DO NOT COMMENT FOR ME TO UPDATE!

The next day before school, Mariah had went to talk to Betty about the whole thing with Jughead. Betty didn't tell her the whole story, because she didn't want to put her in danger. But it had something to do with the infamous Black Hood, the person who shot Archie's dad.

Mariah wasn't sure what was going on but she was sure of one thing: Betty was trying to protect them. In some ways, Mariah was grateful for Betty but in others, she was mad at the girl for not telling her the truth. She had told Betty that she would want the entire story later and to talk to Jughead.

Cheryl hadn't gone to school that day, opting to stay home and unwind. Mariah didn't blame her. With everything that was happening, she would've done the exact same. Mariah would've ditched with her but her mother would have her head if she missed any more days of school. She had been missing "way too many days" for her mother's liking.

She stood at her locker, looking at herself in the little mirror she had in it. Her eyes scanned the inside door of the locker at the few pictures Cheryl had stuck in there and the the few that Mariah herself had put in. Her eyes burned into the picture she had of her and Archie. She didn't know why she still had it in there. Maybe she just couldn't bring herself to throw it away.

Until now.

She took the picture between her thumb and index finger and yanked on it, pulling it off of the door. She shoved the picture into her backpack and closed the locker door, stopping at the sight of Kevin. "Hey," she greeted, beginning to walk. "You dodged a bullet not going to Nick's party," he said. Mariah's hands clenched into fists at the mention of his name.

"Our parents found out about it and how we were doing jingle jangle and totally got on our asses. Pretty sure I'm grounded for the rest of my life," Kevin was saying. "You see, this is why I don't go to parties. Nothing good ever comes from them," Mariah said. "Okay that is so not true. Not all parties are bad. It's just, this one was," he defended.

"Yeah yeah I guess," Mariah said. The two stopped at Kevin's locker and he began opening it. "So, how have you been?" He asked. Mariah shrugged, "Okay, I guess." He nodded, "Just okay? I know what happened between you and Archie. And Veronica. And you haven't really been talking to me much." He trailed off, giving her a look.

"Well, because you've been hanging out with Veronica, right?" Mariah said and he sighed. "I'm not condoning what she and Archie did. It was fucked up and wrong. But, they're my friends and while I don't agree with what they did, I'm not just gonna stop being friends with them for it. Does that make me an asshole?" He said. Mariah shook her head, "No, it doesn't. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't be friends with them. They didn't do anything to you. But I haven't seen you trying to hang out with me."

"The phone works both ways, Mariah," Kevin pointed out. "Touché," she said. "Kevin, I need your advice on something. So Archie and I-" Veronica cut herself off when Kevin closed his locker and she saw Mariah. Veronica's face fell slightly. "Don't stop on my account. You and Archie?" Mariah said, trying to keep the anger out of her voice.

"Mariah..." Veronica wasn't sure what to say. The blonde turned to Kevin. "I'll talk to you later," she said. "You better," he replied in an attempt at lightheartedness. The hallway's atmosphere had shifted into one of awkwardness. Mariah nodded and walked away from the two.

Her fists clenched in anger as she walked to her next class. Her conversation with Nick was coming back to her. About Veronica's boyfriend. The fact that the boy who cheated on her was now dating the girl he cheated on her with was mind boggling. It was angering. Mariah had never felt a rage like this before. She hated that she was so angry. They didn't deserve her anger. They didn't deserve any sort of reaction from her.

But they were getting one. And with the way she was feeling right now, they might get a lot more than just her anger.

••••

Mariah slammed the front door shut when she got home after school, angrily locking it and stomping up the stairs to her room. She went into her bathroom and began shuffling through the drawers. She pulled out a pair of scissors and looked at herself in the mirror.

She wasn't usually an impulsive girl. She thought things through and tried not to make stupid decisions. But she was angry. So in her anger, she grabbed a chunk of her hair, lifted the scissors to it and began cutting it off. She didn't cut too much off but it was enough to be noticeable. Some of the hair fell to the floor, some in the sink, and good portion was in her hand.

Mariah let out a sigh, her anger beginning to dissipate and turn into horror as she looked at what she had done. "Oh my God. Oh my God!" She had tried fixing the mess she had made of her hair but only ended up making it worse. It was choppy and uneven and just a mess. "I'm so fucking stupid!" Her long blonde hair had been reduced to just past her shoulders with some portions being shorter than that.

She was absolutely horrified and didn't know how to fix it. So, she called the one person who she knew could.

Cheryl had gotten there surprisingly quick and when Mariah opened the door, she dropped her purse in surprise. "What the hell did you do?" Cheryl asked in horror. "Just help me," Mariah exclaimed, picking up Cheryl's purse, pulling the girl into the house, and dragging her up the stairs.

The redhead had pulled a chair into Mariah's bathroom and forced the girl into it. "You're an idiot. Did you know that? I can't believe you did this to yourself," Cheryl said as she looked over Mariah's head to figure out where to start. "Can you fix it or not?" Mariah asked. "Of course I can," Cheryl replied, picking up the discarded scissors. "You so owe me for this."

Cheryl had managed to fix it. She cut the longer portions shorter to evenly match the already short portions of Mariah's hair. She did everything to make it look nice, or as nice as she could after the hack job Mariah had done. Her hair was now just above her shoulders, the ends brushing against her shoulders as she moved her head from side to side to examine her hair.

"Cheryl Marjorie Blossom, you are my savior," she said, looking up at the redhead. Cheryl flipped her hair over her shoulder. "What can I say, I'm amazing." She placed the scissors on the counter and walked into Mariah's bedroom. "Seriously Cheryl, I owe you one. Thanks," the blonde said as she followed after the girl. "Don't mention it."

"Actually, you could do something for me," Cheryl realized. "What?" Mariah said. "Get Betty off my case. She keeps bugging me about some person called 'The Sugar Man.' I keep telling her that there's no such person but, she's resilient," Cheryl said, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, I'll talk to her," Mariah said. "Good. Now, I have to get home, but I'll talk to you later. Do not go making anymore rash decisions while I'm gone, okay?" Cheryl said.

"No promises," Mariah said. Cheryl gave her a look. "Okay," the blonde agreed. She gave Cheryl a hug and the redhead left. Mariah sighed and began doing homework.

Just as she was about to finish the last of her homework, she got a call from Jughead. "Hey, Jughead," she greeted. "Mariah, I need your help," he said, his tone urgent. "Help with what?" She asked. "Mayor McCoy raided Southside High today and arrested all the Serpents she could get her hands on. They're still in jail and I need your help getting them out," he told her.

"What am I supposed to do?" She asked in confusion. "Talk to your mom. Maybe she knows someone who can help. A lawyer," he said. "Well, yeah she knows some lawyers but none here. And none that could get down here fast enough to get them out. What are they charged with?" Mariah said, beginning to pace her room.

"Possession and distribution of drugs maybe. Mayor McCoy thinks that the Serpents are dealing drugs when it's really the Ghoulies. If I tell her, she won't believe me," he said. "Okay. But she doesn't have proof that they're even dealing drugs. I mean, I don't think she can hold them there without evidence. Plus they're underage, maybe you can go down to the station and-"

"I don't think it's gonna work, Mariah. I don't know the law that well. We need someone who does," Jughead interrupted. "Well, I don't know anyone," she replied before a thought crossed her mind. "Wait. I actually might know someone." She sighed in annoyance. "Who?" Jughead questioned. "My sperm donor," she grumbled. Jughead was silent for a moment, "You think your dad will help?"

"I don't know. I don't even know how to get in contact with him, it's not like I have his number," the blonde responded. "I'll talk to my mom, see if she has it."

"You're the best, Mariah. Thank you," he thanked. "Mhm." She hung up the phone and dialed her mom's number, filling her in when she picked up. The woman did have her father's number, Mariah didn't know how or why nor did she care. Once she had acquired it, she called him.

The phone rang a few times before she heard a voice. "Hello?" A man said. "Is this Patrick Coleman?" She asked. It was silent for a moment. "Mariah?" The blonde pursed her lips. "Yeah, it's me," she said. "Well, hey. H-how are you? When I gave your mom my number, I didn't think she'd give it to you or that you'd ever call. But I was hoping," he was saying.

Mariah sighed. "This isn't a social kind of call, I need your help with something," she said. She heard him chuckle on the other end. "Never thought I'd hear those words. What can I help you with?" He said. "Some of my friends got arrested today. They were accused of selling drugs but there's no proof and they're still down at the station. I was hoping you could use your lawyer skills to help get them out. You are still a lawyer right?" She told him.

"Yeah I'm still a lawyer. And what kind of friends do you have that could be accused of dealing drugs?" He questioned. "They're Serpents-"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Serpents? You're friends with gang members?" He asked incredulously. "Okay, technically, I'm only friends with two Serpents and only one of those two was arrested. The rest aren't really my friends. And what do you care who my friends are?" She said. "The Serpents are dangerous, Mariah," he said.

"Thanks for the information that I already know. Look, I haven't had a father in three years and I don't need one now. Can you help me or not?" She said, growing annoyed. "Help you get a bunch of gang members out of jail? I think Riverdale is better off with a few less Serpents roaming the streets, don't you?"

She rolled her eyes, "They're teenagers." He was quick to retaliate, "Who chose to join a gang." Mariah sighed and looked up at the ceiling. "Look, they're not all bad, okay? Can you please just help them?" She asked. It was silent on the other line for a moment. "Okay." Mariah sighed. "On one condition." She groaned. "I want to make things right between us, Mariah. Have lunch with me sometime," he proposed.

"I can't believe you're using this situation to your advantage," she said in disbelief. "Tell me this, if your friends or not-so-friends weren't in trouble and you didn't need my help, would you ever have called me?" He questioned. Mariah didn't respond but they both knew the answer. "I messed up, and I know that. Just, just give me a chance to try to make things right. Please."

Mariah closed her eyes briefly. "Fine," she muttered. "Okay. Tell me everything you know."

°°°°

I actually hate this chapter I don't know why but here's chapter thirteen. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please vote if you did and leave a comment or two. Please don't comment for me to update. It's rude and doesn't make me want to update at all so please just don't comment that. Also, my winter break is coming to an end so it'll probably be back to no updates soon. I'm sorry but I really need to focus on school. Have a great day!