Chapter 12: The Grundy Chronicles, Part 1

We're all animals out in the dark

Got a feeling that we're all believing in

Not waiting for daylight to start

We're over the moon, over the midnight moon

Midnight Moon by Oh Wonder

Justice.

An overwhelming sense of it consumed the atmosphere in the hallway that autumn morning.

Rosie watched as the disgraced high school football star and captain, Chuck Clayton, was paraded past hordes of thankful students; newly relieved of his uniform. Several of his playbook goons slumped behind him, heads down in embarrassment. But the only embarrassment they felt was from getting caught.

Next to the brunette was Betty, Veronica, Cheryl, and Ethel. They all smirked as the ex-sports star traipsed by. He averted his eyes to the ground as camera flashes sparked around him. Girls clapped and cheered. They weren't afraid of being harassed any longer. It was an incredible moment.

"Thanks, Betty," grinned Ethel graciously, "thanks, Veronica."

"Thank you, Ethel, for going on the record. It made all of the difference with Weatherbee," Betty replied.

Veronica smiled. "You're the bravest of them all, Ethel Muggs."

"Without you volunteering, who knows how many girls would have actually testified. You were the driving force behind this," Rosie agreed. "You were the revolutionary."

"Hashtag JusticeforEthel," Cheryl piped up.

Even after the triumphant dismissal of Chuck and his squad of sexist jerks, there was still more darkness surrounding the friend group.

Rosie felt anxious. She knew she needed to tell Archie about what happened with Grundy, but she was almost afraid to. Then again, she didn't exactly feel safe around Grundy any more. The fact that a teacher had threatened her made her more terrified than anything else. She usually felt safe at the schools she attended because she was away from her parents and, most of the time, from Will.

Archie knew more than anyone else how her family treated her behind closed doors. He was the one out of everyone else in the world who would understand her newfound hesitation about Grundy. So why was she so afraid to tell him?

The school was dark.

It was after hours and Geraldine Grundy was busily arranging an orchestral piece for the Christmas concert she was planning in December.

School that day had been awkward for her. Her ex-boyfriend was a student. His new interest-slash-new-best-friend was in her choir class – and so was he. She had decided to not make eye contact with either of them that day.

A tall figure appeared in the classroom doorway.

She gasped. "Archie?"

The redhead stepped forward, hands in his pockets and a serious expression gracing his features.

"I need to talk to you, Ms. Grundy."

"What about?" said the teacher bashfully.

Archie's face softened slightly. "I wanted to thank you for talking to my dad."

"I mean what I told him. I think it could really happen for you. And for Rosie."

The boy's face hardened again, and he cleared his throat.

"That's the other thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Grundy's heard began to race.

"I heard about what you said to Rosie last night. She told me everything."

The woman shrugged, pushing her glasses up her nose. "And what did I say?"

The Andrews boy shook his head in disbelief. "Don't do this, Geraldine. Don't pretend like you don't know. Rosie said you threatened her."

"I did not threaten her," scoffed Ms. Grundy. "I wouldn't threaten a student."

Somehow, Archie stayed calm. "Then what did you say?"

"I told her the truth."

"And what's the truth?"

"That you and I are meant to be, Archie. That she has no business sticking her nose into a situation that doesn't involve her."

"You called her a bitch, Geraldine."

"No, I didn't."

"Don't lie to me." Archie's volume increased. "Just don't. You've lied to me enough. You called her a bitch and told her you'd make her life a living hell. Who does that to a student?"

"Archie, we're in love!"

"No, we're not!"

Grundy slapped a hand to her heart. She was taken aback by Archie's intense anger. Was he really not in love with her anymore?

The redhead sighed, sitting at the piano bench. He put his head in his hands. He looked up at her in frustration.

"Geraldine," he said, exasperated, "our age difference and the fact that you're my teacher is what ended our relationship. I didn't realize how irresponsible it was for me to get involved with you. Rosie didn't make the decision to end things. I did. I decided to break us up because it wasn't healthy…or legal. Rosie pointed out how badly things could end of anyone besides her found out. She didn't tell Weatherbee and she didn't tell anyone else that could use it against us. She chose to talk to me about it. But it was me that chose to take her advice. Don't take it out on her. Don't take anything out on her. You're not in control of my life and you're not in control of hers. You have to let me go. You have to let her go."

Grundy was shocked. So many emotions swirled around inside her. But instead of getting angry or yelling or even defending herself, all she responded with was, "Okay, Archie."

The boy stood. "I sincerely appreciate you talking with my dad. I really do. I hope that we can still be respectful towards each other."

The teacher nodded, unable to watch as the boy walked out of the music room.

She was going to win him back…somehow.

Meanwhile, Rosie was in a meeting with Jughead, Betty, and scoutmaster Dilton Doiley.

"If you publish a story saying I fired that gun, my life will be ruined," the boy in question said incessantly. "I'll be banished from the Adventure Scouts and charged with a misdemeanor."

"Telling the truth has consequences," Rosie countered, raising one eyebrow, "but so does covering it up."

"Then how about this – what if I have a better story?"

Jughead glanced at the two girls, puzzled, silently asking if they thought it was a good idea.

"If I tell you what I know, promise me the gunshot stays between us," pleaded Dilton.

Rosie and Jug shared a skeptical glance. Betty rounded the desk, sitting in between them.

"You have our word," she assured him. "As journalists."

Dilton sighed, most likely from relief, then leaned forward. "I saw something at Sweetwater River. Something nobody else saw. Ms. Grundy's car. By the river's edge. She was there."

With every word, Rosie's heart pounded louder and louder against her rib cage. She dared not make eye contact with Jughead. They knew. They both knew that at that very moment, Archie was officially telling Grundy to back off.

But Dilton had done it. He had revealed what Rosie had hoped would never be revealed. Jughead later would describe it as opening Pandora's box; a simile that Rosie would, begrudgingly, agree with.

Betty's face slowly lit up with realization.

Dilton was quickly dismissed by Betty, and, as soon as he was gone, she was theorizing about Grundy's presence at the river.

"What could she have been doing there?"

"I don't know, Betty," Jughead shrugged.

Rosie kept her mouth shut. She was awful at lying, but also didn't want to mess with an actual journalism investigation.

Thankfully, her phone buzzed.

It was Archie.

"Hey, guys, I've got to go. Archie texted me. We're writing more music today."

"Thanks for being here, Rosie," Betty smiled lightly. "See you tomorrow?"

Rosie remembered the plans for meeting her, Jug, Kev, and Veronica at Pop's for dinner the next day. "Yep, it'll be spectacular! See you both tomorrow."

"Bye, Rosie."

"Bye!"

Rosie hurried away from the Blue & Gold headquarters, happy to be leaving the school.

She met up with Archie in the parking lot and they walked to the Andrews' truck together.

"So…how did it go?" asked Rosie hesitantly.

"I wanted to hear what she had to say about it. I was curious as to what she was thinking when she threatened you."

"And what did she say?"

"She tried denying it at first, but I called her out. I told her you weren't the reason I ended things with her."

"Was she angry?"

"I'm not sure. I think she was…shocked. Shocked that I wouldn't take her side. Shocked when I told her we weren't in love."

Rosie sighed. "Do you think she really loved you?"

Archie was quiet. "I don't know. I just know that what we had was wrong. And you were right. It could have ended really badly – worse than how it did."

Rosie smiled slightly. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, smiling back. "I am. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, you know? It's good to know that I'm not involved in an illegal affair with my teacher anymore."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't know what that feels like, unfortunately, but I can imagine."

"Are you sure you don't want to know?" joked Archie as they climbed into the pickup. "I think Mr. Weatherbee just got divorced and is single…"

"Oh my gosh, Archie, that's sick!" she laughed.

"I can always put in a good word with Grundy!"

"Oh my gosh, Archie, stop! No more!"

The two laughed harder as he started the truck and they drove away from the school.

"So what did Dilton say?" he wondered, a more serious tone lacing his words.

Anxiety rushed back through Rosie. "He knows Grundy was there, Arch."

His eyes grew wide. "What?"

"Now, don't panic," she told him calmly. "He only saw her car. He didn't see her at all, not even a glimpse. There's no way he could connect the two of you being there together."

"What did Jug say?"

"We just looked at each other and knew. We knew the truth."

"And Betty?"

"I'm not sure about her. I mean, she doesn't know you guys were there together. She only knows you were there and so was Grundy."

"But she's really good with clues, Ro. She could easily stick two and two together."

"Yeah, you're right. She's intuitive for sure. So what happens if she confronts you about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, what's your plan if she asks you straight up if you were there with her?"

"I…I don't know. What do you think?"

"You want my honest opinion?"

"Well, duh. When do I not get your honest opinion?"

"Touché. But I think you need to just tell her the truth."

"She's going to be so mad I didn't tell her before."

"She's going to have to get over it. You ended things with Grundy. She'd probably be angrier if you were still with her and hadn't said anything to her at all yet."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. As usual."

"Oh, come on, I'm not always right."

"Uh, yes you are. Name one time you haven't been right."

"Uh…um…"

"Exactly."

"Whatever."

Rosie laughed it off and stared out the window, her mind drifting to the previous night's events. Something about the way Sheriff Keller had looked at her confused her. It wasn't creepy or pervy or anything like that. It was almost…like a sadness behind his eyes.

"What are you thinking about?" Archie wondered softly, his eyes drifting back and forth from her to the road.

Rosie took off her glasses, breathing on the lenses and wiping the smudges on the end of her shirt. She shook her head.

"Just something that happened yesterday night."

"You mean besides Grundy and Mrs. Cooper attacking you?"

"Yes, besides that. I officially met Sheriff Keller last night."

"Oh, he's a great cop. The best sheriff this town has ever had in my opinion."

"That I can believe. It's just the way he looked at me."

"How did he look at you?"

"Almost like he knew me. He froze when he saw me. I don't know if I reminded him of someone or what."

Archie shrugged. "You and Kevin do look like you could be related."

"Do you think that's why he stopped and stared?"

"Maybe. I mean, it might have brought up some bad memories or something. Kevin was born a twin."

Rosie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Wait, really?"

The redhead nodded as he pulled into the Andrews' driveway in the back of the house and turned the ignition off.

"What happened?" asked Rosie. "Or am I not allowed to know?"

"No, most of the town knows what happened," Archie replied quietly. "Kevin had a twin sister. When he was born, he came out first. He was fine; you know, healthy and normal. But then when his sister came out just a few minutes later, the doctor said there was something wrong with her, like she wasn't breathing or something. The doctors and nurses tried to save her, but she died before Mrs. Keller could even hold her."

"Wow, I had no idea," sighed Rosie. "That's so sad. Do you know what they named her?"

"Katherine," he said. "They named her Katherine. She's buried in the local cemetery near Kevin's grandparents."

"I wonder if I just reminded Sheriff Keller of what could have been."

"Probably. I mean, it's pretty serious to lose a baby like that – especially a kid that's a twin. I've seen him look kind of sad like that when Betty and Kevin are together, too."

"That poor man. That can't be easy. I mean, to have your wife being in the military and deployed and in danger with the possibility of being killed at every moment when you've already lost a child? I can't imagine. I'm surprised he's not as protective as Betty's parents at this point."

This time, it was Archie's eyebrows that shot up. "Yeah, well, Betty's parents haven't always been this protective. I'm not sure exactly what changed for them."

"Well, I'm glad your dad isn't that unreasonable."

"Me too."

Suddenly, Rosie's phone began to vibrate.

"It's Jughead," she announced, puzzled. "Hey, Jug."

"Hey," he greeted. "Are you with Archie?"

"Yeah, he's here next to me."

Archie's brow scrunched as Rosie glanced over at him.

"Put me on speaker."

Rosie did.

"Hey, Jug," said Archie, his tone confused.

"Hey. So I just got done talking with Betty about Dilton Doiley's confession. She's pretty suspicious of you, Arch."

The Andrews boy sighed, putting a hand to his forehead. "What do we do?"

"Keep your interactions with Grundy minimal. Betty won't have a lot to go on as long as you stay away," Jug suggested.

"Well, that shouldn't be too much of an issue now," Rosie chimed in. "Archie just finished telling Grundy to let him go."

"Good," Jug replied, sounding reassured. "Betty is going to hardcore obsess over this until she figures it out, so I'm trying to steer her clear of connecting you and Grundy. I think I did a pretty good job talking her out of confronting you, Arch."

Rosie noticed Archie checking his text messages while Jughead was talking. He became visibly distressed, making Rosie worry.

"One – one second, Jug," she told him. "Are you okay, Arch? Is it Grundy?"

He shook his head. "No, it's my dad."

"Is your dad okay?" Jug asked.

Archie groaned. "Grundy invited me and my dad to see her perform with her quintet tomorrow afternoon in the park and my dad said we'd go."

Rosie's jaw dropped. "Did this just happen?"

"Yeah," Archie nodded feebly. "She just texted my dad."

"We need to fix this," Jughead said firmly.

"She's trying to get you to reconsider your decision," Rosie exhaled. "This is because of me."

He shook his head. "This is not your fault at all, Ro."

"I'm with Archie on this one," Jug agreed. "This is nothing you've done, Rosie. You're not responsible for this. This is a grown woman who can't deal with the fact that a teenager dumped her over an illegal affair."

"Which is totally ridiculous," added Archie. "She should be more mature than this."

Rosie sighed. "You're both right."

"Keep me updated, okay?" said Jug. "I've got to go. It's a full night at the Drive-In and the popcorn line is insane."

"See you tomorrow," Rosie replied.

"Bye, Jug."

"See ya later, kids."

As Rosie hung up, Archie got out of the car and marched over to the garage, flinging the door open. She could tell he was upset with Grundy, and most likely his father for agreeing to see the concert.

The brunette sighed, pulled her maroon beanie down over the tops of her ears, and marched out of the truck and into the garage.

Archie was seated on a stool in front of the computer. He was already signed on and scrolling through the songs they had recorded together.

Concern for her friend washed over Rosie like an ocean wave.

She took a shaky breath and sat down on the chair next to him. Their legs touched, sending electric shocks through her system. She tried to ignore it, but she couldn't help but stare at him as his eyes scanned the song titles on the screen.

Archie felt eyes on him. He turned his head to see Rosie looking at him, sending a warm blush to his cheeks.

"What?" he chuckled.

Rosie averted her gaze to the top of the desk. She shook her head. "I'm just worried."

"About Grundy?"

She nodded shakily. "Someone who threatens a kid like that…they're dangerous, Archie."

"Are you really that scared of her?"

"I'm scared of what she's capable of."

"What do you think she's capable of?"

Rosie's jaw clenched, her fingers twiddling impatiently. Her mind raced with more flashbacks – flashbacks of previous situations in which her own parents had threatened her and followed through.

She hadn't noticed her labored breathing until Archie's arm was woven around her waist. Somehow, his closeness calmed her, and she leaned into his shoulder, putting her own hand over the one he had near her stomach.

Rosie wasn't someone who was generally comfortable with physical contact. Most of the time, she shied away from it. It made her tense and on edge. But there was something about Archie being near her that made her relax. It was relieving. It made her feel like she was wanted. With everything that had happened to her as a child, she never usually felt wanted. But Archie made her feel wanted – especially because he had chosen to be her friend over Will's.

"Did your parents threaten you when you were a kid?" he inquired gently.

She inhaled sharply. "Yeah. Many times. And they followed through."

"Do you think Grundy will?"

"I do."

Archie took a deep breath. "I'm not going to let her get to you, Rosie."

She smiled, leaning into his shoulder more.

"I-I mean, you're so strong and independent and powerful, but I just…"

His voice gave out.

Rosie sat up, looking him in the eye. "Listen…"

He unwrapped his arm from around her waist as she took one of his hands in both of her own.

"I love having you as a friend," she went on, "and you're right. I can be pretty independent. But I can't do everything on my own. I can't go through life all on my own."

"You've done that enough," he chimed in.

She nodded. "I have. I've done it for too long. It's so nice to have someone stand up for me when I can't stand up for myself. You know that I'm not a damsel in distress. I know it, too. Everyone needs someone to have their backs. Thank you. Thank you for having mine."

Archie grinned bashfully, turning away for a moment.

It was in this moment he wanted to kiss her so badly.

And Rosie wanted to kiss him, too.

But in their own minds, they both reasoned themselves out of it.

She's too good for me, he thought.

He's too good for me, she thought.

So the rest of that Friday night, they played around with songs they both knew; ones they had written and ones that they both loved. They even filmed a cover video for Rosie's YouTube channel.

Little did they know how much more complicated everything would become that very next day.

"The Drive-In closing is just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale."

Rosie sat in between Kevin and Veronica across from Betty and Jughead in Pop's that next night. She nursed a decaf coffee as Jughead seethed about the disastrous news of the local Drive-In movie theater where he worked.

She raised her eyebrows at his poetic phrasing, agreeing with his reasoning, although amused with his rage.

"No, forget Riverdale," he ranted, "in the coffin of the American dream. As – as the godfather of – of Indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino, likes to say…"

"Please, god, no more Quentin Tarantino references," exasperated Kevin.

Rosie chuckled as she took a sip of her coffee.

"What?" Jug fumed. "I'm pissed. And not just about losing my job. The Twilight Drive-In should mean something to us. People should be trying to save it."

The brunette nodded. "You know, I agree. Drive-ins are a spectacular way to appreciate the original cultural practices around old-time cinema."

"Thank you!" huffed Jughead. "At least someone here has good taste."

Veronica leaned forward. "In this age of Netflix and VOD, do people really want to watch a movie in a car? I mean, who even goes there?"

"People who want to buy crack," Kevin reiterated.

Rosie laughed. "Oh, please. Only people who want to buy crack?"

"And cinephiles," added Jughead. "And car enthusiasts. Right, Bets?"

The ponytailed blonde was in a daze. She glanced up, not sure exactly what was happening.

"Totally," she said.

The beanie-wearing boy didn't seem to notice her lack of attention to the conversation topic and went on with his tirade.

Rosie hadn't noticed Betty's lack of opinion on the subject until that moment. The Cooper girl was usually highly involved in conversation and fairly attentive. It wasn't like her to stare off into space – especially when the topic involved something controversial in the Riverdale community.

Rosie was worried that Betty was focusing on trying to connect Archie and Grundy.

"Anyway, it's closing because the town owns it, but didn't invest in it. So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy an offer she couldn't refuse –,"

"Anonymous buyer?" scoffed Veronica. "What do they have to hide? No one cares."

"I do!" exclaimed Jughead. "Also, you guys should all come to closing night. I'm thinking American Graffiti…or is that too obvious?"

"I vote for anything starring Audrey Hepburn. Or Cate Blanchett," suggested Veronica.

"I like James Dean. East of Eden is always spectacular," Rosie added cheerfully. "It's one of the only sad movies I actually love."

"Or The Talented Mr. Ripley," chimed in Kevin excitedly. "Betty, your choices?"

And, just as before, Betty was spaced out.

Rosie and Kevin shared a troubled look.

"Everything okay, B?"

Betty nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah, yeah, I'm just thinking. Um…maybe Rebel Without a Cause?"

She and Jughead shared a knowing look and a snicker.

Rosie noticed a new spark in their eyes as they glanced at each other. Jughead was always joking about her and Archie, but what about…Betty and Jughead?

"Here you go, kids," interrupted Hermione Lodge, setting down the ordered food at the table.

Rosie smiled in thanks as the onion rings she and Veronica had ordered to share appeared.

"Thanks, Mom," beamed Veronica.

"How's everyone doing?" asked Hermione politely.

"We're great, Mrs. Lodge," answered Kevin.

"I hope all the customers have been treating you well," said Betty.

Hermione couldn't help but sigh, which Rosie empathized with.

"Most of them are wonderful," Hermione said truthfully, "but some are prejudiced. They only believe the tabloids. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it's not fair to judge my character based off the views of a reporter that's never met me."

"That's got to be hard," Jughead nodded.

"It is at times," agreed Mrs. Lodge, "but I'm just thankful I've got Veronica with me. She makes everything I do worth it. I'll let you kids enjoy your food."

"Thanks, Mrs. Lodge," smiled Rosie. "We really appreciate you."

"Of course. See you at home, mija," Hermione said, grinning, as she addressed Veronica.

Rosie immediately dug into the onion rings, while Jughead eagerly began popping French fries into his mouth.

Betty and Kevin laughed at them.

"What?" Rosie wondered through a mouthful of onion ring.

"You guys are like two peas in a pod," Betty giggled.

"Because I'm hungry?" chuckled Rosie.

"Because you eat like two starved lions after a day of unsuccessful hunting on the savanna," Kevin pointed out.

"I do not," denied Rosie.

"Uh, yes you do," Kevin countered, amused. "I don't know how Archie stands to see you eat all the time."

Rosie rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly as Veronica suddenly stood from the booth and rushed over to a table where Cheryl sat staring up at Hermione, her hand covering cash laid out on the table. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she assumed it was Cheryl being nasty about the Lodge family.

"What just happened?" Kevin asked eagerly as Veronica sat back down next to him and Rosie.

"Just my mom being a badass," grinned Veronica.

A soft chiming echoed from the door to the booth.

"Now that's an odd combo of people," Kevin commented, eyebrows raised.

Rosie followed his gaze to the front door of Pop's where Archie had just entered with his dad and Ms. Grundy.

Archie glanced over at Rosie, sending her a small smile and a wave.

As Rosie waved back, Betty's head whipped around, her ponytail swinging back and hitting her own cheek.

The Green girl immediately tensed. She had a feeling that Betty wasn't going to let anything involving Grundy and Archie go. Something was about to go down.

"I'll be right back," she told them hurriedly.

"No, Betty. No, don't…" Jughead tried to convince her to stay, but she was up and striding towards the other booth as fast as her legs would carry her.

"Wait, what's happening?" Kevin questioned, eyes wide.

Jughead stared right at Rosie, pleading for her not to answer any questions. He knew how horrible of a liar she was.

"Rosie, do you know what's going on?" Veronica asked, curious.

The brunette knew that any sentence she uttered would make it so cringingly obvious that something was in fact going on, so she simply shook her head and kept her eyes on the onion rings in front of her.

"Very convincing," commented Kevin sarcastically.

But he and Veronica were so inquisitive, they turned back to watching Betty converse with Archie at the booth.

Relieved they hadn't probed into the matter anymore, Rosie looked up to see Archie striding out of Pop's with Betty leading the way. He sent her a pleading expression.

This is going to get messy, she thought.

Without saying a word, she climbed up over the back of the booth, hopped down onto the tiled diner floor, and rushed out the door.

She approached the blonde and redhead quickly.

"Were you with her?" Betty was asking.

Archie's shoulders relaxed slightly as Rosie appeared beside him.

"What's going on?" queried the Green girl as casually as possible.

"Archie was at Sweetwater River on July 4th. Ms. Grundy was also at Sweetwater River on July 4th. I want to know if they were there…together," Betty clarified, crossing her arms.

Rosie grit her teeth and winced.

Archie sighed. "Did Jughead tell you?"

"You're just giving in?" she blurted out.

"Wait, you and Jughead knew?" cried Betty. "And you didn't tell me?"

"They found out by accident," Archie defended.

"And how long ago was this?" the blonde interrogated.

"A few weeks ago," the redhead admitted. "But honestly, it's not what you're thinking."

"So it's platonic?" she deadpanned.

"It is now."

"Archie!"

"Okay, so it wasn't before, but that doesn't mean…"

"It's over between them, Betty. It has been for a while," Rosie cut in.

"But you and Grundy were together, like, romantically?" Betty said, shocked.

"Oh my god," said a voice from behind them. It was Veronica. "You and your music teacher are having an affair?"

"Okay, we were having an affair, but like Rosie said, it's over now," corrected Archie.

"How do we know that? How do we know you're not lying to us?" Betty pressed.

"Because Ms. Grundy threatened me at the Taste of Riverdale," Rosie confessed.

Both Betty and Veronica shared equally stunned expressions.

"What do you mean threatened?" said Veronica.

"Threatened as in she said, and I quote, "I can make your life a living hell," because of what I advised Archie to do," Rosie told them firmly.

"I talked to her about it yesterday after school. I told her that she couldn't blame Rosie for a decision that I made," added Archie. "It's completely over between us, but I don't think she's necessarily convinced."

"It certainly doesn't look like it's over, Archie," Betty countered. "I mean, you and your dad having dinner with her at Pop's?"

"She invited my dad and I to go to her concert last night over text. He said we'd go without talking to me first," Archie explained. "I tried to convince him to change our plans, but he insisted, and he insisted on taking her out to dinner afterwards."

"To me, it sounds like she's attempting to convince you to get back together," Rosie told him.

"But you were together?" Veronica elucidated. "Like…together together?"

Archie groaned. "Yes…we were together for a couple months."

"That sounds like jail time to me. Illegal!" exclaimed Betty. "You said you were at the river alone. You lied to Sheriff Keller and you lied to all of us. Why? To protect her?"

"She believed in me when no one else did," Archie relayed, frustrated. "But things change. I changed. Rosie helped me see what she was doing to my mind. I have more people in my life that believe in me and I know that."

"Grundy preyed on the fact that he is young, talented, and felt alone," Rosie explained calmly. "She was emotionally and psychologically manipulative. I wasn't going to sit there and let Archie go on in a toxic relationship – especially an illegal toxic relationship."

"I just can't believe you even let it get to that point," Betty shook her head.

"You don't know when you're being psychologically and emotionally manipulated!" Rosie retaliated. "You can't blame Archie for feeling like she was the only one supporting his music!"

"It wasn't smart of me," Archie joined in. "I know that now."

Veronica seemed dazed, while Betty could only shake her head in amazement.

Before anyone could say anything else on the subject, a car pulled up honking. Sitting at the wheel was a head full of perfectly coiled blonde curls. Alice Cooper.

"Get in the car, Betty. Now."

Her tone was sharp and icy.

"Speaking of emotionally manipulative…" muttered Rosie.

Thankfully Betty hadn't heard her, but Archie did. He nudged her ribs, eyes widening for a moment.

The blonde looked at Rosie and Archie in disbelief, shrugged, and did as her mom said.

"What have I told you about those three?" her mother lectured.

"Can we just go?" insisted Betty.

After one last fleeting glare sent their way, the Coopers were gone in a flash of a headlight.

"Rosie, did Ms. Grundy actually threaten you?" wondered Veronica quietly.

"Yes," Rosie nodded insistently.

Veronica sighed, her gaze flickering between the Green girl and the redhead. "Listen, I'll dig up some dirt on our resident pedophiliac music teacher and…"

"No," Archie denied.

"No?" asked Veronica, surprised. "Why not?"

"Let's just leave the past in the past. We can handle Grundy. We appreciate you wanting to help, Ronnie, but the less people that get involved, the better," Rosie said, agreeing with Archie.

Veronica seemed unconvinced, but, nonetheless, she nodded. "Alright."

And with that, she walked back up the steps and into the diner once again.

"I don't want to go back in there," Archie admitted.

"I don't either," grumbled Rosie.

There was a pause.

"Meet me at my house after?" he said.

Rosie sighed. "I can't. I have to be home."

"Okay. Then let's hang at yours."

Rosie laughed. But Archie's face didn't change.

"Wait, are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"Archie, you don't want to be around my family."

"But you're my friend. I'll be around you, not them."

"You really don't want to be at my house."

"If you're there I do."

"Fine. But I'm warning you now. My brother's going to be an asshole."

"As if that's something new. I've hung out at your house before."

"Okay, meet me at my house at eight."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We just can't exactly write music."

"So? We can just hang out."

Rosie grinned. "Okay, sounds like a plan."

Meanwhile, at the Green house across town, two families met in secret.

Carol and Kenny Green sat on a sofa across from Clifford Blossom. The atmosphere was tense. Clifford clung to a crystal-clear whisky glass, the last dredges of alcohol clinging to the bottom. He swirled the drink, then flung back his head and drained the glass of its contents.

Kenny sat with his shoulders squared and his jaw clenched tightly.

Carol's arm was attached fervently to his own, her fingers digging into his bicep. Her teeth rattled, as if it was freezing inside the room.

"You said it would be undiscoverable, Kenneth. You lied to me."

"Look, it's not my fault he chose to do it that way."

"But he did."

"That's not my problem, Clifford."

"You're right, Kenny, now it's everyone's problem."

"Look, you've already transferred the money. I'm not giving it back. We already spent it on our son's basketball equipment."

"I need that money. Because of you, this whole town is turning on one another. I'm not going to sit there and let my assets be wasted on petty sports crap! Get me that money, or you'll be next."

"How dare you threaten this family!"

"Get me my money and you won't be threatened any longer. You have six months."

"I can't make half of that in six months!"

"Figure it out!"

Then, the Blossom man was gone.

Kenny had really dug himself into a hole now.

Hello, everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's getting more intense now! Yay! I can't wait to show you all what I have planned for the rest of this episode, as well as the first season in general.

Okay, I'm not going to lie, I'm really struggling to enjoy Riverdale now. I feel like the third and fourth season so far has been so cheesy and cringy. I'm going to do my best to make it through because I want Rosie to be involved in things. I have a feeling a lot is going to change with even just the second season because Rosie is involved.

Anyways, thank you all SO MUCH for reviewing, following, and favoriting. I can't even explain how shocked I am that this story continually gains attention and readers. Thank you SO much! I really feel the love from you guys every time I update and I so appreciate each and every one of you!

Here are my review responses:

10868letsgo: Rosie's family is actually the worst. Maybe they will get what's coming to them…😊

silentmayhem: Ooh, very interesting theory! I love seeing your predictions. They're always so cool! Yeah, Kevin these past few seasons has really gone off the deep end with all the cult stuff from the Farm. I'm glad they're pulling him away from that this season, actually. I really love Kevin and I was sad to see that he had gotten caught up with Edgar and all of those guys. Thanks for your reviews! 😊

grapejuice101: Here's your update! Hope you enjoy! 😊

Djone246: Oh my gosh, you are the best person ever! Your response is what EVERYONE should feel towards any kind of abuse – especially any kind of abuse involving kids. Your passionate response is incredible, and I love how invested you are in Rosie's story in Riverdale! And DUDE I love that suggestion! Thank you so much for your two reviews and I hope you liked this chapter! Expect more awfulness from the Green parents and Will next chapter…

BarbyChan4ever: Aw, you are literally the sweetest. 😊 I'm so glad you're interested in the Kevin/Rosie relation theory! I love hearing your views on this (and everything else because you have great insight into these characters). I agree that the way the Greens treat Rosie is absolutely awful and there is no excuse on planet earth that can save them at this point. This is something that's going to be a real issue with Rosie because she really can't come to grips with the fact that what she's suffering is abuse. She's under the impression that this is normal, which is common in children that experience abuse young. She also suffers from PTSD when it comes to abuse, so that will really come into play later. And yes, I love Fred so much! Him supporting Archie always makes me SO happy. 😊 Hope you enjoyed this chapter, too!

Elle.L: Thank you! You should watch the first season for sure – it's so good! The second season wasn't bad either, so def watch that too. Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for your review. 😊

I'm hoping to update again soon! Keep your eyes peeled and check your inbox a lot if you've followed this story. I really want to get a few more chapters up soon.

What are your predictions for this story? What did you think of the ending scene? Let me know in the reviews! I absolutely LOVE hearing your theories. :)