Play "Our Fair Riverdale" - Riverdale Original Song
All hail, our fair Riverdale
My heart rings true to the gold and blue
People like to say that the death of Jason Blossom changed everything at Riverdale High.
Where friendships started near or parted
Always stay with you
But certain things, certain traditions, never change.
When days turn to memory, the past of dawn
What once was now gone, the storm we weather
Strong together, bound we carry on
Take Homecoming, for instance. Though Jason's jersey had been retired, the Riverdale Bulldogs would still be playing their arch-rivals, the Stonewall Stallions, with the River Vixens cheering them on.
All hail, our fair Riverdale
My heart rings true to the gold and blue
Well, all except one. Betty decided to quit the Vixens so she could focus more on the Blue and Gold.
Where friendships started near or parted
Always stay with you
End "Our Fair Riverdale"
As in previous years, graduates from Riverdale past will come to town to relive their more youthful, more carefree, days.
Or to make up for lost time.
"Archie, the reason why I came…" Mary tried to tell Archie.
"You came because of the divorce?" Archie assumed. "Because I called Dad?"
"You know, I thought Riverdale would be better for you than Chicago. It would be safer…"
"It's okay, Mom, really. It's not all that bad. My friends are amazing, Dad and I are closer than ever before, and I've been…"
"Playing football?"
"Yeah."
"And your dad tells me you're great."
At the Pembrooke, Hermione was on the phone with Paul.
"You will keep us posted, right?" she asked. "Thanks."
"Some good news for a change?" Veronica assumed.
"That was your dad's attorney. Turns out, our statements did make a difference and the judge seems inclined to give your dad a break."
"What kind of break?"
"Time served. A few more months, if that."
"Then what? We move back to New York?"
"Or he moves here."
"What about the crimes he's committed here, including, maybe, Jason Blossom."
"Stop it, Veronica. There's no proof he had anything to do with that."
"The Blossoms are the reason he's in jail, Mom. That gives him a motive."
"Veronica, you need to support your father, not demonize him, again, for things that you have no proof of."
Jughead went to FP's trailer with some breakfast from Pop's.
The first thing he saw was that the place wasn't a mess anymore.
Then FP came down the hall. His beard was shaved, his hair was fixed up, and his attire was overall better than before.
"Dad, were you body-snatched or something?" Jughead asked jokingly.
"Oh, I feel good, Jug," said FP. "I shaved, I cleaned up a bit, painted..."
"I got us some coffee and donuts."
"I read your… essay? Manuscript?"
"You did?"
"You asked for it, didn't you?"
"I don't know. I thought you were just pretending to be interested."
The two sat at the table to eat their donuts.
"This is excellence," FP said. "Me? I can barely string two sentences together. You, on the other hand? You got a gift. Thank God you're not wasting it. Mind if I ask a few questions?"
"No," Jughead replied. "Shoot."
"Why Jason Blossom? Of all the things you can write about, why pick a dead kid?"
"I don't know. It's almost like it picked me. Tell the story that no one was gonna tell, or even know how to tell, from the outside looking in."
"Who do you think killed him? You and Betty are in this deep. You gotta have an opinion."
"To me, I don't think the question is, 'whodunit?' I think the real question is, whether Riverdale is a place of good or a place of evil."
"Or both. Most things are both. Can I offer you a suggestion?"
"That's what Betty says, and then it's about a dozen suggestions."
"I think, at a certain point, you should move on. Don't let this be the only story you tell, Jughead. Hell, don't make it the most important one."
At the high school, Archie found Veronica in the hall.
"Ronnie, wait up!" he called. "I just wanted to explain why I didn't call you after the party. My mom showed up and…"
"It's fine. You don't need to tell me."
"Are we seriously not gonna talk about what happened between us?"
"Archie…" Veronica led Archie somewhere in the hall where no one could overhear them. "We had a moment. It was beautiful, but fleeting."
"We spent the night."
"We crashed, in separate beds."
"I don't regret anything I said or did, Veronica."
"Me neither, but I think you might be boyfriend-worthy."
"I agree. Let's test that theory at the Homecoming dance."
"Unfortunately, I don't have the bandwidth to explore anything with anyone right now."
Veronica checked her phone to see she got a text from Betty. "Look, Archie, I'm sorry, but for a million reasons, we're going to have to pretend our moment never happened. I'll see you later."
She walked away, leaving Archie behind.
Veronica met up with Betty and Alice at the Blue and Gold.
"Oh, finally," said Alice. "Close that door."
Veronica shut the door.
"Ladies, I need you to look around the room," Alice ordered. "Whoever is not in this room, is on the table as a possible murder suspect, including the Pussycats."
Betty rolled her eyes. "Oh my God, Mom."
"Now…" Alice turned to Veronica. "Let's talk about your father."
"He has an epic grudge against the Blossoms," said Veronica. "So yes, it's totally within the realm of possibility that he hired someone from within jail to kill Jason Blossom, probably Jughead's dad."
"You really believe that?" asked Betty.
"My dad paid Jughead's dad to trash the drive-in. Maybe he paid Jughead's dad to… commit murder."
"And what are you basing that off of? That you saw FP and your mom arguing at the drive-in?"
"Maybe they weren't arguing," Alice suggested. "Maybe they were conspiring."
"Conspiring about what?" asked Betty.
"That's what I need you to find out, either through Jughead or FP directly, without raising suspicion, of course, which is why I have prepared a seemingly innocuous list of questions."
"I already asked Jughead point blank if he thought his father had anything to do with Jason's death, and he said no. I believed him, and I still believe him."
"Betty, you're too close to this…"
"I'm not going to insult Jughead, or betray him, by entertaining this. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a homecoming dance to plan. Come on, Vee, let's go."
Betty and Veronica left the room.
At Thornhill, Polly noticed a certain door that was open ajar. She peaked inside to see a collection of wigs stored on mannequin heads.
She looked a little deeper and saw a balding Clifford Blossom looking at himself in the mirror.
He turned around and saw Polly. He then walked over to the door and closed it.
A little later, Veronica returned to the Blue and Gold. As she expected, Alice was still working there.
"Mrs. Cooper?" Veronica called. "I understand why Betty doesn't want to get in the middle of this, but I don't feel the same loyalty for the Jones family that she does."
"I'm listening," Alice said with intrigue.
"Helping you find out the truth about FP will help me find out the truth about my dad, and whether or not he hired FP to kill Jason."
"What exactly are you saying, Veronica?"
"I'm saying, if you want to go after Jughead's dad, I'm in."
Alice grinned.
During lunch period, Betty, Jughead, Kevin, and Valerie sat together like they usually did.
That's when Cheryl approached them.
"Sorry to interrupt," she fake-apologized. "But I have an announcement to make, one that tangentially involves you, Betty. I'm bringing Polly to the dance as my date, and we're campaigning as co-queens of Homecoming."
"Why?" asked Betty.
"Because, Nightmare Smurfette, by all rights, it should've been Polly and Jason on that stage being crowned. This is the next best thing. So, don't forget to vote, and I'll see everyone at the coronation."
With that, Cheryl left.
"Betty, while we're at the dance, can I play a couple songs?" Kevin requested.
Betty gave Kevin a look.
"I assume that means no?" Kevin assumed.
"No," Betty assured. "It's just that, this dance needs to be fun, and your songs, as amazing as they are…"
"They make you want to slit your wrists," Jughead said bluntly, earning glares from everyone else. "In a good way."
"In an amazing way," Valerie corrected. "But no worries, Betty, because I'll be performing with Kevin, and we're thinking about doing some upbeat covers."
"We are?" Kevin asked before Valerie stared at him. "We are."
Veronica led Archie to the science classroom.
"Ronnie, what are we doing here?" he asked her.
"I changed my mind," Veronica explained. "I will go to the dance with you."
"Not that I don't want this, but why the change of heart?"
"Because I'm hoping you'd say yes to the favor I'm about to ask you."
"If it's gonna help you, then I'm in."
"Remember when you heard Clifford Blossom say he put my father in jail? Well, I think my dad may have gone after Jason as payback. He's very eye-for-an-eye, and I am very certain he hired Jughead's dad to do his dirty work. Also, FP's done my dad's bidding before. He crashed the drive-in."
"It's a big leap from vandalism to murder, Ronnie."
"I talked it over with Mrs. Cooper, and…"
"She's part of this? Are you nuts?"
"She's gonna keep FP busy while we search his trailer to find anything that links FP to Jason, or more importantly, FP to my dad."
"We should just talk to Jughead."
"No. What if he's protecting FP or tries to warn him?"
"He's our friend, Ronnie."
"My dad's this close to being released, and my mom's in denial and ready to welcome him back with open arms. Me? I'd like to know exactly who we're inviting back into our lives."
"Veronica, I love you, I want to help you, and I don't want Jughead to get hurt, but I'm telling you, FP's cleaned up his act."
"I hope you're right about that, Archie, because if you're not, Jughead could get dragged into something very messy and very dangerous."
Riverdale
Chapter 11
To Riverdale and Back Again
Mary went into Fred's office, where Hermione was working.
"Hermione, hi," she greeted.
"Mary Andrews," Hermione said, happily surprised. "What are you doing in town?"
"Just a spur-of-the-moment visit. I was hoping to surprise Fred with lunch."
"He's picking up some supplies from a vendor."
"He told me you were working for him."
"Working with him."
"Yeah, he says he admires your chutzpah."
"That's a Fred thing to say."
"Yeah, but this time, I agree. You know, I've been following the news."
Hermione sighed, knowing what Mary was trying to say. "Yeah. Karmic payback for being such a mean girl in high school, I suppose."
The two laughed awkwardly.
Betty was on a ladder in the gym hanging up some decorations. That's when her phone rang.
To her surprise, it was Polly.
"Thank God, Polly," she answered. "What's going on, and why are you running to be Homecoming co-queen with Cheryl?"
"To keep her distracted," Polly explained.
"Did you find anything?"
"Not yet, but they're definitely hiding things."
"Remember our deal, Polly. If you don't find anything by Homecoming, it's over. You're coming home."
"I just have to get into their bedroom. They're protecting it obsessively."
"Well, you're not putting yourself in any danger, are you?"
"Betty, I gotta go. I'm sorry."
Polly hung up in the nick of time.
Penelope came into the room with a milkshake on a tray.
"Your daily milkshake," she said. "You must be famished, with all the exploring you've been doing."
Polly had already taken a sip of her milkshake when she heard that statement. She had to force herself not to choke.
"The East Wing," Penelope went on. "Where Mr. Blossom and I have our sleeping quarters, is out of bounds. Mr. Blossom values his privacy."
"I'm sorry," Polly apologized. "It won't happen again."
"Good."
Penelope walked out of the room. Polly got back to her milkshake.
Betty just got down from the ladder when Jughead came in with a box of lights.
"Hey, why didn't you tell me about the dinner?" he asked.
"What?" Betty replied, not knowing what was going on.
"Your mom had to tackle me in the hallway to invite my dad and I over before the dance. Did you not know?"
"No, no, of course. I've just, you know, got so many… plates are spinning."
"A little terrified by the social experiment of it all, but I think it's good for our families to get to know each other. You know?"
"Yeah."
Once the decorating was over, Betty went straight home. There, Alice was working in the kitchen.
"I know what you're doing, Mom," Betty confronted.
"What do you mean?" asked Alice. "I'm making peach pie for our guests."
"No, you're laying out some sort of trap for Jughead's dad."
"On the contrary, Betty, I took what you said earlier to heart."
"So you're not gonna question Jughead or his dad?"
"I mean, only if it happens to come up as casual dinner conversation."
"I'm not playing this game with you, Mom. Neither is Jughead after I tell him what you're planning."
"Are you sure that's a good idea? When I invited Jughead, he seemed so excited, like it really meant a lot to him that our families are gonna get to know each other. That's all I'm after."
But Betty still wasn't buying it. "FP is innocent, Mom. Jughead said so, and I trust him."
"I'm sure the question of FP's guilt or innocence won't even come up at dinner."
By then, Betty had run out of patience. She just rolled her eyes and walked away.
Archie returned home from football practice to see his parents talking.
"Oh, there he is," said Fred. "Son, your mom and I are trying to decide between pizza and Chinese food. What do you think?"
"Uh, we always do pizza," said Archie.
"Let me guess," Mary assumed. "Pepperoni and red pepper?"
"Moon Palace doesn't deliver," said Fred. "We can get, um…"
"General Tso's chicken, scallion pancakes, vegetable dumplings, family-style."
Fred noticed the look on Archie's face. "What's wrong, son?"
"Nothing," Archie assured. "I'm just… not used to coming home and seeing you guys together. It's nice, but…"
He stopped there. Fred and Mary gathered what he was trying to say.
That's when Jughead came downstairs.
"Hello," he greeted.
"Jughead, hey," Archie replied.
"Am I interrupting a family meeting? 'Cause I can come back."
"Absolutely not," Mary assured. "So, who's going to the dance? Obviously other than Fred and me… oh, and Hermione, whom I invited."
Fred got a little nervous. "You did?"
"We'll talk about it."
"Wait, you're going to the dance?" Archie asked. "Together?"
"We were talking about it," Fred explained. "Are you good with it?"
"Yeah, totally."
A bit later, Archie and Jughead were in Archie's room going over what just happened.
"So the worm churns," Jughead remarked. "Fred and Mary. A possible rekindling?"
"Lil Archie's pipe dream," Archie replied.
"Stranger things have happened, man, like, for instance, my dad shaved. That's the equivalent of tectonic plates shifting. I was thinking, maybe it's time I go back and live with him again."
"Based on the fact that he shaved?"
"Well, he also hasn't missed a day of work, and he quit drinking."
"Jughead, that's great and all, but maybe you can wait a little bit longer to see if it sticks?"
"No, I'm telling you, something has shifted. I mean, he even asked to read my work. The essays, the articles I wrote about Jason…"
"Your dad did?"
"Yeah, and he read them. Even more surprisingly, he engaged with them, asked me questions."
"What kind of questions?"
"Like who I thought did it."
"Your dad asked you who you thought killed Jason Blossom?"
"You repeating everything I'm saying is starting to get annoying."
Archie bolted up, put on his clothes and prepared to walk out. "Shit, I forgot my mom likes almond milk in her coffee. We don't have any, so I'm gonna get some."
Jughead just rolled his eyes. "You are a terrible liar, Archie. Off to a late-night rendezvous with a certain raven-haired princess?"
Archie gave Jughead a look.
"Relax, man. I'm just giving you a hard time."
With that, Archie finished getting dressed and left the room.
Veronica heard a knock on the door. She answered and, as she suspected, it was Archie.
"Archie," she said as she let him in. "If this is a booty call…"
"I've been thinking about what I asked you," Archie interrupted. "I wanna help you."
"What prompted this return to sanity?"
"Jughead. He's been hurt and let down by his dad so many times. What if FP helped your dad?"
"That's what I'm saying."
"But Veronica, Jughead cannot find out about this."
"And neither can Betty."
The next morning, Cheryl helped Polly apply her makeup.
"Oh, Polly, it's so much more fun being friends than mortal enemies," she remarked. "And I'm glad we're honoring Jay-Jay's legacy together. This color totally pops on you."
"Okay, so I was thinking," said Polly. "The theme of the dance is 'Blast From the Past', right?"
Cheryl nodded.
"So I say, we go retro and borrow some of your mom's vintage bling for the night."
Cheryl grinned. "You're naughty, Polly."
Cheryl and Polly snuck into the master bedroom.
"My mom and dad would freak if they knew we were in here," Cheryl remarked. "So let's take our sweet time."
"How many wigs does your father have?" asked Polly.
"One for every mood. Legend has it that his hair turned white overnight. Supposedly, he saw the ghost of Grandpappy Blossom with his throat slit. Me? I love a silver fox, but we Blossoms live and die by our red curls. My father tried dying it once, but…"
While Cheryl spoke, she came across a little box. She opened it to reveal a ring. The moment she saw it, she froze.
This didn't go unnoticed by Polly. "What happened? What did you find?"
"My nana's ring," Cheryl explained.
"Which I gave to Jason. He proposed to me with that ring. How does your mother have it?"
"I…"
Polly tried to snatch the ring, but Cheryl swiped it away.
"Hands off, goblin," Cheryl demanded.
"The only way your mom could have that ring, is if she or your dad got it from Jason," said Polly. "And he wouldn't give it up, not over his dead body."
She once again tried to recover the ring, but Cheryl grabbed her hand.
"Polly, you are carrying precious cargo," Cheryl said. "But if you think for one second that those babies guarantee your safety, then you're in for a rude awakening."
Polly forced herself free and walked out of the room.
That evening, at the Coopers, Betty, Jughead, Alice, and FP ate dinner together.
"This is delicious," said Jughead.
"Sure is," FP agreed. "Been a long time since I ate something that didn't come with a combo meal or a snack pack."
"So, FP," said Alice. "Betty tells me you work with Fred Andrews now. Tell me, how do you balance that with your… other responsibilities?"
"You mean like being a father?"
"And being a part of the Southside Community."
"Mom," Betty scolded.
"It's okay," FP assured. "You can say 'Serpent', Alice. I'm not ashamed, and it's not just me, it's a bunch of us working on Fred's site."
"Then you won't mind me asking," said Alice. "How did you make your living before that?"
"I scraped by, worked odd jobs."
Alice turned to Jughead. "Jughead, I know that you worked for the drive-in before it closed. Did you find work there too, FP?"
"Well, I hung out a bit," FP replied. "What can I say? I'm a movie buff."
"So tell me, were you upset when Hiram Lodge bought the drive-in land?"
There was a moment of awkward silence, but FP eventually said, "Stuff happens."
"Let me rephrase that question. Were you surprised?"
Once again, things were awkward between everyone.
This time, the silence was broken by the doorbell ringing.
"I'll get it," Betty volunteered.
She answered the door to reveal none other than Hal.
Alice wasn't very happy to see him.
"I thought you said she wanted me to be here," Hal told Betty.
"She does," Betty assured. "It's Homecoming, so all our families should be together. Right, Mom?"
Alice put on a fake smile and begrudgingly allowed Hal to sit with them.
Archie and Veronica made it to FP's trailer. Archie found a spare key to the front door not-so-well hidden under a potted plant.
"Just like when we were kids," he remarked.
He unlocked the door, and he and Veronica went inside.
"You check the bedroom," Veronica ordered. "I'll look around here."
Polly had just confronted Penelope about the ring.
"You want an explanation?" Penelope asked. "The last time Clifford saw Jason was the day my son washed his hands off our family. Jason wanted nothing more to do with the Blossom name, including our lineage, and the ring, which he threw in Clifford's face as his final rebuke. Clifford gave the ring to me for safekeeping."
"I thought the ring had been lost," said Polly.
"Nothing's lost forever. Everything comes back." Penelope wiped her eyes. "Now, unless you have any more questions, I'll leave you to finish getting ready for the dance." She gave Polly her milkshake. "And drink up, dear, before it melts."
Polly took the milkshake and drank it.
"I'm hoping, maybe you have some vacancies down at Sunnyside," Hal told FP. "You see, I've been sleeping in my office down at the paper, and it's getting a little chilly at night."
"I bet your office beats the trailer park," FP remarked. "Remember our Homecoming Alice, Hal? Back in the day, Castles in the Clouds?" He turned to Betty. "Your mom ever tell you about that night?"
"Just that she and my dad were king and queen," Betty replied.
"Yeah, of hell."
"Dad, please," Jughead pleaded.
"No, this is a fun story, I promise," FP assured. "Fred and me, we were all set to play at the dance. I was backstage, dropping off gear, when I heard voices yelling. It was your mom and dad. They were fighting about… I don't know what, but it sounded like life or death."
"Shut up, FP!" Alice warned.
"I'm happy to oblige if you are. I don't care what you think of me, Alice, but don't jerk me around. Not in front of my son."
Wanting to ease the tension, Betty spoke up. "This was a nice idea, Mom, but I think it's time that we get to the dance, so is it okay if we skip the peach pie?"
She got up and got ready to leave before Alice could even answer.
Cheryl found Polly asleep on her bed. Penelope and Clifford were there, completely unfazed.
Cheryl noticed the empty milkshake cup and put the pieces together.
"What did you give her?" she demanded.
"Polly was agitated, so I gave her an all-natural relaxer," Penelope explained. "Nothing to hurt the babies, but she will sleep like a lamb until morning."
"Was that story true, about how you got the ring back?"
"Every word," Clifford swore. "You know, your brother rejected us, our way of life, our business, everything, and after I had groomed him to take over the empire, when really, I should've been nurturing you. Jason never had the nerve, but you? You're a Blossom through and through."
Cheryl nodded. "Okay."
"Oh, and one more thing," said Penelope. "Nana Blossom's ring. It's not in my jewelry box, or on Polly. What did you do with it?"
"It wasn't my fault. She lunged at me, trying to get it, I didn't know what to do. I panicked. I thought it'd be better for everyone if it was just… gone. That way, if Polly ever said anything to anyone, there'd be no proof. Just her word against ours. Did I do something wrong?"
"No," Clifford assured. "Quite right what you did."
Archie finished double-checking FP's room. There was nothing.
He then met up with Veronica.
"I looked everywhere, twice," he informed her. "But there's nothing weird or dangerous-looking."
"Same here," said Veronica. "Just tumbleweeds and dust bunnies. We need to keep looking."
"Veronica…"
"Somewhere, there's something that proves it."
"What? A signed contract between Jughead's dad and yours? I doubt they're that stupid."
"We'll switch. I'll check the bedroom this time."
"You wanted to see if we would find anything incriminating, and we didn't."
"Then we'll look somewhere else, outside or under the trailer."
Before Veronica could do that though, Archie grabbed her arm.
"What do you want, Ronnie?" he asked her. "Do you want your dad to be guilty?"
"I want to know," Veronica replied. "I want to be sure."
"We can look forever, and not find anything."
"And what about when he comes home?"
"I'm not sure, but I'll be there, next to you, to do what I can to help, if you let me. Maybe I'm wrong, but not finding anything today feels like a win. A major win for the home team."
Veronica let out a small chuckle. "Sorry, it's just… 'Yeah, though I walk through the Valley of Darkness', Archie Andrews is there with a smile and a sports metaphor."
The two shared a tender kiss with each other.
Then Veronica's phone went off. She checked to see it was a text from Alice.
"It's Mrs. Cooper," she said. "The dinner's over. FP's probably on his way home. We need to go."
The two ran out of the trailer.
FP drove Jughead to the school for the dance. Jughead didn't get out straight away, though.
"What's up?" FP asked worriedly.
"I've been thinking, and…" said Jughead. "If it's okay with you, I could come back. I could come back home."
"I can do you one better. The whole family will get back together. Us, your mom, Jellybean, they've got a sweet set-up in Toledo, there's decent work there."
"Toledo? Why not Riverdale?"
"Because of the dinner we just had, and what you're writing about in your book. Hell, you know what happens to people like us in Riverdale, Jug. We get chewed up."
Jughead felt torn.
On one hand, he wanted to get back together with his family for a long time.
On the other hand, he had just started fixing things with Archie, and he formed a new friendship with Betty.
Was he really willing to let that go to waste?
Fred, Mary, and Hermione entered the gym.
"It's not the Met Ball," Hermione remarked. "But thanks for letting me tag along, Fred."
"It was Mary's idea," said Fred. "I always like having a beautiful woman in my arms. Now, I have two."
"Meanwhile, I'm having major deja vu," Mary remarked. "Remember when this was our lives?"
"The best of times."
The three walked onto the dance floor.
"Betty, I have to tell you something," Jughead said to Betty. "It's about my dad."
"Is everything okay?" asked Betty.
"Yeah, it's going great, better than a while. It's just that I want to sort some things out."
Betty was going to say yes, but then she saw Cheryl getting punch nearby, but not Polly. "Uh, will you be okay alone here for a second?"
"I think I should be fine."
Betty approached Cheryl.
"Hey," Cheryl greeted.
"Where's Polly?" Betty asked, confrontationally.
"She's fine. She sugar-crashed and canceled at the last meeting, leaving me high and dry, which is why I'm never doing anything nice for anyone ever again. Excuse me."
Cheryl stormed off, leaving Betty speechless.
Alice found Mary applying lipstick in the bathroom.
"Well well well," she remarked. "Mary Andrews."
"Well well well," Mary retorted. "Alice Cooper."
"I saw you swooning in with Fred and Hermione over there. I didn't know that you were a polyamorist."
"I don't think that's a word."
"It's a compliment, Mary. I couldn't see myself in the same room with those two. Not after all their monkey business. Oh, did you not know?"
"You've been playing the same game since junior high, and it was tired, even back then. Fred is a big boy. He can do as he pleases. I came here tonight to have fun with both of my dates, so if you have a problem with that…"
Alice checked her phone. "Oh, I gotta take this."
Then she left Mary alone.
Back at the dance floor, Betty found Kevin about to head backstage for his performance.
"Hey, have you seen Archie and Veronica?" she asked before noticing they were just coming in. "Oh, never mind."
She was about to go talk to them, but then she saw they were talking with Alice.
"What the hell?" she muttered.
She planned to confront them, but Weatherbee and McCoy got in front of her.
"There you are, Ms. Cooper," said Weatherbee. "Mayor McCoy would like to review the evening's itinerary with you."
"What can I do for you, Mayor McCoy?" Betty asked McCoy.
Whatever McCoy said, Betty didn't hear. She was too preoccupied with Archie and Veronica's conversation with Alice.
"Would you walk me up?" McCoy asked, snapping Betty out of it.
"I'm sorry, what?" Betty asked.
"To the stage?"
"Uh, actually…" Betty turned to Weatherbee. "Principal Weatherbee, will you do the honors? I gotta go."
Without any further delay, Betty approached Archie and Veronica, who were now talking with Jughead.
"Where were you guys?" she asked them.
"We stopped at Pop's," Archie replied.
"And what were you just talking to my mom about?"
"Betty…" Veronica tried to explain.
"Friends, students, and alumni," McCoy said on stage. "I hope you brought your dancing shoes. Please welcome to the stage Riverdale High's very own Kevin Keller and Valerie Brown!"
The crowd cheered as Kevin and Valerie got on stage.
Play "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde
Kevin:
Looking out a dirty old window
Down below, the cars in the city go rushing by
I sit here alone, and I wonder why
Friday night, and everyone's moving
I can feel the heat, but it's soothing, heading down
I search for the beat in this dirty town
Downtown, the young ones are going
Downtown, the young ones are growing
Kevin and Valerie:
We're the kids in America (whoa)
We're the kids in America (whoa)
Everybody live for the music-go-round
Valerie:
Bright lights, the music gets faster
Look, boy, don't check on your watch, not another glance
I'm not leaving now, honey, not a chance
Hot shot, give me no problems
Much later, baby, you'll be saying, "Never mind"
You know life is cruel, life is never kind
Cheryl walked out of the gym and out of the school.
Both:
Kind hearts don't make a new story
Kind hearts don't grab any glory
We're the kids in America (whoa)
We're the kids in America (whoa)
Everybody live for the music-go-round
FP saw flashing lights from out the window. He answered the door to reveal Sheriff Keller and a few officers.
"We have a warrant to search this place," Keller explained.
"Be my guest," said FP. "I've got nothing to hide."
The cops began their search.
La, la, la, la-la, la-a
La, la, la, la-la, la
La, la, la, la-la, la-a
La, la, la, la-la, la
Come closer, honey, that's better
Got to get a brand new experience, feeling right
Oh, don't try to stop, baby, hold me tight
Outside a new day is dawning
Outside suburbia's sprawling everywhere
I don't want to go, baby
New York to East California
There's a new wave coming, I warn ya
We're the kids in America (whoa)
We're the kids in America (whoa)
Everybody lives for the music-go-round
After a while, Keller found something hidden at the end of a bookshelf. It was a case.
"Want to explain this?" he asked FP.
FP looked at what was inside the case. It was a gun.
La, la, la, la-la, la-a
La, la, la, la-la, la
La, la, la, la-la, la-a
La, la, la, la-la, la
End "Kids in America"
After the song, Archie, Betty, and Veronica went out in the hall to talk privately.
"Before you get mad at me, let me explain," said Veronica.
"Explain what exactly?" asked Betty. "That you're working with my mom behind my back?"
"I'm sorry, Bee, but you know FP had some kind of arrangement with my dad. I had to make sure it wasn't about Jason."
Betty shifted her anger towards Archie. "And what's your excuse?"
"I was looking out for Jughead, in the case his dad was doing shady stuff," Archie explained.
"Blame me, Betty," said Veronica. "I asked Archie to help me."
"Help you do what?" Betty demanded. "What did you do?"
That's when Jughead approached them.
"Guys," he said. "What's going on? Why do I feel like I'm suddenly left out?"
"Do you want to tell him, or should I?" Betty asked Archie and Veronica.
"Tell me what?"
"We went to your dad's trailer," Archie confessed.
"To search it, Jughead," Veronica added.
"Why would you do that?" asked Jughead.
"My mom put them up to it," said Betty. "She was convinced he was hiding something about Jason."
"We were wrong," said Veronica.
"And we were only doing it to prove that…" Archie tried to add.
"That my dad wasn't a murderer?" Jughead interrupted. "You went behind my back, Archie. When'd you know to go to my dad's trailer?"
"We knew he'd be at dinner with…" Veronica explained.
Jughead felt his anger start to boil.
"Is this why your mom invited me and Dad to dinner?" he asked Betty. "So these two could break into his trailer while she interrogated him?"
"I didn't know what they were doing," Betty assured. "But yes, that's why she invited you."
Jughead scoffed. "And to think I was gonna pass moving to Toledo with my family for you guys."
"What?"
But Jughead wasn't in the mood to elaborate. "When we went to my dad's trailer, you asked me if I believed him. I said I did. Was that not good enough for you?"
"It was. I tried to stop her."
"You could've told me, you could've warned me about this."
"You were so excited. I didn't want to worry you."
"So you lied to me?" Jughead turned to Archie and Veronica. "All of you did?"
Before the argument could escalate, Kevin, Alice, Hermione, Fred, Mary, and an entire crowd of people approached them.
"Betty, thank God…" Alice tried to say.
"Mom, don't even start!" Betty warned.
"No, you have to listen," said Hermione. "All of you."
"My dad just told Mayor McCoy about your dad, Jughead," said Kevin.
Jughead started to worry. "What about him?"
"Your dad's been arrested," Fred explained. "For the murder of Jason Blossom."
Everyone gasped.
Jughead hurried over to FP's trailer. He tore off the caution tape and looked around.
He angrily tore the place apart, then he broke down crying.
FP's words echoed in his mind.
"I'm not a perfect father, Jug, but I'm no killer."
What else did he lie about?
Betty was in her room, contemplating everything that happened.
"Kevin said someone tipped off his dad," Betty told Alice. "Was it you?"
"I was at the dance…" Alice replied.
"Answer the god damn question, Mom!" Betty started digging her nails into her palms again. "And don't lie! Was it you?"
"It was not, but I'm glad you're safe. As much as I like Jughead, I am so glad that you are done with that family."
"'Done'? I love Jughead. He's as much my family as you are, more so right now."
Betty tried to leave, but Alice stopped her.
"You're not going anywhere, young lady," Alice said.
"I am going to look for Jughead!" Betty shouted. "Do not push me tonight, Mom, because I will push back!"
She forced her way past Alice and left.
At the Pembrooke, Veronica and Hermione sat with each other.
"If FP confesses, he might drag us into this," said Hermione. "Talk about our dealings with the Serpents."
"At least we'll know if Dad hired him," said Veronica. "And if he did, you can't pretend otherwise."
"We'll cut all ties with him. He'll be dead to us."
"We may not be able to walk away so easily."
The two held each other's hands to comfort each other.
Archie sat in the dining room with Mary.
"I really thought he'd changed," he said.
"It's very hard for people to change, Archie," said Mary. "You know, before all this went down, I was going to ask you to come to Chicago with me. To stay. You can play football there."
"I can't even think about that, Mom."
"I know, it's just… I want you with me. I don't think this town is safe anymore. I feel like Riverdale is sliding off a mountainside, and I don't want you anywhere near it when it happens. Just promise me you'll at least think about it."
"I will."
Neither of them knew that Fred listened in.
Cheryl used a mirror to check if Polly was breathing. Thankfully, she was.
She then left the room to see Penelope crying on Clifford's shoulder.
"I want him dead for what he did!" she shouted.
"He will be," Clifford assured. "You have my word."
Cheryl opened her hand to reveal she had her nana's ring all along. She closed it before either of her parents could see it, then she headed to her room.
Betty went to Pop's.
"Pop, you haven't seen Jug, have you?" she asked.
"No," Pop replied. "You're not the only one who's come in looking for him."
Betty looked behind her to see Archie and Veronica were there.
"Betty, thank God," said Veronica.
"We were just about to call," said Archie.
"I'm not talking to either of you ever again," Betty said bluntly.
"It's about Jughead," said Veronica. "Kevin called me, and he said his dad found a gun, the gun that killed Jason, in a lockbox in FP's trailer."
"But we searched FP's trailer, every bit of it," said Archie. "And there was no lockbox. Someone put it there after we left. He's being framed."
Riverdale
Thanks for reading.