CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
It's the calm before the storm. The summer before your junior year in high school. And how do you spend it? Working some brutal summer jobs that actually makes you look forward to going back to school. Or maybe you have an internship that doesn't pay much, but... That's okay, because it's for a good cause. Or maybe you spent it at Sweetwater Swimming Hole. You ... And the best friends you'll ever have. Or maybe you spent most of June-July-August in a courtroom, Supporting our pal, Archie Andrews, who was on trial for a murder he didn't commit, despite the DA's closing arguments.
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Then there is Madison Montgomery, her storm has been brewing the entirety of the summer. She has finally returned to Riverdale after a long absence this summer. She has changed in more than just appearance, she has now a better appreciation of Riverdale and the rules of the society. Her return is the spiral of twisted secrets that becomes unleashed.
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•Wednesday August 31st•
Going to and from the courthouse, that is what all of my friends in Riverdale have been doing over the summer. The summer before my junior year of high school was not spent in Riverdale the way I had intended it to be spent. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever imagined that I would have run away from Sweet Pea and all my other friends in Riverdale. That all changed last month of school. After Archie Andrews was placed under arrest for a murder he did not commit. After Archie was out of his way, Hiram Lodge, began coming after me. I challenged his ambitions and his stomach for bloodlust. He told me that I would regret it and we all know, I do not regret a single thing in my life.
"Riverdale!" the bus driver shouted waking me from my sleep. I adjusted the hood of my sweat jacket, so that the entirety of my head was covered. I did not want anyone seeing me just yet. "Let's go kid! I got places to me" he said rushing me off the bus
I just took my sweet time walking towards the front. "I'm not a kid," I whispered as I walked off the bus
The bus stop faced Fox Forest.
I started walking through Fox Forest in order to get to my house in the fastest route possible -
which led to my backyard. I wanted to get to my house as fast as possible, and just hug my mother. I have not seen her since school ended and now we are about a week away from school starting again. I also wanted to see Sweet Pea and the rest of my friends again as soon as possible.
As I was walking, I took in the surroundings near me and was happy to be in Riverdale again. I missed Riverdale and all of its twisted acquisitions that lurk in the shadows; however, I did not miss the maniac that forced me out of Riverdale in the first place.
Hiram Lodge.
He was going to get his comeuppance from me, even if I had to die while trying. I was grassy to die once, and I am ready to do it again.
"Madison?" I heard in the distance and I looked around trying to find out where I heard the voice from. I looked out a few feet to my side and saw two people sitting on the ground. I saw Dilton Doiley and Ben Button sitting on the ground. "What are you doing back here? Where have you been?" he asked
I held my hands in my pockets and walked over to Dilton and Ben having my head down the entire time. "Had some business to take care of in Toledo" I said as I placed my finger over my lips, "but shh that's gotta be our secret. Everyone thinks I was in California" I said looking down at what the two of them were doing. I wanted to divert the subject away from my absence from Riverdale. "Is this the game I told you I would win?" I asked taking off the hood of my sweat jacket and revealing the new me that had entered Riverdale
Ben and Dilton both looked at me with their mouths open. They looked at me as if I had five heads and four eyes on my face. I did not think I looked that different.
"You told her about the game?!" Ben asked sounding harsh towards Dilton. "The Gargoyle King will hear about your treason!" he sternly said
"Right..." I said cautiously standing up. "Anyways, I've gotta go make my grand entrance back into Riverdale. I'll see you guys for a game soon enough" I said winking at Dilton making sure he remembers to keep my secret
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When I arrived at my house, I walked through my yard into the front and let myself into my house. I heard absolutely no noises coming from inside, so I went upstairs and knocked on my mother's bedroom door. The door opened and I smiled as I saw my mom standing there. She quickly threw her arms around me and refused to let go.
"Madison, darling, I've missed you so much! You are never spending a summer away from me again"
"I missed you too mom, but you might change your mind when I show you something" I said as I slid my hood off my head and my mother literally let out a gasp. I was pretty sure she stopped breathing for half a second, because she looked absolutely frozen. "In my defense, it was only supposed to be the ends of my hair"
I could see that she was choking on her breath. She swallowed a lump in her throat and she struggled to say, "you look lovely. Hopefully though this is not a permanent decision for you. You're beginning to look too much like Toni" she chuckled
"Once again, in my defense, it was supposed to be purple and it was supposed to be the ends"
"Well, let's get you some food after a long trip back to Riverdale," my mother said
My mother and I started laughing and we instantly just wanted something to eat. I have not had some Pop Tate's cheeseburgers in almost three whole months and I was craving a burger and milkshake. The two of us walked over to Pop's and when I walked in I was stunned.
I saw Veronica wearing a waitress uniform working as a waitress in Pop's. I was absolutely shocked that this girl was actually working a real job. A waiter came over and took our order. As I was readjusting back into the surroundings of riverdale, I saw the core four of Riverdale sitting in a booth at Pop's. I saw Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Archie Andrews, and Jughead Jones.
"Jug" I whispered, running over to their booth and standing over them. "Guys, I've missed you guys so much" I said, as both Betty and Jughead stood up from the booth and hugged me
"What the hell happened to your hair?" Jughead asked
"Can we not discuss my hair right now? I just wanted to say hi to you guys, and I wanted to apologize to Archie" I said, as Archie gave me a confused look. He did not understand why I wanted to apologize, but I felt like I needed to. After Archie was arrested I went after Hiram Lodge - hard - and he ended up driving me out of Riverdale. I am lying to all of my friends and my family about where I was this summer, because Toledo held more answers than questions about everything. "I'm so sorry that I was not there for you every single day in the courtroom. I saw some of it on the news, and I just could not get back here in time"
"You had a normal summer. After everything you've been through since you moved to Riverdale you deserved it" Archie said, standing up and hugging me also
Suddenly, the bell above Pop's rang, and we saw the beautiful red delight that was Cheryl Blossom walking inside. She flicked her hair and strutted inside walking straight over to us. She was wearing the shortest of short shorts and a red bikini-like top. She also had on her red serpent jacket over that. Of course, she was now wearing black heel boots. Good to know I started that trend here in Riverdale and now Cheryl is jumping on that train.
"Greetings chums," she said looking over and seeing me standing there also. "Madison! Wonderful to have you back in Riverdale!" she said hugging me gently, because everyone was sweating from the summer heat. "Anyways, I wanted to let you know that after the three amazing months I just had with Toni riding our motorcycles cross-country, we're celebrating with an epic End-of-Summer pool party at Thornhill. And you're all invited. Of course, given the fact that Archie will most likely be walking the green mile while the rest of us are walking the stage at graduation, I understand if you're not up for it. Invite whoever you want, but give them fair warning. I'm in the mood for some hell raising. Toodles." she said flicking her hair again and beginning to walk away; however, she came back and just looked at me. "By the way, Madison, the Southside is awaiting your return"
Finally, I went back to my mother and we were enjoying our meal together. I was unfortunately lying through my teeth to her about my time away from Riverdale. I had told my mother that I was spending the summer in California in our old neighborhood; however, I spent the entire summer in Toledo - with Gladys Jones - she had answers for me about both myself and the town of Riverdale.
"Your boyfriend, some of your friends, and I have been having dinner every weekend at our house. Thankfully, you are back, so now I will not feel like a complete weirdo having dinner with a bunch of teenagers"
"Mother, I am a teenager" I rhetorically told her
"Madison, you are wise beyond your years."
My mother and I spent about an hour talking and catching up with one another. Now as much as I love my mother; I was anxiously tapping my foot and fingers against the table, because I really needed to get out of there. I have been back in Riverdale for a few hours now and I still have not seen Sweet Pea. He was the person I needed to see most, because before I left for California we both had said "I love you'' to each other. We did not speak much while I was away, because the serpents were and still are dealing with The Ghoulies.
"So..." I began saying
My mother immediately interjected. "Go on...I'll handle the bill. I know you are dying to see Sweet Pea right now"
Instantly, I shot up out of the booth and hugged my mother. I aggressively kissed her cheek and rushed out the door of Pop's.
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The Southside was completely different. Nearly everything was leveled into dirt and the Serpents were all living in tents - like camping style tents - and there were bonfires being lit at the end of a scorching summer, because it was the only way for the serpents to cook themselves food.
Walking like the bad boys of Riverdale High I saw Jughead leading Sweet Pea and Fangs. Jughead was wearing a white tank top and jeans with his signature beanie. Fangs was wearing a red opened flannel revealing his abs. The sleeves were cut off to reveal his muscles. He also had jeans on. How these two idiots were wearing jeans in this heat was absolutely bonkers to me. On the other hand, seeing Sweet Pea had me weak in the knees. He had on a bright blue sleeveless flannel and black cargo shorts.
I just wanted to pounce on top of him.
Which is exactly what I did.
I sprinted into his arms and attacked his lips with my own. To say the least he was scared and confused, because he pushed me off and yelled, "What the hell Topaz?!" thinking that I was Toni, because of my new pink hair. When he took a good look at me his eyes lit up and he ended up being the one who attacked me. He lifted me by my waist and spun me around a few times. "Madi! God I missed you so much" he said putting me down and kissing me again. "What happened to your hair?"
"Wanted to try something new. I wanted purple, but I guess looking like Toni is how it'll have to be for a while. Did you really think Toni was kissing you?" I joked
"Based off of hair alone...yeah!"
We all chuckled and I gave Fangs a hug also. Jughead hugged me again, but then he immediately got back to work. "Fangs, you're up. I need you to find the Ghoulies' new lair, okay? If you see them, I don't want you to engage with them. This is just a recon mission, and we can't be risking another gang war. I just need confirmation of whatever Hiram's up to, it has nothing to do with the Serpents of Riverdale High"
"You got it" Fangs said, patting Jughead on the back as he went to get himself ready for the mission
In my absence, I have learned a few things: the serpents were definitely underfunded for resources; however, Jughead is keeping everybody's heads above water. The serpents are now spies and are doing things with less violence unless absolutely necessary.
"Sweet Pea..." Jughead said, and then he saw me standing there. "You're off for the day. Seems like you have more important stuff to attend to" I smiled, and went over and hugged Jughead. During my absence, I had stayed with Jughead's mother for most of it and if he ever knew that he would never speak to me again, but she held my answers.
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Sweet Pea and I came back to my house and he just stood in front of my air conditioner for a few minutes. Both my mother and I cannot handle heat. Our hair frizzes up and we turn into monsters when we start sweating. It is a Montgomery thing, because the two of us typically never left the house over the summer in California. Since my mother had lost the election a few months ago, I figured she would not be spending a lot of time out of the house anyways.
The two of us went up to my bedroom and Sweet Pea made himself comfortable in my bed. The serpents have all had it hard since the leveling of the Southside, but I especially felt bad for Sweet Pea. This is because he is probably known to many as my boyfriend - even though the two of us never confirmed that - and he means the world to me. The fact that he is probably sharing a tent with Fangs on the ground broke my heart.
"So...we didn't have much time to talk before I left. I was wondering if you remember or still mean that thing you said to me"
Sweet Pea smirked. "What thing would that be?" he asked still smirking at me
I went into my bag that I had brought to Toledo with me and pulled out my serpent jacket. "It was said after you handed me this item. Ringing any bells, you know, unless in my three month absence I was replaced"
Sweet Pea stood up and took my serpent jacket out of my hands. He held in open and I gently put both of my arms through the jacket. I flicked my new pink hair out of the jacket and turned back to face Sweet Pea. "If I remember correctly, I'm pretty sure I said, I love you and to this day I still mean it. I do love you, Madison Montgomery"
Instantly, relief came over my body, because no matter how much I trusted Sweet Pea and the emotional connection we have between the two of us. I still sometimes worry because of the shit that Penny Peabody had said to me in Pop's.
I sighed and threw myself onto my bed. "Thank god!" I exclaimed landing on my back onto my bed
"Now is there anything you want to say back to me?" Sweet Pea asked coming and sitting by my waist and looked over my body
I raised myself onto both of my elbows, so that I closer to Sweet Pea's face. "I love you too, Sweet Pea" I smiled as Sweet Pea bent down closer to me and kissed me. I knew that no matter how long Sweet Pea and I were apart we would always be together. "So, Cheryl is having a party tomorrow and I'm hoping I get to see you there"
"Wouldn't miss a vixen turned serpent party" he joked, because the both of us hated parties