People like to say that the death of Jason Blossom changed everything at Riverdale High. But certain things, certain traditions, never change.
Take homecoming, for instance.
Though Jason's jersey had been retired, the Riverdale Bulldogs would still be playing their archrivals, the Baxter High Ravens, with the River Vixens cheering them on.
As in previous years, graduates from days of Riverdale past will come to town to relive their more youthful, more carefree days. Or... to make up for lost time.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have an announcement to make. One that tangentially involves you, Betty" Cheryl speaks up as the group of friends are having their lunch outside. Questionable they turn around to look at her. "I'm bringing Polly to the dance as my date and we're campaigning as co-queens of Homecoming Court." "Because why?" the blonde asks confused. "Because, Nightmare Smurfette, by all rights, it should've been Polly and Jason on that stage being crowned. This is the next best thing" she tells them. "So, don't forget to vote, and I'll see everyone at my coronation." With that the red beauty leaves the group on their own once again.

"Betty, about the homecoming dance" Archie starts as soon as Cheryl is gone. "Can I play a couple songs? I told my mom that-" cutting himself as he sees the look she gives him, he asks her if she doesn't want him to play. "No, it's not that, Arch. It's just... this dance needs to be fun. And your songs, as amazing as they are-" "They make you wanna slit your wrist" Jughead interrupts the girl, earning himself a slap on the arm from the brunette next to him, shocked he would say that to him, especially with the words he chose.
"In a good way" he tries to make it sound less harsh. "In an amazing way" Veronica adds. "But no need to fret, Betty, because Archie asked me to sing with him and we're thinking about doing upbeat covers." "We are?" "Aren't we?" the two question each other.

"Hey, can we talk?" Jughead asks Angel as he comes up to her at the end of their lunch break. "Yeah, sure. What do you want to talk about?" she asks while the two step aside, so the others can continue on their ways without having to walk around them. "About the weekend, the night of my birthday to be precise" he whispers. "We were both sad about different things, we had a moment, that's it I get it" she states, taking the boy aback a bit. He likes the girl, maybe more than he should, especially since he just broke up with Betty on his birthday. But he can't help but feel drawn to the girl who has so many secrets and stories hidden behind her soft smile and bright eyes.

"Yeah, just a moment" he repeats. "Uh, well that that's cleared up. Are you going to Homecoming? I've heard some guys asked you but you always declined." "I don't know yet. My dress isn't even here yet" she tells him as the two start walking towards their next class. "And I'm not sure if I should go anyway. I wanted to go with Cheryl but she's taking Polly and I don't want to interfere in whatever kind of sisterly-relationship their building right now" "Well I absolutely hate dances but I'm going, and so should you" he voices. "I'll think about it" Angel smiles before entering the room for her next lesson as the beanie wearing boy walks away.

—

"Homecoming? I'm picking you up in 10" Cheryl texts her best friend as she gets her purse before driving to Angels apartment complex, picking the girl up.

"What happened to Polly? Where is she?" Angel asks as she gets into the red Chevrolet minutes after she got the girl's text. "My mom gave her something to make her fall asleep. I don't know what she gave her she just said she won't wake up before tomorrow and it won't hurt the babies." "Why did she do that?" Angel asks confused. "I don't know. Polly and I looked through my parents closet, looking for jewelry and I found Nana's ring, with which Jason proposed to Polly. I don't know why they have it. Polly asked them and they said he threw it into our father's face as a symbol of not wanting to be a part of the family anymore. I don't know if I can believe them, Rosie. And I'm really scared for Polly" Cheryl tells her hysterically as they park in front of the school.

"Hey, calm down. Polly will wake up without any problems, you'll see. And about the ring... let's not think about it for tonight, okay? We'll think about it tomorrow" she tries to calm her best friend down, before they enter the building. "I know you're working on this with Betty and Jughead, but can you please keep this for you? Maybe I'm just overreacting" she pleads. "Of course, Little Red. And now let's get inside. I want to dance with my best friend until our feet fall off" the brunette declares with a big grin, earning a chuckle from her best friend as the two get out of the car.

Walk into the building, arms links, they're earning the attention of everyone in their beautiful dresses. Cheryl's in the infamous Blossom-Red, with a beautiful neckline and a long slit on her site, making it look sexy. Angel's being in a beautiful blue, like the sky on a clear and sunny day. The top being in a corset-style with little roses embroidered and tulle sleeves that go up to her wrists, puffing out a bit while the floor-length skirt is being made out of multiple layers of tulle, falling softly to the floor, making it look like a waterfall with a slit on one side, making her look like a modern cinderella.

Walking over to the punch table, the two look around, talking as Betty walks up to them. "Cheryl, Angel. Hey. Where's Polly?" she asks looking around for her sister. "I'm going to leave you two alone" Angel states, taking a second punch glass and walking over to Jughead.

"You look really uncomfortable" she voices with a small chuckle, standing next to him and holding one of the glasses out to him which he takes thankfully. "Wow, you look amazing" Jughead exclaims, looking at the girl in front of him head to toe, her hair being in soft waves, laying across one of her shoulders and the blue of her dress letting the blue and little specs of green in her eyes pop even more. "Thank you, you look really handsome yourself, Forsythe" she replies to the boy with a smile on her face. "A suit really suits you." "Thanks."

"How was the dinner with Betty and your families?" "It was... okay" he replies, earning a chuckle from the girl. "So bad?" "Mrs. Cooper started questioning my dad and he started talking about their Homecoming so she'll stop. It was pretty awkward." Shaking her head, Angel doesn't know what to say. "But you still look happy" she comments as he takes a sip from the red drink. "I told my dad about me coming back home and he wants to move to Toledo to get the family back together." "Oh, that... That sounds really nice. I'm happy for you, Jug" she stutters, laying her hand on his arm as she smiles at him.

"Do you want to dance?" he asks the brunette awkwardly after a short moment, as Archie and Veronica get up onstage to sing. "Yeah, that would be nice. I'll try not to step on your toes" she tells him jokingly. "Don't worry, it will be your toes that get stepped on tonight" he responds as the two make their was to the back of the dance floor laughing, not wanting to interrupt the others watching their friends perform as the two dance in the back, never breaking eye contact or loosing their smiles.

"I'm going to look for Cheryl" Angel tells him as she realizes she can't see her best friend anywhere. "Yeah, sure." "Thanks for the dance" she says, pressing a small kiss on his cheek before leaving the room and in it a boy who's feelings are more confused than they've ever been before.

Looking everywhere, Angel can't find her best friend. She tries calling her, but the missing girl won't answer any of the calls or replies to her texts. At the same time, Jughead finds his friends in a hallway, talking secretly.

"Guys" Jughead calls out as he walks up to them. "What's going on? Why do I feel like I'm suddenly left out?" he asks as the three stop talking as soon as he walked around the corner and looking guilty about something he doesn't yet know they did. "Do you wanna tell him or should I?" Betty asks her two friends. "Tell me what?"

"We went to your dad's trailer to..." Archie begins, stepping in front of his friend. "To search it, Jughead" Veronica tells him, as Archie chokes up. "Why would you guys do that?" "My mom put them up to it" Betty speaks up, earning Jughead's attention. "She was convinced he was hiding something about Jason." "We were wrong, all of us. We didn't find anything" Veronica tells him. "We were only doing it to prove that-" "That my dad wasn't a murderer?" Jughead interrupts the other boy. "You went behind my back, Archie?" he asks, clearly hurt about what his friends, his best friend did that night.

"How did you- When did you guys know to go to my dad's trailer?" "We knew he'd be at dinner with-" Veronica says, cutting herself of as Jughead looks at Betty with an unbelievable expression. "That's why your mom invited my dad and I? So these two could break in while she interrogates him? Is that some kind of revenge for the breakup?" "No, I would never do that, Juggie! I didn't know what they were doing" Betty tries telling him but he doesn't listen. "But, yes, that is why she invited you guys."

"To think I was gonna pass on moving to Toledo with my family for all of you." "What?" "When we went to my dad's trailer, you asked me if I believed him. I said I did. Wasn't that good enough for you?" "It was. It was good enough" Betty states. "I didn't- I tried to stop her." "You could have told me. You could've warned me." "I didn't want to disappoint you, not again." "So you lied? You all lied to me?" he asks as their parents and Kevin come rushing to them.

"You have to listen, all of you" Mrs. Cooper exclaims. "My dad just told Mayor McCoy about your dad, Jughead" Kevin says, stuttering a bit, not knowing how to say the following sentences. "What about my dad?" "He was just arrested. For the murder of Jason Blossom" Mr. Andrews tells the boy, shocking him. His father being the killer of the Blossom boy? That's not possible, that can't be. He asked his father not long ago and he said he didn't do it, and he believed him. It can't be true. This has to be a nightmare.

Shocked he runs out of the school, past Angel who calls after the disturbed boy only to be ignored. Confused she makes her way in the direction Jughead just came from, finding their friends and parents. "What happened? Why did Jughead just ran past me like he saw a ghost?" she asks her friends who don't look any better.

"His dad" Betty begins stuttering, "he just got arrested. He murdered Jason." "What?" the girl asks, not believing what she just heard. "He got arrested for murdering Jason" Betty repeats. "No he didn't" Angel denies. "They found the murder weapon in his trailer" Kevin tells the girl. "No you don't understand. FP didn't kill Jason. He told us, you were there, Betty!" she exclaims. "I know he didn't kill him. He would never do that because he knows, he knows he will break the last bit of faith and trust Jughead has in him and he'll lose him forever. And FP knows what Jason meant to me. He would never take a persons live. FP is a lot but he's no killer" she cries, screaming as she turns around to get out.

"Where are you going?" "I'm looking for Jug, so at least someone can be there for him" Angel states, running out of the school and through the rain towards the Jones' trailer, hoping the boy is there.

Running in heels is never easy, but it gets way harder when you run in them while you're crying and the rain weights down your dress.

Rushing into the trailer, she sees the chaos the police made, looking for the gun she knows he didn't own. A Serpent doesn't use guns, their old-school, using switchblades and their hands, but not a gun. That's another reason why she knows that the man didn't kill her best friend.

"Jug! Are you here?" she asks loudly, looking into every room, but the boy isn't there.
She runs to the Wyrm, hoping he may be there, but he isn't there either and he doesn't answer his phone either. "Where are you?" she asks herself, running a hand through her wet hair, looking around her, into the dark streets of the Southside.

With her last hope, she runs all the way to the main bus station. He told her about Toledo, maybe he wants to go to his mother. He needs someone right now and if his friends aren't there for him, maybe his mother and sister are.
Rosella slows down as she sees him standing in the telephone-booth, waiting for him to come out. She watches him hanging the phone back up, leaning against the glass, as she slowly walks up to him and opens the door, pulling him into her and hugging him tightly, not letting him go until he calmed down a bit.

"I don't know what to do, Rosella" he mumbles into her neck, slowly calming down. "First you're going to return your ticket and then we'll go somewhere warm. We'll figure this out, Jug, together. I'm not leaving you alone with this mess" she tells him, taking his face in her hands and looking him in the eyes so he knows she means what she's saying. "Do you hear me? I am not leaving you. Ever." He nods once.

After returning the ticket the two silently walk to Pop's, deciding they need that environment now. It's as if everything bad just disappears for a while when you're there and that's exactly what they need right now, especially the boy. Holding her shoes in one hand and Jughead's hand in her other, they walk through the night, being there for the other person, both loosing a father that night.

Sitting in a booth across from each other, the two stare into nothingness. Jughead looking outside while Rosella stirs her coffee mindlessly, not hearing the bell as three teenager come rushing in, walking over to the two.
"Jug, Angel" Archie calls the two. While Angel looks up, Jughead only takes a glimpse at them before turning around again as they sit down next to them.

"Jug, we're so sorry. About everything" Betts says but doesn't get a reaction from the boy. "Juggy we screwed up. We all did. Breaking into your dad's trailer was wrong, but some good came out of it" Archie states. "Pretty sure my dad was just arrested for murder" Jughead reminds them as Angel scoffs, shaking her head, just now finding out about them breaking into the man's home.

"That gun wasn't there wen we searched his trailer" Veronica speaks up. "Someone put it there after we left" she adds gaining the two's full attention. "What are you talking about?" "He's innocent, Jug. I told you he is!" Rosella exclaims as she puts money on the table for the two coffees and gets up. "We have to tell Sheriff Keller right now!"

With that the three run through the dark and empty streets of Riverdale, the town with pep, to get an innocent person out of jail. As they rush into the station the Sheriff walks around the corner, hearing the teens asking for him.
"Sheriff, we need to talk to you about FP Jones" Rosella speaks up, walking up to the man as well as the others. "What about him?" "He's innocent." "He's been framed" they tell him. "Well, then why did he just confess?" he asks the five as FP Jones gets taken past them with two officer holding onto him tightly.

Shocked, not knowing what's happening, Rosella and Jughead stare at the man that won't make eye contact with either of them. Tears building up in the girl's eyes as she gets told that one of the men she trusted the most, lied to her and did something unforgiving, knowing how many people she already lost. The boy next to her not believing his eyes as he sees his father getting taken away, holding the girl tightly against him as she cries against his chest, like she did for him just two hours ago.