Chapter 13: Open Doors, Open Secrets

Ali walked into the school the next morning with her headphones in her ears and her hands in her pockets. She wanted to text Toni, but remembered that she never got her number. Ali made a mental note to get her number the next time they met. Ali was debating on whether or not she should go to the Whyte Wyrm today after school, but she decided against it after her parents gave her a lecture when she got home last night.

Ali opened up her locker and fetched out her books. Once they were placed into her backpack, she closed the door and was met by Reggie's face. He was leaning against the lockers with his arms folded across his chest. He wore his football jacket on top of his black shirt. His hair was perfect just like the rest of his face. When he smirked at Ali, she could've sworn that her breathing was shortened.

"Good morning." He said.

"Morning, Reggie. How can I help you today?" She sighed.

"It's more like, how can I help you? I'm at your service. Your beck and call. Think of me as your own personal knight in shining armour." Reggie smiled and winked at the black haired girl. Ali rolled her eyes as she slightly laughed and smiled at Reggie's statement. She realized that he wasn't very intelligent, but his heart was in the right place.

"That's cheesy. Also, I don't need one." Ali turned around and began to walk away, but Reggie quickly caught up with her.

"Come on. Do you know how many girls would be dying to be in your situation? Having me at their beck and call?" Reggie spoke as he walked beside Ali.

"Considering that most of the female population at this school has your number…I'm pretty sure you already run for a quick booty call." Ali spoke. Reggie quickly stepped in front of her – stopping her in her tracks.

"Casual sex isn't my thing." Ali cocked up one eyebrow at Reggie. "Okay, it's not my thing anymore."

"Why's that?" Ali questioned.

"Maybe I'm looking for something more now?" Reggie suggested as he took a step closer to Ali. The surrounding student body all watched the interaction between two of the most wanted individuals in the school. Girls and boys alike were jealous.

"I think you're going to have to keep looking." Ali smirked as she side stepped Reggie and walked down the corridor to her class. Reggie watched as she retreated. When she turned to go around the corner, she looked back and winked at him before disappearing. Reggie smiled as she shook his head and walked in the opposite direction.

Throughout the day Ali kept hearing about some viral video about this new group called the Red Circle. She had no clue as to who or what this video was, so she looked it up as she ate her sandwich at lunchtime. She watched Archie and a group of shirtless men, who wore red masks, on her phone screen. Once the video was over she sighed and put her phone away. She wondered what type of a town she was now living in. There was a serial killer on the loose who is out for revenge and now there's a group of teenage boys who think they can keep an entire town safe.

"God, men are trash." Ali sighed before taking another bite of her sandwich.

Ali continued about her day as per usual. School was the same boring time as it always was. Ali realized that no matter what country you lived in – school was always going to be a place of conformity and pointless socialization. When the last bell rang, she quickly packed up her things and decided to walk home. However, she was stopped when she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around to see Reggie standing in front of her.

"Hey, Ali."

"Hey, Reggie." Ali greeted the boy in front of her.

"I was thinking that I should drive you home today." Ali cocked her head to one side.

"Why?"

"After last night, I think it'll be safer if you just stay with me, to be honest. That could've been the black hood." Reggie explained.

"Your concern is…appreciated, but I'll be fine." Ali denied his request and turned around, so she could walk away, but Reggie's legs were so long that he was already standing in front of her with two steps.

"Ali…that's it. I'm not taking no for an answer today." Reggie said as he stood in front of her.

"That's not very forward thinking of you, Reggie." Ali said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"I'm going to keep you safe, so I'll drive you to and from school."

"That's not necessary." Ali squinted as she looked up at the man in front of her. She couldn't believe what he was saying.

"How do your parents feel about the black hood?" Reggie questioned. Ali sighed as she remembered the earful she received last night from her mother. She understood that her mother was worried about her safety, but she didn't understand as to why she now had a curfew. "By looking at your face…I'm going to guess that they don't feel safe with you walking around, alone."

"I don't think any mother is, at the moment." Ali pointed out the obvious.

"So I'll drive. Besides, I'm sure your mother would love to meet me." Reggie flashed Ali his trademark smile and she could've sworn that her heart skipped a beat. One thing that Ali could admit, Riverdale was home to some of the most handsome men that she had ever met.

"Fine, you can drive me, but you're not meeting my mother." Ali sighed.

"Yes, I am."

"No, you're not." The two began to walk towards the parking lot together.

"Why can't I meet her?" Reggie questioned.

"Because she's crazy and going to think that we're dating the second she meets you." Ali was also afraid of how much she would love Reggie. He was almost everything she ever wanted for Ali. Reggie came from a stable home, most likely didn't hold a criminal record and was only in trouble with regular high school shenanigans. However, Ali was always attracted to everything that Reggie was not.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" The pair made their way to the parking lot.

"Yes, it would. I don't need to go giving her false hope."

"Well shit, you're going to turn me down even before we go out on our first date?" Reggie questioned.

"I didn't know that we were going to go out on a date." Ali said.

"You didn't let me ask you." The pair made their way to Reggie's car and sat inside.

"The answer is no." Ali firmly stated when she sat onto the leather seat.

"You didn't even let me ask." Reggie complained as he started up the car.

"No, Reggie."

"I bet I can make you say yes." Reggie smirked as he began to back out of the parking space.

The ride to Ali's house was a pleasant one with much banter. Reggie and Ali spent most of the time making fun of each other and constantly bickering, but they enjoyed it. Ali was happy that she found someone who could easily take her sarcasm and Reggie found Ali's company comforting. When they arrived at Ali's house, the pair stepped out of the car. Ali gave Reggie a quizzical look.

"What're you doing?"

"Coming inside." Reggie answered as he locked the door.

"No. You're not." Reggie walked over to Ali.

"Yes, I am." Reggie then walked past Ali and began to make his way up the steps of her porch. Ali had to quickly catch up to him in order to stop him from knocking on the front door.

"I told you that you're not meeting my mother." Ali stated.

"If I'm driving you then I should at least introduce myself to your mom. She's going to be wondering who this handsome young man is anyways."

"You're the only reason as to why your ego is so inflated." Ali sighed.

"Can you just go home? I'll talk to her alone."

"Nope. My mother raised me with manners, so let's open up the door and get the ball rolling." Ali noticed that he wasn't going to leave. She sighed at his persistence and his stubbornness. She began to regret letting him into her life. As she fished her keys out of her backpack, Reggie stood their with excitement and nerves running through his bloodstream. He believed that if he got Ali's mother on side then Ali would be more likely to go on a date with him. Once Ali found her keys she placed them in the lock and opened the door. Little did she know, once she opened that door, many of her secrets were going to be unleashed into Riverdale.

Welp! Here comes trouble...