Guilt, innocence. Good, evil. Life, death.
As the shadows of Riverdale deepened, the lines that separated these polar opposites blurred and distorted.
"I'm guilty," Cheryl said in Biology class.
But of what?
"To clarify," Cheryl said when she was alone in the principal's office with Weatherbee and Keller. "I didn't mean I was guilty of killing Jason. I loved him more than I do myself. I am guilty of lying about what happened on July 4."
"The autopsy puts his death at about July 11," said Keller. "When was the last time you say your brother?"
"It was July 4. I don't know what happened the week after that."
"Cheryl, in your own words, what happened at Sweetwater River."
"The plan was bananas, even for me. Jason wanted to leave Riverdale and never come back. He asked me to help him stage an accident so that our mom and dad wouldn't come after him. Our story would be, we went for an early morning boat ride, and the boat tipped and capsized, and Jason drowned. In fact, we made it to the other side dry as bones. We said goodbye on the Greendale side of Sweetwater River. He promised he'd call me as soon as he was in a place where he couldn't be reached or pulled back by our parents, one month at the most. I waited days for a call, or an email."
"You tell anyone about the plan? Any way that you can corroborate it? You really have no idea why your brother wanted to run away, fake his own death? Doesn't that seem cruel?"
"No he wasn't! Jason wasn't cruel!"
"So this is all just a web of lies you're spinning to cover your own tracks?"
"I didn't kill Jason!" Cheryl took a breath, calming herself. "There was a gunshot that morning. Maybe whoever killed Jason took a shot and missed him that morning."
"You heard a gunshot and you're just telling us this now?"
"I was upset! My brother was murdered!"
"So upset you sang and danced at a pep rally yesterday?"
That's when two people burst into the office. Clifford and Penelope Blossom, Cheryl's parents.
"What is going on here?" asked Clifford.
"Mommy…" Cheryl was about to say.
"Not another word, Cheryl," Penelope warned. "Get up."
The two grabbed Cheryl's arms and carried her out of the office.
"Why didn't you call us?" asked Penelope.
"Because she's a liar, that's what," Clifford answered.
"When we get home, you're telling us everything."
Everyone could only stand there and watch as Cheryl was forcefully carried out of the school.
Riverdale
Chapter 3
Body Double
Alice showed Betty the newspaper. The caption read, 'Cheryl Blossom, Guilty as SIN!'
"Hot off the presses," was all Alice said.
"Mom, first you leak the autopsy report, now this?" Betty reacted, disgusted.
"People love the coverage."
"You have to stop sensationalizing this horrible thing."
"It's news, Betty. We own the Riverdale register. We have a responsibility to keep the people informed."
"Whatever Jason did to Polly, he's still a person."
"You reap what you sow."
"You should be writing about the real story. What happened to Jason. Who was holding him captive? Why was he frozen? Who fired that gun on July 4?"
"If you're so curious, why don't you come work with your father and me? The Register could really use a Lois Lane type like you."
Alice took the paper and walked out of the room.
The next day at school, Archie went straight to the principal's office.
"I think I know something that can help with the Blossom investigation," he said. "People are saying Cheryl heard a gunshot?"
"That's what she's claiming, yes," Keller replied.
"I heard it too. I was there that morning. I didn't say anything because at first, like everyone, I thought Jason drowned. Then when the autopsy came out and said he died later…"
"What were you doing down at the river so early on July 4?"
"I was going for a swim."
"Did you see who fired the shot?"
"No sir."
"Were you alone?"
"No sir."
"Who were you with?"
Archie realized he made a mistake. He knew he had to improvise.
"My dog, Vegas," he lied.
Later that day, Archie was with everyone else at the lounge.
"So are you a suspect now?" Veronica asked Archie.
"My dad says we all are, including me," Kevin replied.
"Not me, girl. I don't know these people."
"Guys, should we re-binge 'Making a Murderer' on Netflix tonight?"
"Sorry, but I can't," Betty replied. "Gotta stay late to work on the paper."
"Count me out too," said Veronica. "I've got a date tonight."
"Really?" asked Kevin. "Who made the cut?"
As if to answer that question, one of the football players, Chuck Clayton, approached Veronica.
"Hey Vee-lo," he greeted. "I'll swing by the Pembrooke to pick you up at 8:00?"
"I'll be waiting," Veronica replied.
"Cool."
Chuck left the room along with Reggie and Moose.
"Chuck Clayton?" Betty asked. "He's kind of a player."
"Who cares?" Veronica reported. "He's the hottest member of the team, and he's the varsity football coach's son. That's like dating a Kennedy."
Later that day, Betty was cleaning up the newsroom for the school paper, 'The Blue and Gold'. Having seen him writing stories on his laptop at Pop's, Betty called Jughead in for assistance.
"If print journalism is dead, what am I doing here?" Jughead asked.
"The Blue and Gold isn't dead," Betty replied. "It's dormant, but waking up. You're writing a novel, right? About Jason Blossom's murder?"
"I am. Riverdale's very own 'In Cold Blood'."
"Which started out as a series of articles. I'm hoping you'll come write for the Blue and Gold."
"I just don't think the school paper's the right fit for my voice."
"Jug, Jason's death changed Riverdale. People don't want to admit that, but it's true. We all feel it. Nothing this bad was ever supposed to happen here, but it did. I want to know why."
"Would I get complete freedom?"
"I'll help, edit, and suggest, but it's your story. Your voice."
"Doesn't sound like complete freedom, but I'm in."
"Great. In that case, I have your first assignment. There's one person who was at the river on July 4 that no one is talking about."
"Dilton Doiley and the scouts?"
"Exactly."
Betty left the room, leaving Jughead alone to start writing.
That night, Archie returned home from football practice. He saw Fred sitting on the couch, giving him a disappointed glare.
"You said you were on a run on the fourth," Fred said. "But then I talked to Keller. I guess that was a lie."
Archie knew he was caught, and tried to defuse the situation. "Dad, I was on a walk, then…"
"You should have come to me, Archie. We could've gone to the sheriff together."
"I didn't want to drag you into it, Dad."
"That was an error in judgement."
Archie started heading up to his room. "Well, I'm sorry that I'm not perfect."
"You're right, you aren't perfect. Far from it, actually. That's why you're grounded."
"What?"
"So, in this house, every night for two weeks, 7:00."
"I'm not ten years old, Dad! You can't just…"
"Wanna go for three?"
That shut Archie up. He went to his room without saying another word.
Meanwhile, Veronica and Chuck were having their date at the diner.
Chuck took a selfie of the two of them in his car.
Veronica took Chuck's phone to examine the photo.
"It's fine," she declared, giving the phone back.
"You know, you are different than what I thought you'd be," Chuck remarked. "A former It Girl from New York, made off like a fall from grace? I assumed you'd be high maintenance. Tell me, what do you miss at home?"
Veronica didn't need to think about it at all. "Everything. I forgot how exhausting it is to be the new kid."
"Try being the new kid whose dad is also the new teacher, and coach."
"Well, from an outsider's point of view, you've not only proven yourself, but you've raised the bar for everyone out there. Varsity football, Dean's list, Ivy League aspirations. Oh yes, you've been vetted, handsome. Veronica Lodge is nothing if not an informed consumer."
"I'm gonna have my hands full with you, huh?"
"I'm betting you can handle it."
The two proceeded to make out.
The next morning, Veronica was getting her things for first period. Betty and Kevin were there with her.
"So, how'd it go with Chuck?" asked Kevin.
"Chuck has muscles for days," Veronica replied. "But his conversation is not the stuff of Oscar Wilde or even Diablo Cody."
"Hey Veronica," said some random girl passing by. "How was the sticky maple you had last night?"
Veronica could not believe what she heard. "The what?"
"The sticky maple Chuck gave you? How was it?"
"We had a brownie sundae, if that's what you hyenas mean."
Kevin checked his notifications. What he saw sickened him.
"What is it?" Veronica asked, snatching the phone.
What she saw was the selfie Chuck took of them on their date. It was edited so it looked like Veronica's face was covered in something that definitely wasn't maple syrup.
"What the hell is this?" asked Veronica.
"It's kinda what it sounds like," Kevin explained. "It's a slut-shaming thing."
"Well, I'm not a slut, nor am I gonna be shamed by someone named, excuse me, Chuck Clayton. Does he really think he can get away with this? I will cut the brakes on his souped-up phallic symbol."
"Or we can go to Principal Weatherbee," Betty suggested.
"About the coach's son, who's captain of the football team, and Riverdale High's resident golden boy?!"
"Or I can expose him in the pages of the Blue and Gold."
"Spoken like a true good girl who always follows the rules." Veronica shoved Betty and Kevin aside. "Well, I don't follow rules. I make them, and when necessary, I break them. You wanna help me get revenge on Chuck, awesome, but you better be willing to go full dark, no stars! What do you say, in or out?"
Betty reluctantly followed Veronica.
The two girls bursted into the boys' locker room. They instantly ran into Archie. He wrapped himself in a towel to cover himself.
"Betty, Veronica, what are you doing here?" he asked.
Veronica had to shove the memory of Archie's dick to the back of her mind.
"Don't worry about it," she said. She tried to go on, but Archie stopped her. "I mean it, Andrews! Hit the showers and stay out of my way!"
Veronica shoved past Betty and carried on. Betty fell behind, as she was trying to not look at any of the naked boys in the area.
It didn't take long for them to find Chuck.
"Huh, B and V," Chuck remarked. "Menage a right on. Ladies."
Veronica showed Chuck the photo. "This is disgusting. Take it down."
"Whoa, why are you so wound up? It's a badge of honor, and you're not exactly virgin territory after your closet date with Andrews."
"Okay, that's beyond irrelevant, Chuck," said Betty. "You're not allowed to go around humiliating girls for any reason under any circumstances you asshole!"
"I get you're not a closet kind of girl, but hey," said Chuck. "If you want to ride the Chuck wagon, that can be arranged."
"Let's keep this simple so your preppy-murderer half-brain can grasp it," said Veronica. "Take, this, the fuck, down."
At this point, Chuck wasn't playing nice anymore. His usual preppy smile turned into a warning glare.
"Okay, that high-toned bitch attitude may have worked on the betas you dated in New York," he said. "But you're in Bulldog territory now. Please, fight back. You'll only make it harder on yourself."
Jughead found Dilton Doiley training a small group of boy scouts. When Dilton saw Jughead, he bounced back.
"At ease, Doiley," Jughead assured. "I'm writing an article for the Blue and Gold, hoping you can help."
"Dismissed!" Dilton said to the scouts. "But stay close."
Once all the scouts were gone, Jughead spoke again. "Cheryl and Archie both say they heard a gunshot the morning of July 4, but they don't know who fired."
"Sheriff Keller already asked me that day, and like I told him, my scouts and I, we didn't hear anything weird."
"Well, did you see anything weird?"
Dilton sighed. "A white-winged crossbill, a long-eared owl, and Cheryl sitting by the river, soaking wet."
Jughead noticed one of the other scouts overheard the conversation.
During English class, Archie was reading his novel, just like everyone else.
"Psst, Archie," a voice whispered.
Archie turned around to see it was Cheryl calling him.
"Thanks to you, I'm not the girl who cried gunshot," she said. "You believed me when not even my parents did."
"I just told the truth," Archie downplayed.
"Which is why I want to repay your kindness."
"Cheryl, truly, that's not why I came forward."
"Save the 'Aw shucks' for Betty. I'm granting you one wish, Archie. Nothing is off the table, except for my body. Jason would want you to be rewarded."
"I appreciate the offer, Cheryl, but no. I don't want anything right now."
"But…"
The teacher cleared his throat. Archie and Cheryl got back to reading.
In the lounge, Kevin was practicing his music. That's when Josie came in.
"I heard your song during lunch the other day," she said. "I'm seeing a bit of potential, so I'm doing you this one solid. The Pussycats are playing my mom's event, 'The Taste of Riverdale', and we are rehearsing every night this week. Come, observe, learn."
"Thank you," was all Kevin said.
Josie nodded, then walked out.
Veronica read through the comments on Chuck's post. They were mostly just people insulting and making fun of her. There were one or two people defending her, but it was mostly just hate comments.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask," came Hermione. "How was your date last night? I like the looks of that boy."
"The more handsome on the outside, the more rotten on the inside," Veronica remarked.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing. He's just not my type." That's when Veronica's phone rang. "It's Betty. Can I take it?"
Hermione nodded.
Veronica answered the phone, packed her bag, and left the apartment.
When she got to school, Veronica went straight to the Blue and Gold room. There was not just Betty, but a good amount of girls in the room. Some of them, Veronica recognized as Vixens, others faces, she passed in the halls, but there was one person in the middle she did not recognize.
"This story is bigger than we thought," Betty explained. "I started asking around to see if what happened to you happened to anyone else, and if anyone would go on record."
"I will, 100%," said the girl in the middle.
"Okay. It's five guys on the football team. Chuck and his posse. Ethel was just about to tell us."
The girl in the middle, Ethel, took a breath. "One day last year, Chuck and I talked in the library for ten minutes. I helped him with a Pre-Cal problem and nothing happened, but the next day, he started telling people that I let him do stuff to me, sex stuff, then he or one of his goons wrote, 'Sloppy seconds', on my locker."
Cheryl came in, having heard the story.
"Yes, yes, we've all heard your tragic origin story," she said apathetically. "It's horrible. Not as horrible as being a suspect in your own brother's torture-murder case, but we all have our crosses. In the meantime, River Vixen practice is in 5 minutes, sluts, so…"
"They're ruining our lives and to them, it's just a game," Ethel went on, trying her hardest to ignore Cheryl. "They keep score and…"
"Wait, what do you mean, 'keep score'?" asked Veronica.
"Each conquest earns them points. They keep track in some secret playbook."
"Okay, we have to tell Weatherbee," said Betty.
"I tried that already," said Ethel. "He said he didn't find anything."
"Okay, we need undeniable proof."
"Proof of what, Nancy Drew?" Cheryl asked. "That boys will be boys?" She then turned to Ethel. "And that playbook reeks of suburban legend."
"How would you know, Cheryl?" said Veronica.
"Because, Frida Shallow, before he died, my brother was co-captain with Chuck, and he never mentioned it, nor would he have allowed it."
"Well, I never met your brother, but I'm not lying about what happened to me, and neither is Ethel. Proof or no proof, book or no book, I am going scorched earth on these privileged, despicable miscreants! You wanna get caught in that backdraft, Cheryl? Call me, or any of these beautiful, young, strong, intelligent women 'slut' one more time!"
Veronica noticed a lump go down Cheryl's throat.
Jughead followed the boy scout to Pop's diner. He was having dinner with his parents. When the parents got up to pay the bill, Jughead took it as an opportunity. He sat across from the scout, took the cherry on top of his sundae, and ate it.
"What the hell, man!" the scout reacted.
"I saw the way you looked at me during training," Jughead said, getting straight to the point. "You're hiding something."
"It's Scoutmaster Doiley. He's lying. The gunshot, it was him. He was teaching us how to shoot targets."
Jughead was completely dumbfounded. "Dilton Doiley shot the gun on July 4?"
"He's a hardcore survivalist. He says if we don't protect ourselves, no one will."
At the school, Kevin joined the Pussycats in the school lounge.
"Melody's out technique queen," said Valerie.
"And you're the songwriter?" asked Kevin. "I'd love to…"
"Love to what?" Josie interrupted, having just come in. "That's the real question. What exactly do you expect to get out of this?"
"Short version, I just want to hear you guys play my songs, making them better, recording them."
"So you feel qualified to write songs for the Pussycats? For divas of color?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"Look, this isn't LA or New York. This is Riverdale, and people's minds are opening up, but do you have any idea how much hate mail my mom got when she was elected mayor?"
"I campaigned for your mom. I get it."
"No, baby. You don't. I mean, do you know why we're called the Pussycats? Because we have to claw our way into the same rooms that you can just waltz into. If you think that you can write about my experience…"
"Josie…" Valerie interrupted.
"No, she's right," Kevin admitted.
"Good," Josie nodded.
Betty was working in the Blue and Gold. That's when Ethel entered with a guy Betty didn't recognize.
"Betty, this is Trev Brown," she introduced. "He used to be on the football team."
"But I quit when I saw Chuck's playbook," Trev added. "I might know where it is."
Betty rounded up Veronica and Kevin, and the three followed Ethel.
"Football players behaving badly," Veronica remarked. "What else is new? Stubenville, Glen Ridge, the coach's son being the ringleader. I mean, just how depraved is this town?"
"Color me impressed," said a voice from behind.
The four all jumped back. They realized it was only Cheryl.
"A B and E with B and V," Cheryl remarked. "What would your holy roller mother say about this, Betty?"
"What are you doing here, Cheryl?" asked Betty.
"Trev told Valerie, who told Josie, who told Ginger, who told Tina, who told me. I figured I could help."
"'Help' or derail the investigation?"
"Guys, get in here," said Ethel.
The girls approached Ethel. She had a book in her hands.
"Trev was right," she said. "They didn't even bother to hide i
They skimmed through the page until they found the most recent entry. It hat."d Veronica's name on it. There was also a plus-one bonus for getting the 'new girl'.
"'New girl'?" Veronica reacted. "Is that what I'm reduced to? Nine points."
"Better than 'big girl'," Ethel retorted. "Seven-point-five."
"This is what people like Chuck think about women," said Betty. "We're objects for them to use and abuse, and when they're done with us, they shame us into silence! They have no remorse for the lives they destroy!"
Veronica took a picture of the page.
"I'll send this to Weatherbee," she said. "This will be the perfect cover for your expose, don't you think, Betty?"
"Yeah, but no," Betty replied. "These girls deserve justice. You want vengeance? You wanna go full dark, no stars, Veronica? I'm with you, and I have a plan."
Valerie had just finished showing her lyrics to the other Pussycats.
"Val, you're such a poet, but these lyrics don't make sense," Josie reviewed. "What is the hook? I mean, I need a line that catches."
"What about 'Painting in the wind'?" Melody suggested.
"Or 'Painting on her skin'?" Kevin added.
Melody actually liked that idea. She wrote it down.
"Alright, let's take it from the top," said Josie.
The three snapped their fingers in a rhythmic beat, then they harmonized.
"Painting on her skin, colors in her hair," Josie sang. "Come around the corner, make you stop and stare. She don't pay no mind, 'cause she don't really care what you think about her, think about her."
The girls vocalized again. Kevin was almost brought to tears by that perfect harmony.
"What else you got?" asked Josie.
"I was thinking we could invert the second and third verses," Kevin suggested.
Betty put on some lipstick, as if getting ready for a date.
"Seduce scarlet doesn't suit you, dear," Alice commented.
"It's Polly's," Betty replied. "I'm borrowing it."
"Polly grew up too fast. I don't want you to make the same mistake."
"Well, I like it. It makes me feel… powerful."
"You coming with us to the mayor's shindig?"
"No. I'm going over to Veronica's to study for a test."
Alice wiped the lipstick off of Betty. "I don't want you associating with a girl like that."
"A bad girl, you mean? Get used to it, Mom. She's my friend."
Alice gave Betty a different lipstick. "Here. It's more you."
Betty begrudgingly took the stick. When Alice left the room, though, Betty reapplied the 'seduce scarlet' lipstick.
Once she was done applying the lipstick to herself, Betty headed to Pop's. Chuck was there waiting for her.
"Hey, Chuck," she greeted. "Can I sit?"
"Not if you wanna discuss Veronica," Chuck replied.
"Only insofar as… I've been thinking lately, how I wanna be more like her."
"You wanna be a bad girl? Like your sister, Polly, was?"
Betty was taken aback by that statement. She almost forgot her script.
"Oh yeah, Jason told us all about Polly," Chuck continued. "Prissy prude by day, freak in the sheets by night. Bad girls have more fun, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Betty replied. "You can show me."
"Yes, I can do that."
"When?"
"Tomorrow night."
"At your place, or mine?"
"Ethel's. She and her parents will be out. She'll leave us a key. We're friends, and she has a hot tub."
That seemed to convince Chuck. "I'll be there, and don't worry. I'll be gentle."
"Can't wait."
The following night, Chuck went to Ethel's house. He headed into the backyard. Like Betty promised, there was a hot tub.
But unlike what Betty promised, she didn't come. Instead, Veronica was there.
"You're not Betty," Chuck said, getting suspicious.
"Betty and I talked it over," Veronica explained. "And we decided it's time to stop fighting over Archie, and start learning to share." She took off her shirt, revealing a swimsuit. "Nice, isn't it? It gets very, very hot. Come on. Let's get wet."
Veronica got in the hot tub.
"Shouldn't we wait for Betty?" asked Chuck.
As if on cue, Betty came in wearing nothing but a short skirt and a bra that did nothing to cover her breasts. Even Veronica was surprised by her getup.
At City Hall, the ceremony commenced.
"Welcome all, to the first annual Taste of Riverdale," said Mayor McCoy. "As a leadup to our 75-anniversary jubilee, this even proves that Riverdale truly is a town that, when tragedy knocks us down, we get right back up. Bon appetit."
After she was done with her speech, McCoy approached the Blossoms.
"Penelope, Clifford," she greeted. "How are you holding up?"
"How do you think?" Penelope replied. "My son is dead. Neither you nor Sheriff Keller have done anything to catch his killer, except, of course, harass my daughter."
That's when Alice approached them.
"Penelope Blossom, I thought I might run into you," she said. "Would you like to give me a quote regarding…"
SLAP!
Alice almost fell to the ground because of how hard Penelope slapped her. Sheriff Keller had to help her up.
"How dare you, Alice Cooper?!" Penelope screamed. "Printing my son's autopsy?! He was tortured and shot and thrown in the river like a piece of garbage!"
Josie and the Pussycats got on stage.
"Hey, Riverdale," Josie greeted. "We are Josie and the Pussycats. Are you ready to rock?"
The crowd cheered.
The Pussycats snapped their fingers and started to vocalize.
"Painting on her skin, colors in her hair," Josie sang. "Come around the corner, make you stop and stare. She don't pay no mind, 'cause she don't really care what you think about her, think about her."
The girls continued to vocalize.
Kevin watched the girls' performance. He teared up a bit finally hearing his songs performed in front of an audience.
Sheriff Keller, better known as Tom, saw him crying. He put two and two together and realized Kevin wrote that song.
"You did good," he complimented.
Once the song was over, Alice found Hermione working at a Pop's concession stand.
"Hermione Lodge," she said. "Park Avenue princess to cater-waiter."
She took a shot.
"Alice Cooper," Hermione rebutted. "No longer lactose intolerant, I see."
"How's Veronica?" Alice asked. She saw the hesitance in Hermione's face. "Oh, you don't know, do you? The things they're saying about your daughter at school?"
"What things?"
"Slut-shaming. You know, you really have to keep an eye on girls like Veronica. They so easily get out of control."
Hermione started to worry. She grabbed her phone and dialed Veronica's number.
Betty added something to Chuck's drink.
"What is that?" asked Veronica.
"It's muscle relaxer," Betty explained. "Mix it with booze and it lowers your inhibitions. Hello, truth serum."
Veronica gained a bad feeling about this. "Maybe we should slow it down a little?"
"It's fine." Betty turned to Chuck, who was still in the hot tub. "Right, Chuck? You don't want to slow down, do you?"
"I'm too fast, too furious, baby," Chuck replied.
"Good boy, Chuck."
The party was over. Jughead found Dilton leaning against a wall while everyone else was leaving.
"Hello, Dilton," he greeted. "I talked to one of your scouts. I know you fired the gun, which makes you both a liar and a public menace."
"So what if I did?" Dilton argued. "Somebody has to teach them how to stand their ground. The way this town is going…"
"Save it for your statement which you can make to Keller or me. I suggest the latter. Blue and Gold offices tomorrow."
Chuck woke up from what felt like a long power nap. The water was starting to bubble. He was almost completely under the water. He moved his body up to save himself, but he barely moved.
He looked around him. He saw that he was cuffed to the bars around the tub. Betty and Veronica were both surrounding him.
"Start recording," said Betty.
Veronica brought out her phone and started recording.
"Guys, it's really hot in here," said Chuck.
"And getting hotter by the minute," Betty replied.
She pushed a button on the remote. The temperature started going up at a slow rate.
"Time to squeal, pig," Betty demanded. "Tell the truth about what happened between you and Veronica."
"We had a good time," Chuck lied.
"The truth, Chuck, or so help me, I will BOIL YOU ALIVE!"
The temperature was rising even faster now.
"What?" Chuck reacted. "We made out."
"And then?" Betty asked.
"And then I took her home, and I didn't give her a sticky maple."
"That was all you had to say, you ass," Veronica said, stopping the recording. "And now, people know."
But Betty wasn't satisfied. She put her foot on Chuck's head, pushing him deeper into the water.
"You like shaming people, Chuck?" she asked. "You like dehumanizing people? Prissy prude by day, freak in the sheets by night? Apologize!"
Veronica almost jumped back seeing Betty behaving this way.
"Betty, what are you…?" she asked.
But Betty kept her focus on Chuck. "Say you're sorry!"
"Okay, I'm sorry!" Chuck shouted. "I'm sorry for all of it!"
Betty lightened up. "Good job, pig. Now for your reward." She took out a bottle of syrup. "A sticky maple of your own!"
Betty didn't even give Chuck a moment to react. She poured the syrup on Chuck's head.
By this point, Veronica knew she had to step in.
"Betty, stop!" she yelled. "It's over! We've won!"
Betty snapped out of it. She saw how terrified Veronica was, and how traumatized Chuck was. She had no idea what happened, but she worried it was her doing.
"I'm fine," she assured. "We're done here."
But she was once again digging her fingernails into her palms.
The next day at school, Betty had just published a newspaper about the slut-shaming book.
"Quite the expose," Veronica complimented. "Whenever did you find the time to write it?"
"Stayed up all night," Betty replied. "Couldn't sleep after…"
"Yeah, me neither. Betty, you came through for me in a way no one else has before, but can we talk about what happened?"
"What do you mean?"
"Everything. How far were you gonna take it?"
"Chuck deserved it."
"Did he, though? I mean, increasing the temperature of the water was punishment enough, but you almost drowned him and covered him in maple syrup."
Betty didn't remember that bit. She just remembered threatening to boil Chuck, and it went blank from there.
"I don't remember that," she said.
"Well, you did," Veronica argued. "It was like you were a completely different person."
"Well, I remember increasing the temperature of the water and demanding Chuck apologize to you, but it all went blank from there. Okay?"
Betty got her stuff from her locker and headed to class.
Good and evil. Light and dark. Betty and Veronica.
Two sides of the same janus coin. Given Betty's article, Weatherbee needed a sacrificial lamb, needed to make an example of someone.
Coach Clayton, to save his job, to save the school's reputation, was forced to cut his own beloved son and his goon squad from the team. It was an action that, though no one knew it at the time, would have terrible consequences in the weeks to come.
Everyone watched as Chuck and his goons handed over their varsity jackets.
"Thanks Betty, thanks Veronica," Ethel thanked Betty and Veronica.
"Thank you, Ethel, for going on record," said Betty. "You really made a difference with Weatherbee."
"You're the bravest of them all, Ethel Muggs," Veronica complimented. "Hashtag Justice for Ethel."
But one thing was certain. Betty and Veronica, now B & V, had been forged. They walked through the fire and survived.
The duo threw the book into a trash can outside. Betty poured some gas all over it. She then lit a match, and set the book on fire.
We crave absolutes. They comfort us, but life is infinitely more complex than that.
Betty and Jughead brought Dilton to the Blue and Gold.
"If you publish a story saying I fired that gun, my life will be ruined," said Dilton. "I'll be banished from the scouts and charged with a misdemeanor, but what if I promise you a better story. If I tell you what I know, promise me the gunshot stays between us."
"You have our word, as journalists," Betty replied.
"I saw something at Sweetwater River, something no one else saw: Ms. Grundy's car, by the river's edge. She was there."
Despite Betty's struggles, she would've done anything to protect Archie, making sure no one knew that they were being intimate at Sweetwater River the day things went down.
But Dilton Doiley had just opened Pandora's Box, and now, there was nothing Betty, or anyone, could do to save him.
Riverdale
A.N.
Looking back, it was this, the THIRD episode, when Riverdale's flaws really started to rear their ugly heads in. I knew I needed to fix it up.
First off, the reveal that Jason put Polly's name in that slut-shaming book. It didn't really go anywhere. It implies that Jason is not the good person Cheryl thought he was, but this plot point isn't really brought up again. Instead, there's the whole reveal that Jason impregnated Polly (and that they're both secretly cousins). It only really serves to give a reason as to why Betty acted the way she did towards Chuck.
Speaking of which, that scene could've been executed a lot better. I mean, that wig looks so stupid on Betty. When I watched this episode for the first time, I did not realize that it was supposed to be Betty at first. Maybe I'm just an idiot and didn't recognize Lili Reinhart's face (though to be fair, I was only three episodes in and not familiar with the actress at all), but that doesn't change the fact that that was a stupid choice on the writer's part.
To fix that, I completely removed the wig from the storyline. Betty is never going to wear it. In addition, it's more clear that Betty blacked out when acting the way she did, truly showing off her dark side. I intend for this part of Betty to actually get called out, while also showing her grow out of these impulsive tendencies.
That's another thing. I already mentioned this in the very first note, but the characters are barely called out for their stupid actions, and they get away with a lot of stuff. I want to fix that by showing them actually realizing their mistakes and showing true growth.
That's all I have to say. Thanks for reading.