SMOKESTACKS
CHAPTER | EIGHTEEN
Savannah could feel the snow soaking through her jeans as she knelt there, tears turning her mascara into lines of black that ran down her cheeks.
"I'm sorry." Her voice broke as she spoke, her breath like smoke against the bitter air. "I'm so sorry that it took me this long to come here." She sniffled, "I'm sorry that I treated you like you were nothing to me because you weren't, you were so much more."
Her heart ached as she sat back on her heels, lightly touching the red roses that across his grave.
"I'm sorry that I never told you that I cared, that it took me so long to realise how much you meant to me. I'm sorry that I tried to pretend you had never existed, you deserved so much more than that."
"He forgives you." A sweet voice came from behind her.
"Cheryl." Savannah croaked, her throat hoarse from crying. "I'm trespassing, I know."
"This is a graveyard." Cheryl said simply, kneeling down in her dress beside the girl. "You can pay your respects any time you wish."
Savannah looked at the girl, dressed in red, who stared at her brother's grave like it was happening all over again. "Why are you being so kind to me?"
"Because you just lost the boy you loved." Cheryl consoled the girl with a hand on her shoulder, "You didn't even know it until now. Why now?"
The brunette sniffled and moved to cross her legs, not caring as the snow seeped through the back, the cool liquid harsh against the backs of her thighs. "Kevin and I were talking about death, funnily enough, and I realised that I hadn't been to my father's grave in a while." She paused, her eyes locking onto the tombstone once more, "And then I realised that I'd never come to see Jason."
"I was sorry to hear about your father." Cheryl told the girl, "Not sorry for him, sorry for you."
Savannah frowned at her words and met her gaze, "What are you -"
"I saw the bruises on your arms, the cuts on your knees and your brother's black eyes." Cheryl said simply, the weight of her words not evident in her voice. "Your mother had the same ones. She should have been more careful to hide her relationship from him."
"You - you knew?" Savannah's voice was shaking as she asked, her body starting to react to the sudden harshness of the winter chill.
"I'm good at observing." Chery clarified, taking her hand off the girl's shoulder and standing up. She brushed the snow from her dress and smiled, "We should have dinner sometime. That'd be nice."
Savannah watched as Cheryl wandered back up the path to her house, arms crossed tightly across her stomach, as if something else had plagued her thoughts.
"So, Clifford Blossom is the reason that Veronica's dad is in jail?"
It was a bitter morning, frost coating the tops of any uncovered surface, laying down its claim over Riverdale.
Two teenagers, one boy and one girl, were walking to school together that one morning. It was a rather special morning, for reasons that one believed and the other ignored, however the facts remained the same.
It was Jughead Jones' birthday, and he was quick to try and forget it.
"That's what Archie heard." Jughead shrugged, attempting to take no notice of the arm that had slipped through the crook of his own. "I don't understand how, though."
"Does Veronica know?" Savannah asked, peeking out from under the knitted beanie she was wearing.
That morning she had skipped out of her house, hat in hand, slapped it across the boy's head and cried, "Snap!". He'd stood there, dumbfounded, before briskly making to catch up with the joyful girl.
"Betty and Archie are telling her now, I think." He disclosed, enjoying the light crunch of the frost under a heavy boot.
"Poor Veronica." Savannah murmured, wondering how the girl would take the news. She'd not been too fond of her father after she learned that Ethel's own tried to take his life. Perhaps she wouldn't care at all.
Except that didn't sound like Veronica Lodge.
"Hey," Savannah stopped suddenly, a frown on her face. "Did Val and Archie break up?"
Jughead quirked an eyebrow at her question, having been hauled to a stop for such a question. "Yeah, why?"
"No reason." The brunette smiled, continuing to walk on, pulling him with her.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"Like what?"
"You look like one half of the Weasley twins."
Savannah gasped, her free hand going to her heart. "How dare you bring them up, you know I'm still grieving Fred's death."
"You realise it's been ten years since the last book came out, right?" Jughead drawled.
"Yes, but that was before I fell in love with James Phelps." She swooned, her eyes closing as she thought of her favourite red head. It was less than a beat later that she realised just how wrong she was, with a pang in her heart.
"Whatever you say, Savannah." Jughead said simply, his voice light and suggested that he was far too used to the girl's antics by this point.
As the school loomed over the misty horizon, the two walked in comfortable silence. It seemed like a lifetime ago that they had clashed in the hallway, the girl confessing her feelings for the boy who had been blinded by their friendship.
The weeks passed and she hadn't mentioned it again, though his mind would constantly remind him.
He'd noticed the simple things about her; like how she would tuck her hair behind her left ear, but despised it being behind her right; when she was cold, she would clasp her hands together as if she were praying; and how her smile grew brighter when she laughed.
"Oh!" The girl cried suddenly, letting go of his arm to fetch something from her backpack.
His thoughts were halted as they stopped in the street, the boy waiting in curiosity as she pulled a plastic box out, along with a lighter.
Savannah popped open the box to reveal a vanilla cupcake with sprinkles. She picked up the silver candle that she had tossed in with the box, stuck it in the middle and swiftly lit it.
"Happy one-day-early birthday!" She cried, holding the cupcake out to him. "Make a wish!"
Jughead gaped at first the cupcake and then the girl. "How did you know?"
"A little birdy told me." Savannah winked, pushing the cupcake out once more. "Oh look!" She twisted the bottom of the candle, a very distorted and creepy tune trickled out of the speakers. "Crap." She frowned, "It's supposed to be the birthday song."
"I don't celebrate my birthday -"
"Well I do, blow out the candle." Savannah said, defiantly. "Make a wish."
Jughead scowled at the girl before blowing out the candle and taking the cupcake that she thrust into his hands. "I wished that I could get through my birthday in peace."
"Shame." Savannah sang, tossing the box into a nearby bin. "Because you told me, it won't come true."
"Fantastic."
"Enough about my drama." Veronica had announced at lunch, after she'd been pounced on by Savannah who promptly gave her a supportive kiss on the cheek. "Betty, you were saying something about Jughead's birthday."
"Oh, you all know?" Savannah asked from her position, straddling the back of Veronica. She climbed off the bench and took a seat next to Kevin, who slid half of his sandwich over to her. "I gave him a cupcake today, I know he hates his birthday." She shot a thankful look at Archie, who smiled.
"Well," Betty interjected with a frown, "Mr. Jones told me that Jughead's never had a birthday party." Archie nodded in agreement with that statement. "Let's have one for him. Like, a low-key surprise party."
"Bad idea." Savannah shook her head, to which Archie pointed at her. "Jughead hates being the centre of attention."
"I agree."
"That's a fantastic idea!" Veronica encouraged, ignoring as Archie kept repeating his disapproval.
"Jughead doesn't like his birthday."
"Everybody says that." Kevin chimed in with a wave of his hand, "Nobody means it."
"Jughead is a long wolf." Archie insisted, to which Savannah added a quiet howl that turned into a yelp with a glare from Veronica.
"Okay, ignoring the negativity. Betty, you know me." Veronica turned to look at her friend, "Any excuse to wear a cute party dress."
"Yeah." Betty smiled in agreement.
"Okay, so I'm thinking a quaint gathering." Veronica clasped her hands together in thought, planning their little surprise party. "Inner circle only."
"Oh my god." Kevin leaned back, the smile slipping from his face. "Don't turn around."
In true fashion, swiftly, each one of them turned to see what Kevin was looking at. Chuck was back at school after Betty and Veronica had gotten him suspended. They had only mentioned the necessary parts of the story, keeping something hidden from the rest.
But there are no secrets that time does not reveal.
"When are Jughead and Archie getting here?" Savannah asked as she poked her head through the kitchen door.
"No idea." Betty told her, honestly. "Archie's going to let us know."
"Okay." The brunette nodded, sliding further into the kitchen. "How's the cake coming along?"
"Terribly!" Betty cried, throwing her hands up in distress. Cake batter was all over the kitchen counters, much too thick to rise in the oven.
Savannah couldn't help but laugh as she placed her hands on Betty's shoulders from behind, peering over to look at the mess she'd created. "Tell you what," She started to propose, "You clean this up, because that's a hot mess."
"But we need a cake."
"And a cake you shall have, dear Elizabeth." Savannah cooed to her friend, handing her a bunch of paper towels. "Now get to work."