(pre-season one)

The hot sun shone down onto the three teenagers as they drove down the open road leading them away from their small town. The windows of the 1965 black Mustang Convertible were rolled down allowing the breeze to waft through the car as they drove. In the front seat, driving the car that was not his own was a brooding teenage boy. His right hand gripped the wheel while his left rested on the empty windowsill. For once, his usual gloomy demeanor was gone and replaced with a gentle smile as his friends belted out the lyrics to Bon Jovi's 'Livin on a Prayer'. In the passenger seat sat the girl whose family owned the car the teens were taking on their impromptu road trip. Her blonde hair was tied up messily in a ponytail that whipped around with the gusts of wind while leopard print sunglasses covered her sapphire blue eyes. In the back seat, sat the third member of the trio who belted out the lyrics alongside her best friends. Her natural hair was done in braids that fell over her shoulders that were exposed to the harsh wind. A pair of black cat-winged sunglasses also covered her caramel-colored eyes with small rhinestones on the wing portion.

All three teenagers were dressed for the warm weather both girls sporting jean shorts and pairs of sandals (the blonde wearing light brown gladiator sandals and the brunette wearing black sandals with a singular braid down the center of her foot). The blonde wore a fitted red tank top with floral designs that tucked into her dark-washed jean shorts while the brunette sported a yellow loose pocket tee that complimented her light-washed shorts. While, the two girls appropriately dressed in shorts their male counterpart sported a pair of medium-washed ripped jeans and an ACDC tank top (gifted to him by the blonde for Christmas) with a red flannel tied around his waist (gifted to him by the brunette for his birthday). Luckily, the wind kept the group relatively cool as they drove down the winding road towards their destination.The trio belted out the last lyric of the song before falling into a fit of laughter. The blonde grabbed her phone which was plugged into the updated stereo and scrolled through her playlists to pick a song. The brunette in the back shifted her position during the break, choosing to cross her legs on the seat for a while.The driver glanced away from the road to see his friend scrolling through a long list of songs, "You better not play Queen again, Rene." Rene scoffed her eyes shifting to stare at the side of her male best friend's face, "Excuse you, Queen is legendary and I will play them as much as I want! I included Metallica, Nirvana, The Smiths and a few of your favorite miscellaneous songs, just so you wouldn't only listen to Car and I's favorites. Besides, I could hand the AUX to Carmen and let her blast Hamilton if you'd like?" From the backseat, Carmen 'oohed' yelling out that their friend got burned. A smirk pulled at the corners of the male's lips as he couldn't stop himself from enjoying the bickering he always got into with his two best friends. He turned his head to the right flashing a fake wide grin before replying, "How considerate of you, Ren. Go on, play more Mercury at least he's better than Hamilton on repeat."A slap sounded as Carmen leaned forward to slap the back of the boy's head, "Don't be disrespectful.""Oh, I could never," He retorted snarkily before returning his full attention to the road ahead. Yet, from the corner of his eye he could see the blonde smiling brightly and in the rearview Carmen was grinning. With a flick of his head, he moved the hair from his eyes before turning up the stereo as 'Another One Bites the Dust' came to life. "Admit it Jug, you love this," Rene stated lightly a teasing glint in her eyes as she gazed at her longtime best friend. The male rolled his eyes but couldn't stop himself from internally admitting that she was right. However, most of the reason he loved 'this' was his two best friends at his side. Needless to say, they had saved the 4th of July weekend for the Jones kid.

~

The trio's trip had gone better than ever expected as the three spent their weekend at the small cabin rented by Rene's grandmother. They swam in the lake, played card games upon card games, blasted music and stayed up late into the night binge-watching classics like 'The Godfather', 'Some Like it Hot', 'Jaws' and 'Pulp Fiction'. The three teenagers couldn't have turned a bad situation into a better one if they had planned it, the sudden trip was just what they needed after a horrid ending to their freshman year and the start of summer. So when the time came for them to drive home they were down in their spirits but in their usual style, they blasted a few sad songs before returning to an uplifted state.

As they neared the town, they called home all three teenagers fell quiet as Jughead slowed the Mustang down. He stopped right in front of the town sign staring blankly ahead at the peaks of the town of Riverdale. Rene let out a long sigh leaning further back into her seat, if that was possible, while Carmen leaned forward resting her shoulders on the sides of the two front seats.

"There it is, once we drive past this sign we are back in Riverdale," Jughead drawled breaking the silence in the car. The two girls nodded their heads slowly all three teens staring at the large sign broadcasting the town's name. Carmen was the next to break the quiet, "Back to Riverdale. Back to the drama and bullshit. Back to the house."

"Back to class. Back to the Vixens. Back to the stress of living up to expectations," Rene continued slowly her arms crossing over her chest as she tilted her head to the side slightly. Carmen placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder while Jughead rested his on her leg. Carmen's other hand went to wrap around Jughead's shoulders.

"Back to our screwed-up lives, what a joy," Jughead added bitterly flashing a sardonic smile at the girls who both chuckled at his retort. Rene moved to lean her head against Jughead allowing Carmen to intertwine her hand with Jughead's as Jughead wrapped an arm around Rene as they all remained in the awkward position staring at the town sign.

Rene tilted her head up to stare at her two counterparts, "Hey, at least we have each other, right?"

Carmen smiled gently glancing between them as she spoke, "Right, forever."

"And ever, sadly," Jughead mumbled earning two slaps as the girls moved to sit properly in their seats. With a mutual sigh, Jughead drove forward past the town sign and into the heart of the Northside. The two females gazed out the windows watching as they drove through the neighborhoods and towards the train tracks that separated the Northside from the Southside. Silence remained as they passed the high school and turned off Main Street to the road that led towards the outskirts of the heart of Riverdale. With one final turn, the trio pulled into the mini cul-de-sac that only held two houses, the Abelloni, and May homes. Their homes were on the edge of the Northside a mere few minutes from Pops and a few hundred feet from the train tracks.

"Home sweet home," Carmen said lightly a gentle smile on her lips as she noted her mother's car was not parked in its usual spot. Rene hummed lowly her eyes on the tan brick house she had lived in since she moved to Riverdale towards the beginning of fourth grade. The three remained inside the car for a few more moments soaking in the last bits of their vacation weekend. Yet, the silence was broken when the front door to the Abelloni home opened revealing Jennie Abelloni.

Jennie Abelloni was in her late sixties nearing seventy but she still possessed a bright disposition and kind heart. Her once dark brown hair was now died a light brown auburn color and cut in a medium-length pixie fashion with her curls looser than they once were. Her brown eyes gleamed as she caught sight of the three teens inside the Mustang that belonged to her father and husband, "I thought I heard you kids pull up! Get your things then come inside, I just bought plenty of snacks!"

"Thank you, Nonna!" The trio called out all having called the elderly Italian American that since they could remember. (Jennie Abelloni would not stand the Jones or May teen calling her anything other than Nana, Nonna or Nana Abelloni because according to her after the first two years of their friendship with her granddaughter, they were her own grandkids.) Doing as told, the three teenagers exited the car and grabbed their bags. Carmen departed to drop her bags at her own home, yelling out that she would be over in just a moment. Rene slung her backpack over her back while her hand gripped her duffle as she walked up to the pathway to the front door. Jughead followed her naturally his own hands filled with his duffle and the handle of the cooler.

Once the mahogany wood door was opened the teens were hit with the smell of cinnamon candles. A smile crossed Rene's face as she placed her bags on the staircase before moving into the living room. Her eyes moved to find those of her grandmother's as the matriarch stood inside the kitchen pouring three glasses of water but once she saw her granddaughter, the drinks were forgotten. Within seconds, Rene was engulfed in a warm hug from her grandma which she returned happily. She breathed in the scent of her Nana's perfume and grinned as her Nan squeezed her tightly telling her how much she missed her and how annoying her mother could be.

"I was only gone for four days, Nana!" Rene stated jokingly smiling as her Nan brushed off her claim. They pulled back and Rene smiled brightly noting the similar features they possessed. The softly rounded cheeks with a defined jaw and short stature, all classic traits of an Abelloni (despite her mother being average height (Jennie always said it was thanks to her husband that her three children were average height)).

"Well, no matter, I am simply glad to have you back. Oh, did you all have fun?" Jennie inquired easily moving to hand her granddaughter a glass of water. Rene sipped the clear liquid before nodding, "Yes, it was an amazing time, thank you, Nan."

"Yes, thank you, Nana. The trip was much needed," The deeper voice of Rene's best friend called out from where he leaned against the back of the leather couch. As if a realization occurred, Jennie cried out opening her arms and yelling, "Give me a hug, grandson!" Jughead happily complied leaning down to hug the petite woman who stood at only four feet eleven inches. The Jones boy was crushed in the hug before the Abelloni woman stepped back to pinch his cheeks lightly, "How is my favorite boy today? I hope the girls didn't cause you too much trouble."

"Only the usual amount," Jughead replied causing Jennie to laugh and Rene to scoff giving him a look behind her Nana's back. Jennie turned around glaring at her granddaughter, "Don't give attitude, Rene, it isn't a good look."

Rene groaned tossing her head back in frustration while Jughead smirked knowing that Jennie loved to tease her grandchild. Jennie offered him a glass of water before ushering the two teenagers to sit at the table with her. Both friends complied shoving each other lightly as they moved to take a seat at the wooden dining table. Right as they sat, the front door opened and the voice of Carmen floated throughout the house as she yelled out, "I'm home!"

"We're in the kitchen!" Rene called back smiling as her best friend rounded the corner with a bounce in her step. Jennie embraced the African American girl just as she had her other two grandkids. Carmen returned the grip with equal enthusiasm as she assured Jennie that she was good and locked up her house before coming over. Once Carmen grabbed her glass of water and took a seat beside Rene, the teenagers were bombarded with Jennie's questions encouraging them to disclose everything that occurred on their trip. The teenagers all quickly complied delving into random details about their trip and the things they had seen while traveling. If only the three teenagers had known that after telling their stories Laurene Abelloni would come home with the news that Jason Blossom had disappeared a day prior and was nowhere to be found.

_____

Alright you guys, welcome to my newest fic and the next piece of my soul I am giving you all. Now, this fic is obviously a Riverdale fic and I am going to give you guys a quick rundown on a few things. This story will contain plenty of dark themes, cursing and later on some mature themes. I also want to tell you guys that my two OC's (Carmen and Rene) are going to be intriguing characters to read about. They both have signs and indications of certain mental illnesses at time and there will be mention of mental illness. I will try to warn you all before any big talks of mental disorders or illnesses but just be warned there will be mention of anxiety and depression throughout this story. You will also see various forms of family structures and people in different socio-economic classes, I ask that you all are respectful as everyone's situations are different and we should never judge someone solely based on class or family make-up. There will also be a lot of different relationships portrayed in this book (some may possess some toxic traits, you have been warned), so just be mindful when reading.

Thank you all for reading that long rant I just wanted to make you guys aware of how much time and effort will be going into this book. I hope you all will enjoy the angst and sarcasm as much as I do. Love you all and welcome to the story of Rene Abelloni and Carmen May.

-Q