Thorn Sanders stands by the pool in her swimming costume. She has Clifford Blossom instructing her on how to keep a correct poise. She's done competitions before, but it's never good enough for him, or her mother. They are grooming her to be the best she could be, the most perfect version of herself.

"Straighten her legs, Clifford," calls out her mother. Violet Blossom sits under the shade of the glass-table's white umbrella. She sips at her tea as she talks to Raven about colours for the changes at the Blossom offices "She's bent," Violet claims.

"Got it, Violet," calls back Clifford. He gives a smile to the woman and returns his attention to the young girl in front of him. His hands go to her legs, straightening her up. He puts her into place. He fashions her like a doll. "You have to be perfect, Thorn," says Clifford to her. "You're all over the place since being out of practice."

"I don't want to be a competitive swimmer," Thorn tells him quietly, "I told you I didn't."

"How are you going to get the trophies then?" he asks. "You're only as good as the trophy-place, Thorn." Clifford Blossom stands straight. "Without it, you're not worth anything. Now Jason's gone, this is your place."

"But--"

"Do you want to be loser?" he asks her, harsh with his words. "Are you a loser, Thorn? Are you a loser?"

She bites back her trembling lip. "No."

"Then straighten up and show me some respect," he orders, and she straightens up like she's told to. "Good girl. You're going to be perfect. You should stand like this normally. Looks a hell of a lot better."

Thorn bites her tongue as he talks at her. He was always telling her how she was never good enough or wasn't doing it right from the age of ten, and she sees in a year without him, he hasn't stopped wanting to tell her those things. Clifford Blossom has always wanted to change and mold Thorn into this perfect masterpiece. He did the same with Jason, grooming him to take over the business, and Thorn to be the sideshow.

Her worth is dependent on a trophy, and Clifford Blossom doesn't give out trophies very often.

"Guess who I found on our doorstep." Thorn looks up to see her grandmother with Archie Andrews at her side, at the balcony overlooking the garden. Marion beams and says, "He said he needed to talk to you."

Archie holds up a book. "School," he states, justifying it to her mother why he's interrupting Thorn's training sessions.

"Archie, think about the time you're intruding on," says Raven, her eyes glancing over to her sister. With a smug smile, she says, "Our little baby was just getting good, at last."

Thorn looks up at Archie and says, "Leave it in the kitchen. I'm training."

Marion sees her granddaughter hurt Archie with her cold tone, and she scolds her. "Thorn Isabella Sanders, you get up here and talk to this boy before I drag you up here, and I just had my nails done," she threatens.

Thorn glances over to her mother, who simply nods and ushers her to go with a one swipe of her hand. The young girl excuses herself from Clifford and then grabs the towel from the sun-lounger before she heads up the stone stairs leading to the house. She doesn't say anything to Archie as she walks passed him into the house. He knows to follow and gives her grandmother a grateful smile before following Thorn inside.

Once they're alone, Thorn shuts the glass-door to and then snaps back around to face him. "What do you want, Archie? Because I know for a fact that is your book is for History: Ancient times, and I did that last year," she says coldly.

"I needed to see you after last night," he says honestly. Archie falters as he looks at her. "I can't not have you in my life, Thorn - I can't."

"You're going to have to learn to live with it." Thorn says, "You made your bed, Archie. Now you've got to lie in it."

"How is that fair?" he asks her.

"It is fair, Archie!" she exclaims, throwing her hands up. "It is fair that I don't want to see you or speak to you after what you did. You're protecting a child predator. It's statutory rape, Archie."

"I consented."

"It doesn't matter," fumes Thorn. "You are a child in the eyes of the law and she is your teacher. She has a position of responsibility to you. She is abusing that power."

"You sure know a lot about it," he scoffs, "You been creeping on Miss Grundy as well as Betty? Studying up on the law?"

"No, I just know what is right and what is wrong," says Thorn. "She is abusing you, Archie, and you don't even see it."

"I want to be with her," Archie says firmly.

"Well, good for you, Archie," Thorn says bitterly. "Now you've made that clear to me, get out of my house."

"Why are you being so unreasonable right now?" he asks her. "Is it because of us?"

"Us?" Thorn's breath gets caught in her throat. "No, it's not about us, Archie," she says firmly. "It is about my friend, one of my best friends, using me as their alibi to cover up their affair with child predator. That is what this is about." She shakes her head and looks at her friend with teary eyes. "I don't care that you don't want me or that you want her, but what I care about is you and what you're doing right now. You are choosing this woman over everyone else, Archie. You threw me under the bus to protect her, to save her. Can't you see how that hurts me? How you're hurting me and everyone else around you?" she asks, her voice wavering.

"I'm not choosing her over everyone else, Thorn. I like her. I want--"

"If you had to," she cuts him off. Thorn looks at him, her heart breaking, and asks, "If you had to choose, me or Miss Grundy, who would it be? Who would you choose, Archie?"

Archie stops. His brown eyes stare into her blue ones. He's searching her face for anything, something to tell him what she wants him to say.

"You said," he says, "that you didn't want to be together, that you couldn't do this with me, and I fought for you."

"This isn't about what happened this summer and how it ended, Archie," Thorn says softly. "This is about us, our friendship. Are you going to choose her over me? To have her as your girlfriend or me in your life?"

Archie hesitates as he looks at her, completely shattered in front of him as she realises he doesn't know the answer.

Thorn nods, understanding fully. "I think I got your answer," she says. "I won't be in your life anymore, Archie. I won't say anything about your relationship with Miss Grundy. I can't hurt you like that, but as long as you're with her, you don't get to have me too."

"I need you in my life, Thorn," Archie pleads with her, "I've never not had you in my life. You're always been there."

"But when did you stop being there for me?" asks Thorn, her voice quiet. "You chose her."

"I didn't," he argues. "I didn't say anything."

"And that says it all," she tells him, "you couldn't choose between this woman who you don't know and me." Thorn's disbelief shows in her words. "You silently chose her, Archie, and you didn't even realise."

"Thorn, please."

"Please go."

"Thorn?"

"I can't know you as long as you're around her. I can't, Archie," she shakes her head, "so you need to leave, please."

"I'll go." Archie says, "but I need you to know that I was telling the truth when I said you were the best thing to happen to me this summer."

Without another word between the two torn teenagers, Archie Andrews leaves Thorn Sanders alone to her tears, as she cries softly about the friend she's lost and love she could have known.