Chapter Text
“I’m so excited.” Fred Andrews pulled a shirt over his head and examined himself in the mirror hanging on his closet door. “Or maybe this is nervous? I don’t know. I haven’t seen her all summer.” He turned around to face Hal Cooper, sitting on the edge of his bed. “How’s this one?”
Hal shook his head, his tongue running over his smooth teeth, finally freed from their braces just this morning. “I liked the brown shirt better. And why are you nervous?” Hal laid back on the bed, taking in the huge George Michael poster hanging right above it. “I just don’t get what the big deal about tonight is. You like her, she likes you -”
“But does she?” Fred plopped down on the bed, blocking Hal’s view of the poster. “I mean she’s never said she likes me. The words have never come out of her mouth.”
“You went to every school dance together last year -”
“And you went to every dance with Penelope Blossom! That doesn’t mean you like her.”
“That’s different. You and Hermione have gone on a dozen actual dates too! Isn’t that just what people do when they like each other?”
Fred sighed and got up. “If she likes me, why isn’t she my girlfriend?” He pulled his shirt over his head - one of a shiny back material he thought he looked rather dashing in - and put back on the brown one Hal suggested.
Hal rolled his eyes. “Fred, I don’t know anything about girls. But I’m pretty sure you can’t expect Hermione to just be your girlfriend if you, you know,” he shrugged, “never ask her.”
“You’re right, Hal.” Fred regarded himself in the mirror one more time before taking the brown shirt off and putting back on the shiny black one. “You really don’t know anything about girls. Maybe you will when you’re older.”
“Right.” Hal’s eyes flickered to the door of Fred’s attic bedroom. Someone was thundering up the stairs, probably two at a time. Just as he sat up in bed, the door banged open and FP Jones stood there, out of breathe with a big grin on his face. It fell slightly as he took in Hal sitting on the bed.
“Hey.” FP looked uncertainly between the two. “You, uh, here to watch the game too, Coop?”
“I was just leaving,” Hal muttered quickly, standing up. “I need to get to school early tomorrow anyway. I’m showing the new kid around. The Lodge’s son is apparently transferring to -”
“It’s cool, we can all leave together.” Fred took one final look in the mirror before spinning around. He grabbed his Converses off the floor and started down the stairs without waiting for the other two boys. FP elbowed Hal out of the way and took off after him.
“Leave?” FP was right on Fred’s heels. “I thought we were watching the game?”
“No can do,” Fred smiled over his shoulder. “I’m meeting Hermione at Pops.” He suddenly stopped and plopped down on the bottom step to pull his sneakers on. FP braced himself against the bannister just as Hal came crashing into him from behind.
“Hermione?” FP bit his lip to hold in a smile, jumping over Fred’s arm to get off the stairs. “I hate to break this to you, pal, but Hermione has a date tonight.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I passed her on the way over here. She looked great too. Real knockout. Nice tan from summer camp. New outfit.” He sighed dramatically. “She seemed real excited over it too. Oh well. Who the hell needs her away?”
“Her date is with Fred!” Hal could hardly contain the words, smiling for his friend. He stepped over Fred’s leg to stand next to FP. “Fred’s going to ask her to be his girlfriend tonight.”
FP’s face fell. “You are?”
“We’ll see. I mean, it depends.” Fred jumped to his feet and punched FP lightly on the arm. “I’m sure going to try though.”
“You can’t just ask a girl to be your girlfriend.” FP’s laugh came out way too high. Fred ran out the front door and FP chased him, nearly slamming the door on Hal. “There are ways to go about this! Girls don’t want you to be forward. They want games and -”
Fred didn’t stop until he was a few feet from the street corner. He turned around and shrugged, smile on his face. “I’ll never know if I don’t try, right? Wish me luck!” He took a few backwards steps into the road as he waved the boys goodbye, just avoiding getting hit by a car.
Hal sighed and crammed his hands in his pockets. “Fred’s got all the luck in the world. Why’s he asking us for some?”
“Beats me.” FP watched Fred’s figure shrink in the distance, mildly annoyed he’d have to follow him to get in the direction of his home. Hal cleared his throat.
“So do you want to watch the game at my house?” he asked, biting the inside of his cheek. FP looked him up and down. “We just got a new television in the den and -”
“No.” He took off following Fred’s figure towards Pops.
“So what was the highlight?” Fred rested his chin in his hands. “I mean I want to hear about everything, but what was the best part of your whole summer?”
“Well,” a blush ran up Hermione Gomez’s face, “maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I may have had a bit of a summer romance with the swim instructor.” Fred’s face fell as she let out a sigh. “He’s a senior at Seaside High, was working at the camp the past three summers, and he was just amazing. Sweet, experienced. I know I’ll never see him again but,” Fred perked up at her words, “it was one of those fond memories I’ll always look back on, you know? Oh! He also taught me how to do a backstroke. It was awesome. What about you?”
“Oh you know. I was just here all summer.” He gestured around. “Working at Pops. Making milkshakes, cleaning the grease traps. Don’t get me wrong, it was fun, but there is more downtime than you’d ever believe. Gave me a lot of time to think.”
“Oh no.” Hermione smirked. “Fred Andrews thinking is never a good sign.”
Fred laughed. “Gee, thanks. I thought about a lot of stuff.” The bell above the door rang and Hermione looked that way. “Like thinking about - about us.”
“Uh huh.” Hermione’s eyes fixated on the door. “Cool.” Fred turned in the booth and followed her gaze.
A stranger about their age had just walked in. He was shorter than Fred, dark hair, dark eyes. Although no older than 16, his features, his clothes, even his stance screamed that of someone older. He scuffed his black leather shoes on the floor as he flagged down Pop.
“I have an order to pick up.”
“Lodge? Almost ready but you gotta wait.”
The boy turned to their table, eyes taking in their food. “Hey, how are the fries here?”
“Amazing,” Hermione squeaked.
“An order of fries too!” he called after Pop. He turned fully and stood at the end of their table. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Hermione repeated as Fred asked, “You new in town or something?”
“Something, yeah. My family’s from Riverdale, but I’ve been going to private school in the city. I’m transferring to Riverdale High this year.”
“We both go to Riverdale High!” Hermione scooted over in her seat but the boy made no move to sit down. “We’re sophomores.”
“Same.” He looked to Fred. “With any luck, you wouldn’t be Harold Cooper, would you? He’s my peer mentor, whatever the hell that means.”
Hermione tossed back her head and laughed. “Is Fred Hal? As if.”
Fred gaped. “You’re the Lodge kid?”
“The one and only.” He extended his hand to Fred. “Hiram to be exact. Hiram Lodge. And you’re Fred?”
“Andrews.” Fred shook his hand quickly and dropped it. “And this is -”
“Hermione Gomez.” She took his hand in both of hers and shook ferociously. “I can’t believe we’re finally meeting the elusive Lodge child. I was starting to think you never existed at all.”
Hiram smiled down at her, still not taking a seat. “Yeah, well, my family might own half this town, but we are not small town people, if you catch my drift. I am actually dreading tomorrow.”
“Well why don’t you take a seat with us? Perhaps I - we, I mean - can unfill you with dread.”
“Lodge, your order is ready!” Pop called, dropping a paper bag on the counter.
“I’d love to, but I need to get home. I haven’t even picked out an outfit for tomorrow. But,” he winked at her, “to be continued?”
“Absolutely.” Hermione nodded and gave him a wave as he walked out the door. “Wow.” She let out the breath she was holding and shook her head. “Anyway, what were we talking about? You thinking or something?”
Fred forced a smile. “Nothing. Just forget it.”