-

''ARCHIE ANDREWS.''

The red head blinks rapidly on stage, the reality more nerve wracking than the rushed thoughts going through his head.

The Variety Show was coming up. A lot like a talent show, you could say.

Hazel Michael sat next to Veronica Lodge in the front row that early morning in the auditorium with a group Hazel learned to be Josie and The Pussyats; a fierce African American singing girl group, sitting behind them.

Kevin Keller, however sat a little further down from the girls at his own secluded table. He spoke into the microphone and questions, ''And what will you be auditioning with?''

Archie stood with his mouth open for a brief moment, preparing what should be a proper and confident response.

But instead, he stammers out, ''Uh, an original song that I wrote called I'll Try.''

''Try harder!'' Someone from the few that were in the auditorium exclaims. His remark was followed by an obnoxious roar of laughter. ''Maybe try not sucking so much!''

Hazel rolls her eyes. ''What a bunch of dicks.''

Veronica waves her off with a polite smile. ''They are, but, Archie's got this audition at the palm of his hand.''

''Take your time, Archie,'' Kevin encourages, but his tone contradicted otherwise. ''Though, we do have people waiting.''

Her eyes narrowed at the glistening shine of sweat brightly opposed on his forehead along with the rosy shade of blush creeping up on his cheeks as his shaking hands fidgeted to touch the microphone.

His gaze never left the floor and he sucks in his lips.

''Oh my god,'' Veronica breathes out in disbelief. ''What's happening?''

''He's choking,'' One of the girls from the group leaned forward and informs them.

''Archie,'' Kevin calls. ''Clock's ticking.''

''Excuse me. Sorry, I gotta go.''

While he ran off of the stage, there was laughter and applaud mocking Archie and his stage fright.

With sad eyes, Hazel's gaze never left off of his physique, even when he was physically gone. Her green eyes remained on the double doors with a pout dragging both corners of her lips.

-

''What we're attempting is a stealth operation, Archie.'' Jughead's nonchalant voice was heard in the outerseating areas, later that afternoon as Hazel approached them with a tray of food.

There was no sight of Veronica Lodge nor Kevin Keller around the group of friends. But, there was an Archie Andrews, and besides Betty and Jughead, he seemed to make a genuine effort of being good acquaintances.

Thus gave her more confidence to take a seat next to Jughead, gently laying her tray on the wooden table and easing her way into her seat.

''If we go in there with the entire Scooby Gang, forget it. We're compromised.''

''Well don't you have to practice,'' Betty points a finger at Valerie. ''For the Variety Show anyways?''

''Um,'' His gaze travels over to Valerie. She shot him a point look, a devastating one to entail, allowing him to answer, ''No, I don't.''

Flattening her lips into a straight, Hazel simply shrugs her shoulders and asks, ''I got nothing to do. Is it okay if I come?''

They turned to her, almost astonished. As if they didn't expect her to volunteer so easily or to be able to speak so freely.

Okay, so maybe that confidence she felt about two seconds before arriving wasn't as ardent as she thought.

She reached out for her small bottle of juice at the corner of her meal, twisting the cap open while adding, ''To whatever the case may be?''

Betty breathes out a smile, leaning forward in her seat to meet eye contact with the brunette.

''I'm planning to go to The Sisters of Quiet Mercy tomorrow, during school hours,'' She explains. ''It's where my sister has been staying at for a while.''

Hazel cringed. ''Sounds like a loony bin.'' Betty furrows her brows at the girl who dipped into her bowl of tater tots, plopping the small crispy potato into her mouth before looking up. Her colored eyes became more inevitable when they enlarged as she witnessed the blondes distraught countenance. ''Unless it is, which makes me sound like a total bitch.''

She shakes her head, waving her off. ''It's fine. In fact, it's not a loony bin. It's more of a place for teenagers to learn discipline. I just haven't seen her in so long and I really need some answers.''

Hazel tilts her head to the side. ''Answers for what?''

''Personal,'' Jughead blurts out as he nods his head. ''Sister questions, only her sister could answer.''

Archie furrows his brows while Hazel jerks her head back. Way to be dismissive.

''I don't have to come,'' She clarifies. ''But if you need a diversion, keep in mind that I have the perfect volume that can possibly shatter glass.''

''Awe,'' Veronica gushed as she approached. ''Look at my fave getting along with my faves.'' She gently makes her way in between Valerie and Archie by ushering Val, ''Excuse me.''

Hazel smiled up at Kevin who took a seat next to her. Though, it was one that didn't reach his eyes. He looked tired.

''Speaking of faves,'' Veronica sets her purse in between herself and Archie. ''I had a few words with our director slash host of the Variety Show, and reminded him that he's heard you, Archie, sing on numerous occasions.''

Kevin kept his eyes glued to his tray with shame. ''Even though it compromises with my artistic integrity.''

''Cutting to the chase,'' She eggs on. ''You have a slot if you want it.''

''Veronica, thank you,'' He shakes his head. ''But you saw what happened.''

Kevin bops his head. ''We all did.''

Hazel nudges his arm with her elbow.

''Oh my god!'' He gaped down at her. ''Are you a wrestler? The joint in your elbow could literally kill!''

''It's not so literate if Francis isn't dead,'' She breathes out a sigh. ''And so what if you had a couple of fans.-''

''What?'' Veronica furrows her brows. ''Haz, I'm pretty sure you were there with me. He got bashed.''

''No, I know,'' She cocks her head to the side. ''But they chose to watch Archie's audition just so they could hate. That's fan behavior. And you cannot let fan behavior get to you, Archie. If anything, you should let it inspire you.''

''Oh, we are so keeping you.''

Archie ignores Kevin's comment by raising a brow. ''You never heard me sing. What if-''

''Mm,'' She hums, she pulls the circular opening of the bottle away from her lips, licking away the excess liquid off of her lips after swallowing. ''There's no, what if. If your friends are encouraging you to do music, see fancy New Yorkers and to go up on stage to show off your talent, then I don't need to hear you sing to know how good you are.''

He licks his lips before looking around those surrounding him. There was something radiating about Hazel, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

And he wasn't the only one to notice. Some were curious while others were more surprise.

Was it the fact that she was engaged into their current situations or was it because she was opening up more?

''Playing my songs in front of you guys is one thing, but getting back up on that stage by myself,'' He took a brief pays before inhaling sharply. ''I'm not sure if I'm ready for that.''

Veronica then offers, ''If it's a partner your looking for, Veronica Lodge is more than willing and able.''

Betty chuckles softly. ''Veronica, I didn't know you could sing?''

She swings her head to the side, forcing a thick strand of hair out of her face, a mighty grin overpowering her lips. ''Like a nightingale.'' She turns to Archie and asks, ''What do you say, Archiekins? Be the Jay to my Bey?''

-

With pursed lips, Hazel's green eyes scan her whereabouts while her feeble hands were stuffed in the picket of her denim jacket as Betty spoke to the nun in charged behind the front desk, ''Hi. My name is Elizabeth Cooper. I'm here to see my sister, Polly.''

''May I see some identification?''

She furrows her brows at how easily it was for Betty to slide her school ID towards her. There was no glass separating the two.

Anybody could just burst through with a gun and start a massacre.

The nun had looked over her identification before sliding over a binder filled with printed signatures. ''Sign in here, please.''

She steps closer towards Jughead's backside, hiding her small and petite frame from the elderly nun that looked over at the two.

Her tone seemed to have dropped several octaves. ''They'll have to wait.''

Betty turns to face the two as the nun makes her way from behind the desk.

''You'll two be okay?''

Jughead flattens his lips and exhales through his nose. ''We'll be like Dexter and Dee Dee.''

Hazel cocks a brow from her furrowed ones as she takes a step away from hiding behind him. ''Dexter didn't like Dee Dee.''

He nods his head. ''I'm glad you understand the concept.''

''I'll be back as soon as I can,'' Betty assures. The blonde herself was well aware with how intolerable Jughead was around Hazel's presence. She hasn't had the decency nor the matter to interrogate him on it, but eventually she would.

As she began to walk off with the nun, Hazel reached out for her arm and smiles softly. ''Take your time, okay?''

It took her a moment just to scan her features. She wanted to help her. The girls barely had a one on one conversation and here she was, wanting to lend a hand.

She nods her head, walking off down the dimly lit corridor and letting her arm fall back to her side.

She watched her until they turned the corner, where there, they became out of sight. She angles her head to the side, eyeing Jughead from the corner of her eye.

His gaze was also stranded at the corner Elizabeth Cooper disappeared from before it landed on Hazel.

''So,'' Hazel puckers her lips and swings her arms back and forth, her hands occasionally clapping. ''We have some time to kill.''

He shakes his head. ''Not interested.''

Her head tilted back as she eyes him, her gaze practically begging. ''Come on.''

''Nope,'' He folds his arms across his chest.

''You don't even know me and you already don't like me,'' She mirrors his stance by folding her arms as well. ''How?''

''Hazel, you don't know a lot of us and you just so happen to be so keen on wanting the best for us.''

She shakes her head vigorously. ''Wow, Jughead, I really sound like the Joker.''

He rolls his eyes.

''Look,'' A sigh fell from her lips. ''I like to think that I'm friends with Veronica and Kev. And it doesn't take an astronomer to see that you guys are important to them. So, as the new girl in towm, I'm just trying to get to know you guys too.''

He shrugs his shoulders. ''And out of everyone in Riverdale, you just happen to stick to us?''

She opened her mouth to speak, but the words themselves were stuck in her throat.

She closed her mouth as her tense shoulders deflated.

''What do you want from me, Jughead?''

He open his mouth to respond, but with who entered the sanitation took a turn of events.

''Oh my god.''

Hazel turns to find a blonde in a trench coat. She narrows her eyes between the two and shakes her head. ''You really think you guys could get away with this?''

''I'm sorry,'' Hazel tilts her head to the side. She stomps her foot as she shifts to face her more.

''Hazel,-''

''Who the hell are you?''

She cocks her head to the side. ''Betty's mother.''

Though her features were still stern, you could still see the flash of fright that crossed her features.

A smirk appears on her pursed lips. ''I'll be sure to have a long talk with your parents.''

Soon enough, Mrs. Cooper held Betty by her wrist as she dragged her out of the place with Hazel and Jughead following behind, a guard behind them to make sure of no funny business.

On their way out, the Coopers came to an abrupt hault once a pregnant blonde appeared. Once she turned to face the group, her brows knitted together and her nostrils flared with anger as she mumbles, ''Mom?''

''Polly,'' Mrs. Cooper breathes out.

Hazel watched intently from behind as the blonde stepped closer to her mother. ''Jason's dead? And you didn't tell me? And you kept me in here?

A couple of guards came running up from the hallway, retrieving her as Mrs. Cooper assures, ''Baby, it's for your own good.''

''Ugh, you always say that!'' She exclaims . ''And it's not true!''

They managed to pull Polly away, causing her to screech, ''No! Betty!''

Betty was quick to reach out for her and pull her into a hug. ''I'm gonna get you out of here, I swear to God.'' As she pulls away, she whimpers, ''I love you, Polly.''

''No!''

-

The pressure of the front door slamming echoed through the house. Hazel sat far into the joined kitchen and dining room, and she still jumped from the effect.

She knew she was far into deep shit.

Serena came storming through, roaring, ''What the hell were you thinking?''

Her aunt hadn't reached her yet, allowing her the chance to roll her eyes before turning in her chair to face her. ''I was just helping a friend.''

''We haven't been here for a whole month, Hazel!''

Hazel immediately stood up from her seat. ''Why are you yelling at me? It was like I was at a church today.''

She narrows her eyes at her. ''You skipped school, nonetheless to help your little friend see her crazy sister.''

Her head hangs to the side. ''Since when do us woman mistake hormonal for crazy?''

''I thought you said you wanted this move as a start over?''

''I do!'' She exclaims.

''No, you don't!'' Her voice yells even louder. Hazel's gaze flickered past her aunt's physique to find her older brother tip toeing from behind the scene and towards the fridge. ''And neither does Francis!''

He threw his head back. ''I just wanted water.''

''You guys live the same life from back in Cali!''

Francis jerks his head back. He snickers, ''No, we don't.''

She turns to him with pursed lips. ''Really?'' He nods his head, a small him emitting from his throat. ''Aren't you on the football team-''

Hazel shakes her head vigorously. ''Yeah, and he's actually really nice to everyone at school and he doesn't act like his goonish friends.''

''Hazel,'' The back of her hand slapped against the other hand in it's palm as she prompts, ''You skipped school, you did that every other day in California.''

''And she's friends with the good girl across the street, a gay kid, a kid that keeps to himself, the boy who turned down a dead kids position in football by giving his jersey back to his mom, and city girl that protects her friends,'' Francis opens the fridge and pulls out a water bottle. ''They scream danger.''

''I don't want you guys falling off track, again,'' She bluntly admits. She held no shame, she cared too much to regret yelling at them.

Hazel looks over at Francis before looking back at Serena. ''It'd take a lot for us to fall off the band wagon.''

She breathes out a smile.

Hazel scrunched her lips to the side, a desperate attempt to hide her eager grin. ''Does that mean I can still go to the Variety Show, tomorrow night?''

Francis furrows his brows. ''Going to see your little boyfriend?''

''What?''

Hazel glares at him while waving off her aunt's curiosity. ''He's just being an ass.''

He chuckles lightly. ''Oh, and by the way, Veronica is also gonna be in it tonight.''

She arches her brows. ''She is?''

He shrugs his shoulders. ''I guess so, because she's in the Pussycats now.''

She extends an arm to point at him. ''Another reason why I need to go.''

-

''I hope, I'm not interrupting,'' Both ends of her lips extended on her face as Hazel sheepishly approached Archie and Valerie with a boquet of roses. ''But, I wanted to congratulate you, Archie. You too, Val. Ugh, you both were great.''

Valerie nods her head, chuckling softly as she pulls away from Archie's touch. ''Thank you, Hazel.''

Archie raised a brow. ''Are those for me?''

She looks down at the bundle of flowers in her hand and inhales deeply. ''Yes,'' She looks up and heaves out a dry chuckle. ''Yes, they are.''

She seen them kiss. She walked in on their kiss. She wants to get attatched on a boy who has eyes set on another girl. She shouldn't get her hopes up for a boy that could possibly never see her in the way she would want.

''Here you go,'' She hands them over to him, causing him to chuckle.

''Hazel, you didn't have to.''

She waves him off. ''It'd be wrong if I got Veronica one and not you.'' She looks over at Valerie and pouts, ''I would have gotten some for you too, of course, if I knew-''

She shakes her head. ''Girl, don't worry. Really, you're too kind.''