Chapter Five :
A Few Obstacles

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     School was right around the corner and Winnie was excited to see all her friends again. Unfortunately, she was still worried about Archie and after the trial, that worry turned into despair. Betty told Winnie what the verdict was and all she could do was run her fingers through her hair with many different thoughts flooding her mind. Winnie invited her over for a sleepover so they could try and make each other feel better and less hopeless about the kind of fate their friend was sentenced to. Her mother welcomed her with open arms, a kind smile and some support when she heard what happened to Archie.

     "I never imagined a boy like Archie would be capable of such things," Luna said but Betty shook her head.

     "He's not. There was literally no evidence he did it, no witnesses, no murder weapon, but I also know Archie. We lived next door to each other for as long as I could remember," she sighed while leaning over the kitchen table.

     "You two were definitely the 'will they, won't they' kind of couple from the movies," Tasha laughed and Winnie glared at her. "But I do hope there is some way to help him."

     "Probably not. He took that plea deal and now he's gonna be stuck in there for two years," Betty said as she rubbed the sides of her neck.

      Both girls agreed to go to Winnie's room and settle down with some snacks and a movie on Winnie's laptop. They figured a little distraction couldn't hurt anybody. It was nice to have a sleepover with one of her old best friends like they did when they were little kids but she wished it was under better circumstances. About halfway through the movie, Winnie looked at Betty and cleared her throat.

     "So, do you know that guy who kept me from falling in the pool at the party?" she asked curiously.

     "You mean Sweet Pea? What about him?" Betty questioned.

     "Oh, so that's Sweet Pea," Winnie replied and couldn't help but laugh when she knew that the name belonged to someone like him. "Is it an ironic thing or does that name actually suit him?"

     Betty shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Winnie. "I think it's meant to be ironic but he's really harmless," she said.

     Tasha was walking by Winnie's room when she heard the conversation and laughed. "Harmless? He looks like he could snap you two in half like a twig," she said and Winnie rolled her eyes.

     "Keep walking, Tas. It's private," she said and her sister shrugged her shoulders.

     "Fine," she said before walking away.

     Winnie sighed as she played the movie again and grabbed some popcorn from the bowl. She started thinking about where she and her friends left things before she left for New York and she couldn't help but look at Betty with a crooked smile. "So, what happened while I was away? Last time I checked, you had the biggest crush on Archie?" she asked and Betty smiled as she shrugged her shoulders.

     "Actually, I'm with Jughead. We've been together for a while now and as for Archie, he's with Veronica," she replied and Winnie frowned. "Speaking of Veronica, did something happen between you two? You were kind of just staring at each other at the party."

     Winnie shrugged her shoulders as she tried to focus on the movie on the screen. "Yeah, we just don't really get along," she said but she could tell that Betty didn't buy it because she raised her brows in skepticism. Winnie sighed as she briefly closed her eyes and looked at Betty. "She is obviously your best friend if she's with Archie and I really don't wanna make things awkward."

     "What do you mean?" Betty questioned and Winnie sighed as she shook her head.

     She really didn't want to tell Betty the real reason she was uncomfortable around Veronica at the pool party. "I really don't wanna talk about it, Betsy," she said and Betty's shoulders dropped.

     "It's been forever since I heard that nickname," she said with a small giggle and Winnie smiled.

     "You said you were with Jughead. Is he a Serpent now?" she questioned.

     Betty nodded. "Yeah. It happened some time last year while he was going to Southside High," she replied while Winnie just kept watching the movie.

     So much had happened since she left Riverdale and it felt kind of weird. It was the same place it was all those years ago but it still felt different from before. Probably because they were no longer little kids on the playground or at each other's houses and were now teenagers in high school. Of course nothing was going to be the same and it was going to take some getting used to. One of her best friends was going to jail and another became a Serpent and not only that, he was the new leader of the Serpents. It felt like she missed so much while she was away and there was a lot of catching up to do. She would have to visit Archie one of these days and talk to him. That way, he would still have his friends and she could still try to catch up with him.

     "You know, when we go back to school, we should all sit together because I really missed this," Winnie said with a soft smile.

     Betty smiled back as she looked at Winnie. "I missed this too. As much as I wish this was under better circumstances, I'm so happy to have you back," she said as she wrapped her arm around Winnie's shoulder and pulled her closer into a side hug.

     Winnie's return to town wasn't exactly ideal, but she was hoping that they could still work around a few obstacles. At this point, she might be ready to go back to school with her friends and maybe not too much has changed while she was away.