Chapter Seventeen: The Grass Is Dead On The Other Side.
While the past few weeks had brought her friend's secret rendezvous and the chance to finally be with the ones they love openly, they had only brought Eleanor hell.
She had been trying to dodge Penny as much as possible. She was tortured by her withdrawal symptoms. Toni still didn't know about the baby and was still lying to the cops to cover for Ellie, which had put a strain on their relationship. Ellie had asked Amanda to keep her meeting with Alice Cooper a secret but still wouldn't tell Amanda what was said that day in the parking lot. However the worst of all was that she was now a month into her pregnancy, so she was starting to show.
The one thing that brought Ellie joy in these weeks was training Junkyard with Toni. The smile on Toni's face every time Junkyard followed orders or when she finally got the hang of a new training technique Ellie had taught her, were all that keep Ellie going. But she knew that would soon end.
She knew that once Toni found out about Sharkbait, about the baby, she'd leave her. She'd stop lying to the cops too, meaning Ellie would have to explain the backpacks of Jingle Jangle. She'd have to explain it alone.
Today, it had been about three weeks since the big "Bughead split" and Eleanor was hanging out with Toni, Amanda, and Betty. They were playing monopoly at Amanda's trailer which seemed to be an inside joke between Betty and Amanda, but Ellie didn't know why. Steve was gone for the day, so Ellie was safe to be there.
"Yes! Boardwalk! Pay up, El!" Toni shouts excitedly, putting a demanding hand out to Eleanor. Ellie started to count out the money, obviously lost in her own world. "Hey, you okay?" Toni asks. Ellie just keeps counting as if she couldn't hear her.
"Earth to Eleanor," Betty says, waving a hand in front of Ellie's face. That snapped her back to reality.
"Huh?" She looks up from the monopoly money in her hand.
"You okay, 'cuz?" Amanda raises an eyebrow.
"Yeah. Sorry. Just kinda tired today." Ellie replies, handing Toni her rent.
"You sure? You haven't really been the same since you talked to-" Amanda starts but Ellie cuts her off with a 'shut up' look.
"Since what?" Toni says as she scoots slightly closer to Ellie. She puts a hand on the girl's knee. "El, you can tell me."
Ellie looks at the floor and puts a hand on her stomach. Betty tries to hide her face, knowing the chaos that was about to happen. She takes Amanda's hand.
"Whatever it is, I'm here for you," Toni promises with a warm smile. Ellie meets her eyes.
"You have to promise you won't leave me alone. I can't be without you right now." Ellie says, tentatively. She puts her hands on top of Toni's hand.
"Of course," Toni says.
"No. Promise." Ellie insists.
"I promise. El, there's nothing that could make me mad at you. Not anymore." Toni promises. "Now please, just tell me." Amanda gives Betty a look and Betty gives her the same worried look. Eleanor takes in a shaky breath.
"T, you know that Ghoulie guy I was driving with?" Ellie starts, hesitantly.
"Yeah," Toni replies. Ellie takes another breath.
"The first night I met him was the night I was initiated into the Ghoulies." She looks at Amanda who nods her on while gripping Betty's hand tight. Ellie turns back to Toni. "I was drunk. He gave me Jingle Jangle, but I think it was laced with something else."
"Oh god Ellie, are you on drugs again?" Toni asks worriedly.
"No. No, nothing like that. But…" she trails off. "He took me down a hallway to get away from the noise of the party. I was so drunk and high that I can't really remember much else but, I remember he took me to a storage room." Ellie swallows. "T, I had sex with him that night." Toni looks shocked. "And now, I'm pregnant." Toni doesn't know what to say but takes her hands back from Ellie. "Please say something?"
"How long?" Toni says, sad and confused.
"A month," Ellie replies.
"And you knew?" Toni asks Amanda.
"We both knew," Betty replies.
"Toni, I'm sorry," Ellie says, but too late. Toni stands up, still looking sad, confused, and betrayed. "Toni, I-" Ellie starts before Toni cuts her off.
"I think I better head home," Toni says, not making eye contact. She grabs her Serpent jacket off the couch.
"Toni, please!" Ellie pleads, starting to cry. Toni ignores her and walks out of the trailer.
Silence falls between the three remaining teenagers. Ellie just keeps staring at the door with tears running down her cheeks.
"Ellie…" Amanda says. Ellie takes out her phone and starts texting. "Who are you texting?" She asks, but Ellie ignores her. The second she sends her text she stands and rushes out of the trailer. "Eleanor!" Amanda calls. She wants to run after her but Betty holds her back.
"She needs to be alone right now," Betty says, pulling Amanda into a hug.
"I know." Amanda mumbles. "I just hope she doesn't do something stupid."
Eleanor rides her motorcycle down the streets of the unprotected Southside until she enters Ghoulie territory. She stops at a corner where a scrawny Ghoulie is and takes off her helmet.
"I need some JJ." She orders. The Ghoulie chuckles.
"And What makes you think I have any?" He smirks.
"You're Theodore Harrington. Sharkbait's old friend and business partner. The night he died he was supposed to be bringing you two bags full of the stuff, but that shipment never made it to you. Seeing that you're not jonesing, I figure you found another way to get some." Ellie says. "Does that sound about right?" Theodore rolls his eyes and hands her a colorful tube.
"I assume you have the payment?" He scoffs.
"I assume you don't want to go to jail?" Ellie says. She smiles and pulls out her phone, showing him it was recording.
"You Bitch!" He goes to punch her but she dodges.
"You don't make me pay, I won't tell Penny you just tried to hit her kid," Ellie says. Theo's eyes widen with fear.
"You're?!" He stutters.
"See you around." Ellie puts her helmet back on and gets on her bike, downing the drugs and throwing the empty tube on the sidewalk before riding off.
It's not long before she's in the Northside, parked outside the Sheriff's office. She debates on going in. If she does and tells the truth about that night, Toni won't have to lie anymore. However, then they'll know Toni was lying for Ellie and it might get her hurt.
"Eleanor." A familiar voice comes from behind her. She turns around to see that it's Alice Cooper.
"Go away, Northsider." Ellie glares.
"What are you doing at the sheriff's station? Is everything okay?" She asks, stepping towards Ellie.
"I'm fine."
"I know what I said before made you upset, but-" Alice starts before Ellie cuts her off.
"Yeah, it made me upset. I'm sorry if I don't really want to talk to somebody who told me my life was over because of one stupid mistake." Ellie glares. "What are you here for, anyway?" Alice sighs.
"I'm doing a follow-up story about that kid who crashed his car." She answers.
"Sharkbait?" Ellie questions.
"That was his street name. His real name was James Opal." Ellie thinks about the name, she had never heard it before. Something about hearing it now made it that much more real that he was gone. Before she knew it she was holding back tears. "Look, Eleanor, if you want to talk I'm here." Alice tries to comfort the girl.
"I don't want to talk to you." Ellie snarls.
"Okay. I'm here if you change your mind." Alice heads into the station and Ellie rides in the opposite direction, ready to take care of the last few things she needs to.
She drives down the streets for what feels like a long time, thinking about Sharkbait and Toni and everyone else that has been in her life lately.
She finally reaches Penny's and storms inside.
"Why are you here? I thought you were at Amanda's?" Penny asks, sipping some coffee. Ellie doesn't answer her.
She grabs her backpack and dumps the contents on the bed. She never did end up calling it her bed, it was just the bed. The only one in the trailer. Sure she used it and Penny slept on the couch, but it didn't feel like hers. Nothing in this town did.
"What are you doing?" Penny raises an eyebrow. Ellie starts to shove clothes into the bag.
"I'm leaving." She says while she continues to pack.
"Leaving?" Penny almost laughs. "To where?" Ellie doesn't answer, mainly because she doesn't have an answer. "Who do you think will take you in? Steve won't -" she's cut off.
"Not leaving you, leaving the town. My life has been hell since I got here." Ellie finishes packing and pulls her backpack on.
"You can't skip town!" Penny growls, blocking the door.
"I can and will. I just have to make a pit stop first." Ellie says, trying to push past her mom but unable to.
"What about that girl you've been seeing?"
"Toni Topaz?"
"Wait, that's who you've been dating?! Eleanor, she's a Serpent!"
"No shit. Don't worry, she won't miss me. I think we broke up earlier." Ellie again tries to step past Penny and out the door but is again blocked.
"What about your dad? Didn't you want to keep up his legacy or something?" Penny says, trying desperately to find a reason for Ellie to stay. She didn't want to raise a kid, but she didn't want Ellie getting hurt either.
"Kinda hard to be a Serpent and Ghoulie at the same time." Ellie finally manages to get past Penny and out of the trailer.
"Eleanor!" Penny calls. "You can't leave!"
Ellie climbs onto her bike and rides off to the second spot on her list: The home of Jughead Jones.
She pounds on the door and isn't surprised when it's Jughead that answers instead of FP.
"The jacket." She demands.
"Eleanor? what the hell are you doing here?!" Jughead glares.
"I don't have time to talk and I definitely don't have time to fight you. Just give me my dad's jacket and I'll be on my way. Now!" Ellie growls. Jughead has never seen this side of Ellie before and is slightly impressed and slightly angered.
"I'm not giving you shit." He spits. Over his shoulder, Ellie watches as FP gets her dads jacket.
"Here kid." He hands it to her, pushing Jughead out of the way.
"You can't do that!" Jughead glares at his dad.
"You can't deny her the only piece of her dad she's got left," FP says.
Ellie doesn't stop to chat. Instead, she shoves the jacket in her bag and heads back to her bike.
"Eleanor! This doesn't make you a Serpent!" Jughead shouts.
"Wasn't counting on it," Ellie says before riding off. She heads to Greendale.
As she rides, her phone goes off in her pocket. She takes it out and checks the text as she drives, not looking at the road. It's Toni. She puts her phone away before reading what she has to say but it's not long before it goes off again. She ignores it. Another buzz, she ignores it again.
She's not going back to Riverdale. She's never going back to the gangs and the drugs and the pregnancy and the drama. She's leaving it all behind. She's leaving her family behind.
Eleanor marches up to the ticket window of the Greendale bus station as her phone buzzes yet again in her pocket.
"A ticket to anywhere." She says, handing cash to the window worker.
"Tired of Greendale?" The woman asks with a smile as she types things into her computer.
"I never should have come here in the first place," Ellie responds.
She glances out the glass doors at her motorcycle once before taking her ticket and waiting for the bus.
Almost done...
With this "Season" at least!