Chapter 2: Parents = Vixens
It was an average morning in the Dubois household. Ali's mother and father, Cecile and Theo, were in the kitchen. Cecile opened up the dark brown cupboards looking for her mug in order to make her morning tea. Theo was sitting at the table with his tablet in hand – reading the morning news. Cecile walked over to her loving husband and kissed him on the top of his head before sitting down across from him. Theo placed his tablet onto the table, so he could look at his beautiful wife. Cecile could not believe that the man across from him moved away from everything that he knew…twice in order to make her happy. She stared at his black curls that sat on top of his head, the same curls that rolled through their daughters hair.
"You look absolutely radiant." Theo complimented his wife as he reached out to hold her hand.
"I have to keep up with my dashing husband." Cecile smiled as she pulled up his hand and placed a kiss at the back of it.
"Why are you two so in love?" The familiar sound of their teenage daughter rang through their ears as she walked into the kitchen. Ali placed her bread into the toaster and waited for it to pop back up. She leaned against the counter in her black high waisted jeans and her burgundy Fabulously British jumper. Her black curly hair was kept up in a high ponytail with only a few strands pulled out around her face to frame it.
"Is that so wrong, mon chou?" Theo asked his daughter. Ali rolled her eyes as she picked up her toast and grabbed a glass of milk before sitting down at the table with her parents.
"I guess it would be worse if you guys hated each other, so je n'ai aucune plainte." Ali shrugged her shoulders before taking her first bite of her toast.
"Alita, have you made any friends?" Cecile asked her rebellious daughter as she continued to munch away at her toast.
"Non. Ça m'est égal. I didn't even want to move here." Ali answered her mothers question before sipping at her morning milk.
"Making friends will be good for you. Sinon, vous serez seul. Ce n'est pas amusant." Ali looked at her father before shrugging her shoulders.
"Like I said, je n'ai aucune plainte." Ali watched as both of her parents sighed before turning to give her their complete attention.
"We came here, so you could live a normal life, so can you at least try?" Cecile held onto her daughters hand as she looked into her eyes. Ali noticed that her mothers eyes were pleading with her. It was true – the three of them moved across the world back to her mother's hometown just to give Ali the life that she deserved, but Ali didn't want this life. However, she would put her parents before anyone else.
"Mon chou, can you try?" Ali looked over at her father and saw the soft smile on his lips. She was always a father's girl and this time was no exception. With a reluctant sigh, she nodded her head.
"D'accord." A smile formed on Cecile's lips before she leaned over and kissed her daughter's cheek.
"Trés bien!" Cecile clapped her hands together.
"I don't know where to start though. It's the middle of the school year and everyone already have their friends." Ali said as she finished up her toast.
"Try joining some clubs. I'm sure your uncle will help you if you ask." Cecile suggested a solution to the problem. Ali was about to come up with an excuse, but her father interjected too quickly,
"I agree. I think it sounds like a wonderful idea!" Ali did not feel like arguing with her parents, so she gave up and agreed to joining a club. After breakfast was adjourned, Ali placed her leather jacket on and grabbed her backpack and left her home. It was a calm and relaxing walk to school as Ali listened to her music.
Once Ali walked into the school she quickly found her locker in the corridor. She opened up the locker door and began to place her books away. Ali didn't notice the world around her due to her music, but when someone tapped her shoulder she quickly took out her headphones and turned around. Veronica Lodge stood in front of her wearing her pearl necklace and tight black dress.
"Good morning, Ali! How are you?" Ali made a mental note that Veronica Lodge is like a dog with a bone.
"I'm well, thank you. How are you?" Ali answered.
"I'm good. I just wanted to come ask you how your first day was yesterday! Was it good? Did you make any friends?" Ali wondered why Veronica was so interested in her, but concluded that it was due to the fact that she was the new girl.
"I like being by myself, so I didn't make any friends. Overall, my day was pretty decent." Ali was about to close her locker and walk away, but she remembered what her mother had said to her at breakfast.
"Actually, Veronica, can I ask you something?" Veronica's face almost looked like it was going to burst with happiness. She wanted to be friends with Ali and now it would finally be possible!
"Anything!" Ali closed her locker before asking her question,
"My parents are telling me I need to join a club of some sort, so I don't know if-"
"You should join the Vixens!" Veronica did not let Ali finish her sentence. Veronica was so overjoyed with this idea that she immediately clapped her hands together to seal the deal. "It's been decided, you'll join the Vixens. We have a practice today after school, so just meet me at the gym and I'll introduce you to everyone, okay?"
"Sure?" Ali didn't know what she had just signed up for, but it seemed to be a little difficult to say no to the rich girl in front of her. Veronica quickly said her goodbyes before turning around and practically skipping away with joy. Ali just stood in the corridor with a confused look on her face before sighing and placing her headphones back in her ears.
After school, Ali found her way to the gym. Outside the gym stood Veronica and a blonde friend of hers. Ali walked towards the pair and gave them a small smile.
"Ali! I'm so happy you made it." Veronica greeted her new found friend by grabbing her hand.
"This is Betty, she's my BFF. Betty, this is Ali, the new girl from England."
"It's great to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you." Ali shook the blonde girls hand.
"The rumour mill is still turning, huh? What are they saying about me, anyways?" Betty and Veronica glanced at each other, they were afraid to speak of the rumours that were circulating around the school about the English girl in front of them. Ali laughed as she waved her hand in front of them,"Don't worry about it. I could care less about that people think about me. It's not like they matter to me anyways."
"I like that attitude Ali! Now come with us and we can give you what to wear for practice." Betty and Veronica brought Ali into the change room and handed them exactly what they were wearing – a white shirt with ¾ yellow sleeves and short navy blue shorts with a white trim.
"Is this for a team or something?" Ali questioned the two girls after she placed her new attire on her body. The fit was perfect and slightly revealing. She was concerned for her behind and how full it looked in these shorts.
"Did V not tell you that the Vixens are the schools cheerleading team?" Betty asked Ali with her hands on her hips.
"Obviously not if I'm asking about it." Ali made a sarcastic comment as she placed her hands on her hips.
"Well now you know, so we should get going to practice!" Veronica was extremely excited to recruit a new member and a new member that she was desperately trying to become close with. She had always wanted an English friend since they were deemed to be on the same level as Veronica. It would only match the lifestyle that she wanted.
When the three ladies walked into the gym, they were met with Cheryl Blossom and Josie McCoy. Cheryl stood in front of the trio with her hands by her sides and her perfectly curled red locks cascading down her chest. Her lips were a bright red as she wore her trademark red lipstick that her family owned. Josie stood beside her with her hair tied up in a bun with a single braid resting on the side of her face. Josie smiled at the trio while Cheryl held her hands in front of her with an all-knowing smirk playing on her lips.
"Josie! What are you doing here?" Veronica asked her Pussycat partner.
"This is our newest recruit." Cheryl introduced Josie to the Vixens.
"In addition to my duties as a Pussycat and I just want to say, girls, I'm so excited to work on my moves and to be a team player, as long as I'm in the front." Josie said to Cheryl as she nudged elbows. Ali looked around the gym and saw that the other Vixens looked surprised by this news and Ali made note that maybe she didn't want to be a Vixen.
"Wait, Cheryl, does that mean you're taking the Vixens back from me?" Veronica asked the red headed girl in front of her.
"But, really Veronica, were they ever yours?" Cheryl faked a smiled at Veronica. "Also, I see that we have another new recruit." Ali noticed that Cheryl was now making eye contact with her. She noticed that she was trying to assert her dominance with Ali, but Ali made a mental note on how to handle the red head bombshell in front of her.
"This is Alita-" Cheryl cut off Veronica by finishing up her sentence.
"Dubois. As in Dubois & Co. As in your mother is Cecile, Vixen royalty. I heard that you would be joining us here at Riverdale High."
"Either you've done your research or you're a part of the rumour mill." Ali spoke to Cheryl.
"Nothing happens in Riverdale without my knowledge. I hope Riverdale is a welcoming town to one with such high standing." Cheryl took a few steps forward, so she was now standing in front of the black curly haired girl. "You should be mingling with those of the same standing as you, so I am so very pleased that you've joined the Vixens. Individuals like ourselves need to stick together, right?"
"Look, Cheryl, I'm just trying to make my parents happy by joining a team of some sort." Ali explained her stance on this whole cheerleading team. "We didn't have a cheerleading team back at my school…this is more of an American thing, so maybe this isn't for me." Ali was going to try and make her escape now, but Cheryl grabbed hold of her arm and stopped her.
"None sense, you're meant to be with the Vixens. I'll hear nothing more of this foolishness. Consider yourself a River Vixen!" Cheryl was ecstatic with the addition of Alita Dubois. The English girl would help Cheryl with all her needs in the future since they were cut from the same cloth, but Ali just wanted to live a normal life with normal people.
"Cheryl, since you're in such a giving mood." Everyone looked over at Betty to see what she was going to ask. "I was wondering if the Vixens would help to save Pop's." Cheryl let go of Ali's arm, so she could turn towards Betty.
"Oh Betty, I did not emerge from the depths of Sweetwater River and the flames of Thornhill to allow my Vixens to sling milkshakes at some death cursed diner. The answer is a double cherry on top, no." Cheryl looked at Betty and Veronica with raised eyebrows before using her hands to shoo them away.
"Hold on," Everyone stopped what they were doing to look back at Ali. "I know I'm new here, but is this the place where a father was shot?"
"Yes, that is where Archie Andrews dad was shot, it was so very tragic." Cheryl informed Ali of what had happened just a few days prior. "Well, if this Pop's place is so very special to so many people, and I know it is, then shouldn't you want to help? So what, one person got shot. There are so many places in London where people have been shot and killed and they weren't shutdown." Ali stated her case to Cheryl and the rest of the Vixens.
"That's very sweet of you to say, but why does it matter to you?" Josie asked the new girl why she was stepping up to help a diner she had never even been to.
"Well I've heard about how special this diner is and my mother spent her high school years here and she has a lot of memories at that diner. I would like to keep it open for that. Just because someone was shot doesn't mean that the diner should be closed." Veronica was stunned by the black haired girl beside her. She had continuously said that she didn't want to make any friends, but here she was, standing up for a diner that she knew nothing about. Veronica was in awe of this girl from another country.
"Well since you think it is a good idea then I'm sure there is some use to that diner. Vixens," Cheryl looked at her Vixens and clapped her hands together. "we will help save Pop's."
"Really? Thank you, Cheryl." The red head turned to the blonde girl and raised her hand,
"Don't thank me, thank Ali. She really is like her father."