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Chapter Five
Second and Last
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THE COURT MADE THEIR DECISION. After the trial, Archie was immediately sent to the Leopold and Loeb Juvenile Detention Center for a two-year sentence after pleading guilty for Cassidy Bullock's murder. The devastation on the faces of his friends and family was more than enough to see how capable Hiram Lodge was of making other people's lives fall apart right before their eyes. She had already known for herself what he could do to other families but to see it happen to other people was even worse. And when the first day of school arrived shortly after Archie's sentence, it really started to sink in that an innocent boy was going to be in jail for two years instead of going to school with his friends.

"Archie isn't guilty," Tori said as she walked with MF towards the school.

"I know," MF said. "But Hiram Lodge has his ways."

Tori could still remember the look on MF's face when the judge made his decision. She could see that she was very close to crying and who could blame her? A friend she had known for years was set up for a crime he didn't commit but he was still sentenced. Noah had to hold her back when Archie was taken away and immediately sent to the detention center. When he held her close to him with her face buried in his chest, she had to look away to keep herself from letting go. She didn't know the ginger boy as well as his friends and family did but she did know that he didn't deserve what he got.

"I know I'm not the only one thinking this but I think he tipped off the prosecution lawyer to offer that deal to Archie, knowing he would take it," Tori said while stuffing her hands into the pockets of her dark blue track pants.

"Glad to know we're on the same page," MF sighed. "It's gonna be so weird walking into school while he's stuck in that awful place for something he didn't do."

"Hiram Lodge may be smart but if he can be outsmarted, Archie might have a chance at getting out."

"I wish. That man is too smart for this world. Just when you think you might be one step ahead of him, he's already ten steps ahead of everybody else."

Tori sighed, knowing that MF was right. If someone were to outsmart the infamous Hiram Lodge, they would have to be really sophisticated. She knew about his plans to build a prison on the Southside and that was why Southside High got shut down with the excuse of finding a drug lab on the premises, why the eviction notices were sent out to those who lived in Sunnyside Trailer Park and why he wanted to buy the Whyte Wyrm. Even with MF gone for the summer and Archie on trial, she was able to get caught up on Hiram's plans for the Southside, yet she still wasn't sure what he had in store for Riverdale.

Once they walked into the school, there were plenty of people who were still trying to get everything sorted out for the first semester. As they got closer to MF's locker, Noah and Aiden were standing there and Tori could see the smile on MF's face when she saw him. As soon as they got there, she was already kissing him and Tori smiled awkwardly.

"I think I will take that as my cue to leave," she said and started walking away.

"I'm with you," Aiden said as he tagged along.

"Fine. But I'm going to my locker so unless you plan on following me there, you got your own locker to get to," Tori said while adjusting her bag.

"This seems like a nice town."

"It's nice until someone winds up dead. And who starts a conversation like that?"

"I just wanted to make small talk."

"Consider your mission accomplished. This is my stop," Tori said as she stopped in front of her locker.

Aiden nodded and went to go find his locker while Tori put away some of her stuff to make her bag lighter. Although she could try to get to know Noah and Aiden better, she was still hesitant. She wanted to see MF happy and she wanted to be supportive of that but at the same time, they could be completely different from who they said they were. And after the fallout with Cheryl, she didn't want to make the same mistake of trusting the wrong person and she didn't want MF to make that same mistake as well. She nearly jumped when she turned around and saw Sweet Pea standing there but calmed down just as quickly.

"MF and her new boyfriend seem to be doing pretty well on the first day," he said.

"MF and Noah really like each other so we'll just let them be. Even if they decide they want to make out right then and there, just let them. It's not really killing anyone," Tori quipped and started heading for the first class on her timetable.

"How is it that I end up with Mr. Harris as my chemistry teacher again?" Sweet Pea asked while glaring at his timetable.

Tori laughed, "You and me both." Sweet Pea rolled his eyes as they walked into chemistry class and sat down at the same lab bench they did the year before. "At least it's only for one semester and not the full year," she said as she put her bag down.

"Five months in a class with a teacher who hates us?" Sweet Pea asked.

"We did it last year, so we can do it this year," Tori replied and took out her notebook.

The both of them were quiet as they wrote down the date and the notes on the board but stopped when they heard their chemistry teacher start talking. More specifically, what he had just said.

"Welcome, Mr. Harris. Please have a seat," the man said.

Aiden walked into the class while looking for an empty seat and Tori and Sweet Pea looked at each other. They both tried not to smile or laugh at the coincidence but it was getting harder by the minute. Tori covered her mouth with the back of her hand and Sweet Pea tried to distract himself with his notebook.

"There's two of them now?" he asked while smiling.

"How is it that someone like Aiden could share the same last name as someone like Mr. Harris?" Tori questioned.

"Small town I guess," Sweet Pea said while shrugging his shoulders.

"Am I amusing you two?" their teacher asked and the both of them sat up straight while trying not to smile.

When they didn't say anything, Mr. Harris turned around and started the lesson and they both relaxed, mentally preparing themselves for another semester with possibly the worst teacher to ever teach at Riverdale High.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

WHEN TORI WALKED OUT OF HER SECOND PERIOD CLASS, she found MF waiting at her locker and smiled widely.

"Where's Noah?" she asked as she opened her locker.

"I told him to go wait in the cafeteria. I already showed him where it is so I know he won't get lost," MF said. "That's actually why I'm here."

"Fire away," Tori said as she slammed her locker shut and adjusted her bag over her shoulder.

"I wanted to ask if you and Sweet Pea would like to sit with us for lunch. I know you're still a little shocked but I was thinking that you guys could sit with us and get to know each other a little more," MF said.

"Alright then," Tori said while shrugging her shoulders.

The both of them walked to the cafeteria where Noah and Aiden were already sitting down. Tori texted Sweet Pea to tell him where to go so all they had to do was wait for him to get to the cafeteria. When he found the table they were sitting at and sat down himself, Tori could tell that he was still skeptical about the two new guys at school.

"How's your first day so far?" Tori asked, looking at Noah and Aiden.

"It's the first day so not much happens," Aiden said while shrugging his shoulders.

Tori smiled tightly and picked off pieces of her grilled chicken sandwich. "Fair enough," she said before taking a bite. Her shoulders dropped when she caught sight of Reggie nearing towards them and Archie wasn't there to keep him somewhat tamed. "Dickweed at three o'clock."

"Who?" Noah asked.

"Ask questions later," MF said while rolling her eyes.

"Looking good, MF," Reggie said while smirking.

Tori could see Noah's jaw clench and the confused look on Aiden's face while she awkwardly chewed her food. Same old Reggie.

"It's not MF anymore, dickhead!" she called after him as he walked away. "I swear, if one more person calls me MF, I'm gonna kill someone."

Sweet Pea nearly choked on his water and Tori firmly pat his back while he coughed harshly. "So what are we supposed to call you?" he asked once he was finished.

"Marissa, duh!" MF said.

"You nearly took my eye out when I accidentally called you that in the eighth grade."

"Well, now I will if you call me MF or if you call FP my dad."

Tori awkwardly took more bites out her sandwich while Aiden took a sip from his water bottle and Noah cleared his throat. "Moving on, who was that guy?" he questioned.

"That guy I told you about," Marissa said.

"A major dickweed that you don't need to worry about. Do you plan on joining the football team?" Tori asked.

"No."

"Basketball?"

"No."

"You'll be safe."

"I just spent all of last period with him and I still feel the great urge to punch him in the face," Marissa said while rolling her eyes.

"Moving away from that, what do you guys have after lunch?" Tori asked, changing the topic away from Reggie.

"Shorty, we have bio together," Marissa said while laughing.

"Well in that case, the question only applies to the other three people sitting at this table," Tori replied with a little edge to her voice.

If she was being completely honest, she didn't know why she was on edge. Maybe because an innocent boy was too busy being locked up for a murder he wasn't involved it. Maybe it was because someone she once trusted turned their back on her and was willing to do worse even after everything. Maybe it was the fact that she could see a familiar redhead talking to a certain Bulldog on the other side of the cafeteria and the threat from the pool party slipped its way into her mind. The reason could be anything at this point and there were so many possible reasons that it made her head spin around in circles like a carousel going at one hundred miles per hour.

"Are you okay?" Sweet Pea asked as he nudged her arm with his elbow.

She slightly jumped at the sudden contact but sat up straight when she realized that all eyes were on her. The tension and the looks of expectation on their faces made a feeling of nausea wash over her like a tidal wave and she quickly started to gather her things.

"I'm fine. I just have to get something before class starts," she said as she stood up and headed towards the exit without a second glance at the others.

She rushed into the nearest washroom and went into the first stall she saw. The contents of everything she ate at breakfast and lunch started to rise up in her throat and her head was thrown forward as it all fell into the toilet bowl. The aftertaste made her want to vomit again but nothing came up so she flushed the toilet and stood up. Her face was paler when she saw her reflection in the mirror and she tried to wash out the aftertaste of bile and chewed up food from her mouth. The washroom door opened as Tori had the tap running and Cheryl walked inside. Tori tried to ignore the sound of the redhead's heels against the floor as she could practically feel her eyes burning a hole into the side of her head.

"It reeks of vomit in here. Let me guess. Pregnant?" she asked with her arms crossed.

Tori scoffed, "It's called stress, Cheryl. I don't know where you got that idea from."

"Everyone knows that MF had a thing with your little boyfriend before he even realized you existed and I know that's how she got knocked up before she got rid of that thing," Cheryl said.

"So, that's what you had on Marissa when you framed her," Tori sighed in realization as she turned the tap off and grabbed her stuff. "You really need to learn how to mind your own business."

Tori started walking to the exit but was stopped when Cheryl grabbed her arm.

"She was his first choice when he needed it. She was Reggie's first choice when he needed it. How does it feel to be everyone's second and last choice for everything?" Cheryl asked.

"Including yours?" Tori countered as she tore her arm out of Cheryl's hold. "Learn how to mind your own damn business."