Angel sits with the small group of friends, not wanting to sit next to Cheryl, knowing she won't listen to the brunette when she tells her that FP can't be the killer of her brother. Even after thinking about it all weekend, the girl still can't believe he's supposed to be the one who killed her best friend. FP is anything but a perfect man, but he will never be a killer, the girl is sure about it.

"The police report said FP worked alone" Betty tells them, reading the news-article on the front page. "No mention of your dad. That's good news, right?" Archie asks the raven girl. "I can't stop thinking that, maybe my dad hired another Serpent to plant that gun."

"It's surreal, isn't it?" Kevin speaks up as he sits down next to Angel. "How's Jughead doing?" "He's not coming today. He's at the station" the brunette informs him about the boy's whereabouts as he spent the night at hers so they can keep each other company.
"Being grilled by your dad" Veronica mumbles. "Who's just doing his job. Of course he's gonna ask Jughead questions" the boy defends his father. "Well, he's wasting his time, Kev, because FP didn't kill Jason" Betty turns to him, leaning a bit in front of Angel to look at the boy. "Betty, he confessed." "Or he was coerced. Or he's protecting someone, maybe a Serpent. My mom saw him and Joaquin together." "Do not drag my boyfriend into this" Kevin exclaims.

"I don't think it was a Serpent" Angel speaks up, pushing her untouched lunch away from her, earning the four's attention. "Serpents don't use guns" she tells them. "Why do you think so?" "Serpents are an old-school motorbike gang, they use knifes, knuckle rings or their hands but they don't use guns. Plus they would die for each other, not kill someone and frame someone else, especially not their king" Angel explains to them.

"How do you know so much about them?" Betty wants to know, kind of impressed. "I know FP for six years now. You learn a lot in that time" she replies, shrugging her shoulders as  Archie looks past the group towards the entrance of the cafeteria.

"What happened to him not coming in today?" Veronica questions in a whisper as Jughead walks though the room and up to non other than Cheryl herself. Surprised the six watch what is going to happen, gasping when the redhead slaps him across the cheek, hitting the boy's chest over and over again.
As fast as they can, the group stands up and rushes up to them, Angel pulling her best friend off of the boy, taking her in her arms and holding her tight so she can't do anything. They walk away while the principle takes Jughead with him.

"I barley touched him" Cheryl says as she calms down, the two girls sitting on the ground of the girls changing room. "He will understand, but it's not his fault, Cheryl." "Everybody keeps coming up to me, and hugging me, and telling me that I must be so relieved that Jay-Jay's killer has finally been caught. This nightmare is over" she says, breaking away form her best friend to look at her. "Then why doesn't it feel that way?" the broken girl asks. "Because FP didn't do it and we both know it" Angel whispers, wiping the other girl's tears away before hugging her again.

——

"Can you come down to the station? I'm gonna talk to my dad" is the message Angle receives the next morning, after Jughead left to talk to Archie's mother, her being a lawyer. She gets ready as fast as possible, leaving the house with her hair still wet and drives to the station in front of which the boy is already waiting for her. "Thank you for coming with me" he tells her as she walks up to him, hugging the boy. "Of course, Jug. Let's go in" she says as the two walk into the building asking to see FP Jones before he's taken to a real prison and not only a holding cell at the station.

"When Archie told me about his little plan to help you" Jughead starts after the two entered the cell room, Angel standing beside the boy, holding his hand and silently giving him her support, "get you on your feet and working for Fred, deep down, I knew it was a mistake." "Should have listened to your gut" FP spits out, not looking at the two.
"You really had me" the boy speaks up, tears about to fall as Angel squeezes his hand tightly. "Cleaning the trailer, convincing me that you had quit drinking. I was so happy for the first time in so long" he chokes up. "You paid attention to me."

"Let's be honest. The only reason you even read my manuscript about Jason's murder was to make sure I wasn't onto you. And you didn't wanna take me to Toledo to get the family back together. You wanted to get away. You wanted to run away!" he says, as FP finally looks at his on.

"I did what I had to do!" the man speaks up loudly. "What I always do!"
"Are you even sorry?" Jughead asks his father, breaking the hold of their hands and walking up in front of his father, the bars between them. "I'm sorry I got caught" he replies. "We done?" the man asks before Jughead turns around, about to leave the room.
"Look at me, Jughead!" FP calls out, getting his son to turn back around. "Never come back here. You understand?" he exclaims loudly, trying to hide any of his emotions that may show.

"Got it" Jughead answers after a moment looking at his father, taking the girl's hand and walking out with her, she never taking her eyes off of the man until the door closes behind her.

"Something's not right. That didn't sound like your father, Jug" Angel tells the boy as they get into her car. "I know. He's hiding something" Jughead replies, turning to the girl and taking her hand in his again. "Thank you for all your support. I... I know it must have been hard for you being in there. And..." "Hey" she starts, laying a hand on his cheek and making him look at her. "We're in this together" Angel states, leaning forward to kiss him softly. With little smiles they look at each other. "We both know he's innocent. Even Cheryl told me yesterday that it doesn't feel right, even she has doubts. We will get your dad out of there, I promise you." Nodding he squeezes her hand. "You're right. He's not gone yet, we still have time."

"There is something else" Angel starts, looking at their interlaced hands, playing with his fingers. "What is it?" "I really wasn't supposed to tell you and you have to promise me to not tell anyone or write it down. Promise me, Jug" she pleads, looking back at him. "Yeah, yeah, I promise" he replies nodding. "What's wrong?"

"Cheryl found something in her parents closet at the night of Homecoming" she starts, taking a deep breath before telling him her next words. "The heirloom ring Jason was supposed to have up until his death" Angel whispers, tears glistering in her eyes, shocking the boy who looks at her with big eyes. "And Polly asked Penelope why they have it and he apparently threw it at his father as a sign for not wanting to be part of the family anymore. We don't know what to do, Jug. Cheryl was so distraught when she picked me up. But I just can't believe they would kill him, their own son. Yes, Clifford is really scary but even him? I just can't imagine it. Especially since he knew about..." "That Polly and Jason were blood related?" he completes for her as she nods ones.

"We should tell Betty about my dad" Jughead speaks up after a few minutes of silence. "And we'll think about the ring-situation later, when there's no-one around" he adds as she nods and starts the car, driving towards the school.

"Did you find something out?" Betty asks as soon as the two step into the room of the Blue and Gold, Angel's eyes still a bit red. "Something's wrong" Angel says, putting her keys onto one of the tables next to her, against which she leans, crossing her arms tightly to keep her emotions under control. "My dad's been lying to me his whole life, but he's never been any good at it. I saw it in his eyes" Jughead tells the blonde. "He didn't do it."
"Well, then why lie? Who's he protecting?" Betty questions to which the three don't have an answer, yet.

"Okay, who can we rule out?" Jughead asks after a moment, looking at the murder  board. "My dad" the blonde speaks up. "We know why he was acting so shady."
"Hermione, Veronica says she's guilty of plenty, but not murder." "Plus, she has an alibi. She was still in New York, right?" Angel speaks up, as Betty takes the picture down.
"I guess that just leaves Hiram Lodge..." "And Clifford and Penelope Blossom" Betty says for the boy as he and Angel look at each other, thinking about what the girl said earlier.

"Well, what do we have here?" Mrs. Cooper speaks up as she walks into the room, seeing the three looking at the board. "You three just can't leave well enough alone, can you?" "Mom, we know what you're gonna say" Betty speaks up turning to her mother. "The police found another dead body." "Okay, maybe not that" Jughead comments. "A Southside Serpent. And Sheriff Clueless is convinced he was working with your father. He allegedly committed suicide by overdose, and there was a bag of money on-site that links him to Hiram Lodge. Everything is tied up into a nice little bow. To tidy, if you ask me" the woman informs the teens.

"Kevin?" Betty answers her phone as it starts ringing just as Mrs. Cooper is done talking. "We'll meet you there" she says, ending the phone-call.
Questionable the other three in the room look at her, waiting to get informed. "Joaquin said there's something hidden where the car was. We have to meet him there." Nodding Angel takes her car keys and the three drive to the old abandon road where they were not long ago, Kevin waiting for them already.

With flashlights in their hands the four walk around, looking for whatever Joaquin could have meant. "Whatever it is we're looking for, Joaquin didn't know if it'd help your dad or make things worse" Kevin tells them. "Well, I guess we're gonna find out." "Why did he wait so long to tell us?" Angel asks, still looking around. "FP called him from jail. Told him to forget about their plan, some contingency plan. He said it was too dangerous."

"Déjà vu" Jughead mumbles as they arrive at the old maple sign. Looking around the four look everywhere. "Hey, right here" the boy with the beanie speaks up, pulling old tree branches away so they can get at what he just saw, taking out a duffle bag.
Jughead opens it, taking non other that Jasons varsity jacket out.

They decide to call the others while driving to Archies house, where the two probably are, meeting them in the garage.
"This is meant to help FP?" Archie asks confused, looking at the jacket. "I don't know. Looks like more incriminating evidence to me" Kevin says. "This just confirms that my dad torched Jason's getaway car." "And that his confession is true" Kevin adds.

"Why would FP say Jason's varsity jacket is dangerous? What could that mean?" Betty asks as confused as everyone else. "I can ask my father" Veronica speaks up as she walks into the room. "He would know, considering we found concrete proof that he hired the Serpents to kill Jason. Which probably means that your dad pulled the trigger, Jughead. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm not giving up yet" Angel speaks up, taking the jacket and handing it to Archie, telling him to put it one. "What?" "Put it on" she repeats as he does what she told him. "Angel, this is weird" he says uncomfortable as the girl stands behind him, hands in the jacket pockets.

"There's a hole in the pocket" she states. "Now we're grasping at straws" Kevin comments. "No. I don't know about you guys, but whenever I have a hole in my pocket, I always lose my lipsticks in the lining." "Or my Montblanc" Veronica adds.
Running across the lining, Angel feels something, pulling it out she has a USB-stick in her hand. "What the hell?"

The six sit down on the couch, Jughead's laptop in front of them as they start watching the video that's on it. Seeing Jason chained on a chair in what looks like the basement of the Whyte Wyrm. Looking at it, they can't believe what they're seeing, Jughead's hand atop of Angel's shoulder, showing her his support as they watch him get killed. Shocking the teens, as they see Clifford Blossom pull the trigger, shooting his own son in between the eyes.

Rushing out of the room and into the guest-toilet, Angel leans over the toilet seat, vomiting as tears run down her face, not stopping anytime soon. She doesn't react as someone takes her hair into their hands, rubbing her back as the person sits down next to her. "We have to tell Cheryl" Angel utters, flushing the toilet as Jughead hands her some toilet paper. "We have to tell her, she has to get out of there!" "Betty called her, she knows and Mrs. Cooper is going to give Sheriff Keller the stick."

"Jughead, he killed him" she cries into the boy, clawing his shirt as he continues on rubbing her back. He too can't believe what they just saw but he can't even imagine how the girl in his arms feels right now, seeing her best friend get shot from his own father, after witnessing her brother being shot a couple of years back.

That night, Sheriff Keller and Mayor McCoy saw what we watched in Archie's garage. Jason, tied to a chair in the basement of a bar on the southside of Riverdale, while a Serpent, Mustang, taunted him.
Then the unthinkable.
Later, we would learn why my father confessed. Because Clifford Blossom visited him on the night of his arrest with a threat. That I, Jughead Jones, would suffer the same fate as Jason Blossom if my father didn't confess. My dad was protecting me from a monster. And the nightmare was far from over. And our families far from repaired.
And though one questions had been answered that night, that it was Clifford Blossom who killed Jason, a new mystery loomed over Riverdale. Why had he done it? It was a question only Clifford himself would be able to answer.