Mariah, Archie and Cheryl all held umbrellas above their heads as they trudge through the snow. Cheryl had just tapped a tree and everyone was heading back to the Blossom's mansion. Two of the Blossom's board members were talking shit in front if the three teenagers and Mariah could feel her anger rising.

"I don't buy this dog-and-pony show for a second. Cliff can't control his own family, let alone the company," a man with red hair said to a woman with similar hair. "Agreed. And if he tries to put Cheryl forward as a successor... Do you remember what she did at the funeral? Crocodile tears," the woman said.

"Hey," Archie began and Cheryl interrupted him. "Archie, you don't have to," the redheaded girl said. "No, Cheryl loved Jason. What was she meant to do at his funeral, not cry? And yeah, Jason was on the football team, but Cheryl was at every single game, too, doing as much to help the Bulldogs win as he did," Archie said.

"Also 4.0," Mariah muttered. "Also she has a 4.0 grade point average. If there's one thing I've learned being in Cheryl's class, it's don't underestimate her and don't bet against her," Archie concluded.

"And if you two morons were capable of running this company, wouldn't you be running it by now?" Mariah questioned, tilting her head to the side. She gave them a faux smile and she, Cheryl, and Archie walked away from the two.

As the group continued the fairly long walk back to the Blossom's mansion, Archie wound up with Clifford Blossom. The two were talking about who knows what and Mariah didn't like it. She didn't want that man to corrupt Archie.

"There's a banquet at the Belmont Lodge and I would love for you to come," Cheryl said. Mariah groaned, "Where I have to spend more time with these people? I'd rather jump off a cliff."

"Why must I always beg you to do things with me?" Cheryl questioned. "Maybe because you always want me to do things that make me want to jump off a cliff," Mariah deadpanned. The two girls walk closer to Archie and Clifford and Cheryl goes ahead of Mariah. The redhead cut into their conversation as she approached the two men. "But nothing. You have to come. You can be Mariah's escort. It'll be the perfect date for you two. And maybe you can ask a certain someone a certain question," Cheryl said, tilting her head in Mariah's direction raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"I'm not going," Mariah stated firmly. "Nonsense, you have to come. You're practically family," Clifford said. Mariah fought the urge to gag and gave him a tight-lipped smile. "I'm wearing viridian. He'll need a proper suit, don't you think, daddy?" Cheryl said, turning to look at her father.

"I'll have my tailor fit you. If that's not a problem?" Mr. Blossom answered. "No. No, no, it's just I'm an Andrews, Mr. Blossom, like you said. My dad works construction, a fancy banquet's not really our thing," Archie said.

"That's precisely why you should come. People like you are the Bedrock of our town. You're hard workers," Mr. Blossom said.  "Plus, Mariah needs a dance partner," Cheryl added.

"I won't take no for an answer guys. My favorite couple deserves to have a night of fun while looking amazing. So, what do you say Mari? Archiekins?" Cheryl said, a hopeful smile on her face. Mariah and Archie looked at each other. The boy shrugged and Mariah sighed. "Sure, why not?" The blonde said. "Yay!" Cheryl squealed.

····

The next day at school was Friday and Mariah was beyond tired. She was borderline exhausted for some unknown reason. She honestly would have stayed home but, going to school was important. She needed to maintain her good grades and perfect attendance.

Attendance was weirdly important to her. When she dragged herself into the building she walked to her locker, which seemed to be light years away. As she got to it, Veronica rushed passed her in a hurry and toward the girl's locker room. Mariah furrowed her eyebrows and quickly followed after her.

"Veronica?" She called after entering the locker room. The faint sound of crying pulled Mariah toward the girl who was on the floor. Mariah immediately walked over to the girl and crouched down next to her, pulling her into her arms. She tried to comfort her as best as she could, though she didn't know what was going on.

Betty walked in shortly after and joined the duo on the floor. She placed a comforting hand on Veronica's back and rubbed it soothingly. Mariah glanced over at Betty with eyebrows raised in question. The blonde simply shook her head and mouthed 'later'.

Mariah nodded and returned her gaze to her dark haired friend. After about five minutes, the girls stood and Betty and Mariah escorted Veronica to her next class.

····

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly and before she knew it, she was back home and getting ready for the Blossom's banquet. Betty had filled her in on what was going on with Veronica and Ethel's family. Mariah desperately wished that there was something that she could do to help the Muggs. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything except watch the situation play out.

Her thoughts were on Veronica's father, Hiram, as she did her hair and makeup. It shocked her when she learned what he had done. She continued getting ready and put on a stunning red, floor length dress that fit her body almost perfectly. She wore a pair of simple black heels to go with it. Her bright red lipstick looked vibrant against her slightly pale complexion. All in all, she thought that she looked amazing.

Around thirty minutes later, is when the doorbell rang. Mariah carefully walked down the stairs and headed to the front door. After looking through the peephole she opened the door, a smile gracing her features. Archie stood outside the door, nervously fiddling with his hands.

As the door opened, the boy looked up from his hands and his jaw drops. "Well don't you look handsome?" Mariah said, a teasing smile on her lips. "Wow," Archie murmured. "I'll take that as a compliment," Mariah laughed.

Archie nodded, "Good, you should. Because, you look beautiful. You always look beautiful. But tonight... wow." Mariah laughed again before smiling, "Thanks Archibald."

"Are you, uh, ready to go?" Archie asked. Mariah nodded and grabbed her purse. She locked the door and the two walk toward Archie's truck.

The drive to the Belmont Lodge was filled with mindless chatter. Archie was telling Mariah jokes, which weren't funny in the slightest. What was funny, however, was the way his voice sounded when he told those jokes. Long story short, Archie was an idiot. But what else is new?

When they arrived, the two walked into the building and Mariah scanned the area for Cheryl. "You two look hot! The best looking couple in Riverdale," Cheryl said as she seemingly popped out of nowhere and approached the two. "And you look gorgeous, no surprise there," Mariah said, giving the girl a hug.

"I try," Cheryl replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. The redheaded girl then gave Archie a weird look and he nodded his head. Mariah looked between the two in confusion. "What?" She questioned. "Nothing. Come sit," Cheryl said, taking Mariah's hand and pulling her over to a table. She sat down next to Cheryl and Archie sat on Mariah's other side.

A few minutes later, Clifford Blossom was clinking his glass in order to get everyone's attention. He gave a brief speech that Mariah wasn't paying attention to and then he sat down. Cheryl leaned over Mariah and began conversing with Archie. Mariah tuned them out. She just got there and she was already bored.

"Are you even listening, Mariah?" Cheryl asked, successfully snapping Mariah out of her thoughts. "No, not really," Mariah answered honestly. "You always tune out of conversations. What's wrong with you?" Cheryl said. "Nothing's wrong with me Cheryl. I just don't care enough to listen," Mariah replied.

"Archibald, can I have a word?" Clifford said as he came over to the trio. "I'll be right back," Archie said, placing a kiss on Mariah's cheek and standing. The two walked away from the table and began conversing once they were out of earshot. Cheryl kept glancing over at her father and Archie. "What do you think they're saying?" She asked the blonde.

"I don't know and I don't care. I just want to go home," Mariah complained. "Oh suck it up and stop complaining," Cheryl snapped.

"Mariah Coleman, fancy seeing you here," a woman said. Mariah turned to her and squinted. "Do I know you?" She asked. "Not necessarily. But I know you and your family. I know your mommy and your daddy. I actually knew your dad really well," she said suggestively with a sickly sweet smile.

"Okay and why should I care?" Mariah asked. "I just want you to know that you don't belong here. Just like your mother didn't belong here. You two are just snakes, trying to weasel your way into the posh life. But all you two are, are a bunch of frauds," she said.

Mariah stood from her seat and eyed the woman. "First of all, you don't know me or my mother. You're just a dumbass bitch who loves to talk shit and cause trouble. And how old are you? Fifty? Grow the hell up. And second of all, instead of getting in my face and talking to me, maybe you should be over there and minding your own damn business," Mariah snapped viciously.

The woman chuckled, "I can see why Patrick left. Any person in their right mind would have. It must suck, huh? Knowing that daddy left, because of you. You do know it's your fault right? And partially your mother's. But mainly you. Although Patrick probably would never admit it, deep down he knows and you know that it's true," she said.

Mariah glared coldly at the woman before storming off. She could hear Cheryl going off on the woman as she walked away and she felt tears burning in her eyes. She quickly exited the building and walked out back. Mariah tilted her head back and looked up at the sky briefly before closing her eyes.

An involuntary sob escaped her lips and she clamped a hand over her mouth. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and she roughly wiped them away. She couldn't believe that she was crying. That she was actually crying because of something some ignorant, random woman had said.

But she couldn't help it. The woman's words sharply pierced her skin. They seeped into her bloodstream and invaded her mind. She didn't want to believe that the words were true but deep down, she felt that they were. Mariah never thought about it, she never had a reason to. But after tonight, she did.

"Mariah?" A male voice questioned timidly. Mariah quickly wiped the remainder of the tears from her face as she recognized the voice. "Hey, are you okay?" Archie asked. "I'm fine Archie. Go back inside," she replied, her eyes trained away from his form. Archie moved to stand in front of her and took in her appearance. She had been crying, he could tell. Seeing her like this made his heart clench in his chest.

"Cheryl told me what happened," he said quietly, taking a step closer to her. "That woman doesn't know what she's talking about," Archie added. Mariah laughed bitterly, "Yes she does. She's right. My dad leaving was my fault. It's not like I gave him a reason to stay. I was obviously a burden to him. Maybe it would've been better if I was never born."

"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that. Do you hear me?" Archie commanded. He took her face in his hands and held her gaze. "You are not a burden. You are a funny, smart, beautiful, and amazing person. You bring joy to those around you. And yes, you can be a little rude at times but that just adds to your charm. Your father leaving is not your fault. He left because he was too much of a coward to face his responsibilities and be a dad. He left because he'd rather be somewhere other than Riverdale. And that is not your fault. So please, don't ever blame yourself for that. Don't let people like that gold digger ever put you down because you're awesome. The sooner you believe that, the better you'll feel," Archie concluded.

The blonde sighed and put her arms around his torso, pulling him closer and into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered. She didn't believe anything that he said; it was hard for her to. But she appreciated his words, so she hugged him.

He pulled her closer and held her tightly. "What are boyfriends for?" He muttered. Mariah smiled slightly and pulled away enough to look at him. "There's that word again. I don't recall having a conversation that labeled our relationship," Mariah said with a pointed look.

"Well, I originally planned on asking you to be my girlfriend tonight. And then this whole thing happened and I'm not sure now is the right time," Archie confessed. "What time is the right time then?" Mariah asked and he shrugged. "You could ask me now and we'll see how I'm feeling," Mariah suggested.

"Okay. Mariah Adeline Coleman, would you like to be my girlfriend?" He asked. "Okay, how do you know my middle name?" She questioned. He chuckled, "Cheryl."

"Of course," she muttered and then looked up at him. "Putting that aside, I would love to be your girlfriend Archibald 'I Don't Know Your Middle Name' Andrews," Mariah said and he smiled.

Archie leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, kissing her gently. As their lips moved together, Mariah couldn't help but think about how lucky she was. Archie pulled away, his smile even wider now. "I'm not telling you my middle name by the way," he said. "Dammit!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry babe, but that's a secret I'd rather not share," Archie said. He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to the parking lot. "Babe? So I'm your babe now?" Mariah asked. "Yes you are," he said. "Then you should tell me your middle name," she said.

"Sorry, no can do," he replied. "But you know my middle name, it's only fair if I know yours too," she pouted. "My lips are sealed," he said, mimicking the action of zipping a zipper on his lips. "You suck, you know that?" She said and he shrugged.

"Where are we going?" Mariah asked. "I'm taking you home," Archie answered. "But we didn't get to dance, or eat," Mariah protested. "Do you really wanna go back in there?" He questioned his head slightly tilted to the side. She sighed, "Not really."

"How about I take you to Pop's for dinner?" Archie asked. Mariah leaned into him and he tightened his hold on her waist. "That sounds great," she answered. "Good," he replied as they reached the truck. The redhead opened the door for the blonde and motioned for her to enter.

"Your carriage awaits malady," Archie said in a fake English accent, holding out his hand for her to take. "Why thank you kind sir," Mariah replied in a fake accent as well, taking his hand and hoisting herself into the truck. Archie shut the door and walked over to the driver's side and opened the door, sliding into the vehicle. "We're such dorks," Mariah laughed, Archie nodding in agreement. "That we are," he agreed.

"Well what are you waiting for? Pop's awaits us kind sir," Mariah said. Archie smiled fondly before putting the key in the ignition and starting up the car. He drove out of the parking lot and toward Pop's Chocklit Shoppe.

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Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed chapter twenty. If you could check out some of my other books that would be great. Also, sorry for any mistakes. Have a good one guys.