O N E ( 1 ) - E S C A P E P L A N
These past few days have been just going downhill. Not that anything bad has happened. Other than my father being back to do god knows what. And Izzy being in a literal cult. Other than that and the shit that comes with it, things have been normal.
Well, not for everyone else. There's a new girl gang in town, per Cheryl and Toni. Archie is getting over his troubles slowly. Bowie and Syd are keeping me updated. Since I can't walk around my own home town freely. And they've got their own troubles.
Bowie found out about the dead body from Syd, who was told by Harrison. And her and Fangs are in a break-up limbo kind of thing. All I know is that they're fighting, and I can't ask Bowie about it because if I do she get's sad or angry, or both.
This kind of left Syd in a weird position since she kind of tattled. Sweet Pea and Fangs are kind of passively ignoring her now. Whenever she's around they buddy up, or they make sure to come over when she's not here. But then Fangs also has to make sure that Bowie isn't here.
All in all, I don't understand why they come over anyways. I mean It's Syd's family bakery for one, and two me and them aren't really close friends like that-
Are we?
We've seen a dead body together. So theres that.
"Kimmy, phone for you!" Ms.Agatha called from the front of the bakery.
She was one of the good things about this whole war path my dad is on. Because without a doubt I know that that elderly woman will put me to work with making cupcakes and muffins like I'm a normal girl. A normal teenager in the town of river dale.
Another good thing? Tom Keller. He comes in almost everyday to get a treat. And when he does he throws some jokes, asks me how I'm doing. I don't think he knows what's going on with me. Like he said when he dropped by when this all began. But he seems to care, so theres that.
I put down the dough I was kneading in my hands and dust them off on my apron. Ms.Agatha made me one with my name on it and such. I tell you, that woman is a saving grace.
Making my way over to where she is holding the phone out for me to take. I hold the receiver up to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Kimmy! I was trying to call you on your phone but you didn't answer." Betty's voice sounded through the other end. Oh yeah I forgot we were kind of trying to take down a cult together. I wonder how her mom is doing with that.
"Yeah, it broke. And I can't afford a new one. What's up." That was a LIE.
"It's the farm. A few days ago my mom was trying on a dress and I found out it was for something called a baptism. I don't have any clue what it is yet but it's something you have to sign a waiver for."
My eyes popped out of my skull to say the least.
What the fuck.
"Wait a minute, so your mom is gonna do whatever dangerous farm thing it is? Betty are you gonna talk to her?" I asked, but once I did I felt guilty. She had probably been trying to talk to her mother this whole time but nothing was going through. The cult was putting up a brick wall between her and her mother.
"I've tried but she's set on doing it. That's not why I called though. I mean it is, in part."
"So what's the other part?"
There's silence for a few beats.
"I'm pretty sure Izzy is going to be doing this baptism thing soon."
Ball dropped.
This is it. This is the cliff's edge. The part where she can't come back from. There is only two ways this goes. She makes it through the baptism and the cult really has her. Or she doesn't make it through and then no one does.
"Thanks for telling me Betty. I'll try to talk to her. Hope everything goes well on your end."
"Yeah you too."
I hang up the phone and shut my eyes.
I can't believe this shit. I can't. I could be losing my best friend to a bunch of cult crazies. I could be going to her funeral. Would they even have a funeral for her or just dump he body somewher-
No. STOP.
I can't think like that. I still have time to talk to Isaiah. Tell him about what's going on. I can still try to corner her and snap her out of this.
"Hey sis." I hear Syd call out from the kitchen.
School must be out.
I open my eyes and turn around to make my way back to the kitchen. That means that there will be some costumers coming in soon. As I step inside the kitchen I see the both of them whispering to themselves.
"Are you talking shit about me?" I joke as I return to the dough on the counter.
"No, we were actually thinking about something else." Bowie answered very slowly, making me very nervous. She doesn't tip toe around things like this often so something must be up.
I stop kneading and turn to face them, beckoning them to continue.
"So you know how Cheryl and Toni made the Pretty Poisons?" Syd asked me.
Of course. I nod.
"Well we were thinkin-" Bowie continued for her but I cut her off.
"Of joining them?" I finished for her. I looked between the two of them and search their faces for the joke. But there is none. They were seriously going to join a girl gang. "Are you serious right now?"
Syd walked up to me and put her hands on my shoulders. "I think it would be good protection. You know. I mean if Bowie ever needed it, if I ever needed it..." She trailed off leaving it very obvious she was offering me a piece of this.
A girl gang.
A literal gang of girls with knives.
Like I wasn't already- theoretically- part of a gang already.
"You know they beat up Sweet Pea and Fangs right? Probably would've got Harrison if he wasn't working that night." I say and Syd's hands leave my shoulders.
"Sweet Pea said that they ran into some gholies?! You mean that they beat up my boyfriend?!" Bowie yelled- I'm not sure at who though but we both got the volume.
I nodded. "My mom found out from FP, who found out from Jughead. I guess they didn't want to admit they got beat up by girls."
Syd leaned against the counter with her arms crosses. Bowie, fuming, had her hands on her hips.
"Okay so fuck that. We're not joining them. How about we make our own girl gang." Syd blurted out.
I looked at Bowie who said, "Just the three of us against the world."
"The Black Beauties."
They both looked at me and smiles broke out on their faces. In a flash they came up and hugged me in between them.
"Oh my god that sounds so cool!" Bowie.
"I'm thinking of tattoos right now." Syd.
I hugged them back. "I love you guys."
"Yeah we know."
-
I wiped the last table with the towel and laid it over my shoulder. Today had been not a breeze. More like whirl wind. The whole Gang thing, the cult thing, my baking like three dozen muffins and cupcakes.
Enough to make me want to go to bed early.
A knock came from the bakery's front door.
It's like people don't read these days. I shake my head to myself and walk over to the front door. The blind was pulled all the way down so all I saw was a shadow of a person. For a split second I got scared.
It was him.
But the height didn't match.
I reach down to pull the blind up, I was definitely not letting this person in without seeing who it was. As the blind pulled all the way up I saw a white dress, soaking wet. And then I saw her face.
Izzy.
Her hair clinging to her head. Her eyes were red.
I pulled open the door quickly.
"Kimmy I know I fucked up. I know I pushed you and Isaiah away. But I- I needed to get away and this was closer than home and-"
I didn't let her speak another word as I pulled her into me and hugged her. She was very surprised, she didn't hug me back for a few seconds. Until I felt her arms slowly reach around me like they used to.
All at once her body started to tremble and she began crying into my shoulder.
"I'm right here Izzy. Not going anywhere."