❝ SEASON ONE, EPISODE ONE ❞
🌊The Rivers Edge🌊

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After congratulating the girls and dodging their questions about the Back-to-School semi-formal, Isabella finished her last class of the day and headed straight to Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe for dinner. She knew her parents ─ Well, her father ─ expected her to be at the semiformal but it wasn't her scene.

She smiled as she entered the familiar diner, her stomach purring in delight for the food she would consume. She approached the counter and before she could order another voice spoke for her, "She'll get her usual cheeseburger with extra pickles, cheesy fries and a double chunk chocolate milkshake. And I'll get my usual, Pop's."

Isabella turned her head to see Jughead Jones standing there with a smirk on his face, she narrowed her eyes at him before the two headed to his usual booth and sat down. "So you know my order, why?" Isabella asked with a raised brow, she leaned onto the table towards him as he shrugged, a look of uncertainty in his eyes.

"Archie?" Isabella asked the beanie-clad boy who nodded with relief, he couldn't tell her that he knew from the times he had observed her ─ more like admired her ─ from a distance. "So no dance?" Jughead asked as their food was placed on the table in front of them.

"Not my scene really. I don't hate it but if I can avoid then, I will. Besides, had no date," Isabella answered him after eating a couple of fries. Jughead smiled as she enjoyed her cheesy fries, the brunette often ate her fries first because she hated cold chips but didn't mind the burger being cooler.

"Wait, you had no date?" Jughead asked with genuine shock in his tone. "Well, Reggie Mantle asked me but the day I accept his offers will be the day I've truly given up," Isabella told Jughead who laughed at her comment. "Wow. What about Archie?" Jughead asked with some hesitancy.

"He is accompanying Betty and Veronica to the dance. I encouraged Betty to ask him considering she's clearly in love with him but apparently, she dragged Veronica into a group date," Isabella answered with a shrug. "But she didn't invite you?" Jughead asked after swallowing a bite of his first burger.

"Nah. But I don't mind, I'd rather hang out here and read 9/30/55 by John Minahan for the whatever time I've read it," Isabella answered him as she finished off her fries. "Why is that your book of choice?" Jughead asked once he finished his first burger. "Because it's Quentin Tarantino's favourite book," Isabella answered in a duh tone.

The two broke into a conversation about their favourite Quentin Tarantino movies as they finished off their respective meals. Once they had finished their milkshakes, the two respectively focused on separate hobbies with Jughead focused on his laptop and Isabella reading her book in a peaceful silence at the booth as if it was something they always did.

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It was midnight and my old friend Archie Andrews arrived at the one place in town that was still open. He was looking for the girl next door. Instead, he found me. And unexpectedly, he found his adored cousin with a content smile he had never seen before ─ something I didn't realise then.

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Archie walked into the diner pulling Jughead's attention from his laptop to the red-head, the two locked gazes until Archie noticed Isabella seated across from Jughead. He furrowed his brows in interest before looking towards Pop Tate, "Hey, Pop. Betty hasn't come in tonight, has she?" Pop Tate shook his head at the distraught teen.

"Nope. Just the two nighthawks in tonight," Pop Tate answered while pointing towards Jughead and Isabella, the latter now looking up at her cousin with a raised brow. Archie thanked Pop Tate before making his way over to his former best friend and his cousin with an unsure expression.

"Uh, can I sit, Jughead?" Archie asked Jughead as Isabella looked to Jughead before she'd remove her feet from the booth seat. "If you want," Jughead replied prompting Isabella to drop her feet from the booth and sit up straight as Archie sat down and looked from Isabella to Jughead.

"What are you working on?" Archie asked Jughead. "My novel," Jughead replied before noticing Archie's interest leading Jughead to explain further, "It's about this summer and Jason Blossom." Isabella sighed as she leaned against the window of the booth with her knees to her chest watching the two interact.

"Seventeen years old and how will he be remembered? As captain of the water polo team?" Archie asked as he leaned back in defeat though Isabella found the irony in his death, she knew many stories about professional swimmers drowning in panic or due to currents and rips ─ possibly hitting their heads on a rock.

"The Aquaholics? Considering how he died, probably not," Jughead replied with a hint of a smirk on his face, the irony was not lost. "No, I mean is─was he doing everything he was supposed to do, everything he wanted. I mean, did he even know what that was?" Archie asked him before they fell silent.

"Coach Clayton was in here talking to Pop Tate. Varsity. Does that make you, what, Mr Popular Football God now?" Jughead asked with a teasing smirk, Isabella laughed quietly which made Jughead smile more. "No. In fact, I'm kind of terrified I lost my best friend tonight," Archie told them.

"What the hell happened?" Isabella asked her cousin as she leaned forward dropping her feet to the ground. "Cheryl's after-party crossed over with Seven Minutes In Heaven and a mix of Veronica and me," Archie told Isabella who ran her hand through her hair with a sigh of disappointment only adding to the guilt that Archie was feeling.

"If you mean Betty, assuming by what you said, whatever happened, just talk to her. You know, it'd go a long way," Jughead advised him while Isabella nodded in agreement. "Would've gone a long way with me," Jughead added in a quiet tone causing Archie to sigh before getting up. "Thanks," Archie told him genuinely before leaving in search of Betty.

"I am so glad I was here instead of there," Isabella stated as she shoved her book into her bag. "Looks like you ditching was a better choice," Jughead replied as she stood up and smiled. "True that. Plus, the company was a thousand times better than the semi-formal and its after-party," Isabella expressed before waving goodbye to Jughead and walking out of the diner.

Jughead watched her go with a slight smile on his face, the warmth on his cheeks and within his chest at her words was a new feeling that he couldn't fully understand. He wouldn't admit out loud that he always admired the way Isabella Larkin held herself and befriended pretty much everyone. And now he was getting to know the girl underneath, he only wished it happened sooner.

Meanwhile, Betty Cooper was facing the harsh reality that Archie Andrews did not feel the same way she did. The blonde had no idea what to do or say, she was feeling lost and all she could think of is the times Isabella encouraged her to confess to Archie ─ did Isabella know that Archie didn't feel the same or is Archie hiding from his true feelings?

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And so, it wasn't one heart that broke that night. It was two. And the night was far from over.

But a new revelation sparked that night between two different souls, a feeling of belonging despite their surroundings and they truly believed that their friendship would be cherished.

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When Isabella got home, she trudged her way inside to see her father passed out in his armchair with random shows playing on the television. She smiled at the sight before noticing the pile of papers on the table, she bit her lip debating whether she should investigate or not.

Finally, she decided to have a peek but her heart dropped at what she was reading, her parents were behind in house bills and hospital bills, she swallowed the lump in her throat at the notice letter from the hospital regarding her mother's former treatment during the summer. She blinked back the tears and stepped back as she calculated all the owed money.

Her mind reeled at the large sum of money the family owed just to keep going, she took careful breaths before turning the television off and pulling a blanket over her father, lightly kissing his cheek before making her rounds of locking doors and windows.

Once the house was secure and locked, she headed up the stairs and looked into her mother's room where the woman lay restlessly trying to sleep through her pain. The young girl sniffled before making her way into her own room, she closed the door and placed her bag on her desk.

No one knew about Isabella's mother, it was a secret so well kept, they had done her treatments at Greendale hospital rather than Riverdale. The family didn't want pity and Annélise didn't want the town to know about her illness, she couldn't stand the struggle her husband and daughter were going through and she refused to let the town take advantage of them.

And so, Isabella had no one to confide in or vent to and she was beginning to feel like she was drowning. Her family lived in the Southside of Riverdale but they were just in the district line for Riverdale High rather than Southside High which she also had the option to attend. The brunette didn't mind being in the Southside but her friends didn't know.

Isabella laid back on her bed after changing into some sweatpants and one of Archie's old hoodies, she tried to fight the tears but soon enough one fell causing frustration to build within her chest. Isabella hated crying, she always felt so frustrated so the best way to handle it was her punching bag in the workshop.

One punch after another, the girl continued to throw jab after jab with quiet grunts leaving her lips. She could feel the skin of her knuckles break due to her not wrapping her hands like she usually did, wanting to feel the pain of it. "Whoa! Whoa!" Christian's voice was panicked as he walked over and pulled his daughter away from the bag.

"Alright, Rocky... you're done. I got you," Christian whispered to his daughter before she finally broke, she turned into her father's arms and cried into his chest. Christian was saddened by his daughter's tears, he hated to see her so broken when she was usually so bright and he knew it would all only get worse.

"Come on, let's get your hands cleaned up and I'll have to replace your bag," Christian told her causing the brunette look up to see the punching bag torn and sand falling from the hole she had caused. "I... didn't realise," Isabella whispered before letting her father lead her inside and towards the bathroom.

Isabella was quiet as Christian cleaned up her bloody knuckles, he wrapped her hands with a bandage before looking up at her. "Talk to me, Belle. What's going on?" Christian asked, the two shared a close bond and since finding out about Annélise's illness, they had grown closer.

"I saw the bills and notices..." Isabella whispered to her father who sighed. "I got it covered... I'm gonna pick up more hours and go through that back shed, sell some things and your mom said she'll go through her stuff to sell some... we're handling it," Christian told him with a soft sad smile.

"I can go through my things─" Isabella was cut off by her father, "No, Belle. You don't need to do that. I told you, we've got it." Isabella shook her head at her father. "Please, dad... I need to help out too. We're a unit and we help each other," Isabella pleaded. "Alright... but only things you can definitely sell nothing too important to you," Christian compromised knowing Isabella would just look for what's valuable.

"Okay. I think I might see if Pop's hiring too," Isabella told her father knowing he wouldn't object to her working. "The work experience is useful but whatever you earn at the diner is for you, got it?" Christian told her sternly, the girl nodded with a smile before making her way upstairs feeling better than before.

However, by Sweetwater River, a new mystery was being uncovered by two unsuspecting teens. There, lying on the bank of the river was Jason Blossom's body with a singular gunshot within his head leaving the two teens traumatised and stunned as they contacted Sheriff Keller with the new revelation.

By the morning, most of Riverdale stood around the crime scene with their respective families watching the body being zipped into a body bag. Isabella locked eyes with Jughead, the two weren't sure what to make of this situation but they knew things were taking a dark turn. The question was, were they ready for it?

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By morning, everyone would be talking, texting, and posting about it. We'd all be feeling it. The world around us had changed, maybe forever. That Riverdale wasn't the same town as before. That it was a town of shadows and secrets now.

On Monday, the autopsy on Jason's body would take place. And on Tuesday, halfway through fifth period, the first arrest would be made. And slowly, the secrets would begin to unravel.

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Rosemary Speaks

That's the first episode completed, what do you think so far?

How are we all feeling about Isabella and her friendships? Her bond with her father?

See you in the next chapter!