WITHOUT YOU [RIVERDALE] (on hold)

01

Julia took a deep breath and stepped out of her taxi and onto the pavement. Riverdale looked the exact same way that it did before she left. Same Pop's, same Twilight Drive In Theater, the same smell, and the same people. While handing the driver a crisp 50 dollar bill, she grabbed her luggage and stared up at the gray house that was supposed to be her home.

With a glance across the street, she noticed her cousin, Betty Cooper, walking over. Betty and Julia had been extremely close when they were younger, having slumber parties every Friday night. After starting high school their bond had loosened when Julia started to hang around Cheryl and her older cousin Polly.

"So it is true. You're really back," Betty stated, her face painted with an emotion that Julia couldn't detect.

Arching a brow, she nodded. Something seemed off with Betty, but Julia decided not to comment on the topic because she knew how her family could be. Plus, she had been gone for five months. Maybe some things changed after all.

"Unfortunately," Julia frowned. She missed London. Her friends, (now ex) boyfriend, the accents, and the anonymity to be specific. "But it feels good to be home," she lied through a smile.

"Well, since tomorrow is the first day of school, I thought that you could come on a tour with me. I'm supposed to be showing this new girl Veronica around... and, well, you could use some extra curriculars," she paused, "it's probably going to be harder for you to build up your college resume." Betty was always thinking about the future and taking extreme measures to be perfect, a trait she had picked up from her mother.

"I might, but it's only the beginning of sophomore year. We have the whole year to join clubs, and I'm still a River Vixen you know," Julia sent a slight smile to Betty, not before noticing an extremely good looking Archie Andrews emerging from his house.

Before she left for London, she and Archie had gotten... close. They had always been friends since he lived across the street, but hormones had contributed to their beneficial relationship. Julia still felt guilty about leaving him behind without an explanation, but everything happened so fast.

Archie walked over to the girls with his eyes squinted. "Jules?" His body had definitely bulked up since she had left. Something she was absolutely admiring through her sunglasses.

"Archie.. hey?" Julia lifted her glasses on top of her head to get a better look at his face. She thought that he would be angry with her, but he just seemed confused. She didn't know how to react to the situation, feelings weren't her forte.

"When did you get back? I tried to get a hold of you for months. Why didn't you say goodbye or, at least, call me?"

The tone of Archie's voice showed that he was hurt, but it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Julia couldn't answer his questions. She didn't know how.

"I had to get away for awhile I guess. Change of scenery and all that," She could tell that Archie and Betty didn't believe her. "Look, I just got home from the airport and the jetlag is kicking in, so I'm gonna go inside. It was nice seeing you though, both of you." Julia grabbed her suitcase and pushed past Betty to enter through the front door. Once she was inside and away from what felt like absolute chaos, she felt her heart pounding in her chest.

..........

The next morning Julia got dressed for school. Her nerves were through the roof, and she knew people would be talking about her return to Riverdale. She was most nervous about seeing Cheryl, she had heard about Jason's death and immediately called the girl, but she had seeemed distant.