Deb sat on the floor of the back room, focused on the task at hand: buttons. She sat with her legs crossed, a big bag full of made buttons placed in front of her, while the unmade pieces lay haphazardly on either side of her. She grasped the button machine with one hand placing the newest graphic on the button and sliding the back of the button into the side slot. Then she turned the machine horizontal, and pushed in, hearing the unmistakable sound of metal crashing together with a satisfying click.
She righted the machine and out fell the newly made button, a yellow background with the word Archie is blue, and a large red circle with a slash through it. She tossed the button across from her but it missed the bag and landed in the lap of Jughead Jones, who chuckled lightly to himself as he fingered the button, secretively stashing it in his jacket, which Deb pretended she didn't see.
They continued to make buttons in silence, Jughead really just picked up made buttons and read them with a laugh or an eye roll, but then he spotted a familiar shape: a crown. There was a small crown image laying half under a sheet of paper next to Deb's right leg. It looked like it was a row of three crowns but one was missing. Jughead's heart lurched when the thought occurred to him to make that button, and the lovely blonde who could wear it.
He must have been staring at it intensely, since his gaze was jolted away from his by the feeling of a second button hitting him in the chest. He looked down and saw the silver back of a button, so he reached down and turned it over in his right hand. There, staring back at him was a crown. Jughead tried to keep the smile off his face as he slowly looked up to Deb and back to the button, as she had continued making buttons like she hadn't just read his mind and given him what he wanted.
She was a woman of few words and a tough personality to crack, which made her actions all the more telling. But staring down at that button, Jughead's lips quirked up into a content smile, while his chest bubbled with happiness at the radiant smile he imagined crossing her beautiful face. Tracing the crown with his fingers and committing it to memory was like second nature, the black outline was bold but made the grey of the beanie stand out like a beacon of importance.
Looking back to Deb, who was watching his expression with cautious optimism, Jughead not only knew he had made a true ally, but that his words had effective changed the mind of someone who had experienced similar social issues and just needed to know the light at the night of the tunnel existed. He would cherish this button, knowing the events and conversations that led to its creation and the memory would always be a happy one for him. This symbolic button, his symbol of safety, that encapsulated his life's journey through hardship and eventually to love, would look perfect on Betty's cardigan.
Jughead was pulled from his thoughts again, when Deb suddenly got up from the floor, her fingers filled with buttons that she had been carefully putting aside during their making. Without a word, Deb walked away, while Jughead decided it was a wonderful moment to give his girlfriend her newest accessory.
Deb walked swiftly over to the cash register, her notoriously blank face masking her feelings. "One for Miss Teen America," she quipped happily, handing out a button to Corey.
"Dishonesty?" Corey asked snidely, "What's that supposed to mean?" She sent a harsh glare to Deb, who ignored it and just shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe A.J. can help you," Deb said, who had moved on to Mark.
"And one for the man with the band," she stated, holding out a button to Mark, who looked elated and took the button eagerly.
"Marc sucks!" Mark giggled, happy to have a button for his band even if it was a mean one from Deb.
Deb flashed him a small smile and rushed over to the record player where A.J. was standing. "Hey A.J., I made you a button," Deb stated. "Stupid!"
"Deb!" AJ. Chirped happily. "You're just in time. Surprise!" A.J. announced, flicking the button on the record player. The store suddenly erupted with the sounds of Archie's latest single, which A.J. immediately began dancing horribly to.
"No! Veto! Veto! I'm not listening to this!" Deb yelled, covering her ears, but A.J. just danced around her before jumping up on the counter. He tried to get Deb more into dancing with him, but Deb just pushed him off the counter easily with a laugh. Corey tried not to watch the obvious fun they were having.
The store had been emptying out of Archie Andrews fans, so A.J. grabbed Deb's hand and pulled her to an empty section of music shelves and they danced suggestively together with wild abandon. Most of the customers and employees just watched, except for Gina and Archie.
They were busy hooking up in the store room as fast as they could. At least Archie's music drowned out the noises they were making, and they wouldn't even be found out if Gina could keep quiet.
Mark and Lucas even joined in on the fun, finding two women to twirl around on the floor with, both clearly Archie Andrews' fans, but loving the attention anyway. Meanwhile, Deb was really getting into the dance, stripping A.J of his shirt and nearly kissing him, their bodies less than an inch apart, as their dancing got sexier. Corey was seeing red.
Joe walked out to see the impromptu dance party happening in the store, which shocked him speechless. For a moment. "Having fun?!" he yelled, and most the employees immediately glanced up at him and stopped what they were doing. Mark hurried over and cut the music.
"Don't let me stop you," Joe hollered. "Keep dancing! But you should do it now, because by next week this is going to be a Music Town! And they don't allow dancing!" Joe continued, glaring at his employees with his hands on his hips.
Lucas, who had retrieved the couch cushion, dared to walk closer to Joe. "What are we going to do instead, Joe?" he asked, a but defeated by the day.
"What am I going to do with you?" Joe asked loudly. "Sent him to the police? To jail? Who do you think he's going to come to when he wants bail? Me! So, what should I do?" Joe asked again, lowering his voice in complete disgust. Lucas just stared silently.
"Don't worry, Joe. You're a superb manager. You will make the right choice," Lucas answered evenly.
"Really," Joe replies, done with Lucas's attitude and games. "Keep it up Lucas," Joe warned, moving closer.
"Superb," Lucas spoke again, effectively snapping Joe's patience. He reaches out and grabs the back of Lucas's black sweater, pulling the teenager from the main room and walking him back to his office. All the while, Lucas is yakking about the pain in his shoulder, trying to get Joe to let go.
Once inside the office, door slammed, Birko, A.J., Jughead, Betty and Deb watched from the back room. They can't tell what's going on, but by the way Lucas is yelling out both Joe's name and the word no, and the way the office blinds keep getting disrupted, it's not a pleasant fight. After a few minutes, the door flew open and Lucas tumbled down the small stairs, landing on his back, a small cut on his lip, as Joe stood above him in the office doorway.
Joe walked over to Lucas, helped him up and handed him a cloth to hold against his face. "You deserved that, you know?" Joe told Lucas as the watched the teenager wince.
"I know," Lucas answered in a low voice, adjusting the cloth on his face. Joe turned and looked at his other employees. "Where's Archie?" he asked quietly.
"I've got a better question, Joe. Where's Gina?" Deb countered, raising her eyebrows.
Joe blinked and looked around finally noticing the noises coming from the store room and realized what was happening. Joe stood near the door to the store room in silence, staring at it with his arms crossed. His other employees moved to the other side of the room, Lucas taking his usual spot on the couch.
Suddenly, Corey entered the back room from the main floor, exclaiming that she wasn't feeling well and wanted to do home early. "Can I count out now?" she asked meekly as she passed Joe, heading straight for the store room. Everyone, including Joe was speechless, unsure of how to convey the situation to Corey, who they all knew would be deeply hurt.
Corey made it to the door and tried the handle, confused to find it locked. The noises had ceased, so she turned around and looked at everyone else for an explanantion. "Why is this door locked?" Corey asked with a shaky laugh, feeling that she was missing something important. "Where's Gina?" she asked again, looking around the room for her friend. "Where's Archie?" she asked again, much flatter, the silence of her fellow employees confirming her fears. Corey's face turned stoney as the store room door finally opened.
Gina came out first, her top still a bit haphazard, stilling when she saw the back of her best friend Corey. She quickly walked back out to the front, while Archie sauntered out, his leather jacket off and thrown over one shoulder. He paused as he went to walk past Joe. "What no applause?" he quipped with a smirk, trying to lighten the mood.
Betty's eyes widened and her jaw dropped at that, before shaking her head in disgust that she ever liked him. Jughead balled his fist and groaned deeply, pissed that his guy was what Riverdale was known for outside the small town and beyond maple syrup lovers.
A.J. moved first, diving for Archie and impressively pinning him to the couch, which Lucas vacated easily. Joe immediately moved to get A.J. off, not because Archie didn't deserve it, but because he didn't want A.J. arrested. Even Corey screamed that Archie wasn't worth it, and Betty felt a small tinge of pride that her words that permeated Corey's mind.
"Take your bag and get the hell out of my store," Joe threatened at Archie, his tone low and dangerous and he towered over the once popular teen singer.
"Where's Jane?" Archie asked stupidly, his appearance disheveled.
"She quit pal," Joe answered smoothly.
"What?" Archie asked surprised. Joe ignored him and helped A.J. up, looking at his face carefully, knowing that he would have a huge shiner.
The rest of the staff chimed in with things they didn't like about Archie, finally pleased to not have to fake nice. Archie huffed in frustration and quickly exited the building, not looking back.
Gina sat on the small table near the couch in silence, while everyone else railed on her for sleeping with Archie. "I hate you," Corey quipped as she passed by, heading back out onto the main floor.
"How could you? With Archie Andrews?" came Eric's response, who had entered the room just after Corey but was too caught up in the drama to comment until then.
"Gina, you better go home," Joe said carefully, still looking over A.J. Gina looked over at him in complete surprise.
"Am I fired?" she asked incredulously, sitting up straighter on the table.
"Have I fired anyone today? No," Joe answered simply, still tending to A.J.'s face.
Corey suddenly burst back into the room, rounding on Gina. "So is this how your life's going to be now? You're just going to screw every has been until they don't want you anymore?" Corey nearly screamed.
Sensing the fight that was about to break out both A.J. and Joe looked at the girls, sighed deeply and leaned their heads against their arms in unison.
"At least I don't hide what I am!" Gina growled right in Corey's face. "At least I'm not some closet drug addict! Right COREY?!" Gina was shrieking, having jumped to her feet, while Corey looked away at the mention of drugs.
"You think I don't know what you do?" Gina sneered angrily as Corey just stared in shock. Gina moved to take Corey's backpack out of her cubby. "Stop it!" Corey yelled before, but making no attempt to stop Gina.
Gina grabbed Corey's silver metal tin. "What are these, huh?" Gina hollered, shaking the tin in her fist high in the air. Gina moved to stand beside Corey, uncapping the tin to reveal the white pills Corey had stashed there. "Speed? Breath mints? Diet pills?" Gina was still yelling, throwing out the pills on the carpet, while Corey hurried to the floor to round them up.
"I'd be chewing down speed to if I wanted to be perfect!" Gina screamed, kicking some of the pills with her feet, while Corey covered her face and leaned down into the carpet in tears. "You're so perfect! You have to be so perfect!" Gina's voice broke and she descended into angry tears, as Joe can over to calm her down. Gina eventually calmed, sitting on the couch and Joe moved over to Corey.
"It's going to be okay," Joe said gently, touching Corey's back softly.
"It's not okay! It's not going to be okay!" Corey was screaming, jumping up and immediately running to the main floor and destroying everything in her path. She shoved records off the shelves, pushed the record player off the counter, destroyed the life-sized photo of Archie with her bare hands, all the while screaming wildly at the top of her lungs. It took Joe, Eric, Birko and Mark holding her to finally calm her down.