sweets • riverdale [1]

01.

Thorn Sanders works at Pop's diner. It's a quaint place where most high-schoolers go for good food and decent prices. She's been working there since the end of July. She used to work for Fred Andrews, but as she looks over to one of the booths to see a smiling Archie Andrews with a doting Betty Cooper, she's reminded why she handed in her resignation.

"Take the booth with your friends," Pop tells her, a smile on his face. "Take a break if you want. You probably haven't seen them both together all summer."

Thorn goes to argue profusely, but she stops herself. From the outside, Archie and Betty are still her best friends. Betty is her best friend. Archie is another story. She gives Pop a smile and then picks up her notepad and pen, and she heads over to the booth.

Archie instantly notices Thorn. He has done since he and Betty walked into the place when Thorn was in the back. He wanted to go over to talk to her when he stepped inside, but he reminded himself he's here with Betty and she hasn't seen him all summer. Betty still thinks he spent the summer with Thorn. Betty doesn't know the truth.

"Hey guys, can I get you anything else?"

Betty looks up at the familiar voice. Her eyes widen initially at the sight of Thorn in the pale yellow uniform of Pop's diner and then a smile spreads across her face. "Thorn," she exclaims. Betty jumps from her seat to hug the dark-haired girl and then she pulls back. "I had no idea you were working here now," she says. "Come, sit." Betty pulls down Thorn into their booth, opposite Archie. "I thought you were still at the construction site," Betty says in confusion. She looks to Archie. "You never said she wasn't working for your dad anymore."

"It didn't come up," Archie defends. "It took me by surprise too."

Thorn swallows harshly as a familiar ache forms in her chest. Archie's hurt smile reminds her of the brief moments she spent with him over the summer and then the day she handed in her resignation. It killed her to do it, especially when Archie never said anything when she walked out of his dad's office.

"Needed a change," says Thorn. "Cooped up in that office all day doing the books was exhausting in the heat we had. At least Pop's has a working AC system rather than just an open door," she jokes, and Betty laughs.

Thorn lies easily to her best friend, and Betty always believes her. Betty has no reason not to believe anything Thorn says. Thorn knows Betty has her own troubles, so Archie is the one she goes to. She spent most nights of the summer on Archie's porch talking his ear off while he listened. Archie is harder to lie to, and Thorn knows that in her heart.

"How about you?" Thorn smiles at Betty. "Little miss internship. How was it?" Thorn asks.

"Amazing," Betty gestures to Archie, "I was just telling Archie about the Toni Morrison book release party I organised." Thorn's eyes flicker to the ginger boy across the table from her and, until that moment, she didn't know his brown eyes are firmly set on her. "At the end of the night, Toni Morrison," Betty says pointedly, "who is, as you know is..."

"Your literary hero," finishes Thorn, and Betty giggles as it's how she described the woman to Archie earlier.

Betty smiles softly, her hands under her chin as she looks across to Archie dreamily. "She says to me 'Don't rush this time, Betty. It goes by so fast at your age. One summer can change everything.'"

"Wow," Thorn breathes out, stunned by how honest it was.

"Archie had the same reaction when I told him," says Betty.

"I said it was true," Archie says, his eyes on Thorn again. They stare at each other with an awkward tension hanging in the air. It goes unnoticed by Betty as the two of her best friends have both guilt and longing swirling around in equal portions.

"Oh my god," Betty grabs onto Thorn's arm, startling the two from their moment. "Did Archie tell you about the songs he wrote? You've got to have heard one of them. You spent the summer together, right?"

The ginger boy and the dark-haired girl share a look of fear. They resemble a deer in the headlights caught by a speeding car. Thorn shakes her head and goes to speak first, knowing Archie isn't the best at lying but he beats her to it.

"Part of it," Archie says to Betty. "At the start, we were together with her working for my dad. Spent most our lunches together. We got a bit wrapped up in our own things though, me with music and Thorn with swimming."

"Oh, you're swimming properly again?" Betty says hopefully. Archie always knew what to say to Betty to get her focus to drift. Betty beams at her friend. "You were always such an elegant swimmer, Thorn. Best in Riverdale."

"Yeah, so we drifted towards the end," says Archie, "Guess it wasn't the same without you here, Betty."

Betty squeals in happiness as she looks over to Archie with a dreamy look. Thorn is surprised at how good at lying the boy across from her had gotten. She has never known Archie to lie to either of them, but Thorn can tell the summer has changed him.

It hasn't changed Betty though. Thorn looks over to her friend and sees the love behind her green eyes for Archie, and Thorn feels sick to her stomach. Guilt eats away at her. Betty has always been in love with Archie and Thorn has ruined the slight chance Betty might have of Archie possibly feeling the same way. She knows she ruined it by the way Archie is looking at her. While Betty looks at Archie like he's the sun in the sky, he's looking at Thorn like she holds the stars in her hands.

Thorn shifts in her seat and clears her throat. She sees a customer stick up their hand and she sees it as a chance to escape his stare. "I better get back to work," Thorn says. She stands from the booth-seat and dusts off her skirt.

"You look good in the uniform," Archie says.

Betty sees the brief smile gracing Thorn's lips as she looks to Archie. She sees the way they bounce off each other. They always have done. She sees it, but chooses to ignore it like Thorn does. Thorn shakes her head, says her goodbyes and then leaves them alone - the way Betty wants it to be.

A few moments later, Thorn is smiling politely at one of the usual customers as she walks away with his orders. She laughs off his flirting but her laughter dies when she almost goes head first into a stranger. A young girl, around the same age, with short dark hair and dark eyes. She wears a black cape-like dress with a pearl necklace around her neck. She's clearly not from Riverdale, Thorn thinks.

"I called in an order, for Lodge?" says the girl.

"Two burgers, yeah," says Thorn, "almost ready, I think. You've got to wait though. I'll check for you."

"Thanks." The girl stops and then asks, "How are the onion rings here?"

"So good," Archie says, causing both the girls to smile.

"There you go," says Thorn. "Out the mouth of a customer too," she offers to the girl.

"Then I'll get some onion rings too, please," says the girl with a smile.

"I'll tell the boss," Thorn says. Her eyes goes to her friends at the table. "I'll catch you later."

"Thorn," Archie calls out to stop her. The girl faces them. "What time are you finishing?" he asks. "I can stay and walk you home."

"We both can," Betty beams.

"My... um... at my grandma's tonight," says Thorn. "It's a bit out of your way, so I'm fine, thanks." She sees the hope leave Archie's eyes as he lowers his head a little. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." The girl looks to the stranger hovering by the booth and says, "And I will get your onion rings."

Thorn's eyes once again go to her friends and she says her goodbyes before she heads off in the direction to give in the orders, all with Archie Andrews watching her walk away from him. It's something he's done a lot of over the summer.