𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

𝓉𝓌𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓎-𝓈𝒾𝓍

"I was running out of time. And maybe, so was Riverdale. Hiram Lodge had been making moves. Big moves. But with no proof of criminal behavior, all I could do was speculate. What was Hiram's master plan for Riverdale? And why did it feel so close to fruition?"

- Jughead (2x15)

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It's well past twelve when Nellie finally opened her eyes. Images of the prior day, haunted her last night, making it almost impossible to fall asleep. It hadn't only been Kowalski's face or blood stopping scream that had taken over her thoughts but also the tall Serpent boy behind the door. 

It was becoming harder and harder to ignore her heart racing upon the sight of him but for his own good, she couldn't involve him in the violent need to bring down her father. It was starting to prove that Hiram Lodge had powerful friends. Nellie didn't doubt that once he was brought down, he wouldn't hesitate to get his own revenge. Revenge she didn't want to be targeted on Sweet Pea. 

She stumbled out of her bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she got ready for the day. She wouldn't be expected at the Five Seasons. She wouldn't be expected anywhere but here, in a tiny trailer in Sunnyside Trailer Park. The feeling of disappointment settled deep once she got out of the shower and into a worn pair of black jeans and a red sweater. 

Her job at the Five Seasons wasn't exactly a glamorous one, but it was something she had managed to do all by herself. Without the help of her mother Dahlia or without Hiram Lodge. Hopefully her experience at the luxury hotel would be enough to convince other employers to hire her. 

When she returned to her bedroom, her eye fell on the bloodstained apron tossed on the ground. It lay on top of a rumpled uniform. She sucked in a breath, lifting the fabric up. Almost immediately two solid taps sounded on the wooden floor. 

Nellie's dark brown eyes searched for the source of the sound, locking onto two perfect golden cuff links. She bit her lip as her trembling fingers picked them up. She squinted her eyes to look at the jewelry she stole from Kowalski before he forced himself upon her. 

The dagger in the center of the rich blue was surrounded by three stars, something she hadn't noticed the first time. Her thoughts immediately went back to Kowalski and her father. Those men, both dangerous and influential, knew each other. The question was how? And probably even more what their relationship meant for Nellie. 

Without thinking, she dropped the apron on the ground, letting it join her uniform once more. Her dirty sneakers kicked up dirt as she strode towards the Jones' trailer, banging her fist on the solid wooden door.

A confused Jughead opened the door. "Nellie? What are you doing here?"

Nellie didn't wait for an invitation and barged right in. "I've got something," she started but her words froze in the air when she saw Jughead wasn't alone. 

A pretty blonde haired girl, sat up straighter in the couch, patting imaginary dust from her jeans before her pale blue eyes met Nellie. 

"Betty, this is Nellie. Nellie, Betty," Jughead introduced them, uncomfortably watching as Nellie held out her hand. 

"Nice to meet you," Betty said, a questioning look thrown towards Jughead, as she shook Nellie's hand. The Serpent prince shrugged and scratched his head underneath his beanie. 

"I didn't mean to interrupt anything," Nellie excused herself, already wanting to leave the cramped trailer but Jughead blocked her way. 

"What did you find?" he asked, sticking his chin in her direction as he addressed her. Nellie glanced back at the preppy girl sitting up even straighter if that was possible. Betty send her a curious stare, skimming over her worn jeans and sweatshirt. Suddenly Nellie was all too aware once more that she probably looked as poor as she was. 

Jughead sighed at her indecisiveness. He quickly ran a hand over his eyes, collecting his thoughts. "Betty is my girlfriend. She knows everything I've been up to. She knows that we want to find something incriminating against Hiram Lodge,"

Both girls looked up at him in surprise.

"Jug," the blonde one said, standing up and reaching for her boyfriend. An uneasy look was shot at Nellie. Jughead, however, lifted one of his hands. "Nellie is on our side, Betty. She wants to bring down Hiram Lodge as well,"

Betty frowned "And why would she? What did he do to you? I don't even know you?" the girl blurted out all her question, replacing her gaze from Jughead to Nellie with a distrustful shimmer in those blue eyes of her. 

Nellie sucked in her breath. She could come clean and tell her about her true relationship with Hiram Lodge, but the less people knew about her true identity, the better. After all, if there's one person who deserved to know first, it was Sweet Pea. 

"He wronged her back in New York," Jughead answered for her instead, feeling the need to at least ease the distrust his girlfriend was showing towards Nellie. 

"True. If you are truly looking for what Hiram Lodge is hiding, I might have a clue." Nellie interrupted the interrogation, focusing back on the cufflinks pressed in the palm of her hands. 

She held them out, a feeling of pride washing over her. Both Jughead and Betty bend over, taking a closer look. "We are still trying to figure out Kowalski's part in Hiram's plan. Perhaps these cufflinks, and more specifically the symbol on them, can tell us more about Kowalski's true occupation and perhaps lead us to Hiram's intentions."

"I don't think Kowalski is of any relevance," Betty interjected, frowning at Nellie's outstretched palm. Nellie clenched her teeth at the thought that her confrontation with the man might've been for nothing.

"We thought he did," Nellie intervened, pointing at Jughead and herself. Betty crossed her arms in front of her chest. 

"I had no idea you both had discussed this before," she said, a hurt look directed at Jughead. For a second, Nellie felt sorry for the Serpent standing next to her. Then, she shook her head, a loose strand of dark hair falling over her forehead. She had no say in Jughead's relationship whatsoever, so why feel guilty for something that was clearly happening between the two of them.

"Listen, I think if we find out who Kowalski is, and what his connection is with Hiram, we get to know Lodge better. And that's what we're trying to do, right? Figuring out what he has in store for Riverdale and how we are supposed to stop him?"

Jughead remained silent, his eyes still locked on his girlfriend. "True, we need to figure out why he's buying all this property in the Southside. I mean, whatever he's planning, he's running out of patience. He has bought Southside High and Pop's this week."

This was new to Nellie. "He did? Why don't I know about this?" she said, feeling helpless that this information was held from her. 

"Nobody's supposed to know," Jughead explained "Archie told me." He turned his attention to Nellie once he figured she had no idea who he was talking about. "He's my best friend and the boyfriend of Hiram's daughter. They're growing quite confidential now," 

Betty let out a sigh, reaching for her jacket that was discarded on one of the chairs around the dining table. "I'll ask Veronica if she has any clue about this Kowalski figure," she said, looking at Nellie. Nellie couldn't bring herself to actually smile so instead she just stared and watched the blonde squirm into her jeans jacket. 

"I have to go now, Polly will come home today" she said towards Jughead, pressing her lips against his cheeks.

"Want me to come with you?" the boy replied, following his girlfriend towards the door. The blonde shook her head, "I'll call you," she promised, planting a quick kiss on Jughead's lips. 

Once the door is closed, an uncomfortable silence settled between Nellie and Jughead. 

"Do you think Kowalski is a dead lead?" Nellie asked, fiddling with her sleeves. Jughead scratched the back of his neck. 

"I don't know honestly. It's like we're just getting nowhere. Hiram is pressured about something, whatever is going to happen, it needs to happen fast."

He looked back up at Nellie, "Leave one of those cufflinks here, I'll show 'em to my dad and investigate the symbol. For now it's the only clue we have."