𝐒𝐎𝐋 | ˢʷᵉᵉᵗ ᵖᵉᵃ

• T W E L V E •

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Clemintine sat at Pop's, hoping to talk with Veronica, but as always, Veronica was busy with her speakeasy. She never seemed to have much time for her friends anymore. So instead, Clemintine stirred her shake by herself at a booth.

"Well, well, what's a lonely girl like you doing here?" Clemintine looked up. She knew that she recognized that voice. Cait and Max slid into the booth, hand in hand, now facing her.

"What's on that pink headed mind?" The pierced male Serpent asked with a smirk, leaning back into the booth.

Clemintine sighed heavily, leaning back as well, making herself comfortable. "I'm worried..."

"About?" Max raised a pierced brow, genuinely curious

Clemintine rolled her eyes. "Where do I start? Betty isn't answering my calls, all of my friends have been ignoring me. Archie and Jug are off the grid. No one in this town tells me shit."

Max and Cait shared a look, before turning back to her. Cait spoke first. "That's a lot."

"What about that kid you've been seeing?" Max questioned. This was just an excuse to get information on the strange boy.

"Kurtz? He has work." Clemintine answered, a brow slightly raised at his curiosity. "I need a job."

Cait perked up, eager to help a friend. "What about tutoring? You did so good with us." She motioned to herself and her boyfriend. "You could get paid for it this time."

Clemintine smiled slightly at the memory. Though last year held so many awful memories, there sure were some good ones. "I miss those days. But I think I should get a steady job."

"Crazy how your students became your friends, huh?" Max chuckled lightly.

"Yeah." Clemintine nodded at the boy's words. She smiled at them both. "Never in a million years would I have expected the Northside and Southside could ever be what it is now." Her friends nodded, showing that they agreed.

☀️

At the police station, Clemintine patiently waited in the interviewer's office. She was nervous as to why the woman had left the room. She hoped there wasn't anything wrong with her resume.

The interviewer, Stacey, Clemintine remembered her name being, soon came back to the room. "Clemintine Bartholdy." She smiled, her eyes crinkling in the corners, showing her age. "I knew I recognized that name. You're Steven's daughter, aren't you?" Clemintine nodded. "Then I don't have to think twice. Welcome to the team."

Clemintine stood with a smile and shook Stacey's hand. "Thank you."

"No, thank you, Clemintine." She smiled. "I'll show you to the front desk, where you'll be working." Stacey smiled. "You'll start Monday. You'll work from 4-10, then Joshua will take the graveyard shift." She explained as Clemintine followed behind her down the many halls of the station. "We'll let you have weekends off. We'll figure out summers when we get there." Stacey smiled once again.

They reached the main desk, where another, older, woman sat, her glasses resting on the tip of her nose. "This is Angie, she works weekends with me." Stacey introduced the two.

"I love your hair." The 70-year-old woman sat at the desk complimented.

"Thank you, I like your sweater." Clemintine responded.

Angie smiled brightly, removing her glasses, letting them hang around her neck. "My daughter bought it for my birthday."

"Joshua." Stacey stopped a nearby passing deputy. "Come meet Clemintine."

"Hi." Joshua smiled, holding out a hand for the young girl to shake. His smile was bright and perfect. He was tall, and obviously muscular under the uniform he wore.

"Hi." Clemintine shook his hand.

"This is the team." Stacey informed Clemintine. "Team, this is Steven Bartholdy's daughter."

Angie gasped. "Steven was such a good man."

Joshua smiled faintly. "He taught me everything I know. He talked about you a lot."

"Really?" That came as a surprise to Clemintine.

"Yeah. He said that you were his favorite, and that I shouldn't tell Julian." Joshua chuckled, once again showing off his perfect teeth.

Clemintine stared at him with a furrowed brow. She had always thought that Julian was both of her parent's favorite.

That night, when Clemintine slept, she dreamt of her parents.

"Clemmie, it's time to get up." Steven Bartholdy woke his daughter.

Clemintine got up and began her daily routine. Her hair was still long, and platinum blonde. Her closet no longer held the dark clothes that Cheryl had given her, instead it was filled with her old, light blue clothing selection.

The Bartholdy's sat at the dining table, where one of Lucinda's famous Sunday breakfast sat. Polly and Betty Cooper also sat at the table, their parents being out of town. Clemintine took the open seat beside Betty, the two oldest of the cousins sitting across from them.

Lucinda smiled brightly, carrying a large plate of waffles to the table, placing them in the center of the large table. "Dig in." Lucinda instructed.

As the four teens began eating Clemintine's favorite foods, Steven rose his glass of milk. "We're going to miss Clemintine. Here's to having fun in New York."

The rest of the family rose their glasses, each member either having milk or orange juice.

"I'm going to miss you sweetie." Clemintine's smiling face turned to her mother. She began to panic as Hal stood behind her.

"Mom-" Clemintine was too late. Hal didn't even have to move, and Lucinda's throat was cut. No one, besides Clemintine, freaked out and began hyperventilating. Lucinda continued to smile.

"Goodbye, Clemmie." A very panicked Clemintine turned to her father, his chest was bleeding, yet he too smiled. Turning back to her family, her cousins had disappeared. Julian sat there but ate. As if nothing was wrong.

Clemintine gasped awake, feeling suffocated. She quickly sat up, her eyes wide and her hand on her throat, desperately trying to calm herself.

That was the day she left for New York. She remembered it well, it was a happy day. Now, thanks to that nightmare, she would never forget it, it would never be the same.

chapter word count: 1005