a kid, she thought everyone's family was just like hers. That parents always had a favorite child; that the favorite children always got whatever they want and the ones that weren't the favorites didn't. But as she grew up, matured, understood more about the world, the more the fog was lifted. She knew that her family was different. Her parents were different, That she was different. And she had always been afraid to admit so. She loved her parents. Just because they treated her differently didn't make them bad people...right?

Fred Andrews was like a ray of sunshine. Maybe she had deemed herself worthy of being a favorite to him. And it made her happy - so happy, in fact, that she teared up.

Rosie turned away, wiping the tears that had begun running down her face.

And just as she was about to run over and give him the biggest hug of his life, another dark figure shadowed his light.

Alice Cooper.

"Alice."

"Hi, Fred."

Her tone was icy. There was cold behind her eyes as she cast a glance at the girl in the soundbooth. Her expression was one of stone - rigid. Her blonde hair, although perfectly curled and set in place, seemed somewhat robotic to Rosie. Unnatural, even. It was a level of perfection that Rosie recognized, mostly because her brother reflected the same air. Rosie could tell the woman thought highly of herself. That she was royalty in Riverdale.

Thankfully, as Alice glared at the Green girl, Fred sensed the hostility in the woman's presence and stayed.

Rosie, although she had just been verbally assaulted by Geraldine Grundy, stood her ground and stared right back into Alice Cooper's combative gaze.

"So you're Rosie Green, huh?" she sniped, a fake smile crossing her lips.

"That's me," Rosie smiled back sweetly.

Fred looked between the two women hesitantly. He decided that never wanted to get on Rosie's bad side.

"Rosie's new in town, Alice. Her father works for me at the construction company," he introduced graciously.

Alice sneered at the two. "Oh, I've heard, Fred. I've heard all about Ms. Green here from Betty. The rumors surrounding you already, young lady, are absolutely astounding. Fred, did you know that Rosemary here greatly offended Betty over the weekend of the Back-To-School Dance?"

"You don't need to talk about me as if I'm not here, Mrs. Cooper," Rosie interrupted sharply. "And it's really none of your business what the rumors about me are. We resolved the misunderstanding and Betty and I are on friendly terms."

"Archie told me about everything, Alice," Fred told her firmly. "Don't go stirring the pot when dinner's already been served."

Rosie couldn't help but smirk slightly, raising one eyebrow at the clever comeback.

Alice merely grinned back painfully. "Of course he has. But you never know with your son, Fred. His reputation isn't exactly squeaky clean, either."

Rosie frowned.

Fred sighed. "Alice, if you've got not nothing kind to say to either of us, I'm going to ask you to leave us alone. We're trying to have a nice conversation. We don't need harassing; especially about problems that just do not exist any more."

"Fine."

And with that, Alice Cooper sent Rosie one last glower, and stormed away, most likely hoping to cause another hurricane wherever she went next.

Fred rolled his eyes. "She can be a real bully. I'm so sorry, Rosie."

The girl sighed and waved it off. "It's okay, Mr. Andrews, I've suffered through much worse."

He chuckled darkly. "I believe it."

Rosie's eye caught on to a scuffle in the behind him.

A flash of red hair - not Archie's copper, a deeper, brighter red - and the bounce of coiffed blonde curls went towards each other in a mad rush.

A man who Rosie recognized as Kevin's dad, Tom Keller, rushed forward, holding Mrs. Cooper back as Mrs. Blossom was detained by her husband. Hermione Lodge looked on in shock.

"Oh my god," hissed Fred. "Rosie, I'm going to go check in."

"Of course, go. I'll see you later," she told him.

"I'll tell Archie you said hi!" he told her, walking off.

A puddle of guilt pooled in Rosie's stomach. She knew Archie wasn't at home. He was on his way to the Taste of Riverdale that very moment.

She felt her phone buzz in her back pocket.

Look up. :)

She did as she was told, and saw a tuft of copper peeking out from below the banister of a balcony overlooking the event. It was Archie.

After everything that had happened so far during the Taste of Riverdale, it was relieving to see him there. She wasn't sure why she felt relieved, per say, but it was comforting to have him around. She could fight her own battles, but she knew Archie was excellent backup. Just seeing him up there made her feel a million times happier.

He sent a wink in her direction and she couldn't help but giggle, cheeks growing warmer by the second.

Jug sent a small smile in Rosie's direction. He saw the chemistry between the Andrews boy and Green girl. He hadn't sensed it so strongly before, but it was so apparent, it almost made him gage.

"H-hey, Riverdale," Josie greeted from the stage. It was obvious she was trying to direct everyone's attention away from the dramatic encounter of Mrs. Cooper and Mrs. Blossom. "Are you ready to rock?"

As Josie and the Pussycats began performing, Rosie couldn't help but feel proud. She had helped write that song. She and Archie and all the members of the Pussycats wrote it together. And the crowd seemed to like it a lot.

"I don't care what you want me to be.

No, it ain't for you,

no it's all for me."

Josie sang it confidently...powerfully.

Rosie wished she had the confidence to stand up to her parents, who thought her music was garbage, and tell them how she really felt about their lack of support of her aspirations.

As the song ended, Rosie beamed.

She couldn't help but feel like she had finally solidified everything.

She was going to be a songwriter. Professionally. And there was nothing her brother or parents could do to make her feel inferior about it.

"Rosie!"

The Green girl looked up from packing away the last of the sound booth cords to see Kevin.

"Do you need some help?"

She read between the lines. Do you need me to stick around to see if Grundy will magically appear and attack you again?

She smiled. "I'm okay, thanks, Kev. I saw her leave a while ago." She walked over closer, lowering her voice. "I was pretty on edge the whole time, but after Mrs. Cooper and Mr. Andrews talked with me, I think she was a little afraid to come near me."

"Mrs. Cooper? Betty's mom?" he asked quickly, his eyes wide, voice low. "What did she say?"

Rosie rolled her eyes. "She was trying to intimidate me. She kept bringing up what happened at Cheryl's the night of the dance."

"Of course she was. Alice Cooper is nothing if not an overprotective parent," he exasperated.

"It seemed like she was fairly adamant in making sure that I stayed miles from Betty. But that's not happening, obviously. Betty is a spectacular friend. I'm not going to avoid her just because her mother is a freak," nodded Rosie.

"And she came up to you...alone?"

"No, she did this when Mr. Andrews was literally right there."

"Oh my god, no way! What did he say? What happened? I need the tea!"

"She went on about how there are already 'rumors' about me floating around this godforsaken tinker town and how even Archie didn't have a squeaky clean reputation. I don't think I believe her, though, unless my mother has said something nasty about me…or my brother's new ape minions have said something about me and their parents are gullible enough to fall for it."

Kevin suddenly gasped. "Wait, didn't Reggie think that you and Archie had slept together over the summer?"

Rosie groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead. "See, this is what I'm talking about! I bet you anything in hell Reggie asked my brother if it was true and he lied his ass off!"

"I highly doubt it was Reggie," Kevin relayed confidently. "Reggie Mantle is anything but a reputable source of gossip at Riverdale High."

"No, but my stupid little brother might be."

"Kevin."

Tom Keller appeared behind his son, sheriff's hat tucked under his elbow.

"We're going, son."

Kevin nodded. "Coming, Dad."

Suddenly, Tom came to a dead halt. He stared into the face of Rosie Green and froze.

Kevin and Rosie shared a puzzled look.

"Uh...Dad?" said Kevin.

Tom seemed to snap out of whatever trance he had just been caught in. He glanced between Kevin and Rosie.

"Why...uh…."

"Cat got your tongue, Dad?"

"Oh, n-no, I just…you look very familiar."

Rosie realized he was addressing her.

"My name is Rosie," she said politely. "My family just moved into town not too long ago. Maybe you've seen my father around? Kenneth Green? He goes by Kenny. He works for Mr. Andrews at the construction company. Then again, I don't look much like my dad, so you may not have…"

"She's the musician I was telling you about, Dad," Kevin commented, trying to be helpful.

Tom nodded slowly. "You're right, I've probably seen your dad around before. Welcome to town, Rosie."

"Thank you," she replied.

"You might have seen her at the pep rally not too long ago," suggested Kevin. "She was in the sound booth helping out Josie and the Pussycats."

A smile broke out onto the sheriff's face. "Oh, that's right! Well, it's good to finally meet you. Kevin and I have to get going, but I'll probably see you around."

"Yeah, good to meet you, too. See you around," she said. "Bye, Kev."

"See you at school!" said the Keller boy.

And with that, the father and son strode out of the community center.

While she watched them leave, Rosie couldn't help but think that Tom Keller's eyes were almost identical to hers. It creeped her out a little, but she didn't think much of it afterwards. There were people all around the world with similar eyes, so why should now be any different?

The autumn air was pleasantly crisp and breezy as Rosie made her way back to her house. It was a good night for a walk.

As she traipsed along the streets of Riverdale, the lamp posts glowed invitingly. It reminded her of the story of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. She suddenly wished she was at home, by the fire, smothered in a blanket, reading. And, for some reason, this desire also included Archie, sitting next to her under the blanket, reading over her shoulder. At this, her cheeks went scarlet and she quickly swept this from her mind.

Since when do I imagine Archie in situations like this? she thought, reprimanding herself. She shook her head. I need to stop. Nothing good comes from thinking like this. I've already let Archie in so close. I can't afford to ruin what we have. There's no use in wanting what I can't - and will never - have. He's unreachable. And I definitely don't deserve him.

RING RING RING!

She was torn out of her thoughts by her phone.

It was Veronica.

Rosie's heart leapt into her throat. The Lodge girl must have news of whatever plan she and Betty were carrying out that night.

"Rosie! You won't believe what we've done."

The brunette's brow narrowed. "What do you mean? Did you get Chuck to confess?"

"Oh, we got it."

"Your tone doesn't suggest you're particularly happy with the results."

"I'm overjoyed that we got him to admit he was an ass, but...it was the method in which he spilled his guts that I'm not particularly pleased with."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Betty."

"What do you mean?"

"She was otherworldly, Ro. I-I mean, she was like Dr. Jekyll, Mistress Hyde. She came out in a dark black bob wig and the most un-Betty-Cooper-like ensemble that even I most likely would not dare to don around those I wasn't comfortable with. And it seemed like she wanted to….torture information out of Chuck. True, our methods weren't exactly innocent from the beginning but when I said full dark, no stars, I didn't mean into the pitch black void of Marianas Trench!"

"Um, torture? Ronnie, you didn't stop her?"

"No, I did! But it wasn't easy."

"How so?"

"So we handcuffed Chuck to the hot tub -"

"Veronica!"

"I said earlier you shouldn't know the details. Anyways, Chuck's in the hot tub and Betty gradually increases the temperature. Chuck starts to talk, I get his confession, I think we're good to go. But no, Betty starts to demand that she get an apology for him ruining Polly."

Rosie couldn't help but gape. "Excuse me?"

"Girl, I'm not kidding. She started screaming at him, referring to him as Jason, and then to herself as Polly. And then she dumped practically an entire bottle of the Blossom's maple syrup on his head. At this point, Chuck is not having it. He's freaking out, calling her insane. I'm trying to get her attention, and she's not listening. I finally am able to get through to her and she seems like she doesn't know the extent of the damage she's done."

"Oh my gosh."

"I'm worried about her, Ro."

"Yeah, me too. I just...I can't believe that happened."

"Don't tell her I told you. I'm going to confront her about it tomorrow."

"I won't."

"How did the Taste of Riverdale go?"

"You know, it was certainly exciting. There was so much that happened."

"Too much to tell me over the phone?"

"Yeah. And Betty is definitely going to want to hear this, too."

"Okay, we can wait until tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning. Sweet dreams, Rosemary."

"Sounds good, Ronnie. You, too."

Yet another fall walk was in Rosie's future.

She awoke before her alarm the next morning from a message from her favorite resident ginger.

Walk 2 school w/me? :)

She grinned and texted him back.

Yep. Be there in 45! :)

She sprung into the shower, tossed on whatever clothes she had laid out the night before, and quickly scarfed down some toast for breakfast.

Her burnt orange, striped turtleneck and black, skinny jean overalls kept her fairly cozy on her journey to the Andrews'. She figured it actually might be the burgundy beanie she had on, as well as her favorite white Doc Martens.

Her stomach churned somewhat anxiously as she approached their front door. She had yet to tell Archie about her encounter with Grundy the night before.

The whole scene flashed through her mind again as she slowly pressed the doorbell with her thumb. She inhaled sharply when she heard thundering footsteps racing down the stairs.

Archie threw open the door, a huge smile gracing his handsome features.

His expression immediately put Rosie at ease (as it often did).

"Hey," he said warmly.

"Hey," she said back, shifting her messenger bag on her shoulder.

There was a pause.

Rhythmic pounding sounded from Archie's backyard.

The two teens shot each other curious looks, and Rosie stepped inside.

Archie closed the door behind her and led the way through his home.

"Does your dad have any plans for a new construction project?" Rosie wondered.

"Not that I know of," shrugged Archie.

They burst through the back door, quickly made their way through the yard, and out the back gate to the garage.

The sight before them was one of complete astonishment.

There, standing in the garage, surrounded by carefully moved recording equipment, hammer in hand, tools scattered on the floor, was Fred Andrews. He was nailing what looked like soundproof panels to the barren walls.

Archie and Rosie were both happily astounded.

"Dad, what's going on?" inquired the redhead.

"Well, I am soundproofing the garage. I figure, you know, while you're grounded, you should at least be productive. Practicing your music with Rosie," Fred explained casually.

"You're not mad at me for putting all this junk in your garage without us asking first?" Rosie asked hesitantly.

"Not one bit," he replied quickly. "Maybe at first I was a little...disappointed that the two of you thought to take it upon yourself to build your own music studio in my work space without my permission, but now...I support it."

Rosie grinned widely.

"Dad, this is awesome. Thank you," beamed Archie.

Fred glanced down at his construction tools, then back at the two teens. He seemed almost in disbelief of himself and his own actions.

"I met your music teacher last night. Yeah, Ms. Grundy?"

Archie and Rosie each fiddled awkwardly. Rosie played with the end of her braid while Archie just stared forward, not making eye contact with the girl next to him. They knew it was best not to give anything they knew away - especially with everything that Rosie knew.

However, Fred seemed not to notice their sudden change in demeanor.

"Whoa," he continued, "they did not look like that in my day, kids."

Rosie's eyebrows shot up.

"Ah, what were you guys talking about?"

It was obvious to the Green girl that Archie was doing his best to sound nonchalant, but the question sounded more strained than usual.

"You," said his dad, "the two of you, actually."

"Us?" blurted Rosie.

"Yes, both of you," chuckled Fred. "She believes in you guys. And so do I. I should have before, son. I should have believed in you from the start. But I didn't, and I'm sorry."

Archie choked a little. "It's okay, Dad."

"It's not, but I'm getting better. I believe in your music," he told his son firmly. "And I believe in you, Rosie."

The girl exhaled deeply. She had never heard those words before from an adult. Never in her entire life had an adult looked her in the eye and told her they believed in her. It made her feel like she was on the moon.

Archie noticed the tears forming in Rosie's eyes.

He smiled softly, remembering the night that she had broken in his arms. All he had wanted to do in that moment was encourage her. His dad had seen what Rosie needed, and he knew she deserved more.

Archie put an arm around Rosie's shoulders and thanked his father for the both of them.

He steered her away from his father and down the street, towards her favorite coffee shop near their school.

A few tears slipped down Rosie's cheek, but this time, she didn't have to deal with it alone. Archie was there. She didn't need him there, but she wanted him there. And they were both glad to have shared such a special moment together.

But when they got to school, coffee in hand, their world continued to grow darker and darker.

Little did they know, very soon, their world would become full dark, no stars.

Wow, it has been SO long since I've updated and I'm SO SO SORRY! I've been SO busy with graduating from university, working full time over the summer, and looking for work in the fall! I also lost the first part of this chapter for a good three months! I couldn't find this file anywhere and I got so annoyed!

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of The Ends of the Earth! I don't think this is necessarily my best work, and it certainly isn't the most exciting, but I hope you liked it nonetheless. I'm going to do my best to try to update again within the next month. It takes me a while to write these chapters and this one is just a little longer than the one before! (You guys deserved a longer chapters since I left you hanging for so long!)

Also I am SHOOK by the amount of love this fic is getting through all the follows, faves, and reviews! You guys, I am SO grateful for every single one of you. I seriously cannot express how much your kind words, predictions, and the general following you've given me on this story. 3 :)

Here are my review responses:

Djone246: LOL I honestly died reading your review. It's just the kind of response I wanted! Thanks for shipping Rosie and Archie - I ship them too. :)

karlaTeran: Thank you! I promise, Bughead will be in soon! I'm following the show's arc with their romance, so it will happen soon. :)

BarbyChan4ever: First of all, WOW, thank you so much for your reviews on each of the chapters! Don't apologize for reading this fic in parts - I totally understand! I honestly just so appreciate you leaving a review on each chapter. I love reading your responses on what has happened in the chapter, as well as your thoughts on the characters and how they've been portrayed. I am blown away by how you've analyzed everything so well! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)

Guest: Here is more!

aarime: I've actually heard that from people in real life, lol. Yeah, Archie in the show honestly makes me a little crazy. Like, I understand his intentions, but he can be so stupid with the way he acts. I wanted to give him a little more grounding, and I think Rosie balances that out in him well. Thanks so much! :)

I'll talk to you all next time! :)