CURSED HEARTS / riverdale

xii: honesty

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The next day, I walked to school alone, ignoring the messages from Chuck and his sheep who were freaking out.

I ignored the pit in my stomach and was trying my best to swallow down the anxiety.

I had been so busy with people that I hadn't realised the sudden decrease in my own anxiety that I had picked up over the summer. But as I thought about Reggie and how distraught he'd be at the shitstorm that was about to hit, that all too familiar weight on my chest came back again.

"Hey Gwen!" I recognised the voice as I turned around with a forced smile.

"You look happy," I noted the boy's big grin. But as my eyes dropped to his lips, heat rushed to my cheeks.

"My dad's making a studio for me to practice my music in," Archie beamed.

I welcomed him as a distraction from my own thoughts, "Your dad is making a studio? So you're serious about your music?"

"As serious as I can be," Archie said determinedly. "My dad wasn't all too supportive but you wouldn't believe what, or should I say who, turned his opinion around."

"Go on tell me," I said with a smile at how happy he really looked.

"Geraldine," he said with a proud look in his eyes.

I ignored my disappointment at her name being mentioned and instead I let out a small laugh, "Okay, I'm happy for you and your 'I'm getting laid' vibes but you've gotta stop calling her that if you don't wanna get caught."

"I know," he agreed dreamily.

We walked through the school entrance together befor making our separate ways, Archie saying he needed to thank someone. I shook my head at his words, knowing exactly where he was going but as I continued to think about him and his rendezvous with Miss Grundy I realised that I really didn't want to start fake dating him while he was involved with someone else.

My thoughts were interrupted however when I was handed a newspaper by a freshman who quickly walked away.

I opened my locker, simultaneously reading the paper in my left hand, my eyes going wide at the headline.

'BOOK OF SHAME'

And underneath the heading was a neat little article and a photo of the book. With the rising panic in my chest I skimmed over the article and took a closer look at the photo, confusion settling within me at what I had noticed.

"Don't worry," a voice said to me as I looked up, forcing down the urge to strangle the girl with her pearls. "Betty left your boy toys name out of it and I edited the picture adding a natural blur and extra lighting over his name."

I instantly took back the thought of strangling her.

"You know, I thought I had you pinned down," Veronica continued, her arms crossed. "I thought I had you figured out. Rebel Without a Cause or even perhaps a Serena Van Der Woodsen but the longer I stick around, the more wrong I become."

"I've never really been a fan of Gossip Girl, Fresh Prince on the other hand..." I trailed off.

The side of Veronica's mouth quirked up in what I could only perceive as amusement.

"See that's what I mean," she pointed out, "anyone would've thought at first glance that this girl refers to Gossip Girl as a life guide."

"Thank you for keeping his name out," I said, feeling slightly uncomfortable since my opinion of the new girl wasn't very fond.