FIRE AND ICE , c. blossom

chapter fifteen

"mom." betty warned.

"i may be a serpent, alice. but i'm not ashamed." dad said, putting down his fork. "it's not just me. there's a bunch of us working on fred's site."

"if you don't mind me asking... i'm just curious... how did you make your living before that?"

"i scraped by." he shrugged, reaching for a bread roll. "odd jobs."

"i know that your kids worked at the drive-in before it closed. did you find work there too?"

"well, i hung out a bit. what can i say? i'm a bit of a movie buff." he laughed.

"so... tell me.. were you upset when hiram lodge bought the drive-in land?"

"stuff happens."

"let me rephrase that question." alice shook her head. "were you surprised?"

the doorbell rang, interrupting mrs cooper's many questions.
"i'll get it." betty volunteered, getting up from the table.
jughead and gracie fidgeted in their seats.

hal cooper came through the door, and alice didn't seem too happy about it.
"i thought she wanted me to come..." hal whispered to betty, awkwardly.

"well, it is homecoming, and our families should be coming together. right, mom?"

mrs cooper sighed, reluctantly beckoning for mr cooper to sit down.
"i'm hoping maybe there are some vacancies down at sunnyside." he said. "see, i've been sleeping in my office down at the paper since alice kicked me out, and it's getting a little chilly at night."

"bet your office beats the trailer park."

"oh, haha. i wouldn't be so sure. you see, alice here, she's been redecorating the register. yeah, the other day she threw a brick through the window."

gracie choked on her mashed potatoes, holding back laughter.

"keep talking, hal, and the next brick i throw may not be at the window." she sipped her wine.

"you remember our homecoming? alice? hal? back in the day?" fp asked. "castles in the clouds?" he turned to betty. "your mom ever tell you about that night?"

"just that she and dad were king and queen." betty smiled.

"yeah, they were. of hell."

"dad—" jug warned.

"it's a funny story, son. i promise." he assured. "fred and i... we were all set to play at the dance. i was backstage dropping off our gear when i heard these voices yelling. it was alice and hal. they were fighting about... about i don't know what, but it sounded like life-or-death."

"shut up, fp." mrs cooper frowned.

"happy to oblige if you are. i don't care what you think of me, alice... but don't jerk me around. not in front of my kids."

"this was such a nice idea... but i think it's time we get to that dance." betty piped up, trying to break the tension. "so, is it okay if we skip the peach pie?"

~♛~

"hey, cher." gracie said, approaching her at the refreshments table.

"ugh." she poured herself a cup of punch. "why are you stalking me?"

"i'm not." the jones girl rolled her eyes. "i can't find archie, betty or veronica anywhere."

"flattering. so the only reason you approached me was because the sad breakfast club dispersed?"

"no." she shook my head. "am i not allowed to talk to yo—"

"gracie." jug grabbed her wrist and dragged me away. "i don't know what the hell the others are up to, but we're going to find out, right now."

"what? what do you mean?"

"they've been acting all secretive. i haven't seen them in ages and i can tell they're up to something." he led his sister the hallway, where we finally found them.
"hey, guys. what's going on?"

"why do i feel like i'm suddenly left out?" gracie asked, concerned.

"do you wanna tell them, or should i?" betty asked archie and veronica.

"tell us what?" the brunette frowned.

"we went to your dad's trailer to—" archie began.

"—to search it." veronica finished.

"why would you guys do that?" jug asked in annoyance.

"my mom... put them up to it." betty explained. "she was convinced he was hiding something about jason."

"we were wrong. all of us." veronica assured. "we didn't find anything."

"we were only doing it to prove that—"

"to prove what? that my dad isn't a murder?!— you all went behind our back!" jughead exclaimed.

"how did you?— when did you guys know to go to our dad's trailer?" gracie asked.

"we knew he'd be at dinner with—"

and then the siblings clocked it.
gracie shook my head and sighed, and jughead began to walk in circles.

"that's why your mom invited my family? so these two could break in while she interrogated him?" he asked betty.

"no! i didn't know what they were doing!" betty protested. "but.. yes, that is why she invited you guys..."

"to think— we were gonna pass on moving to toledo with our family for you. for all of you." jug scoffed.

gracie buried her face in her hands, betrayal fracturing her heart. "you could've warned us. you could've said something." she raised her voice now. "you lied to us! you all—"

"there they are!" kevin and all the parents came down the hall towards us. "jughead, gracie, my dad just told mayor mc coy about your dad."

"what— what about our dad?" the girl croaked.

"he was just arrested. for the murder of jason blossom."

~♛~