Some might think the nightmarish times Riverdale had faced for weeks ended with Clifford Blossom committing suicide after it was revealed he'd killed his son. Those people would be wrong. So very wrong.

Even if FP didn't kill Jason, he still helped cover it up and even confessed to killing him after Clifford threatened to kill Jughead if he wouldn't. He wouldn't get out of jail so soon and now Jughead, even though his father didn't kill Jason, was even more of an outcast than before and Mayor McCoy would never advertise him as one of the people finding out about the truth revolving around the Blossom case.

It would turn out later that the reason Clifford killed his son was that he was secretly covering up his drug business with his Maple Syrup business. When Jason found out and threatened to reveal that secret to all of Riverdale, Clifford hired the Southside Serpent, Mustang, to kidnap and lock Jason up in the basement of the bar the Serpents frequently go to.

When Mustang had taunted Jason long enough, Clifford came into the picture, took his heirloom ring back and shot him in the head. Later he dumped him into Sweetwater River, where the Sheriff's son Kevin Keller and his date Moose Mason would stumble upon him. And the rest, as people like to say, is history...

"Jughead says Sheriff Keller wants FP to name names. He won't though," Dot explained to her mother as they sat at the breakfast table.

"Whose names?" Octavia asked.

"The Serpents, of course. Sheriff Keller and Mayor McCoy want to bust more drug rings, even though that shouldn't be the number one priority right now. Clifford Blossom hasn't been named once, that's not normal. And FP won't budge about the names, even though it could help him," Dot explained.

Octavia sighed. "Honey, that gang has been around for decades. Serpents take care of their own. FP likely won't be naming names no matter what happens to him."

The question of why her mom seemed to know Serpent laws so well was burning on her tongue but she held it back. There was a much more important question on her mind at the moment. "Serpents may take care of their own. But what about fathers taking care of their children?"

At lunch that same day, Jug explained to the others what had happened when he visited his dad. "Here's the latest. Mayor McCoy wants my dad to name names in exchange for a lesser sentence," Jug explained.

"What? Whose names?" Betty asked.

"The Serpents. Sheriff Keller thinks they're the ones dealing the drugs that Clifford Blossom brought into the town," Jug replied.

"My dad says more and more drugs are hitting the streets," Kevin explained.

"Kevin, relax, this isn'tThe Wire. My dad says they're not the ones dealing," Jug said.

"And meanwhile, Mayor McCoy hasn't even said the words 'Clifford' or 'Blossom' in public. It's all about how the Serpents are the problem, the villains. This is outrageous. I'm writing an article about this, and not just for the Blue and Gold, for The Register. This is a town story," Betty ranted.

Dot wanted to tell her to slow down. While she admired her will to fight the Mayor and Sheriff and do things like this, she was afraid it would backfire on her completely.

"Okay, as long as the article doesn't include my dad," Jug said.

"No, it is going to be about your dad, Jug. It doesn't matter how many Jubilees Mayor McCoy throws. This town's changed. That needs to be acknowledged. Why are people so afraid of the truth?" Betty asked.

"Speaking of the truth," Veronica chimed in, standing up. "Archie and I wanted to tell you..."

"We've kissed a couple of times," he added.

Dot snorted. "Obviously."

Betty just looked up at Veronica, smiling. "It's okay, V. I appreciate you being honest with me, but..." she trailed off, staring at a nearby table. Dot followed her gaze and saw Teddy and his friends sitting at a nearby table. She smiled to herself. Mission accomplished. "I have my eyes on someone else." The rest of the group followed her gaze as well. Jug winked at Dot. Both remembered how afraid they were that Betty might not meet with him again. "If you guys want to be together, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks, B," Veronica said.

"Thanks, Betty," Archie added, looking like the biggest weight had been lifted off his shoulder.

"Can we all agree that that was so much more dramatic than it needed to be?" Kippi finally asked.

"Thank god, I thought I was the only one who thought so," Kevin agreed.

"So they're just shipping you off to the Southside? Just like that? This nightmare won't seem to end for anyone," Dot raged at lunch the next day. She knew why Jug didn't tell her immediately. It was because of moments like these, that she would have set the world on fire to ease his pain.

"Calm down, Dot. It's going to be okay," Jug told her, squeezing her hand under the table.

"You know we'll fight against this somehow, right? We're not just going to leave you like that. You deserve justice," Kippi declared.

Jug smiled at her. "That's nice and all, Kip, but it will happen one way or another. And just because I'll be on the other side of town doesn't mean we can't still go to Pop's or watch a movie together. I won't just leave you hanging in this suburban nightmare, I promise."

Kippi huffed. "Okay, fine."

"By the way, aren't you usually sitting with Reggie at lunch?" Dot asked. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her best friend's company, but usually, she wouldn't budge from her boyfriend's side.

"No, I dumped him. After everything he did at the dance and after that, I realized that he wasn't right for me," she explained.

"Thank god," Jug burst out.

Dot hit him in the arm. "Sorry to hear that. I'm sure you'll find someone you can be with. Someone who won't disappoint you."

Kippi sighed. "I doubt it. After my secret was out, Reggie became progressively colder towards me. I'm guessing it will be like that for the rest of my time in Riverdale."

"You will. You're a total hottie and have a great personality not to mention. You'll be alright," Veronica said as she joined the group. "May I sit?"

"Are you sure you want to sit at the social pariah table?" Jug asked.

V laughed as she sat down. "I've been sitting at it for months, why should today be any different? By the way, I've been thinking. Us four, we have a lot in common."

"Oh, because our parents are in prison and your dad is getting out?" Jug asked.

"We're dating each other's best friends, I was going to say," she added. Dot was surprised, so far, Veronica had not called her her best friend yet. "But yes, the prison thing, too."

"Four teenagers with parents in prison become best friends somehow. What are the odds of that?" Dot asked.

Suddenly, Cheryl appeared at the table. "Jughead. I'm sorry. I had no right to pummel you the way I did that day," she explained. Dot didn't know whether she was serious, but listening to her wasn't her choice. "As recompense, I'd like to give you this. My iconic spider brooch," she said, throwing the brooch to Jug. "It'll catch a pretty penny at the local pawn shop. Enough to keep you in burgers and 'ST' shirts for years, if not decades."

"That's so nice of you," Dot complimented.

"Cheryl, what is going on?" Veronica asked.

Cheryl opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by an oncoming Kevin. He was shocked and ushered the four out saying something was up with Betty's locker. The group ran, leaving Cheryl behind.

Hoards of students were standing around the locker already, taking pictures and wildly murmuring to each other. On the locker itself were copies of the article, a rag doll hanging from a noose, and'Go to hell, Serpent Slut!'was written in something Dot couldn't make out. It was a horrifying sight, with Betty, Polly, and Teddy in front of it. As Betty was ready to rip it down, Teddy held her back, whispering something. Then he walked her away with Polly following the two. Somebody went out of their way to do something like this and it wouldn't be the last terrible thing the friends would encounter.

After dinner, Dot ranted about what had happened to Betty earlier that day. "How could someone do something like that, Mom? I mean, that is so disturbing and just completely wrong in general. It was pig blood. That's not normal for a teenager to do. This isn'tCarriein real life."

"That is a terrible thing, honey. But maybe Betty should lay low on the articles. They won't stop until they get what they want." Octavia said.

Dot groaned, annoyed. "Mom, that is exactly why Betty should keep pushing and posting articles like that. The Sheriff and Mayor want to bust almost completely innocent people for something they had nothing to do with. FP is still being treated like a murderer and Clifford Blossom has still not been mentioned at all. I thought we had a right to free speech and express our opinions even if people might not like them. We listen to them, so why can't they listen to us? Open up a civil discussion, talk. I thought we were living in a new generation where we can say what we think."

"You can express yourselves, no doubt about that. But Dot, this is such a small town and Northsiders have their opinions. I'm not saying I agree with what they did to Betty and it must have been so horrifying, but the people here are close-minded. Once they set their minds on someone who did something horrible, they won't waste another second thinking that someone like Clifford Blossom would do something like it. Dorothy, as much as I want you guys to be able to change their minds. I don't want any of you, especially you, to get hurt during this. Just lay low. Everything will turn out alright," Octavia explained.

Dot nodded, reluctantly so. "Fine. There is someone else I'm worried about though. Cheryl. Veronica told me that she quit the Vixens and today at lunch, she apologized to Jug and even gave him her trademark spider broach to pawn off."

"Mmmh. Maybe she wants to start over new and be nicer," Octavia suggested.

Dot grabbed her hand, sighing. "Mom, remember when you told me about my cousin Violet?"

Octavia nodded heavy-heartedly. Violet was her cousin from her dad's side. She was the youngest of four and had gone trough bad times. Her aunt and uncle didn't notice and it didn't end well. Dot was so young when it happened she only remembered her cousin vividly but knew Violet loved her and spent as much time as she could with her. Often, she'd say to Dot that secretly, she was the only thing that made her happy.

"You told me Vi had played with rope in a bad way. She was away now and I should never play with rope like that. Of course, nowadays I know she killed herself. And I'm afraid Cheryl might go down that road," Dot recounted.

"Maybe you should make sure she's okay. And help her through this time," Octavia said.

"Yeah, maybe I should do that," Dot nodded.

The next day at school, Dot, Betty, Veronica, and Archie sat in the student lounge. Oddly enough, Jughead was missing in the mix. But what was way more important was everything Betty had just told her friends. She said she confronted her mom about why she was always so secretive about everything and that the next day Alice explained to her that when she was a teenager, she had a baby.

"The craziest thing is, I have a secret brother out there in the world," Betty said.

"It's positively Dickensian. I love a long-lost brother." Veronica said. Dot laughed a little. After everything that had happened the last few days, this seemed like a good way to focus on something else for a little. "How old would he be?"

"Mid-twenties," Betty replied.

"Oh, my God. A blond Adonis, no doubt," V said.

At that point, Dot got a call from Jug. "Hey," she greeted. Her face changed as Jug explained why he wasn't in school. "What? Jug..." she said. The others looked at her, worried. "Jug,wait!" she demanded, then he hung up.

Her friends looked at her questioningly. "Where is he?" Veronica finally asked.

"At Southside High. He said he wanted to slip out quietly and that he wasn't wanted here," Dot explained.

"What?" Betty asked confused.

"FP warned me Jughead would cut himself off, go to the dark side," Archie explained.

"That is not happening. Let's go!" Dot demanded.

They drove to Southside High at high speed. Betty had told Dot to slow down several times but she wasn't listening. There were too many things at stake here. Once inside the school, they concluded he'd be in the cafeteria. When they arrived, Jug seemed to be having fun. He was sitting at a table with other students around him, they were laughing about something he said.

"Jug," Dot said. The raven-haired boy turned around in shock, he was sure Dot would listen to him after all. But if he really thought that he clearly didn't know her as much as he thought.

Jug led the group out of the school and pulled Dot aside. "What are you guys doing here? I told you I'd be fine. I didn't tell you ahead of time because I knew you would've tried to stop me."

"Yeah, no kidding, of course I would have! You belong with us. With me!" Dot bellowed.

"Dot, the Southside is where the powers that be want me. Maybe I want to be here as well. I may blend in better here. And it would keep you safe," Jug said.

"I don't need to be protected. I need you with me," Dot told him.

"Iamwith you," he said, cupping her face with his hands, making Dot look up at him. He pulled her into a hug. "And I will be with you. I promised you, I will never be far. We will see each other again."

Dot wasn't too sure about that, but she couldn't force him to come back either. What was done was done. And she didn't have much time to worry about it anyway as Veronica suddenly shouted at the couple that they needed to leave immediately.

On their way to Sweetwater River, Veronica filled her and Jug in on what Cheryl had texted her. "You don't really think she's gonna...?" Veronica asked.

"Kill herself? Yes, I do," Dot replied matter-of-factly.

"Oh, my God," Veronica gasped as Archie hugged her.

After arriving at the river, they had to walk into the woods. They called after the girl but got no answer. After a few minutes of wandering in the freezing woods, they were almost ready to give up when Betty directed their attention toward the lake itself.

"Over there! Oh, my God. She's over there!" the blonde yelled. Cheryl was on the river, seemingly trying to smash a hole into the ice.

"Cheryl!" they yelled again.

"Cheryl, stop! What are you doing?" Jug yelled as they stepped onto the ice.

Archie held them back. "Wait, wait! Wait, Jug! The ice."

Dot felt something cracking underneath her feet already. "He's right. Too much weight, and we'll all go under," Jug added.

"Cheryl!" Archie yelled. Dot knew they should be calling someone, but they would never make it in time.

"Cheryl, please. Just come to the shore and we'll figure this out together, okay?" Veronica pleaded. Cheryl looked like she was contemplating it for a second as she stopped what she was doing and turned to the group. Then she crashed through the ice. "No!"

The friends rushed over the lake as fast as they could, the danger of falling through themselves quickly forgotten. When they arrived at the hole, Cheryl was already gone.

"The current has her. Spread out,spread out!" Jug yelled.

Dot and the others wiped snow away from the hole, hoping to spot the girl. If she was under for too long, she'd drown.

"She's here! She's here!" Archie yelled. They ran over. Cheryl was caught under the ice and they had to think fast. Archie knew there was no time for that. He started punching the ice with his bare fist over and over again.

"Archie, be careful!" Veronica warned. A few punches later the hole finally opened. Archie pulled Cheryl out and immediately started CPR.

"Somebody help us!" Dot yelled.

Finally, Cheryl spit the water out of her lungs and woke up. Archie picked her up and they rushed off.

When Dot was back home, she was staring ahead in a trance. Since Archie had hurt his hand, Dot dropped him off at the emergency room and demanded he take Cheryl. Cheryl declined and Veronica finally suggested Dot drop her and Cheryl off at the Pembroke. Dot only reluctantly did so. She knew this would come back to bite her later but what else was there to do?

She didn't even notice her mom sitting down in front of her.

"Dot!" she said as she shook her a little.

"Mmmh," Dot finally mumbled.

"What is it? You seem distraught," Octavia asked concerned.

Dot gave in and told her mother what had happened. At the end of it, Octavia almost yelled at her. She couldn't believe after everything they talked about she still didn't bring Cheryl to the hospital.

Dot was still so shocked that she couldn't stay on the subject for long. She knew she'd made a mistake with it but everything had been happening way too fast for her to comprehend what was happening anymore. Dot wanted to leave Riverdale. That was all. Just take Jug and run, but she knew that wasn't happening.

"Hey, honey," Octavia said, petting Dot's cheek. And that seemed to be the only thing she needed right now. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. But Cheryl needs help. Professional help."

Dot nodded. "Do you think she will be fine with Veronica?

Octavia sighed. "I think, for now, she might. And I'm just hoping that, despite how much of a terrible person and mother she is, Penelope will get her that help."

Dot sighed. "I doubt it."

"Someone will get her the help she needs," Octavia assured her. "Now, come one. The Jubilee starts soon. Get changed and then let's go."

The Jubilee was filled with people and Dot wasn't having it. Her mom sat beside her and Teddy and Tina sat on the other side. Kippi sat next to Kevin behind them. Mayor McCoy stepped onto the stage.

"Welcome, one and all, to Riverdale's 75th anniversary Jubilee celebration!" she said. The crowd applauded. "I couldn't be any more thrilled to introduce my daughter, Josie, and her Pussycats, as they perform alongside our local hero, Archie Andrews!" she announced. The crowd applauded.

Dot was getting sick of it. Yes, Archie was a hero. Yes, Betty was a hero. But so were Jughead, Dot, Veronica, Kippi, and Kevin. But of course, they'd never get that recognition. The group stepped onto the stage.

Josie took the mic. "Hi, hi, everyone. We're switching things up tonight. We are singing a song that my boy, Archie Andrews, wrote," she announced. Dot smiled on the inside because she knew that wasn't the Mayor's plan and she was freaking out behind the stage.

Archie stepped up to the mic and they started singing this beautiful song. Dot thought they sounded amazing together and that they should work together in the future. But despite being so happy at the moment, the weight of the day was still on her. Cheryl attempting suicide and Jug not being here right now were still looming over the girl. The group was done. The crowd applauded. Betty took the stage for her big speech. Dot was anxious to hear what she'd say. She didn't know if Betty would stick to Mayor McCoy's plan or do it her way once more.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to thank Mayor McCoy for inviting me to speak on this historic day. Seventy-five years of Riverdale. But what is Riverdale? It's the people, right? You, me, our friends, our neighbors. Riverdale is Archie Andrews. Kevin Keller and Kippi Goode are Riverdale. Veronica Lodge and Dorothy Cahill, they're Riverdale. But you know who else is Riverdale? FP Jones, who we were so quick to blame for Jason's murder," she continued. The crowd murmured. "Jughead Jones is Riverdale, the very soul of Riverdale. Without him, we may not have ever found out what happened to Jason. And yet how do we thank him? By banishing him. Which is what we do when the truth gets too ugly in Riverdale. Truth being that Clifford Blossom was also Riverdale. Riverdale's at a crossroads. If we don't face the reality of who and what we are, if we keep lying to ourselves and keeping secrets from each other, then what happened to Jason could happen again. Or, God forbid, something even worse. Riverdale must do better. We must do better."

Dot felt nothing but pride for her best friend right now. The crowd was silent. Finally, someone behind her started clapping. Dot turned her head. A smile crept on her face. Jug was standing in the doorway, clapping after the speech. She joined in and soon, so did her mother, aunt, and cousin. The crowd cheered and for the first time that night, Dot cheered with them. Wanted to cheer with them because everything that Betty just said was true. She couldn't feel happier that Betty didn't let anyone in this town stop her from saying what was on her mind. And for giving Jughead and FP their much-deserved justice.

Dot and Jug stumbled into FP's trailer. "Well, that was one crazy night," Dot said.

"Sure was," Jug said.

Dot looked around, the place was clean. "Looks great in here."

"I cleaned up after Sheriff Keller trashed the place. I just wanted it to look good in case my dad..." he trailed off.

That part still wasn't over. But that also meant that the fight for justice wasn't over. "He'll get out. We'll make sure of that. And if my mom has to attorney into hell. I'm not done, far from it actually," Dot assured him.

"Which is just one of the many reasons why I love you, Dot," Jug mused.

Dot looked up at him, a smile creeping up on her face. Of course, she knew he loved her, but neither of them had ever said it up until that point.

She walked closer to him. "Huh?" she asked, playing dumb.

Jug played along, maybe just to reassure himself that he meant it. "I love you, Dorothy Cahill. I think I always have."

Dot put her arms around his neck. "I love you too," she whispered. They started kissing.

That soon led to more and before Dot knew it, her shirt was on the floor. It never got further than that though, as suddenly there was a loud knock on the door. "Who the hell is that?" Dot asked.

"I have no idea," Jug replied. "Put your shirt back on."

He went to answer the door. As Dot put her shirt on, Jug talked to someone at the door. She couldn't make out who it was. When she had rearranged herself and went to look who was at the door, she saw Jug putting on a Southside Serpent leather jacket.

"Jug..." Dot said. He looked at her, contemplating what to do next. He thanked whoever was out and they seemed to be leaving. "What is going on?" she asked, nodding at the jacket.

"I guess, uhm, I'm part of the Serpents now," he replied hesitantly.

"You'rewhat?" Dot asked.

"I mean, it's nice of them, isn't it?" he asked back. Dot didn't know what to say. Was it nice? Or was it the start of something even worse?

"I don't know. I think I need to get home now. I'm sorry," she said, grabbing her bag.

"Dot, wait," he said, grabbing her arm. "Please don't go. I told you. Nothing will change between us."

Dot shook her head. "I'm sorry."

Dot had another sleepless night, thinking about whatever this could mean between them. Her mom had left pretty early in the morning for some reason. Dot didn't care to ask, she was too lost in her own thoughts to care about anything else. Life was getting messier and messier. Of course, that's the natural order and how it is and will always be. But Dot hated change. She despised it and everything was turning on its head.

She was so much in a trance that she didn't hear her phone ring at first. She finally picked it up and the caller ID revealed Kippi's name on the phone. Maybe that was what she needed right now. An uplifting talk with her best friend. When she answered the call, she couldn't have known it was going to be anything but that. "Morning, Kip," she greeted. On the other end of the line, Kippi was sniffling into the phone. Dot knitted her eyebrows together. "What happened?"

"My-my..." she stuttered as she started sobbing again.

"Hey, hey, hey. Shhh. Just tell me what happened. I'm listening," Dot said calmly.

Kippi took a deep breath. "Uhm, my Gran, she, uh, she had a heart attack and she's in the hospital. I'm there right now and it doesn't look good. And now I don't know what to do." she sobbed.

Dot's hand flew up over her mouth. This was too much to handle. "Oh, my God. Don't worry, I'm on my way. I'll be there soon. Hang in there," she said. She hung up the phone and quickly got dressed. Walking out of her room, she heard the front door shut.

"Dottie? I'm home. Come downstairs. I have a surprise!" her mom yelled.

Dot didn't care about a surprise. She had too many things to worry about. She had to get out of the house. To Kippi. That was all that mattered. But life hit her again. Right in the face. "I'm sorry, mom. But there's been an emergency. I have to go now, you can show me the surprise later."

She looked up and realized that her mom wasn't alone. Someone was with her. A man. A very familiar man. A man she hadn't seen in years. The last man she expected to see at the moment. Dot stared at the two. Confused, shocked, and so full of questions it hurt her brain to just assemble them all.

"Dad?" she finally asked.

And the day was far from over.