Chapter 1

Mickey Andrews walked out of the Riverdale airport late that night, dressed in a black and white tracksuit and sneakers, a phone in one hand and multiple bags of luggage in the other.

"I'm walking out of the airport now Mom," Mickey said, talking into his phone. Mickey had just spent the summer in Chicago, training at a baseball camp that she had found for him. It was the first time they'd been together since she left two years ago. "Yes, I'll get plenty of sleep before school tomorrow," he promised "Yes, I'll give Archie all the presents you bought him." Mickey smiled as he spotted Fred Andrews standing in the crowd of people waiting for the passengers to get off their flight. "I'll talk to soon. I love you." As the young man hung up the phone, he went through his phone and sent a text to his old friend Polly Cooper.

Just got back in town. Can we talk?

Mickey waited a minute for her to respond. Then five. Then ten. No response. Mickey sighed. He'd been trying to get in contact with her for months, and all he got was silence. As Mickey prepared to send another text, he spotted his father standing in the crowd of people. "Dad."

Fred Andrews took one look at his son and smiled. "Hey, champ."

"Hey." Mickey smiled as Fred pulled him into a warm hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, buddy." Fred furrowed his brow as he noticed the multiple bags his son was carrying. "See you did a little shopping in the Windy City."

"Half are for Archie. Mom wanted to spoil us a little bit," Mickey explained handing some the bags off to Fred "Where is Archie anyway?"

"At Pop's with Betty Cooper," Fred answered "She got back couple hours before you did. They wanted to catch up."

"Is it okay if go too?" Mickey asked. As much as he'd missed his father, he'd barely heard a word from his brother since July. "I know I just got back."

"It's okay, Mick," Fred chuckled. "You and I'll have plenty of time to catch up." The two Andrews boys walked side-by-side on their way to the car "So, what was your favorite thing about Chicago?"

"Deep Dish pizza," Mickey answered, "It changed my life."

Archie Andrews sat in a booth at Pop's that night, sitting with his long time friend and neighbor, Betty Cooper. she had just got back from her internship in LA and they were catching up.

"So what was it like working for your dad?" Betty asked.

"It was… pouring concrete," Archie stated in an unsatisfied tone "all day. Every day. To pass the time, I would compose these poems in my head and when I got home, I'd write them down."

Betty gave the red-headed a look. "You don't even like to read poetry."

"They weren't poems, they were song lyrics," Archie explained "and when I was working on them," the redheaded boy paused for a moment, a nervous look on his face.

"What Archie?" Betty asked in a kind comforting voice, her soft green eyes full of an unwavering acceptance and support.

"It felt like, I had broken through to something. Something real. Something about my life and what I want to do with it. Music," Archie said with an excited smile. "Starting this year. Tomorrow," he specified.

Betty beamed at him. "Amazing."

Archie's smile widened. He had missed this. Betty's warm smile. Her encouragement and support. Her light.

"Archie," Betty's smile wavered for a moment as she spoke "I've been thinking about us… and our friendship,"

As Betty went on talking, Archie felt his attention slip away as a stranger walked in the door of Pop's. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was of average height, with long raven hair, smoky dark eyes, and lipstick the color of the sweetest plums. She was dressed in a fancy dark wrap to keep out the cold, a string of flawless pearls around her neck and high heels on her feet. Archie's heart stopped. The world faded into a blur. Her eyes drew him into a trance as she walked towards him, moving at a graceful and leisurely pace that seemed to grow slower with every step. It was a paradox of pleasure and pain. On one hand, Archie truly felt like he could just watch her until the end of time, and yet every fiber in his soul cried out to her, to know her, better than he even knew himself.

After what felt like an eternity of blissful agony, the girl stood in front of him and Betty, a mysterious, mischievous look in her eye enticing Archie like nothing before. He could get lost in those eyes, totally enraptured to the point where the thought of leaving the embrace of those smoky, seductive orbs was seem like the greatest of tortures.

The girl looked at him and smiled. "Hi."

At first, Archie couldn't say anything, his lungs devoid of air as a massive grin spread across his face. "H-hey," he managed.

"How are the onion rings here?" she asked.

"S-So good," Archie assured her.

"Can we get some onion rings too please?" she called back to Pops. "Thanks. My mom and I just moved here."

"From where?" Archie asked.

"New York."

"Wow." Compared to the small-town life of Riverdale, New York city might as well be another planet. No wonder she seemed so…exotic. Archie could see her now: walking down park avenue, bumping elbows with singers and movie stars.

"I am filled with dread with the start of school tomorrow," she vented.

"Why is that?" Archie asked. This girl looked ready to walk the red carpet at the Oscars. How could she be getting nerves about something as simple as the first day of school?

"Are you familiar with Truman Capote?" she asked.

Archie nodded, simply for the sake of making sure the girl kept talking. The sound of her voice becoming sweeter and sweeter with every second. He had just met this girl and yet her voice was the single sweetest sound his ears had ever heard.

"I am 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' but this place is strictly 'In Cold Blood'."

Archie laughed, maybe a little too much. What was wrong with him?

"Veronica Lodge," the girl introduced.

"Archie. Andrews," the redheaded boy replied. "And this is Betty," he added, introducing the blonde-haired girl sitting next to him.

Veronica's eyes narrowed. "Betty Cooper? As in-?"

"Yes. I'm giving you your tour tomorrow," Betty confirmed.

"Hey, why don't you join us?" he suggested, not noticing the uncomfortable look on Betty's face "Let us un-fill you with dread?"

"My mom's waiting for me," Veronica politely declined. The raven-haired beauty picked up her order and gave Archie and Betty a farewell smile. "To be continued."

Mickey walked up to Pop's just as a young girl walked out with her arms full of take-out. A brunette with long, flowing hair and dark, mysterious eyes. She was beautiful and completely unrecognizable. She also was about ten seconds from dropping her food.

"Here," Mickey quickly hurried over and helped the girl her food into her car. "Let me help you with that."

The girl sighed. "Thanks, Archie."

Frowning, Mickey looked into the window at Pop's and saw his brother sitting in a booth with their lifelong friend, Betty Cooper. Mickey chuckled. "Now I know you're not from around here." Smiling at the confused look on the girl's face, Mickey jerked a thumb at the window where Betty and Archie sat. "I'm not Archie."

The girl's eyes widened. "Oh my God. There's two of you?"

"Afraid so," Mickey responded, "You're not from around here, are you?"

"What gave it away?" she asked.

"Well, there's only two pairs of twins in all of Riverdale," Mickey told her "and you're the first person to get the me and Archie mixed up since grade school. For the record, the trick to telling us apart is in the eyes," Mickey gestured to his piercing pair of blue orbs. "Archie's are brown."

"Got it. Brown for Archie, blue for…?"

The blue-eyed twin offered his hand to shake. "Mickey."

"Veronica Lodge," the girl introduced, shaking Mickey's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Veronica."

"Nice to meet you two," Veronica smiled as she stepped inside her car. "I'll see you at school, Mickey." And she drove off.

Mickey smiled. Veronica was cute. Not Mickey's type, but definite cute. The blue-eyed twin walked into the diner and headed over to Archie and Betty's booth. Archie was the first to see him, his face breaking into a massive grin as he spotted his brother. "Mickey!"

The brown-eyed twin jumped out of his seat, pulling his brother into a welcoming hug. "I thought you weren't getting back until late."

"My flight got in early," Mickey chuckled as he looked at the girl next door and smiled. "Hey Betty."

"Hey," the blonde-haired girl grinned and pulled her neighbor into a warm hug. "How was Chicago?"

"It was great. Playing baseball all day. Spending time with mom," Mickey sighed happily "I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend the summer. Hey, it is okay if I join you guys? I am starving."

Betty paused, a nervous look spreading across her face. "Um...,"

"Of course, man," Archie answered. The brown-eyed twin wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder and led him into his and Betty's booth, ordering another round of fries as the three childhood friends caught up. When Mickey learned about his brother's new passion his eyes widened. "You want to be a musician?"

"Yeah," Archie smiled bashfully. "It's nuts, I know."

"No, it isn't. You and Mom always loved those watching those old musicals when we were kids," Mickey remembered. "If this is what you want to do, then I'm with you, brother. All the way."

Archie smiled, grateful for his brother's unwavering support. "Thanks, Mick."

"So, what else did I miss?" Mickey asked, leaning back in his seat as he finished his strawberry milkshake. "the Blossom twins still running Riverdale?"

At the mention of the wealthiest kids in town, both Archie and Betty became pale and solemn faced.

Mickey frowned. "What'd I say?"

Betty glanced at Archie nervously. "You didn't tell him?"

"Tell me what?" Mickey questioned.

"I didn't want to ruin his summer," Archie whispered.

"Guys. What happened?" Mickey demanded "What aren't you telling me?

"Mickey," Archie swallowed a growing lump in his throat as he wrung his hands together. "Jason Blossom died this summer."

"Mickey. Mickey!"

The blue-eyed twin reluctantly opened his eyes as his brother woke him up that morning, managing a single simple response. "Ugh."

Archie smirked as he saw the look on his brother's face. "Time to get up. We got to go to school."

Mickey groaned as he threw pillow over his face. "Five more minutes."

"Not a chance."

Mickey groaned as Archie literally dragged him out of bed, the blue-eyed twin rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I hate you."

"I love you too," Archie chuckled.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Mickey forced himself off the floor and got ready for school. After getting cleaned up, the blue-eyed twin came rushing downstairs, dressed in a grey t-shirt that said Riverdale Baseball in blue letters, dark jeans, new Adidas sneakers, and a dark brown leather jacket thrown over his shoulder. "Alright. I'm ready."

"Dad! We're heading out!" Archie called "First day of school and we're already late."

As the two boys headed for the door, Fred handed their dog Vegas as treat and came out of the kitchen "hey, you two coming by the site later?"

Archie frowned. "Dad, it's our first day."

"We've got to get you started in the office so next summer, you boys aren't out with the crew."

Mickey was excited. As much as he loved spending the summer in Chicago, he was a little disappointed that he didn't get to learn about the family business. But he was hoping to catch up with his friends first.

Archie gave his father a nervous look. "I've got football tryouts," he stated, causing Mickey to frown "is that not okay?"

"No, no. It's okay," Fred assured him. "Come on, I'll give you a ride."

"Hey what gives?" Mickey stood next to Archie by the lockers at school, the brown-eyed twin looking intently at a notebook full of his unfinished songs "I thought you were going to work on your music after school?" Mickey asked.

"I am," Archie responded, not looking up from his notebook.

"So why didn't you tell dad? He would've let you practice."

Archie stayed silent for a moment, a guilt-ridden look spreading across his face. "Dad doesn't know about I want to study music."

Mickey frowned. "Why not?"

"Because he wouldn't understand," Archie sighed looking up from his notes "You how dad is. Sports get us to college. College gets us to business school. Business school gets us right back here to Riverdale, turning Andrews Construction into Andrews and Sons" The brown-eyed twin gave his brother a worried look "I don't want to let him down."

Mickey gave his brother a sympathetic look. Ever since their mother had left, Archie had been walking on glass. Like if he wasn't exactly what the people he cared about wanted him to be, they'd leave him.

"My bros!"

Before Mickey give his brother an encouraging word, a tall muscular Asian American boy sauntered over to them, a massive grin on his face.

Mickey smiled. "What's up Reggie!" the two best friends quickly gave each other a welcoming bro hug.

"Dude, you got ripped!" Reggie exclaimed, looking over Mickey's new physique "What's your fastball speed at?"

"Eighty-five," Mickey told him proudly.

"Shut up! Dude, you are going to own baseball this spring!" Reggie promised "And Archie, look at these arms," he exclaimed grabbing the brown-eyed twin by the bicep "this is diesel! You go to tell me your secret. TBT? Mako Root?"

Archie chuckled. "It's from working construction, Reg," he told him, walking to class.

"Right, right," the young athletes walked side by side, a mischievous look creeping into Reggie's eye "So, you work any big houses over the summer?"

Archie's eyes narrowed curiously "Yeah."

"Hook up with any hot Cougars?"

Mickey chuckled. "Is sex all you think about Reg?"

"Only when I'm off the field," Reggie told him.

Archie shook his head in disbelief "Sorry, Reg. You've got enough for your Wank-Bank. I'll you guys later."

"Later brother," Reggie called as the brown-eyed twin walked off "What about you, Mick? You meet any hotties out in Chicago?"

"No comment."

Mickey and Archie sat next to each other at the assembly, where Cheryl Blossom announced the confirmation of the Back-to-School Formal and that it would be held in Jason's honor. As the crowd cheered at the good news, both of the Andrews boys found their minds wander into the past. Archie's to the previous and his forbidden love with Miss Grundy. Mickey's went even farther, to when his past with Cheryl all began.

It was spring break. The JV baseball had just made it into the playoffs and Reggie was throwing a pool party to celebrate. With a house, almost as big as Thornhill, and a reputation to party as hard as he played just about every sport Riverdale had to offer, Reggie Mantle spent no expense. Especially with his parents out of town.

Mickey sat at the edge of the pool late that night, wearing only a grey hoodie and a pair of navy swim trunks, his feet just under the water, when she arrived.

"Mickey."

The young baseball player looked up from the water as Cheryl Blossom stood beside him, dressed in nothing more than a black bikini and lacy re wrap tied around her waist.

Mickey's heart stopped. He always knew Cheryl was beautiful, but standing there, dressed like that…. she looked like she belonged on the cover of Sports Illustrated. "Hey Cheryl."

Cheryl gave him a warm smile. "Can I sit?"

"Uh, sure." The blue eyed boy scooted over as Cheryl sat down next to him, handing him a red plastic cup. "Thanks."

"I saw you at the Coolsville game," Cheryl commented "You were incredible."

Mickey blushed. "It was nothing."

"Nothing? You pitched a no hitter," Cheryl remined "No freshman has ever done that before. Keep it up and you'll be varsity before the season's over."

"Practice makes perfect right?" Mickey nervously took a sip from his cup, to cough and gasp as the contents burned down his throat. "Oh. What is that?"

"Cherry Vodka," Cheryl stated in a low voice "my personal drink of choice."

"Mine's Budweiser," Mickey managed "guess I'm just used to the simpler things."

"But you should try the finer things," Cheryl suggested, running her down Mickey's arm. "The experience is so much better."

Mickey's heart started going a million miles an hour. Was Cheryl Blossom, the queen of Riverdale High, hitting on him?

Before Mickey could even say another word, Cheryl removed her hand, and rose to her feet and walked off. "See you around."

Deciding to he needed to cool off or explode, Mickey prepared to take a quick lap in the pool when he realized that his phone was gone. Looking around to see if he might've dropped it, Mickey spotted Cheryl standing amongst the crowd of teenagers at the party, waving it back and forth as she gave him a seductive grin.

Confused, Mickey followed Cheryl as she headed away from the crowds and away from the pool house, the one spot Reggie had stated was off-limits. What was Cheryl up to? Curious, Mickey followed the red-headed girl inside, only to lose her from sight as he walked through the door. "Cheryl?"

"Looking for this, Mickey?"

The blue-eyed twin turned around as Cheryl stood behind him, holding up his phone she gave him a sultry smile.

Mickey sighed. "Yes I am. Now can I have it back please?"

"But of course," Cheryl replied handing Mickey his phone "I just wanted to get you alone."

At that moment, Mickey Andrews looked around and realized the situation he was in: He was alone, in a pool house with Cheryl Blossom. Mickey's grew to the size of dollar coins. "Uh Cheryl," he managed in a nervous tone "What are you-mmm!" before he could even finish a sentence, Cheryl closed the gap between the two of them, smashing her lips against his, giving Mickey Andrews a kiss that made him feel like he could fly to the moon. As Cheryl pulled away from him ending the kiss, Mickey could only thing of one word his new experience, the taste of her cherry-flavored lipstick still fresh on his tongue. "Whoa."

"What's the matter Mickey?" Cheryl teased in an innocent tone "didn't you like it?"

"Of course, I liked it" Mickey assured her "But, we have both been drinking," he reminded "and I just don't want to do anything that you'll regret."

Cheryl gave the redheaded boy a gentle smile "Trust me, Mickey" The redheaded cheerleader pushed Mickey onto couch and sat on his lap, "I won't have any regrets." As if to prove a point, head Rivervixen bent down and gave the baseball player a lustful kiss.

Mickey could hardly believe his luck. He had just pitched a no-hitter, his team was going to the championships and now he was making out with the Cheryl Blossom. As Mickey lost himself in the rush of the kiss, warmth of the body pressed against hers, the softness of her pale ivory skin as he wrapped his hands around her waist, the intoxicating taste of her cherry flavored lips, Cheryl ran her hands against the baseball player's chest, slowly unzipping his hoodie.

As soon as Cheryl's hands met the bare skin of his chest, Mickey jumped, ending the kiss as he gasped for breath.

"What's wrong?" Cheryl was getting impatient.

"Nothing. Nothing's wrong," Mickey gasped, his face flushed and hot. "I just… I just need a second."

"Oh my God, Mickey," Cheryl's eyes widened in realization "Is this your first time?"

Mickey's face turned almost as red as his hair. Yes, he was still a virgin, but he didn't want Cheryl to know that. "Um…,"

"How cute," Cheryl exclaimed as she gave him a sentimental smile "I've never been anyone's first before." The redheaded cheerleader pushed Mickey onto his back on the couch, giving him a reassuring kiss "Don't worry Mickey. I promise I'll be gentle." Cheryl reached behind her back and undid her top. "I also promise to be the highlight of your life.

She wasn't kidding. After letting Cheryl have her way with him, Mickey lay on the couch with Cheryl in his arms, wrapped in a spare towel they found in the pool house. Mickey could only think of one word to describe the experience. "Wow."

Cheryl smiled. "You're pretty wow yourself. I have to say, for someone who just had their first time, you're quite a natural."

Mickey grinned. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Cheryl smiled as she pulled herself in closer for a kiss "Ready for round two?"

"Definitely. But first," Mickey smiled mischievously as he rolled himself on top of Cheryl, only for his eyes to widen in shock as he saw the time on the clock. "Oh no," Mickey panicked as he jumped off the couch "My curfew's in twenty minutes," he exclaimed, struggling to put his shorts back on "Cheryl," Mickey's eyes became racked with guilt. "I am so sorry."

"Don't worry Mickey," Cheryl assured him "Every teenager knows the cruel burden of a curfew."

Mickey frowned as he shrugged on his hoodie "What are you doing with my phone?"

"Putting in my number," she replied "If you're this good now, imagine how good you'll be with practice."

Mickey got practice alright. And plenty of it. For weeks, he and Cheryl Blossom went at it like a couple of rabbits, sneaking around whenever they could. At first, Mickey was fine with it, but after going away to Chicago for the summer, he was finally able to get his head on straight. He started to miss her. Not just sleeping with her, but holding her in his arms, the gentle sound of her voice in his ear. The warmth in her smile. Sex just wasn't enough for Mickey Andrews. He wanted more.

Mickey sat with Betty, Kevin and Archie at lunch, listening to his brother's song as it played on his laptop. As Veronica came into view, Archie slammed the laptop shut, his cheeks briefly turning red. Mickey smirked. It was obvious that his brother had a thing for the new girl.

"Hey," the New York native greeted "What are you guys doing?"

"Listening to one of Archie's songs," Betty answered, giving her childhood friend a warm smile.

A flirty smile, Mickey thought. Was there something going between those two? Betty did seem a little hesitant when Mickey asked to join them at Pop's.

"I got to admit, I thought we were going to have to pretend to like it," Kevin divulged "but it's actually, pretty good."

"It's great," Betty confirmed.

"Wait, that was you?" Veronica asked in an impressed tone.

"Yeah," Archie admitted modestly "It's rough."

"It's amazing," Veronica disputed "At least from the little snippet I just heard. You have real talent, Archie," she told him.

"Definitely," Mickey agreed with an encouraging smile. "You'll be topping the charts in no time, little brother."

Archie gave his brother an irritated look "just because you were born a couple minutes before I was, doesn't make you the older brother."

"Kinda does," Mickey disputed "And it's fifteen minutes, not a couple."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "So is this your thing Archie?" she asked "Music? Are you doing something with it?"

"That's the plan," Archie confirmed "anyway, I got to go. I have to meet with Grundy before football tryouts."

"You play football too?" Veronica exclaimed "What don't you do?"

"Baseball," the brown eyed twin responded, "that's Mickey's thing."

Veronica gave the blue-eyed twin a curious look. "is that so?"

Mickey shrugged. "I dabble."

"He's amazing," Betty insisted "He's the best pitcher in whole school."

"Come on Betty," Mickey disputed bashfully "I only played JV last year."

"Yeah. JV starting pitcher who took us to the championships and pitched a no-hitter," Kevin reminded.

"Impressive," Veronica complemented "You must have the ladies eating out of the palm of your hand."

Mickey's cheeks grew hot, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips.

Betty huffed. "If only he'd talk to them. Mickey gets so shy around girls."

"Oh, I don't know. He seems to have at least one girl hanging onto his every word."

Mickey eyes went wide as he saw Veronica going through his phone. He seriously needed to put a lock on that thing.

"Someone named Baby Doll just our young baseball star a very steamy little text," Veronica informed in a teasing voice.

Kevin gasped. "Oh my God."

"Mickey," Betty gave her neighbor a look, the tone in her voice like that of an older sister who just caught her little brother with his hand in the cookie jar. "Is there something you want to tell us?"

Mickey's face turned almost as bright as his hair. "I might've met someone last spring," he admitted.

"Someone named Baby Doll?" Betty assumed.

"That's not her real name," Mickey divulged "she just likes it when I call her that."

"And do you like it when she calls you Baby Boo?" Veronica inquired.

Mickey groaned as he slammed his head on the table "Somebody kill me."

"Baby Boo?" Betty repeated, stifling a laugh.

"That's what it says here in the text," Veronica giggled "'Looking good today Baby Boo. Can't wait to see how baseball camp improved your batting average'" she read aloud in an exaggerated seductive tone "'XOXO kissy face emoji.'"

"Kevin kill me," Mickey pleaded. "just take one of your father's guns put me out of my misery."

"Oh no. Not until you tell us about this mystery girl you got on booty call."

Realizing that he wasn't getting out of this, Mickey a hand over his face and sighed. "It started at Reggie's spring break party. We took a break after I went to Colorado. Honestly, I wasn't even sure she was still interested in me."

"Oh, I think she's pretty interested," Kevin confirmed.

"When I was at camp, I couldn't stop thinking about her," Mickey continued "Not just the sex, her. I realized that I really like her."

"And now you out of the Netflix-and-Chill Zone," Veronica assumed.

"Mickey," Betty spoke to her friend in a gentle tone. "Do you really care this girl? About Baby Doll?"

Mickey didn't even have to think about it. Cheryl Blossom was one of a kind. She was smart. Confident. A natural born leader. And yet, Mickey couldn't help but feel that there was more to her beneath the surface. Not to mention she was drop dead gorgeous. "Yeah. I do."

Betty gave him a supporting smile. "Then you should tell her. Let her know how you feel."

"Practice what you preach," Kevin muttered "And am I the only one asking the serious questions here: Who is Baby Doll?"

"Oh no. You guys have gotten enough out of me as it is," Mickey stated, snatching his phone back from Veronica "I'm going to ask her to the Back-To-School Formal. If she says yes," he stipulated "then you'll meet her."

"Fine by me. Just so long as it's not," Betty's voice trailed off she spotted something in the distance "Oh no."

"What is it?" Veronica asked.

"Whatever you do, don't say anything about Archie," Betty ordered.

"Veronica Lodge."

The second Mickey heard that voice his heart started racing. His palms became sweaty. He looked up and there she was.

She had changed since giving her speech, now wearing a black form fitting blouse, a short red skirt, matching heels and cherry shaped brooch. It was her. Mickey's Baby Doll.

"I'm Cheryl Blossom," the red-headed girl greeted with a smile "May I sit?" Before Veronica could even respond, Cheryl to join the table, forcing the blonde-haired girl to move over "Make some room, will you Betty?"

Mickey's heart was going at least a hundred miles an hour. He hadn't expected to run into Cheryl so soon. Seeing at the assembly was one thing, but face to face, after all this time… it was taking all of his willpower no to just grab her and kiss her.

As Mickey struggled to keep his raging hormones in check, he felt something circling his foot. Mickey looked up from his food saw Cheryl shoot him a mischievous look out of the corner of her eye.

"So, what were you talking about?" Cheryl asked the others.

"Extracurriculars," Veronica lied "Weatherby suggested I join some to make new friends."

"Cheerleading," Cheryl suggested instantly "You must," she insisted.

As she continued to try and sell Veronica on joining the River-Vixens, Cheryl's foot began to slide up the inside of Mickey's calf.

Mickey's heart raced. It was French class all over again.

"I sat on top of the pyramid back at New York," Veronica commented. "What about you Betty?" she asked, "will you try out with me?"

"Oh, but Betty has so much on her plat already," Cheryl claimed, faking a disappointed tone.

Mickey gave Cheryl as stern look. He'd been trying to get Cheryl to be nicer to Betty since they started seeing each other, but she didn't seem interested.

Cheryl knew Mickey was upset. Which is why she moved her foot all the way up to Mickey's thigh. Mickey quickly grabbed the table with both hands. This girl was driving him crazy. And not only did she know it, she was enjoying it.

"Still, all are welcome to tryout," Cheryl assured them, putting her smile back on.

Mickey's knuckles turned white as Cheryl removed her foot from his lap, the redheaded girl standing up from the table. "Anyway, I am off. Follow me on Twitter and I'll do the same," she told Veronica "my handle is CherylBombshell." And she walked off.

"Mickey?" Betty frowned at the look on her neighbor's face "are you okay? You don't look so good."

Mickey didn't feel good. His heart was racing, his face was flushed, and his pants had suddenly become way too tight. "I'm fine," Mickey managed, taking a much need sip from his water bottle. "I just… didn't like the way Cheryl talked to you." The young baseball player quickly pulled his phone as it went off, keeping it out of Veronica's reach. That girl was almost a bigger gossip than Kevin.

It was another text from Cheryl: Meet me our spot. Baby Doll needs some lovin.

"Another text from Baby Doll?" Veronica assumed.

Mickey blushed. "Maybe." The redheaded boy's eyes went wide as Cheryl sent him another text: Please? I'm wearing Maple Red. Your favorite.

"I'll see you guys later," Mickey announced, jumping up from the table.

"Remember. You are a human being with emotions," Veronica advised "not a piece of meat."

Mickey and Cheryl's spot was behind the bleachers near the baseball diamond. Whenever they needed a little time alone in the middle of the day, they'd sneak off and meet there between classes. Normally he and Cheryl would just makeout until they could hardly breathe, but Mickey was determined to have a real, serious conversation with her. He should've known better.

The blue-eyed twin let out a muffled grunt as Cheryl slammed him against a chain-link fence, the redheaded girl pulling at his hairs as he wrapped his arms around her waist. As much as Mickey wanted a serious relationship with Cheryl, he'd be lying if he said he didn't miss this. The sensation of her fingers running across his scalp. The weight of her body pressed against his. The delicate softness of her lips, the intoxicating taste…

Snap out of it Andrews! Mickey thought to himself. You want to be her boyfriend not her boy toy!

Using what little willpower he had left, Mickey forced himself to end the makeout session, allowing himself to take a much needed breath.

Cheryl gasped. "You took your time getting here."

"I didn't want to come off has easy after that stunt you pulled," Mickey huffed. Truth be told, he almost didn't show up. After that erotic little game of Footsie, Mickey felt less like himself and more like an animal in heat.

"I missed my Baby Boo," Cheryl justified in a flirty tone. The Riverdale Queen Bee smiled seductively as she ran her hands over Mickey's chest, placing a trail of kisses down his neck, stopping only as she started to nibble on his collarbone.

Mickey took in a sharp breath, his knees becoming wobbly as his heart started to race. If he didn't stop this soon, his brain was going to turn to mush. "Cheryl," he managed in a breathy tone "Cheryl."

"Say my name, baby," she whispered in a lustful voice "it's been so long since I've heard you say my name."

"Baby Doll," Using every ounce willpower he had left, Mickey forced himself to grab Cheryl by the shoulders and pull her away from him. "We need to stop."

"Why?" the head River-Vixen ran her hands over the baseball player's sculpted arms as she pouted, her dark brown eyes going wide and innocent as she stuck out her plump, full lips. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Of course I missed you. It's just that," Mickey's heart raced as his mind went blank. He'd rehearsed this whole situation at least a dozen times, spent months trying come up with the right words to tell Cheryl how he felt about her. And now, after finally getting her alone, he couldn't think of anything remotely romantic to say. "It's just… class is about to start," he managed, glancing at his watch "we don't want to be late."

Cheryl sighed, crossing her arms across her chest. "And I do love my perfect punctuality. It's a shame," the redheaded girl gave Mickey a seductive look as she slipped her hand under his shirt "I was so looking forward to getting an up-close look at the new Mickey. You were a little cutie before. But now," Cheryl gave Mickey a lustful look as she ran her fingers over his abs "now you're like a red-headed Adonis."

Mickey's mouth went dry as he struggling to speak. "A-are uh, are you going to the Back-To-School Formal?"

"Of course. I'm planning a special tribute to Jay-Jay with the Pussycats," she confirmed.

Mickey felt an all-consuming pit come out of nowhere and swallow his stomach. What was wrong with him? He'd been so obsessed with what he wanted from Cheryl, that he'd almost forgotten that she was still grieving over the loss of her bother. "Baby Doll, if you ever want to talk… about Jason,"

"Aw. That's so sweet," she complimented. "but the time for crying is over. And right now, all I want is you," Cheryl stated in a lustful tone "at my party."

"Party?" Mickey repeated.

Cheryl nodded. "After the dance. So I can give you a proper homecoming." The Queen Bee of Riverdale leaned in close as she gave Mickey a final fiery kiss, "See you later, Baby Boo." And she walked off.

As soon as Cheryl was out of sight, Mickey slumped down to the ground as he let out a gasp, running his hands through his hair. This was going to be harder than he thought.

After school, Mickey went straight to the batting cages to blow off steam. To say the first day hadn't gone exactly how he'd planned was an understatement. For about an hour nonstop, he hit baseball after baseball, sending them down the field, his face and shirt covered in sweat.

"Mickey."

The young baseball player huffed as he looked over his shoulder as his brother called out his name, spotting Archie, Betty and Veronica standing on the other side of the cage, the two girls dressed in their newly earned cheerleading uniforms. Mickey huffed. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Archie sensed a disturbance in the twin force," Veronica stated, rolling her eyes "Question: how does the baseball player going to the batting cages equal a cry for help?"

"He's the pitcher," Archie spoke to his brother in a worried voice "Mick, what's going on?"

Mickey grunted as he hit another fastball down the field. "I don't understand women."

"Mickey's having girl troubles," Betty explained. "Apparently he was sneaking around with some girl last spring and never told anyone."

"Oh. Her."

Betty tilted her head. "Wait, did you know?"

'Well, we share a bedroom so it makes it pretty hard for me not to notice when he'd sneak out to his secret girlfriend," Archie chuckled. "I don't who she is, but I do know she's a cheerleader."

Archie sat in the bleachers with his father, watching as Mickey as he stood at the pitcher's mound. It was his first game after the no-hitter. A lot of people were worried he might've done damage to his arm after a game like that. Mickey was determined to prove them wrong.

It wasn't going well. In the first three innings, he'd given up two walks and three runs. Thank God for Reggie Mantle. If he wasn't such a monster behind the plate, the Bulldogs would've blown out. By the top of the fourth, Archie was already hearing rumors of the coach pulling Mickey out of the game. At that moment, a small group of young women walked into the bleachers: a small squad of the Rivervixens just back from a cheer competition upstate. And leading the charge was none other than Cheryl Blossom.

Mickey's eye widened as he watched the cheerleaders sat down in the bleachers next to Jason, the young pitcher firing a blazing fastball that the batter never saw coming. The crowd cheered, amazed and the sudden renewed vigor in the young athlete.

Fred gasped. "What got into him?"

Archie's eyes drifted over to the Cheryl and the Rivervixens. "I think I know."

After that, Mickey became a force of nature. Painting the corners of the strike zone with curves and fastballs that no one saw coming. As the sixth inning came around, Mickey was starting to tire, but he refused to quit. With one strike standing between him and Riverdale's next at bat, the blue-eyed twin wound up and unleashed his secret weapon: a slider pitch.

SWOOSH!

He knew it was bad the second the ball his left his hand. After so many innings, Mickey was so worried about giving the pitch enough heat, he didn't give it enough curve. Archie saw it too. What was meant to be a slider low and outside turned into a wonky curveball right down the middle.

CRACK!

The batter hit the ball with ease, sending a line drive racing down the center field.

Springing into action, Mickey dived for the ball as it bounced just past the pitcher's mound, skidding across the ground as he threw to first base just as the runner came charging in.

"Out!" the umpire shouted.

The crowd cheered as Mickey rose to his feet, wiping the sweat from his brow as he walked over to the batter's box. Mickey was sat out for the rest of the game, but it didn't matter. He was back and the world knew it.

The game was a shut out after that. Reggie hit his third home run that day in the seventh, putting the Bulldogs ahead by two.

After the game, Archie went looking for his brother, only for his eyes to nearly fall out of his head as he spotting Mickey behind the bleachers, making out with a passionately kissing a cheerleader.

"I never got a look at her face and Mick would never tell me who she was," Archie concluded "next thing I know, Mickey's sneaking out the house every other night, coming back with lipstick all over his face."

"So the mysterious Baby Doll's a Rivervixen," Veronica teased.

Archie snickered. "You call her Baby Doll?"

Mickey grit his teeth as he hit another ball down the field. "She's driving me nuts."

"She didn't want to go to the dance with you?" Betty presumed.

"I wouldn't know," Mickey responded between swings. "I didn't ask her."

"Why not?"

"Because she was too busy shoving her tongue down my mouth," Mickey grunted between swings "I can't take this. All she wants is sex."

"So break up with her," Archie offered.

"If I do that, I could lose her for good," Mickey worried, as if that we the worst thing in the world. "She could have any guy in the school if she wanted."

"You really care about her don't you?"

"You have no idea," Mickey grunted as he hit another line drive. "She's smart. Independent. Confident. Doesn't let anything get in her way. She most incredible, beautiful girl I have ever met, and all I am to her is… a Boy Toy!" with the last declaration, Mickey unleashed a grand slam hit, sending the ball flying as the bat broke in two.

Realizing his brother was more upset than he thought, Archie quickly ran over and turned off the pitching machine, while his brother bent over and gasped for breath. "I think that's enough batting practice for today."

"Clearly you are in dire need of a break from romantic troubles," Veronica stated.

"Ronnie's right Mick. You keep this up and you're going to explode. Come with us to the dance tonight," Archie offered.

Mickey let out a deep breath, wiping the sweat from his face. "I don't know guys. If Baby Doll sees me there, she's going to have wrapped around her finger in ten seconds flat."

"Which is why you need to come with us. If she tries to play you, we'll be there to bail you out. Besides," Archie shuffled his weight nervously. "We really haven't hung out since you got back."

"Aw," Veronica gave the two boys a teasing smile "Archiekns misses his brother."

Mickey smirked. As one of the only two pairs of twins in all of Riverdale, he and Archie had always been close, practically joined at the hip. Last summer was the longest they'd ever been apart. "Okay. Okay, I'll go."

Mickey stood alone in his room, rummaging through his clothes as he looked for something to wear to the dance. He wanted to look nice for Cheryl and he didn't really own a lot of fancy clothes. Most just t-shirts, track suits, jeans and bomber jackets. As he struggled to find his suit, Mickey turned around as his father walked in. "Hey, Dad. What's up?"

"Just had a little chat with Archie," Fred began "he told me you down to the batting cages after school today," The construction worked sat down at the edge of his son's bed. "care to share what's on your mind?"

Mickey sighed. As much as he didn't really feel like talking, his father had a habit about giving good advice. "I met a girl before I went to Chicago."

"You don't say." Fred crossed his arms, leaning back on the bed as he smiled. "So that's what all that sneaking out was about."

Mickey paled. "You heard that?"

"Son, I've heard you and your brother sneaking out of this house since you two were having secret meetings with Jughead at his treehouse," Fred chuckled "So tell me. This girl… is it serious?"

"I want it to be," Mickey admitted "I'm just not so sure about her."

"Have you told her how you feel?"

"I tried. I wanted to ask her to the dance but, I choked. This girl," Mickey sighed "She's out of my league, Dad."

"Son, everyone thinks the person they like is out of their league," Fred assured him "Now sooner or later, you're going to have put your heart out on the line and tell her the truth. Maybe she'll feel the same way, maybe she won't. Either way, you can't keep this bottled up inside you forever."

"I guess you're right," Mickey gave Fred a small smile "Thanks, Dad."

"That's what I'm here for," Fred told him, wringing his hands together.

Mickey noticed it. It was what Fred did when he was nervous. "Something you want to get off your chest, Dad?"

Fred sighed as he looked down at his hands. "Guess we Andrews boys know each other a little too well, huh?" The construction worker sighed as he ran his hands through his hair. "Your brother just told me wants to study music," he revealed in a less than supportive tone "doesn't want anything to do with the family business. I always assumed that you two would take over the company someday, but now I realize that you two are at the age where your own plans. So now I have to ask: Do you want to go into construction Mickey?" he asked "Do you even like it?"

Mickey smiled. "Dad, do you remember when I was little and we would make towns out of Legos?"

Fred chuckled as the warm memories ran through his head. "Those were good times."

"Yeah. Those were some of the best times growing up," Mickey admitted in a sincere voice. "I know that I had a pretty good baseball season. There's a lot of talk of me going varsity. Maybe even pro," he acknowledged. "And as awesome as all that sounds, I can't think of anything better than making houses with my old man all day."

Fred smiled, his eyes flooding with pride. "In that case, how'd you like to work for me after school every once and while, until baseball season starts?"

Mickey smiled. "When can I start?"

Mickey walked into the Formal that night with Archie, Betty and Veronica, dressed in a dark blue blazer, a crisp white dress shirt tucked into a dark pair of jeans and brown dress shoes.

"Well," Veronica looked around the auditorium, now elegantly redecorated into a dance hall, the walls covered with balloons, streamers, and posters of the late Jason Blossom. "It's not the Globe."

Archie chuckled. "Not impressed by our small-town charms, Ronnie?"

"It has its perks," she said in a friendly tone "I'm going to get some punch. Come on, Mickey."

Frowning, the baseball player allowed the New York native to drag him over to the punch bowl. "I'm not really thirsty just yet."

"That's fine. So long as you give Betty and Archie some alone time," she replied pouring herself a glass.

"Wait a sec," Mickey glanced back at the others confused, remembering how awkward Betty was when he joined them at Pop's. "Are they together?"

"Not yet, but Betty's getting ready to make her move," Veronica informed. "which is why I am keeping you and all your Baby Doll drama as far away from them as possible."

For a moment, Mickey was silent. He couldn't say he was that surprised. Archie and Betty had always been close. She was practically his rock when their mom left. But then again, he was pretty sure his brother had his eyes on the new girl. "You know, if you really want to be Betty's wingman, or wing-girl," Mickey corrected uncertainly "you probably should stop flirting with Archie."

Veronica frowned. "I don't flirt with Archie."

Mickey laughed. "Yeah right."

"I don't."

"So what's with the pet names?"

"Archiekins is not a pet name, okay? It's a nickname," Veronica corrected "A friendly nickname."

"Archie-Boy is a nickname. Archiekins is the textbook definition of a mushy, goofy pet name that girls give their boyfriends after they're whipped," Mickey stated sharply "Look I've been away for a while, so clearly I don't know everything that happened this summer," he admitted, pouring himself a drink "but what I do know, is you and Archie don't look at each other like two people who want to be just friends." As Mickey took a sip of his punch leaving Veronica to ponder on his words, he detected the faint taste of whiskey. Looking around for the likely suspects, he spotted Moose and Reggie in the far-off corner of the gym, carrying flasks.

After warning Veronica to take it easy on the punch, Mickey walked over to his friends and gave them a disapproving look. "Really?"

"Dude relax," Reggie assured him with his usual grin "Nobody's going to know."

"They will if you guys keep spiking the punch."

"We're just trying to liven things up a little," Moose chuckled, his speech already starting to slur.

Mickey shook his head in disbelief "I honesty cannot take my eye of you guys for one second, can I?"

"Hello friends," the entire auditorium turned it eyes on Cheryl Blossom, the red-headed girl wearing a gown an apple-colored gown that absolutely took Mickey's breath away. "Are you all having a good time?" the crowd quickly cheered in response, causing Chery's smile to widen. "It my pleasure to introduce tonight's feature entertainment, Josie and the Pussycats. To know them is to be obsessed with them," she praised "While they usually only perform original songs, upon special request, they will be performing a special cover of the song my parents claimed to be listening to the night Jason and I were conceived. This one's for you, Jay-Jay," Cheryl dedicated, a hint of sadness entering her voice.

As the local band began to play, Mickey once again found himself in awe of Cheryl Blossom. Here she was, less than a year after her brother's death, doing everything in her power to preserve his memory. And he hadn't seen her shed a single tear. Truly, she had a will of iron.

Blinking, Mickey was pulled out of thoughts as Reggie rapidly tapped his shoulder "Dude. Dude! Don't freak but Cheryl is totally checking you out."

The young baseball player looked up and spotted the red-headed girl in the crowd, her dark brown orbs full of a lustful fire.

"Bro, she is straight-up eye sexing you right now!" Reggie exclaimed "You're making a move, right? You have to make move," he insisted.

For a moment, Mickey didn't know what to do. But the longer he looked into Cheryl's hypnotic chocolate brown orbs, the more he felt his will to resist slip away. Taking a deep a breath, Mickey grabbed Reggie's flask and took a large sip, the liquor burning down his throat as he handed it back. And without another word, he walked off and followed Cheryl into the halls.

Betty and Archie stood together on the dance floor, gently swaying to the music as they held each other in their arms. "So, now that you're playing varsity football and I'm a Rivervixen…I have this fantasy," She admitted nervously "of us… as a power couple." Betty revealed, earning a surprised look from Archie "or maybe just a couple?"

Archie was stunned. It wasn't that he didn't care about Betty. But the thought of the two together… "Betty-,"

"What?" the blonde-haired girl's hands dropped from his neck, her expressive green eyes filling with hurt and pain. "Is that so hard to imagine?"

It wasn't. Not long ago, Archie had felt just how Betty did now. But that was a long time ago. Before….

As the song came to an end, Archie jumped as Reggie Mantle came over and clamped his hand down on Archie's shoulder, an excited grin on his face and the scent of liquor on his breath. "Dude. You need to see this."

Mickey grunted as Cheryl slammed against the lockers, her fingers running across his scalp and pulling at his hair as her lips crashed into his, the baseball player's hands resting gently on her waist. He'd forgotten how aggressive Cheryl could be.

"Mickey," Cheryl gasped in a lustful tone, ending the kiss to take a much needed breath, "You look positively yummy."

"Thanks?," Mickey replied half-heartedly, not really sure how he felt about the compliment "You look beautiful, Baby Doll."

"Aw. You are so sweet," Cheryl purred, peppering kisses up and down his neck "I could just eat. You. Up."

Mickey felt a chill race down his spine as Cheryl started nibbling on his ear, the erotic sensation turning his knees into butter. "Cheryl. Cheryl," he repeated. "I want you-,"

"Mmm. I want you to, Baby Boo," Cheryl interrupted. "But not here. Come to my party tonight. Then we can have some real fun," she promised, running her tongue across her teeth, the sultry action causing Mickey's heart to race.

The red-headed cheerleader quickly gave Mickey another soul-burning kiss, turning Mickey's brain to mush as she walked off. As he leaned against the lockers trying to catch his breath, Mickey heard a voice that made all the color drain from his face.

"Dude." Reggie Mantle stood with Archie Andrews just past the auditorium doors, their eyes wide and awestruck.

Archie had only two words to describe what he'd just seen. "Holy Cow."

Mickey looked ready curl into a ball and hide. "How long have guys been standing there?"

"Long enough," Archie assured him.

"Bro, you are so in!" Reggie let out an excited laugh as he clasped his best friend on the back. "When word gets out about you and Cheryl, you are going to rule this school!" he promised "Dude, if you thought the ladies wanted after baseball last year, just wait until they hear about this."

As Reggie went on, Archie noticed the worried look on his brother's face and frowned. "Hey Reg, you think you could give us a sec?"

Reggie gave the red-headed quarterback a disappointed look. "Bro."

"Twin-Code trumps Bro-Code," Archie reminded, convincing Reggie to head back into the gym. Archie walked over to Mickey, the blue-eyed twin covering his face with his hands as he leaned across the lockers. "So… Cheryl's Baby Doll," he presumed.

Mickey nodded. "I wanted to tell you."

"But you weren't sure how we'd act." Archie finished. Although Cheryl was the most popular girl in school, she also had a rep for being one of the meanest. Especially to Betty. "Look Mick, I can't say how Betty will feel about this. But if dating Cheryl makes you happy, then that's all that matters to me."

Mickey smiled. "Thanks, Arch. But dating would require more than just having sex."

"Looks like we're both having girl problems," Archie paused as his brother gave him a curious look. "Betty just told me that she likes. Likes me likes me."

"So I 've heard."

Archie's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I just found out right before Cheryl shoved her tongue down my throat," Mickey answered "Let me guess, you already got your eyes on Veronica?"

Archie blushed. "I'm not interested in Veronica."

Mickey laughed.

"I'm not," Archie repeated. "I'm not interested in anybody after-,"

Mickey's eyes narrowed as his brother's voice trailed off. "After what?"

After a moment's silence, Archie let out a heavy sigh. "Geraldine."

"Geraldine? Who's Geraldine?" Mickey questioned.

Archie sighed nervously as he scratched the back of his head. "She's a girl I met during the summer."

"Oh. Really?" Mickey gave his brother a light-hearted grin "So that's why I barely heard from you over the summer."

"Yeah" Archie smiled nervously. "She's the one that inspired me to study music. After Jason… things didn't end well between us," he managed. "I'm still getting over it."

"Looks like all Andrews men are lousy with girls," Mickey huffed. "I just got one question, bother: Geraldine?"

Archie frowned. "What's wrong with Geraldine?"

"It's an old lady's name," Mickey chuckled.

"It is not," Archie protested.

"It totally is," Mickey laughed "What, is she a grandma with a dozen cats?"

"She is not," Archie disputed trying not to smile. "She's… a senior."

"Yeah. A senior citizen."

Both the Andrews boys laughed at that one. "I've missed this," Archie said softly "you and me. Hanging out."

Mickey smiled. "Yeah, me too. Something tells me this is going to be one crazy school year."

"Yeah," Archie gave his brother a supportive look "Nothing we can't get through together, right?"

Mickey looked over to his brother and smiled. "Right."

After heading back into the dance, Mickey convinced Archie and others to come with him to Cheryl's party. He needed as many eyes on him as he could get. At first, Mickey felt pretty good about his chances. Then he saw Cheryl in that dress.

At the dance, the head cheerleader wore a full-length gown that made her look like royalty. she had changed into a skin tight, low cut dress that stopped right in the middle of her thighs. There very sight of it made Mickey's heart go into double time.

"Alright kids. We're going old school tonight," Cheryl announced, "Seven Minutes in Heaven."

Mickey's face grew hot. The last thing he needed was to be locked in a closet with Cheryl.

"So, who's going in the closet of love first?" Cheryl pondered aloud "my vote is A for Archie."

The Andrews brothers shared a nervous look. What was she up to?

"Do I have a second?"

"Uh, I'm not really comfortable with this," Archie stated. But it was no use.

"Yes Andrews!" Reggie shouted before Archie could even finish his sentence, the effects of a long night of drinking making its way to the surface. "Yes!"

"Let's see who's riding the ginger stallion tonight," Cheryl smiled as she placed an empty glass bottle on the table and gave it a spin. The crowd watched in silent excitement as bottle came to a slow stop, pointing right between two girls: Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge.

The two girls stayed silent, a nervous look on Veronica's face and a completely mortified one on Betty's. At that moment, Mickey realized what this all was about: This whole game was another chance for Cheryl to mess with Betty.

Reggie cracked up. "No way."

"Interesting," Cheryl commented, a mischievous gleam in her eye "It's clearly pointing to… the new girl. This should be fun," she said, running her tongue across her teeth.

"Um, I'm not doing this." Veronica stated strongly.

Cheryl shrugged, slowly strolling around the room "That's up to you. But, if you refuse to take your turn, house rules say the hostess has to take your turn."

Mickey nearly jumped out of her seat. Was she serious? Would Cheryl really make out with his brother?

Noticing the panicked look on his twin's face, Archie sighed as he clenched his jaw. "Come on, Ronnie."

The raven-haired girl shot him a challenging look. "Archie."

"It's better than the alternative."

The two of them allowed Cheryl to lead them into the closet, closing the door behind them.

Archie and Veronica stood awkwardly in the closet, desperate for a way to pass the time. "Do you miss New York?" Archie asked.

Veronica shrugged. "it's been less than a week but, yeah," she admitted in a small voice "I do."

Archie checked the timer on his phone. Six minutes and thirty seconds. "Your turn. Ask me a deep, probing question."

Veronica chuckled. "You and Betty. Are you… just friends?"

"We're not just friends," Archie disputed "We're best friends. My turn. Did you have a boyfriend in New York?" Why did he ask that?

"No. Could it ever become something more?" Veronica inquired.

Archie frowned. "Are you asking for Betty or yourself?"

Veronica paused. As much as she wanted to be a good friend to Betty, she couldn't help but feel drawn to the redheaded boy. "For…Betty. And you didn't answer my question."

"I have never felt…whatever I'm supposed to feel," Archie told her. That was a lie. Or maybe a half truth. He wasn't sure. All he knew was that there was a time where he asked himself the same questions Veronica and Betty were asking now. But that was a long time ago. Before Jason. Before Geraldine. Before his whole world cam crashing down.

"Have you ever felt it though?" Veronica asked. "With anyone?"

Archie paused. "Yeah. This summer." Geraldine was special to him. There was no denying that. But ever since he laid on Veronica Lodge… he became enveloped with a feeling he could not describe. "What about you?"

"Maybe once. You're a little more dangerous than you look, aren't you?" Veronica questioned, taking a step closer, trailing a finger across his chest. "All boy-next-doorish."

It was the briefest of contact, and yet Archie felt as if he had been hit by a bolt of lightning. "You have no idea."

The two now stood less than a foot apart from each other. Their lips dancing dangerously close. "We shouldn't do this," Veronica whispered.

Archie's heart raced. He knew this would upset Betty. Hurt her. The very thought of that after the look on her face at the gym… it was enough to make Archie sick to his stomach. But Veronica…from the moment he laid eyes on her, Archie had been drawn to the raven-haired girl from New York. More than Geraldine or anyone before. It was if they were connected somehow. Like she filled a hole that Archie didn't even know existed. Until now. "We definitely shouldn't do this,"

And they kissed.

As the next seven minutes passed slowly, Cheryl strolled over to Betty, the blonde-haired girl nervously clutching her purse as her body became tense. Ignoring the intense warning glare from Mickey, Cheryl leaned in and whispered into Betty's ear, causing her big green eyes to swell up with tears.

Before he could even attempt to intervene, Betty jumped from her seat and ran for the door.

"Betty!" Mickey shot up from his seat to follow, only for her to disappear in seconds. Mickey whipped his head back at Cheryl and scowled. "What did you say to her?"

"Just the truth," she replied with a sly smile.

At that moment, Archie and Veronica emerged from the closet, their faces covered in guilt and fear. "Where's Betty?" Veronica asked.

"Gone," Mickey responded. "She just took off."

"We have to find her," Veronica stated, taking off with Archie behind her.

As the two of them hurried off to find their friend, Mickey grabbed Cheryl by the arm and whispered into her ear. "We need to talk."

Teddy Bears. That was the one thing that always came to Mickey's mind when he thought of Cheryl Blossom's bedroom. Not the vast size or the Hilton-like furniture or even the mind-blowing sex that always left him breathless. It was always the teddy bears.

Sitting on an old-fashioned wooded bench next to Cheryl's bed was at least a dozen sweet and cuddly teddy bears. All a different shape and size. Each one carefully preserved. Mickey almost cracked up when he first saw them. The thought of the spit-fire Cheryl Blossom collecting something as sweet and innocent as teddy bears too adorable for words. Then he realized that it meant that she was more than appeared to be. That underneath all that tough girl exterior, was a sweet and gentle soul. Only now he wasn't so sure.

Mickey stood in Cheryl's room with his arms crossed across his chest, staring angrily at Cheryl as she stood in front of her bed. "What did you say to Betty?" he demanded.

"Nothing," she replied dismissively "just small talk."

"Small talk usually doesn't end with people running off in tears," Mickey disputed.

"I just told her the truth," Cheryl admitted finally "that Archie will never want her."

"You don't know that."

"Please," Cheryl rolled her eyes "Betty has been pining after Archie since the two of them could walk and he has not once made a move. Besides, he's had his eyes on Veronica from the moment she got here."

Mickey was silent for a moment. True enough, he had seen the chemistry between his brother and the new girl. But Betty knew Archie better than most. In some ways, better than him or their parents. "You were out of line."

"I was just having some fun. Cheryl stuck out her bottom lip as she saw the deep scowl on Mickey's face. "Baby Boo, don't be mad at me." Mickey's face didn't waver. "Maybe this will make it better." The redheaded girl smiled seductively as she stepped out of her heels, reaching behind her back pulling at the zipper to her dress.

"Cheryl," Mickey suddenly felt his face grow warm "what are you doing?"

"Seducing you," she replied, pulling down the shoulders of her dress revealing a tantalizing black bra with red lace trimming the edges. Cheryl smiled at the gob-smacked look on Mickey's face. "I know it's not my Rivervixens uniform, but I thought you might like it."

Mickey was at war with himself. Part of him wanted to stay mad out of loyalty to Betty. The other part, the one growing bigger by the second, wanted nothing more than to pounce on Cheryl like an animal in heat and kiss every inch of her body. Desperate not to fall back into old habits, Mickey backed away as Cheryl crept towards him, only for her to back into a corner.

Mickey's voice wavered as he struggled to resist. "Cheryl,"

"Shh," redheaded girl placed a finger on his lips, her dark brown orbs burning with lust as she whispered in Mickey's ear. "Baby Doll wants to play." And she kissed him.

Mickey's heart went from zero to a hundred in two seconds flat, the sweet sensation of Cheryl Blossom's lips on his sending an intoxicating rush through his entire body. At that moment, something inside Mickey began to snap. He'd been fighting his craving for the leader of the Rivervixens from the minute he got off the plane from Chicago and now he could barely resist. Cheryl Blossom was a drug and Mickey Andrews was a serious addict. Letting out a sound that could only described as primal growl, Mickey grabbed Cheryl by the waist and kissed her back with equal measure. As the two of them slipped their tongues down each other's throats, Cheryl pulled Mickey towards the bed, tossing his blazer on the floor. Giving him a sultry smile, the red-headed girl pushed the blue-eyed twin onto the bed and straddled his lap, kissing him over and over as Mickey played with the hem of her skirt. The redheaded girl gasped as she felt him grope her thigh, chuckling softly as she played with the buttons on his shirt. "I've been waiting all summer for this," she whispered.

Summer. That was the word that snapped Mickey out his trance. The season he spent every night wondering about what he and Cheryl could be. Using every ounce of mental strength he had, Mickey forced himself to pulled away from Cheryl, ending the kiss.

Cheryl frowned. "What's wrong?"

"I can't."

Cheryl gave him an amused look. "Don't tell your curfew's up already."

"Cheryl," Mickey let out a heavy sigh, his face becoming far more serious than Cheryl was used to. "What is this? What are we to each other?"

The redheaded girl tilted her head, a surprised and confused look in her eye.

"Do you know what I kept thinking about while I was in Chicago? I thought about you," Mickey revealed "and what you mean to me. And you mean a lot more to me than someone I call just when I want sex. I don't want to be your boy toy anymore, Baby Doll. I want to be your boyfriend," he admitted. Fred was right. It did feel good to say that out loud. "I want to take you on an actual date. I want to be your date to the next dance. I want to be in the front row at your next cheerleading competition. I want to see you in the stands at my baseball games. I want to walk you home from school after practice and take you out for a milkshake at Pop's. I want to hold hands walking down the halls at school. But most of all, I want us to able to talk to each other. Really talk to each other," he emphasized "and it doesn't have to be about Jason. It can be about anything. It can be about, how your day was. What college you want to go to. We've gone to school together since kindergarten," Mickey reminded "and I don't even know your middle name."

Cheryl was stunned. Nobody had ever told her these things to her before. Most of the guys she'd been with had only wanted sex. And since she was only ever looking for a good time, she didn't mind it.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Mickey pulled Cheryl off him and grabbed his jacket off the floor. "I'm going to go look for Betty. You got my number. If you think that there's even a chance of us having a real relationship," Mickey said hopefully "let me know. But if you're up at night looking for someone to make a booty call, don't bother."

Mickey left the party right after that, looking for any sign of Archie, Betty or Veronica. It a quarter past midnight, meaning that was only one place the three of them could be in Riverdale.

Mickey nervously walked into Pop's Diner, looking at the bright red booths as he spotted a familiar face: A dark haired boy huddled over an open laptop, a crown-shaped beanie on his head. Mickey smiled. "Jughead."

The dark-haired boy looked up from his computer and offered a friendly smirk. "Mickey Andrews."

The blue eyed twin grinned as he walked over and sat down next to his old friend. "It's good to see you again man. It's been a while."

"Sure has. Saw your brother earlier," Jughead commented as a fresh batch of fries was set on the table. "He was looking for Betty."

"Yeah so am I. I got admit, I'm surprised it took me this long to meet up with you," Mickey chuckled "I almost expected Archie to rent you my bed when I went away."

Jughead's content expression faded. "Archie and I… we haven't talked in a while."

Mickey frowned. "How is that possible?" Jughead was like Archie's second brother. How could they not talk over the whole summer?

Jughead shrugged. "This summer, Archie started acting weird. He kept blowing me off, acting like he was hiding something. After he canceled our road trip on July 4th, I finally got the hint: that he was done with me."

Mickey could hardly believe it. First, Jason Blossom died over the summer. Then, a new girl from New York came to town. Betty made a move on Archie who was now involved with a senior. And now the epic bromance of Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones had come to an end. "A guy goes away for one summer and the whole world turns upside down."

Archie stood on Betty's porch, the blonde-haired girl less than three feet away from him. Betty's face was pale, her eyes red and swollen from tears. Tears that Archie was all too responsible for.

"I'm not going to ask what happened at Cheryl's," Betty told him, her voice wavering as she struggled to remain calm "But I am asked you right now if you love me Archie," she questioned "or least like me?"

"Of course I love you Betty," Archie confirmed in a desperate tone. She was his light. His guiding north star, shining brightly even on his darkest of days. To imagine a life without her was like picturing day without the sun. And he just broke her heart. "But I can't give you the answer you want."

"Why not?" Betty persisted, her green eyes begging him to give her, to give them, a chance.

Archie felt his heart begin to break as he saw the tears swelling in her eyes. He'd give anything to make her pain stop. To be what he she so desperately wanted him to be. But he couldn't. Why? Archie thought Why would someone like her want to be with someone like me? He was a liar. He lied to his father about his music. He lied to his brother about Geraldine. And worst of all, he lied to all of Riverdale about the death of Jason Blossom. A seventeen-year-old boy who died. Just so he could save his relationship with a woman that was doomed from the start. Compared to him, Betty Cooper was an angel. "You are so perfect. I've never been good enough for you," he admitted shamefully. "I'll never be good enough."

Betty stared at him in silence, her eyes still on the verge on tears as she turned around and walked away. Archie just stood there, watching her as she walked inside and out of sight.

And so, it was not just one heart that broke that night, but two.

After catching up for Jughead, Mickey decided to head home. It was late and he was tired. As the young man walked up the block to his porch, he saw his brother sitting on the steps.

"Hey," Mickey greeted.

"Hey."

The blue-eyed twin sat down next to his brother. "You patch things up with Betty?"

The brown eyed twin let out a heavy sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Pretty sure I just made things worse. How'd things work out with Cheryl?" he asked.

"I ended it. Sort of," Mickey replied, earning a confused look from Archie "told her how I felt and to call me if she wanted to try for a real relationship."

"Ah man" Archie groaned as he ran a hand over his face "When did life get so crazy? I thought we weren't supposed to want to tear our hair out until our junior year."

Mickey chuckled. "Guess it means we're growing up."

"It sucks."

The two boys both laughed at that one. Mickey couldn't describe how much he missed this. Being with his brother. Taking comfort in his presence and the sound of his voice.

As the two of them sat in silence, Archie received a text that drained all the color from his face.

Mickey frowned. "What is it?"

"They found Jason Blossom's body."

The Andrews brothers stood side by side with Fred at the edge of Sweet Water at the break of dawn, the rest of Riverdale huddled around them as they watched the police drag the body of Jason Blossom out of the water, a massive bullet hole right in the middle of his skull.

Mickey felt sick to his stomach. Not only had one of his classmates died, he'd been murdered. One of people of Riverdale, people Mickey had known his entire life, put a bullet in the head of a seventeen-year-old boy. As the police wheeled the body into the medial van, Mickey's eyes traveled to the remaining members of the Blossom family, as Cheryl's eyes filled to brink with tears. Less than hour ago, Mickey was angry at Cheryl for taking advantage of him. Now all he wanted to do with give her a hug.

As the police drove into the distance, Mickey Andrews came to the dreaded conclusion that Riverdale would never be the same again.