8dr Whovian: Thank you! That's lovely to hear! Yeah they definitely have a long road ahead of them for sure. Their relationship as a whole and Hiram's return later down the line will be a little different this time around, I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on it. Yeah Cheryl and Elena certainly have some talking to do, especially where Betty is concerned. Thank you for reviewing and continuing to read! :)
As Elena made her way up the stairs to her apartment, she was pretty much a permanent resident of cloud nine. Not even the still broken down elevator could ruin her mood. She'd made it through her meeting with her mom and things had actually gone well between them. They'd exchanged numbers with Elena promising to stop by the Pembrooke next week, before she'd had to leave to go deal with the last of her and Veronica's stuff arriving at the apartment. Then once she'd left, Nell had came over to jump excitedly with Elena in celebration. Veronica had been equally giddy when she had recounted the whole thing to her over the phone, leaving Elena on quite the happiness high.
As cheesy as it sounded, Elena felt as though she'd stepped on to a new path in her life she hadn't even realised was in front of her. And what that might be, to Elena it seemed like looking at the Emerald City from a distance. Bright, dazzling and full of possibilities. Good things were on the horizon. She just had to breathe deeply and try not to overthink it all.
Once Elena reached her apartment door she paused for a moment, simply so she could soak in the hopeful feeling that she had practically floated home from. I talked to Mom and Veronica and it went well in both cases. This year was going to be good, hell, maybe even amazing. They would catch-up, they would talk things over and hopefully have some kind of a future together as an actual family. A healthy one to boot! The mere thought made Elena giddy, a happy grin cemented on to her face as she unlocked her apartment door and stepped inside.
She shut the door and turned on the light, turning briefly to lock it once more.
"You're home!" A voice stated cheerily.
For the second time that day Elena's heart backflipped in her chest, an undignified screech flying from her mouth along with a few swear words. Her eyes narrowed in on a beaming Cheryl, who was comfortably stretched out on the couch like she lived there. Elena shook her head, heart still hammering in her chest as she shrugged off her jacket and hung it up. "I'm putting a bell collar on you." She joked warningly, making her way over to join the redhead. Cheryl shifted a little to allow for room, throwing her legs over Elena's once she was comfortable.
"I have the most amazing treat for you!" Cheryl informed her, wearing a red grin that made Elena's insides warm. Cheryl had the most wonderful smile she'd ever seen, so dazzling and bright that it seemed to warm her from the inside out everytime she was on the recieving end of it. She would catch Cheryl smiling at her sometimes like she was the most beautiful treasure she'd ever set her eyes on. Like the way her Mom had looked at a Glamerge egg everytime her father bought her one for Christmas. No one had ever looked at her that way before, and god she wanted it to stay that way. She wanted things to stay as perfect and as safe as they had always been. For Cheryl to keep looking at her like she'd always done. But just like with her parents, Elena's mind knew deep down that something was wrong. It wasn't normal to fear anger, reprisal or abandonment for telling someone how you felt, or having a different opinion from them. And sooner or later, she would have to say something. Even if the fearful, ever present anxious side of her brain was screaming at her not to. That if she did, she would lose the girl who'd taught her that not all romantic relationships were toxic cesspools filled with infidelity and blatant lying. That love could be wonderful, healthy, world-sweeping, beautiful and good for both sides. That even in the worst of times, it held true.
"Do tell." Elena urged, intrigued as to what could make her go from bitchy to giddy in the space of a few hours.
"Well," she locked her hands together, adorably all business, "My dress for the semi-formal tomorrow is finally fit for viewing! I thought I would bring it here for you to see in all its magnificence and model it for you!" She squealed, launching into a series of fake modelling poses. Her joy was so nice to witness especially after the foul mood she'd been in earlier, that all thoughts of confrontation went out of Elena's head at once.
Elena placed a contemplative finger to her chin. "My, my, I wonder what the colour could be?"
"Don't be wry Ellie!" Cheryl tutted, heading into her bedroom to change. "You won't be making jokes when you see me in all my shining glory!"
"Oh I bet." Elena laughed. Cheryl Blossom could make sweats seem like extravagant ballgowns, with no makeup and her hair a mess to boot. To see her in such a beautifully messy state was a privlege few had ever been afforded.
As she waited for Cheryl to change, Elena pondered over how best to bring up where she'd been. Would she be offended that she hadn't told her off the bat? However Cheryl, being very on brand, beat her to the punch. "So where did you scurry off to earlier? That sister of yours mentioned something about an important meeting?" She inquired from behind the door, huffing between words so hard that it made Elena titter.
"It was." She confirmed.
"Who pray tell, was it with?" A hint of jealous underlining her tone that pleased Elena greatly. It was petty of her, but it told her everything she needed to know. Cheryl still liked her. Enough to speculate as to who she was meeting with and envy the time she spent with other girls their age.
"My mom."
Cheryl's huffing and puffing stopped at once. Elena heard some movement going on in her room, before the door opened, Cheryl's head poking out. "Why didn't you lead with that?" She demanded.
"You were excited." Elena laughed, finding her girlfriend's floating head particularly rib-tickling. "Plus I really enjoy tormenting you."
Cheryl frowned for a second as she wondered why it was Elena was laughing, then realisation hit her. She rolled her eyes in that same, familiar fond way of hers, like she couldn't quite understand how she'd landed a girlfriend with such an impeccable sense of humour as hers. "A child. A literal child." She mumbled under her breath, her head retreating behind the still open door. "Regale me whilst I try to get this thing on."
"It was great." Elena summarised, kicking off her shoes. An unpleasant premonition of Nell returning home and giving her a twenty minute lecture on keeping things tidy suddenly hit her, prompting her to place her converse sneakers on the shoe rack they had by the apartment door. "Really great! I mean we talked and she actually listened!" She enthused, jumping back on to the couch and stretching out on it. "She apologised and I told her about some of the problems I was having. My anxiety, school, all things arch-fiend and..." Elena sighed happily, fully content for the first time in a long while. "I felt like I got my Mom back today. I mean it's still early days and we have a long way to go, but it felt like we took a huge step. One that could maybe lead to a permanent reconciliation." She admitted hopefully, beaming to herself. Maybe it was bad luck to put it out there, but she wasn't afraid to admit it to herself anymore. She was going to work for this and she was certain her Mom was planning on doing the same. "I opened up." She let out a little laugh of disbelief. "I opened up and it actually worked out well. Is this what people feel like all the time? I feel giddy!" She shook her clutched fists, continuing to grin.
The floating head popped out once more, a fond smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Oh Ellie! I'm so proud of you! Look at you charging in there and talking to your mother!" (Elena decided not to mention her walk around the parking lot prior to going inside.) "You..." A sad look flickered on her face. "You must be thrilled."
"I'm sorry Cher." Elena apologised, knowing what that look meant. "If you don't want me to talk about it-"
"No, no!" She dismissed with a shake of her head, sticking out a hand to urge her to continue. "Don't mind me." Noting her hesitation, Cheryl offered her a reassuring smile. "I'm just feeling a little nostalgic for times long past this week. So did you mention me?"
"I did."
"I take it for the time being I'm your gal pal that occasionally sleeps over?" She teased, arching a suggestive brow.
"Cross out that last part and that's a yes." Elena confirmed. "She's knows your my dearest and most gorgeous friend. That conversation..." Elena pulled a nervous face that spoke volumes. "Well that conversation is one I'm about as eager to bring up to her as you are with Adolf and Ava."
Elena met Cheryl's eyes, biting her lip to surpress a laugh as she took note of Cheryl's still floating head. "Babe?"
"Hmph?"
"Do you need some help with the zipper?"
The redhead's face morphed into a comically glum expression. "Will you?"
Elena hopped off the couch with a giggle, making her way over to join Cheryl by her room door. "Avert your eyes momentarily." She instructed, making sure Elena had her eyes covered before she opened the door. Elena heard her shuffling about before she'd finally manouvered her back to her. "Alright proceed."
"Sir yes sir." Elena took her hand away from her eyes, finding herself greeted with quite a sight. She appeared to be wearing a red off the shoulder dress with quite a sizeable skirt, but most notable of all was the creamy skin of Cheryl's bare back that was out on display to her. She stared hungrily for a moment, appreciating the sight in front of her. Elena reached out and grazed her hand against her girlfriend's back, smirking with barely concealed pride as the redhead shivered.
Cheryl took a few seconds too long to regain herself, making Elena's pleased smirk only grow wider. "Do stop being so distracting." She attempted to admonish, but the heat in her tone was for an entirely different reason.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Elena retorted, feigning ignorance as she slowly pulled up the zipper. Once it reached the top, Elena reached out to gently brush away some non-existant lint from Cheryl's shoulders. "Truly, I don't." She pressed a heated kiss to where Cheryl's shoulder and neck met. And another. And another. Cheryl let out a pleased groan and leaned into her touch.
"The things you do -God!- to get out of rating my outfits." Cheryl laughed breathlessly. Elena placed her hands on her hips, turning her around to face her. Her eyes lingered on her lips for a moment, prominent, silky smooth, -as she knew from past experience- and painted their usual crimson red. Elena smiled, deciding she felt like spending some time ruining her girlfriend's lipstick. They hadn't had a moment to themselves in days.
Elena wrapped her arms around Cheryl's waist, pulling her forward so there wasn't an inch of space between them. Cheryl happily took the opportunity to pounce at once, locking her arms around Elena's shoulders and kissing her. Elena's stomach flipped, her mind sent into a dizzying spin as their mouths melded together, passionate and breathless as the two girls made up for lost time. They kissed for some time, merged into one happy, blissful being. Before finally and reluctantly, the pair were forced to break away for some much needed air.
Elena snickered as Cheryl sucked in a deep breath, blinking for a few seconds as she returned to reality. "Oh god damn you." She cursed in realisation, reaching for her nearby handbag to pull forth a compact mirror. She grimaced at the sight of her smudged lipstick, before looking up to give Elena a half-hearted glare. "The amount of lipsticks I've gone through since I started dating you is unfathomable."
"My work here is done!" Elena announced with a flourish, twirling on the spot before bowing before Cheryl. Cheryl shook her head, wordlessly handing her the compact mirror to inspect the state of her own lips. Elena hand flew to her mouth at once, a noisy laugh flying free at once. It looked as though a toddler had smeared lipstick on their hands and had opted to clean them on her face. "Oh!" She laughed. "Oh no!"
"We both look like demented clowns!"
Elena held up a finger in protest. "Sexy demented clowns." She ammended, clutching her chest as Cheryl dragged her into the bathroom to get cleaned up.
Once they were done and had filtered back out into the living room, Cheryl did a twirl of her own. "So what do you make of it?" She queried, clasping her hands together as she came to a halt. "Imagine perfect hair and makeup. Do you think I look regal enough for the dance?" A hopeful look danced across her face that made Elena swoon. She valued her opinion on something as important as her look, her uniform for the outside world. Having someone value and want her opinion was still something she was getting used to. That minor but important part of life had only recently been opened up to her, still tender and standing on two very shaky feet.
"Of course. You look..." Elena stared breathlessly, struggling to find the right words to verbalise the feeling she felt in her gut. It was a magical, gushy, all around wonderful feeling that made a lump form in Elena's throat. She knew right there and then the full extent of what she felt for the girl in front of her, even if she couldn't quite let it out just then. "You look gorgeous. Annoyingly so."
"Truly?" Cheryl's eyes sparkled.
Elena nodded sincerely. "Like Cinderella if she was dipped in jam."
Cheryl glowed at the compliment, closing the distance between them. Cheryl pressed her forehead to Elena's, smiling so tenderly at her with her reapplied red lips that Elena felt as though she'd been wrapped up and swept away to a world where it was just them. And what a world it was. Soft, warm, loving and maple red. It was definitely the colour that suited her best. Nothing could convey how deeply passionate and fiercely Cheryl cared about others when she let her facade fall quite like it. This was everything she longed to keep. As grating as she'd been recently, Elena knew that their relationship was worth it. She had her ups, she had her downs, but Cheryl Blossom was without a doubt worth it all.
"Have I mentioned how very proud I am of you? You got through the hard part." Cheryl praised, booping Elena's nose with her own.
"Thank you." Elena softened, reaching forward to kiss Cheryl softly on the cheek. Elena hands travelled upwards, settling on the small of Cheryl's back as hers in turn wrapped themselves back around Elena's shoulders. "Well would you look at that," Elena remarked, as they swayed on the spot, "we're hover dancing."
"And for the safety of my feet it will remain this way." Cheryl retorted, grinning openly at Elena's eye roll. Their one and only attempt at slow dancing had been in a dance hall in Greendale, which had ended with Elena trodding on Cheryl's feet, much to the head cheerleader's indignation. "How on God's green Earth are you that bad at dancing?"
"It's pure, god-given talent." She shrugged, smiling unironically. "It got me out of a few family functions over the years so I can't hate it. I think when I tripped over my cousin Leroy's foot and ended up needing stitches in my skull was what finally sealed the deal."
Cheryl gaped at her in comical horror, an adorable expression that filled Elena with the urge to giggle at it. "Perhaps I should be thankful you won't be attending the semi-formal."
Elena grinned at the look on her face and nodded. "Now that's a great way to look at it! I'm keeping our whole class safe!"
"And non-comatose to boot!" Cheryl added, earning herself a light shove. "I kid, I kid. I will miss you though." She sighed, pouting slightly. "I'll have to give you all the hot goss afterwards."
"It's a date." Elena agreed with a nod.
"Good things are happening for us Ellie." Cheryl proclaimed, with a dreamy, excited look on her face that made Elena feel just the same. "I can feel it."
The following night whilst the back to school semi-formal was in full swing, Elena was knee-deep in dishes and she wouldn't have had it any other way. The thought of being cramped into the gymnasium with all those people, with all that noise and movement? It made her want to hurl just thinking about it. But here? In the back at Pops, enjoying the quiet lull in customers whilst getting some work done? Much, much better.
She'd tried going to a middle school dance once, but it hadn't ended well. Ten minutes in her claustrophobia had kicked in and she'd started having the first of what would be many panic attacks over her lifetime, culminating in her running outside to call for the family driver to come get her. From that point on she'd sworn off all non-compulsory school events, thoughts of more panic attacks and getting overwhelmed to the point of a meltdown in front of so many people putting her off. She just didn't enjoy big, glitzy social events the way others did, she never had. Hell, she could barely deal with run-of-the-mill socialising. She was just wired a little differently and though it'd caused her her fair share of trouble over the years, she was learning to be okay with it.
Though it's good to try and push past our comfort zones, it's okay to know and recognise our limits too. Elena could recall Dr Summers' words, drawing comfort from them. Yes. Unfortunate though it was that she would only be seeing her girlfriend in all her gorgeous glory through her regular phone updates throughout the evening, Elena knew she couldn't force herself through what would be the equivalent of a sledgehammer to her composure.
Her phone buzzed from inside the pocket of her apron, indicating she'd gotten another semi-formal update.
She opened up WhatsApp to find that Cheryl had sent her another bunch of photos, this time from her afterparty. A few had been taken by her minions, with Cheryl posing in the red party dress she'd changed into out in the Thornhill yard like she was modelling for a magazine. She was a total picture, with her face now adorned with makeup and her hair done up professionally. (Though Elena personally thought she'd looked just as pretty the night before.) Elena grinned at the pictures, doubly so as she scrolled down to find a few of Cheryl and Veronica, the latter of whom had clearly been ambushed. Cheryl had taken a few selfies with her arm wrapped around Veronica all while grinning widely into the camera, whereas her sister was side-eyeing Cheryl and looking as though someone had put a gun to her head. Despite being terrorised by a certain selfie happy redhead Veronica looked equally nice too, wearing a strapless foil dress with some pearls adorning her neck. Veronica had sent her a few pics of her final look for the event earlier in the night, naturally looking amazing even with the budget cut to her choice in school dance dresses.
Me: My poor defenceless baby sister. Elena typed in a few laughing emojis, shaking her head to herself. She slotted her phone back into place, snickering as she finished up with the last of the dishes.
Once she was done she headed out to the front, checking to see if any customers had appeared. Someone had in fact appeared, a familiar face Elena was always happy to see when he popped in during her shifts.
"Forsythe!" Elena cried in delight, turning Jughead strawberry red as Elena raced over to greet him. She enveloped her friend in a brief but warm hug, she was particularly happy to see him as she'd barely seen him all week. "You're here!"
"And you're insufferable." Jughead groaned, though he was smiling as he returned her hug before pulling away. "Forsythe is such a grandpa name."
"I think it's cute!" Elena defended.
"I think you have questionable taste."
Forsythe Pendleton Jones III (known more commonly as Jughead 'I-was-Edgar-Allan-Poe-in-a-past-life' Jones), was the kind of friend Elena really wished she'd had whilst growing up in New York. He was introverted, hated parties with a fiery passion, had mommy and daddy issues, loved books, respected boundaries and enjoyed a good movie marathon like herself. They'd first met during her first month at Riverdale High, when Elena still hadn't worked up the nerve to talk to anyone and would hide herself away in the school library every chance she got to read whichever book she'd brought with her that day. She'd met Jughead's acquaintance in her hiding place in the mystery section, where she had accidently tripped him up whilst stretching out her legs. She had been apologetic and on the verge of crying in fear of him shouting at her, but much to her shock the oddly familiar boy had found the whole thing hilarious, accepting her outstretched hand with a friendly smile and a query as to what she'd been reading to make her so distracted.
It'd been her battered copy of Little Women, one of the only few books she'd been able to grab in her rush to pack and escape the Dakota. "Happy families," she could recall herself remarking, a self-conscious smile playing at the edge of her lips. "They're kind of my go-to comfort reads."
"Been there." He'd retorted, communicating so much with just those two words and a momentarily pained expression. He'd flipped the book he'd been carrying about around, allowing for her to inspect the front cover.
"A Study in Scarlet. Huh. I've never actually read any Sherlock Holmes books." She had remarked without thinking, causing Jughead to splutter like she'd just informed him she'd murdered someone.
"How?" He'd stared, so wide-eyed with outrage that it'd made Elena giggle.
"I just never got round to it," she'd shrugged, "should I have my bibliophile card revoked?"
Jughead had proceeded to rifle through the section they were stood by, pulling free the library copy of A Study in Scarlet before handing it to her. "I insist you read it. No one should go their whole life without reading the works of Conan Doyle."
Touched by the gesture, Elena had offered her free hand out once more in greeting. "Elena. I like your beanie." She added quickly as an afterthought.
"Jughead." He'd introduced, shaking her glove covered hand briefly. "And uh..." He smiled awkwardly in a way that reminded Elena for a moment eerily of herself. "Thanks." Elena had decided on the spot that she liked the boy in front of her. Something about the calm energy he exuded set her at ease. He wasn't smarmy or douchey the way Elio had been, but was genuine and kind. He seemed quiet but comfortable in himself in a way Elena wished she too could be. This was a boy she could trust. She'd decided, letting some tension she'd been holding in her shoulders fall away. This was a boy she could feel safe with.
"Hey..." Jughead said, a look of recognition filtering through on his face. "Don't you waitress at Pop's?"
And so their friendship had been sealed. For over a year they'd swapped books, recommendations, did homework together or sat with their laptops at a booth and enjoyed the other's blessedly introverted company; be it at Pop's, the bakery, school, the library, bookstores, game stores, or their respective homes. More recently she'd taken to keeping him company at the Twilight Drive-In, Jughead's single place of refuge from his drunk of a father after his mom and sister had left town without him. Elena still remained worried for Jughead, but she had no doubt he would pull through this particular crisis. Her friend was nothing if not a trooper.
"So how are things with you and the new girl?" Jughead inquired, as Elena followed him to his usual booth. He had his bag with him, which meant he'd brought his laptop to write on. "Still good?"
"Yup." Elena confirmed, whipping out her notepad and pencil as Jughead settled into his seat. "We're good. Really good actually. Blatantly avoiding the elephant in the room, but good."
"I can't believe your dad is Hiram Lodge. Or that you were that rich!" Jughead shook his head, pulling out his laptop and setting in on the table. "That's like something out of a soap opera."
"I told you my family had money." Elena frowned.
"Yeah but you failed to mention that you were the real life equivalent of Scrooge McDuck's daughter." Jughead retorted, making Elena let out a loud snort in response.
"He'd hate that." She grinned, letting out a deep, hearty laugh. "And I love it. Usual order?"
Jughead made a noise of confirmation. Elena scribbled down his usual writing order of a two burgers and as many onion rings that could fit on the plate, a fact that always left Elena in awe of her friend's metabolism given that he never seemed to gain any weight from the all the crap he ate.
Once Elena had handed off his order to the thumb twiddling cook and with no other customers to see to, Elena rejoined her friend at his booth. She quietly peered over his shoulder at the screen of his now fired up laptop, reading through the already sizeable piece he had saved to the document he'd opened. "Writing about Jason huh?"
Jughead made a noise of alarm that made Elena snicker. Rather than commenting he rolled his eyes, nodding in confirmation. "What can I say? All the morbid stuff intrigues me."
Elena blanched as she read through a section of his work. That Cheryl saw a ribbon in the water, and Jason reached down to get it, and accidently tipped the boat, and panicked, and drowned which is super-weird, because Jason was captain of almost every sports team at Riverdale High, including water polo. She shook it off once she felt Jughead's eyes on her, but she was certain he'd spotted it.
"I- Uh- Wouldn't show that to Cheryl." She forced a laugh, averting her eyes from the screen. She went to grab the newly filled coffee pot from behind the counter, snatching a mug to give to Jughead. "Article or novel?" She queried as she filled her friend's mug for him, heart hammering all the while. Jughead loved poking his nose into mysteries almost as much as he loved his burgers. But could his digging fall back on Cheryl and Jason? Jughead was smart, too smart for his own good. And if she knew her friend she knew he couldn't be prised away from looking into what happened. What if The Blossoms found out about the plan, and were able to drag Jason back to Riverdale and away from his freedom kicking and screaming? What if they took all their anger out on Cheryl? A fretful part of her wondered, her worries sending her into overdrive. For all their faults, the Blossom twins had been good to her since she'd moved to Riverdale. She didn't want to see either of them hurt more than they already had been.
"Novel." Jughead replied, confirming Elena's worst fears. "A deep dive into the darker sides of Riverdale."
1,2,3,4,5,6.
1,2,3.
1,2,3,4,5,6.
She repeated her breathing exercises over and over, her face the picture of calm as she finished filling her friend's mug. Or maybe he ran out of Netflix documentaries and is looking for something closer to home to look into. How would he know? How could anyone know? Jughead's not a mind reader.
"You should start with my thing." Elena suggested, slipping into the booth across from him. The more she talked, the more her fears began to trickle away from the forefront of her mind. "It's so dark, the monsignor who baptised me once suggested I was cursed by a demon."
Jughead sensed the false seriousness in her tone, but played along regardless. "Do tell."
"I get nose bleeds everytime I step into a church."
"That's-"
"Oh no I mean it!" Elena interjected. "Each and everytime I've stepped into the house of the Lord my nose starts shooting blood like I'm having a heavy flow." She explained, miming the action with some slight exaggeration.
"Jesus!" Jughead winced, mortification causing him to bury his face in his hands.
"The blood starts pouring from my nose with no warning, and I basically become an all you can eat buffet for any local vampires in the area." She explained casually. After a few years of stuffing her nostrils with tissues or forcing her to look up throughout a church service like a moron, her parents eventually opted to let her stay home whenever any church related events popped up on their social calender. Elena couldn't say she minded being the odd one out in her family in that respect, as some of the most boring memories of her childhood had been made during the times she'd been dragged kicking and screaming to church.
Jughead shook his head, half in bewliderment and half in pure disbelief. "I call bullshit on that one Lodge."
"It's true!" She insisted. "Ask Veronica! Or better yet stick me in a church and see for yourself!"
"Alright." He agreed, chuckling at her passionate manner as he sipped at his coffee. "Next time we walk by a church I'm testing out this weird quirk of yours."
"I'll bring my own tissues." She grinned, slipping out of the booth to go check out the status of his food. "Hail Satan!" She cried as she walked away, pumping her fist so enthusiastically into the air that it made Jughead grin widely.
Once Jughead's order had been delivered to him, a whole, eventless hour went by. A couple of customers came and went, but when she wasn't tending to orders, coffee refills or cleaning up Elena spent most of her time chatting to Jughead as he typed away on his laptop. Sometimes Pop would stick the radio on and tell her tales of all the old musicians whose concerts he went to see, and the ones who'd even popped into the diner for a visit. It was one of the many things Elena really liked about working the late shift. Even though it left her exhausted when she had to do it on a school night, the quiet energy and sparse amount of people to tend to made for a pretty chill evening overall.
However just as she was wondering if the only people she'd be seeing all evening would be Jughead and some late night workers, an unexpected face came through the door. A familiar blonde wearing a pink cut out dress and a little white cardigan, somehow looking a million dollars and like she'd had the rug pulled out from under her at once. Betty? Elena gaped in surprise. Betty's here and not at Cheryl's party. Veronica had texted to mention she'd invited them both over. So where was Veronica? Elena felt her heart fall out of her chest as Betty came over to the counter, and she could finally see that she'd been crying.
Jughead caught her eye, raising a brow in question. Elena merely shrugged, moving over to greet her. "Betty?"
Elena stepped out from behind the counter, rather concerned at the state she was in. "Are you okay? What are you doing here? I thought you were at the Thornhill party?"
"I-" She sucked in a deep breath. "Something happened. I don't really have any girlfriends I can talk to and- Well you've been so nice to me over the summer. Oh god this was such a bad idea! You're her sister and-" She turned to go, nails digging anxiously into her pink clutch bag, but stopped in her tracks as Elena placed a hand on her covered shoulder.
"No, no wait!" She pleaded, pulling her hand away like she'd been shocked as Betty turned around suddenly. You're good. You're all good. "What about my sister? What happened?" Elena pointed towards an empty booth to their right, hoping to calm her down and get her to open up. If she'd been more confident and their relationship was on more surer footing, Elena would have hugged her the moment she'd walked through the door. "Come on, we can talk here."
Much to Elena's surprise she nodded her consent, following after Elena as she lead them over. Once they'd settled into their respective seats Elena poked Betty's foot with her own, offering what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Whenever Nell did that for her it always made her feel better. "It can't be that bad."
"I told Archie how I feel about him." She began, a miserable look crossing over her face that told Elena exactly how things had gone. "He doesn't feel the same." She summarised simply, wiping furiously at her eyes. "And then-" She let out a noise of frustration as she continued to cry.
"It's okay." Elena assured her.
Betty took a minute to calm down, but couldn't quite meet Elena's eyes again. "We went to the party at Thornhill. Cheryl insisted we came. She started up this stupid game of spin the bottle and insisted the person it landed on had to go into the closet with Archie, or else the hostess got to go in with him." She muttered furiously, making Elena squirm uncomfortably. Acting. It was just acting. Elena's heart slammed against her chest, jealously and fury sending it into overdrive. Elena didn't doubt Cheryl's loyalty a bit and knew she was no doubt putting on a show, but god if Betty's words didn't make her want to go to that party and drag her away kicking and screaming.
"And it landed on?" Elena asked.
Betty's tear stained eyes met hers once more, and Elena knew who the culprit was at once. "Veronica."
Elena buried her face in her hands, letting out a loud groan of despair. "AHHHH!" Betty jumped at the noise. "My sister is a dumbass. My sister is an actual dumbass. Archie's the biggest one of all though." She muttered in embarrassment, more to herself than Betty. She let her hands fall away from her face and offered Betty an apologetic look. "Oh god I'm sorry Betts."
"It's not your fault." Betty dismissed, wearing a watery smile on her lips that made Elena's heart break for her. She'd been there before.
"It's all because of that time I dropped her as a baby. I swear it cost her some brain cells." Her joke made the corner of Betty's mouth quirk upwards, which was what she'd been hoping for. "I swear she's not the malicious sort. It's just when she sees a cute boy she gets this kind of brain fog, starts thinking with her vagina instead of her brain, and then shit like this happens." Elena knew she would defend Veronica with her life no matter what, but the urge to smack her forehead at that moment because of her actions was overwhelming. "Believe me I've seen it in action. Come Monday morning you'll be getting the mother of all apologies." Though Elena knew who was really to blame for the entire debacle that had unfolded at the party. She had yet to unpack all of her anger at that moment, but it was brewing beneath, just waiting for an outlet.
"I don't want her apology I'm just-" Betty let out a noise of frustration. "God I thought- I just thought this night was going to be so different, you know? That I'd be heading off on this amazing new adventure with Archie, but now..." She drifted off, shaking her head to herself. "Now I don't know what to do. He's my best friend in the whole world and now- Now-"
"It's gonna be awkward as hell." Elena supplied.
Betty nodded, her throat bobbing. "Am I really that unloveable?"
"Betty!" Elena exclaimed in disbelief. "Of course not! You're like... The sweetest person at our school. You're nice, you're funny, you're smart, you're the catch of all catches. And you're gorgeous to boot. If Archie doesn't feel the same about you then that's on him. I know we don't know each other that well but I know from the time I've spent with you how much care and love you've got in that heart of yours. Polly didn't hype you up for nothing." She smiled, making Betty's cheeks turn crimson. "You're loveable Elizabeth Cooper. You don't need Archie Andrews on your arm, quite frankly. You should be someone's first choice. The right one would know you're the one without a moment's hesitation, I-I know I did." She let slip, turning a little crimson herself. "Okay getting off track here, but ah- The point is the right one for you could be just around the corner. Don't let tonight and those two tongue happy idiots get you down. Someone will see you one day, maybe not tonight, but it will happen. And when it does it'll be the most wonderful feeling you've ever felt, and all the crap leading up to it will just fall away."
A long stretch of silence spread between them, wracking Elena with nerves so much she began wringing her hands. Should she have said all that? Had she gone too far? Did Betty think she was being too overly involved?
"Good speech." Betty finally responded, a small, tentative smile creasing the corners of her lips.
"Really?" Elena brightened.
Betty nodded.
"Aw shucks!" Elena grinned, making Betty smile along with her. But as their smiles faded, Elena was left with a pressing urge to apologise. "I'm sorry about Cheryl. Was she really acting that bad?"
Betty pulled a face. "She was pretty eager to rub the whole closet thing in my face. I know you're like best friends with her and everything, but- God Elena I'm sorry but she's an awful person."
"She-" Elena clenched her fists. Her anger burst through the shaky foundations of composure that had been keeping it at bay. "So what you're saying is that this was all some big stupid revenge scheme? To get back at you for having the gall to try something new and being related to Polly?"
"Pretty much." Betty confirmed, taking note of the look on her face as Elena's moved herself out of the booth. "Elena? What? Where are you going?"
Elena checked the time on her watch, turning to Betty with a smile that felt as fake as it looked. "Well my shift's pretty much over, so I'm gonna go get my things and I'll walk you home. Sound good?"
"Yeah, yeah. But you look ah-"
"I'll be ten minutes, max!" Elena called, as she began to make her way to the back of Pop's. "Don't go anywhere!"
Elena said her goodbyes to the other members of staff, quickly grabbing her bag and pulling on her coat. She headed out the back where her bike was chained up, settling herself against the wall. Once she was certain no one inside would hear her, Elena whipped out her phone and dialled Cheryl's number, pressing the phone to her ear.
Two rings in, she answered. "Hello?"
Elena mouth shifted into a firm line at Cheryl's all too cheery tone. "So when I asked you to be nice to Betty and my sister, that just went in one ear and out the other." She stated, her tone simmering with frustration. "That's what I've gathered."
A deep annoyed sigh came from the other side of the phone, so aggravating that it made Elena clench her jaw. Why was she acting like this? Like she was annoying her with some insignificant conversation topic? "I take it you and Betty have crossed paths."
"Yeah we have." Elena confirmed. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Me?" She exclaimed, the volume of Cheryl's voice shooting upwards in indignation. "Your sister is the one that went into the closet with him! I didn't make her go in with him."
"No but you threatened to take her place, didn't you?" Elena spat, letting the full force of her anger out.
"Oh please Elena, it was just a pressure tactic." Cheryl argued. Elena could practically hear her eyes rolling. "I'd never be unfaithful to you, even to maintain pretenses."
"That makes me feel so much better." She replied dryly.
"Why are you yelling at me? Why aren't you directing this ire of yours at Veronica? She's the one who wronged your new bestie."
"Oh don't worry!" Elena snapped, her face contorting with anger. "She's my next phone call! How could you do this? Oh wait, I know why! I'm Cheryl Blossom! I love to pick on people that don't mouth off and act like they're better than everyone! And I know Betty Cooper's got low self-esteem and has the world's biggest helicopter mom that likes to control her daughters lives like they're fucking Sims characters, but gosh damnit I'm gonna bully that girl into an eating disorder or a suicide attempt if it kills me!"
"You're being dramatic."
"Am I?" Elena's voice trembled, and she suddenly became aware that her hands were shaking not just from anger, but from genuine upset. "You-" She sucked in a deep breath, willing her hands to stop trembling, but to no avail. "I poured my heart out to you when we started dating. I told you what all that bullying did to me. How it destroyed pretty much all my confidence and any semblance of love for myself. How I used to compare myself to other people. How depressed I was. And you hugged me, comforted me and told me I'd never have to go through that pain again. I thought you understood! I thought- God Cheryl what if you drive her to do what I did?"
"Elena-"
"Betty reminds me of me. She reminds me of how I was in New York so much sometimes it's creepy. No one looked out for me but I'll be damned if I sit back and watch you bully her."
That seemed to throw her for a loop. "Elena I'm not!"
"Yes! Yes you are! I've had enough Cheryl!" She admitted, finally letting every little thing she'd been keeping locked away out of its cage. "I adore the Cheryl I get to date in private. She's the best thing that ever happened to me. She's thoughtful, kind and the sweetest girl in the whole world. But Riverdale High Cheryl? Riverdale High Cheryl quite frankly is a bitch. I've fucking had it with you and your one sided beef with Polly! She was my friend and your constant bashing of her and Betty really upsets me." She was on a roll, and she couldn't stop. So many thoughts she'd folded up and packed away into the back of her mind were coming out all at once. She was done keeping the peace with Cheryl. If she lost her because of this, so be it. "If anyone was the asshole in this it was Jason. To be honest I'm glad he's gone." She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth, but what was done was done.
"How can you say that to me?" Cheryl demanded, her own anger flooding through her tone. "You know how much I miss him!"
"You and no one else!" Elena replied. "Whatever he said to Polly fucked her up so bad she was sent into a home! A fucking home Cheryl! Do you know how bad your mental health has to be to get sent to one of those places? Madre de Dios!" She cursed furiously, sounding so much like her mother that it made her flinch for a second. "I can't do this." She whimpered, sounding so fragile that it made her cringe. "This shit is too much. Playing double life with someone is hard enough. I can't keep dating you if you keep acting like two different people. This whole thing, it just reminds me too much of the past."
"Ellie!" Cheryl protested. "You- You can't seriously-"
"I need space. Just-" She sighed. "Give me a beat, okay? I'm going now. Bye."
She ended the phone call and shut off her phone, aggressively shoving it into her bag. But as Elena rubbed stressfully at her temple, she caught sight of a familiar blonde figure in the reflection of a car, who was standing in the open doorway of the back of the Chock'lit Shoppe. Her shoulders sank. "Hi Betty." Elena greeted miserably, not bothering to turn around just yet.
"Hey Elena." Betty greeted softly, awkwardly fiddling with her pink clutch.
"So did you hear all of that?"
"Yeah."
Fuck.
Elena span around and went to unlock her bike, opting to walk with it rather than ride on it. Once she was done she gestured for Betty to follow her. "Come on. We can talk on the way."
Once they had put a reasonable distance between themselves and Pop's, Elena and Betty slowly began their talk. "So..." Betty pulled an awkward face. "You're-"
"As gay as the night is long." Elena confirmed with a nod, the quiet between their words only broken by the sound of Elena's bike and the click of Betty's heels on the pavement.
"And Cheryl?"
"A fellow lover of the ladies." Elena confirmed, surprised to find herself so calm. Perhaps she was being overly confident in her readings of people, but Elena had a sense that Betty wasn't the sort who went around outing people, even if one of them had been an asshole of epic proportions to her. "But I'd appreciate it if you didn't-"
Betty mimed zipping her mouth shut. "I know nothing about any kind of romance between you and Cheryl."
Elena shot her a grateful smile, happy to know that she was indeed right about the girl. "Thank you. That means a lot."
"So why exactly are you two hiding your relationship?" Betty frowned. "Her parents?"
Elena nodded. "Primarily. They're as old school as they come. But even if they weren't, I don't think Cheryl's quite there yet. To be open and unapologetic about it, and I think that makes her pretty unhappy. So she takes all of her unhappiness out on others."
Betty bumped her shoulder against Elena's smiling gratefully. "You chewed her out for me. Thank you."
"I did." Elena laughed nervously. "Oh god I'm gonna have nowhere to sit Monday morning. I know that needed to happen but I think I may have just pulled the rug out from under my life."
"You'll work it out, and even if you don't well..." Betty pointed to herself. "I wouldn't mind your company. Hell-" She paused, an amount of shyness that could rival Elena's own creeping into her tone. "We could hang out more. Given the fact that we've both lost our people for the time being, it just makes sense."
"Really?" Elena softened at the gesture, her heart melting into silly putty. "You'd want me go hang out with you?"
The blonde nodded, grinning at the awe-struck look on Elena's face. She looked as though Betty had just offered to take her on an all expenses paid vacation.
Feeling enboldened to do so, Elena took a swing. "Hey Betty?"
"Yeah?"
"Are we friends?"
The pair paused as they came to a road crossing, a thoughtful look appearing on Betty's face. After a second or two, she finally answered. "Yeah." She smiled, light and bright as she looped her arm through Elena's, making her so happy she was tempted to giddily jump on the spot. She had a friend! She had a whole new friend she made all by herself! "Yeah I think we are." (Elena would live off of those five simple words for days to come.)
The two talked some more as they drew closer and closer to Betty's street, (they didn't talk about Veronica or Archie) and realising their time was limited, Elena posed a question. "Betty why did you come find me tonight?"
"You're a good listener." Betty shrugged. "You were the first person that popped into my head when I ran out of that party. You're kind of the only person who I've really told about the whole Polly thing other than your sister. I don't know it's just been nice having someone to go to who can relate to crappy family situations." She explained, her face going pale as she registered her words. "Sorry I didn't mean-"
"No it's fine." Elena smiled, waving off her concerns. "Really, you don't know the half of it. And ah... I've enjoyed our talks too. They've made me feel less like I just made her up." She admitted sheepishly, eyes trailing downward.
"Me too." Betty replied, soft and sad all at once. "Ever since I got back my Mom's been acting like she doesn't even exist."
"How is that piece of work you call a mother? I've barely seen her since before the whole Polly thing." Elena queried, biting back a laugh at the alarmed look on Betty's face. "Relax, I don't think she has super hearing. Unless you've got something to tell me."
Betty pulled a face. "I beg to differ." She responded, making Elena snort. "After they sent Polly away my mom went from controlling to well-" She let out a sad laugh. "A full on helicopter Mom like you said."
"Betty-"
"How did you do it?" Betty wondered. "How did you stop caving in to the pressure to please your parents? To give in and just avoid conflict? I want to make my mom happy but it's like everything I do isn't good enough. And my Dad just sits there whilst she puppeteers every last detail of my life!"
Betty's words struck an uncomfortable chord within Elena. She swallowed back the bile that had risen in her throat, focusing her attentions instead on what she could possibly say. "I..." She considered her words carefully. "I realised what sitting back and keeping my mouth shut was costing me. Sure I was living the good life, but at the expense of my principles, everything I considered right and wrong in my life, everything I wanted. A kind word from my dad wasn't worth him and his fucked up psyche chipping away at my happiness. I realised my worth. I deserve to feel safe and happy. I deserve to not feel like I'm on trial in my own home. And so do you for that matter." Elena tapped her finger against the metal of her bike, before finally speaking once more. "Start with the little things. If your mom wants you to wear your hair up, wear it down. She wants you to wear pink wear blue. Hide your diary like it's a bag of coke. That sort of thing. Get locks. Password protect everything. Spend as much time as you can outside of the house but without breaking curfew. And when she does try to pick an argument with you, no matter how tempting it is, don't engage. When she can't suck the life out of you she'll turn her attentions to some other unlucky motherfucker." Betty snorted loudly at that. "I don't know, that's what I did. Sorry I can't be more helpful."
"No, thank you. I'll give it some thought." Betty assured her, as they finally came to the top of her street.
"And if all else fails start a screaming match with her and get yourself kicked out like me." Elena laughed, doubly so as she made Betty blink rapidly in surprise at her bluntness.
"Well..." Betty hovered awkwardly on the spot. "This is me."
"It is."
"..."
Elena placed her bike on the ground, and before Betty could register what had happened she found herself being hugged. "Is this too much? Sorry I can-"
"No." Betty denied, hugging her back. "Thank you, Elena. For listening. You're a good friend." The girl in question glowed from the praise.
Once the pair pulled apart Elena picked up her bike and hopped on, saluting Betty and immediately regretting it. "I don't why I just did that." A hand flew to Betty's mouth, as Elena dumped her bag in the basket red-faced. "I'm the epitome of cringe." Why she felt the need to fill a comfortable silence with something dumb was beyond her.
"Oh!" Betty exclaimed suddenly, making Elena jump out of her skin. "My number!"
"What about it?"
The blonde gestured for Elena to take out her phone. Once she handed it over Betty began adding her number into her contacts. "So I can keep you updated on the house of horrors." She shrugged as she handed it back, smiling at Elena's open-mouthed look of surprise.
"You're gonna make me cry." Elena quipped, though not entirely joking as she put the item away. "Okay, I guess I'll see you Monday?"
Betty gave a nod of affirmation. "My lunch table is your lunch table." She promised, starting to walk away. "Night Elena."
"Remember!" As she was about to go, Elena raised her hand to wave her goodbye. "You're loveable as hell!"
Blushing and beaming at the same time, Betty waved her goodnight. "Thank you!"
"I mean it!" Elena gave her a thumbs up, and cringed once she registered what she'd done. She would have heard Betty's laugh from a mile away. "Night Betty!" Fearing what she'd do next, Elena gave the other girl one last wave before cycling away from Elm Street.