Story 9: "Fun Fair"

Summary: The Archies are gaining popularity and stealing shows from the Pussycats. Alex sends Alexandra and Melody to The Archies' next show at a county fair to investigate. After The Archies spot the pair, Reggie plans to chase them away by doing the most annoying thing possible…sending a love-struck Archie Andrews after them!

Note: The Archies and some other lesser-known Archie Comics characters are in this story.

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Alexandra stood backstage and watched Josie and the Pussycats play for a crowd of screaming fans. Well, Alexandra mostly watched Melody and the way she bounced in the drummer's seat while she banged on the drums. Alexandra found herself chewing mindlessly on a fingernail, eyes glazed over with her increasingly dirty thoughts. Alexandra's phone buzzed and shook the little black purse hanging around one shoulder.

She fished the phone out of her purse and let out an annoyed burst of air through her lips. "Crap…"

Harmony had been texting her non-stop since that whole closet thing…whatever that was about. Alexandra was tempted to block her number all together, but she knew it would somehow come back to bite her in the butt…like pretty much everything else did. For now, she decided to ignore her and keep that strange encounter from Melody. If Melody knew Harmony was trying to seduce her away, it would break the girl's heart. Alexandra nodded to herself. For now, it was a secret, for Melody's sake.

Suddenly, Alexander moved over to her side. She quickly shoved her phone back into her purse and snapped it shut.

"The-e-e-ere's my favorite sister!" Alex squealed as he reached over to poke her cheek.

Alexandra rolled her eyes. "What do you want, Alexander?"

Alex tried his best to look completely offended, but failed miserably. "Why, Dear Sister! Are you implying that I only love and respect you when I want something?!"

"Yes, that's how our relationship works, Brother-dearest," Alexandra answered. "And if you don't tell me what you want in three seconds, I'm going to get bored and walk away."

Alex began speaking quickly. "Why are you so cruel to your own flesh-and-blood?"

"Three," Alexandra began the count down.

"If you would only listen!"

"Two."

"Okay, listen here! You can't disrespect-!"

"Bo-o-o-ored," Alexandra interrupted and walked away.

Alex fell to his knees and grabbed the back of her black-and-red jacket. "Wait! Hold on! Okay! Okay!"

Alexandra stopped, turned and looked down at him impatiently.

Alex stood back up and reached into his leather jacket pocket. Alexandra watched as he pulled out a wrinkled promotional poster of The Archies. "The Archies are playing at the Arkansas State Fair – the one Josie and the Pussycats were supposed to headline!"

Alexandra couldn't help but smirk. "So you want revenge on a couple of high-school brats playing their cheap instruments?"

Alexander solemnly adjusted his sunglasses. "Sis, this is more than a petty revenge plan – this is a survival plan! Did you know The Archies have been stealing pretty much everything from our band? As the co-owner of the Pussycats, you should be very concerned about our investment."

Alexandra crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows with a laugh. "It's a wonder how I'm suddenly an official co-owner when you need something! …But, go on, I want to hear how those hormonal Kidz Boppers are stealing 'our' band's thunder."

"Laugh as you may, Sister-of-mine, but The Archies are the new thing now. They're stealing our gigs, getting promotional contracts we were vying for, and they might even get their own comic book series! Where's our comic book, I ask you?!" Alexander threw his arms into the air for emphasis.

Alexandra shrugged. "Our band doesn't have the drama that the media likes. Maybe we should pit Valerie and Josie against each other for Archie- we'll probably get a show out of it."

Alexander growled, "Either way, their reign needs to end! Soon! And I need your dastardly mind to do it!"

Alexandra sniffed and studied her brother. As much as she loved causing chaos and grief, she had (somewhat) sworn it off since Melody and her became partners. If Melody ever found out that she had ruined The Archies, she would be in the doghouse.

Alexandra inhaled and laid her hand on Alex's shoulder. "As fun as that sounds, I have to pass. Are you forgetting Veronica Lodge is in that band? What would Daddy think if we sabotaged the Lodge daughter's show?"

Alex laughed stuffily. "I'm sure you can figure out a way to ruin things without getting caught."

Alexandra opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Josie and the gang jogging backstage while the crowd's applause roared outside. Valerie went straight to her phone and intensely looked at the screen. Josie and Alan began a lively conversation while Melody bounced over to the Cabot twins.

"Aww! You two love each other!" Melody gasped as she looked excitedly at Alexandra's hand on his shoulder.

Alexandra quickly pulled it away. "Yuck! Don't rub it in, Melody."

Alex stuffily waved his fingers at Melody in a 'shoo' motion. "Melody, please, Alexandra and I are in the middle of talking business."

"I didn't know you spoke Business, Alex! What does that language sound like?" Melody asked with big eyes.

Alex groaned and Alexandra grinned at the pain Melody was unintentionally causing her brother.

"That Archie!" Valerie suddenly boomed.

Everyone jumped and turned to look at Valerie angrily texting. Alexandra was permanently surprised at how the intelligent, classy, and mature Valerie could like a loser like Archie Andrews. From what she heard from Veronica, the boy had at least six new girlfriends a week.

"Now what did he do?" Josie asked indignantly. She marched over to Valerie's side with a matching angry expression. Her eyes scanned the texts. "Ooh, really? He forgot your anniversary?! Ooh!"

"Anniversary? You two aren't really dating so why is there an ann-" Alan began. He quickly trailed off when Josie and Valerie turned to glare daggers at him. "-nnnd putting my foot in my mouth…"

Alan retreated behind the Cabot twins and Melody.

"Great! The kid steals your place in the show and he's getting away with ignoring Val…again!" Alex groaned and threw the poster into the air.

Valerie's eyes narrowed. "That's right! We-we should go over to that fair and tell him off!"

Josie began to panic as Alex loudly agreed and Alan meekly agreed. "No! Val! That won't accomplish anything! If he wants to ignore you, then…ignore him right back! And forget when he wants to see you!"

Valerie sighed and nodded. "You're right. Sorry, gang, he just makes me crazy."

Josie smiled. "Oh, Val. That's because you're in love."

Josie gave her a warm hug and Valerie eventually returned it. Alexandra had to concentrate hard to keep herself from rolling her eyes.

"But…getting a little revenge would be okay, wouldn't it?" Alex offered. "Or…at the very least, send someone over to their show to remind them of who their greatest rivals are?"

Josie frowned. "Alexander Cabot the Third, what are you suggesting?"

Alexandra noticed Melody squatting on the floor with Alex's crumpled poster in her hand. She looked thoughtful, if that was possible for Melody, and pursed her lips.

"N-nothing, really..." Alex tried to sound as innocent as possible. "I'm just saying…who do we know that is a master of scheming? Someone who can cause just enough interruption to cause a little bit of chaos during a show?"

Alexandra rolled her eyes this time and tapped her foot. One by one, the others (except Melody) looked at her.

"You're thinking about sending Alexandra over there to ruin their show?" Valerie asked.

Alex waved his hands in front of him. "Not totally – just…cause some undue hardship."

Alexandra sighed loudly. "They're not a threat. They're not professionals like you girls – they're still in school and doing things other peasant teenagers waste their time with. Forget it!"

"Exactly," Valerie agreed with a firm nod. "Alexandra is right, we can handle them." She pouted and looked down. "Besides, I don't even want to think about Archie right now."

Josie nodded. "Same here! If I see his face, I'll-I would-I'll-!"

Melody suddenly shot up, nearly knocking Alexandra and Alex over. "Alexandra and I will go!"

"Wait, what?" Alexandra asked.

"Melody! I'm shocked!" Alan gasped.

"Same here – but I love it!" Alex cheered. "What are you thinking, Melody my sweet?"

Melody looked at the stunned Valerie and Josie. "Well, you two don't want to see Archie, so Alexandra and I will go to see why we lost the gig."

Josie shook her head, eyes wide. "That's…a good idea. You can ask around the audience and the people in charge of the show their opinions about us! Everyone likes you Melody, so that'll be easy! And you can make sure Alexandra doesn't try anything."

Alexandra sighed, "Like I said: I'm not interested in The Archibalds."

"The Archies," Alan corrected.

"Well, now I'm even less interested," Alexandra sarcastically responded.

Melody giggled, "Actually, Alexandra knows Veronica so that would give us a good reason to be there."

Valerie grinned and got up to playfully rub the top of Melody's head. "I don't believe it! Can you all believe it? Melody, you should give us ideas more often!"

Melody beamed, "Oh! I have another idea! A belt that lets you hold a roll of toilet paper on it so you never have to worry about using a bathroom without toilet paper!"

Valerie paused. "…Okay…we'll…uh…jot that idea down for a later date…"

Alexandra shrugged one shoulder towards Valerie. "You asked for that."

Alexandra jumped when Melody took her hands into hers.

"Will you go with me, Alexandra? It'll be fun, I promise!" Melody pleaded.

Alex joined Melody's side. "Besides for that, it's your job as co-owner to make sure our investment makes as much money for me-er-us, as possible!"

Alexandra arched an eyebrow. "Okay, but I need a return on 'our' investment right now. I want your credit card."

Alex jumped into the air. "Mycredit card?!"

Alexandra held out her hand with a devilish smirk. "Melody and I will, of course, be staying in the best hotel right near the mall."

Alex sputtered and stuttered.

Valerie laughed, "You have to spend money to make money on your 'investments,' Alex."

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Alexandra looked out the window inside one of the Cabots' private jets. The seats were spread out within the interior of the plane so Alexandra sat on one side and Melody on the other. Alexandra snuck a glance over at the blonde. Melody was in the middle of fixing her hair while staring into her compact mirror.

"You're really not worried?" Alexandra finally asked.

Melody turned to look at Alexandra with large eyes. "About what?"

"Us. Together. In public," Alexandra half-whispered.

Melody stared at her, mouth open. Suddenly, tears formed in her large, blue orbs. Alexandra instantly began to panic and backtrack.

"I-I-I don't mean that I don't want to be together with you in public, it's just-!" Alexandra hurriedly explained, getting out of her seat and waving her hands in front of her body.

Melody wept loudly. "Poor Alexandra! I forgot you never had friends before!"

Alexandra gaped at the girl. "Wait, what?"

Melody wiped her tears on the inside of her white t-shirt, leaving a large wet spot behind. She continued to weep, "You don't know what it's like to hang around other girls and have fun!"

Alexandra flushed a bright red. "Wha-but-I-I-I've had friends before you guys!"

Melody looked up at her and sniffed. "Y-you did?"

Alexandra's lips twisted with embarrassment. "Sure! I've had…well…Cheryl Blossom and I….no…especially not after I punched her creepy twin brother… I mean there's Felicia…but she's kind-of paid to like me… There was-!"

Melody waited, tears dripping down her cheeks.

Alexandra finally sighed and hung her head. "…You're right…"

Melody bawled even louder than before as Alexandra crossed her arms and tried to repair her wounded pride.

"Well, what does that have to do with anything anyway?!" Alexandra barked.

Melody managed to compose herself enough to speak. "Because when you're out with your girl friends, nobody looks twice if you hug each other or hold hands or even kiss each other on the cheek. It's just what girls do!"

"Really?" Alexandra asked skeptically.

Melody nodded. Alexandra figured the girl knew best – she had so many friends and acquaintances that it often made Alexandra's head spin.

"I guess the three of you are always being touchy-feely with each other…" Alexandra agreed.

Melody brightened. "Yay!"

Melody hugged Alexandra who sighed with a roll of her eyes. Still, she couldn't help but smile and look forward to their perfect day together.

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The Veronica-appointed temporary manager of The Archies, Marcy, paced back and forth near the enormous stage at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds. Marcy, the nerd who preferred to be locked in her room playing League of Legends, away from actual human contact, was asked to be the temporary manager of The Archies after a series of unfortunate events. But she didn't complain because she looked up to her cousin Veronica greatly, and couldn't possibly say no.

Marcy looked over at Harper Lodge who sat quietly in her blinged-out wheelchair while she watched the men set-up the stage for the concert later. Harper would make a far better manager than she ever would, but Harper had her own life as an author, fashion designer, and an advocate for the disabled. But right now, Marcy really wished Harper was in her place because when Marcy was at the hotel, she spotted Alexandra Cabot and Melody Valentine at the check-in counter. She was sure they were here to ruin the show that The Archies had gotten in place of Josie and the Pussycats.

"What do you think Alexandra Cabot and Melody are doing here?" Harper asked as if reading Marcy's mind.

Marcy groaned, "I don't know! They must have been sent here by Alex Cabot."

Harper shrugged. "Maybe, but, I wouldn't worry about it. Alexandra Cabot is infamous for trying to upstage The Pussycats. Why would she be here for revenge if she doesn't like them? Meanwhile, Melody is so nice and cheery – I'm sure she's just here to watch the show, maybe take a look at the competition, so what?"

Marcy sighed; Cousin Harper was so calm and collected.

"What's this I hear about the Cabots?" a male voice spoke from behind Marcy.

Marcy jumped and turned to see Reggie Mantle approach them. His eyes were fully set on Harper and the wide grin he was giving the girl made Marcy slightly sick to her stomach.

Marcy explained, "I saw Alexandra Cabot and Melody Valentine at the hotel."

Reggie frowned a little and rubbed his chin. "Hm, really…? Alexander Cabot must have sent them here to spy on us."

Harper smirked. "Spy on you guys? Really? What is this, the fourth grade?"

Reggie waved his finger in the air. "You don't know the Cabots like I do, Harper. There's always something sneaky going on with them – no matter how innocent their intentions seem! Alexander Cabot can't fool me; I'm always ten steps ahead of his scheming with my own superior brand of scheming!"

Harper couldn't help but push his buttons. "You two sure look the same too."

Reggie flushed. "No! No way!" He combed back his black hair with his fingers and grinned. "I'm so much easier on the eyes!"

Harper rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Maybe, but your enormous egos are definitely the same."

Marcy sighed again, "Well, either way, we're too busy trying to set-up the concert to keep an eye on them."

Harper shook her head. "I say just leave them alone. Maybe, if they are planning something, which I really doubt, they'll have too much fun at the fair to remember that The Archies took their spot."

Suddenly, on the stage, a loud screech of a dropped guitar echoed painfully into the air. The three instantly slapped their hands over their ears along with many of the fair attendees who were close by. They looked to see Archie in the middle of a wincing pose and his wailing guitar on the stage floor.

After the screeching died down, he leaned over to the also too-loud microphone and said, "Sorry!"

The microphone screeched loudly as well, causing a unified, pained groan of frustration from everyone around the stage.

Reggie's eyes lit up and a dastardly smirk lifted his lips. "Hmm, what if they had so little fun at the fair instead?"

Harper sighed, "Oh no."

Marcy was so desperate to solve this dilemma, she decided to entertain Reggie. "What do you mean?"

Harper wheeled away from the two. "I'm staying out of this, sorry."

Reggie briefly pouted in her direction, but then turned back to Marcy. "We've been trying to get Archie out of our hair since we started stage prep. He's driving us crazy; that boy is a walking disaster!"

Marcy glanced over at Archie who leaned over his guitar that had somehow caught on fire.

"…True," Marcy agreed. "Continue."

Reggie's grin turned dangerous. "Get him out of our hair by getting him into the hair of that skunk-haired Cabot and that blonde goddess! I'll convince Archie that Melody is crazy for him, which will be very easy to do considering it's Archie, and he will drive them so insane that they will leave the Fairgrounds – trust me!"

Marcy thought it over: it was a great plan, an evil plan. Alexandra Cabot was just as infamous as her father for having a short temper, and Melody Valentine was such a doormat that she would let Archie follow them around and drive them insane. Even if Alexandra left Archie and Melody alone, she would be so jealous that Melody was getting so much attention that there would be no way she could think of a scheme. In the meantime, Melody was not smart enough to even dream of scheming against The Archies and she would just watch the show without any incidents.

"…Okay…but make sure Veronica doesn't know! She loves him, Reggie," Marcy pleaded.

Reggie scoffed, "Please, Betty and Veronica are used to seeing Archie going after other women. If they don't like it, they can date each other!" He laughed but then paused and looked thoughtfully into the air. "…Actually, that would be hot. Woo-hoo! This plan is a lot better than I thought it was!"

Marcy knew it was wrong of her to permit this. She didn't dare look at Harper's face as she passed the girl on her way back to the stage.

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"I feel very connected to this goat, Alexandra."

Alexandra squinted down at the grey-and-white goat that had its head stuck over the Fair's petting zoo fence to accept the pellets of food Melody had in her hand. The goat gulped down the food and trotted off.

"Darling, that's what you said about the cow. And the donkey. And the horse," Alexandra replied with a slight smirk.

Melody giggled and stood back up to take Alexandra's hand. "I guess I feel a connection to everything!"

Alexandra shook her head. "I don't doubt that." She looked around the sea of children and their stressed parents surrounding them. "Do you want to go see if you feel a connection to the chickens too?"

Melody shook her head. "Oh, I've tried connecting to chickens before, but I think we're just too different. …But they do like Alexander!"

Alexandra laughed, "I don't doubt that either!"

Melody led them out of the petting zoo. Alexandra let out a silent breath of relief – they were in there for an hour surrounded by unpleasant smells from both the animals and the children. She was more than happy to be led away from…

Alexandra pulled back on Melody's hand. "W-w-wait a second, Melody!"

Melody turned and stopped leading Alexandra towards the Ferris Wheel. "What's wrong, Alexandra?"

Alexandra looked up at the Ferris Wheel. "You want us to ride that?"

Melody looked surprised. "Alexandra! I didn't know you were scared of heights! But I don't understand. We've been on planes, tall buildings, air balloons, and even outer space!"

"Melody, we've never been in outer space. That was just a dream you had," Alexandra reminded.

"Oh yeah! That was one really long dream…it felt like almost 480 minutes!" Melody commented and then giggled. She shook her head. "So why don't you want to ride with me?"

Alexandra looked up at the enormous Ferris Wheel.

"I know it's scary to look at, but once you're up there it's fun! You're on top of the world up there!" Melody cheerfully explained. "The view is amazing…" She looked into Alexandra's eyes seductively. "…And romantic."

Alexandra gulped audibly as a warm blush spread across her cheeks. [Okay! There is no way a dumb ride will beat Alexandra Cabot!] She inhaled through her nose, squared her shoulders and took a step towards the line to get on the Ferris Wheel…then quickly retreated backwards. […Okay m-maybe it will…t-this time…]

Melody waited and watched Alexandra struggle internally. She realized how scared Alexandra was and also knew Alexandra would never admit it.

"You know what? It's better to ride it at night anyway!" Melody chirped. "Let's go try doing something else and we can come back later!"

Alexandra looked visibly relieved, nodding as she spoke quickly in a shaky and squeaky voice, "Y-yeah! Good idea, Mel!" She put a hand to her chest in a futile attempt to slow her pounding heart. "So…uh…what do they got to eat around this joint?"

Melody's eyes twinkled with mirth. "The real question here, Alexandra, is what don't they have to eat?"

Alexandra looked confused. "Well, uh, I actually am pretty hungry so I would like to know what they have to eat."

Melody giggled and led her away. "Oh, Alexandra, you're funny! Come on!"

Alexandra let herself be dragged away. "Uh, okay?"

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Back at the stage, Veronica Lodge was searching everywhere. "Archie? Archiekins?"

Betty Cooper emerged from behind the stage. "Archie?"

Veronica stopped and looked up at Betty. "You're looking for Archie too?"

Betty sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Yeah! He promised we would ride the Ferris Wheel together before the show!"

Veronica bristled. "There is no way he could do that because he promised me the same thing!"

Betty scoffed, "But he asked me first!"

Veronica countered, "How do you know that?! Archiekins always asks me first – you're always the back-up plan!"

The girls glowered at each other and lowered their eyelids into slits.

"Fine! There's an easy way to settle this – let's go find Archie and ask him!" Betty announced.

The two girls stormed off side-by-side, steam practically billowing from their ears. Marcy watched from a distance and chewed her fingernails:

This would not end well.

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Archie Andrews searched through the crowds like a man desperately searching for help. He tripped over at least three small children already, got his foot run over by the same stroller twice, and had knocked over at least three signs. The only thing on his mind right now, though, was to find Melody Valentine.

Reggie told him that Melody was there and she was crazy for him. She was always jealous of Valerie and snuck here to watch him play. Archie always knew Melody had feelings for him – she was always smiling at him, nice to him, and made him laugh with her funny malapropisms. Sure she never really spoke to him, or paid that much attention to him, but Archie was definitely sure there was something between them; Melody was just too nice to express anything infront of Valerie! Speaking of Valerie, Archie had the feeling that he needed to call or text the girl for some reason, but he didn't know why…

That's when he spotted her. She was holding a large amount of food in her arms as she waited in line for fried ice cream. Archie grinned and rushed over to her.

"Melody Valentine! What a surprise!" Archie practically yelled with a fake laugh. He looked down at her arms – she had two of everything, meaning she had bought the food for herself and someone else…him! "Whatcha got there? Meals for two?"

Melody smiled up at him. "Oh! Hi, Archie! Are you hungry too?"

Archie nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Hah! Oh boy, I am starving!"

Melody nodded to a different food stand. "Oh, there's lots of things to eat here! That stand sells fried pizza!"

Archie blinked. "Oh, uh…thanks for the tip?" He rubbed his neck as the vendor called Melody over to the counter. "But uh…you can't eat all that yourself, Melody! You'll lose your great figure!"

"What do I figure and how will I lose it?" Melody asked, confused.

Archie let out a shocked laugh. "No, no…your…body. It will get bigger. And then no one will want to be with you."

"That's just silly!" Melody concluded with a small frown and knitted eyebrows.

"So you are sharing that food with someone special…?" Archie asked, trying to give her a hint but failing miserably.

Melody ordered two fried ice creams and then turned to Archie. "I'm sharing this food with Alexandra."

Archie jumped. "Alexandra?! Alexandra Cabot is here too?!"

Melody nodded. "Yup!"

Archie clenched his fists – Reggie never told him that part. Was Reggie messing with him again?

Archie shook his head and asked, "But…why are you two here together?"

Melody beamed. "That's because we're-" She stopped and her face twisted. Archie waited for her to finish, perplexed about the sudden and almost frantic change of her expression. "-best friends, silly!"

The vendor leaned in between them to hand Melody her ice creams.

"Well, see you later, Archie!" Melody sang and turned to leave.

Archie caught her shoulder. "Wait! Uh…after you and Alexandra eat, why don't we hang out together?"

Melody looked apologetic. "Gee, Archie, that sounds like fun, but Alexandra and I-"

Archie fidgeted. "No, Melody, I meant you and me. Together? Alone? Without Alexandra? Isn't that what you want?"

Melody shook her head. "Sorry, Archie, but I got to keep an eye on Alexandra. She'll get lost without me! Well, actually, she stays in one place and I lose her… Whoops, I guess that makes me the lost child!"

Archie sighed, "Okay, then I'll meet you two soon by the bumper cars?"

Melody looked confused. "You will?"

Archie nodded. "Yup! See you soon!"

Melody looked like she wanted to say something. Her eyes searched the ground before she finally offered Archie a smile. She turned and hurried away.

Archie watched her hurry off and let out a large sigh. He dug his hands into his pockets and let his head fall between his shoulders. "I have to lose Alexandra."

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Alexandra sat on a small table tucked away behind the food trucks. She was waiting for Melody to return with "real fair food" to surprise her with. The heiress looked over at the other tables full of people scarfing down food further away and decided that "real fair food" looked disgusting. She would have settled for a burger and fries, but Melody insisted they needed to experience something new.

"Ta-da!" Melody sang as she headed back to the table carrying loads of food in her arms. She plopped the strange and greasy-looking foods on the table. "Bun apple-tini!"

Alexandra couldn't figure out what half the food was. She poked at one selection that looked like a large, deep-fried ball. "What is this stuff? Is this actual food you can eat?"

Melody reached over with a plastic spoon and dug it into the deep-fried ball Alexandra poked. When the spoon came back up, the ball oozed over with what Alexandra guessed was some sort of cream or cheese. Melody held out the spoon on level with Alexandra's mouth and raised her eyebrows with a smile. Alexandra took a few self-conscious glances over her shoulders before she leaned forward and ate from the spoon.

Alexandra paused for a long time.

Melody grinned. "Good?"

Alexandra looked into Melody's eyes. "Do you have one for yourself?"

Melody's grin got wider. "Yup!"

Alexandra leaned forward and grabbed the small plastic bowl that held the deep-fried cheesecake. She brought it over to her side of the table and grabbed a spoon. "Good, because this is mine now."

Melody giggled and picked up a piece of fried pizza stuffed with vegetables and cheeses. "What? Do you think I was trying to poison you?"

Alexandra barely looked up from her cheesecake. "Well, if you were trying to kill me for my inheritance, you'd have to knock off Alex and my parents too."

"Knocking on someone is a silly way to steal an inheritance!" Melody laughed, clueless. "Maybe if I told them a lot of bad knock-knock jokes, they would leave all the money to me and run away!"

Alexandra let out an amused snort. "Oh, Melody."

Melody chewed on her pizza as Alexandra ate the rest of her cake. The blonde looked around the Fairgrounds and spotted the stage being set-up further away.

"Ugh, my dress already feels tighter on me," Alexandra groaned as she sat back from her empty bowl.

Melody giggled, "I thought you liked tight clothes!"

Alexandra raised an eyebrow up at her and smirked. "The tighter the better."

Melody giggled and watched Alexandra pick up one of the fried ice creams. Archie's protest for Melody eating the food by herself popped back into her mind. She looked down at her pizza and slowly placed it back down onto her plate.

"Not hungry?" Alexandra asked.

Melody played with her fingers. "Um…Alexandra? If I gain a lot of weight from eating all this food, would you still love me?"

Alexandra's hand rested onto one of Melody's. Melody looked up shyly at Alexandra and felt her cheeks go on fire at the steady, loving hazel eyes of her girlfriend.

"Melody, even if you gained 500 pounds and you had to wheel around in one of those electric chairs, I'd still love you," Alexandra replied quietly. She took her hand away and went back to eating her ice cream. "But, please don't; I'd be worried about you, Darling."

Melody beamed and blushed brighter. "Gee, you really know how to make a girl feel special."

Alexandra grinned confidently. "Well, I'm just getting started. We still have a lot of time before the show…I'm sure I can make you blush a few more times…"

Melody squirmed in her seat and looked down at her lap. "Um…actually…I saw Archie at the food stand."

She jumped when Alexandra choked loudly on her ice cream.

Alexandra pounded one fist into the table. "That little creep! Did he do or say anything to you?! I'll sock him right in the nose!"

Melody shook her head. "No! He was nice to me. Although I think he's really hungry because he kept asking me about our food…" She looked away from Alexandra's face. "He wanted to come with us around the Fair. It wouldn't be nice if we just left him by himself."

Alexandra shook her head with disbelief. "Melody! You could have just told him no! This is supposed to be our day…you wanted it to be just us!"

Melody looked down glumly. "But…but I couldn't tell him no. It would hurt his feelings…"

Alexandra rolled her eyes. "Who cares? We only see him a few times a year at most. He's a slimy, little weasel anyway – you know how he treats Valerie!"

"I know, but, I just couldn't just say no to him. I really can't say no to anyone…" Melody replied.

Alexandra knew that all too well; she had hoped that she could teach Melody to be a little more assertive, but it seemed completely against the pure-hearted girl's nature.

Alexandra rubbed her forehead. "Okay, I get it. We'll hang out with the sap for awhile." She paused and thought. "…Maybe we can convince him to stop stealing your shows too. …Or ma-a-aybe we can make sure he's a no-show to his own-show…."

Melody gasped, "No, Alexandra! We couldn't do that!"

Alexandra sighed, "Okay, fine! We'll figure it out after we eat." She went back to eating her food. "But let's eat slowly, he can wait awhile."

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Archie couldn't wait around in one spot any longer. In the distance, he heard his name being angrily called by two different, familiar female voices. He had taken to hiding behind a 'You Must Be This Tall to Ride' sign, but Betty and Veronica could smell fear.

"Hi, Archie!"

Archie let out a loud sigh of relief as he peeked around the sign to see Melody and Alexandra looking down at him. He stumbled out and looked around to make sure they were alone.

"Hey, girls!" Archie greeted.

Alexandra sniffed, arms crossed and a sneer on her face. "Hiding from someones?"

Archie awkwardly laughed and rubbed his neck. "Just…uh…checking to see if I'm tall enough to ride!"

Melody gasped, "Oh! I have to check too!" She rushed up to the sign and pressed herself against it. The arrow on the sign was at least two or three feet below her head. "Am I tall enough, Archie?"

Archie leaned over and poked Melody's waist where the arrow on the sign stopped. "You're good!"

Alexandra's face turned bright red and steam practically shot out of her nose as Archie playfully poked a now squirming and giggling Melody. She gritted her teeth.

"Knock it off, you two!" Alexandra finally shouted. "Are we going on rides or what?!"

Archie jumped and looked at the red-faced Alexandra with surprise. "Oh – uh – sure let's go."

Melody, oblivious to Alexandra's jealous rage, led them off to the bumper car ride. When they entered the ride, Archie shoved his way past Alexandra and hopped into a car.

"Come on, Melody!" he called and patted the empty seat next to him.

Melody hesitated. "But…actually I want to ride with Alexandra."

Archie waved his hand dismissively. "There's another car right over there." He stuck his thumb out to a car with a little boy grabbing the steering wheel and making loud race car noises. "She'll be fine."

Alexandra opened her mouth to protest, but closed it when Melody climbed into the car with Archie. She raised an eyebrow at Melody who shrugged apologetically. Alexandra turned on her heel and stormed off towards the car Archie pointed to.

"Well, Alexandra loves kids, so I guess you're right," Melody told Archie.

Meanwhile, Alexandra glowered down at the child. "Beat it, kid! I'm driving!"

The kid looked up at her and began to shriek in a high-pitched voice from the very depths of hell, "NO! I'M DRIVING! I'M DRIVING! MY CAR!"

Archie, Melody, and most of the people waiting in their cars for the ride to start stared at Alexandra.

"You sure about that, Melody?" Archie wondered.

Alexandra rolled her eyes, stuck her hand into her purse, and pulled out a one-hundred dollar bill. "Quiet down! I'll give you this if you let me drive."

The kid instantly stopped screaming, grabbed the bill, and slid over to the passenger seat.

Melody beamed and nodded. "Yup! She'll be such a good mommy!"

The kid looked up at Alexandra as the heiress squished into the car beside him. "Woah! I've never seen this much money before! Thanks lady!"

"Yeah, yeah," Alexandra dismissed, her eyes locked onto Archie and Melody's car.

The bored teenage attendant inspected every car to make sure everyone had their seatbelts on. Satisfied, he went to the controls and turned the ride on. Alexandra instantly steered her car towards Archie and Melody's car.

"Hi!" the kid next to her greeted two little girls in another bumper car. "Look! This angry lady gave me one hundred dollars!"

Alexandra was so focused on Archie and Melody's car that she didn't hear the chorus of children and adult voices exclaiming in surprise and delight at the one hundred dollar bill being held into the air. Suddenly, every car (except for Archie and Melody's car) all turned to face Alexandra's car. At once, all the cars zoomed over and slammed into her car on all sides, all the drivers and passengers asking for money too.

"Move it! Get out of the way! Ooooo!" Alexandra hollered.

Meanwhile, Archie looked over his shoulder at the scene and smirked. Finally, all alone with Melody, just like they both wanted.

"Gee! I thought this was bumper cars!" Melody proclaimed as she looked at the empty space around them. "We haven't been bumped once!"

Archie drove further away from Alexandra's shouting and the other riders' begging. "That's okay, Melody." He slowly leaned towards Melody's face. "We can get some real alone time together, and you can tell me all about your secret desire for-"

Melody blinked. "Betty and Veronica."

Archie frowned. "Wait, what?"

"ARCHIE ANDREWS!" two voices rang out.

Archie paled and looked up to see Veronica and Betty standing in line. They leaned over the metal gate that shut-out everyone else from the ride, both glaring daggers towards the two.

Melody beamed and waved. "Oh, hi girls!"

"YIKES!" Archie yelped and unbuckled his seatbelt.

The attendant, who was in the middle of futilely trying to pull the other riders away from Alexandra's car, turned and yelped. "Hey! Stop! That's dangerous!"

Archie stumbled out of the moving car but tripped when his pants leg got snared on the tiny bumper car door. He cried out and flopped to the ground, the car dragging him behind as it crashed into the far wall. In a flash, Betty and Veronica climbed over the gate and ran towards Archie. Archie quickly recovered, hopped up with a shriek, and leapt over the small wall out of the ride.

"Bye, Veronica!" Melody chirped as Veronica jumped and ran after Archie.

Betty quickly followed behind Veronica, both girls shouting.

"Bye, Betty!" Melody chirped again.

Meanwhile, Alexandra tossed a balled-up one-hundred dollar bill away from her, sending all the other riders to fight over it. She stumbled over to Melody, disheveled and panting.

Melody turned and beamed up at her. "Hi, Alexandra! Wasn't that fun?"

Alexandra grimaced down at the smiling girl and growled, "Oooo…!"

+0+0+0+0+0+

Alexandra marched slightly ahead of Melody a few minutes later. She was too angry to hold a conversation with Melody right now: she knew she would only hurt Melody's feelings and decided it was best not to say anything at all. The last thing she wanted to do was get into a fight that would end their day early.

Meanwhile, Melody nervously watched Alexandra march ahead. She knew Alexandra was angry, and even she could understand why. The longer the silence went on, the closer to tears Melody became. Alexandra suddenly stopped in her tracks. Melody looked momentarily confused but soon saw why: they were back at the Ferris Wheel.

"Uh…so…what other rides do you want to go on?" Alexandra finally spoke, her fear now over-powering her anger. Once again, her voice became a squeak. "…Besides for this one, of course! I mean – you said it was better at night, right?"

Melody found her normally over-confident and brave girlfriend's fear of the Ferris Wheel almost endearing, if she wasn't so curious and concerned about the reasoning behind it. She smiled and led the pale Alexandra away from the ride. "Oh! Let's go to the Hall of Mirrors!"

Alexandra perked up as Melody led her away. "Mirrors, huh?" She stuffily fixed her hair with a grin. "I think I will enjoy this one."

Once they found the Hall of Mirrors and went inside, Alexandra felt her excitement fade. Inside was a maze of dirty, ancient mirrors that distorted their beautiful figures. Alexandra frowned into a mirror that made her torso stretch and her legs shrink. This was not her idea of fun.

"Alexandra, this way!" Melody giggled.

Alexandra turned to see Melody deeper in the maze. She stood facing the opposite direction, hands clasped together at her waist. Alexandra decided to voice her disgust at this particular attraction as she headed to where Melody stood.

"I don't get why this is supposed to be so much fun Melody," Alexandra complained as walked straight towards Melody who still stood looking to the right. "I never thought I would say this about a mirror, but-"

She smashed right into the glass.

"Ouch!" Alexandra yelped as she held her nose.

She checked to see if it was bleeding and then looked up with her mouth open. Melody was supposed to be there – right there! Melody turned her head in her direction and laughed naughtily. Alexandra reached out to give her shoulder a playful slap, only to end up hitting glass again.

"Gee, you look pretty silly right now!" the real Melody laughed behind Alexandra.

Alexandra jumped and whirled around to Melody with a surprised yelp. Melody's eyes were almost tearing as she continued her cute, childish laughing. The heiress grinned and lunged at Melody, but Melody dodged and disappeared back into the maze.

Alexandra continued to grin as she felt her way through the maze. "Ha, ha! Very funny! Just you wait until I get you, Melody-dear!"

Melody's voice only laughed harder and Alexandra picked up her pace. She spotted Melody, the real Melody, peeking around one of the corners. Alexandra smirked and decided to use Melody's trick against her.

Meanwhile, Melody panted and scanned around for Alexandra. Suddenly, Alexandra appeared besides her. Melody let out a high-pitched, playful shriek and turned to dash away from Alexandra, only to run into a mirror.

"Owies!" Melody laughed as she rubbed her offended forehead.

She turned and was pinned against the mirror by Alexandra. Melody laughed breathlessly and let Alexandra overpower her. The heiress grinned wolfishly, eyebrows raised.

"Found you," Alexandra purred through her own panting.

Melody giggled and panted against Alexandra's head. She felt Alexandra's own breaths against her neck and shivered. Melody craned her neck suggestively and Alexandra leaned forward to kiss it.

"I thought I saw her in here…"

Alexandra and Melody jumped and looked into each others' wide eyes.

"Ouch! Why would she-wwwwwoaaaahhh whoops!"

Alexandra and Melody screeched as the entire maze shook. The flimsy, ancient mirrored walls began collapsing like dominoes towards the pair. Melody cowered and Alexandra turned them so she would shield Melody against the collapsing walls. Suddenly, the collapsing stopped. The two girls looked up to see every wall shattered on the ground. Somehow, they were unscathed along with the familiar red-headed boy lying on the floor further away.

Archie waved at them. "H-hi again!"

Melody separated herself from Alexandra's arms and waved back. "Oh, hi Archie!"

Alexandra hung her head and sighed.

+0+0+0+0+0+

Luckily for Archie, Alexandra had inherited her father's unique talent of making empty threats that did not sound so empty. When the attendant of the Hall of Mirrors saw the entire attraction in shambles, Alexandra announced that the walls were flimsy, poorly kept, and dangerous. She convinced the terrified attendant that they all fell practically on their own and that she would get the Cabot family's attorneys to shut down the entire fair. But, even though she saved Archie from the wrath of the fair's management, Archie continued his attempts to separate Melody and her.

"Melody, please, can't we tell him to take a hike?" Alexandra whispered to Melody as they trailed behind Archie.

Melody looked confused. "A hike to where?"

Alexandra grimaced. "Anywhere but here!"

Melody was tempted, especially after being interrupted in the Hall of Mirrors. That was a romantic moment between them and Archie ruined it! But once again, she thought about how it would hurt his feelings. "Alexandra, we have to be nice to Archie. It'll hurt his feelings if he went out into the woods to take a hike all by himself…"

"Who cares? He's not our friend," Alexandra growled. "I don't know why you care about other people's feelings so much. Especially people like Archie who is stringing along at least five women at the same time."

"Valerie loves him, so we can't be mean to him," Melody reminded. "Besides, I think he likes hanging out with us too."

"Hah! He's just got his eyes on you, Melody-dear. What even gave him the big idea that you like him?" Alexandra wondered.

"Did you say something, Alexandra?" Archie asked, turning his head to look back at them.

Alexandra snapped, "You must be hearing things! I haven't said a word!"

She almost ran into Melody who was stopped at a game booth. Alexandra looked at the booth: it was one of those baseball tossing games that required the players to knock down little, dirty, clown dolls off shelves. The clown dolls looked like they were made in the 1930s with creepy grins and scraggily red hair sticking out from their heads. Melody wasn't looking at the dolls, though; she had her wide blue eyes set on an enormous cat stuffed animal prize.

"Oh! You want to win that, Melody?" Archie asked as he joined their side.

Alexandra sniffed with a curl of her lips. All these games were rigged, and even if they weren't, there was no way Archie could knock them off the shelves.

"Oh – well – gee, I was just-" Melody began.

Archie slapped several dollar bills on the counter. The game booth attendant smirked as if he was thinking 'another sucker' and placed four baseballs on the counter.

"Um, really, it's okay, Archie! I was just looking, that's all," Melody said.

Archie picked up a ball and grinned at Melody. "How about this? If I can get you that prize, you can repay me by spending the rest of the day before the concert with me…" He looked over at Alexandra whose face slowly turned red. "…Alone."

Melody shrunk. "But-"

Archie tossed the ball at the dolls. As Alexandra expected, the ones the ball came into contact with barely budged. She guessed that they were filled with sand or rocks or something else heavy.

Melody appeared visibly relieved until Archie picked up another ball and wound his arm.

"I'm a football legend at Riverdale High! I'll definitely get you something, Melody, don't worry!" Archie announced.

"What's that got to do with a baseball toss?" Alexandra snorted, hoping to throw him off.

Archie ignored her and threw the ball as hard as he could. One doll was knocked off the shelf but the others stood unmoved. He picked up another ball and threw it. One doll moved slightly to the left. Archie growled and threw his final ball only to miss the shelves completely.

The smirking game booth attendant reached over and picked up a tiny 'Arkansas County Fair' keychain from the prize area. "Aww, too bad. Here you go."

Archie scratched his head and gawked at the dolls. "But I was sure -" He shook his head and snatched the keychain out of the attendant's hand. "One more game!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. It was completely empty. He shook it upside down as if money would magically fall out of a secret portal inside his it. The motion was so cartoony that Alexandra half-expected a fly to come buzzing out too.

Archie turned to Alexandra hopefully. "Uh…?"

Alexandra crossed her arms and turned her head away. "Forget it."

Archie slouched in defeat, but then turned to Melody. "Hey, uh, can I borrow some money?"

Melody reached for her pants pocket. "Sure, Archie."

Alexandra quickly intervened. "Are you serious, Archie?!"

Archie sulked and looked down at the keychain in his hand. "Well, then, I guess this is for you, Melody."

He handed the girl the cheap keychain.

"Golly! It's cute! Thank you!" Melody cheered.

Archie brightened and leaned close to Melody. "Sure! Well, I didn't win the rest of the day with you, but I think that earned me a kiss!"

Melody appeared very unsure of that. "Uh, well…"

Archie leaned closer and Alexandra felt steam shooting out of her nostrils. She rushed between them and slapped money on the counter. The attendant winced when he picked up the money that appeared to have a smoking handprint on top. He placed four balls on the counter and ducked down to cower.

Alexandra threw the first baseball as hard as she could. The ball slammed violently directly into the top shelf of dolls. With an explosion of sand and wood splinters, most of the dolls exploded and the entire shelf collapsed. The top shelf collapsed down onto the middle shelf, and both shelves collapsed onto the last one, knocking down all the dolls onto the floor. Once the dust had settled, the attendant stood up, trembling, reached up and got the cat stuffed animal for Alexandra.

Alexandra took it and turned proudly to Melody, ignoring the attendant who fainted onto the floor. "Here you go, Melody."

Archie's jaw practically hung on the ground as Melody happily accepted the prize as if she was not surprised at Alexandra's insane strength.

"Thank you, Alexandra!" Melody cheered.

The game booth collapsed to pieces.

Alexandra looked very smug as she accepted a hug from Melody. "Of course, it was easy."

"Ah-ha! I knew it!"

The three turned to see Betty and Veronica dash around the pile of wood and cloth from what was once the game booth.

Veronica grinned. "As soon as I saw this booth collapse I knew Archie Andrews was responsible!"

Archie yelped and cowered as his two love interests surrounded him.

"What are you doing, Archie? We have a concert we have to get ready for," Betty scolded. "More importantly, you promised that you would ride the Ferris Wheel with me!"

Veronica crossed her arms and glowered at Archie. "And you promised me the same thing! But here you are, chasing after…her!"

Veronica pointed at Melody. Melody looked around, confused.

Alexandra sighed and facepalmed, "She means you, Dumb-dumb."

"Me?!" Melody gasped.

Archie shrugged meekly. "Hey, it's not my fault that Melody is crazy about me! She was the one who wanted to see me! This was her only chance, after all."

Melody frowned, now even more confused. "But…I never…"

Betty and Veronica turned to direct their rage at the baffled blonde girl.

"Don't play coy! I've seen what you do to the men in Midvale!" Veronica challenged as she stepped over to Melody with her hands on her hips. She reached out and snatched the stuffed cat out of Melody's hands. "I bet you asked Archie to win this for you too!"

Alexandra bristled. "Just one second, Veronica Lodge!"

Betty joined Veronica's side and grabbed one end of the stuffed cat. "Well, if Archie won that for you, it's our property now."

Veronica turned to Betty with an upturned lip. "Ours? You mean mine! Archie promised the take me out first!"

The two began a tug-of-war match with the stuffed cat.

"How would you even know that?" Betty barked and tugged the stuffed cat towards herself.

"I-I have evidence!" Veronica sputtered with another large tug towards herself.

Melody watched the match with fear in her eyes. Alexandra rushed to the rescue but before she could grab the stuffed cat away from the two, the prize violently split into two pieces, cotton flying out as both Betty and Veronica fell over.

"Mr. Kitty!" Melody cried out as her eyes welled with tears.

Alexandra grabbed both pieces from the stunned teenage girls on the ground. "You idiots! I won that prize for Melody! Me! Archie could barely knock one of those dumb dolls over!" She held up the two ends, one in each hand. "He's been stalking us all day, we didn't want him to! Now look what you've done! All of you apologize to Melody!"

Alexandra turned and motioned to Melody. The blonde girl was crying, something Alexandra was never ready for.

"H-hey, it's okay, Melody," Alexandra pleaded as she went over to comfort Melody. "It's only a stuffed animal – not the real thing."

Betty scrambled up as Archie reached down to help Veronica stand. "Yeah! I can fix it for you! We're really sorry!"

Melody wept, "Oh, Alexandra! You were right! I should've said no in the first place, and none of this would have ever happened!"

With that, Melody turned and rushed away in tears. Alexandra quickly went after her, knowing that if she stood there for even a split second Melody would run until she was completely lost. Thankfully, Melody's stamina quickly depleted and she sat down on a bench to cry. Alexandra paused for a second to catch her breath, and then sat down next to Melody. She placed the torn stuffed cat on her lap and slowly reached over to pat Melody's head.

"I don't get it, Darling. Archie Andrews is not worth crying over," Alexandra said.

Melody shook her head and wiped her tears away. "It's not that…it's just…why can't I ever say no? I'm always afraid of hurting other people. I want everyone to love each other and get along, but I don't know how to do that without saying no."

Alexandra thought about it. She thought about how in her family, "no" was a common word, especially when Alexander and her were younger and wanted their dad to buy them things. Then she thought about their relationship.

"Well, I hate to tell you this, Melody. But you say 'no' to me a lot," Alexandra chuckled.

Melody sat up, eyes wide and new tears forming in her eyes. "But, I never say no when you want to do bedroom stuff together…"

Alexandra blushed hard. "I don't mean that!" She let out a breath in an attempt to regulate her body temperature. "What I meant was that we have to always cancel our plans so you can practice, or perform in concerts, or when we're traveling with the others." When she saw that Melody didn't understand, Alexandra sighed. "In other words, my precious Pussycat, you do know how to say no when it comes to your music career. You just have to do the same thing with the rest of the stuff in your life. You need boundaries in all areas of your life."

Melody sniffed, "You mean I need to pretend to be the Canadian border?"

Alexandra stared at her and fought her natural urge to start throwing insults and yelling at Melody. "Uh…no, not at all." She turned and searched her brain for lessons her mother taught. "My mother use to say this: you can help others, but you need to know where to stop. If you give yourself completely to other people, they'll just keep asking and taking advantage of you."

Melody's face dropped. "Oh."

Alexandra searched the girl's face. "Do you understand now?"

"Yeah, but…I don't want anyone to hate me. I rather be used by people to make them happy than say no to them and let them down," Melody sighed.

Alexandra smirked. "Do I hate you?"

Melody looked up at her. "Gee, I don't think so…"

Alexandra laughed, "Then there you go!"

Melody's brow wrinkled. "You lost me."

Alexandra rolled her eyes with an amused laugh. "I just said you tell me 'no' to things I want to do with you when you have music stuff to do. I might sulk but that's because I'm just not use to hearing 'no.' I definitely don't hate you for it, and if I did, then I wouldn't be your friend. True friends respect each others' boundaries. Anyone else who gets mad at you for telling them you don't want to do something can take a long walk off a short cliff!"

Alexandra watched as Melody's brain slowly processed this new information. Finally, Melody looked up at Alexandra with a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Alexandra," Melody whispered through a final sniffle. They hugged each other and Melody looked over Alexandra's shoulder at the split stuffed animal. "Can we go back to the hotel and save Mr. Kitty?"

Alexandra pulled away and looked down at the stuffed animal. "Of course, Darling. Nurse Alexandra Cabot will take care of Mr. Kitty here."

She got up and took Melody's hand to help the girl up. Melody gathered the pieces of the giant stuffed cat into her arms.

"Ooh, will Nurse Cabot be wearing her nurse's outfit?" Melody giggled suggestively.

Alexandra gave her a wolfish grin. "In this hospital, we perform all our procedures in our underwear."

Melody now laughed loudly. "What a weird hospital!" She jumped when she remembered. "Oh! The concert!"

Alexandra blew a raspberry through her lips. "Please, we'll just tell Alex that they're just good at social media advertising and that's how they're getting so popular."

Melody shrugged. "Okay!"

They headed towards the entrance of the fair and passed by the concert grounds. Alexandra took a weary glance back at the Ferris Wheel looming overhead and suddenly felt guilty for not explaining to Melody why she had a fear of that particular ride.

"Oh no!" Melody suddenly gasped and pointed towards the concert grounds.

Alexandra looked to where she was pointing. There was a girl who looked around Veronica's age seated in a finely decorated wheelchair. She appeared stuck on a muddy patch of the grass while everyone mulling around the concert area either stared or ignored her. Melody looked over at Alexandra with pleading puppy dog eyes. Alexandra nodded and sighed as Melody dashed ahead of her. So much for that special procedure they had planned at their hotel room.

Alexandra caught-up to Melody and grabbed the wheels while Melody took the handles. "Okay, Melody, push!"

Melody pushed and Alexandra lifted the chair slightly and dragged it to a safe place. She shook off the mud on her hands and looked up at the girl.

"Hi, Harper," Alexandra greeted with a weak smirk.

Harper looked visibly relieved. "Alexandra Cabot! Melody Valentine! Thank you two so much! I thought I would be left there to grow weeds..."

Melody looked back at forth at the two. "You two know each other?"

Alexandra shrugged. "Sort-of. She's Harper Lodge, one of Veronica's many cousins."

Harper shrugged with a playful grin. "Eh, what can we say? Our family gets around." She motioned to the 'reserved' seats in front of the stage. "Are you two here for the concert? I got front-row seats over there."

Alexandra looked over at Melody. "Well, what do you think, Melody?"

Melody beamed. "I want to talk to Harper, so sure!"

Harper gasped, "Oh! What happened to your cat?"

Alexandra rolled her eyes with a sigh as Harper took the pieces from a now pouting Melody. "A cat fight happened."

Harper paused and frowned down at the stuffed animal. She searched the pockets on a bag that hung on the side of her chair. "Well, as a fashion designer, I always carry around a thread and needle in my stash. Come on, you two can sit down while I fix it for you as thanks."

Melody jumped into the air with her arms out. "Yay! Thank you, Harper!"

Alexandra silently kissed Nurse Alexandra Cabot's procedure goodbye. She watched Harper begin to make her way towards the seats and went to follow. Suddenly, Melody tugged her arm back. Alexandra turned her head to look up at the taller girl.

"Alexandra, I know you're angry at Archie, but please don't sabotage their performance…for me?" Melody pled.

Alexandra sighed in a playful tone, "Well, that's no fun."

Melody kissed her cheek and went to follow Harper. Alexandra smiled after the girls, shook her head, and followed.

+0+0+0+0+0+

About an hour later, the concert grounds began to fill with people who came to see the concert. Alexandra listened to Harper and Melody talk almost non-stop as Harper sewed the giant cat back together. While they chatted, Alexandra glumly counted all the ways she could sabotage the performance. There were loose wires all over the stage, snaking their way through and around The Archies' instruments. Everywhere on and off the stage were pieces of power equipment strewn about. On the very corners of the stage, fireworks were set-up to fire into the air after the concert. So many ways to cause chaos…Alexandra felt her fingers twitch.

"Oh!" a young woman's voice gasped.

Alexandra looked up at the owner of the voice. It was Marcy, the temporary manager of The Archies. Josie and the Pussycats knew her from the many concerts they played with The Archies.

"…You two are still here…" Marcy ended in almost a murmur.

Alexandra scowled up at her. "What's that suppose to mean?! It's a free country! We can go to any concerts we want!"

Melody beamed and waved. "Oh, hi Marcy!" She lightly swatted Alexandra's shoulder. "Be nice, Alexandra! She just didn't expect us to be here."

Marcy tugged at her white, collared shirt. "Oh, um, sure!"

Harper raised an eyebrow in her direction.

"Harper!" Reggie Mantle called out to her from the stage. When Harper met his eyes, he waved. "You missed all the drama! My dastardly plan worked!"

Harper shook her head and pointed to Melody and Alexandra. "Sorry."

Reggie jumped into the air with surprise. "Oh! Hey!" He shrugged. "Aw well, Betty and Veronica still gave Archie a good beating!"

He laughed and disappeared back behind the stage.

"Okay, spill it," Alexandra said pointedly at Marcy.

Marcy looked down at her feet. "Well, we thought that you two were here to ruin our show, so Reggie told Archie that Melody wanted to see her…hoping he would chase you two away."

Alexandra clenched her fists. "Ooo! Of all the dirty tricks! Our entire day was ruined because of that red-headed-klutz! It figures a Mantle would come up with a plan like that!"

Melody smiled at Alexandra. "Oh, come on, Alexandra. It turned out for the better, didn't it?"

Alexandra sighed, "Sure, Mel." She got up as casually as possible. "Excuse me, ladies. I need to find the Little Girl's Room."

Marcy clasped her hands together. "I'm really sorry!"

Harper looked at the smiling Melody. "Well, what's done is done. Sit down, Marcy. The concert is starting soon."

Alexandra headed towards the bathroom outhouses lined up at the edge of the concert grounds. She looked over her shoulder to see the three girls now distracted with chit-chatting. Alexandra smirked and ducked behind the stalls and snuck back towards the stage. Once she got to the stage, she thanked the lack of security and began to stuff the fireworks launchers with extra fireworks that were laying closeby. After over-stuffing both launchers, she cackled to herself and headed back to her seat.

Melody blinked at Alexandra when the heiress sat down with a very pleased smirk. "What took you so long?"

Alexandra fibbed, "Uh, they were out of toilet paper so I had to keep switching stalls."

Melody nodded sagely. "See? And Valerie thought my toilet paper belt idea wasn't any good!"

At that moment, the crowd erupted into screams and applause. The host of the County Fair came out onto the stage and began introducing The Archies one by one.

First, Jughead casually walked to his drums from behind the stage, in the middle of eating a 3-foot-long sandwich. He sat behind his drums and put the sandwich down on one cymbal.

Next, Reggie rushed out from behind the stage when his name was called. He flexed his muscles, picked up his guitar, then pointed and winked at several shrieking fangirls in the audience.

Then, Betty's name was called. She jogged onto the stage with her guitar already strapped on. When she got to her spot, she shyly waved at the hollering men in the audience. She spotted Melody and Alexandra and mouthed 'I'm sorry' to them. Melody smiled and waved while Alexandra merely smirked. Their revenge would come at the end of the show.

After, Veronica was called out onto stage. She strode out towards her keyboard like a runway model walking down a catwalk. Veronica paused several times to pose and bask in the attention the audience was giving her.

Finally, Archie was called. Alexandra noticed Marcy visibly brace herself, as if she was expecting something disastrous. From what she witnessed today with Archie, Alexandra could not blame Marcy. But nothing could brace anyone from what happened next. Archie tripped over one of the wires that connected two very large speakers on either side of the stage. The enormous speakers dropped flat onto the stage with a deafening, high-pitched electronic scream. Archie then became tangled in another wire that connected Veronica's keyboard. The keyboard went flying out from underneath Veronica's hands and collided with Reggie. Reggie yelped as he tumbled backwards and off the stage. The crushing and crashing of the sound equipment gathered below the stage rang out. Archie then fell off the stage, taking his guitar and two of the microphones with him.

"Oh my gosh!" Melody yelped.

Alexandra stared open-mouthed as several small fires ignited on and off the stage. "…This…is worse than anything I could ever dream of…"

Marcy flew off her seat and rushed to check on Reggie and Archie tangled in electronic equipment. The stage crew swarmed in with extinguishers and sand. Jughead cooked his sandwich on top of his cymbal over one of the small fires near his drums. Sirens filled the air and more fairgrounds crew rushed into the concert area.

All at once, the audience erupted into excited cheering and applause. Alexandra, Melody, and Harper slowly looked at each other as the fires grew and multiplied.

+0+0+0+0+0+

The first ambulance took Reggie away to the hospital because it was easier to rescue him from where he fell. Reggie was over-dramatically crying out in pain and kept asking if his "good looks" were still intact as he was taken away. However, the second ambulance that arrived attempted to bring Archie to the hospital, but the ambulance car had also somehow set on fire. Archie was laid out on a stretcher, his leg in a temporary splint until they could put it in a cast at the hospital. Most of the fires were still roaring on the stage despite starting over an hour ago.

Betty sighed as she watched another ambulance pull-up near the stage. "So…yeah. Now you know."

Alexandra shook her head with disbelief. "Seriously? People come to watch your concerts implode?"

Jughead stood next to Betty while he ate his third sandwich of the night. "Most of them. I guess word got around about Archie being so accident prone and it brought a lot more people to our concerts." He shrugged. "It's like a car wreck – you can't help but stare."

Marcy joined them and sighed heavily. "Well…another disaster."

"That was awesome!" one concert-goer cheered as he made his way past them.

"Woo-hoo! Fire!" his female companion hollered.

Marcy groaned and covered her face. A stage crew member walked over to the small group.

"Do you want us to release the fireworks?" he asked. "It's dark now and we would've released them by now anyway."

Alexandra jumped. "Uh…"

Marcy waved the man off. "Sure…at least that won't end in disaster."

Alexandra grabbed one of Melody's arms that cradled her newly repaired giant cat prize. "W-well… Melody and I should get going! It's getting dark and I promised her we would go on the Ferris Wheel!"

Melody looked up at Alexandra with wide, hopeful eyes. "You did?"

"Yeah! C-can't you remember anything?" Alexandra continued as her voice raised several octaves.

Melody jumped up and down excitedly and hugged her cat closer. "Yay!"

Betty smiled warmly at the two. "I'm sorry about today, girls. Archie…well…Archie has a strange effect on Veronica and me." She looked over at the ambulance crew looking over Archie. "How about we take you two out to dinner?"

"No thanks," Melody said quickly.

Betty continued, "Okay, well, how about lunch tomorrow?"

"No," Melody responded.

Alexandra held back her laughter when Melody looked up proudly at her.

Betty scratched her head. "Oh…well, okay then. Have fun you two!"

Melody nodded happily and began to skip off.

"Fireworks ready!" a stage member proclaimed.

"I can't wait!" Betty gasped happily.

"A dinner and a show," Jughead said through a mouthful of sandwich.

Alexandra turned and hurriedly followed Melody, sweat beading on her head as the crew began to set off the fireworks. When the two got further away, they heard huge explosions followed by shrieking of voices. They turned just in time to see several of the fireworks fly straight towards the third ambulance, explode and set the car on fire too.

"Golly!" Melody gasped.

Alexandra quickly took her shoulders and pushed her towards the concert grounds exit.

Meanwhile, Betty watched the third ambulance burn. Somehow, Archie's splint had caught on fire too, and the ambulance crew hurriedly, and painfully, beat the fire out with cloths.

She turned to Jughead. "…Do you want to ride the Ferris Wheel with me, Juggie?"

Jughead reeled back as if she had punched him. "Yuck! Betty! Yeesh!" He quickly walked away. "Hmph!"

+0+0+0+0+0+

Alexandra shook like a leaf as she and Melody sat down on the Ferris Wheel seat that waited for them. The attendant gave them a blanket and pushed the safety bar down. Melody's giant cat sat stuffed between them and Alexandra gripped one of its paws for dear life.

"It's okay, Alexandra. You'll feel better once we stop at the top and see the view," Melody gently cooed.

Alexandra almost leapt out of the seat when her phone vibrated. Her hands violently shook as she dug around her purse for her phone. Melody placed her hand ontop of Alexandra's.

"Don't," Melody whispered. "Talk to me."

Alexandra looked into Melody's eyes and released her phone and purse. She took in a deep breath and jumped fearfully when the Wheel cranked their seat upwards.

Alexandra looked away. "Ooo, this is going to sound silly..."

Melody giggled, "I always sound silly, so don't worry about it!"

That earned a small smile from Alexandra. She took in another breath and focused on the lights of the fairgrounds shining brightly in the dark. "When I was little, our family went to a fair with some of our cousins. Alex wanted to go on the Ferris Wheel and I got dragged along. The plan was that I was going to sit next to my mother and Alex was going to sit next to our aunt. Alex starting freaking out, nothing changes, and I ended up sitting next to one of my older cousins. When we were at the top, he started moving and shaking the seat back and forth like the idiot he was! I thought I was going to die!" She sighed and flushed. "So…there you go."

Melody stroked her shoulder. "Aw, you felt out of control in the situation and that went against your need to be in control of everything."

Alexandra stared at her. "…Wait, who are you?"

Melody laughed and looked out into the night. "Alexandra, look."

Alexandra realized they were already at the top. Her body automatically tensed every muscle that could be tensed and she fought the urge to close her eyes. The fairgrounds below sparkled with lights and off in the distance, Alexandra could see the lights from the buildings in a distant town. The moon's light highlighted everything that didn't have lights in a soft glow. Close by, the fires from the concert stage and the ambulances crackled.

Alexandra winced, feeling slightly guilty as another ambulance car pulled into the fair. [Good luck with that.]

Melody cuddled up to Alexandra and lifted the blanket so it covered their upper bodies. "Alexandra? Let's tell each other everything from now on."

Alexandra gulped as her phone vibrated again. "Everything?"

Melody nodded and said through a yawn, "Mm-hm."

Alexandra went quiet. Finally, she responded. "What if knowing something will hurt your feelings?"

Melody sat up and looked into Alexandra's eyes. "I would want to know anyway."

Alexandra took a deep, shaky breath. She slowly pulled out her phone, unlocked her screen, and handed it to Melody. Melody looked confused and then looked down at the phone. Her eyes grew huge as she saw the texts Harmony had been sending Alexandra.

"I'm sorry," Alexandra whispered. "I haven't responded to her, and I'm not interested, obviously. But I was afraid to block her or say anything because you two are so close."

Melody was quiet for a long moment. Finally, she threw the phone off the ride and curled back into Alexandra. "Thank you, Alexandra. I'll take care of Harmony, don't you worry."

Alexandra looked over the ride. "…That was my phone…"

Melody sat back up and looked over the ride. "Whoopsie…"

Off in the distance, the third ambulance loaded Archie into the back. Below, Betty and Veronica waited on line for a ride on the Ferris Wheel. Somewhere in the food stands, Jughead gorged on heart-stopping fried foods. On the ground, Alexandra's phone lied shattered.

High above, under colorful lights of the Ferris Wheel, Alexandra burst into hysterical laughter and Melody joined in.