Jason Blossom was shot. That's the news I wake up to the night after the dance and the after-party, a little hungover and a lot exhausted. Kevin found the body down by the river last night with a hole in its head, and the news spreads about town as quickly as you would expect. (I absentmindedly wonder what Kevin was doing down there, but maybe that's just something that people in Riverdale do. Maybe that's the prime hookup spot.) Veronica and Mother go down to the river to watch them pull the body out, but I choose to stay home. I didn't know the guy, and although it's tragic what happened to him, me showing up like I have any claim to any part of his life seems like a terrible thing to do.
Instead I text Penelope and ask her to meet up at Pop's. When I get to the diner, she's already claimed a booth and has a milkshake in front of her, condensation dripping on the formica tabletop. "I'm guessing you heard the news?" I ask her after ordering a peanut butter-chocolate shake at the front counter. Usually I try to avoid these kind of calories as much as possible, but this is something of a special occasion, I suppose.
"Who hasn't?" Penelope replies, absentmindedly twirling her straw in her thick drink, "Cheryl sent a mass text to the Vixens as soon as they found the body. She's destroyed, of course."
"Of course," I murmur. I don't know what to say. Penelope had probably known Jason, seeing as this town is probably a fifth of the size of New York's smallest borough. Plus she's a Vixen, and apparently Jason Blossom had been a football hotshot. Their acquaintanceship would practically be a rule. "I'm sorry for your loss."
Penelope's lip quivers a bit but she somehow pushes through it. "I mean, we all already thought he'd drowned. So we haven't really lost him, not again. He was already gone." She's being surprisingly flippant about this, but I decide to roll with it. She has to grieve in her own way.
"So what do you want to do today?" I inquire eventually, after a long silence filled with milkshake slurps and cellphone taps. Penelope looks up at me, her grey-blue eyes twinkling merrily, and I think that this odd blonde girl is going to be one of my best friends here.
School on Monday starts as a quiet affair. Everyone is understandably shaken. I consider talking to Archie when I see him standing at his locker in the morning, if only because he's the only person I know in the vicinity. And maybe everyone could use a distraction like me flirting with him and him getting flustered. But then a black-haired boy in a tragic beanie sidles up to the football player, and I decide against my original plan. Veronica had scurried away as soon as we'd arrived, so unlike a Lodge, leaving me tragically on my own.
The boy that propositioned me at the party enters the hallway with a goon posse behind him. He's not bad-looking, I decide, even if he is a little too much of a meathead for my taste. But he seems popular enough, and a little popularity could go a long way right now. So I strut up to him, making sure to swing my hips in my black Roland Mouret pencil skirt. It does amazing things for my curves, and I'm glad I picked today to wear it.
"Hey there," I say when I reach the boys. They're leaning against some lockers, chuckling about something ridiculous, I imagine. They immediately look me up and down, predatory grins sliding onto their faces. Glad to know I haven't lost my touch.
"Hello, beautiful." The main meathead waves his friends away impatiently, winking at me as he does so. I put up with it because I'm bored and in need of attention.
"I don't think we were properly introduced on Saturday," I say, biting my lower lip, "I'm Gwendolyn."
"Reggie. Reggie Mantle." He leans towards me a bit. I place my free hand on his admittedly-toned bicep, squeezing lightly. He smirks.
"Well, it is a pleasure to meet you," I tell him as I allow a wicked smile to dance across my red lips. "It's such a tragedy that we didn't get much of a chance to talk this weekend. I'm just so interested in getting to know you."
Reggie's forehead wrinkles and he frowns a little. "If I remember correctly, babe, you didn't seem so interested at Chez Blossom."
I lean in, standing on my tiptoes so I can whisper in his ear. "That's because I don't share," I say, blowing on the shell of his ear. He shivers a little, and now I'm the one smirking. "I'd like to think I'm more than enough," I add as I return to flat feet - well, as flat as they can be in Louboutins.
Reggie opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, Penelope sweeps in and clutches onto my arm. "Hi, Reggie," she greets him sweetly before turning to me with wide eyes. "Gwen, can I talk to you?" I sigh but nod. She drags me away, but not before Reggie motions silently for me to call him. I laugh under my breath. There's no way that's going to happen, since I don't even have his number.
"What's up, P?" I ask as she drags me into the girls' bathroom. There are some freshmen inside that are trying to perfect their cat eye (they are doing terribly and should probably give up until they hit actual puberty), but Penelope shoos them out with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"I have some life-changing news!" she says, almost squealing. Her eyes are twinkling like they did this weekend, before we embarked on quite the party bender that I thought she'd still be recovering from. I guess she can keep up with me, after all. I don't say anything, allowing one of my perfectly-shaped eyebrows to raise and do the talking instead.
She grabs my hands, squeezes them, and then announces, "You got a spot on the River Vixens!" She starts jumping up and down, eventually stopping when she realizes that I'm not excited. "Why aren't you freaking out?"
"P, I didn't even try out. And I trashed Cheryl to her face." I can feel my forehead crinkling but I can't help it. "What the hell's going on?"
Penelope's face turns somber. "Ginger overheard one of the new sophomores saying that Jason deserved to die for being such an asshole, and immediately reported it to Cheryl. Now she's off the team and you're in."
I mull it over for a minute. I wasn't planning on joining the Vixens, but maybe it wouldn't be such a terrible idea. Relying on a boy for my popularity was never my favorite plan, and now I might not have to. Besides, I don't really mind the idea of getting to watch Cheryl work out in a cheerleading skirt, loathe as I am to admit it.
"Fine," I eventually sigh, "Run off and tell Cheryl Bombshell that I'm in." Now Penelope squeals, throwing herself at me and squeezing tightly. She's adorable like a puppy, and I'm glad we've managed to already become close.
"You won't regret this!" she shouts behind her as she sprints away. Meanwhile, I grip the bridge of my nose. I'm already regretting it.
I don't see my sister until lunch, and she doesn't even acknowledge me at first. I'm sitting across the table with Archie. He's working on a song, guitar in his lap, and I'm sitting next to him, pouring over my worn copy of Emma, also known as my favorite book. (Emma Woodhouse is an icon.) Veronica approaches with Kevin and Betty, and everyone is a little tense. It could be because of Kevin's accidental mention of Saturday's closet incident, but I think Jason's death has even this little group rattled.
Veronica sits down across from me, giving me a quick smile before turning her attention back to her new friends. "Archie," she asks, "Any new material you want to try out on a very forgiving audience?" I roll my eyes and turn back to my book. This is going to be one of those days where Veronica tries way too hard, and I don't want anything to do with it. I'm not the one who kissed my new friend's almost-boyfriend.
My interest is piqued when Archie asks Betty if she's okay, and I look up to see her almost in tears. She gives something of a sassy answer (I'm almost impressed) before running off. Archie follows after her, not even taking the time to put his guitar in its case, and I watch Veronica watch him. I know my sister, and I can tell she's feeling something for him. I feel bad for her but she also got herself into this. So I return to my book once more.
At River Vixens practice after school, Cheryl already has us learning a routine. She puts Veronica in the center of it all, and I am cast off to the side to shake my butt like a simpleton. I'm not pleased, not at all. I taught Veronica everything she knows, for fuck's sake. But I suppose Cheryl's feeling threatened by me.
We've only just started our first full run-through of the routine when Cheryl stops us. She starts monologuing about how we're disappointing her and how the town's eyes are on her right now, and I roll my eyes, something I've been doing a lot since moving to this one-salon town. She then says something about needing the Pussycats, and we're given our first break of the practice. Veronica immediately makes a beeline for Betty, while I fall in with Penelope and a few other girls.
"Cheryl's off her rocker," one of the girls whispers, after darting glances around the room to make sure the redhead isn't lurking. "We only just learned this routine."
"My dad says all the Blossoms are crazy," another girl adds, "That's why they're all secluded up at Thornhill. He says they lock up the crazier members of the family in the basement, and no one's ever allowed over because the inmates scream at all hours."
I idly examine my nails as I speak up. "First of all, we were all just at the Blossom house this weekend, and I didn't hear any screaming. Did you?" I assume they shake their heads, but I don't care enough to give them my full attention. "And I wouldn't be surprised if Cheryl's 'off her rocker' as you said. Her brother's died twice in the past few months. Maybe you need to grow a heart." I walk away before they can say anything else, the squeak of Penelope's sneakers trailing behind me.
"That was really nice of you," she tells me as we perch on a low row of the bleachers. I pull out my phone from my backpack, checking my notifications and not allowing any expression onto my face.
"It wasn't nice, it was just the only thing to do," I respond. "Those girls are despicable."
"I'll let you in on a little secret," Penelope says, moving towards me. Her breath ghosts over my neck but I don't allow myself to jolt. I am calm and collected at all times. "Most people in this town are just as bad. At least Cheryl's honest about it."
Cheryl comes back in at that moment, immediately heading towards my sister and Betty, who are clearly arguing. They're getting loud enough that I can hear them from where Penelope and I sit. I groan as I realize they're fighting over Archie still. What is it about him that apparently makes rational girls go crazy?
The red-headed girl locks hands with Betty, and the two walk away, all smiles. Something settles in my stomach like a boulder, and I find myself frowning. I'm not sure what that's about but I push it away. My sister is clearly upset and I suppose I should go comfort her. I stand up, ask Penelope to give me a minute, and head towards where Veronica stands almost in the center of the gym.
"You okay, Ron?" I ask, using a nickname that generally makes her laugh. I gingerly place my hand on her arm, silently willing her to open up. But instead she shakes me off and glares at me with poisoned daggers in her eyes.
"Butt out," she snarls before stomping away to join some other Vixens. I'll let her be, for now. She can't get away from me that easily.
After practice, the driver takes Veronica and I to Pop's. Mother is a waitress there now, and neither of us girls is feeling too inclined to be at home together right now. We perch on bar-stools at the counter, Veronica with a milkshake and me with a cup of coffee. (I'm going to need the caffeine to deal with her attitude.) Veronica tries her best to keep Mother company while I choose to continue reading my book.
"You're doing great, Mom," Veronica says at one point, trying to cheer Mother up as she approaches us, "Better than me this week."
"That's not hard," I say under my breath, not looking up from my book. I can feel my sister's gaze on me, and I'm sure she's thinking some not-so-fuzzy thoughts in my direction.
"Yeah, we're surviving, Ronnie, by our wits," Mother replies, "Because that's what we Lodge women do." She sighs. "If Dad could see us now."
Veronica stands up and approaches Mother, who I can see is wiping glasses by the cash register. "He'd say you look stunning in that new uniform," she informs Mother.
"Except he hates the color yellow," I mutter. This time, Veronica doesn't hear me. Or maybe she does, and she's decided that the best way to live is to completely ignore me.
"I'm going for this Joan Crawford, Mildred Pierce thing," Mother informs her youngest, "Is it working?"
"Definitely," Veronica responds around a small chuckle. I sigh and snap my book shut, standing to join my family.
"I'm going to go outside. There's so much grease in here, I'm getting zits just by breathing in the air," I say. I head towards the door at the same time that it jangles open merrily. (I've grown to hate the sound of that bell over the course of the afternoon.) I stop just inches from running into a perplexed-looking Archie.
"Hello, Archie darling," I purr, because why not? I have nothing better going on, and I really do enjoy how pink he gets when I talk to him. It's one of the few bright spots of this town.
"Oh, um...hi Gwendolyn," he says, scratching at his neck, "I'm just...here to pick up some food."
I sigh again, this time pretending to be wistful. "Of course you are." I wink at him. "Let me know when you want to give the prettier Lodge sister a go." I make sure to sway my hips as I leave. I hope he sees.
I only stay outside long enough for Archie to get his food and leave with Veronica in tow. Then I sneak back inside and startle Mother. "You know this town's already gotten its mud-stained fingers into her?" I say, retaking my bar stool and opening my book again. There's nothing else to entertain me here, and I don't want to go back to the apartment quite yet. If I have to walk in on Archie and Veronica making out, which seems possible, I might vomit.
Mother doesn't say anything in response, hurrying back to her tables instead. But as she goes, I can see the worry that's etching itself into her face. It's obvious she's not feeling as comfortable being back in Riverdale as she lets on. And I can't decide how that makes me feel.
A/N: Finally a new chapter! Sorry it's been like over six months since I updated! I really have no excuse. But at least I haven't given up on this fic?
Chapter dedicated to dubonet on tumblr because she's the biggest sponsor of all my writing endeavors ever.