𝓛𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓑𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

𝒻𝑜𝓊𝓇𝓉𝓎-𝑜𝓃𝑒

*Warning: strong language*

"If you met my family, you would understand."

+ + + +

It was a cold rainy day, when the Serpents parked their motorcycles on the parking lot of the cemetery. The weather predicted the mood of the town entirely. Gloomy, tired and sad, thick grey clouds blocked all the sunlight and covered the streets in a permanent mist. 

Nellie uncomfortably tugged at the edge of her borrowed dress. It had long black sleeves and reached about a fist above the knee. The slick material stuck to her thighs as she balanced behind Sweet Pea and Fangs. Her new black heels, bought with her first pay-check from Andrews' Construction, started to painfully cramp up her toes. 

Cheryl and the River Vixens sang a song in honour of Midge Klump. Every now and then, Nellie discovered herself staring at the girl's mother. The woman looked desperate and sad. She wondered if one time, she'd looked the same. There had been no one else at Dahlia's funeral. Just her daughter and the priest. Skimming over the numerous heads at the cemetery, a pang shot through Nellie's heart at the memory.

Nellie's eyes lingered on the top of the casket. A simple brown one, decorated with a lush bouquet of flowers. It was beautiful in its sad simplicity. She swallowed hard at the thought of the single sunflower that had graced her mother's. Her favourite flower. Tearing her eyes away, she accidentally made eye contact with Sweet Pea. 

The tall Serpent stood in front of her but looked worried over his shoulder. Wordless, he held out his hand for her to hold. Nellie took it, momentarily relishing in the warmth of his fingers before she gave it a squeeze and let go. 

With a threat directed at the Black Hood, the ceremony ended and the crowd scattered. Sweet Pea motioned towards Nellie but was swept away by the departing people. Nellie, alone, slowly walked past the graves to follow the others, lost in her own thoughts. Her mind returning to the last time she'd walked along headstones so very similar to these. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed a figure departing from the orderly line of people and slowly walking through the graves. 

When he looked up, his eyes found Nellie in an instant, as if on purpose. Hurt and betrayal, anger and impatience urged her to follow Hiram Lodge to a shadowed part of the cemetery. She had to confront him sooner or later. Perhaps, she wouldn't get a chance at all.

He waited for her, hidden behind the leaves of a low hanging willow tree. As usual, Hiram wore a well fitted suit, hugging his shoulders tight. His dark hair was swept back and his stance was one of confidence. He at least had the decency to look to the ground as Nellie entered the tiny alcove of leaves. 

"Mija," the man started but he had no time to continue for Nellie merely held up her hand before she hissed venomously. 

"Don't even bother. If you're here to convince me to leave Riverdale, I won't." She crossed her arms in front of her. She was afraid if she didn't she might actually take a blow at her father. Trembling with anger and a racing heartbeat, she anticipated his response. 

Hiram shook his head, a finger quickly tracing his lip as if in deep thought. "Is that what your mother would've wanted, Nellie?" he suddenly said, his eyes connecting to Nellie. It was a low blow. He just put more salt into the freshly open wound of her mother's passing. He must've known, Midge's funeral would make Nellie vulnerable. In a flash she saw the sadness of a man mourning his lover. She remembered him coming to their apartment, sunflowers wrapped in paper. It infuriated her even more. 

"You wouldn't know, would you?" Nellie hissed, treacherous tears threatening to spill over her cold cheeks. 

Again, Hiram shook his head, making a smacking sound with his lips. "Don't you think Dahlia would disagree with your recent behaviour? You've been making a fool out of yourself." he said, his brown eyes burning with evil as he came closer to his bastard daughter. "You claim a fortune that never belonged to you. You attacked a man. And if that isn't enough, you've gotten yourself whored out by a Serpent. And so publicly at that too." 

"I don't need to hear your mother's last words to know she would be disappointed in you, Nellie." 

By the time Hiram was done, Nellie was fuming. Her breathing was ragged. Although she knew she had done nothing wrong, embarrassment and shame coloured her cheeks a bright red. The tears were now freely streaming over her cheeks. She angrily swiped her nose with the sleeve of her black dress. 

"You have no right to say these things," she managed to get out between forced breaths. However, Hiram Lodge wasn't finished with his daughter. If she wasn't talked out of Riverdale, he would hurt her out of it, he thought.

Circling Nellie like a prey, he continued. "As your father, I kind of do."

"What kind of father are you?!" Nellie screamed out, slamming her fists against her sides. "You left. Remember? You shut the door and never returned! And now you think you have a say in anything I do? Fuck off!" she screamed. 

"See?" Hiram said, stopping in his tracks. A satisfied smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Once Nellie had connected that smile to a warm memory - her father winning a game of cards or the latest round of the board game. Now she wanted nothing more than smack it from his disdainful face.

"This is what the Southside does to respectable young girls." He shrugged as if he just made his point. 

"This is what you do to respectable young girls," Nellie hissed between gritted teeth. 

"Nellie, Riverdale is no place for you. You can still go back. I'll even give you what you want. Enough money to leave this place. Start again, make your mother proud." Hiram continued, showing his daughter his back as he retrieved an envelope from his inner pocket.

Holding out the money as if it was the greatest gift on earth, he looked utterly pleased with himself. 

"This is how you fix everything, isn't it?" Nellie snapped, walking slowly towards her father. "Throw money at the problem until it disappears." 

"It is one way," Hiram admitted. 

As her fingers grazed the starch white paper of the envelope, her hesitance made Hiram frown.

"What if I don't accept your offer?" Nellie asked.

"I just want to make sure I don't spill my own blood when I destroy the Southside, Nellie." Hiram said. For the first time in their conversation, he looked sincere. 

Wanting him out of her sight, Nellie snatched the money from his fingers. Suddenly, Hiram stepped closer, pressed the lightest of kisses on her forehead and made his way out of their secret hiding place. Back to his family. His wife. His real daughter. Bitter tears stained Nellie's cheek.

She hadn't noticed she'd clutched the envelope against her chest as she forced herself to calm down. Closing her eyes and taking even breaths, she circled her spot a few times. When she opened her eyes, the dark and furious figure of Jughead Jones was watching her. Leaning against the tree-trunk, he was fuming at what he had just witnessed.

"Who the hell are you, Nellie Hearst?"