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I lay, sprawled across the bunched-up sheets of my bed, staring at the ceiling that hovered right over me. My over-sized yellow tee was crumpled and my dark, curly hair was a tangled mess but I couldn't care less.

It had been a few hours since Sweet Pea dropped me home and, even though I was supposed to be sleeping, I couldn't stop thinking about him and what had happened that night.

He had shown me his soft, kind and considerate side. He had granted me space when I needed it, apologised when I was upset and given me advice concerning my family problems. He returned my phone, he let me have his bike helmet and was extremely careful with his motorcycle on the windy, rutty roads.

To be honest, I hadn't expected such behaviour from a too-hot, big-shot, extremely arrogant Serpent biker. But then again ... we were talking about Sweet Pea here. Maybe the word 'sweet' was in his name for a reason ...

"Kenz. Kenz, sweetie, wake up!"

With a startled jolt, I rolled over to face Dad, who was leaning over me, an expression of concern plastered across his face. "D-Dad? It's morning already?"

"Afternoon actually," he returned as he lowered his large frame onto the end of my bed. The mattress dipped beneath his weight and I had to pull myself up into a sitting position to prevent my body from rolling off onto the floor.

"A-are you serious?" I groaned as I ran my fingers through my tangled locks.

Dad raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Where were you last night?"

I hesitated before replying in a low tone, "I - I was at a friend's house. Archie Andrews' actually."

"All night?" Dad gave me a pointed look, one that hinged on annoyance and disappointment.

"What? No!" I exclaimed, a bright red blush flooding my cheeks. "No! C'mon, Dad. Seriously?"

"Well ... what do you expect me to think? You ignored all of my calls and messages."

"Look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to stay so long. It won't happen again, I promise," I sighed as I widened my eyes and pursed my lips in a 'puppy-dog' look.

Dad rolled his eyes and chuckled as he stood up. Upon realising that he wasn't mad, a wave of relief washed over me.

"So ... what's the plan for today?" I queried innocently as I tumbled out of bed and headed into the kitchen.

"Got you some coffee," Dad motioned to a mug on the counter before sitting down at the kitchen table.

"Mmm." I closed my eyes and sniffed at the delicious waft floating through the air. Turning around, I saw Dad lean back in his chair and open his mouth to speak. "Yes?" I prompted when no words came out.

Dad heaved a deep breath before replying to my earlier question, "I - er - well, I'm just trying to clear the air between you and Jughead so I - I may have organised for the two of you to go to Pops ... together."

I froze. "The two of us? Alone? At Pops? I don't think that's gonna go down well."

"Well, you have to start somewhere," Dad pointed out. "Look, I'm just trying to help you both, okay? You can't go around the whole summer hating each other. You're siblings! You have to figure whatever-this-is out."

A shaky breath escaped my lips as I nodded. "Fine. I'll give it a shot. What time am I supposed to be there?"

Dad frowned as he turned his wrist over to check his watch. "Oh dang it! You were meant to meet him there ten minutes ago!"

"Crikey!" I howled as I slammed the mug back on the counter and dove for my pile of clothes on the floor next to my bed. "Dad! How could you do this to me?"

After tugging on some plaid shorts, slipping on a pair of blue converse and shrugging a light cardigan over my bare shoulders, I charged out of the house towards the old car parked around the other side of the trailer.

It took me another eight minutes or so to reach the cute, quaint restaurant and, by the time I rushed through the door, I was mentally kicking myself. How could I have slept in so late?

Perfect start to a perfect day.

"Hey! Jug!" I greeted breathlessly as I slipped into the booth facing him. Dropping my keys onto the table with a loud clatter and raking my wayward hair back into a high ponytail, I looked up to meet the icy-cold green of my brother's eyes.

"You're late," he commented dryly as he leaned over to sip a half-finished milkshake.

"And you ordered without me," I muttered as my gaze trailed across the burger, fries and ice cream cone gracing the table-top.

Jughead shrugged before going back to his drink. "Aren't you the one who invited me here?" he questioned absent-mindedly. "You should at least have the decency to show up on time."

"I - er - slept in," I offered, grimacing at how pathetic my squeaky voice sounded.

Jughead snorted in laughter. "You slept in? It's one o'clock in the afternoon."

Just as I was attempting to rebuff him a second time, the bell above the front door of the diner erupted in a series of tinkles. Glancing over Jughead's shoulder, I watched as the few people scattered across the room stopped what they were doing and turned around to face the entrance.

Cheryl Blossom came waltzing into the place as if she owned it. Tossing her head back, she stalked right past the counter and down the aisle of tables towards us. A flood of bright red beach waves cascaded over her shoulders and back, matching the bold colour of her chapstick. In one hand, she held a purse coated with leopard spots and in the other, a large, multi-coloured lollipop. She sported a floral sports bar, a tiny pair of pink, ripped shorts and a see-through sweater that had been layered around her neck and shoulders. The click-clack of her high-heels echoed throughout the diner as she came to a stop beside us.

"Hey chums!" she greeted us with a wide, way-to-fake smile. "I thought I'd find you here discussing your life problems. Jug," she nodded towards my brother before turning to me, "Mackenzie. I don't believe I've had the pleasure. I've heard so much about you. Welcome to Riverdale."

I shot her a quick smile in return. "Uh ... thanks."

"You probably know all about me," Cheryl rambled on in a sickly sweet tone. "But, just to put any doubts to rest, I'll introduce myself. Hi. I'm Cheryl Blossom aka Cheryl Bombshell. Follow me on Twitter and I'll do the same."

"Er...okay," I tilted my head to one side in confusion as I looked up at her.

The sudden scraping of a chair filled the air and I swung my gaze towards Jughead, who was standing up to leave.

"And where do you thinking you're going, Juggie?" Cheryl questioned curiously. "Aren't you supposed to be hanging out with your dear sister?"

"Stay away from me, Cheryl," Jughead seethed as he narrowed his eyes at her. Brushing past her tall figure, he stomped rudely out of the diner, leaving me alone with the red-headed Bombshell.

Oh crap.

"I - I better go too. You know, to see if he's alright and all," I waved my hands around frantically as I leaped to my feet and inched my way around Cheryl, whose large 5"7 figure towered over my smaller one.

"Not so fast, chum," Cheryl's arm whipped forward at a lightning fast speed. Her cold fingers snapped over my wrist and jerked me towards her. Gone was her pleasant facade. Now her eyes were filled with a steely glare and her body movements indicated suspicion and disgust.

Shocked, I stared into Cheryl's black, unblinking eyes.

"I've got my eye on you, Mackenzie Jones," she whispered, her twisted voice sending chills up my spine. "I'm not going to rest until my brother's murderer has been avenged so watch your back because I'll be there, watching, waiting for you to mess up, for you to step one foot out of line. Don't test me, Jones. I'm a Blossom. You don't want to be on my bad side ... for long. Well," releasing me, she stepped back and let out a short, high-pitched laugh, "Oh my god, Kenz, you are so funny! I adore you already."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I choked out as I spun around and exited the room. The whole way out I could feel Cheryl's eyes boring into my back and it caused tingles of terror and fear to prick my skin.

As I darted across the parking lot towards my car, I remembered what Veronica and Betty had said to me earlier. They were right. That family was messed up! Just before I stepped into the vehicle, I stopped and cast a glance over my shoulder, only to see Cheryl's flaming red hair and piercing dark eyes watching me from a behind a lacy curtain covering one of the diner windows.

BBRRIINNGG.

I jumped and a hand flew to my back pocket. Hastily, I pulled out my vibrating phone and glanced down at the lock-screen.

It was Betty.

"Hello?" I lifted the device to my ear.

"Kenz, is that you?" I picked up a fearful, timid voice on the other end of the line.

"Betty, yeah, it's me. This is my number. Why? Is everything okay?"

"No. I need you to come over. Now. Something bad has happened."

I hesitated, my eyes bouncing back to Cheryl's over-watching form as its shadow hovered behind the window. "Copy that. I'll be right there."

Gif: Mackenzie as she sees Cheryl walk into the diner.

*PLEASE REMEMBER to give this chapter a vote if you enjoyed and I'd love to hear any feedback from my readers; so pepper me with questions. If you're confused, I'll try and clarify it for you. If you want more information on a certain point, I'll do my best not to give you spoilers. If you just wanna chat 'bout random stuff, then I'm in*

Q: On a scale of 1-10 (1: really dislike. 10: really love) how much do you enjoy Cheryl's dramatic entrances?

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