As I sit in the room by myself looking at the dress before me. Everything was still I mess. But this night finally would give a night to relax.
~dress options~
As I get the dress on and do my makeup and such the words of Jug from the other day fill my mind. I felt good talking about my problems. Not that I'm rushing to go join the farm. But maybe I do need to see a therapist. The final touches and then I'm out. Jug and I decided to meet there. Which works out since he gets to work with Ethel longer. Once inside the speakeasy I reach Veronica.
"Why hello Veronica," I say to her, "you look good."
"Same to you," She says looking me over, "the dress is stunning. New I presume?"
"Of course," I say to her, "maybe a little bit of money from the money Archie got from Nick."
"Ah yes," She says, "well money well spent." We see Cheryl and Toni march through. Both girls looking absolutely amazing. As we walk towards them Kev meets them saying something quick before walking away.
"How are you ladies doing tonight?" Veronica asks, "Toni, you look dashing."
"Both Of you drop dead gorgeous," I say to them.
"Vee, your bar is amazing," Toni says cheerfully as Cheryl snaps a pic of Veronica.
"Thank you," Veronica says happily.
"Finally, a Lodge did something good for this town," Cheryl says staring at her phone.
"Well, I couldn't have done it without my favorite power couple," Veronica says to them, "- Excuse me." Toni hands Cheryl a drink and she smiles.
"Thanks, babe," Cheryl says.
"Power couple indeed," I say to them, "like I said before you both look great."
"Same to you," Toni says as she takes Cheryl's freehand in her own.
"Now I heard some whisperings," Cheryl says, "that you and true detective are on edge since Archie's left. Is that true?"
"Well yeah," I say to them, "Archie's always been our unbiased third wheel. Now that he's gone him and I are a little shaken to say the least. But we are a strong couple. He's good."
"Speak of the devil," Toni says staring behind me. I look over my shoulder to see Jug walking towards us. In an all black neat tux with his beanie covering his dark locks.
"Hello ladies," he says then looks to me smiling. I smile back but it drops once I notice the blue tint to his lips.
"Will you excuse us?" I ask the girls who look to Jug then me.
"I think we could use some more drinks anyway right babe?" Cheryl asks. Toni nods and I pull Jug away from them.
"What the hell Jug?" I ask him, "blue lips?"
"I couldn't get the manual with out drinking the fresh aid, thankfully I picked the right one and got the manual, which by the way I hid the manual in the trailer," he says, "The thing's like a gold mine, I'll have to show it to you tonight."
"I don't care about the stupid manual!" I snap, "you could have died!"
"Y/n it's not that serious," Jug says, "besides i didn't drink it... Ethel did."
"What?" I ask in disbelief, "is she gonna be okay. Ethel's gonna be okay, right?"
"Physically," He says, "But I think she's gonna need a bit of de-programming."
"She can keep my mom company then," Betty says joining us, "The Farm got way deeper into her head than I thought. And she knows something about G&G, Jug." I scoff wanting to tell both of them off. "And you still have Fresh-Aid on your lips."
"Jug wait did you tell me you were gonna do?" I ask him harshly.
"Come on thats hardly fair," he says and I lower my voice as I stare him in the eyes.
"It is fair," I say to him, "you are playing a game with a psychopath. Ethel is clearly crazy enough to attempt to poison one of you and think that it's fine because some fucking gargoyle king told her so."
"Babe," He says and I pull back.
"She lied to you," Betty says, "she was at my house with the farm. And apparently sneaking around the white wyrm with Toni and Cheryl."
"Fuck you Betty," I say to her, "I didn't lie. I just didn't trust you to handle the farm stuff. Which I shouldn't have seeing as I probably could of got more out of them had you not thrown a tantrum."
"You know what both of you need to get over whatever is going on between you!" Jug snaps whisper yelling at us, "you two used to be best friends. What happened?"
"Her!" Betty and I scream in synch.
"You too need to make up and get over yourselves," Jug says before stomping off leaving Betty and I in the middle of the floor. I cross my arms staring at her.
"I was going to talk to him you bimbo," I scoff at her, "let me get to that point before you go running off to tell him. I haven't seen him since this morning so I haven't got a chance. I wasn't trying to hide or lie."
"Sure you weren't," she huffs.
"Listen," I say looking at her, "I hate to break this to you, no that's a lie I love bursting this bubble, but Jughead is my boyfriend! So our problems, fights, or whatever are between him and I. Not you. Okay? I mean honestly I've tried with you Betty I really have. But somehow in your mind you find it appropriate to plant your self in the middle of my relationships."
"I do not-"
"That's a lie," I say to her, "any time Jug and I do anything, there you are right there. We walk down the hallway your there. We fight your there. We do anything you are there. He's my boyfriend, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, get your own."
"Why are you always so mean to me?" She whines.
"What?" I say taken back slightly, "I'm not."
"You are though," she says, "always insulting me and making it seem like I'm so bad. Your stupid one liners to make me feel bad. Like when Cheryl and Toni wanted to makes you a vixen and you said no cause I'm one. Or how you said you could believe Ben and Ethel are dating because jughead dated me. You are so mean anytime you get a chance." I'm taken back. Both of us were telling the truth.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Kev says as he takes the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen."
"We'll talk about this in a minute," I say to Betty. Frustration ringing through me.
"On behalf of Veronica Lodge, I thank you, one and all, for coming to the grand opening of La Bonne Nuit, Now, please welcome to the stage, the one and only, Miss Josephine McCoy," Kev says and Josie walks into the stage while the audience cheers loudly. My eyes planted on Jughead across the bar with Sweet Pea and Fangs.
"Whoo!" Sweet Pea yells loudly as she takes the stage.
"Oh, my God, I'm obsessed with that gown," Kev says to her and she smiles.
"Thanks, Kevin," She says meekly then switches to her more bold stage personality.
"In olden days A glimpse of stocking was Looked on as something shocking, now Heaven knows Anything goes-" the curtains behind her drops to reveal a showdown of dancers on each of her sides, "Good authors too Who once knew better words Now only use four-letter words Writing prose Anything goes - The world's gone mad today Good's bad today Black's white today And day's night today And all the guys today That women prize today just~" my eyes keep on Jug. The I look to Betty. This is my fault. All my fault. As I catch his blue lips my mind wonders on how Alice is connected. "Anything goes When every night The set that smart is in Truding in nudist parties in Studios Oh, anything goes So though I'm not A great romancer I know that you're bound to answer when I propose - Anything goes If driving fast cars you like If low bars you like If old hymns you like If bare limbs you like If Mae West you like Or me undressed you like Why, nobody will oppose Anything goes And all the pains you've got If any brains you've got From those little radios Anything goes Anything goes. Anything."
As her voice cuts out and everyone else claps loudly I look to Betty and sigh.
"Let's call this a truce," I say to her, "I'm honestly sorry for being such an ass."
"Fine," She says, "I'm sorry for butting into everything with you and Jug." Her and I nod at the other.
"Are we good for know?" I ask her.
"Yeah," She says.
"Good because we need to get to FP's now," I say to her, "I think I found something out and if I'm right then we have a new lead."
"what?" She asks frantically I nod. Grabbing her hand and yanking her towards me. I drag her all the way to Jughead. Upon seeing as he sighs loudly.
"I don't want to be in the middle of this anymore," He says, "you two need to deal with this yourself."
"We already did genius," I say to him, "but while Josie was singing my mind started to wonder and I think I worked something out. So if you want to not piss of your girlfriend more than you already did tonight. You are going to come with us to your trailer."
"What?" He asks confused as I walk off pulling Betty behind me. As we get outside to my truck Jug takes the passenger seat. "As much as I love this more dominant side what the hell is going in."
"Alice knows something about Gryphon and Gargoyles," I tell him, "Betty and I found this out."
"Oh yeah," she says, "my mom apparently told the farm people about it. They didn't know anything about it until she told them."
"What?" Jug asks.
"Then that got me wondering about how mad your dad and Fred were that we were digging around in the case," I say to them.
"You don't think," Betty says.
"I do," I say to them, "I think they know about it, honestly I think they know a lot about this game. But I think Alice and FP probably will be the ones to speak the most when confronting them head on."
"My head is spinning," Jug says trying to wrap his head around everything.
"Well hold that thought," I say to him, "because if I'm right it's just going to get more weird from here." I pull in to a jolty stop in front of the trailer. Parking the car and climbing out fast. Jug takes the lead unlocking the door and leading us in. As we look around we see the whole trailer torn apart. Much like when they searched it for anything pointing to FP's guilt last year.
"The hell?" Jughead asks.
"- What happened?" Betty asks.
"Yeah it looks like a crime scene in here," I say reaching down and flipping the chair back over.
"Where the hell did you get this?" I hear FP say hardly stomping behind us. We turn to see him and Alice. In his hands the Gryphon and Gargoyles rule book. "Have you been playing the game?" FP comes to Jug threateningly and I jump between the two while Alice pushes FP back.
"- No," Jug says meekly.
"- Don't lie to me, boy! I can still see the blue on your lips," FP yells loudly. I keep Jughead back from his dad. Jug wipes his lips again.
"Mom, what are you doing here?" Betty asks, "What are you two hiding?"
"- Where did you get that book?" Alice asks.
"- Who gave this to you?" FP demands.
"Something-" Jug starts.
"Jug, do not say anything. Not until they tell us what they know about the game," Betty says.
"If they can have all these damn secrets so can we," I say to him and I glare at the two adults.
"You looking through my stuff now, Dad, really?" Jug asks. Tensions high between all of us.
"You don't get it. This game is It's pure evil. And no one's ever gonna play it again," FP says Turing to the door.
"Hey! - Hey, stop" We yell running towards him pushing past Alice.
"No, no, no," Alice says attempting to stop us but we move past.
"Stop FP come on!" I says attempting to snatch it away as he holds it back.
"Dad, I'm begging you," Jug says as FP stops in front of a fire, "No one's gonna play Gryphons and Gargoyles, but that book may be our best shot of figuring out what happened to Dilton and Ben."
"How many copies are there?" FP asks as Jughead moves to snatch it away.
"- As far as we know, that's the only one," Jug says as FP pulls it away.
"Which is why you can't destroy it," Betty says.
"All we want to do is find out what happened to Ben and Diltion," I say to them, "hell Ethel too. Unless you care to explain."
"No," Alice says coldly.
"Then let us have the book," I say to them, "we just want to end this."
"So do we," Alice says, "FP, do it." He tosses it into the fire I move to grab it off the top but FP pulls me back.
"Get off of her!" Jug screams attempting to pull me away from FP. I'm let go and Jug pushes me behind him protectively.
"You two are the most useless parents," I say harshly, "Come on you two. Stay with me tonight."
"Boy!"
"Both Of you lets go," I say to them walking back to my car. The ride to the Andrews house was silent. None of us knowing what to say or do. Just that FP and Alice were hiding something. "Come on," I say as I park outside the door, "we can just stay in my room."
"Are you sure?" Betty asks.
"Well I mean I'm not sending you home to deal with Alice until you've got some time to think," I say to her then look to Jug, "besides Tensions were way to high between you and your dad to let you stay there. Here we can be unbothered. Just for a little bit to get our heads on straight."
"Thanks," Betty says as we walk into the house.
"Anytime," I say to her as we get to my room. Quickly we set up a bed for her on the floor. All of us moving quickly to go to sleep. Jug pulls me close to him once we both have laid down.
"Maybe it's for the best," he says as I settle with my head on his chest.
"What is?" I ask him.
"The manual being destroyed," he says, "Flipping through that manual felt like I was reading evil."
"They played the game," I say softly, "Alice, Your dad. Probably Fred too. That's why they were so down on us investigating Ben and Dilton, and why they freaked out over us having the manual."
"Well, if what Ethel said about that being the only rule book is true, no one's gonna play that game ever again," he says.
"I don't know," I say, "something deep down is telling me we'll see it again."
"Hopefully not," he says looking away.
"About earlier," I say to him, "I'm sorry. I was going to tell you honestly. I just- if we don't help figure out Ben and Dilton's case who will? I mean seriously?"
"You need to take a step back," he says to me, "not for good. Just for a little bit. And that doesn't mean help Cheryl and Toni break into the wrym."
"We wanted black mail on Hiram," I tell him, "just so he'd leave Veronica and the Speakeasy alone. He sent Penny and some Jingle Jangle to Pops. We needed to get that handled on her off the south side."
"I understand," he says, "but I'm worried about you." I look up to him and peck his cheek.
"Don't be," I say to him, "I'm fine."
~~~~~~
The next morning he and I walk down the hallway at school. Both of us tired but once again peaceful. The talk last night helped some. At least to ease his nerves. But as we stumble by Cheryl he snaps moving forward quickly without rhyme or reason yanks something away from her.
"Jug!" I exclaim.
"Um, excuse you," Cheryl says harshly.
"Where'd you get this?" Jug asks in panic.
"It was in my locker," She says snatching it back, "Same with everyone else." As we look around we see it. Every single person had one. The manual had spread through the whole school.
"Jug what do we do?" I ask him. He moves down towards mine and his lockers quickly.
"Open it," he demands, "open yours now!"
"Okay okay," I say fumbling with my combination as he rips his opens. Both of us pull out our own copy of the manuals. Panic set in both of our expressions.
As Jug puts it so in his novel....
"Ethel must've done it before our rendezvous in the bunker. Or maybe there was someone else helping her.Either way by next weekend, almost every student at Riverdale High would be playing Gryphons and Gargoyles. And the real game was just beginning."