The next day, Mariah got a text from Archie that asked her to come over to his house. He actually begged her to come. He apparently needed help setting up for Jughead's birthday party. Mariah agreed to help though she was not happy about it, she wanted to get a few extra hours of sleep before getting ready for the party.

Mariah carefully applied her makeup and curled her hair. She put on a simple black dress that was snug, but comfortable, on the upper half of her body and flared out at the skirt. She paired the outfit with velvet like maroon heels and grabbed a random purse out of her closet, putting her necessities in it. When she was done getting ready, she grabbed Jughead's gift and drove to Archie's house mumbling profanities to herself at having to rush. She knew the route to his house by heart by now but took her time to get there.

When she arrived at his house, Kevin was the one to open the door. "Wow, you look hot!" He said, a proud smile adorning his lips. "Thanks, Kev," Mariah replied with a smile of her own. She entered the home and Archie was placing a bunch of balloons in the corner. She glanced around the house and noticed all of the over the top decorations. Mariah felt like gagging at the sight.

The blonde walked over to her boyfriend and sighed. "I think there are enough balloons, Arch," she said. He turned to face her with a frown. "Where have have you been? I texted you like, two and a half hours ago!" He exclaimed in annoyance, though Mariah knew that he wasn't mad.

"I had to get ready because I knew that I wouldn't be able to help you set up, then go back home to get dressed. And besides, it takes a while to look this good," Mariah answered, gesturing at herself as she spoke. Archie looked her up and down. His eyes raked over every inch of her body. From her legs all the way up to her face. A smirk formed on his face as his eyes travelled back down again.

"Hey pervert! My eyes are up here," Mariah said in mild disgust, snapping her fingers in his face. Archie looked up at her eyes quickly and smiled sheepishly. "Uh, you look r-really g-good. B-beautiful," he stuttered. Mariah rolled her eyes but nodded her head in thanks. Archie reached for the gift bag in Mariah's hand and she handed it to him.

"Do you still need help?" She questioned. "Um, you could finish setting up the food," he replied and she nodded, brushing passed him and entering the kitchen. Kevin's boyfriend, stood in the kitchen, sipping on a drink when she entered. "Hey, you're Kevin's boyfriend. Joseph, right?" Mariah said. The boy turned to her and smiled. "Actually, it's Joaquin," the boy, Joaquin, replied.

"Oh, right. Sorry. I'm not really good with names," Mariah apologized and he shook his head. "It's okay," he said. "I'm Mariah," the blonde introduced holding her hand out for him to shake. He took her hand and gave it a shake. "Nice to meet you," he said and she nodded. "Likewise," she replied.

The two lapsed into silence and Mariah milled around the kitchen, pulling out bags of chips and pretzels. She scoffed, "What kind of party snacks are these?" She placed the bags on the kitchen table and walked to the refrigerator, taking out various bottles of soda.

She rolled her eyes while shaking her head in mild disgust. "Maybe he should've asked me to help with the snacks," she whispered, placing the drinks on the table as well. Veronica entered the kitchen and walked over to the blonde. "Hey, you okay?" She questioned.

Mariah sighed, "I guess." Veronica placed an arm around the blonde's shoulder. "Just relax. It's not one of those hardcore parties with alcohol and drugs or something. It's just our inner circle of friends. Think of it as a small gathering or get together," Veronica said as she rubbed Mariah's shoulder up and down.

"I know I know. You're right. It's just that parties..." Mariah trailed off and Veronica nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I know. Me too," she whispered. "How are you so cool about this?" Mariah questioned. Veronica shrugged, "Because like I said, this is just a small gathering with just our friends."

Mariah sighed and nodded, giving Veronica a small, appreciative smile. Veronica squeezed Mariah's shoulder reassuringly. "Guys, they're really coming this time. Everybody hide," Ethel's voice is heard. Mariah and Veronica looked at each other before quickly moving to do so. The lights are turned off.

Jughead and Betty enter the home and the lights turn on again. "Surprise!" The group yelled as they saw him. "This is why we left the double feature." Jughead realized, looking at Betty. Archie walked over to Jughead and gave him a hug. The others tell Jughead happy birthday and Mariah leaned against the wall by the kitchen's entrance. Jughead walked over to her with a frown.

"Was this your doing?" He asked her. "Nope. I was very much against it," she replied. "But, happy birthday. Your gift is somewhere around here. Archie took it so you'll have to ask him where it is," she added. He nodded, "About Archie. Did you notice that he smelled really bad? Like, he had been drinking." Mariah furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and shook her head. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on Archie.

Betty exited the kitchen suddenly, a birthday cake in her hands. She began singing happy birthday to Jughead and Mariah took a step back. Betty sounded really creepy, she noted. Everyone watched her as she walked closer to the group. "That was haunting, Betty," Jughead said once she finished.

Veronica suspiciously broke away from the group and Mariah followed after her upon noticing. "Hey V, are you okay?" Mariah questioned. Veronica wiped her tears away and turned to look at the blonde. "Just drama with my dad. I'll tell you about it later," Veronica answered quietly. Archie entered the kitchen and took in the scene in front of him. "You guys want a drink?" He asked somewhat timidly.

Mariah narrowed her eyes, "I think you've had enough drinks. Don't you?" Archie closed his eyes with a sigh before opening them again. "Jughead said something to you," he stated. "Yeah, Jughead did. What's up with you?" Mariah replied. "I'll just let you two talk," Veronica said awkwardly. She quickly exited the kitchen and Mariah turned to Archie, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"My dad's visiting my mom. They're about to finalize the divorce," Archie quietly admitted and Mariah's face fell. "I'm sorry, Archie," she whispered. He shook his head, "It's okay. My parents have wanted this for a while now. You don't have to worry about me. You have enough to worry about."

"You telling me not to worry about you, Archie, doesn't stop me from worrying about you," Mariah muttered. "I think I should be worried about you," Archie admitted. "Why is that?" She asked. "Because of how you acted at lunch yesterday. What was that all about?" He answered. "You're changing the subject," Mariah noted. "You're avoiding the question," Archie retorted.

"There's nothing for you to worry about." She shrugged, looking away from him. "Yet for some reason, I don't believe you," he said, taking a few steps closer to her. "I don't understand why you're making a big deal out of nothing," Mariah exclaimed. "And I don't understand why you're lying to my face," Archie said just as loud.

Mariah groaned loudly and ran her hands through her hair. "I'm fine Archie," she mumbled. The boy shook his head, "No you're not."

Betty and Jughead walked into the kitchen then. Jughead slowed to a stop and examined the scene in front of him. "Oh, sorry," he said. "Just coming to get ice cream. Is everything okay?" Betty said.

"Yes," Mariah said at the same time that Archie said, "No." Archie glared at her and she averted her eyes from his. "I'm just not in a party mood," Mariah said with a sigh. "That makes two of us," Jughead replied honestly. "Whoa. Wait. You're not actually upset that I threw you a party, are you?" Betty questioned her boyfriend. "It is nice, Betty. I appreciate it. It's just I would be happier if it were just the five of us in a booth at Pop's," Jughead admitted.

"Yeah but we always do that. I wanted to do something special," Betty said quietly. "'The road to hell is paved with good intentions'," Jughead quoted. "Why is everything so doom and gloom with you, Jug? Why can't it just be normal for once?" Betty asked, growing angry. "I'm not normal, I'm not wired to be normal," he replied.

The doorbell rang and Mariah sighed in annoyance. She just wanted this thing to be over. "How many more people did you invite to this thing?" Jughead asked Betty. "No one. Inner circle only," she replied. The four exited the kitchen and walked toward the door. It opened and Cheryl walked into the home, a large group of people behind her. A smirk was on her lips and she looked very proud of herself.

"Did you really think that you could have a party without inviting moi?" Cheryl asked. "Or me?" Chuck questioned as he walked up next to her. Mariah rolled her eyes at them and scowled. She was not in the mood for this bullshit. "Archie, where do you want the kegs?" Moose asked, a keg of beer on his shoulder.

Mariah, Betty, and Veronica turned their questioning gazes to him, awaiting his reply. He grinned, "Screw it! One in the kitchen, one in the backyard!" He exclaimed. The crowd of people began to cheer at his words and Mariah shook her head in disappointment. "Seriously, Archie?" She asked angrily.

Archie ignored her and Jughead walked away from everyone. Archie then walked into his living room, a large smile on his lips. Mariah glared at the people in front of her and walked back into the kitchen.

····

The party was in full swing by now. Mariah walked over to where Veronica stood with Kevin and Joaquin. "Veronica. I hate this. I want to leave. Should I leave? This was supposed to be inner circle only. And now it's a hardcore party with alcohol and possibly drugs," Mariah said frantically. Veronica pulled the blonde away from the other two and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Mariah, calm down. It's okay. You're fine. I think you need to relax and try to enjoy this party," Veronica said.

Mariah gaped at her, "How can you be okay with all this? After what happened in New York."

"I'm not okay with anything. You're not the only one who's hurting, Mariah. But I'm trying to get over it and move on and so should you. Nothing bad is going to happen here so just relax, okay?" Veronica said. The blonde shook her head and Veronica sighed. She pulled her friend into a quick hug and rubbed her back reassuringly.

"If you think that I'm gonna forget what happened then you're wrong. I just don't want it to control my actions and I don't want it to control yours. You deserve to be happy, more than anyone," the brunette said. Mariah pulled away from the hug and nodded, giving her a small smile. "Now go find Archie. I think he might have had a little too much to drink," Veronica suggested. "I think you're right," Mariah muttered before going to find the boy.

She maneuvered her way through the dancing bodies of sweaty people. The music was loud and she could feel the vibrations of it through the floor. All she wanted was to go home. She felt so uncomfortable with all of the people around her and she could barely keep herself together.

Mariah stumbled out of the living room and saw Jughead attempting to leave. Cheryl and Chuck were blocking the door. Cheryl wanted to play a game and she locked the door to the house. "You do realize that I can just unlock the door and leave, right?" Mariah pointed out and Cheryl rolled her eyes. "You're not leaving," she stated.

"We'll see about that," Mariah muttered in annoyance.

····

Everyone was gathered in the living room of Archie's home as they prepared to play Cheryl's stupid game, Secrets and Sins. Cheryl began questioning Veronica who wasn't taking her shit. Then Dilton Doiley began implying that Archie and Grundy were together, which Cheryl and Chuck were enjoying a little too much.

"Cheryl, I love you and all but, you really shouldn't be trying to out everyone's secrets. Let's not forget, you have a few of your own," Mariah said with a pointed look. "Well, what about you Mariah?" Chuck asked. "What about me?" Mariah questioned. "You obviously have a few secrets of your own. Why did you move back to Riverdale, for example?" Chuck said.

"I'd like to know that too," Cheryl said, this time she was the one with a pointed look. "You don't know? Wow! What did you do that was so bad that you couldn't even tell your best friend?" Chuck asked, a large smirk on her face. "Why I'm here, is none of your business, Chuck. So fuck you and fuck this game. Why don't you tell us why you're such an ass and why you treat women like trash? Is it because no one loves you?" Mariah said.

Chuck rolled his eyes, the smirk never leaving his lips as he began to tell everyone about Betty. This caused Jughead to punch Chuck in the face and a fight ensued. FP Jones then grabbed Chuck and pushed him out of the house, the crowd of people watching from the door. "What are you looking at? The party's done. It's over! Go home!" FP shouted at the kids who quickly dispersed.

Mariah re-entered the Andrews home and began to look for her purse. She groaned in aggravation as it was nowhere to be seen. "What are you looking for?" Archie questioned from behind her. "My purse," she stated. "Oh, it's in my room. I took it up there so that no one would steal it. I can get it if you want," Archie said.

"No thanks. I'll get it," she said, brushing past him and walking up the stairs. She quickly entered his room and found her purse on his bed. She picked it up and turned to the door. Archie stood in the doorway, a sad, almost guilty, look on his face. "Mariah, I know that something is up with you. And I know that you don't want to tell me. But I want to help you, to be here for you and I can't do that unless you let me," he said as he stepped into the room.

"Archie, it's late and I'm tired. I want to go home and sleep. So can we talk about this some other time?" Mariah said. "You never told Cheryl why you moved back to Riverdale. You never told me, or Betty, or Jughead. Does anyone know?" Archie said. Mariah sighed, "Veronica knows."

"So you told Veronica?" Archie asked. "No. She was there, that's why she knows," Mariah answered. "She was where? New York?" Archie asked and Mariah sighed again, shaking her head. "I don't understand, Mar. What's going on? Why didn't you want to come to this party and what aren't you telling me?" Archie said.

The blonde took a seat on his bed and placed her head in her hands. A dip in the bed indicated that Archie had sat down next to her. "I don't want you to think of me differently. To look at me differently," Mariah admitted. "Think of you how?" Archie asked. "Like I'm some weak, emotional little girl that doesn't know how to let go. I might be emotional but I'm not weak. And I also don't want you to pity me. I don't want nor do I need your pity," Mariah said.

"I know you're not weak. Believe me. But why would I pity you?" Archie said. Mariah released a long breath and looked at him. "Something happened in New York. Something bad. I feel like it was my fault even though people keep telling me that it wasn't," Mariah mumbled.

"Mari, what happened?" Archie asked quietly. "It's sort of a long story," she muttered. Archie stood from the bed and pulled Mariah up with him. He adjusted the pillows that were strewn on it before taking off his shoes and lying down, gesturing for Mariah to do the same. She reluctantly took off her shoes before lying down next to him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him, her head rested on his chest.

He released a slow breath and smiled reassuringly, "I'm listening."

°°°°

Dun dun dun! The truth is about to be revealed. This was a super long chapter that I hope you all enjoyed. The next chapter all questions will be answered (hopefully) and you'll find out what exactly happened in New York and why Mariah left. What better way to do that then with a flashback? New characters will be introduced *cough Savannah and Christian cough* so stay tuned. And have a very excellent day! P.S. if you have any theories about what happened and why she left then leave them in the comments because I really want to read them.