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Chapter Nine
La Bonne Nuit
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     A TOWN LIKE RIVERDALE WAS NEVER EASY TO UNDERSTAND. The incident of Ben and Dilton was still a mystery but Tori just had to focus on something else. She had to admit that Sweet Pea made a good point when he mentioned the last time she started to overthink something that was out of her control. Long story short, it did not end well and she nearly drove herself insane. If she didn't want history to repeat itself, she needed to stop thinking about it and carry on with her life.

     "What the hell do you think you're wearing?"

     Tori turned around and saw Cheryl standing next to her with her arms crossed. She pursed her lips as she sighed through her nose. She couldn't even stop at her locker without trouble finding its way to her.

     "Clothes," she said while shrugging her shoulders.

     "I'm talking about this," Cheryl said as she grabbed the sleeve of the leather jacket Tori was wearing.

     "It's a Serpent jacket. It was given to me," the dark haired girl said while closing her locker.

     "You're not a Serpent!" Cheryl retaliated.

     "Neither are you, yet here we are," Tori sighed as she started walking away. "Enjoy being bitter."

     Tori rounded the corner and found Sweet Pea leaning against the wall with his bag over his shoulder.

     "What took you so long?" he asked.

     "I had a run in with my arch nemesis," Tori sighed as they headed towards the cafeteria.

     "The Red Serpent?"

     "Is that what they're calling her?"

     "Pretty much."

     "Kill me."

     "Does she not know when to quit?" Sweet Pea asked as they joined the lunch line-up in the loud and crowded cafeteria.

     Tori laughed as she picked up a tray. "You clearly didn't learn anything the last few months you've been here at Riverdale High."

     Sweet Pea inhaled sharply. "Ouch."

     Tori smiled as the woman behind the counter gave her a small plastic bowl of poutine and a grilled chicken sandwich.

     "What was Southside High really like? Was it all as bad as you say it is or were there a few good things that you and the others liked about it?" Tori asked as she paid for everything that was put onto her lunch tray.

     "I had my friends with me so it wasn't all terrible. Unless you counted a few fights with the Ghoulies," Sweet Pea laughed and Tori nodded shortly.

     "Despite all the rough patches in the beginning of the Southside-Northside merge, I'd say everything worked out in the end," she said as she sat down at one of the few empty tables.

     Sweet Pea smiled and Tori's eyes wandered around the cafeteria to look for any of the others. Ever since school started, it had been Tori, Sweet Pea, Marissa and Noah sitting together at lunch and occasionally Aiden, Toni and Fangs. She spotted Marissa and Noah heading over to their table but she didn't Aiden anywhere.

     "Where's your buddy?" she asked once they sat down.

     "Aiden got himself a lunchtime detention," Noah said and Tori narrowed her eyes.

     "How the hell did he manage to do that?" Tori asked while Sweet Pea laughed.

     "Something about his second period class," Noah replied while shrugging his shoulders.

     Tori chewed her food quietly and noticed Veronica making her way toward them with a bright smile on her face. She didn't really speak to Veronica a lot since the school year started but they still weren't friends in any aspect so she didn't know what she had up her sleeve.

     "What's up, Raven?" Marissa asked.

     "Hey, guys! How is everybody's morning?" Veronica questioned while looking at everybody's faces.

     "So far, so good," Noah said while nodding.

     "Which is more than we can say for Aiden," Sweet Pea laughed.

     "And it's already past noon," Tori said while looking at the raven haired girl standing in front of her.

     "Hey, I forgot to ask you this morning if you wanted my help at the bar for your speakeasy," Marissa said and Tori looked at the two girls confused.

     "What speakeasy?" she asked.

     "No Marissa, you are invited as a guest," Veronica said before looking at Tori. "As are you, Tori."

     "Wait, what? What is this?" Tori questioned while narrowing her eyes.

     "New beginnings. I'm opening up a secret speakeasy under Pop's for both Northside and Southside alike. Invite only," Veronica said with a wide smile on her face.

     "What about these guys?" Tori asked while pointing at Noah and Sweet Pea.

     "She already invited me when she invited Rissa," Noah said.

     "Of course Sweet Pea can come," Veronica replied to Tori's question.

     "Is there a certain dress code we need to follow?"

     "It's kind of black tie. Picture The Great Gatsby."

     "So, we're talking about the Roaring Twenties here."

     "Wait, so if Marissa isn't bartending then who is?"

     "Reggie. Mocktails only."

     "Reggie is bartending?"

     Marissa gave Tori a look before smiling at Veronica. "We'll all be there," she said and Veronica smiled before walking away and everybody looked at Tori once she was gone.

     "What?" she asked.

     "Nothing," Marissa said while shrugging her shoulders.

     Tori scoffed, "Yeah right."

     "Just don't let your problems with Mantle ruin Veronica's night."

     "Alright, I won't."

     "Let's just all go together, hang out and have fun. By the way, do you have anything to wear for tonight because I need to get something," Marissa said and Tori smiled.

     "Don't worry, I know a place we can go," she said and Marissa grinned widely.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

      TORI COULDN'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME SHE WENT DRESS SHOPPING AND IT FELT WEIRD TO HER. While both her and Marissa were wandering around the store in search of the perfect dress for Marissa, Tori was not so focused on herself and what dress she would wear to Veronica's opening night.

     "I haven't seen you try on a single dress since we got here," Marissa said and Tori smiled tightly.

     "Nothing catches my eye," she said.

     "Bullshit. Try this on," Marissa said as she grabbed a turquoise dress from the rack and handed it to Tori.

     The dark haired girl sighed as she put her stuff down and walked into one of the changing rooms. She pulled the dress over her hips once she was in nothing but her undergarments and adjusted the straps. Marissa knocked on the door and Tori pulled it open so Marissa could see what it looked like. The skirt reached her knees and the straps were very thin.

     "This doesn't exactly scream Roaring Twenties, does it?" Tori asked.

     "Not exactly. Let's try to find you something else," Marissa said and Tori closed the door so she could get out of the dress.

     "What about you? Do you see anything you like?" Tori asked.

     "I've narrowed it down to two dresses so I'm going to need your thoughts before I choose," Marissa said as she looked through the dress racks while Tori changed.

     "Sure," she sighed. "Although I was sure you already picked a dress."

     "Well, I found something better," Marissa stated.

     Tori walked out of the changing room wearing her own clothes and started looking for another dress. She still wasn't sure about the opening night of Veronica's speakeasy but all her friends were going and she didn't want to be alone but she also didn't want to be surrounded by a crowd of people. She figured if Marissa and Sweet Pea were going to be there along with Aiden and Noah then maybe it wouldn't be the worst idea to just get a dress and go.

     "You know, if you don't have a ride, you can come with me, Noah and Aiden," Marisa said while Tori looked for another dress to try on.

     "Thanks," she said with a small smile on her face.

     Marissa walked over and picked up a dress from the same rack Tori was looking at. "Hey," she said and Tori turned her head to look at what Marissa was talking about. "Try this one."

     Tori took the dress and went back into the changing room to try it on while Marissa waited outside. Once she had the dress on, she looked in the mirror and she had to admit that she loved it. It was different than what she usually wore on formal occasions but maybe different wouldn't be such a horrible thing. When Tori walked out of the changing room with the dress on, Marissa couldn't hide the huge smile on her face when she saw how the dress looked on her.

     "That is definitely the one," she said and Tori sighed in relief. "Now before we go, I need your honest opinion."

     Tori nodded and went back into the changing room to switch back into her own clothes. Once she was fully dressed, she walked out of the changing room while holding the dress and Marissa held up the two dresses she was torn between. One of them was a white dress with thin straps for sleeves and the hem reached her knees. The fabric had some nice patterns in glitter and Tori thought it would look beautiful on Marissa. The second dress was wine red with thicker straps and the hem was mid-thigh length.

     "I like the white one better," she said and Marissa smiled gratefully.

     "Thank you so much, Shorty," she said and Tori rolled her eyes with a small smile.

     Once the dresses were paid for, they left the store and started heading home. Maybe going to the speakeasy's opening night will be a good thing for everybody.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

     TORI PACED BACK AND FORTH IN HER ROOM AS HER MIND CAME UP WITH MANY DIFFERENT SCENARIOS. The speakeasy was going to be in a somewhat secret room at Pop's and even though it was just going to be a fun night out with friends, she was still nervous. She kept repeating to herself that nothing was going to happen while she was there but it didn't seem to help as much as she hoped it would. Sweet Pea texted her to let her know that he was on his way and that Marissa, Noah and Aiden were already there and Noah let Sweet Pea borrow his car so it was just going to be Tori and Sweet Pea carpooling together.

     "You need to relax before you sweat right through your dress," her mother said as she picked up a brush and started detangling Tori's hair.

     "Is it even possible for someone to sweat that much?" she asked.

     "You don't wanna find out," her mother replied and Tori sighed. "Everything will be alright."

     She took a few deep breaths to help her calm down until she wasn't as anxious anymore. The top part of her hair was pulled into a half up half down look while the rest of her hair rested against her back. She wasn't sure if this was such a good idea after all. She didn't know what to expect while she was there and the only thing that seemed to calm her nerves in the slightest bit was the knowledge that all her friends would be there.

     "Why are you so anxious?" Selena asked and Tori sighed.

     "Probably because this is the first date me and Sweet Pea have gone on. Actually, I don't know if this is officially a date since him and I never said anything about it but I figured we could call it that since we haven't been on one due to all the craziness in the last couple of months," she said while fidgeting with her fingers.

     "Try not to stress too much. Just go have fun with your friends and if Sweet Pea starts acting like a bobo cabron, break his nose," her mother said and Tori just scoffed.

     "Mami, have you seen him compared to me? This guy is twice my size and can easily break me in half if he wanted to," she said while laughing.

     "You'll be okay. Sweet Pea will be here any minute so take a deep breath and relax. And then you can go out and have some fun. After everything going on, you could really use a break," her mother said and Tori sighed. "Just keep in mind that Sweet Pea is not Reggie."

     After finally calming her nerves, she went downstairs to wait for Sweet Pea. As she was waiting, a bunch of random thoughts came to mind but none of them were serious. For instance, she couldn't remember the last time she wore a long dress that just about reached her ankles. Her head was jam packed with a bunch of measly thoughts but it was like they were all put on hold when she heard the door knock.

     "Oh, God. Oh, God," she mumbled under her breath as she stood right in front of the door.

     "Answer it!" her mother said while smiling widely.

     "I was gonna!" Tori replied before taking a deep breath and twisting the knob.

     When she opened the door, Sweet Pea was standing there in a black button up shirt and a pair of dress pants. Tori's dress was navy blue with thin straps and nearly reached her ankles.

     "I forgot how tall he really is," her mother said while leaning against the banister.

     "Mrs. Alvarez," Sweet Pea greeted her with a nervous smile.

     "Just call me Selena.  You two just go out and have fun and be safe out there. If this is Veronica's speakeasy, there's a possibility her father might try to crash it so if he tries anything, come straight home," Tori's mother said and both kids nodded.

     "I'll see you later, Mom," Tori said and her mother smiled.

     Once they got in the car, Sweet Pea started driving to Pop's and the thoughts in Tori's head quieted down a bit so she wasn't distracted.

     "I just realized this is the first time I actually met your mom face to face and actually spoke to her," Sweet Pea said and Tori laughed as she thought about it and realized that he was right.

     "She likes you. She knows you're different," she said while looking through the windshield.

     "I know you're not looking forward to seeing Mantle there tonight, but it'll be okay. You can still have fun with the others and you don't even have to talk to him. Hell, you don't even have to look at him. If you want a drink from the bar, I'll go so you don't have to deal with him," Sweet Pea said while looking at Tori for a second before turning back to the road.

     "You don't need to do that. I'll be fine," she said as Sweet Pea kept driving.

     When they got to the diner, Sweet Pea parked the car and they both got out. Tori was excited to see Marissa that she nearly forgot she was just stressing out of her mind a few minutes ago. When they went inside, she ignored the fact that Reggie was the one to lead them to where the speakeasy was at and Sweet Pea wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

     "You feeling okay?" he asked.

     "More than okay," she replied as she looked around.

     There were already a lot of people there either standing by the bar or sitting at one of the tables and she scanned the place for Marissa and the boys. When she found them, she headed over to them and tapped Marissa on the shoulder. She turned around and smiled when she saw Tori standing there in her navy blue dress and pulled her closer.

     "I knew that dress would look great on you," she said while Tori just shrugged her shoulders.

     "And I nearly ruined it before getting here," she said and Marissa smiled.

     "Nervousness?" she asked and Tori scoffed.

     "More than you'll ever know," she said before looking at Noah and Aiden. "You two look good."

     "Honestly, I thought I lost this tie," Aiden said and the others laughed.

     Tori went back to Sweet Pea who was standing near one of the tables and he smiled when he saw her approaching him.

     "I just have one question for you," he said and Tori nodded as she waited for him to continue. "Would you count this as a date?"

     "You know what, I was actually thinking about that just before you came," she said as she fidgeted with her fingers and Sweet Pea grabbed her hands, knowing it was a nervous habit she had and just couldn't shake.

     "Tell you what. We'll count this one and then maybe after, we could do something else?" he asked and Tori nodded.

     "Sounds good to me," she answered with a small smile.

     "Ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of Veronica Lodge, I thank you all for coming to the grand opening of La Bonne Nuit," Kevin said and everyone clapped. "Now please welcome to the stage, the one and only Ms. Josephine McCoy."

     Josie walked onto the stage and Kevin joined the crowd as the music started playing and Josie started singing her song. Tori felt Sweet Pea wrapping his arms around her and she felt safe in his warmth as she watched Josie sing. When the song was over Tori went to the bar to get a drink and of course, Reggie was there. Just like Veronica said. But with Marissa's words in her head, she tried not to let it bother her as she ordered the drink she wanted.

     "Hey," Reggie said with a small nod as he handed her the drink she ordered.

     "Hey," Tori replied as she took the glass and walked away.

     She sighed as she sat down at one of the tables with Sweet Pea and took a sip of her drink.

     "I said I would get a drink for you if you wanted one," Sweet Pea said with an eyebrow raised.

     "Yeah, well I didn't want you to do that. Besides, I can hold my own just fine," Tori replied before taking another sip.

     "The day pigs fly is the day I believe you."

     Tori turned around and saw Marissa glaring at Reggie. She put her drink down on the table mumbling to Sweet Pea that she would be right back. She walked over to Marissa and lightly tapped her arm.

     "Hey. Whatever's going on, just drop it," she said and Marissa sighed.

     "Fine. But only for you," she said and Tori bit the inside of her cheek. "Hey, do you wanna step outside with me?"

     "Sure. Just give me a minute," Tori said before walking back to the table where Sweet Pea was sitting to let him know she was stepping out for a bit.

     Maybe a break from the crowd was what she needed.