Jason Blossom was not just a football player, the captain of the water polo team, a cherished member of the Riverdale Bull Dogs.

No.

He was so much more than that; a son, a grandson, a brother, a friend.

I think many of us, maybe the entire town, had been hoping against hope that somehow, Jason isn't really gone, that we'll come to school Monday morning, and there Jason will be, quiet and courteous as always, or that we would see him in his favorite booth at Pop's, with a chocolate milkshake and a large plate of fries that he never let his friends steal.

Not all those who are gone have to be forgotten. As time continues to pass, it is my hope that while we all begin to heal, we also carry a part of Jason Blossom with us. Always.

"What do you think?" She asked nervously.

Cheryl scanned the last sentence.

She had been colder than usual that morning, and Betty knew she was still in the doghouse for skipping practice, even though it had almost been a week.

"B." She said finally, allowing a smile to grace her lips. "It's amazing."

The River Vixen's following them, Veronica included, murmured in agreement. They had been passing the paper around as they moved about, too bored to stay at their usual table and listen to the boy's talk about the upcoming game.

"It's really good, B." Veronica echoed.

Things were still strained between the two, just as things were still awkward between her and Archie. She had every right to be mad, at Veronica for conspiring a rampage at Jughead without asking Betty what had really happened, and at Archie for not protecting the person he had once called his best friend.

It didn't help that Archie had been the one to tell Jughead about her problem with Adderall.

They were both trying to make it up to her in their own ways; Veronica had surprised her with hers and hers mani-pedi's, while Archie had shown up at her front door to walk her to school every morning, but she had barely spoken to him.

"Oh my god." Cheryl muttered under her breath, her eyes narrowing. "They're everywhere."

She was referring to the Serpents, who had chosen to eat their lunch outside, taking up three picnic tables in total.

Jughead was in the center, his head bent over yet another book. Betty strained to read the title, and much to her secret amusement, he was reading James Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain. She had given him that one too.

His friend, the girl with the pink hair, Toni, was goofing around with another female gang member. She took a running head start, for reasons only known to herself, and perfectly landed the double back hand spring Cheryl hadn't been able to master until the previous year.

Betty's posse watched in amazement.

"That's how it's done!" She heard Toni announce, high-fiving her friend.

"Well, well." Cheryl drew out, calling attention to herself. She was good at that. "Maybe some of you ragamuffins aren't completely hopeless after all."

Toni started forward in anger, not that Cheryl was intimidated.

"Toni." Jughead warned, finally glancing up.

He had some sort of power over his friends, over the younger members of the Serpents, anyway, and Betty didn't know why she suddenly felt intrigued.

This was a side of him she never seen before.

She almost... Sort of...

Liked it.

Betty shifted uncomfortably, and his gaze fell in her direction. He arched a brow in questioning, but Betty turned her attention back to Cheryl, not trusting herself to look at him again.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced." Cheryl stuck a hand out. "Cheryl Blossom, Riverdale's resident It Girl."

Veronica rolled her eyes.

Toni stared at her, her expression unreadable. She made no moves to accept Cheryl's rare act of kindness,

"Yeah." She said. "I know."

"Of course you do." She tossed her hair, and Betty elbowed her for being so self-centered. "B! Please, don't interrupt."

"Cheryl." Veronica adjusted the weight of her purse against her shoulder. "Maybe we should just-"

Cheryl shot her an annoyed look. "Scatter, my Vixen's."

Betty was more than happy to leave, she was due in the front office soon anyway, her mother having enough to place a call to excusing her for the rest of the afternoon, but too busy to take her daughter to the doctor herself.

Cheryl's fingers locked around her wrist, halting her when she tried to follow the rest of her teammates.

Though no one had asked, Veronica stayed put too.

"You know I didn't mean you." The red head teased, squeezing her arm.

Was this some sort of test? Some kind of setup, to see how she would react to being in the presence of her former best friend, and current confidante, not that anyone else knew.

Jughead's jaw tightened.

So much for not looking at him. She thought.

"What do you want?" Toni demanded.

"Easy, Cha Cha." Cheryl smiled sweetly. "I just wanted to compliment you on your killer moves."

She didn't seem convinced, and Betty didn't blame her. She had been friends with Cheryl for almost four years, and sometimes, she still found herself wondering if the River Vixen captain was actually being sincere.

"Have you ever thought about cheerleading?" She asked. "Because you would make a great Vixen."

Toni looked shocked. "Well... I..."

Sweet Pea, the voice was recognizable, the boy whose bandana Betty had accidently ruined the night of the accident, splattering and staining it with her blood, snorted.

"Topaz?" He laughed. "A cheerleader? Yeah. Right."

Betty was sure she saw the girl's face fall.

"Sweet Pea." Jughead warned.

"Don't listen to him." Cheryl snapped. Now, Betty knew she was truly trying to be honest, maybe even kind. "You could totally be a cheerleader. Right, girls?"

"Of course." Betty answered honestly. "Your backhand spring would make our halftime performance a thousand times."

Jughead glanced at her.

"Sure." Veronica agreed.

Cheryl shot her an expression Betty couldn't quite read.

"We still have fifteen minutes of lunch left." Cheryl announced, releasing her hold on Betty's arm. "Why don't you show me what else you've got."

She held her hand out again.

After a moment, Toni took hold of her hand, their fingers lacing together.

"Coming, B?" She questioned.

"I can't." Betty replied, hugging her books to her chest. "I'm getting my stitches out today."

Cheryl grinned. "God, it's about time! You don't think you'll have a scar, do you, B? if you do, then we'll really have to find something to do with your hair to hide it... Of course, there's always makeup..."

"What Cheryl means is." Veronica held up a hand to cut her off. "That's great, B, do you want me to go with you?"

"No."

Her smile faded.

Guilt flooded through her.

She was still angry, very angry, and though they still had a lot to talk about, they needed to talk, Veronica was her friend, her best friend, and the last thing Betty wanted to do was hurt her feelings.

Just like always, Jughead Jones was right. Despite her rash decision to go to Reggie, in her own way, Veronica had been looking out for her.

"That's okay, V." Betty promised, offering her a genuine smile. "It's going to be a quick visit... Do you wanna go to Pop's later?"

Veronica visibly relaxed. "Betty, I would love that."

She squeezed her hand as she passed by, a silent guarantee that things would be okay between the two of them.

Betty moved down the hallway, past the music room towards the front office to receive the permission she needed to leave.

A familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Miss Grundy." He whispered. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this a secret."

"Archie." She replied, her tone even. "You have to. It's the only way there can be an us."

Her eyes widened, and carefully, she peeked through the half closed blinds, really, they should have been more cautious, just in time to see her red headed best friend lean in to kiss his music teacher.