Tomoko, Trev, and Abby were sitting in the school's auditorium watching the Variety Show tryouts. Trev and Abby were there to support their siblings while Tomoko was writing an article for the paper. "Archie Andrews?" Kevin who was in charge of casting called him up to the stage. Archie carried his guitar and took a seat on the stool. "And what will you be auditioning with?"
"Uh, an original song that I wrote called I'll Try." He spoke into the microphone.
"Try harder! Maybe try not sucking so much." Reggie heckled. The rest of the bulldogs who didn't get cut laughs.
"Come on, Archie. You got this." Abby yells in encouragement. He has been practicing day and night. He knew this song backward and forward.
"Take your time, Archie. Though we do have people waiting." Kevin didn't want to hurry him, but he didn't have all day.
"Oh god, he's choking." Trev put his hand over his mouth.
"Archie? Clock's ticking." Kevin reminds him.
"Excuse me. Sorry, I gotta go." He ran off stage. The crowd laughed with Reggie being the loudest.
"Grow up, Reggie," Abby shouted at him as she made her way to find Archie. She couldn't find him anywhere until she saw him and Val sitting on the ground in front of the bulletin board. She left them be seeing as Val could give him better advice on his stage fright than she could.
Veronica and Abby were at Andrews' Construction. Veronica had flowers for her mom while Abby brought lunch. They stop in their tracks when they see their parents making out. "Oh my god," They looked away quickly.
"I can't believe this." She walks back to the range rover that drove them there. "Did you know about this?" She asked when they got back in the car.
"No, they went out in high school but I..." Abby was telling her.
"They did? I thought my parents were high school sweethearts." Veronica was told that all her life.
"They were. My dad said they were serious until she left him for your dad." Abby began to feel cramped in the large car.
"I can't believe her. She must have come back here for him." She glares out the window.
"I thought you said you moved here because this is the only piece of property in her name." She doubted a woman would move back to her small hometown to get back with an ex-lover, whose business was failing. Mrs. Lodge was beautiful. She could get another rich handsome man if she wanted to.
"Maybe, who knows what to believe anymore." The rest of the ride to Andrew's house was silent.
"Thanks for the ride." Abby got out of the car.
"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to the Variety show with Hermoine." Fred walks into his daughter's room.
"Oh, a second date." Abby tried to not let the sickness show on her face as the unwanted image of them making out filled her head.
"The drive-in was just a hangout." He denied.
"So you're telling me that you were in a car with a beautiful woman and you didn't make a move." She tilts her head.
"Yes, because I am a gentleman. Don't make this weirder than it is? I just want you to know. I don't want any surprises." He told her.
"Don't worry, dad. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." She smiled.
"I have raised some pretty understanding kids," He kissed her forehead before walking out.
"That is not going to last," Trev noted as Veronica walks down the hall with Melody and Josie with cat ears on her head.
"Agreed, I mean if your sister who has the most patience in the world can't deal with Josie then no way is Ice Queen Veronica going to." Abby rolled her eyes. Archie told her how Veronica went off on him. While she had her reason, she didn't appreciate the displaced aggression. She should be giving that attitude to her mother.
"Honestly, I think Val going independent or starting another band with Melody would be better. Josie has to control everything. She didn't even write the songs or the music." Trev never cared for Josie. He knew she took her music seriously, but treating her bandmates like garbage wasn't okay.
"Maybe this whole thing will blow over and Josie will learn how much your sister means to the band." Tomoko tried to look on the bright side.
"I just hope this works out for Val. She's been stressing over this." He hates seeing his sister worrying herself over pity people.
"What's going on here?" FP looked around the yard at the Sunnyside trailer park. Furniture and construction tools were in front of a trailer that had its door wide open.
Fangs came out with a trash bag that he threw to the side. "What's going on?" FP asked the teen.
"Oh, we're ripping out the smelly carpet and putting in vinyl flooring." He pointed to the bag when he said carpet.
"You should have said something, I would have got some of the guys to help you out. A few of us know about construction." He told the younger male.
"Oh, we took an expert with us. She got us a good deal too." He points with his thumb back into the trailer.
"My ears are burning." Abby came out. She was wearing a black tank top with a vampire mouth biting the side of its lower lip, black shorts, and a pair of well-worn converses. Her hair was in two braids, so you could see her stitch stud. She had a Cheshire Cat cup in hand. "Oh, hi Uncle." She waves to the man. He waves back.
Sweet Pea comes out and walks down to take a seat on the couch. "I need a break before we carry this shit back in."
"Your dad knows you burrow all this." He gestures to the table saw.
"Yeah," She nods.
"He's okay with you taking the flooring?" He didn't believe her.
"Nah, we got that from Lowes. It only costs a dollar something square foot. It's not like we got a lot of that." Sweet Pea corrected that right away. He didn't want anyone thinking he was using her to fix up his house. He didn't even care, it was Fangs who wanted the upgrade.
FP walked into the trailer and was stunned by how good it looked. "That looks like real wood and tile." He walks out to tell the teens.
"Yeah, it's amazing." Abby nods. A lot of people wouldn't know unless you tell them.
"You know how to do all this?" FP didn't think Fred would let his pressure angel anywhere near a dangerous work site.
"Oh, I can do flooring, putting up walls, and stuff. It's the heavy lifting things that dad won't let me learn." She pouted about being left out of things.
"You don't need to be moving heavy things. Almost got a hernia moving that damn washer and dryer. Thank god, your dad let us borrow that dolly." Sweet Pea was happy that they did that part first. He wouldn't have the strength after.
"Man, you need to work out more." Fangs flex his arms.
"Don't show up in front of my lady." He got up to cover her eyes making Abby giggle.
FP smiled as he watched the young couple. "I'll help you kids put the stuff back."
"Thanks, FP." Fangs smiled.
They move the furniture back inside. After they returned the equipment, they went to the Whyte Wyrm. It was BBQ night, so there were burgers and hotdogs. "Stop staring at me." She scolds Sweet Pea.
"I'm just waiting for you to eat the hot dog," He shrugs, laughing.
"Pervert." Toni scoffs.
Abby took a hard bite making sure to show her teeth ripping away at the meat. The boys let out a whimper while Toni laughed. "Hello there," She reached down to pet the sheepdog that was sniffing her legs. He put his front paws onto her lap to take the hotdog from her hands. "Hey," She glares at the dog eating her food.
"Hot dog," Toni scolds him.
"Gross, cannibalism." Fangs made a disgusted face.
"It really might be, who knows what is in hot dogs." Sweet Pea jokes.
"Don't say that." Abby put a hand over her heart at the thought of eating a dog.
He grabbed Hot Dog to pull him up to make like the dog was talking. "Please don't eat me, Abby. Please, I still have so much to live for." He did a Goofy impression.
"Shut up, I would never." She whines. She got up to hug Hot Dog. "Oh, you stink." She pulls away from the dog.
"How do you think you smell lady? You were sweating like a pig earlier today." He spoke as Hot Dog again.
"Sweet Pea!" She slaps his shoulder.
They were having dinner at the Lodges as a way for Fred to talk to the mayor about getting the contract for the building replacing the drive-in. "So, Myles, you being a professional jazzman, you must be living your dream, right?" Fred asked Mr. McCoy.
"Well, yes and no. The real struggle is always art versus commerce." He was constantly going against the grain of what is in right now to make the music he loves.
"You know, I've never been about the big paycheck either." Fred respects his passion.
"But if we're talking about the future and long-term security, it can't always be about following your bliss." Mrs. McCoy shot her husband a sly look. He gave her a look back that said this wasn't the time or place.
"Personally, I'm just excited to see my daughter perform with the Pussycats at the Variety Show." Hermoine thought she was helping the conversation turn lighter.
"Oh, yeah…." Josie was about to share her excitement when her dad cut her off.
"I beg your pardon? When were you gonna tell me about this?" He glares at his daughter.
"It just happened, Dad, and she's... She's really, really good. And Val quit. Or should I say we were Yoko Ono'd?" She glares at Archie.
"I heard it was because of a Diva complex." Abby looks at Josie over her glass of water as she sips it. Josie glares at her.
"That's unfortunate. She was the real deal. Gave your act some much-needed integrity." Myles always let it be known that he thought Josie music played to the crowd.
"Well, I figured as long as the kids are having fun, that's the point, right?" Fred tried to relieve the tension.
"Except it's more than just about being fun for us. Isn't it, Josephine?" He looks at his daughter.
"Josephine? I didn't know that was your real name." Archie tried to change the subject.
"After Josephine Baker. You have no idea who that is, do you?" Myer shot Archie an unimpressed look.
"Yes, he does. Remember Archie, for Black History month the drive-in played the silent movie she was in Sirens of the Tropics. They played her music." She reminds him.
"I didn't think I went with you." Archie didn't want to go along and get asked questions he couldn't answer.
"Yes you did, remember she falls in love with Pierre Batcheff character. She follows him to Paris to find that he's in love with someone else. She finds another love in music. She becomes a performer." She tried to jog his memory.
"I haven't been to the drive-in since we were kids." He hissed at her.
"Oh my god, you weren't there." She realized that he didn't go with her. She went with Trev and Tomoko.
"At least someone takes the time to educate themselves in the arts." Myers thought the boy was the problem with today's musicians. Kids want to get into music because they saw dollar signs. They didn't care about the history of the craft.
"Fred? You wanna get started on that presentation?" Hermoine tried to stop this train wreck. "Yeah." He got up to do the purpose of tonight. They move to the living room for it. "And with the labor force coming from Riverdale, Andrews Construction would be stimulating the local economy. It's a win for the entire town. That's it in a nutshell." He ends his presentation.
"Well... after all that salt-of-the-earth talk, I didn't expect you to be another dollar-chasing gentrifier." Myles was surprised by the presentation after Fred saying he doesn't chase the big paycheck.
"Myles, Fred Andrews is a working man who lives in the real world. I think Fred's bid was refreshing. In fact, I'd like to award him the contract. I'd like to, Fred, but the buyer's already in the process of accepting another bid. It would take two shareholder signatures to stop the process." She got up from her seat to shake his hand.
Abby felt bad for her dad, for everyone. They sat through that tense dinner for nothing.
"Hello, Riverdale High, and welcome to the annual Variety Show!" Kevin greeted the crowd. They cheer as a response. Abby was sitting in the crowd with Sweet Pea. Her best friends and his were with them too.
The pussycats walk on the stage. "Oh, Val is there." She points to the girl behind the keyboard.
"I hope she negotiates like she said she was going to." Trev smiles at his sister looking happy on stage.
"All she wants is to sing on the bridges with her. Josie would be crazy not to give that to her. What kind of band only has drums and a tambourine?" Tomoko claps.
They started to play Donna Summers, I feel Love. "I got to say I'm digging the outfits." Toni looks at the leotard dressed girls.
In the end, Josie rushed off the stage. Her bandmates follow her to make it look less odd. "That was Josie and the Pussycats! Longtails and ears for hats." Kevin came back on stage.
"They were good." Fangs told Trev.
"Thanks," He took the compliment for his sister.
"So, having a good time?" Abby looks at Sweet Pea.
"It's alright." He shrugs.
"Here's Archie Andrews!" Kevin introduced him. Archie came on stage and sat on a stool in front of the microphone.
"Stick to football!" Reggie yells making the crowd laugh.
"Is that the asshole?" Sweet Pea glared.
"How did you know?" She asked.
"Something about wanting to punch his face." He cracks his knuckles.
"Let's not get arrested tonight." She grabbed his hand.
Archie started to play his song, I'll try. "Can you hear me? Am I drowned out in the crowd? Are you listening? Or is everyone else too loud for you to hear anything? Are you just gonna walk away? 'Cause there are so many things I can do, but instead I'll say I'll try, I'll try to let it go."
"This is the best he has ever sounded." Abby was proud of him. It took a lot of courage for him to be up there fighting for his goals. When he was done, she stood up to cheer and clap for him. Everyone follows suit.
"Thank you for coming." She walks Sweet Pea to his bike.
"It's no big deal," He put his hands in his pockets.
"It is a big deal. I know you would rather be doing a million other things than watching a talent show. But you came here because I asked you to. It means a lot to me." She smiles.
"How about you show me?" He pulls her flush against him. She giggles as she wraps her arms around his neck to pull him down into a kiss.