The Last Blue Rose// Reggie Mantle (1)

Chapter Four

Caia woke up the next morning, still wearing her dress, to the incessant sound of her ringtone. She grabbed her phone off of the nightstand and pressed to her ear, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hello?" She greeted groggily.

"Caia?" The voice started. "They found Jason Blossom's body last night. I think you should come to Sweetwater River. Now." The caller hung up barely after Caia had realized it was Betty.

She slipped on shoes and a jacket and booked it to the river. She did not live that far away from it, so it wasn't as tiring as one might think.

When she arrived, a crew was loading a body bag into the back of a truck. From what Betty had said, she had no doubt that it was Jason's. An arm snaked around her waist and pulled her close. Caia looked up and her suspicion that it was Reggie was confirmed.

"This town is so messed up," Caia muttered.

"Yeah," Reggie replied. "It is."

*

The next Monday at school was the first time Caia ever saw Reggie being mean. Jughead, who had been talking to Archie, walked past Reggie. Reggie deliberately knocked his shoulder into Jughead's. "Watch it, Wednesday Addams!" He exclaimed, a concieted smile on his face.

Caia didn't like it. She tried to shake the feeling away, but she couldn't. So instead she met up with Betty and Kevin as they walked down the hallway to distract her.

"Now that romance is off the table, I'll just say it. Are we 100% sure Archie is straight? Because no straight man has that body." Kevin mused. Caia giggled a little at the audacity of his statement.

"I ship it," Caia stated. "#karchie."

Betty ignored her two friends statements and decided to focus on the real issue. "Speaking of bodies, have you recovered from finding Jason's?"

"It was more traumatizing having to explain to my dad what I was doing with Moose at the river. Yet, another perk of being the sheriff's son." Kevin replied, sarcastically.

He and Betty disappeared into the main office, leaving Caia behind. She sighed, disappointed at being forgotten.

But instead of focusing on the bad, she held her chin up high and continued to her next class.

She sat in English, drumming her pencil on her desk when the loudspeaker came on and the principal began speaking. "This your principal speaking." Weatherbee started. "There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally. So let me state clearly, it is happening as scheduled. Now, on a less felicitous note, if you could give your attention to Sheriff Keller." Principal Weatherbee stopped talking to allow the Sheriff to pick up instead.

"Most of you already know the details, but your classmate Jason Blossoms body was found late Saturday night." There was a few gasps throughout the classroom as people who hadn't known found out the new information. "So, as of the weekend, Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide. It is an open and ongoing investigation." He explained.

"And may I interject," Cheryl Blossom interrupted. "Neither I nor my parents will rest until Jason's death is avenged and his cold hearted killer is walking the green mile to sit in old sparky and fry." She stated. "I for one have my suspicions. #Riverdalestrong." Cheryl was finished and she allowed the Sheriff to continue.

"If you know anything that could help us find and apprehend Jason's killer or anything about what happened to him on July Fourth, I strongly urge you to come forward immediately. You can speak with me or Principal Weathrbee. A death like this haunts us all. Let's not let Jason down."