Chapter 2:
More New Friends
After a good night's sleep, Annabelle gets up, showers, and dresses. She brushes her teeth and heads out the door. She walks over to Pop's for breakfast. As she walks inside, she spots Archie and Veronica sitting in a booth with two other people she doesn't know. A girl, who is medium-height with long, blonde hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a white blouse and jeans. She looks to be about sixteen. The boy beside her is the same age. His dark hair is covered with a dark grey beanie, which looks like a crown. His clothes are of mute colors, and he's wearing a black leather jacket with a serpent stitched on the back.
"Hey, Annabelle!" Veronica greets with a wide smile.
"Hi," the princess waves.
"Here, come sit with us," Archie says, scooting over to make room. Anna sits down between Archie and Veronica.
"Betty, Jughead, this is Annabelle. She just came here yesterday." Archie says, gesturing to her. Betty extends her hand to Anna, who shakes it.
"Welcome to Riverdale. It's nice to meet you," says Betty warmly. Annabelle nods, "Thank you. You, too."
Jughead looks up from his laptop. "Hi," he says."So, how do you like the town so far?"
"It's nice," she answers.
"What do you guys have planned for today?" the princess asks.
"Well, Veronica and I have cheerleading camp today until two, and then we're going shopping," answers Betty.
"Cool. I've never been to cheerleading camp before. Can I come and watch?" asks Annabelle.
"Sure," Betty says. Annabelle orders a breakfast special with eggs over medium, sausage links, and hashbrowns. She eats and chats with her new friends.
After breakfast, she, Betty, and Veronica go to the football field. They see a group of girls huddled in the middle of the field. One of the girls has long, wavy, bright red hair and a tall figure. Her skin seems flawless and polished. She stands as if she rules the world. The girl next to her had dark skin and pink hair. She, too, looks beautiful. They were all wearing blue and yellow cheerleading uniforms.
"Hey, Cheryl, Toni!" Betty yells.
"What took you so long?" Cheryl snaps. "We're burning daylight!"
"We had to have breakfast first," Veronica replies.
"Whatever. Get ready." Cheryl orders. Betty and Veronica gave her an annoyed stare and went to warm up. Anna stands there alone, face-to-face with Cheryl.
"Who are you?" she demands.
"I-I'm Annabelle. I just moved here." the princess answers.
"What are you doing here? Cheerleading tryouts are in the fall." Cheryl says smugly.
"Relax, Cheryl," Veronica says from her spot on the ground, stretching her legs. "She just came to watch."
Cheryl rolls her eyes and stalks back to the group. She grabs her yellow pom poms and instructs the girls to get into formation. Annabelle goes to a set of bleachers and sits down. She watches as the cheerleaders perform their cheer.
It's nearly one-thirty when they start to get tired. Betty and Veronica take a sip from their water bottles. Sweat drips down their faces.
At two o'clock, they finish. After cheerleading camp, the girls get in their cars and leave. Veronica and Betty stop by their houses to change. Then they go shopping. They hit several clothing stores, buying dresses, shirts, and pants. They also buy shoes.
After shopping, they eat dinner at a small cafe in one of the stores.
"So, I have to ask, why do you guys call Jughead 'Jughead'?" Annabelle asks, taking a bite out of her chicken strip.
"His real name is Forsythe Pennington Jones the Third," replies Betty.
"Okay. Well, that explains a lot." the princess chuckles. The three girls laugh as they continue their meal.
Veronica looks at her watch and gasps. "Oh, shoot. It's getting late. I've got to get home now before my parents kill me." She and the others finish dinner and head out.
It's near dark when Annabelle arrives at the hotel with hands full of shopping bags. She sets them in the chair. Anna's too tired to put on her pajamas. She climbs into bed and falls asleep quickly.