CHAPTER TWO: NIGHTHAWKS.
belle sighed as she sat with jughead, betty, veronica and archie at school, at their table, "it's another win for the bad guys. no one was there. his entire staff quit, except belle. he's not sure how long he'll be able to keep the doors open. maybe not even a week." jughead informed them.
"it's because of what happened to my dad. people are freaking out and i gotta be honest. i don't see myself going back soon." archie spoke, "belle?"
belle shrugged her shoulders, "i have to. . . pop's told me to take as long as i need off, but if he's entire staff quit, then i'm staying."
"wait, i'm sorry, am i hearing acceptance?" betty questioned, "i'm not letting one psychopath with a gun dictate what happens to our place. and belle, if you want i can help. jug, you went crazy trying to save the drive-in."
"i can't take on any more social issues right now. my hands are full." jughead told her.
"with your dad, of course. and he should be your priority." betty said.
"betty and i will take point on helping pop tate," belle suggested, betty nodded.
"i'll help belle," veronica added, "anything to get me away from my parents, i'm in."
"another b, b and v team-up? they should make a video game about you guys," jughead told them, "i gotta jet. i'm off to meet my dad's court-appointed joke of a lawyer at the sheriffs station."
belle looked at jughead, "if need a new lawyer, i can talk to mum?"
"no, no. you don't need too, we'll be fine," jughead told her.
"i'm gonna come with you, jughead. i gotta drop some flyers off for sheriff keller," archie said.
"bye," betty told them as archie kissed veronica.
_____
belle laid in her room, flipping through pages and pages off her notes. she rubbed her eyes, she sighed as she stood up and walked over towards her cabinet in the bathroom. opening it and grabbing the pill bottle out, she stared at the pill in her hands before plopping it into her mouth and swallowing it.
she shook her head as she walked out of the bathroom, and opened her laptop up and started typing.
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"hey, beautiful!" reggie called out as he walked past belle, making her roll her eyes in annoyance.
"keep walking, reggie." she told him before closing her locker, walking away towards a room.
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"we can't let the terrorists win. we need to host an event at pop's that reminds the town of simpler times." betty spoke.
"like a throwback to when the shoppe first opened its doors," belle suggested.
"betty, belle. . . i like a good milkshake as much as any girl, and pop's puts serendipity three's to shame, but why this hill to die on?" veronica asked the two girls.
betty sighed, "orange freezes with my mum and polly after ballet. chicken noodle soup with my dad after ice-skating. grilled cheese with archie on the last day of summer vacation."
"late night milkshakes with my dad when he comes home from a case. burgers with rosie when she's home. ice creams with mum and kevin and i's chats with fries." belle commented, "and it's where betty and i met you for the first time, v."
"it's where i met both of you for the first time," betty said as she pointed towards belle and kevin, "also. . . jug. he may lose his dad . . . but maybe belle and i can save this one place for him, for all of us."
suddenly there was a knock at the door, "hey, veronica. may i speak to you?"
"daddy?" veronica said as she spotted her dad.
"daddy?" kevin, belle and betty said in unison.
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"may i have everyone's attention," mr. weatherbee spoke, getting the classes attention, "i have some . . . tragic news to share. ms. grundy. . . who was a teacher here last semester, was found. . . murdered in her greendale home."
belle looked over at kevin, "oh, my god." he whispered.
"i know some of you were students of hers. . . and that this news will be difficult to process." mr. weatherbee continued, "mr. andrews?" he questioned as archie stood up and walked out the classroom.
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a car had pulled up near a trailer in sunnyside, the car door opened to reveal, rafael dawson, who walked towards the trailer, opened it. he walked into one of the rooms, digging though the piles of papers that laid there, untouched. he finally found what he was looking for, he grabbed it and made his way out.
he made his way towards his car hoping in and driving away.
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belle stood in pop's swiping down tables, "you don't have to be here, you know?" pop's told her.
"i know, but i want to be here," she said as she finished swiping down. pop's nodded before he went into the back.
belle smiled as she walked over to the counter, she sighed as she fiddled with the pen, the sound of the bell rang through the shoppe. belle sighed, "uhh, take a seat. i'll be with you in a few."
three teens, clothed in dark attire and each one wearing a black leather jacket had entired and sat down at one of the many empty booths. there was a girl, with pink strands defining her complexion, with her hair pulled in a half up, half down ponytail. and two boys, one many inches taller than the other.
she grabbed her notebook and pen and began to walk down to the seat they had occupied, "hi, i'm belle and i'll be taking your order, what can i get you?"
she looked over to spotted the southside serpent logo on their jackets. they looked at her, a girl spoke, "i'll have a strawberry shake with extra whipped cream. fangs, what about you?"
belle nodded as she wrote it down, "i'll have a double-choco one." the guy spoke, "sweetpea?"
she looked up and spotted a serpent tattoo on his neck, her eyes met his, "i'll have a vanilla." he spoke, his lips twisted up into a smirk as his eyes trailed over the short yellow dress that clung on her body tightly, his voice sound like sin and sex, wrapped with a red velvet ribbon.
belle shifted her weight as she spotted him eyeing her, "is that it?"
"yeah," toni said.
"okay, well, i'll be out shortly with your milkshakes." she told them before she give pop's the orders, she felt their eyes on her as she walked away.
toni smirked at sweet pea, who's eyes still trained on the girls body, his jaw clenched, "something got your eye, sweet pea?"
"huh?" was all he said. sweet pea tried to sneak looks over toni's shoulders, the pink haired girl spotted him and moved her head jokingly making the boy roll his eyes.
"never thought a northsider was your type," fangs teased, making sweet pea cock his head to the side and his eyebrows raised.
sweet pea, scoffed. he ran a hand through this hair. he rested his closed fists against the table, he watched as belle gathered their milkshakes, "what makes you think i'll ever go for northsiders like her? i won't. . . no matter how hot she is."
belle had finally made her way over to front of the booth. she placed the strawberry shake in front of toni, then bent over the booth towards fangs to hand his order to him. sweet pea's eyes trailed down to catch a glimpse of her cleavage in her tight yellow uniform. she sent him a small, close-lipped smile as she place his shake in front of him.
"enjoy," she told them before walking away, her ponytail bounced in the air. the sound of a car pulling up in the car park, caught the serpents attention, eyeing the person who hopped out the car and made their way into pop's.
"dad? my shift doesn't end in a few a couple hours," belle told him as he sat down on one of the stools.
"i know that," he defended, "i just really could go for one of our late night milkshakes?"
belle smiled faded, "are you?"
"no, no. not for a while, i just thought i would enjoy one last milkshake before pop's is gone." he told her. belle nodded, and went into the back.
toni turned around to face the two boys, "see him?" the two boys subtle moved to catch a glimpse of the man and nodded, "his rafael dawson. . . he's a serpent, one of them most feared," toni informed, "he still his, everyone was glad he traded in his jacket for a spot in the intelligence unit. . . so when one of us goes in, you talk to him."
the three teenagers turned around and eyed the man as he drank his shake, "he works for hank voight, now." toni finished.
_____
belle was putting her books back in her locker, she looked over to spot reggie lean against the one next to hers, "so, retro night?"
belle shook her head, "the answers no, mantle."
reggie smirked as he eyed the girl, "one date. one date is all i'm asking for dawson."
"fine, one date. retro night. that's it." she told him before closing her locker, "and if you try anything, i'm walking away."
"fine by me, dawson. i just need one date and you'll fall for me." reggie called after her.
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belle stood next to kevin as they cleaned over the letter written in front of pop's, "hey, has betty called?" belle questioned.
"not yet. let's pray cheryl comes through for the them." veronica told her.
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belle walked through pop's, belle's parents walked in, "mum? dad?"
"are we late?" rafael questioned as he scanned the inside of pop's. belle shook her head.
"just on time." she led them in to an empty booth.
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belle and betty stood together, they heard someone clear their throats, the two girls turned to spot josie and the pussycats, "why did both of you broadcast all over social media that the pussycats would be doing a free concert here?" josie questioned.
"i know if we asked, you would have said—." betty started.
"no. if my mum even hears that i set foot in this place—." josie cut her off.
"josie, you care about this place. we know you do." betty started.
"i see you here all the time. hell, i serve you all the time." belle finished.
"belle, betty, even if i wanted to help, i'm down a cat," josie told them, "valerie has norovirus."
"i don't mind stepping in." cheryl cut in, "after all, if you can be a river vixen, josie, i can be a pussycat. as long as it's a cover, i'll know the lyrics."
"i mean, you do love your cheese fries, josie."
josie sighed, betty and belle smiled at her, "fine, fine." she told them. betty and belle clapped and giggled as they brought each other in for a hug.
_____
everyone stood outside, watching the pussycats perform, belle made her way over towards reggie, "hey, you."
reggie smiled at her, and began to make his way over towards her, "let me buy you a milkshake." belle nodded as he led her into pop's and ordered.
betty smirked at her, "it's not what you think." she told her, "it's one date. nothing more."
betty nodded and walked over towards jughead. reggie looked out and spotted a familiar car, he turned towards belle, "ahh, i'll be right back."
belle nodded as she rolled her eyes, and watched him leave. she sighed and made her way over towards her parents, "just a friend?" her dad questioned.
"it's one date, dad. that's it. i mean he left me to go somewhere." she told him, her mother melissa smirked.
"it's one date now," melissa trailed off.
"no, mum. his ahh-his not someone i would want to be with." belle told her.
belle's mind wondering back to that neck tattooed serpent, she served the other night. she knew he was nothing but dangerous but she could help but feel intrigued by him, the way his voice sound like sin and sex wrapped into one, or the way he had smirked at her once he left, or how she felt as if his eyes were undressing her as he eyed her.
_____
"i gotta put them on the spot," pop's told them, "it's thanks to these two young ladies here that pop's gets to stay open tonight, tomorrow, as long as you folks keep coming."
pop's clapped, making everyone in the shoppe clapped, betty smiled at belle, "thanks daphne."
belle giggled at the use of betty's nickname for her, "no, problem velma."
"thanks also to the lodge family for a donation they just made that gives us a little cushion to weather any storm that might come up." pop's announced.
everyone one cheered again.
"and thanks to this young lady, right here. for always sticking by me and always being one of the best employees i had ever hired. and for not leaving when everyone else did." pop's acknowledged. everyone cheered and clapped.
betty hugged belle, before they went to hug pop's together.
"thank, pop's," belle told him.
pop's shook his head, "no, thank you. now, go have fun with your friends and family."
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the five teenagers sat in one of the empty booths, "ronnie, should i introduce myself to your dad?" archie questioned.
"you've faced enough dragons for one night. next time archiekins." veronica answered.
"so, i guess tonight is a win for the good guys," betty told them.
"a rare win, but yes." jughead agreed, "thanks to both of you, betty and bell."
"are you both okay?" veronica questioned belle and archie.
belle nodded, "never better."
"i'm here with you guys. so yeah, i think so," archie answered, veronica leaned her head against archie.
_____
reggie had walked belle up to her front door, "ah, this is where i'll usually lean in for a kiss." reggie told her.
belle raised her eyebrows, "well, not tonight, mantle."
she patted his chest, before she opened her door, "so, does this mean you'll be okay if i ask you out for another date?"
"reggie, i told you. one date, that's it." belle told him, "goodnight." with that she closed the door and went up to her room.