CALAMITY ━ riverdale

beta

"Hey Arch!" Betty suddenly exclaimed, running slightly to meet the redhead who's face was obscured as Betty hugged him. Delilah was momentarily pulled out of her anxious thought process to see for herself if Archie Andrews had indeed grown to be as 'amazingly handsome' as Betty claimed. Once the short blonde pulled away however, Delilah couldn't deny that the once plain and nondescript Archie had turned out pretty hot indeed. Delilah also couldn't deny seeing the blush that rose on Betty's cheeks as she pulled away - inwardly she shook her head.

She'd learned long ago that boys were nothing but trouble - though she wasn't going to tell that to Betty anytime soon, not that she'd listen anyway by the look of it. "Archie, you remember Delilah," Betty said, "Del, Archie," she gestured between the two of them awkwardly. There was a time when Delilah would've hugged Archie just as Betty had, but neither of them could ignore the fact that it had been far too long for that to happen now. So instead she gave him the most encouraging smile she could offer - and he did the same, which was as far as they could go in the sense that much had changed since the two had last spoken, and it would be a while before it ever changed back again.

The three of them walked quickly to school, Betty filling the silence with stories of summer - mainly talking to Archie but doing her best to make Delilah feel included. Delilah replied politely when needed, but mostly stayed silent, her eyes tracing shapes on the road as they ventured closer and closer to school.

"Hey, I gotta go, but I'll see you guys around," Archie said, leaving to join a group of jocks. It was then that Delilah realised they had reached school, and the moment she had dreaded was finally here. From the first step onto the school grounds she felt pairs of eyes on her. She squirmed and fidgeted under their gaze, and silently pleaded Betty to take them somewhere - anywhere, where there were less people. Betty seemed to sense her discomfort and gave her a sad look, moving into the building.

"Betty!" Suddenly they were approached by an unfamiliar dark haired girl. "I've been looking everywhere for you!" She gave Betty a quick hug then turned to Delilah. "You must be Delilah, Betty mentioned you were coming," her perfectly glossed lips curved into an elegant smile. "I'm Veronica."

"Hey," Delilah replied lamely.

"Well it was fun meeting you but I've got to dash, talk to you later," and as quick as she had appeared, Veronica was gone, flouncing down the hallway - her incredibly high heels clicking on the floor as she went.

"Wow, she was um..." Delilah struggled to put her thoughts in to words. Betty just laughed at Delilah's reaction.

"That's what I thought when I first met her - but you get used to the dramatics - she's actually pretty fun once you get to know her," Betty admitted. "C'mon, we better get to the gym, there's gonna be an announcement about Jason."

ミ☆ミ

"Thank you, for your moment of silence," Cheryl Blossom's voice boomed out of the speakers positioned around the gym. She stood, an image of immaculate composition; her black dress without crease, her long hair falling like a river of red down her back. "Many of you were lucky enough to know my brother personally," Cheryl continued. "Each and every one of you meant the world to Jason," Betty scoffed at this. "I loved my brother," it wasn't hard to detect the passion with which Cheryl preached her heartfelt words to the rest of the school. "He was, and always will be, my soulmate," Delilah found those choice of words a bit odd but continued listening nonetheless. "So I speak with the confidence only a twin could have. Jason wouldn't want us to spend the year in mourning. Jason would want us to move on with our lives. Which is why I've asked the school board not to cancel the back to school semi-formal." The gym erupted in applause as Cheryl stepped down from the podium to sit with her friends. Their friends. Delilah used to know those girls too.

Cheryl looked over her shoulder and for a second her gaze met Delilah's. Delilah smiled but received only a heated glare from Cheryl in return. The intensity and pure hatred that burned in her eyes shocked Delilah, and as Cheryl turned away she was left with a flaming hole in her heart where her best friend had been. It seemed a lot more had changed than Delilah originally thought.

ミ☆ミ

Somehow at some point during the day Delilah had lost Betty, and so found herself walking through the corridors alone. Well, she wasn't alone. She was accompanied by everyone's stares - sympathetic or otherwise. They bore into her skin, questioning, taunting. There were some who looked understanding, who gave her pitying glances then respectfully turned away. But the majority did not offer that courtesy. They sneered, they laughed at the sight of the once mighty queen of Riverdale reduced to nothing more than another nobody. Except she was still somebody. Her past had not allowed her to blend into the shadows like she had hoped. Instead she was noticed more than ever, and that made everything ten times worse.

She stepped out onto the field, searching frantically for any sign of Betty or Archie or even Veronica. But all she saw was Cheryl and her group at the table that used to be theirs but now it was blazingly obvious that nothing would ever just belong to both Cheryl and Delilah ever again.

"Excuse me but you're in my seat," Delilah towered above the boy who slouched at the bench where she always resided during lunch.

"Actually last time I checked, this was a free country, and no one was sitting here so," the boy smirked and spoke with a challenging manner that very few would dare possess in the presence of Delilah Evans.

"Listen here, freak, I suggest you get out of my place before I-"

"Before you what?" for a few seconds after he spoke it was silent as two apposing forces stared each other down. Then he simply chuckled and stood up. "whatever," he shook his head - his trademark beanie miraculously staying firmly on top of his brown head of hair. As he walked past, he knocked his shoulder against hers, causing her to shoot metaphorical daggers into the back of his head.

"What a weirdo," Cheryl commented, stabbing her fork into her salad as they watched the wallflower walk away. Weirdo or not, Delilah had to give it to him; Jughead Jones had guts.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Delilah was interrupted by a loud voice that could only belong to one person. Looking up from her place behind the bleachers Delilah grimaced when she saw Jughead, who's presence was not on the list of things she particularly wanted at that moment.

"Come to gloat?" She asked tiredly.

"Nope," he said almost cheerfully, striding over to sit next to her.

"Then why are you here?" She asked impatiently.

"It must be strange for you, coming back and being treated like a regular mortal," he simply said, ignoring her question.

"If you're here to narrate my fall from grace, you can save it, I've heard it all before." Delilah sighed wearily.

"How does it feel, Del?" the way he said it made Delilah sure he wasn't using her nickname as a term of endearment. She found it to be quite patronising.

"They think I don't hear the whispers. They say I'm a weirdo, a freak, but they don't know what it's like... to lose everything. To have to just pick up your bags and leave; then return to a place you thought was your home, that has in fact just become another town where you can't escape. They judge me... they laugh and they mock but... they don't understand." She was so close to breaking down, right there and then, but if the past year away had taught her anything it was that breaking down only made people taunt you further. She would not appear weak. She couldn't. But she feared it was already too late for that. Besides, Jughead knew her... really knew her, like he knew everyone in the small town. It was hard to keep secrets from Jughead.

As if to prove that point, he turned to face her, his startling green eyes boring deep into her own, so deep that she felt like he was looking right into her soul. The thought made her breathless and dangerously exposed at the same time.

"Welcome to the real world Del," he said finally. And with that he walked away.