LAST DAY

Ellie Cooper is someone everyone knows in Riverdale.

There isn't anything to remember her by but her kindness. She'a adored by all, even Cheryl Blossom, which is weird, to be honest , but with Jason's and Polly's relationship, to be discovered, and his further death, things start to change. Even all the kindness in the world wouldn't be enough to keep Ellie away from the darkness to come.

It's the last day of summer holidays. A lot had happened that summer, good things, bad things. It is mostly known by the time when most secrets are born, and a lot of them were.

The Coopers are quietly eating dinner. But, clearly, it's difficult to have one meal in this house without ending it with one of them abruptly leaving the room. So this time is no different.

"You still have that?" Alice's eyes are in her daughter's wrist when she asked the question with an accusative tone.

"Yes, I told you. It's special." Ellie tells her. "Jason might have done whatever you say he did to Polly but he was still my friend."

"Jason wasn't a good company and –."

"Mom, honestly, not even after he's gone..." She shakes her head in disbelief. "I thought we had moved past this but, clearly, I was wrong."

Ellie stands up from her seat and without looking back, she walks up the stairs to her room. Betty watches as her sister walks away with sadness written all over her, and she feels sorry.

After Betty finishes her dinner and manages to escape her parents, she finds herself knocking on Ellie's door. The blonde opens it when no answer comes, and finds her sister sitting in her own bed while looking down at the small bracelet around her wrist with sorrow.

"I'm sorry about Mom, I –."

"It's ok." Ellie stops her, and shrugs. "I'm used to it."

Betty walks further into the room. "We're in this together. Like always."

Ellie looks up, finally facing her sister. She has a small smile on her face and its clearly that she's doing her best to comfort her. But all Ellie can feel is guilt, it's always here reminding her of what she had done. It's an overwhelming weight that is crushing her heart, weather she really deserves it or not.

"You know, I'm going out with Archie and maybe you'd like to –."

"No, no." Ellie stands up right away. "This is your time. I know how much you've been wanting to tell him about your feelings, so... I wouldn't want to ruin that."

"Do you think he likes me back?" Betty smiles, hopeful or maybe just delusional.

Ellie swallows, a knot forming in her stomach. The question wondering in the air, an anxious blonde looking her away.

"You won't know until you try, right?" She turns it around, the best way she can.

"I guess."

"Kevin is more into these kind of things, to be honest." Ellie shrugs. "If you heard anything he told you earlier today, you're probably on the right path."

Betty laughs at her sister's words.

Suddenly, a glance at Ellie, right in front of her, and Betty feels bad for being so excited. Ellie is probably staying home, all alone with their crazy family and she's going out with their friend. How is that fair?

"Are you staying home?"

"Where else would I go?" She replies. "I could call Kevin but he's probably busy with some random guy, anyway."

"What about..." Betty hesitates. "Jughead?"

"What about him?" Ellie looks at her sister, and it's not like she doesn't think about Jughead a lot, she does. But she tried texting him and calling at first, now she just has given up, just like he had. "You know we haven't talked all summer."

"You never told me what happened." She wonders. "The three of you were the best of friends, the Golden Trio. We all kinda were."

Ellie sighs. "We were just that inseparable trio of best friends, until one day we weren't."

Silence fills the room, until Ellie notices her sister's sad eyes in her direction. She doesn't like when people look at her like that, with pity. It makes her feel small and vulnerable, and she hates feeling like that.

"Betty, you can go." Eleanor comforts her. "Really."

"Fine." Betty sighs. "But if you change your mind, show up."

Elizabeth looks back one more time before walking completely out of the room.

Finally, Ellie let go of the breath she was holding, the guilt washing all of her kindness away. Would it make her a better person if she tells her sister the truth but make her cry? Did it make her the worst person on the planet to tell Betty a lie but make her smile?

When Ellie's Mom enters her room with the same conversation – about how grades are important, about how Jason ruined Polly, and she didn't want the same thing to happen to either Betty or Ellie – that's when she decides to leave the house.

She can't take any of that anymore. 

After a long walk, she finally arrives at Pops'.  A small smile finds its way to her face, memories warming her heart. Jughead, Archie and her used to spend all the time here, laughing and betting on how many burguers they could eat in five minutes. As much happier as those memories are, they also reminded her of how things used to be and never will be again.

Ellie walks in, the bell on the door rings, annoucing her entrance. Before walking any further, her green eyes meet the same exact ones across the diner. Betty, and Archie. And just like that, a small hint of pain hugs her heart, almost crushing it. That ache, reminding her the repercussions of being nice, too nice. As always.

Betty waves at her and gestured for her to approach them. Eleanor, unable to deny the offer, walks up to her best friends. Quickly, her sister pulls her down to sit by her side.

Ellie's green eyes look up to meet Archie's. They stare at each other for a while, an awkward tension hangs in the air. The only person talking is Betty, and the other two are just listening.

"What did you do this summer, Ellie?" Archie asks her, his eyes glaring deep into her soul.

"Not much. I just, you know..." She keeps her eyes on him as well. "After what happened to Jason... It was a pretty quiet summer for me." But, deep down, Ellie knows that her summer had been anything but quiet.

"So what was the highlight?" He now faces her sister.

"Of my internship? The Toni Morrison book release party I organized, by far." Betty replies, and she has this dreamy look on her face as she continues. "At the end of the night he who is, as you know, my literary hero says to me don't rush this time, Betty. It goes by so fast at your age. One Summer can change everything." 

"She's not wrong." Archie says, his eyes changing to look at the other Cooper.

"Yeah. So Archie," It's Ellie's time to ask him. "how was working for your Dad?"

"It was pouring concrete. Every day. All day long. To pass time I'd start composing these poems in my head. And I'd go home and write them down." He tells them.

Betty interrupts him. "You don't like reading poetry." 

Eleanor was about to blurt out the reply, but stops herself right in time. Because, for as far as she is supposed to know, Archie had not become the most amazing songwriter ever. 

"They aren't poems. They are song lyrics. And working on them made me feel like..."

"What, Arch?" Ellie finds herself asking.

"Like I've finally broken through something real. About my life, and what I should be trying to do with it. Music. Starting this year. Tomorrow." He smiles.

"Amazing." Betty smiles even more.

Ellie's green ones are on the ginger boy from across the table. Memories of hearing that same speech comes to her mind. Ellie would never get tired of hearing Archie talk about the very thing he loves to do, all that passion. "I'm happy you found something you love." 

"Will you ask Ms. Grundy to tutor you?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe." He shrugs.

"Didn't you want to try out for football?" Betty asks.

"Can you do both?" Ellie raises her eyebrows.

"I'll try at least." Archie replies, with a hopeful tone.

Betty leans over the table. "Have you told your Dad?"

"No. Until I've got things more figured out, you guys are the only people I'm telling, ok?"

"I'd love to hear your songs sometime." Betty tells him, with a smile.

"Yeah," Ellie plays the part. "me too."

Archie smiles at their excitement. "I'm finishing a couple demos tonight, so sure." 

One glance at her sister, and Eleanor is forced to look away. Because everyone who sees the way Betty looks at Archie knows that she's hooked.

Ellie stands up, and tells them. "I'll go get a milkshake."

When she's mid-way, she turns around, and her eyes catch Betty's. Ellie, that's standing in the middle of the diner, gestures with her head, for her sister to take her chance.

Eleanor can see from the corner of her eye now, the blonde girl sitting across from the red-haired boy pouring her heart out, or at least it seems that way. But suddenly, the bell rings and everyone's head turns towards the door.

A dark-haired girl walks in, and walks straight to the balcony, right next to Ellie. The blonde girl smiles at her with simpaty, and the stranger girl orders something after returning the smile, and then she turns to Ellie's friends, sitting close by.

Eleanor grabs the milkshake Pop hands her, and approaches the three teenagers.

"Hi."

"Hey." Archie's the first one to greet her.

"How are the onion rings here?" She asks.

"They are delicious, actually." Ellie tells her, with a smile.

"Yeah, so good."

It's quite weird to watch. Betty is, obviously, a bit jealous. But who wouldn't be?

"Can we get some onion rings too, please?" The dark-haired girl calls out to Pop, and then faces the group once again. "Thanks. My Mom and I just moved here, so."

"From where?" Eleanor finds herself asking.

"New York." She says. "Do you guys go to Riverdale High?"

"We do. All of us, together. We're sophomores." Betty and Archie speake at the same time.

"Me too. I'm filled with dread."

"Why is that?" The red-haired boy wonders.

"Are you familiar with the works of Truman Capote? I'm Breakfeast at Tiffany's, but this place is strictly In Cold Blood." The girl chuckles. Archie joins her as does Ellie, but Betty just gives one fake smile while staring at the boy in confusion. "Veronica Lodge."

"Archie Andrews." He introduces himself, but doesn't stop there. "And this is Betty and Ellie Cooper."

"Oh, you're sisters." Veronica points out with a wide smile, and then faces the ponytail girl. "And also you, Betty, are supposed to –."

"Give you your tour tomorrow? Yes. I'm your peer mentor." 

"Do you want to join us?" Archie invites her, and the next words that leave his mouth are definitely flirtatious. "Maybe we can un-fill you with dread?" 

Betty quickly faces her sister, with her eyebrows raised. Ellie can see how she's confused at this point, or maybe just jealous. Probably that.

"My mom is waiting for me." Veronica smiles at the proposition, and steps back before saying her goodbye. "But to be continued." And she walks away.

Archie finally looks away from the dark-haired girl and faces Betty, the blonde sitting across from him, and frowns a bit. "What were you saying before?"

"Nothing." Betty gives him a yellow smile.

The rest of the night isn't as it was supposed to be. But everyone moves on from Veronica's presence earlier, much to their comfort. So, it's already pretty late when Ellie tells them that it's probably time for them to walk back home.

And they do, they walk out of Pops' the same way they got in, all friends. Betty didn't pour her heart out when she got the chance, but no doubt her feeling would be coming out, one way or another, and it wouldn't be pretty. 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

So, here it is the first chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

Let me know if you like it by commenting or voting. It would really mean the world to me if you did so. And about the grammar, english is not my first language so please if you see any mistakes do tell me, BUT be kind when doing so.

THANK YOU.