( chapter twenty one! )
─ jasper the asshole ghost!
─
"So are you and Jones a thing now?" Manic asked randomly the next day at school. Lola giggled quietly as they walked down the hall way. "This is like the third time asking me since yesterday. Why does everyone want to know?"
Manic shrugged his shoulders with a grin. He noticed that Lola was happier than normal. And for that, he was happy. It was good to see her smile more. Instead of having a permanent bitch face. "As a protective older brother-"
"By two minutes," she reminded. He rolled his brown eyes. "Two minutes you will never get but as I was saying, I care about you and about your safety....and if you're using proper protection-"
"Okay, ew stop" she stopped him there causing him to laugh. "I'm still a virgin, okay?"
"Would you rather hear this from mom or me?" He said, raising a eyebrow. Lola nodded her head, knowing he had a point. "Because she'll freak when she finds out you have a boyfriend."
He held the door of the student lounge for her.
"We're not boyfriend and girlfriend," she insisted.
"Oh yeah, then what are you?"
"Just....two people who..." She trailed off, finding the right words. "Hang out and...hold hands and um.....sometimes kiss."
Manic pretended to think about what she said. "Hmmmm....sounds like boyfriend and girlfriend to me, Lolo."
Lola rolled her eyes and then proceeded to walk over to the vending machine. "You're an idiot, Manic."
Manic jumped over the couch and plop down at the middle. He stretched his arms over his head. "Yeah, but I'm your idiot."
"Anyways, are you going to Jason's funeral?" She asked, putting her Monet inside the machine. Manic sighed, sadly. He had got an invitation in the mail last night from Cheryl. Him and Lola got one. Caramia gave it to them the next morning with somber looks. Lola was going, because she felt it's right to at lease pay some respects. But Manic had yet to give an answer.
"I honestly don't know, I saw his dead body I don't need to see it again."
Lola looked at him, pursing her lips. She knew he would say that. Not that she could blame him, dead bodies scared the living hell out of her. That's why she stayed so far away when they found his body in the river. To get the image out of her head.
"You do what's best for you," she simply said, before taking her candy and walking out.
Manic watched her leave, knowing she was right. He had to do what was best for him. Maybe seeing him one last time would help him stop grieving. Who knows.
-
"Okay this was my dads murder board before it got destroyed." Kevin said, showing Jughead, Betty and Manic the board in the news room.
"Any leads on who did it?" Jughead asked, looking on.
"Or what they were looking for?" Manic added on, just as interested.
"Nope," Kevin said, turning to them. "No finger prints. They stole a bunch of files, background checks and all the videos and audio tapes of police interviews."
Manic wiggled his fingers. "Oooooh, sounds like an angry poltergeist or Jasper the Asshole ghost."
Jughead and Kevin chuckled while Betty rolled her eyes. "Can you please be serious, Manny?"
"I am serious," Manic said with a shrug.
Suddenly, some guy wearing a varsity jacket walked in.
"Hey Betty,"
Betty smiled at him. "Trev. Hey."
Trevor looked around awkwardly. They all looked like they were doing something serious. "Sorry to interrupt..."
"Oh no...no it's okay," she said reassuringly.
Kevin and Manic gave each other a knowing smirk. Looked like Betty had herself a boyfriend.
"We're just working on our uh..."
"Our murder board," Manic cut her off. "Yeah, it's an exposé on what makes a murderer kill red heads,"
Betty looked at him with a slight glare before turning back to Trevor with a strained smiled. Trevor slightly chuckled. "Um, I just wanted to make sure if we're still on for tomorrow."
"Absolutely, it's a date," she said kindly before realizing what she said. "Uh...I mean, I'll see you there, bye."
Trevor smiled and left the room.
"Wow, Goldie locks you really know how to pick them," Manic said with a comical grin. Betty rolled her eyes at the Latin boy. "Shut up, Manny."
"Going on a date with Trev?" Kevin asked with a smirk. "Does mama Cooper know about that?"
"Kev, I'm not on house arrest." She said, annoyed.
But all three gave her a certain look, which made her change her answer.
"Okay, she's out of town on a Women in Journalism spa retreat. Anyways, it's not a date date."
Jughead furrowed his eyebrows a bit. "You just called it was a date."
"We all heard the word date," Manic agreed, folding his arms.
"That's just my cover," she said, in retaliation. "Really, it's just an intelligence gathering mission,"
But none of them were buying it. Not at all.
"Who you're trying to convince, yourself or us?"
"Okay, First off, worry about your girlfriend, Lola," Betty said causing Jughead to blush a pretty pink. Manic snickered.
"She's not my girlfriend," he argued. Now everyone was looking at him with skeptical looks. He shrugged, nervously. "We're just people who are enjoy each others company,"
"Yeah, because friends look at each other like they wanna make babies,no we get it." Manic said sarcastically. Kevin laughed quietly while Jughead glared at him.
"And, we should focus on the one thing we have access to, that your dad doesn't." She changed the subject. "The kids at Riverdale high. You know maybe Trev knows something about Jason that he didn't think was important."
"But if you wanted to know all about Jason," Kevin said, pointing at Manic. "There's your Jason Blossom book over there."
"I mean, anyone that's not his child hood friend." Betty clarified.
Manic and Jughead shared a look. Wondering if he knew anything at all.
-
Lola sat behind Archie on the bleachers, drawing a big picture to herself. Her and Archie were talking about random things while waiting for the others to make it.
"Betty, you are positively radiating Nicholas Sparks," Veronica said as her, Kevin, Jughead and Betty walked towards the two on the bleachers. "Tell me everything about this Trev,"
"Oh,There's nothing to tell," Kevin said, with a smirk. "Just one of Betty's sources, there's nothing romantic in the offering."
"Why is everything weird here?" Veronica asked incredulously, sitting down next to Lola's feet. "Why can't a date just be a date?"
Jughead sat next to Lola, giving her a smile. She looked up and smiled back at him before leaning her head on his shoulder. She continued to draw her picture while Jughead put an arm around her waist, kissing her hair.
"What about you, Archie? How's life in a PG world?" Veronica asked him.
"More like PH." Lola spoke up. Archie and everyone gave her a confused look. And when she noticed, she explained with a smirk. "PH? Post- Hoe-dy, what too soon?"
Jughead snickered a bit. Archie, ignoring how he was holding her, rolled his eyes and said," Coach Clayton says I have a shot a5 being varsity captain. So I'm not thinking about anything else right now."
"You sure about that, Dorothy?" Manic asked, sarcastically. He walked over and sat next to Veronica on the bleachers. "Or would Toto spill the beans on you, or The scarecrow."
"Okay, enough with the red head jokes," Archie said, before he could say anymore. Lola, suddenly interested, rose up her head from her drawing book.
"You like someone, Arch?" She asked with a smile.
Archie gave her a sheepish smile. "Yeah but it's someone I can't have,"
Suddenly everyone else was interested in who this mystery girl was. But Jughead was no fool, he knew who it was. And so did Manic.
"Why are you attracted to things you can't have?" Kevin asked, not shocked at all.
"What makes you so into her?" Veronica asked giddy.
Manic, enjoying the pressure he put him under, smirked and leaned forward. "Yes, Archie. Do tell on why it is that you like her? We're all curious."
Archie looked at Manic with a glare. This guy was challenging him and he was not gonna back down. "She's beautiful beyond belief, she's talented, smart and perfect....but she's with someone else,"
"Forbidden love makes the best stories, or in your case, songs," Manic added on sardonically.
Lola rolled her eyes, "don't listen to him, Archie. If you feel this strongly about her, just tell her how you feel. The worst she can say is no."
Archie smiled at her kindly. "Thanks, Lo."
She smiled back before going back to her picture. Jughead nearly growled as he pulled Lola's body closer to him by the waist possessively. Lola was his girlfriend. Not Archie's or anyone else's but his. He had worked too hard for someone to try and mess this up. Especially his best friend Archie.
Besides, he didn't like sharing.
"Are you maybe throwing yourself into football as a way to avoid your feeling?" Betty asked concerned.
"As if it wasn't obvious enough," Manic mumbled. Betty glared at him, causing him to shrug uncaringly.
"I'm not avoiding anything, Betty," Archie said sternly. "I'm trying to get my life back on track."
Suddenly a pretty brown skinned girl came up to Archie and sat beside him. Lola recognized her as Val from Josie's band. "I can help with that." She said, gaining everyone's attention. "I know Ms. Grundy was tutoring you before Lola."
"Understatement of the year," Veronica mumbled, looking at Betty.
"But there's this amazing songwriter from New York, who's an adjunct from Carson College. Incredible mentor, he does some teaching on the side and I told him about you." She explained. "You wanna meet him?"
"Yeah yeah, I would love to but, football..."
"No Archie can." Betty cut him off, slapping his arm.
"And he will, he's a maxing Archie," Lola said. "He taught me how to play piano."
Archie gave both girls a look. Val took out a piece of paper and stuffed it in his shirt pocket. "Call him if you want, but do it soon. His spot fills p fast."
"Thank you, Val." Archie thanked with a smile. Val smile once more before getting up and walking away.
"Now you have zero excuse for avoiding music," Betty said triumphantly.
"Sorry to interrupt, Sad Breakfast Club," Cheryl's voice ranged in their ears. She stood in front of them with black envelopes. She noticed Manic and Lola amongst the group. "Hello, Manic and Lola."
"Hello, Satan." Manic said back with a smirk, earning himself a glare from said red haired girl.
"I'm here to formally invite you to Jason's memorial at Thornhill this weekend." She said, passing out the envelopes.
Veronica took hers from Cheryl, who held a wicked look.
"To my surprise and chagrin, mother added you to the guest list. In case you're tempted to steal out silver candlesticks, don't. We'll be searching bags."
With that, she walked away from them. Veronica sighed, annoyingly. Betty gave her a sympathetic look. "Hey, try to remember she is burying her brother."
Okay, my best friend (who is reading this and watching this show) legit just said "hell no, nope nope nope. Left swipe that shit, ignore it like your ex is calling."
She cracks me up 😂
But since you guys want me to ignore it, fine I will
Next chapter is the funeral and Jack's secrecy connection with the Serpents??? What about Caramia's connection????
I'll clarify it next chapter.
Comment your reactions and love❤️
See ya on the flip side!!!