"Bad news," Weatherbee stands at the front of the classroom, "Two more teachers have defected to Stone Wall Prep. Mrs. Crouton and Mr. Cedar."
"Damn, Mrs. Crouton." Kevin bursts, "That backstabbing bi-"
"We've got a bigger problem." Toni saunters in holding a file, "I had one of my girls break into Hiram's office to see what dirt we could use against him and she found his secret agenda for the town hall meeting."
Kevin leans over to Archie, "I love that it's like we're in an episode of Succession right now."
I fight the overwhelming urge to roll my eyes.
Toni continues, "And beside deciding about Riverdale High, Hiram is also putting forth a vote to unincorporate the town." Worried glances are shared throughout the room. "Based on the receipts it seems that he has enough people bribed or terrorized into passing the motion."
"Wait, unincorporate the town? What does that even mean?" Archie asks.
"It means all the money that the town gets from the state for public services, maintenance, education it- it goes away." Alice explains dejected. "It means as a town Riverdale seizes to exist."
I sigh, "Yeah, which means so do our jobs."
"So Hiram Lodge will finally get what he's wanted for years? The death of Riverdale." Archie says.
"So his precious So-Dale can thrive." Toni says sarcastically.
"But if that happens would we even be able to keep this school open with the boards support?" Kevin asks.
Alice tenses her shoulders, "Technically yes but it's gonna make it much much harder."
"So we need to fight harder." Toni says matter-o-factly. "Alice, I'm gonna need you to go on RIVW and blow the whistle on Hiram's plan. He was trying to keep it secret so no one would show up and oppose him but we need the public there so they can vote against Hiram's plan."
Kevin shrugs, "Okay, but what about our teacher problem?"
"I think I can help with that." Archie says.
"You just so happen to know a handful of jobless and desperate people with teaching degrees?" I ask and he drops his head back in realization. "Yeah."
"What if Riverdale went private?" Toni suggests, "That way we could choose who we wanted."
Weatherbee nods, "Yes, but we'd lose all public funding."
"If the town unincorporates we lose all funding anyways." Toni reminds him.
A frustrated huff escapes my lips, "This is starting to sound like a lose-lose situation. Come on, we need a better plan than this."
"We need an investor." Kevin states.
"I think I might know someone." Toni says, "Archie, if you have any favors to call in, now's the time."
Everyone trickles out of the meeting and I catch up with Toni in the hallway. "Okay, what is going through that pink head of yours?"
She slips her arm through mine, "Just trust me, you'll find out soon enough."
I groan, "I hate when you keep me out of the loop. Last time you did that you got pregnant."
She lets out a soft laugh, "You're so dramatic. I promise I'll tell you once everything is settled."
I drop my head back in an exaggerated manner and she laughs again, "Whatever. In more fun news, how's my little guy doing?" I press my hand to her stomach.
Toni sighs happily, "Good, he's been kicking a lot lately." Just as she finishes I feel a small thud against my hand. "Like that." She smiles.
"I can't wait to meet him." I pull my hand away and she grabs ahold of it forcing me to look at her, "What?"
"You know we don't have to talk about this." She says.
I shrug, "It's okay, T. You're gonna be a mom and I'm excited for you, really, I am."
She gives me a sad smile, "I know you are but-"
I cut her off, "No buts. This is something to be happy about. Besides I get to be a fun aunt."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Concern covers her face.
"I'm fine." I assure her. "I've got to get to the Wyrm, though. I'll see you later."
______________________________________________________________
The quiet of the bar is still a sound I'm not used to. Normally the place is full of people talking and music playing in the background with the occasional fight but the place has been closed for a couple hours now. I kind of like it this way though, I get to just be by myself no loud customers yelling misogynistic bullshit at me. It can be kinda scary at times but nothing bad has happened yet.
A bottle of tequila sits in my hand as I'm taking inventory and after everything that's happened so far this week alone all I want to do is unscrew the cap and drain it into my mouth. But I know I'd regret that tomorrow morning so I put the bottle back on the shelf where it belongs and mark it down on the inventory list in my hand. When I turn back around I almost jump out of my skin to see someone sitting down at the bar.
Clutching my chest I try to catch my breath, "Jesus Christ, Sweet Pea."
Once he catches his own breath from laughing at me he rests his arms on the bar, "You okay?" He asks between fading laughs.
"What the hell are you doing here and how did you even get in?" I ask.
"I have a key." He says simply. "I saw your bike outside after I finished my haul and thought you might want a ride home." He grabs a few peanuts from the bowl sitting on the bar that I have yet to put away and tosses them into his mouth.
"Thanks but I'm okay." I turn back and put away a few more bottles.
I can hear him huff behind me, "Stevie, it's 3:30 in the morning. You know this is prime time for the freaks in this town."
"If I say yes will you shut up?" I say, it comes out a harsher than I meant for it to. My eyes squeeze shut as I mentally curse myself.
"Are you alright?" He asks, now even more concerned than he was before.
I turn back around, "I'm sorry, I've just been really stressed out. I didn't mean to take it out on you." He looks at me with worried eyes and I can practically see the questions turning in his mind. "Before you even ask, no."
Sweet Pea nods, "Good. What's going on?"
I lean against the bar and let out a long aggravated groan, "Hiram wants to unincorporate the town, meaning the school won't have any funding and if he gets his way Riverdale's chances of surviving are pretty much gone. And he'll win. My brother being here on top of it all isn't helping either."
"Stevie," He says my name calmly and rests his hand on top of mine, "He's not gonna win. This town, we have survived worse than Hiram Lodge. And I'm sure Toni has a plan."
I nod, "She does. One she won't share with me but she's got a plan."
"See, you're in good hands." He says and I know he means Toni but all I can think of is his hand on mine and the shivers it's sending up my spine. "And don't worry about your brother, he's an idiot."
I huff a laugh, "That we can agree on." I clear my throat and pull away, "So about that ride home?"
"Nice deflection." He laughs softly, "Come on."
He pushes himself up and I duck out from the bar following him upstairs.
____________________________________________________________________
What's left of the good people in Riverdale fit inside Pop's tonight to bid farewell to our dearly beloved Pop Tate.
"What a gift!" Pop says enthused as he accepts a letterman jacket, "Thank you, Archie."
Archie claps Pop on the shoulder, "It's from all of us, Pop. It's a small token to show you how much you mean to us, to Riverdale High, to the whole town."
"You know, I had to drop out of school to take over running this place after my Pop- the original Pop, passed away. I never got to graduate." Pop looks at the jacket for a moment with gratitude in his eyes, "This means the world to me."
"Jug's gonna say a few words." Archie says and I feel the urge to roll my eyes.
Jughead steps out from behind the counter, "I think sometimes it can be hard to put our faith into this town, but I think Pop created something really special here. Created a place for the lost wayward souls of Riverdale to come to and I think that's more than jukebox or vinyl booths. It's like a lighthouse in a storm." He turns to Pop, "Now Pop himself is many things, he's a joker, he's a soldier, he's a cook." He says jokingly, "He's a really good listener. He's also a father, he's a son and a grandfather. And to many of us, to me personally, he's about the only reason I made it through. You gave us a home, Pop. Thank you." Clapping erupts through the restaurant.
Archie lifts his glass, "To Pop Tate, who never let the lights go dark."
"To Pop Tate!" A series a clinking follows as people cheers.
Everyone starts to mingle amongst themselves and I head over to the counter and take a seat on a bar stool, "I cannot believe you hired my brother."
Tabitha gives me a sideways glance, "He seemed desperate, okay? Besides I'm gonna need the extra help."
I huff, "Guess that book money ran out on him." I say as I take a sip of my milkshake.
She rests her hands against the counter and looks at me almost sternly, "You know you could just talk to him."
"Have you ever met me before just now?" I ask sarcastically.
"Yes, and I think you're the most stubborn and hard-headed person I've ever met in my life." She answers.
"You got that right." Sweet Pea says with a laugh as he sits down next to me causing me to roll my eyes.
I shake my head, "Whatever, you're mad at him too."
He nods, "True, but I'm not his sister." He says pointedly.
I sip my milkshake instead of responding. Honestly, I don't even have a response. All I know is that if I do talk to Jughead he's gotta be the one to make the attempt. He's the one who ran off, became an author and forgot about me. He broke our promise not me.
"Stevie, it seems your brother is gonna be in town for at least a little bit so you can either patch things up or avoid him until he leaves." Tabitha says.
I pull back from my milkshake and sit up straight, "Then I guess my only option is to avoid him until he leaves."
She lets out an exasperated sigh and luls her head back dramatically. "You're impossible."
Sweet Pea lets out a soft laugh next to me, "I could've told you that."
I smack his arm before standing up with milkshake in head, "I'm gonna go talk to other people." But I only make it a few steps before I'm forcibly stopped by an arm wrapping around my waist. I turn around and look up at Sweet Pea, "What?"
"Don't be mad, you know I was only teasing." He says gently.
I suck in a sharp breath, "I know, I just don't want to talk about this anymore, alright?"
He nods in understanding, "Alright."
"Oh," A voice next to us pulls our attention, "Did you guys get back together?" Jughead asks from behind the counter with an amused smirk on his face.
Looking down I realise Sweet Pea is still holding me so I take a step back and push his arm off, "Later." I tell him while completely ignoring Jughead.
As I turn away out of my peripheral vision I see Sweet Pea giving Jughead a dirty look before walking away himself.
After awhile the party died down and the guests headed out one by one. Toni and I were one of the last few to leave. I pushed open the door letting her walk out first, I followed behind as we walked down the steps toward our bikes.
I grab her hand when we descend from the last step and gently pull her closer, "Sooo..." I drag out.
"Sooo? What?" She mimics me.
"Come on, I saw you and Cheryl in that booth earlier." I say and she nods while looking away from me, "What was that about, huh?"
She shakes her head, "Nothing. I asked her if she would be willing to fund the school."
My eyes go wide, "Wait, seriously?"
She hums, "And she agreed. We may be able to save Riverdale after all."
"That's great. I just can't believe Cheryl said yes."
"Honestly, me either. I really thought I'd have to do a lot more begging than that." She says with a small smile. I can tell there's some details about that conversation that she's keeping from me but I won't push the matter.
"Well, we can't slow down just yet. We've still go to get through the town meeting." I remind her. "God only knows what Hiram has planned for that."
We arrive at our bikes and Toni grabs her helmet, "I've got a pretty good argument prepared, I really hope it's enough to persuade the board."
"Me too." I throw my leg over my bike and Toni does the same to hers, "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Always." She smiles and slips her helmet on before pulling out of the parking lot.
______________________________________________________________________________
The board sit lined up in front of members of the town as they prepare to start the meeting that will determine the future of Riverdale. Of course Hiram stands at his own podium.
My knee bounces rapidly as the anxiety builds in my chest and my fingers pick at the nails on my opposite hand. A hand steadies my knee with a tight grip, another hand takes hold of one of my own.
"Relax." Sweet Pea whispers in my ear sending a chill down my spin. He lets go of my hand and places his arm around my back.
"Before the school board votes on the fate of Riverdale High, Toni Topaz has asked to say a few words." Hiram announces.
Toni steps up to the mic stand positioned in front of the board, "Good afternoon, my name is Toni Topaz and I am a guidance counselor at Riverdale High. The point of a school board is to make sure there is equity. That kids of all ages from all different backgrounds have equal access to education. Well, with the help of on very generous donor." Toni looks over to Cheryl who is sitting at the back of the room with a veil over her face like she's at a funeral, "I'm happy to announce that Riverdale High will be able to do that as a private school." The room erupts with applause, "And unlike other private schools, Riverdale will be tuition free. "And we're bolstering our teaching staff with notable alums like Sargent Archie Andrews, FBI trainee and Yale graduate Betty Cooper, business woman and Barnard grad Veronica Gekko, and acclaimed author Forsythe Jones III." The four of them stand as my heart sinks to my stomach. Sweet Pea gives my shoulder a soft squeeze, "So spread the news far and wide, that Riverdale and it's children will not be at the mercy of Hiram Lodge's destructive whims. Thank you."
Applause fill the air once again and I half heartedly join but all I can think about is that I now have to spend everyday with my brother. The last person on earth that I want to see.
Toni makes her way back to her seat and gives me an apologetic look over her shoulder.
"And now," Hiram's voice booms, "I'd like to introduce what I hope will be my last motion as mayor, a proposition to incorporate the town of Riverdale." Murmurs spread through the room, "All those opposed?" The entire staff, new and old, of Riverdale High raise their hands as well as a few others in the room. "All those in favor." The vast majority of the room put their hands up. A sickening smirk spreads across Hiram's face, "Majority wins. The township of Riverdale is hereby dissolved." He slams down a gavel, the sound echoing in my ears.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
AN
Hey, sorry this took so long but I've been really struggling with my mental health these past few months but I promise I will try to keep up better. Love you, guys.
(btw this is following the actual timeline making this stevies first year in college not the timeline riverdale has going on since apparently time doesn't exist there. the year should be 2027 if they followed it correctly)
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