Archie closed the door behind himself as the two entered the closet. He took in a deep, nervous breath. He didn't know what to expect. He didn't know what would happen. He set the timer on his phone for seven minutes and pressed start.

Mariah paced the small closet in anger. "I'm going to murder Cheryl! And Veronica! I can't believe they did that. I mean Cheryl I can believe and now that I think about it, I'm not surprised that Veronica did it either. But I'm still mad!" Mariah exclaimed.

Archie watched her for a while and then decided to talk. "Maybe it's good that we're in here, together," he said quietly. Mariah stopped in her tracks and looked at him incredulously. "What?" She asked, eyes narrowed. Archie took a small step back. "I mean, now we have a chance to talk," he clarified.

"Talk? About what? The fact that you hate my guts and I'm not too fond of you? Yeah, I'd rather not talk about that," Mariah dismissed. Archie sighed quietly, "I don't hate you," he said. "I could never hate you, or anyone for that matter. No matter how much I want to. No matter how much I try. No matter how hard it is not to. I don't hate you," Archie explained, eyes searching hers, for what, he didn't know.

Mariah scoffed, looking away. "Really? You could've fooled me. You were a real ass to me. And yeah, I probably deserved it. No I did deserve it. So if you wanna yell at me or get anymore things off your chest then go ahead. I'm listening," she said. Archie looked around the closet and then back at her.

"I don't really feel like yelling at you but, I do have some things to say," he started. Mariah motioned for him to continue and he did. "When you left, it felt like my whole world was falling apart. I know, that's some pretty dramatic thinking for a thirteen year old boy. But, I was so upset. I was upset that you were leaving, that's for sure. But I was even more upset because you didn't say goodbye. I tried to think of a logical reason as to why. Why you just left and didn't say a word. Why you didn't tell me when you were leaving to begin with. But no explanation came to mind. I couldn't fathom why one of my best friends left without a word," Archie sighed and regained his composure.

"I was sad, for a while. And then that sadness turned to anger. I was angry at you for leaving, angry at your mom for choosing to leave, angry at your dad for leaving you and leading to your mom choosing to leave. And then, I was angry at myself. I thought that I had done something wrong. That I did something or said something that made you upset at me and that's why you didn't say goodbye. I was angry at myself for a long time. I was angry at you for a long time. And, I don't want to be angry anymore," Archie spoke, refusing to meet her gaze.

Mariah was shocked, to say the least. She had not expected to hear those words come out of his mouth. "Archie, you did nothing wrong. It was me. I got it into my head that, if I didn't say goodbye, then things would be better for you. I thought you'd just get over me and move on with your life. And, obviously I was wrong. I was so scared to say goodbye to you because I knew that if I did, then it would all become real. And, I would never see you again. I know it's stupid but, that's what I thought," Mariah told him as she looked at her hands.

"Yeah, it is stupid. Did you honestly think that I would stop talking to you and not want to see you after you left?" Archie asked in disbelief. "I was thirteen. Do you honestly think rational thoughts were going through my head? I didn't want to say 'bye' because I knew that if I did, it would be the last time that I saw you," Mariah tried to explain.

"You didn't know that though. You just assumed. You didn't think that way when you were saying goodbye to the Blossoms. You made sure to stay in touch with them. Admit it, the real reason you didn't say goodbye to me was because I was never important to you. You never cared about me or our friendship. It was all a lie," Archie said, growing frustrated.

"That's not true. Of course I cared about you and our friendship. You meant a lot to me Archie, more than you know. Do you know how hard it was for me to do that to you? I beat myself up over it for the longest time. I never forgave myself and I still don't. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness but, I'm sorry. I'm really, truly, so sorry that I hurt you Archie. I never, ever wanted to do that," Mariah said sincerely.

"Then why did you? Why did you do it? What's the real reason?" Archie asked, his eyes practically begging her for the truth. He stepped forward, closer to her as he looked deeply into her eyes. "Please. I need to know," he pleaded. Mariah sighed, contemplating on telling him before doing so.

"I used to have the biggest crush on you, Archie. And having to say goodbye to you, would hurt a lot more than having to say goodbye to Cheryl or, Jason," she started, hesitating to say Jason's name. "That's why I didn't say goodbye to you. Because, it hurt too much," Mariah finished, looking anywhere but at him.

Archie took another step forward, until there was barely any space left between them. He looked down at her and admired her. He couldn't believe that she felt the same way. She had liked him. He was giddy on the inside but kept his cool.

Mariah looked up at him, a frown on her face. She couldn't believe that she told him that. He didn't feel the same. Archie took her hand, and held it in his own. He smiled, a genuine smile at her. "Did I tell you that you looked beautiful tonight? Because you do. But you always looks beautiful," he said.

Mariah laughed incredulously before smiling up at him. She was only 5' 2" and his 5' 11" frame made it difficult to look him in the eyes. "What?" She asked. He looked into her eyes again and then down at her lips. He contemplated on leaning down and kissing her. Geraldine came to his mind then, and how she would feel. He started second guessing himself, thinking that he should let go of Mariah's hand and take a step back away from her. His thoughts wandered to Geraldine again. And as he looked down at Mariah, really looked at her, Ms. Grundy left his mind completely. In that moment, he decided that he would in fact kiss her.

He leaned down slightly, unsure of himself. Mariah looked up at him, eyes wide. What is he doing? She thought. The timer on Archie's phone went off then, but neither of them payed attention to it. They were too busy immersed in each other, enjoying the other's company. Right when he was about to take the step and kiss her, the closest door slammed open.

"Time's up lovebirds," Cheryl sung with that never ending smirk on her face. Archie leaned away from Mariah and cleared his throat. Mariah quickly exited the closet and everyone's eyes were on her. Mariah looked around the room and noticed that Betty was gone. "Where's Betty?" Archie asked.

"She left. I tried going after her but..." Veronica said. "Dammit!" Archie said, before leaving to find Betty. Veronica quickly followed after him. Mariah sighed and turned to Cheryl. "Really Cheryl? Was that necessary?" Mariah asked her. "I was doing you a favor. So, what happened?" Cheryl smiled. "Nothing," Mariah replied in a monotone voice.

She walked upstairs to Cheryl's room and laid down on her bed. Not long after, Cheryl came in and laid next to her. "I'm sorry Mar. I shouldn't have done that. It was definitely not cool," Cheryl said. "Yeah it wasn't. But, apology accepted, I guess," Mariah replied softly.

"I told everyone to leave. I wasn't really in the party mood anymore," Cheryl said. "Okay," Mariah replied. The two laid there for a while, not saying a word to the other. They just stared up at the ceiling. Just as Mariah was about to fall asleep, the door opened loudly. "Cheryl!" Penelope Blossom exclaimed.

The two girls sat up quickly. "Mom? What is it? What's wrong?" Cheryl asked after seeing the look on her mother's face. Mrs. Blossom looked between the two girls before replying. "It's Jason. They found his body."

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By the time they got to Sweetwater River, there were already multiple other people milling around. All of them wondering what would happen next. Mariah stood with Cheryl, watching as the police zipped Jason's body into a yellow bag and carried it away. She noticed Archie and his dad, Betty and her parents, and Veronica with her mom.

Arms wrapped around Cheryl and Mariah's shoulders and the girls turned to see Ms. Coleman, who offered them a small, sad smile. Mariah turned back to the scene in front of her. She felt eyes on her and looked to see that it was Betty.

Betty looked away from her and back to the river in front. Archie watched Mariah sadly. He wanted to go make sure she was okay. He wanted to comfort her in any way that he could. But he knew that he couldn't do that. With a sigh he looked away from the girl.

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When Mariah and her mother finally left, the former was happy. She didn't want to spend another minute there. When they got home, Mariah went to her room and took off her shoes. She changed out of her dress and into pajamas. She took off her makeup slowly. When she was done she turned off the lights and climbed into bed. She tried to sleep, even though the sun was already up.

A few minutes later, her mother entered her room and got into bed with her. Neither of them could sleep, but they just laid in Mariah's bed and appreciated each other's company. It wasn't until a few hours later that they dozed off.

····

When Mariah awoke, her mom was gone and she was alone. The rest of the weekend went by really fast. The next thing Mariah knew, it was Monday. She got dressed and ready for school. She didn't have to go, her mother made that clear, but she didn't want to sit at home, moping around.

After getting dressed, she went downstairs and ate breakfast slowly and then walked to school, seeing as her mom was at work and Cheryl probably wasn't going to school. As she started the long walk to school, she tried to keep her mind clear of all thoughts. This was very difficult. A red car pulled up next to her and honked, startling the blonde.

"Where are you going?" Cheryl asked from inside the car. Mariah looked over and continued walking. "School. Where are you going?" She asked back. "I'm going to school too. Why are you walking? Get in the car," Cheryl said. Mariah sighed but complied.

The two didn't talk as they drove to school. Neither of them wanted to. When they got there, all eyes were on them. Both girls froze, their eyes scanned the many faces that watched them. Some students held confused looks, others, looks of pity or sadness. And some people just looked amused, happy even. Mariah couldn't fathom why anyone would be happy, especially at a time like this. It made her blood boil.

Mariah glanced over at Cheryl and Cheryl looked back, a slightly terrified look on her face. Mariah grabbed Cheryl's hand and squeezed it. Cheryl squeezed back and relaxed a little. Both girls flipping their hair over their shoulders, held their heads high, and walked down the hallway. They ignored the eyes that followed them as they continued on their way.

The two then dispersed, Cheryl going to the principal's office and Mariah going to the library. She went there to be alone for a while. When she arrived, she went to a table and sat down, placing her backpack on one of the chairs. A few minutes later, principal Weatherbee is heard over the intercom.

"Good morning, students. This is your principal speaking. There have been many inquiries about the upcoming pep rally. So let me state clearly, it is happening, as scheduled," he began. Mariah sighed and looked at the table. Cheryl will definitely be happy about that. "Now, on a less felicitous note, if you could give your attention to Sheriff Keller," Principal Weatherbee concluded.

Sheriff Keller then began speaking, "Most of you already know the details, but your classmate Jason Blossom's body was found late Saturday night. So as of the weekend, Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide." At the word homicide, Mariah laid her head down on her arms, which rested on the table.

"It is an open and ongoing investigation," he continued before being interrupted. "And may I interject, neither I nor my parents will rest until Jason's death is avenged, and his cold-hearted killer is walking the green mile to sit in Old Sparky and fry. I, for one, have my suspicions. #Riverdalestrong," Cheryl's voice is heard.

After that, Mariah tuned out the rest of the announcement. She didn't want to hear anymore about Jason's death, or rather, homicide. She just wanted everything to stop. It was then that she regretted going to school that day. After a little while of staying in the library, the bell rang. Mariah stood up slowly, grabbed her bag, and walked to her Biology class.

When she entered, she saw Ginger and Tina interrogating Cheryl. She swiftly walked over to the three in annoyance. "Why don't you two do me and everyone else a favor and shut the hell up? It's bad enough that I have to sit through a class with you and be on the same team as you. But hearing your irritating voices, is really going to drive me crazy. And neither of you want to see what I'll do when I'm really angry," Mariah started, looking at the two girls with a sickly sweet smile on her face before dropping it two a scowl. "Now scatter," she finished, watching as the two girls quickly scurried away.

Cheryl looked at Mariah with a small smirk on her face. "I could've handled that myself you know?" She asked her best friend. "Yeah, I know. But I really don't like those two imbeciles. I just had to take the opportunity to knock them down a few pegs," Mariah said, smiling.

"Seats, everyone. Pair off, gloves on, scalpels up," their teacher said as he entered the classroom. Mariah went to sit next to Cheryl but Archie's voice halted her movements. "Can I be with Cheryl?" He asked, walking over to the table. "And I wanna be with Betty," Veronica said.

Mariah turned to face Archie, a glare on her features. "I'm with Cheryl," she told him. Archie looked back at the teacher, who sighed. "Archie can be with Cheryl," he said, turning away. Mariah focused her glare on him now. "But Cheryl's my partner," she said. "No, today she's Archie's partner. Find another one Ms. Coleman," her teacher replied. Mariah narrowed her eyes at Archie. He gave her a sheepish smile, an apologetic look, and a small shrug before sitting next to Cheryl.

With a huff, Mariah turned away, scanning the room for someone else to partner with. Her eyes landed on a boy in a black beanie, sitting alone, and she walked over to him. "I guess you and I are partners," she told him, setting down her bag and sitting next to him. "I uh, I like to work alone," Jughead Jones said, shifting uncomfortably. "And I like eating french fries and watching Netflix. But it looks like neither of us are getting what we want," she replied.

In front of the two, Ginger and Tina snickered. "Are you sure you want to work with this freak?" Tina asked in amusement. "Yeah, he probably killed Jason. We should be calling the police about him being a potential suspect," Ginger added with a fake smile.

"You think that's funny?" Mariah growled at the two. Jughead looked shocked while the two girls froze. "Before you go around accusing people of murder, I suggest you learn some damn respect and maybe open up a book for once. I already warned you idiots about making me angry and here you are, still talking. I'm gonna need you both to shut the hell up right now before I punch you both in your pretty little faces. Don't ever mess with this guy because you don't know him. And if I ever, hear you two mention Jason's name again, I will end you. Understand?" Mariah said, eyes narrowed in anger. The two girls nodded quickly before grabbing their things and walking to another lab table to work.

Jughead looked at Mariah, eyes still wide in shock. He let out a low whistle and she turned to him. "That, was, awesome. You, my friend are significantly terrifying when you want to be. Which is funny because you look so nice," he said. "I'm Jughead Jones and I already know who you are so no need to introduce yourself," he continued. Mariah nodded at him and released a breath.

"Thanks, by the way. For defending me. You didn't have to do that," Jughead said quietly. Mariah turned to face him, putting on her gloves. "Yes I did," she stated simply, before taking out the scalpel from the bag that rested on the table. Jughead nodded his head and turned away. Mariah stabbed the frog with the scalpel and dragged the scalpel down its stomach.

"So, what brought you back to Riverdale?" Jughead asked in curiosity. "Why do you care?" Mariah asked back, avoiding his question. "Just curious," he said, eyes boring into the side of her face. "Well haven't you ever heard the saying, 'curiosity killed the cat' Beanie Boy?" She asked, glancing at him before returning her attention to the frog in front of her.

The boy pursed his lips and nodded. "Noted," he said before returning his attention to the frog as well. The two continued to dissect the frog and answer questions on their worksheets. Jughead looked over at Mariah and studied her for a while, trying to read her. Annoyed, Mariah turned to him. "What?" She hissed. "Nothing, just wondering what's going on between you and Archie," he lied.

Mariah laughed, "Nothing is going on between me and Archie."

Jughead shook his head. "I don't believe you. I heard about what happened at Cheryl's party. You two were in the closet together. Something must have happened," he pressed. "Do you believe everything you hear?" She asked. "Mostly," he answered bluntly. The girl sighed, "Why do you care? It's not any of your business," she said.

"That's true. But Archie and I used to be friends. Best friends. And he may not care about me, but I, unfortunately, care about him. And I wanna make sure that you don't hurt him again," Jughead explained. Mariah gaped at him, eyes narrowed before clearing her throat and asking, "Why aren't you guys friends anymore?" Jughead avoided her eyes as he answered. "We just aren't," he said simply. Mariah nodded her head and that was the end of their conversation.

From his seat beside Cheryl, Archie watched Mariah and Jughead converse. He wondered what the two could be talking about and why they were talking at all. He hoped that Jughead wasn't telling her lies about him and what happened with their friendship. With narrowed eyes he stared at them. Seeing the two talk angered him and he didn't know why. Cheryl followed his line of vision and smirked.

"What's the matter Ginger Cakes?" You don't like what you see?" She asked in amusement. "I have no idea what your talking about," Archie said, still looking at Mariah and Jughead. "So that isn't jealousy that I see in your eyes?" Cheryl asked, enjoying the situation. He turned his head and looked at Cheryl. "Jealousy? There is no jealousy. I have nothing to be jealous of," he denied, looking everywhere but her eyes.

Cheryl scoffed. "Whatever," she said, getting back to work, a smirk still evident on her face.

Archie looked at his hands in confusion. He wasn't jealous. He couldn't be jealous. It's not like he had feelings for Mariah, not anymore. He had feelings for Geraldine and Geraldine only. He nodded to himself in assurance and got back to work.

°°°°

Hola beautiful people. Chapter six is finally here. Mariah and Cheryl are literal brotp, I can't. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you all for reading. I enjoyed writing it, especially the closet scene ;). I hope you guys don't hate me for that lol. Anyways, thanks for over 9k reads. I'm sorry that I haven't updated as much as I said I would. But, I've been spending my Spring Break watching One Tree Hill, oops. Anyway, have an awesome day!