Chapter Text
Ethel was having a crisis. She stood stock still in front of her vanity, her eyes fixed on her pile of flavored lip glosses. Last year, she’d worn them to get a boy’s attention, and for a while it seemed like it had worked. But if she and said boy had broken up, would it be weird to keep wearing them? Would it bring back too many painful memories when she saw him? Would he think it was weird when he saw her? Maybe it would be easier to just give it up altogether and-
Her racing thoughts were interrupted when her door was pushed open and her mother leaned into her room. “Ethel, are you still not ready? You can’t be late, especially on the first day.”
Ethel turned away from the vanity and decided to start pulling on a pair of heeled boots instead. “I just need one more minute; I’ll get there on time.”
Her mother let out a deep breath, still looking worried. Then again, she looked worried a lot lately. “Okay,” she said. She pulled Ethel into a tight hug. “Be safe, make good choices.”
“I will,” Ethel replied, trying not to sound impatient. She was going to school, there was only so much trouble she could get into.
“Luann?” Her father called from downstairs. “I thought you were ready?”
Her mother pulled back and gave Ethel a small smile. “I’ll see you this afternoon.” And with that, she was gone.
Ethel stood frozen in place, listening closely. Sure enough, she could hear the muffled sounds of her parents arguing until the door closed behind them, just like it had been for most of the summer. She glanced back at her vanity, suddenly grateful for the distraction that school would give her.
She strode back across the room, picked out a blue headband to match her dress, and put it on with a tad more force than necessary. With only another second of hesitation, she reached over and snatched up her cotton candy lip gloss and spread it over her lips. He already thinks I’m weird anyway, she thought bitterly.
Spite and the steady click of her heels on the sidewalk kept her going until she was outside Riverdale High and the nerves came back full force. She stood on the sidewalk, her hands fidgeting nervously. She pulled in a deep breath, trying get rid of the nervous feeling in her stomach. Okay, she thought. This is fine. I’m going to be fine. She lifted her head high and started walking towards the doors.
“Ethel, hi!” Ethel turned and felt a wave of relief as she spotted her friend Kevin heading toward her. He bounded over and threw an arm over her shoulders. “You ready for today?”
Ethel shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be I guess.”
“Come on, don’t focus on the bad!” Kevin said. “At least today we’ll finally get to meet the mysterious Veronica Lodge!”
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing,” Ethel replied. “She’s probably, like, really cool, so I don’t think she’d like me.”
“But you’ve got to be kind of curious about her,” Kevin pressed. “Come on, let’s see if she’s here yet!” He took her arm and began to lead her over to the groups of students gathered in front of the school.
As she looked around, Ethel spotted not a mysterious new girl, but a tall, thin boy wearing a grey beanie. “Great,” she muttered.
Kevin followed her gaze and rolled his eyes when he realized she was looking at Jughead. “You guys can’t avoid each other forever.”
“I don’t know about that, it sure seems like the best option for me,” Ethel retorted. She could feel her shoulders tensing up. “I should go put my stuff in my locker anyway.”
As her heels clicked up the steps, she felt an equal mix of shame and anger. Maybe Kevin was right, and there would be a day when they would have to speak to each other again, but not today.
By English class, Ethel had worked out a system to minimize first day awkwardness: find someone she knew, sit next to them, ask about summer, avoid looking at Jughead at all costs. It seemed like she’d been a little too eager for this class, though; there weren’t very many people in the room yet. She hovered awkwardly in the doorway for a moment before forcing herself to make a decision and head for an empty section of desks.
She sat there for several long minutes before she spotted a girl with a blonde ponytail coming through the door. Ethel gave her a little wave and once again felt relief when Betty gave her a bright smile and made her way towards her, trailed by a petite, dark-haired, very pretty girl.
“Hey, Betty!” Ethel greeted her. “How did your internship go?”
“Amazing, I can’t wait to tell you everything!” Betty gushed. She turned to the girl behind her. “Veronica Lodge, Ethel Muggs.”
Veronica’s perfectly painted pink lips curved up into a smile. “Ethel Muggs,” she repeated slowly, as if feeling out the shape of her name. “I like that name.”
Ethel blinked. “You do? It’s kind of old fashioned…”
“That’s why I like it,” Veronica replied, her smile never faltering.
“Okay everyone, find a seat so we can get started!” Ms. Hagley called from the front of the room.
“Cute shoes, by the way,” Veronica added as she slid into the desk behind Betty.
As she turned to face the board, Ethel couldn’t help smiling as she thought that maybe there was actually a chance that Veronica Lodge could like her.
“What did you think of her?” Kevin asked. His eyes were wide with curiosity as he watched Ethel swirl the straw in her milkshake.
“She seems really nice, actually,” Ethel said. “She said she liked my name. I’ve never met anyone who said that.”
“Did she say anything about her dad to you? I asked, but all she said is that she’s going to stand by him.”
“Kevin!”
“I just wanted to know!”
Ethel raised her eyebrows at him. “Well, I didn’t ask. I would think that finding out your dad’s a con man isn’t something you’d want to talk about.”
“Well, she seems like she’s taking it okay,” Kevin said, though to his credit he looked a little embarrassed. “Or she’s just good at putting up a front. Kind of like Cheryl with her brother.”
“Ugh, don’t,” Ethel grimaced. Even with the excitement of Veronica showing up, the subject of Jason Blossom’s drowning seemed to hang over the school like a fog. It made her feel like she was walking around a haunted house. She reached over and picked a fry off the plate they were sharing. “This year’s going to be wild.”
The bell above the door to Pop’s jingled, and Kevin craned his neck to see who had come in. “In that vein, what are the chances that you’re going to keep hanging out with Reggie Mantle after this summer?”
Ethel peered around the booth, and sure enough, there was Reggie, along with Chuck and Moose, all of them wearing their letterman jackets despite the remnants of summer heat in the air. She quickly turned back around and slid down in her seat, praying they hadn’t seen her. “All we did was run together, that’s it,” she told Kevin quietly. “I never had any delusions that he’d want to hang out with me at school.” That much was true, but it had still stung a little when he hadn’t spared her more than a brief glance in the halls.
“Well, he’s an idiot then,” Kevin said decisively, already focused on the door again. “Hey, guys!”
Ethel chanced another look back to see Betty and Veronica walking toward them, both in cheerleading uniforms. “Oh my gosh, you guys made the cheerleading squad!” she exclaimed.
“Thanks to Veronica,” Betty said, sliding into the seat next to Kevin. “I wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for her.”
“You should have tried out, too, Ethel!” Veronica spoke up.
“No way.” Ethel shook her head vehemently. “Cheryl was awful to Betty when she tried out last year; she’d eat me alive. I’ll stick to track.”
“Well,” Veronica continued, giving Betty a sly smile. “Betty here has even more good news to share. Go on, Betty, tell them.”
Betty’s cheeks flushed pink as a shy smile spread across her face. “I, um…asked Archie to the dance.”
“You did not!” Ethel gasped.
“And he said yes?” Kevin asked. Betty nodded, her ponytail bouncing with the movement. “I told you!” he cheered.
“Well, technically, he’s taking me and Veronica,” Betty said. “But…”
“But it’s a start,” Veronica finished. “And then Betty will tell him how she feels, and Riverdale’s new power couple will be in place.” She turned her attention to Ethel, her dark eyes sparkling. “What about you, do you have a boyfriend you’re going to the dance with?”
“Um, no.” Ethel had to resist the urge to slump down in her seat again. “My boyfriend kinda…dumped me. At the start of the summer.”
Veronica frowned. “Who is he? Have I met him?”
“Jughead,” Betty supplied. “Dark hair, dark clothes, grey hat.”
“Beanie boy?” Veronica tossed her head dismissively, flipping her hair behind her shoulders. “You can do better than that, Ethel.”
“Why don’t you just come to this dance with me?” Kevin suggested. “I don’t exactly have anyone I can ask.”
“Great! So you’ll go,” Veronica said. It was a statement, not a question, like a queen who was used to being obeyed.
“Well, I don’t think I can get a dress,” Ethel admitted. “My parents keep mentioning that money’s kind of tight right now.” AKA fighting about it all the time.
“I know how that is,” Veronica said. “But there are ways around that.”
“I was going go to look for a dress, soon,” Betty said. She glanced between the three of them, looking a bit uncomfortable with the turn the conversation had taken. “If you guys wanted to come-”
“You two go ahead, I’ll meet you later,” Veronica said. She pulled out her phone and started opening apps on it. “As for you, Ethel Muggs, we’re going to find you the perfect dress for a fresh start.”
“Make sure to tell me what color it is!” Kevin called as he and Betty headed out the door.
“Here.” Veronica scooted closer to Ethel, holding up her phone screen for them to look at. “I recently figured out that the internet has some surprisingly inexpensive things, perfect for when your family’s suddenly on a tight budget.”
As they sat huddled in the booth scrolling through dresses, Ethel realized that she’d never really had friends besides Betty and Kevin that she could just hang out with alone. Even then, it seemed like they were better friends with Archie or Jughead or even each other. Maybe this friendship with Veronica would turn out the same way once she realized that there were cooler people she could hang out with, but for now, it almost felt like she had another best friend.
“Oh!” Ethel gasped. “Go back, I think I found one! There, this one!” She pointed to the dress that looked like it was made for her: burgundy with a full, knee-length skirt. She looked closer and felt her heart sink. “Oh, it’s strapless, my mom won’t let me wear that.”
“So?” Veronica said. “Just wear something over it when you leave the house.” She put her phone down and turned to Ethel with a warm smile. “Looks like you’re going to the ball after all, Cinderella.”
Ethel giggled. “I guess so. Thanks, fairy godmother.”
As the two girls stood up, Ethel glanced down the row of booths and noticed a familiar grey hat. She felt the swirl of anger, sadness, and embarrassment inside her again. She almost said something to Veronica just to get some of it out, but then stopped herself. Veronica had said she was getting a fresh start, and Ethel decided then and there that no one was going to stand in her way, least of all Jughead Jones.