Kiara was still stewing in her room the next evening, earbuds blasting a playlist she titled "Freedom Is a Lie," when her mom's shriek shattered the temporary peace.

"Kiara! Dinner!" Anna's voice rang through the house, filled with a fresh wave of irritation.

Kiara rolled her eyes but pulled herself off her bed. She hadn't eaten much all day, and despite her annoyance with her parents, her hunger was louder than her defiance—at least for the moment.

She trudged down the stairs, her steps heavy, making no effort to hide her bad mood. When she entered the dining room, she was greeted by the icy glares of her parents. The table was set with grilled salmon, steamed broccoli, and quinoa, the typical Carrera family "healthy meal," which somehow felt more suffocating than ever.

"Sit," Anna commanded, her tone clipped.

Kiara plopped into her chair, folding her arms and staring at her plate without a word. The silence was thick enough to cut with a knife, and for a while, the only sounds were forks scraping against plates.

Mike cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Your mother and I have been talking."

Kiara's eyes flicked up from her plate. "Oh, great. This should be fun."

Anna shot her a warning look. "Watch it, young lady. You're already on thin ice."

"Whatever," Kiara muttered, stabbing a piece of broccoli with her fork.

Mike continued, ignoring her attitude. "We've decided that this can't go on. The sneaking out, the lying, the defiance—it stops now."

Kiara leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "And how exactly do you plan on making that happen?"

Anna inhaled sharply, as if summoning all her patience. "We've decided that you're going to Riverdale."

Kiara frowned. "Riverdale? What the hell is Riverdale?"

Mike placed his fork down deliberately, as if steadying himself for what he knew would be an uphill battle. "It's a small town not far from here. We've made arrangements for you to stay there for a while."

Kiara blinked at them, her confusion quickly turning to outrage. "Wait, wait, wait. You're shipping me off to some random town? How? Why?"

Anna leaned forward, her expression hard. "We've spoken to Frank Andrews—he's a family friend. He's agreed to keep an eye on you and make sure you stay out of trouble."

"Frank Andrews?" Kiara repeated, incredulous. "Who's that?"

"Archie Andrews's uncle," Mike explained, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Kiara gawked at them. "Archie Andrews? Who even is that?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "You don't need to know. What you need to know is that Frank will be here tomorrow after school to take you to Riverdale."

Kiara's jaw dropped. "Tomorrow? Are you serious? You're just going to dump me in some town with some guy I've never even met?"

"Yes," Anna said bluntly, clearly done with the conversation.

Kiara's voice rose in indignation. "You can't just ship me off to Riverdale! What is this, a punishment or some weird twisted social experiment? What even happens in Riverdale? Isn't it like... full of crime or something? Serial killers? Cults?"

Mike's brow furrowed. "Don't exaggerate."

Kiara scoffed. "Oh, I'm exaggerating? What's next, you gonna send me to solve mysteries with the Scooby-Doo gang?"

"Kiara," Anna said through gritted teeth, "stop making jokes. This isn't funny."

"You're right," Kiara shot back. "It's not funny. It's insane! Riverdale? Seriously? Do you even hear yourselves?"

Mike slammed his hand on the table, making the dishes rattle. "That's enough! You're going, and that's final."

Kiara stood up abruptly, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. "No, I'm not going. I have rights, you know. You can't just decide my life for me."

Anna stood up too, matching Kiara's intensity. "Your rights? You're a teenager living under our roof. You don't have a say in this."

Kiara pointed a finger at her parents. "This is so messed up. Do you even care about me, or are you just trying to get rid of me? Because guess what? Sending me to Riverdale isn't going to solve anything!"

Anna's face turned red. "It's Riverdale or boarding school. Those are your options. Take your pick."

Kiara laughed bitterly. "Neither. I'm not doing either."

Mike stood up, his voice firm. "You don't have a choice."

"Oh, I have a choice," Kiara snapped. "And I choose to not let you control my life anymore."

With that, she stormed out of the dining room, her anger spilling over like a dam breaking. She ran up the stairs, her parents shouting after her, but she didn't stop. She slammed her bedroom door so hard the house seemed to shake.

Inside, Kiara paced back and forth, her mind racing. Riverdale? They had to be kidding. How could they think this was the solution? She pulled out her phone and texted JJ.

Kiara: My parents have officially lost it. They're sending me to some creepy town called Riverdale.

JJ replied almost instantly.

JJ: What? Where even is that?

Kiara: Exactly. No clue. Apparently, Archie Andrews's uncle is my new babysitter.

JJ: Archie who?

Kiara let out a bitter laugh, typing furiously.

Kiara: Exactly. Some guy from some town where everyone probably sings show tunes and fights crime or whatever. I'm not going.

JJ: Damn right, you're not. We'll figure something out.

Kiara stared at the screen for a moment before tossing her phone onto her bed. She didn't know how she'd get out of this, but one thing was certain: she wasn't going to Riverdale. Not without a fight.