A/N: I do not own the characters of Riverdale, only my OCs that I've made up. The story will follow the events in the TV show but not necessarily in the same order. This just helps the story along.

Happy reading! :)

WELCOME TO

RIVERDALE

THE TOWN WITH PEP!

We slowly drove pass the cheery sign, entering into the infamous town. Riverdale seemed like a nice place to live I guess; kids riding around on their bicycles, people greeting each other as they went about their day to day business in the warm sun. It was the perfect time to move to a small suburban town with the summer still intact. September was usually dreaded among students like me as it meant it was almost time to get back to studies. But I didn't mind because to me, it meant I was one year closer to becoming a doctor.

As we drove around the neighbourly streets, it occurred to me how small the town actually was. It almost seemed too cheery, too idyllic. Of course one of the big problems with small towns was that everybody knew everybody, and that meant no privacy.

"God, it hasn't changed a bit." Dad mumbled from the front, drinking in the view; the green trees that would soon turn auburn, the friendly smiling neighbours. I could already see some people putting their heads together and following our car as it passed by, undoubtedly curious as to whom the new residents were.

"You'll enjoy it here, kiddo." He continued as we wound through the town and into the more residential area. The houses looked quaint enough with red brick and front gardens, but something about it seemed, again, too cheery. I didn't exactly want to move away from Florida, away from all my friends and spots I'd escape to when I didn't want to be at home. But there's not a lot you can do when your parents' work demands it of them.

"Well, at least we got somewhere on the good side of town." Mom smiled gently, looking out of her window. My parents were originally from Riverdale, but I didn't know a lot about it. I know it was where they grew up and met and left before I was born, but whenever I broached the subject of why they left, or enquired about the town itself, I was always shut down.

"You mean there's a bad side of town?" I asked. The thought seemed almost laughable as I watched the town pass by. I couldn't imagine this place being dangerous at all.

"You could say that, but you don't need to worry about it." Mom replied almost tightly, her tone not matching the pleasant smile on her face. Once again, shut down. Although my curiosity was peaked slightly, I knew I wasn't going to get anywhere so I decided to change the subject.

"What's the hospital like?"

"Oh, it's lovely." She turned, her hazel eyes shining into my blue ones, her brunette hair spilling out from her coat. You could tell I was their daughter having my mom's hair and dad's eyes, "It's quite small, smaller than the one I used to work at, but it does the job. I believe the Mayor has pumped a lot of money into it and I think it's had some refurbishing."

Ok that was exciting. The hospital in Florida was amazing, but because it was so huge I was only confined to one or two departments and regularly got lost. Hopefully if this one was smaller I might be allowed a little more leeway as to where I worked.

As I was daydreaming about the hospital I failed to notice how we had now ventured into a rather fancy part of town. This must have been where all the 'rich' or 'important' members of the town lived. The houses were more spaced apart and noticeably larger than what I had previously seen.

"Wait, what are we doing here?" I sat up in my seat, eyes widening at the grand architecture that surrounded us.

"This is our street," Mom said softly and my eyes bugged a little.

"You don't think a house like this is a bit…much?"

Mom sighed, "Mia, I know you're not one for material things. Neither are your father and I. But this is the safest part of town, and if it means we have to pay a little more for the extra security then that's what we're going to do. Besides it's not like we can't afford it."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Of course it wasn't Mom's fault as to how much she got paid – being one of the best surgeon's in the state is bound to earn you a top salary. But I wished she wouldn't semi-brag about it sometimes. We weren't millionaires or anything like that, but we weren't exactly lacking in money. I'd always tried hard to hide that fact from people I met as i didn't want them to see me as the preppy rich girl from Florida. I hated that stereotype.

"Here we are," Dad smiled, pulling into one of the large driveways, "Home sweet home." He cut the engine and both parents jumped out of the car, eager to start getting our things moved in. I simply sat there on the backseat fabric, staring at the large house that stood before me. Thankfully, it wasn't big or grand enough to be called a mansion like the others, and I was surprised that although it was bigger than the previous houses we'd passed, it still seemed to retain the same red brick charm and homeliness that the smaller houses did. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to call this place home after all? Besides Mom was right; it was probably better paying more to live in a safer place.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and slid out of the car, shutting the door as Mom ventured up the front steps to unlock the oak front door. I walked around to the trunk of the car, helping Dad grab one of the cardboard boxes. The removals truck had the majority of the stuff but they wouldn't be here for at least another hour. My trainers crunched through the gravel as I carried the box labelled 'KITCHEN UTENSILS' passed the front garden, up the stairs and into the house.

"Wow." It just slipped out of my mouth. The ground floor was so open and light with neutral cream and brown paints decorating the walls, natural light spilling in from the various windows. The inside was large, but I knew that when our stuff was finally moved in it wouldn't seem so empty. Each room was connected openly, the walls being knocked through, giving it an intimate feel. I ventured into the kitchen, still in awe of the place, and put the box down on the island.

"You like?" Mom grinned, sipping a glass of water and leaning opposite me. I couldn't help but grin back.

"I like."

We spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking as many boxes as we could, and as each item was put in place, the house started to feel more and more like home. One of my favourite features had to be the back garden that you could clearly see from the kitchen window. It was rich with green grass and flowers and bushes; the perfect place to read and relax. It would certainly make Dad happy, garden enthusiast that he was. The removals truck arrived about ninety minutes after we did, and they helped unload and place all the heavy items in the house. They left the smaller boxes and items to us under mom's request and when they left, she explained she didn't want them hanging around.

"Pizza anyone?" Dad asked, playing with his phone. Looking at the clock, it was half past seven already. Where had the time gone? We didn't have any groceries so we all agreed on pizza, and it didn't take long for it to come.

"I think we got a lot done today," Mom commented as she chewed on a pizza slice. Looking around from our spot on the kitchen island, the place was a mess of cardboard and bubble wrap. We still had a lot to unpack and sort out but she was right – we had got quite a lot done.

"Yeah, at least the bedrooms are sorted." I agreed. It was one of the first things we decided to do so we could all at least have a decent night's sleep. My room was a nice size, painted in soft baby blue. I think the previous owners used it as a large nursery.

"Any plans for tomorrow other than packing?"

"Well," Dad wiped his mouth, "I have to go pick up my cruiser from work tomorrow morning. Sheriff Keller wants to give me the run-down on what's happening."

"Oh, it would be lovely to see Tom again. Well I think I'm going to unpack the rest of the house if you'll help me?" Mom's eyes flicked over to me. I nodded, "And I need to pick up some groceries. Then I'm going to go down to the hospital on Sunday and try and familiarise myself with where I'm going on Monday. You know, meet new people, probably see old faces."

"Can I come?" I swallowed, enjoying the cheesy dough sliding into my stomach.

"I don't see any reason why not. Although you need to make sure you know where you're going for school on Monday."

I rolled my eyes, "The school is like, twenty minutes away from here. I'm sure I'll be able to find it." I took another slice from the box.

"Ah yes, Riverdale High," Dad reminisced, "Good school. It's where your mother and I met."

"Yeah you've said."

"I'm sure you'll fit in honey," Mom smiled, "It's a great school that's got above average GPA. Good reputation."

"I'm sure I will." I smiled.

"Yeah, not like Southside High." Dad snorted.

"Southside High? Where's that?" My parents exchanged a look which could only be described as wary.

"Just a school on the other side of town…the rough side."

"Ok, I'm guessing it's in the Southside of the town?"

"Yes, but thankfully we're living in the Northside. The better side." Mom grabbed her glass and finished her water.

"I didn't know the town was split into North and South."

"Yes well it doesn't matter as long as you stay on this side." Dad said sharply. An awkward silence followed as Mom patted Dad's hand.

"O…k?" I coughed, "Well, I think I'm going to head off to bed for the night. It's been a long day."

"Ok honey," Mom smiled and I got up and kissed them both goodnight, "Sleep well."

"You too." I smiled. I pretended not to hear the hushed voices as I trod up the stairs and into the bathroom to clean my teeth. As I brushed, I pondered over the new information. The town was split into North and South. Why? Was it dangerous? Was there a feud of some kind? Conspiracy? Why were my parents, especially Dad, so against it?

I continued my train of thought as I changed for bed, burying myself under the cold sheets in the dark. The same question kept repeating in my head as I drifted off into a dreamless sleep. What was so bad about the Southside of Riverdale?