After being away from Riverdale for years, Braxton Jones found herself moving back to her former Northside home with her father, Rich.
After reconnecting with her uncle FP and cousin Jughead, she befriended a few southsiders against her fathers wis...
After school let out, Braxton made her way down the familiar roads to a familiar house. She walked up the front steps that she used to sit on almost every day before she moved and knocked lightly on the door. She half way expected it not to be heard but the door swung open moments later and there stood Archie Andrews with a baseball bat held back ready to swing.
"What the fuck, Andrews!" Braxton yelled as she quickly jumped back and held her chest. "What do you plan on doing with that thing?" "Braxton?" he asked as he walked out onto the porch to her.
"Yeah?"
"Oh my God, what are you doing here?" he asked and pulled her in for a hug. Archie Andrews and Braxton Jones were what most people would consider best friends when they were younger. In sixth grade Braxton went to what she called the "stupid school dance" with Archie because she felt bad that his date ditched him for Reggie Mantel last minute.
"Dad and I moved back to Riverdale."
"No shit? Here, come in!" He told her as he placed the bat down inside the door.
Braxton followed Archie into the house and they made their way back to the kitchen. As they walked down the hallway she noticed a chair against the wall. "Why is there a chair in the middle of your hallway?" she asked as she took a seat at the kitchen island.
"In case the Black Hood comes back." He told her as he sat next to her.
"I'm sorry, the what?"
"The Black Hood. Have you not talked to Jug? He's basically devoted the last few weeks of his life to researching it all."
"No. I mean, I have but I didn't ask much. He told me about your dad, how is he doing? Is he okay?"
"He's still recovering, but he's good. My mom came home from the city to take care of us."
"Your mom's here?" Braxton asked as her eyes lit up. Braxton loved Archie's mom Mary. She practically filled the void of a nurturing mother figure that Braxton had growing up.
"She took dad for a check up, but she'll be here later if you want to stay."
"Yeah, I would love to."
Archie looked at Braxton and he could feel the nerves in his stomach. It had been years since he last saw Braxton but he felt like no time was lost at all. All through grade school he thought that she was the prettiest girl in Riverdale, but that was never a secret he would tell.
"What?" Braxton asked when she saw him looking at her. "You look good." he told her.
Braxton never thought of Archie as more than a friend. But then again at the age of twelve with an older brother, no guy stood a chance. "You too." She told him and smiled back as she thought maybe something more with Archie wouldn't be such a bad idea?
"Than-" He started to say but the front door swung open and the sound of heels clicked on the wood floors.
"Archie, you will never guess what Betty just told me." Someone called as they walked down the hall. "Archie, who is this?" A girl with raven hair and dark eyes demanded to know when her eyes landed on Braxton. "V, this is Braxton. Braxton this is my uh- my girlfriend, Veronica." He said as he stood up.
"Veronica Lodge." She told Braxton in a snippy annoyed tone. "Braxton Jones." She replied as she stood up from her chair at the island.
Braxton could tell that Veronica wasn't happy with the fact that she just walked into her boyfriend's house and saw him talking to an unfamiliar girl. However, Braxton didn't care seeing as they were just friends after all.
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"I should probably get going." Braxton told Archie as she turned and grabbed her bag off the kitchen island. "Yeah, probably. Archie and I have a very important matter to deal with." Veronica hissed as she grabbed Archies arm. "Let me walk you out." He told her.
"It's okay, I can see my own way. It was good to see you again, Arch. And Veronica it was lovely meeting you. "
"The pleasure was mine." She replied in a flat tone and Braxton was gone.
Archie turned to Veronica and said, "What the hell was that?" "Who the hell was that?" she snapped back.
"Braxton. She's Jugs cousin."
"You've never mentioned her?"
"Because I didn't think there was anything to mention? She moved away, I just didn't think anything about it."
"Archie, if you're lying to me."
"I'm not." He told her as he let out a long sigh causing Veronica to roll her eyes.
Having a father who worked long shifts at the hospital and an unreliable mother meant that Braxton was typically left with dinner duty at the Jones residents. Just as Rich pulled in that night from work she pulled a pizza out of the oven and set it on the stove top so it could cool. She mixed up a salad so they were atleast putting something good into their bodies as Rich walked in through the front door.
He sat down at the island and scooped a big serving into his bowl and poured ranch dressing over the greens. "How was your first day at Southside?" He asked. "It was okay." She replied. "Did you know Fred Andrews got shot at Pop's a few weeks ago?"
"I did. I saw him and Mary at the hospital today."
"It's crazy, isn't it?"
"Now do you see why I don't want you to join the damn Serpents?"
Braxton let out a huff and looked at her dad. Anytime he could throw it in her face he didn't want her joining the Serpents he would take it. "Dad, it wasn't the Serpents that shot Fred, it was the Black Hood."
"The what? Where did you even hear that?"
"Archie. By the way, I never got to ask you how Friday night went with FP?"
"Fine."
"Just fine?"
"I mean, it was good seeing the guys. Doesn't mean that I'm going to jump back into the world that is all things Serpent. Why are you so hung up on them anyway?"
"Why are you so against them?"
"I'm not against them. I just know what it's like to grow up being one and I don't really want that for Danny or you. Especially you being a female."
"Daddy, I'll be fine. You raised me to be tough." She reminded him as she stood up to cut the pizza.
"I know, princess. But you don't need to be dancing on a pole infront of grown men and that's just for starters."
"Promise me that when I turn eighteen I can join?"
"Did you pick a wall color for your room yet?" Rich asked as he turned his attention to the newly painted walls. "The walls look great."
