JJ KNEW

After a sleepless night, Eleanor wakes up only to realize it's Jason's memorial. So she grabs the only dark dress she has in her closet, and it's not because Jason would like to see her in it, in fact he would probably tell her to wear the brightest color she has, but it's about respect for all the ones who are still alive.

Her body still aches with the thought of never seeing Jason again. It wasn't a nice goodbye like the ones that happen in movies and unrealistic books, there wasn't even a goodbye. But still those are the most painful ones as well, because they aren't explained or said. 

Jason is really dead, that's really happening.

"Hey," Ellie stands by her sister's doorframe. "am I interrupting something?"

Jughead clears his throath. "Uh no. I just came to pick you up. You two, I mean."

Betty gestures towards the dark-haired boy. "Isn't he handsome?" 

"Definitely." Ellie smiles, and hurries them. "Now, Iet's go?"

. . .

They make it to the Blossom's mansion together, and they sit by each other's side.

It hasn't start yet when Archie makes his way to Jason's mother and gives her son's jersey. Penelope gets blinded by the boy's resemblance to Jason for a moment, and that's understandable. Both have red hair and both had a soft spot for one of the Cooper's girls, so yes it's hard to miss the similarity.

When Archie comes back to his sit, Ellie leans over and places a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, it... it was weird." 

"It was really sweet what you did." Betty tells him.

"She deserves it more than I do." Archie replies.

"Ah, how did it go?" Ellie remembers now. "The meeting with the guy about your music?" 

Archie looks down at his hands. "Ah, not very good." 

"Arch, I'm –."

"He'll shine in some other way." Valerie intervenes, and no one had even noticed before this.

Eleanor looks at her. "I'm sure he will. He always does." Without another word, Ellie moves back and leans back into her chair. She feels a knot on her throat, the jealously is tormenting her. Jughead notices, and looks over to her, but she shakes her head. "Stop,"

"I didn't say anything." Jughead shrugs. 

She doesn't look at him, but still replies. "You didn't have to." 

Veronica approaches the group. "Days like today really put things in perspective, huh?" She sits down, and continues. "I mean, at least we are here. Alive."

It's hard to not be loved back? Sure. It hurts to have your family broken? Definitely. But shouldn't we be thankful for what we do have? For even having a family. For the friends that sit by our side during dark times, for summers that help you get through hell.

Cheryl has it worst.

It isn't until Jason's twin breaks through the room with a long white dress that everyone stops talking. No one is more shocked than her parents, that's for sure. A smile find its way to Ellie's face, because Cheryl is going to do her speech, and it's the bravest thing she has seen in her life.

"Welcome to Thornhill. Thank you all for coming. I'd like to start the memorial with a few words about Jason." Cheryl starts. "The last time I saw Jason, I was wearing this dress. I know it's impossible. But I swear, when I put it on, it... feels like he's in the room with me. Even though we were twins, I used to demand I have my own birthday party. Until one year, out of the blue, Jason convinced me we had to combine them into one. It wasn't until years later, I found out why. It was because no one wanted to come to mine. And Jason didn't want me to know. He protected me. Every single day. I wish that day at the river, I had protected him."

Cheryl then turns to the cofin and cries about how sorry she is. Ellie looks down, while Veronica stands up and walks up to the red-haired girl, because she feels like she has failed Jason as well. He trusted her when he went to her that morning, and Ellie did nothing with that.

Penelope stands up. "I think we'll adjourn now to the Winter Salon for a lighter supper."

Everyone gets up from their sits, but with her green eyes stuck on Cheryl, Ellie doesn't see Betty and Jughead leaving. So she's left alone with Kevin.

"So you and Betty are ok?"

"Yeah." Ellie nods.

"You and Archie, huh?" Kevin teases, in an attempt to light up the morbid mood. "Is he good, you know, in bed?"

"Kev!" She pushes him lightly. "Shut up."

"Hey," Archie approaches them with Valerie by his side. "what are you guys talking about?"

"Ah, you."

"Not you you." Ellie corrects her friend right away, and she's fully aware of how nervous she sounds right now. "Just, you know, your amazing songs."

"Have you showed them the new ones?" Valerie asks, her eyes on him.

Archie shakes his head. "No, I haven't."

"Are you helping him?" Ellie wonders, even though she already knows the answer.

"Yeah, we make a pretty good team." Valeria glances at him for a moment. "Don't we?"

"Definitely." He smiles widely.

Ellie's eyes fall down to her feet. She feels the need to run away, so she excuses herself and turns her back on them. She wonders around lost in her own thoughts, and when she comes back to reality, she finds herself  in front of Cheryl's door.

"She's not very well." Veronica's voice sounds behind her.

Ellie turns around. "Yeah, I bet."

"You miss Jason too, don't you?" The dark-haired girl smiles sadly.

"More than I thought I would."

"Maybe you should have swallowed your fear and walked up to that stage and did your own speech." Veronica shrugs. "At least you'd let it all out, like Cheryl." The idea seems awful and at the same time so tempting. Ellie looks down at her hands, tears forming in her green eyes. "Do it. Do it now, right here. I'm willing to hear you,"

"What?" Ellie frowns in confusion.

"No cards, no prepared speeches, just the truth. Your friendship with Jason." Veronica incentivates her, and finishes with a sigh. "Let it all out, E."

Eleanor releases the air she has been holding the entire time, since she entered the Blossom's mansion. She looks at her friend that nods reassuringly. "I – I could spend years talking about how amazing Jason was, but he wasn't just amazing. He was loud, but sometimes too quiet. Jason liked to tease me and he always used to come up with different nicknames to call me. He used to mess my hair, I hated it." Ellie lets out a chuckle in the middle of all the crying. "Jason could be mean but he could also be the best person in the world. He always had my back, no matter what. And I never got to thank him for that. I loved him and I... I never got the chance to say it."

Eleanor looks down at the end, tears falling to the ground. Veronica's crying as well at this point, in silence, and only wipes her tears when her eyes focus on Cheryl, leaning against the doorframe, right behind Eleanor.

"That was beautiful."

Ellie turns around at the sudden voice, and only does she remember to wipe her own tears away. "Cheryl? I... I'm sorry, I –."

"Don't apologize." Cheryl smiles sadly. "I never really knew how much you loved my brother, but I'm sure JJ knew how much you loved him."

. . .

It isn't until later that Ellie learns where Betty and Jughead went, when her sister comes running to her and pulls her to their Dad by the Blossom's entrance, and home.

In the way to the Cooper's house, Betty whispers in her ear. It takes all the strength Ellie has left not to cry, she wants to, so bad. But she's also so tired of crying, she has cried so much for Polly, for Jason. Suffered too much already.

"You dragged me out of the Blossom's house, and then you don't talk to me the whole way home, Betty." Hal's confused.

"Jason and Polly were engaged." Betty finally blurts out. "Did you know that?"

Their Dad looks away, and that's how they know it's true.

"God, what?" Ellie gasps, because part of her still wanted it to be a lie. "How could you know and never say anything?"

"Is that what you and Clifford Blossom were talking about?" Betty asks.

"That is none of your business. Any of you." He turns his back on them, ready to walk away.

"It is, Dad!" Eleanor exclaims. "Polly is our sister! So just be honest, for once!"

Hal turns around, and faces them again. "Clifford and I were arguing because he and his filthy clan came this close to destroying our family. Your little friend Cheryl's great-grandfather... murdered yours, girls."

"Why?" Betty frowns in confusion.

"For the same reason they do everything. Greed and hate." Hal sits down at the diner table. "They were in business together. And one day great-grandfather Blossom decided that he didn't want to share the profits. So he murdered my grandfather in cold blood." 

"That's why you hated Jason?" Ellie scoffs in desblief. "Because some bloodshed that you heard stories about?"

"They stole our livelihood, Ellie." He replies. "And I'd die before I let them steal my daughter too."

Betty slams her hands down on the table. "Where is she?" 

Hal stands up. "She is sick! And Jason made her sick. And she's not coming home until she isn't sick anymore. Fair warning, girls. Stay out of it." And just like that he turns his back on his daughters, leaving them behind.

"Betty," Ellie turns to her sister, and shares her biggest fear right now. "what else are Mom and Dad lying about?"

"I don't know. But we need to find out."

"Do you think..." She hesitates, but that thought doesn't stop crossing her mind now. And she doesn't want it to be true, but what if it is. "Dad killed... Jason?"

"Do you?" Betty frowns.

"He said he'd do anything." Ellie takes a deep breath. "I don't what to think so but..."

"Dad wasn't in the Drive-In." Betty remembers. "Whoever broke into Sheriff Keller's house wasn't there either. What if it was Dad?"

"Betty," Ellie steps closer to her sister, and mumbles. "we need to go see Polly. We have to."

. . .

Later that day, when her mind is still focused on all the lies their parents keep telling, Ellie gets a call from Archie. It's already dark outside and cold, but she still gets up from her warm bed and meets the boy next door on the side walk.

Ellie crosses her arms over her chest to try and stay warm. "Couldn't sleep?" 

"I couldn't without telling you what happened."

"What do you mean?" She frowns in confusion.

"The guy told me my music isn't good and I thought about giving up, you know, I mean I had football. I was going to be Captain." Archie explains.

"Archie, you can't –."

"But I didn't. I refused the jersey and" He steps closer to her as he continues. "I'm gonna keep practicing. It doesn't matter what that guy thinks of my music because someone once told me, over many beers and under a starry summer sky, that there's always going to be someone who can't see your worth, don't let it be you."

"What alchool does to someone." Ellie chuckles.

Archie smiles down at her. "You're just that smart without it." 

A feeling of understanding, a comfortable one, surrounds them. 

Archie's hands go to her waist. He wants nothing more than to kiss her, without warning. Archie needs her kiss. It belonged to him that summer, and he wants it back. But he also knows it's more complicated than that. So, instead, Archie pulls Ellie in for a hug. And how right is the world in this exact moment.

. . . 

Next morning, much to Ellie's surprise, when she walks into the kitchen, Jughead is there. Eating breakfeast, with their Mom and Betty. And it's slightly awkward, to say the least.

"Morning." She sits down with a smile, and turns to face her best friend. "Hi, Jug."

"Hey," Jughead replies, and he can see that look on her face. It's not the first time Jughead eats over at her place, but it's a rare moment. 

Clicking on the plates are the only noise filling the silence. The tension doesn't allow any of them to enjoy the pancakes, and Ellie's would throw it away if it wasn't for the chocolate. 

Alice faces the dar-haired boy, and finally breaks the silence. "So, Jughead... I suppose we have you to thank for my daughters' ongoing obsession with this Jason Blossom ghoulishness?"

"Mom, we were already interested." Ellie tells her, stepping up in her best friend defense right away. "Jason was my friend, remember?"

"And I was the one who asked Jughead to help me write it for the Blue and Gold." Betty adds.

"Relax, girls." Alice chuckles at their quick answers. "I'm just making conversation." 

Both girls look over to Jughead, clearly not very relaxed. He drinks his orange juice, but his eyes are on them too. And it's doubtful that this can get any more awkward at this point.

Jughead clears his throath. "Do you guys have a bathroom I could use?" 

"Sure. I'll show you." Betty offers.

"No, no. I'll show him." Alice stands up, and gestures. "Follow me."

Both disappear on the hallway, and Betty stands up in a quick movement. Ellie stands up too, confused as to what is happening, because she hasn't been informed of the plan, obviously.

"Cover for me."

Eleanor frowns but walks over to the hallway, watching out for Alice's return to the kitchen. Betty walks to the drawer, and searchs for Polly's household address inside their Mom's purse.

"Faster, Betty." 

"Almost, almost." Betty replies. "Done, I have Polly's address!"

Now they have what they need to go face their family's demons. The only person capable of explaining the whole situation with Jason is Polly, no one else would be able to give a more truthful answer than her. But now, Ellie's scared of what they might find out, of how sick Polly could be. It terrifies her.