Take Me to the Races

I was sitting against the wall by the stairs eavesdropping on what was happening downstairs. The Lodges, the Mayor, the Sheriff, and my dad were having a meeting. From what I could gather the Lodges wanted the Southsiders to feel like they were a part of the town. They were planning to do that by making a big deal out of Pickens Day with the Serpents as security. I roll my eyes, what a way to welcome someone but making them work. I was beginning to worry about him being Malachai’s boss.
When I heard Archie come home I got up and went into my room, knowing that the meeting would be over with his arrival. I glance out the window into Polly’s room, seeing it empty filled me with relief and anxiety. While I was relieved that there wasn’t anyone watching me, I was also worried me that I was going crazy to make up a person.
My phone went going off on top my dresser. I went over to see a text from Maverick that we need to have a talk and if I could come over to the House of the Dead. I shove my phone in my pocket and grab my lanyard. “I’m going to hang out with my friends, dad!” I yell to him. I didn’t give him time to tell me no as I was out the door before he could answer.
I drove to the warehouse, wondering what Maverick had to tell me that he couldn’t say over the phone. I was hoping that everyone was alright and it was more planning for the Ghoulies to go unnoticed in Riverdale.
I took a deep breath and walk into the House of the Dead, hoping I would be ready for whatever I had to deal with. As usual, everyone was hanging out in the lounge area. When Maverick saw me, he got up from the couch and walk over to me. “Come on, let’s go to my room.” He led me down the hall to a small office that was turn into a bedroom. For the creative and energetic guy that he was, his room was surprisingly plain. The only thing in it was a bed and a dresser. He said that this wasn’t his permanent spot, so he didn’t care to make it his own.
I took a seat on the bed and my stomach turn as he began to pace in front of me. He was making me nervous with how he was struggling to find the words to tell me whatever he needed to tell me. “Did something happen to Malachai?” I ask.
“No, he’s fine. In fact I saw him yesterday. We talk and he wants me to take you to the meeting with the Lodges.” He stops by the foot of the bed to watch my reaction.
“What? Why?” I yell, standing up.
“Calm down, you’re capable of doing this.” He leans against the dresser.
“No, I’m not.” I shook my head.
“Yes you are. To get this to work, it’s a two part thing drugs and being discrete. Let's be honest no Ghoulie has the second aspect, but you do. It was your idea to not wear the jackets, because of that we weren’t targeted like the Serpents.” He tried to convince me that I was a good choice.
“One good idea doesn’t make a leader.” I look at him like he lost his mind.
“You’re also observant and good at predicting people’s next move. Listen I’ll be handling all the drug and business talk. You’re just there to show him that we have someone who can tame the Ghoulies.” He put his hands on my shoulders.
“You’ll be there the whole time?” I look up at him.
“Yes.” He nods his head.
“Fine, I’ll do it. But if I don’t like it, this is a onetime thing. This better be temporary, when Malachai gets out I don’t want to go to anymore meets.” I stare at the ground. If they had faith in me that I could do this, then I would try my hardest to play my role to make it happen.
“That’s the plan. Okay for this to work, you need to know everything. You might want to sit down for this.” He took his hands off my shoulder and gestures back to the bed. I took a seat and he sat down next to me. “Southside high was shut down, so the Lodges could buy it. They are going to turn it into a prison and start running the jingle jangle through it.”
“What?” I shoot up from the bed.
“Why are you mad? This is great news for us.” He looked confused at why I wasn’t overjoyed at the news. I wanted to scream, I was feeling a familiar sting in my chest that comes with being betrayed.
“How long has Malachai know about this?” I turn to him. I need to know how long Malachai was lying to me.
“Why does it matter?” He was surprise about that being my issue with the situation. I didn’t have the right to be upset about the prison being bad for the community when my boyfriend and friends were drug dealers.
“Because, he let me dream and plan about us raising money and buy the Southside piece by piece to open up all kind of businesses like a auto shop for you. Why would he do that?” I felt tears roll down my cheeks. He watched me make pinterest boards about the shops and drawing up amateur blue prints and business plans. It felt so cruel for him to let me getting my hopes up when he knew it was never going to happen.
“Lodge didn’t want a lot of people to know. He was protecting you.” He stood up to reach out to comfort me, but I smack his hand away.
I snorted. “What now, he throwing me to the wolves?”
“Hey! Don’t start doubting him. You know everything he does it for the Ghoulies and you. You can’t knock him for wanting to protect and provide.” He grabs my face and wipes away the tears.
“I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” I knock his hands off my face and got out of there.

I was reading over Jughead article about the truth of Pickens Day. “Jeez, I thought Toni was his friend.”
“I would punch someone in the face if they called my grandpa a broken down man.” Maverick slam his copy of the Blue and Gold down, making Tomoko and Trev jump.
“Well, no one call your grandpas that so stop having a fit.” I glare at him as he drew a few eyes on us. We hadn’t talk about my melt down at the House of the Dead. We avoid that topic along with the prison and the Lodges. The meeting was today after school, so to say that we were tense would be an understatement.
“I’m going to go smoke.” He got up to take his leave.
“Are you guys okay?” Trev watch as the angry man in leather stomp away.
“He takes his job as my bodyguard very seriously, so we spend a lot of time together, too much time. We end up getting on each other nerve.” I lied. I have found the best way to tell a lie is to tell the truth. Maverick and I were contently getting on each other nerves, but it wasn’t why we were irritated with each other at the moment.
“You need a bodyguard for your association with the ghoulies, do you think we need one?” Tomoko ask. I gasp as I never cross my mind that they might need one. I wanted to say no, because they weren’t directly involved with anyone in the gang like I was. But if this meeting went well how long would I be able to say I’m only a gang leader’s girlfriend. It wasn’t that I care if I was considered a Ghoulie, but I was starting to realize that my action affect more than just me.
“I don’t need a bodyguard.” Trev snorted.
“You’re an associate of an associate, you should be fine.” I wave it off with my hand. If I got into deep and had to distance myself from them, I would. It would be painful, but it would be too selfish to put them at risk. The serpents don’t seem like the type to take innocent hostages, but you can never be too careful.
“Should be?” She pouts.
The bell rang and I got up from the table. “I’ll see you guys in history.” I told them before walking to biology. I was thankful today was a lecture and not a lab, for I couldn’t focus on science. Between worrying about the meet and wonder if I was putting my friends in danger I was a nervous wreck.
The day went by much quicker than any other school day. That was how time works; when you wanted it to go slow it speed past you and vice versa. Now, I was riding in the green Monza to The Pembrooke. He gave me a ride this morning, knowing that we had the meeting right after school. We walk up to the door that had the number 330 on it. A man in a suit opens the door. “What business do you have here?” He looks us up and down.
“We have a meeting Mr. Lodge, we’re the ghoulies.” He turns around to show off the patch on the back of his jacket. Maverick let out a low impressed whistle as he looks around the apartment. If I was as animated as him I would have done the same, because every inch of this place screams money.
We were lead to an office with Mr. Lodge sitting behind a desk. “Hello Ms. Andrews, Mr. Santiago take a seat.” He gestured to the two chairs on the other side of the desk. We each took a seat while giving him a greeting back. “I wanted to have this meeting to make sure that everything is going well even with your leader in jail.”
“The jingle jangle business is good, we would be booming if we were still dealing to the Northside but I understand why you want us to hold off on that.” He told the mob boss.
“You’re going completely undetected at Riverdale High?” He raises an eyebrow in question.
“Most don’t even know we exist. It’s all thanks to Abby. It was her idea to ditch the jackets and try to make friends with some Northsiders to blend in more.” He gave my knee a squeeze.
“Yes, I hear you are quite the social manipulator.” He smiles in a way that made me unease.
“I’m not sure if that’s what I could call myself. It's common knowledge that Northsider have a fear of the Southsiders. I figure there’s no need to walk in with a target on their backs.” I shrug. I’m sure some Serpents thought of that too, but they were too stubborn to take off their jackets.
“Knowing people’s nature is a powerful tool, don’t ever underestimate that.” The smile on his face was gone and replace with a serious expression. I nod my head, not sure how to respond to that. “The problem we face is that parents are upset that Southside High is shut down, because they don’t want them going to Riverdale High. We need to make them feel like their apart of the community to do that we are going to turn Pickens Day into a big event. I have asked the Serpent to be security, but they haven’t responded back.” He informed us. I wasn’t sure why he was telling us this. Our part doesn’t come until later on when he has the prison up and running.
“Here your response.” I put the Blue and Gold on his desk, with it open to Jughead’s article.
“This damn Jones kid,” He curses the teenager after he read the article.
“I doubt it going to stop the turn out, this is a small town. They have nothing else to do.” Maverick shrug not seeing how it affected us.
“But, it defeats the purpose of it.” He glares at the newspaper.
“After that article I hope they don’t show up, it definitely not going to be friendly. A lot of the serpents are Native Americans.” I cross my legs, needing to move around in this stressful situation.
“What are you thinking, a protest?” He looks up at me.
“It would be a very Jughead thing to do.” I shrug. The boy had some making up to do with his purple hair friend.
“If everything is going as plan on your guys end, these meeting can be done with. I have some damage control to do.” He stood up to see us out.
We walk out and made our way back into the green Monza. “Did that feel like a waste of time to you?” He asked as he drove away from the fancy apartment building.
“No, I say it was a success. We show him that we have everything under control on our end and that we are useful to him for other things.” I smile. That was easier than I thought it would be.

I was walking around the Pickens Day event with Trev, Tomoko, Maverick and Greg. “I never thought Mabel snow cone would be delicious but they totally are.” Greg shoves another spoonful in his mouth. Maverick hums in agreement with a mouthful of flavored ice. The Northsiders in the group laugh for that was everyone reaction to the Mabel snow cones.
My eyes widen when I caught sight of the Cooper family, there were two young people. No, Polly wasn’t back in town. It was the stranger in the window. A part of me was glad to know I wasn’t going crazy, but another part of me was creepy out. He watched me walking around in my underwear. The way he stared still send shivers up my spine when I think about it.
I found myself walking over to them. Maybe if I knew more about him I would feel better about him. I need that if he was in fact staying next door. “Hello Coopers, I see you have someone new with you.” I smile at them.
“This is my son, Chic. Chic this is Abigail she lives next door to us.” Alice introduces us to each other.
I brush off that she said son, seeing as that was probably something from a dark part of her past. For that fact I found it noble that she brought him out here and didn’t keep him lock up in the house. Instead of giving the sly comment that he knows where I live that was on the top of my tongue, I stuck my hand out to him, “Nice to meet you.”
“Pleasure is mine.” He shook my hand, al while eyeing me suspiciously. He was probably wondering why I wasn’t sounding the alarm on him for being a peeping tom. I wasn’t quite sure myself why I wasn’t, but if he turn out to be an alright guy and it was a onetime thing no one need to know about it.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Chic being in Polly’s room. Archie said you got scared when you saw him.” Betty gave me a sympathetic smile. Chic glare at her in that way that made me wonder if he was in fact dangerous.
“You were?” Alice actually looks concern for me, which was a first for me. I didn’t think she like any of us Andrews much. Maybe my drunken charm won her over at F.P. retirement party.
“I only saw him the one time. I’m just happy he’s real and I’m not going crazy.” I laugh, playing with the ends of my hair.
“Oh he’s real, alright.” Alice reaches over to give his arm a squeeze.
Maverick clear his throat making me realize that my group of friends follow me over. “These are my friends Maverick, Trev, Tomoko, and Greg.” I introduce them to Chic. They said hi back to him.
“Oh, Mabel snow you have to try them Chic. It was nice meeting you guys.” Alice smile brightly at us before guiding her family to the snow cone stand.
“A long lost son, how soap opera is that?” Tomoko stare at the family. I knew the reporter in her was dying to get the story, but something is private matters.
“At least he seems to have melted her icy heart.” Trev comments on her oddly jolly mood.
“You can’t walk off like that.” Maverick scold me.
Before we could have an argument about me not being incompetent, the sound of someone tapping a microphone sweep over the park. “Hello Riverdale, Happy Pickens Day. On behalf of Lodge Industries and Andrews Construction, we are thrilled to kick things off with a new twist on an old favorite. So, Veronica and the Pussycats,” My dad spoke into the microphone in the gazebo. I raise my eyebrows as Veronica, Melody, and Valera walk on the stage. I look over at Josie’s shock and hurt face as Veronica began to do a cover of Union of the Snakes by Duran Duran.
As if waiting to make their entrance the Serpents came marching in when Veronica sang, “The union of the snake is on the climb.” They had duck tape over their mouths and holding signs that said Honor this Land and Scared land.
The music cut and Veronica stop singing when they got to the front. “Toni? Jughead? What the hell is going on?” She glares at them for interrupting her. The most shocking thing was that Cheryl Blossom was moving to stand with the Serpents. It seems that she wasn’t the selfish ice queen she made herself out to be. She felt guilty that her relative killed thousands of people for land and money.
“We're here representing the dead and the silenced. Pickens Day is a lie. General Pickens slaughtered the Uktena tribe, my grandfather's family. And this land, the land that we're standing on, the land that will soon give way to a new Southside, was stolen from them. And we can't bring them back, but we can and we must honor them.” Toni spoke through the megaphone.
Mr. Lodges was quick to make his way to the gazebo to get control over this protest. “Hey folks, I think we can all be proud to live in a Riverdale where young people stand up for justice. Where a young woman can defend the honor and legacy of her grandfather and where we can celebrate the living legacy of the Uktena, who contribute to the rich tapestry that is Riverdale. That is the Southside and that will be SoDale. So let's hear a round of applause for that. Am I right?” He got the crowd to clap. Toni looked visual upset that her message was being twisted and Jughead was pulled back by on old man. I’m assuming that was the broken down man he wrote about in his article.
“That was lackluster.” I roll my eyes. It was a great move for the Ghoulies, but the bitter part of me was hoping the prison would fail and that way I could go on with my plans.