Cingulomania
This is a work of fanfiction. There is no copyright infringement intended. I own nothing pertaining to the Archie Comics/Riverdale universe.
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Chapter 5
For generations, the Cooper men had provided for their small families. A wife and two children, no more. These men would get up in the morning, eat a reasonable breakfast with their respectable families, then go to work. After a tireless workday, these fine gentlemen would come home to their waiting wives and children to eat a hot meal. The evenings were spent in solitude and relaxation, then they would kiss their children and go to bed next to their obedient wives. Rinse and repeat. Their homes were clean and tidy, no room for extra things, or messes. Heaven forbid there were stains or rubbish amidst the pristine appearance of a perfect home life.
Hal Cooper couldn't understand why his family had to go against the core values of his predecessors. The very first transgression was the bastard child he'd conceived with Alice, he'd managed to send it off in his youth, never thinking of the child again. He never meant to stay with Alice so long, you see, he was slumming it on the Southside and it was just supposed to be a little fun. He never expected for her to move across the tracks after she gave their baby away. He never expected for her to clean up enough to impress his Mother.
His daughters were fine examples of what a Cooper should be like, until they weren't. He had known that things were amiss when Polly had taken to sneaking around all hours of the night. When he and Alice had found the pregnancy tests in the bathroom trash can, they knew the hopes they'd had for Polly were just a fleeting. She had to be sent away to the Sister's, just like Alice when they were that age. Only the rigid ruling of a firm hand could make Polly be obedient to her family and surrender to her obligations.
Betty was another story, her issues were easily disguised or pushed under the rug and forgotten. Her ADHD was managed with pills and excuses for her enthusiasm. Her fist clenching was passed off as a nervous habit. She was the only daughter left to show submission, they did what they could to keep her under their thumb. Ensuring she would go to college, marry a wealthy man and have a family of her own to look after. Yet Betty couldn't seem to fall in line after the discovery of Polly's secret.
Betty was the worst of all. It was one thing to have boys as friends growing up in a small town, it was entirely different to have no female friends aside from the scheming demon, Veronica Lodge. When they'd found out about Archie's perversions with his own teacher, they knew their impressionable daughter would follow in his dastardly ways. Their suspicions were correct when Jughead Jones became the object of Betty's affection. The son of a Southside Serpent was bad enough, but the son of the Leader? Atrocious! Hal was vehemently disgusted with his youngest daughter. He tried to reasoning with her. Even Alice tried to talk to some sense into her.
Then Jughead's Dad went to jail, Alice wanted to move FP's spawn into their home. What would the neighbors think? A criminal's son living in their home, who was also dating their teenage daughter. He wouldn't have such a thing in under his roof, especially with what befell Polly. So Jughead Jones went to live in the filth he crawled from on Southside, opting to join his Father's beloved gang. Still Betty wouldn't waiver. She sought after the boy like a dog in heat, she made Hal sick.
Alice began to change as well. She had FP and Jughead in their home for dinner, a dinner to which he wasn't invited. IN HIS OWN HOME! Betty wrote the article exposing his wife as an ex-serpent, and he knew what the town was thinking. His perfect family was a sham, and he was no man for allowing it to happen. The icing on the cake was when Alice provided their family car to escort FP Jones to Pop's Choc'Lit Shop for his post incarceration lunch. Hal was beyond furious when he found out. Forbidding his wife from consorting with her ex who was also a notoriously dangerous gang member. Alice practically laughed in his face. She claimed she could do whatever she felt like, he was no boss of her. He was her husband for Christ's sakes! He was the Man of the House, his word was law.
Tonight though, was the absolute last straw. He'd found out that his wife had taken their daughter to that dump the Serpent trash called a bar. He had seen her box of old things from a lifetime ago laying open on their marriage bed, leather jacket missing. The tags from the items she'd purchased for such a momentous occasion tossed lazily on her bedside table. Alice had gone out of her way to buy mesh tops to go over black lacy bras. She'd bought a tight leather skirt to wear with fresh fishnet stockings and brand new knee high leather boots. She had done something similar when they'd gone to gala for the Lodge's. He was beside himself with anger. How could Alice want to be at that loser's retirement party? Much less dress the part to attend.
Seething with anger, he marched into Betty's room to demand an explanation, only to find out that she'd done something similar. Her tags from shopping were proudly displayed on her vanity like she wanted people to know she'd bought lingerie for this joyous occasion. He'd went so far as to snoop on her laptop, pulling up her recent search history. He was flabbergasted! His slut daughter was watching youtube videos of exotic dancers on poles. He almost got sick on the spot. She was going to do that damned serpent dance. She was going to FP's retirement party with her Mother to do a dance to become a serpent. He sat on his daughter's pastel pink comforter, wondering where he'd gone wrong.
Had he not provided for his family? Had he not given them a clean wholesome life? Maybe his first mistake was allowing Alice to work outside of the home. If he'd just told her she couldn't work at all, then maybe things would be different. Maybe, his daughters wouldn't be unpredictable whores who took to the streets at all hours of the night with unruly boys doing unmentionable things. Even his wife wasn't as classy as she had claimed to be, she'd been smoking pot in the backyard of their well kept home for weeks now. He'd heard voices one night, spotting Jughead's trampy friends giving his wife little rolled up paper bags of the devil's lettuce. She made his stomach turn. He couldn't take it anymore!
He left the laptop open and powered on, resting it on the duvet. He stomped into his shared room and dug for his luggage in the closet, but not before scribbling out well worded letters to his wife and daughter. Haphazardly throwing articles of clothing into the simple black suitcase, he mumbled to himself about how he'd done his best, and there was nothing more he could do. He grabbed enough items to fill both of his bags, then left in a hurry. He didn't want to see he his soon to be estranged wife, nor did he want to see his whore of a daughter.
He took to the streets, unaware that he was heading to the one place he probably shouldn't be. He waltzed into the Whyte Wyrm, looking around at the filth and the grime. He ordered a vodka tonic, which he slammed in no time. He ordered another, and repeated the motion. He asked the bartender if there somewhere he could score some pot. Hogeye slipped a paper under Hal's third vodka tonic, and was told to text. He did so, the seller messaged a location and time. He had an hour to spare, so he had a few more drinks, paid his tab and decided to wait for the miscreant at the provided location.
He wasn't really paying attention to the surroundings, just following what his gps told him to do. He was barely staying in the lines of traffic. It was a good thing it was later on, or he'd be slapped with a DUI in a heartbeat. He parked in the lot, and walked through the apartment complex, if you could really call them apartments. He waited in the shadows for a sign of anyone under the streep lamp.
He seen the beanie first, it was almost too good to be true. He had really been corresponding with the Serpent punk himself. He knew there was more to the scum than Betty had lead on. There was no way he could afford the bike, no matter what condition it was in unless he was dealing drugs to pay for it. The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree. He should have told himself that twenty years ago, when he took a Serpent slut for a wife.
All geared up, Hal stormed out of the shadows to confront the dingy little brat, and also to get his weed. He had enough evidence to print a front page spread on the drugs in Southside and Riverdale on Monday. He would sink those motorcycle riding pigs if it was the last thing he did. He would make sure his wife went down with them and if his daughter chose to do the dance tonight, she would suffer the same fate.
He was angry with Jughead for many reasons, reasons that weren't even his fault, but he was angry anyway. So angry that Hal had thrown bills at the sixteen year old and snatched the rolled up paper bag from Jughead and left. He would find some solitude at the motel just outside of Riverdale near Greendale. He could write, and smoke and come up with a cover story to end those dirty dealing snakes once and for all. His plan was a go until he'd been driving toward the motel, and seen the red and blue lights in his rearview. He thought he was golden until Sheriff Keller asked for him to exit the vehicle. He was a total mess, stumbling and spitting when he spoke. He'd been read his miranda rights on the spot, and Sheriff Keller took Hal Cooper into custody for driving while intoxicated. His car would be impounded, and searched upon arrival at the impound lot.
He would plead with Sheriff keller, saying it was Jughead Jones who had sold him the pot they'd found in his vehicle. He begged for the officer to check his phone records, which Sheriff Keller obliged. The number Hal had text was disconnected, and unregistered. There was no link to Jughead, therefore, Hal Cooper would also be charged with possession and paraphernalia. They promised they would go easy on poor Hal, seeing as it was his first offense.
It didn't matter, the damage was done. His wife had found the note he'd left on their bed when he'd packed and left. She found the one he'd left for Betty as well. She would never tell their daughter about the horrible things said about her. Hal didn't use his one call. He never called a soul. He just sat on the metal bench in holding, waiting for his arraignment. Hal Cooper was a man of self derision.