Untitled Story.

Chapter 3:

Veronica POV 

Tonight was retro night at Pops Chocklit shoppe. Both of my parents had made an appearance and had supposedly made a rather large donation. Betty and Jughead were canoodling on the opposite side of the booth as I leaned against Archie as we all sat happily enjoying just enjoying the atmosphere of Pops and the elated feeling knowing we'd managed to help keep its doors open. As I took another sip from my chocolate shake the bell above the door rang, a customer coming or going as many had done tonight. 

The ding of the bell didn't last more than a second in my thoughts until a loud voice proclaimed. "Oh Veronica dear isn't this just the bees knees sweet cheeks". I turned and saw the British women who'd grown up in central London and lived there until the early 2000's when her grandson had been born and her and husband had moved to New York (or back in her husbands case) to help raise him. "Oh my god I haven't seen a jukebox like that since I partied with Benny Andersson" 

"Helen" I screamed delighted rushing up to see the women. As I raced to hug the women, who was as close to me as my own grandmother, I noticed her usual large black faux fur coat (which she'd lovingly named her sex coat) was missing. Instead it was replaced by a large floor length trench coat in an obnoxious magenta colour. Folding myself into her arms I got a whiff of her usual perfume, a perfume I smelt for the first time when Xavier had sprayed it in my face in the shop. "I can't believe your here, why are you here though?" I asked the women when I pulled away my arms stayed looked around her waist though, her hands firmly planted themselves on my shoulders. 

"We're here to celebrate my dear, aren't we Arnold?" She said turning to look at her husband who smiled at me. Moving from sort of hugging Helen I moved and looped my arms around Arnold's neck. 

"Yes celebrating, your fathers first arrest" Arnold said and Helen whooped and I heard heels clicking away and I turned seeing Helen heading towards the table with my friends. "Oh are these the..... other ones?" Arnold said and made to follow Helen so I followed reaching the table as Helen sat down. 

The Wallis's for generations (or so I'm told) have always been domineering. They fill rooms with their personalities, they draw people in and yet only the select few actually like them. They are a different breed. From what I can gather Helen and Arnold have been permanently high since like the 80's. And honestly even if they were sober you'd think they were high. It's just the Wallis clan for you. Except Helen and Arnold's son, he's different. Very conservative shall we say. 

"Well aren't you all charming" Helen said reaching over and grabbing Betty's cherry which she had yet to eat. "We have the girl next door, she's very cute Sweet Cheeks you know I once knew a girl who was this girl next door type and she smoked like no ones business" Helen said rambling as she usually does and I smiled at her as I sat next to her, Arnold had moved to sit next to Betty. "Do you smoke? Oh my lord Arnold, Veronica do you smoke? because you know how bad smoking tabaco is and my views on it, oh my Arnold she smokes" Helen fussed and I tried to get her to quieten down. Helen was a bit much for a town like Riverdale. "Oh my we need to pray for you my dearest she could get the cancer Arnold oh god my mother died of it you know, oh my Veronica do you smoke?"

"No grandma Helen I don't smoke" I told her and she broke out into a grin. 

"Oh that's my girl, you know one time I caught her and Xavier smoking weed without us and I couldn't believe my eyes" Helen said and that's how the rest of the night continued. 

My friends and boyfriend introduced themselves properly and so did Helen and Arnold. But Xavier was only ever mentioned in passing. His name thrown around and it felt like before. It felt like middle school when me and Helen would go for afternoon tea with my mother or I would sit with the Wallis family as they all tried to eat away their hangovers or when Xavier took me to my first strip club. 

I went silent as Helen and Arnold regaled my friends with tales of their lives, the people they'd met and partied with, the business opportunities they'd had and so on and so forth. I thought of Xavier of how my friends (being unused to how the Wallis family interacted) wouldn't be able to get a word in what so ever. And it got me thinking. 

I know they said they wanted to celebrate my father 'first' arrest, much like did for Xavier when we were 10 and he got caught with ecstasy in the middle of maths class, but last I heard they were in Thailand. Why come all this way? 

"Grandma Helen not that I don't love seeing you but why are you here?" I asked interrupting Helens speak on how she met Arnold Schwarzenegger and Arnold Wallis on the same night. 

She stayed quiet at that. Looking at her husband and they exchanged a silent conversation between themselves. 

"We haven't been in Thailand these last few months my dearest girl" she said reaching her hand up to cup my cheek as Arnold grabbed my hand. "It's about Xavier dear"

"What about him?" I asked fearing the worst. Had they found him? Was it bad news? Was he waiting in some morgue somewhere waiting to be properly put to rest? Was he alive? 

"Well we may or may not have helped him run away"