After school, I had the night off from Pops and I had to collect the rest of my stuff from the Andrews household. I'm standing in the kitchen with Jughead and Archie as Fred walks over to the door. I hear her voice before anything
"Mr. Andrews! Nice haircut. You're looking extremely DILF-y today." I almost spit my drink out all over Jughead "Is Archie home?"
"Cheryl, yes." Fred sighs. "Um, come on in." Cheryl walks back to us, I step closer to Jughead glaring at the redhead as she proudly made her way into the Andrews home.
"The Ice Woman cometh." Jughead mumbles causing me to laugh a little.
"Hey, Cheryl." Archie glares at me and Jughead. Cheryl places a large guitar case on the table next to the open pizza box.
"As a maj thank-you for coming to the maple banquet with me tomorrow, I wanted to give you this." Cheryl looks at Archie a gleam I knew all to well in her eye. "An '84 Les Paul. In our signature color. You're welcome." I turn around leaning against the sink staring out the back window. "Okay. That's all I'm going now. My claustrophobia acts up in small houses. See you tomorrow." I just sighed as Fred chuckled. I could hear Cheryl's boots marching away. I finally turn back around when I hear the front door shut.
"I'd give that back if I were you." Fred took the words right out of my mouth.
"Dad, come on. The Blossoms, they're helping me get into that summer music program. Like, the best in the country."
"And since when did the Blossoms ever give a damn about you, Archie?"
"Well, they think I have potential, dad."
"He's also pimping himself out to Cheryl." Jughead also speaks up for me.
"The Blossoms tried to run our business into the ground."
"Maybe if you tried talking to Mr. Blossom..." Archie spoke quietly, I remained back near the sink staring the boy with the red kiss mark on his cheek with a new found anger.
"I tried talking to him, Archie, he laughed in my face. Don't think for a second that the Blossoms are looking out for you. They're using you, Archie."
"THANK YOU!" I finally spoke up causing the room to jump, Archie saw the glare for the first time. "Archie, we talked about this last night! You told me you understood and now you are standing here trying to convince yourself that what is happening is okay. That's it, I'm finding a way to get into this banquet if its the last thing I do."
"Arch, the Blossoms look at us like we're dirt under their shoe. I'm over it. I'll help you get in Kat, anyway I can." I nod to Fred who walks out of the room. Archie looks down at the guitar and I sigh.
"Archie, you know that this is wrong..."
"They are making me a suit Kat. Cheryl already has what she wants what am I going to do about it?"
"I'll be your plus one."
"It doesn't work like that." I nod slowly.
"Oh Archie, but it does. Come." I give the two boys a sly smile as I practically march into the living room that has the bags of my stuff. I bend down opening one and pulling out a cherry red ST Dupont Atelier wallet(AKA a very very expensive wallet). I stand turning around slowly.
"Kat, how is a wallet going to help?" I smile to Jughead.
"What color would you say this is?" The two boys look at each other confused.
"Black with red leather?" Jughead starts
"Almost Cherry Red? A signature color for a very specific family?" Archie nods slowly. "The Blossoms gave Perry this wallet for his fifteenth birthday, they would send us presents every birthday and Christmas. Even if they had to send them to our caseworker until they could be delivered." I sighed remembering all the things that sat in my room back in the trailer park. "This one was extra special. All of this is annual, and Perry always wanted to be a part of it. To feel as if he truly belonged in Riverdale, not just on the southside. So, Jason made a deal with his parents." I reach into the wallet and pull out a laminated card that Jason made with a signature from both parents and himself. "I have a get-in-free ticket." Archie takes the card and reads the front.
"To be used for one Tree tapping Ceremony and other Annual events by Perry Jackson Quinn or whomever he deems fit if he is unable to attend."
"But..."
"But nothing Archie, I have the wallet and the card. With Perry gone it is mine to use."
"Kat, do you really think the Blossoms will let you in?" Jughead looks at the card next.
"They will if I have some help from a certain redhead and a certain down and out rich girl."
"I'm down to help." Archie chuckles thinking I was referring to him.
"I know you are, which is why I was talking about Cheryl and Veronica."
"Oh, Makes sense." I laugh taking the card back.
"Well gents, I should really be getting to the Cooper's."
"I'll walk you out." I smile to Jughead waving bye to Archie.
Jughead and I walk outside slowly making our way to the empty Cooper residence.
"You know, no one is home right now." I laugh at Jughead.
"I see that, but I also know that Alice Cooper tends to just appear, and my second night staying over may not be the best time to start bad behavior." I make the last part as sexual as I possibly can.
"But bad behavior is so much fun." Jughead whines. We trudge through the grass, Alice hasn't had a key made for me yet but she said she'd leave the back door unlocked.
"Maybe you could come in and help me unpack." Jughead nods.
I am staying in Polly's bedroom it's almost the size of Des's trailer, but it's nice. I shut the door as soon as Jughead and I get into the room.
"I secretly always wondered what Polly's room looked like." He chuckled sitting on the bed.
"I'm glad it's purple and not pink like Betty's." I shake my head sitting my bags on the dresser.
"You even have your own bathroom" I nod not looking back at Jughead.
"I miss the trailer though, and everyone on the southside." Jughead gets up and stands behind me wrapping his arms around me.
"Just remember this is for your safety."
"I know, I know..." I turn around in his grip putting my arms around his shoulders. He smirks down at me before leaning in and kissing me softly. The kiss quickly becomes more passionate as he pushes me against the dresser. He picks me up sitting me on top, he starts to lift up my shirt and I pull away.
"Juggy, we can't..."
"Live on the edge Kat." He chuckled knowing perfectly well that was a line I liked to use.
"I normally do, but a certain someone wanted me to behave while I'm here so that I can stay. Something about being worried about me on the southside." I gave Jughead a smile as he glared at me.
"I hate when you listen to me."
"I'll remember that." We both laugh. I lightly stop and just smile at him. I take a few seconds to remember the shape of his face, the way his mouth curls when he smiles, the gleam he gets in his eyes when he looks at me.
"What?" He asks.
"I'm admiring you."
"Not creepy at all Kat."
"You are perfect in every way."
"Far from it, but thank you, babe." I smile softly before giving him a tender kiss.
"You should probably get back before Alice shows up." He nods chuckling.
"I'll see you tomorrow." I nod watching him walk out the door. I plug my phone in and connect it to the Bluetooth speaker Polly had in her room. While I blared music taking advantage of the empty house, I did my best to make the room feel like home, something I hadn't felt in a long time.
The next morning I grabbed Perry's wallet along with all of my school stuff before meeting Jughead downstairs. "Good morning, Did you sleep well?" He took my hand as we started our walk to school.
"For the first time, I can actually say yes and mean it." He looked to me with his stupid overly excited grin.
"That's fantastic." I chuckled. "I have to talk to Cheryl and Veronica as soon as I get to campus."
"Have fun..." He sighs.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"I don't like the thought of you going to this ball."
"I'll be fine Juggy, I know my way around the one percent." I cringe at that statement. Jughead gives me a quick kiss before we walk up the stairs into school.
"I'll see you in a few." I nod before searching the hallways. I catch sight of Cheryl first.
"Cheryl, can I talk to you for a minute."
"Twice in one week?" I ignore her comment and pull her into an empty class room.
"I need you to honor a deal."
"What deal!" I pull out Perry's wallet and hand it to her.
"The deal our brothers made to each other." Cheryl opens the wallet finding the card. Her eyes go wide staring at it.
"Kat... My parents would kill me..."
"They wouldn't know I talked to you." She looked at me with complete terror in her eyes. "I was going through his things when I found the card, I felt as if he wanted me to go. It was then I found out from Archie that he would be attending and figuring it was a sign from God I couldn't pass up the offer."
"Seems like you thought of everything."
"Cheryl, I know you better than anyone. It often hurts me because people don't believe how close we were for a short time... Please let me do this, one night..."
"For Perry?"
"In part yes."
"In part what do you mean?"
"Come on Cheryl, I'm not blind like everyone else when it comes to you... I know why your father has invited Archie."
"The board likes him, Daddy thinks he would be a good replacement for Jason."
"I loved your brother Cheryl, and I love mine. This was something they promised each other. I'll keep my reasons to myself as long as you make sure I get in with out a scratch." Cheryl contemplated it for a second.
"I'll have to remember just how amazing you are at that," She winks "I'll get you into the ball. I'm wearing blue..."
"I'll make sure not to clash or stand out."
"Black or red would be best if that's what you are going for." I nod before giving her a hug. "To be honest, I'm glad you are coming."
"I understand." With that Cheryl took her leave and left me alone in the room. I could hear her heals click down the hall. I left the room just in time. Veronica was walking by herself to the student lounge.
"Just the girl I was looking for." I hooked my arm in hers. "I need some fashion assistance, can I count on you for that?"
"Why of course you can." She winks as we walked down the hallway.
********
Later I'm walking to the Blue and Gold to get Jug before I have to go to Veronica's then Pops. I stop out side of the door when I hear Betty complaining again.
"My parents are unbelievable, Jug. Polly is locked up in that house like a character out of Jane Eyre, and what are they doing?" she pauses "Changing each other's login accounts and throwing bricks through windows."
"I wish I'd seen that." Jughead chuckles.
"Okay, I'm sorry, that's not funny." I look at Jug surprised.
"Its like, you know how, in a time of crisis, people either come together or fall apart?" I nod slowly "It feels like we're falling apart. And the way things are going, pretty soon, the Coopers, we're not gonna exist anymore." Betty was full blown crying at this point. "And there's nothing I can do to stop that."
"Betty, Don't do that. Don't give up. Your family is definitely splintering right now, but it won't fall apart, because of you." Betty sighs "Because you're holding them together. You're so much stronger than all of the white noise. You're stronger than your mother, you're stronger than your father. You're holding this family together. So don't..." Jughead pauses and my heart breaks a little in my chest. "Don't let go."
"I won't" Is all I hear Betty sigh. I look around the corner to see them hugging tightly. I pull out my phone holding back the tears...
Me- Shift at Pops got moved up, had to go to Ronni's directly after school... Stop by later?
I could hear his phone go off.
Jug<3- Of course, see you then.
I tucked my phone in my back pocket before tearing out of the hallway. I always walk at a fast pace but today it was like I was on overdrive. Once outside I took a deep breath. I pulled my phone out and called Ronni.
"Hey, you okay?"
"Change of plans. I'm on my way over."
"Okay..."
"See you soon." I hung up knowing I'd break down if she asked any further questions... I make my way to the Pembroke, talking myself down the whole way.