Chapter Text
Welcome to a brand new school year, my dear readers.
Did you miss me?
Of course you did. Who else would bring you the hottest intel this side of the Brooklyn Bridge?
For the newcomers in the room, welcome to the Rag Mag - the Upper East Side’s premier blog on all things salacious, insidious and utterly fascinating.
Ever wondered what it was like to be a chosen one?
One of those lucky few, born with anything they could ever want? The type of people who don’t apologize for taking it all for granted?
Ah, yes, such is the luxe life of the rich and famous.
Yet, underneath the layers of Chanel no. 9, mulberry silk suits and floor-to-floor glass windows live a few well-dressed skeletons swept under the rug.
Especially at the epicenter of our elite families: The Lakewood Institute — beloved school system for the future Basquiats, All-American CEOs, Presidents and myself, of course.
And who am I?
Merely an observer; writing about the faux masks we wear to hide our true faces in the cold light of day.
Or (yes, melanie91, like you aptly assumed) maybe I’m just a sucker for excellent gossip.
Either way, the Rag Mag prides itself on uncovering the best stories in Manhattan and my guts tells me that something big is brewing on the museum mile...
Betty Cooper couldn’t wait for this day to end.
With her forehead wrinkled in concentration and tightly crossed fingers, she prayed for a miracle.
Hell, even if she had mind control, Betty was sure her parents would still find a way to ignore what she wanted.
New York City was already way too noisy — filled with traffic, subway trains, sirens and the drowning rumble of eight million voices that washed over her enough to render her numb.
She stared at the hustling passengers dodging past one another to catch their 8:30 trains. Grand Central Station felt like a living giant — breathing in tickets and spitting out people.
“Betty?”
Betty blinked, belatedly noticing the tight grip on her forearm and the agitation in her mother’s voice.
“Betty.”
Wilting under the glare she could see through Alice’s rimless Cartier sunglasses, Betty dug her clear-coated nails into the pit of her palms.
“Yeah, Mom?”
“I’ve been calling for your name for several minutes.”
“I’m sorry. I just —” Alice narrowed her eyes. Betty slumped over, doing her best impression of a crumpled hoodie, which, coincidentally, was exactly what she was wearing. “— I was daydreaming. Won’t happen again.”
Alice pushed up her pink frames into her hair before grabbing her shoulders. “Have you been taking your medicine?”
As soft and comfortable as her favorite hoodie was, it was doing little to minimize the sting of Alice's stern hand gripping her shoulder.
“Yes.” No. But Betty held firm to her poker face.
Alice sighed. “Betty, you can’t keep refusing to take your pills, with your father still grieving over your grandfather and Polly’s...problem, you —”
“Mom, you can say it.” Betty rolled her eyes. “It’s not like Polly has leprosy, she’s just —”
Alice waved her hand, wiping the words from the air. “It doesn’t matter. Your father hasn’t been back here since he was young and I don’t intend to make him regret it. This place is our best chance to restart and I need you to understand that. I mean it, Elizabeth.”
Her mother was always doing this. Perception, reputation — you’d think those were her first and last name with how many times her mother spewed them at her. Even now, for a 6am flight, Alice was wearing a smart charcoal dress underneath her pristine rosé blazer with not a smudge in sight.
Alice waited, holding her daughter’s gaze in a chokehold.
Betty swallowed her protests and sighed. “Fine. I’ll give it a chance.”
Alice flashed a pleased smile and released Betty’s shoulders, “Thank you Betty. Now let’s get moving, your father and Polly are waiting in the car. We still have many things to get done today.”
Betty grabbed their suitcases and backpack, following her mother towards the exit.
“Wait, Dad’s picking us up?”
“He just finished wrapping up the final preparations for the funeral. He wanted to surprise you and Polly.”
“Oh, cool.” Betty paused. “How is he holding up?”
Alice glanced at her over her shoulder. “As well as he can be in this situation. You know they weren’t very close but your father...your father looked up to the man in many ways.”
She frowned. “I’ve never seen him this sad before.”
“His father hadn’t died then.” Alice slid her sunglasses down to her nose; her version of a punctuation mark.
Betty didn’t ask any more questions after that.
Veronica Lodge felt content for a regular Friday morning.
She was pleased to see her junior year unfolding at a pace that she could control with ease. Her week had gone by uneventfully. Her grades were exceptional. Her social life was thriving.
And her boyfriend —“Hey, Ronnie.” Archie said as he slid a warm palm across the small of her Moncler-clad back — looked rather handsome in his school uniform as he basked in his lacrosse team’s win against Dalton. His bright, jaunty smirk suiting him much more than his moping spree as of late.
Veronica shut her locker and twirled in his arms. She took in the tailored fit of his tan chinos, complemented by a pressed white button-down with a crooked pinstriped navy-silver tie, and smiled because no matter how wealthy the Andrews were — Archie would always exude a boy next door aura right down to his well-loved chukka boots.
“Congratulations on your win, baby.” Veronica wrapped her free hand around his neck and blended her burgundy nails into his fiery locks like a chameleon as Archie pulled her closer.
“Thanks, Chuck sealed the deal for us with his goal yesterday. But, I can’t lie. My game was pretty solid knowing my favorite cheerleader was there yelling for me.”
“And who would that be?” Veronica prodded.
Archie pursued his lips in thought and then teased. “Mrs. Grundy, of course.”
“Very funny.” Veronica mocked as she lightly smacked the back of his head. A possessive heat rose inside of her gut and so Veronica tugged Archie down into a slow kiss that she knew melted him.
“Ew. Find a room, you hormonal animals.” A wry, mezzo-soprano voice spat.
Veronica stepped back from Archie, smirking at the glazed look in his eyes and the faint crimson stains smudged around his mouth. She fixed his tie, passed him her books and gave him a light kiss on the cheek before facing the two girls waiting behind her.
The brunette rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Oh please, Cheryl. Like I’ve never caught you practically mounted by a soccer player between classes?” The girls headed down the hallway, ignoring the occasional passerby who paused to take in the alluring sight of the trio.
Cheryl glared at Veronica, ignoring Josie’s snort from beside her. “Shut up, Ronnie . Besides a Blossom never rides bitch.” Cheryl flipped her hair and winked at Josie, who rolled her eyes at their antics.
Archie blinked out of his stupor and chased after the girls, holding Veronica’s books in his hands. “I can’t help that my girlfriend is super hot, Cher.” He wrapped a muscled arm around Veronica’s shoulders as Josie and Cheryl flanked them.
“Gag me, Justin Gingerlake.” Cheryl scowled.
Archie flashed her a winning smile. “With pleasure.”
“Can you guys not argue today?” Josie sighed, massaging her temples. “I have a music theory test next period and I don’t want a huge migraine while I’m taking it.”
Cheryl stepped next to Josie and rubbed her arms soothingly. “You need to stop stressing yourself out, sweetie. Besides with the way you’ve been studying, you could probably teach the class yourself.”
“Especially with the help of your awesome study buddy!” The booming voice of Reggie Mantle sounded from behind them. With the collar of his uniform shirt popped and tie conveniently missing, Reggie strode down the hallway to meet his friends.
Josie stopped by her locker, grabbing her No. 2 pencils and replacing them with her last class’s textbook. She turned and raised an eyebrow at a grinning Reggie, who leaned a bit too comfortably against the row of lockers next to her. “Yeah, you’re right Reggie. Where is Chuck by the way?”
Reggie’s shoulders sagged as he pouted. “That’s so uncool, McCoy. You know you love me!”
Josie raised a manicured eyebrow and eyed him in distaste. “Yeah, like I love a heart attack.”
“Fine.” He opened his backpack and pulled out a stapled stack of paper. “I guess you don’t want a copy of last year’s exam questions.”
“ What ? How did you even get this?”
“A sexy magician never reveals their secrets, McCoy.” Reggie waved the test above his head, avoiding Josie’s hands as she jumped to reach it.
“Let me see it, Reginald.”
Reggie hummed in mock thought and slowly lowered the test as if to hand it over. “Nah, I don’t think so, you big meanie.” He shook his head and raised it higher. “You’ve broken my awesome heart by not admitting your love for me, Josie Posie. So, nope. No test for you.”
Josie growled, “I’ll show you a big meanie.” She pulled back her knee, when a soft hand grabbed her bicep.
Cheryl tucked the girl into her side and patted her arm. “Josie, no matter how justified you feel, you shouldn’t hit people.”
Reggie’s hand fell limp in surprise. “Wow, um, thank you Cheryl.”
“Especially someone who’s mentally handicapped.” Cheryl said with the patience of a preschool teacher.
“Hey!”
Josie took the opportunity to snatch the stack of papers out of Reggie’s unsuspecting hands and jog down the carpeted hallway.
“Appreciate the help, Blossom.” She flashed Cheryl an impish grin when she passed her but it jolted into a squeal. Reggie had caught up to the girl and tossed her over his shoulder, marching the remaining distance to their class.
“Hold down her skirt, Mantle!” Veronica scolded.
“Such children .” Cheryl muttered, and yet a small smile appeared on her lips, as she followed the duo’s path to her own advanced statistics class.
Veronica rolled her eyes and Archie shook his head at the calamity that was their friends.
As she rolled her and her sister’s luggage in, Betty was surprised at how much space the Brooklyn residence had.
Their new condo couldn’t have been more different from the quaint suburbs of Riverdale.
The Coopers had traded away plain fixtures for sleek appliances, stuffy rooms for a more open-concept design, and weathered, generational walls for a soft cerulean blue that would brighten the smoggy overcast that was infamous in this city.
The high ceilings, cherry hardwood flooring, big windows, and a generous patio were a far cry from their old home, and Betty was somewhere between shock and awe.
“Woah.” She mumbled.
“This place is incredible .” Polly exclaimed as she waddled through the door. Her canary sundress and headband matched the bright smile on her face.
“I hoped you guys would like it.” Hal Cooper said as he carried their mother’s luggage inside, Alice following closely behind.
“How did you even afford all this?” Betty knew that her parents owning the only publishing company in Riverdale left them living comfortably but she had no idea how comfortable until now.
“Well,” Hal scratched his chin, “with the inheritance from the will, the money from selling the Register and the income from me taking over your grandfather’s company — we’re able to cover everything that’s important.”
From her seat on the living room’s plush, marigold mid-century sofa, Alice added: “Polly’s college tuition, your tuition, bills. Your grandfather, rest his soul, gave us an opportunity for change, girls, so we can’t waste it.”
Hal’s proud smile wilted and Betty saw his eyes become withdrawn, like he had checked out of the conversation.
Betty crossed her arms. “I still don’t get why Polly can’t come to school with me. She doesn’t need to go to college a year early.”
“Betts, leave it. I have enough credits that it makes sense. ” Polly begged, feeling a rehash of this worn argument bubbling.
“No, Polly, it doesn’t make sense. You can’t just be hidden away like this. Stuff like this happens all the time.” Betty protested.
“There are consequences for every action, Betty. Polly is not exempt from that and we’ve already had this conversation many times.” Alice shook her head and sighed, “With your father becoming CEO of GarageMedia, we can’t afford any potential scandals right now especially from inside the family. Polly will blend in better if she just commutes to Barnard.”
Betty’s mind refused to move from that word. “Polly isn’t a scandal, Mom.”
Alice pursued her lips and looked away. Betty clenched her fists.
“No, she is not.” Hal agreed. “But, honey, wouldn’t it be easier on your sister if she was able to go through this and get a great education without her name being slandered in some sleazy magazine?”
“...Yes.” She grumbled. It made sense but her mother’s words still scratched at her.
“Come on, Betty.” Polly grabbed her sister’s hand and pulled her towards a long hallway. “Let’s go find our rooms.”
After helping Polly unpack, Betty found herself alone for the first time that day. Her new room was equipped with cream walls, blush-colored furniture and a sleigh bed. The bookshelf made her smile at her dad’s thoughtfulness and the view outside her bedroom windows made her gape.
Downtown Brooklyn was shining in all its glory and though she could see tons of rush hour traffic moving in the streets, not much sound bled through the windows.
Must be soundproof. Betty mused.
She sat down, rested her head against the bedside facing the windows and felt her mind drift.
Later, a knock interrupted her thoughts.
Her father opened the door and peeked his blonde head through. He brandished a house key and a bowl of mixed fruit. “Delivery for a Ms. Betty Cooper.”
“Come in.”
Hal ambled through and eyed the way Betty clasped the hoodie in her hands. He plopped down on the floor next to her and handed Betty the bowl after setting the key on the nightstand. They both stared out the window for a moment of companionable silence before Hal spoke:
“Betty?”
“Hmm?” Betty mumbled, munching on a tart square of pineapple as she looked at him.
“I know being a new kid can be tough and it’s not easy moving to a new place after being in Riverdale for so long...but I want you to know that all tough stuff eventually ends and I’m here if you ever need to talk. Besides I’m gonna be a new kid myself so we’re in the same boat.” Hal gave her a tiny smile.
Betty took in her dad’s expression. Underneath the humor, his eyes were unreadable - bordered by shaded circles and paired with a 5 o’clock shadow. With his jokes and never ending pride, sometimes it was difficult to see that Hal Cooper was going through a tough time too. She may be stubborn and dreading what Monday will drag through the door but she’ll always be her father’s daughter.
“Thanks, Dad.” Betty placed her bowl down and threw her arms around his neck. “I love you.”
Hal held her close and rubbed her back. “Right back at you, kiddo.”
Eventually they parted and Hal grunted as he stood up, shaking the dust off his joints. “Let’s go see about getting your school stuff for Monday.”
“And milkshakes?” Betty’s hopeful smile perked up.
Hal playfully yanked her ponytail. “You got it, super sleuth.”
Friday afternoons at the Lakewood Institute always left the hallways feeling a bit cleaner, the sun shining through the windows a bit brighter, and the students’ smiles lasting a bit longer as they poured out of their classrooms and headed to their lockers to grab their things and head off to awaited weekend plans.
Veronica was no exception to this rule. She packed away her notebooks into her backpack — idly listening to Chuck’s story about his animation teacher as her friends grouped around her locker, waiting for Veronica to finish.
“—then he said ‘this artform is a wonderful expression of the female form and you guys would do best to follow my example’ and whipped out a drawing of some ugly chick with huge anime titties!” Chuck finished.
Cheryl, Archie and Josie burst out laughing.
“In my head, I’m like damn, I love boobs as much as the next person but it looks like he drew boulders on her chest.” Chuck shook his head. “Man is a fucking weirdo.”
“That class sounds nuts, dude.” Archie wiped tears from his tears and patted Chuck’s shoulder.
“At least you had an interesting class,” Josie argued, “my music exam was super boring.”
“Do you think you did well?” Cheryl asked, slinging her sapphire Birkin bag unto her shoulder.
“Yeah,” Josie shrugged, “even though Reggie’s goofy ass was whispering to me during the whole exam. Those tests were a lifesaver.”
“Guys, I just saw the sweetest piece of ass.” Reggie called, jogging from the front office.
“Speak of the devil...” Cheryl rolled her eyes.
“Mr. Mantle!” Principal Grundy barked, her silver hair tousled with irritation. “Watch that language, young man, before you get detention.” Her wrinkled, stern face spooked Reggie into a mock salute.
“Sorry, Principal G, won’t happen again.” Reggie wilted, until she walked back into her office, and then hustled over to the group. “How does she always manage to sneak up on me like that? She’s like 100.”
“Probably some old lady pilates to stay limber.” Chuck said. They slapped their hands together into an intricate handshake before fist bumping.
“Hm.” Reggie tilted his head and pondered. “That’s kind of hot...oh! Speaking of hotness, I was helping Ms. Philips with the copier and this blonde chick and her dad came in asking for uniforms and a schedule.”
“So?” Veronica shut her locker and they all headed out of the school.
“Soo, the girl’s gonna be going to school here and she’s smoking.” Reggie raised his hand towards Veronica. “Can the choir say ‘spank bank?’”
“You’re a pig.” Veronica rolled her eyes. The residual summer heat of early September warmed the group when they walked outside. It felt like a good weekend to party, so she turned to Cheryl and Josie, gave them the look and said: “Clubbing, tonight?”
Josie raised her eyebrows in intrigue and Cheryl cheered. “Ooh, yes, I just got this amazing McQueen dress that I’m dying to wear.”
“Hell, yeah . I’ll get us some drinks tonight and we can make this a real party.” Reggie threw his arms around the girls and grinned.
“Mantle, it’s girl’s night.” Cheryl pinched the heavy arms on her shoulders and smirked at his retreat and yelp. “So no boys or ignoramuses...” The two dissolved into another argument.
The group stopped by their cars and rested against them. Veronica leaned back into Archie’s arms as he sat on the hood of his car and discussed an upcoming concert with Josie and Chuck. She threw an aimless glance around the parking lot, basking in the gentle breeze and taking in the passing students and faculty.
Everything felt right.
And then Veronica felt something else — a small itch on her temple — like someone was …
Her gaze met curious sea-green eyes across the parking lot, took in the buttery blonde hair thrown in a messy bun and frowned at the rumpled, nondescript hoodie the girl was wearing.
...watching her.
The stranger’s small smile lifted higher as the staring contest continued. And Veronica thawed from the weird state she had been frozen in since looking at hoodie girl.
She raised an eyebrow, irrationally irritated, and pursed her lips into a thin line. Something about this girl caught her off guard and she didn’t like it at all.
Hoodie frowned at Veronica’s obvious displeasure but was distracted by an older, similar looking man — must be her father , Veronica mused — who said something she couldn’t hear from her spot.
“— Lodge, are you ready to go”? Cheryl asked, waving her hand in Veronica’s face.
She turned around to see what had captured her attention but Veronica had already snapped her gaze away from the girl yet caught her and her father entering a car and driving off in her peripheral.
“Yeah, I’m ready.” She turned to Archie and pecked him, a bit absentmindedly, on the lips. “Later, baby.”
“Bye, Ronnie.” The jock smiled into the kiss and waved her goodbye.
Veronica walked over to the backseat of Cheryl’s cherry red coupe as Josie slid into her implicit shotgun.
As Cheryl revved up her engine and exited the parking lot, Veronica leaned her head against the window and ignored every floating thought that held rumpled hoodies or too bright ocean eyes.