skin and bone ; riverdale ♡

fifty six ♡

"So, are you going to tell me why Fp Jones called me to pick you up?" Alice asks as she sits down at the table with me. "And eat up. I haven't seen you eat all day and dinner isn't going to be done until late."

"He caught me looking aroumd and said it wasnt safe." I lie, picking up one of the smaller cookies, taking a bite out of it. Just in time, Betty comes running, Sheriff Keller right behind her.

"Betty? What's wrong?" Alice rushes over to her, putting her hot chocolate down. I spit out the cookie that I'm chewing, throwing it in a bin and heading over to them.

"Betty and Archie have been through a bit of an ordeal." Sheriff Keller speaks as Betty runs into her mother's arms.

"What happened?" I ask.

"He's dead." Betty says in a quiet voice.

"Who? Who's dead? Archie?"

"No, Archie's fine. I just took him home." Sheriff Keller assures me. "We finally caught the Black Hood."

"The Black Hood?" Alice and I both ask Betty in confusion.

"Who is it?" I ask the Sheriff.

"Joseph Svenson. Better known to you as Janitor Svenson."

"Oh my god." I breathe out. "He-"

"Oh my god, Betty. Did he hurt you?" Alice checks her daughter for bruises or any sign that she may be hurt.

"No, Mom. I'm fine." She says, wiping away a tear. "He tried to make me bury Archie alive."

"He what?" Alice and I whisper-yell in disbelief.

"We're both fine now." She assures us. "Sheriff Keller shot him."

"I'm so sorry, Betts."

"It's fine. I'm just glad it's finally over."

"Thank you for bringing Betty home safe, Sheriff."

"No problem, have a good night." Sheriff Keller says, as Alice shows him out.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask Betty quietly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. The sooner we go carolling the better."

"Carolling?" I raise an eyebrow. "Since when?"

"Since this morning. Mom and I thought it would be fun if all three of us went. And, I think it would be great for us to go and get our minds off of things."

"Well, as long as I'm not singing on my own, I'm good." I laugh.

"Great, I'll go get in the shower."

"Yeah, you're..." I look my cousin up and down. "A mess."

Betty runs upstairs, and Alice and I go back to the kitchen, sitting back down at the table.

"Well, that was the last thing I expected Betty to say." I admit, sipping on my hot chocolate.

"Am I a bad mom?" She asks, her eyes watering again.

"No! Of course not."

"I'm sorry, I'm going to go call Hal and see when he's coming home. You finish your hot chocolate and we'll get ready to go."

"Okay." I hum, watching as Alice grabs her phone, heading out the backyard.

*

"Merry Christmas everyone." I chirp in a sing song voice as we all sit in the living room early the next morning, the fairylights giving the room a festive glow.