Since this famous dinner seemed the only place where she could find peace, Dani was again in one of these leather benches with a milkshake in front of her.

A textbook lying on top of her table, she tried to drown all the noises around her and her disturbing thoughts about Cheryl Blossom and everything else that was happening in Riverdale.

Unfortunately, her attention was soon stolen again by a conversation taking place in the table just behind her.

Once again, it was not her fault that interesting discussions were taking place in her listening rank.

"What the hell? "

"I saw the way you look at me."At once answered a male voice leaving Dani pause in her math equation with her pen held in abeyance. "During your scout training. "

Dani neglected the fact that they also had a scout camps in this city and decided to focus more on the rest of the conversation instead.

"You're hiding something. " Added the boy.

"The head of the scouts, Doiley. He lies. "

Dani rolled her eyes at how the other guy spit out the beans almost immediately before letting her pen rest to try to lean a little closer to the back of her bench.

She listened further as she nonchalantly turned the straw of her milkshake against the edges of the glass.

"About what? "

"The gunshot." This had the gift of further intrigued Dani as she paused for a moment with her eyes on her straw. " It was him. He taught us how to shoot. "

Dani's eyes widened at the announcement of such information before bringing her milkshake to take a sip visibly more and more caught in the conversation.

And it seems that the other boy seemed equally intrigued. "Dilton Doiley fired a shot on July 4th? "

"He's a survivalist." He said in a whisper, forcing Dani to lean a little back to catch the rest of their conversation. "He repeats that if we don't protect ourselves, no one else will do it. "

Honestly at this point, Dani was seriously beginning to think that this city had a serious problem.

Certainly she was used to this kind of stuff completely crazy since it was quite new in the big cities but small towns were not famous for their annoyance and their obvious lack of action.

Not to mention that they were supposed to be much safer than big cities. From her point of view, she seemed much safer in Sacramento than in a city where a teenager had died, murdered.

This thought was beginning to play stupidly with her mind as she felt strangely a slight hesitation to go into the darkness alone.

However, it was just a moment of madness as she forced herself to regain consciousness before passing the door of Pop's dinner.

She tightened the edges of her leather jacket around her as she crossed her arms over her chest as she gave a quick glance at the illuminated parking lot before starting her way home.

Unfortunately, it was not counting on the creepy intervention of a voice just behind her. "So how do you like listening to private conversations? "

Dani screamed, startled in spite of herself before facing her interlocutor with her jaw clenched."And it seems like you like scared people by making dramatic entries. "

"It's my way of surviving in Riverdale." Recognized the unknown with the cap while nonchalantly raising his shoulders as he approached Dani. "So, you still have not answered my question. "

Dani gave a long silent look at the boy in front of her, recognizing the guy in the hat she had spied the day before, before deciding to go with his answer. "I guess it's also my way of surviving. "

"What did your brother and you come here to do?" The brown immediately asked, adopting the same position as Dani, as he took a step that was supposed to be intimidating in her direction."Why are you just arriving at the same time that one of the residents of Riverdale is found in the river with a bullet in his head? "

Honestly Dani could not help but let out a disdainful sniff as she glanced sideways, rubbing her nose before transferring her piercing gaze to the brown with the hat. "Why should I answer you? Because I surprised some of your conversations with your little gang and you? Flash info buddy, you are the only ones to have conversations when I'm here. "

" What do you know? " The brown man asked at once, letting Dani breathe again.

She stared briefly at the stream flying in the cold night air before looking up to support the brown pleated look. "Now you will listen to me. Listen to me because I will not repeat myself. I know absolutely ... nothing. "

She paused dramatically to let the words flow in the mind of the brown not realizing how close they had come in their little confrontation before letting a smirking smile bend her full lips.

However, she did not take long to take a step back with a raised eyebrow as she noticed the brown eyes strangely lingering on her face with a pensive look.

She uncrossed her arms before continuing her way backwards to keep her attention on the brown.

"It was nice to meet you." She hugged her hands mischievously before hitting her thighs as she turned around while waving her hand over her shoulder. "But next time, keep our distance, okay? "

After such a day, Dani had only one desire ... to sleep.

Only it seems that she was not ready to sleep as her phone, currently resting on her nightstand, began to vibrate.

She frowned as she turned in her bed to reach it before raising an eyebrow at the sight of the message coming from no one but Cheryl Blossom.

Cherylbombshell : In the mood for a little game?

An even more confused expression passed on her face to the strangeness and the nerve of this girl before she received a new message.

Cherylbombshell : Come out or I ring at our dear Aunt Bonnie's

Dani straightened almost immediately to the unveiled threat before removing her blankets. This girl probably had a death wish to dare to threaten her.

She went immediately to the window of her room and drew the curtains simply to have the unpleasant surprise to see a scarlet convertible parked in front. Even worse, some annoying redhead was leaning against it in a flamboyant red short dress and a pair of thigh-high boots.

The latter immediately smirked at her sight before waving her fingers maliciously as a sign of hello.

She could not really believe that she must now have this kind of thing.

And as it was not enough, her phone started ringing forcing Dani to look back on the screen before watching Cheryl point her own phone in the meantime.

Dani immediately shrunk her eyes on the redhead as she slowly brought her phone to her ear."Get out of my house right away before I ask my uncle for a restraining order against you."

"Fine, I guess I'll have to go to school alone. In these dark corridors. In search of incriminating evidence against Chuck Clayton and able to save all these scorned girls."

Dani let out a tired sigh at her little game of mind while tightening her hold on her phone before pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "Spare me the act of kindness. It doesn't work on me. "

" Well. I guess I can't do anything about it." Cheryl whispered falsely disappointed through the device. "We can't say that I didn't want to help these poor girls. "

However, what she had just implicated finally crashed into her mind, letting her look confused and intrigued at the redhead about to hang up. "Wait!"

Cheryl displayed a wide, mischievous smile as she looked up at her window knowing she was finally at her mercy before taking the call.

"What are you cooking up? "

"I can't say anything if you don't go down." Cheryl said, reminding her strangely of a kind of merciless devil for her soul. "Oh, look at that, it looks like we've woken Bonnie. "

Dani rolled her eyes and swore under her breath before hanging up. She hastened to go straight to her dresser before recovering a simple black skinny jeans and put it on while returning the large white T-shirt she was wearing to sleep.

She pulled on her white converse before grabbing her leather jacket on her way to the exit.

Of course, Cheryl did not lie when she said that she had woken up her aunt because she had barely stepped into the kitchen/living room when she found herself face to face with Bonnie.

The latter gauged her dressed outfit with a surprised look before standing up with a sharp look."Are you going to go somewhere? At midnight ? A school night? "

Dani took a moment to contemplate her options before deciding on the worst but most effective.

" It seems like." She answered, raising her arms arrogantly before skirting her aunt to get her keys hanging on the wall. " Don't wait for me. "

However, it was not counting on the aunt's sudden instinct of authority. "If you go out now, you'll be punished for the rest of the next month. "

It had the gift of stopping Dani briefly in her ascent to the exit.

"I thought giving you space would be the answer. I even let you skip your first day of classes because Sheriff Keller was talking about your mother. "

Dani let out a disdainful snort as she clenched her fist holding her keys without ever turning around. "Clearly it was not the solution. "

" Obviously. But you can't continue like this. This coldness, this disdain, this exclusion. That's not the way to handle your emotions, Dani." Conceived Bonnie more and more overwhelmed by her behavior.

This time Dani turned to face her in a burst of anger. "Because you handle the situation so well! Did my mother really count for you? "

"I lost my sister too!" Bonnie finally exploded as she tried to fight the tears threatening to fall.

Dani immediately felt a sense of remorse invade her chest as she saw a single tear sliding down her cheek. Now she could see how far she had gone. Only she was just going way too far to step back now.

"Fuck! I'm out here." Swear Dani venomously and slammed the door.

This visibly alerted Cheryl as she straightened up with a bored expression. "You're late !"

"Shut the hell up and drive!" Dani cried in response as she skirted the hood of the convertible before opening the transient door to get on.

Cheryl could only stare in surprise as she climbed in her turn before starting the engine.
A heavy atmosphere was soon falling on their duet before Cheryl gave a mischievous look."So ... are you finally ready to team up? "

"Tell me just your plan. "

"I thought bringing you would be a lot more fun." Cheryl complained, worsening the already low mood of Dani.

The latter rolled her eyes as she tightened her arms around her as she could feel the keys sinking a little deeper into her palm.

The pain of the keys almost piercing the skin of her palm was enough to avoid the struggle with her aunt of her though. For the moment at least.

Finally, Dani's ordeal seemed to be coming to an end as Cheryl parked in a location in Riverdale High before handing her a flashlight.

Dani gave a critical look at the flashlight before taking it out. "After that, don't ever speak to me again. "

"I wouldn't need it." Cheryl replies as she walks by her side to the entrance before continuing pretentiously. "Next time it will be you who will come to me. "

Dani gave a side look at the redhead in disbelief before blowing with a placid smile. "Yup, completely crazy. "

It seems that her mere presence was sufficient for now as Cheryl just strolled down the halls.

Dani was content to follow her with little interest as she illuminated here and there the empty classrooms. To tell the truth, she did not even know what she was doing here.

However, the sudden agreement of voice challenged their duet as Cheryl gave her a look with a broad smile. " Let the games begin! "

Dani raised a confused eyebrow before following the redhead just to stop by her as she interfered in the group's conversation in front of us. "Color me impress! "

She remained totally marble as the four members before them jumped at their appearance before raising an eyebrow at the sight of familiar faces.

"A B and E with B and V." Enumerated Cheryl illuminating each of them with her flashlight."What would your mother say if she saw you here, Betty? "

"What are you doing here, Cheryl? "

"Where did you find these tight high-boots ?" Interjected the same excited boy from the other time gathering a raise of Dani's eyebrows. "They're amazing."

Cheryl immediately gave Dani a look over her shoulder alerting others of her presence before advancing towards them forcing Dani to do the same. "Trev told Valerie, who told Josie, who told Ginger, who told me. So I was looking for Dani and we came to help you. "

"She blackmailed me. Act as if I were not there." Dani intervened with annoyance, receiving confused glances from the rest of the group.

"Help us or thwart our research?" Instantly challenged the blonde, Betty if Dani had heard correctly.

Dani immediately glanced around them clearly uninterested in the conversation before frowning as she noticed a member further away from their group. The one she had never seen before.

She decided to leave the rest of the group and stopped at the height of the other girl with short curly hair and shapes a little more pronounced than most of these Barbie models populating their beautiful country.

The latter immediately gave her a look visibly surprised by her presence before signing the locker in front of which she was. "Mm ... can you light this locker?"

Dani did exactly that with a simple shrug of the shoulder before immediately frowning at the sight of a strange notebook.

" What is it ?" Dani asked aloud before glancing over Cheryl over her shoulder. "Supper of Satan, here. "

She immediately turned her attention to the notebook just to see lots of girls' names with nasty comments.

"Trev was right." The curly-haired girl agreed. "They don't even hide it. "

Worst of all, they put scores next to the names as if they were some sort of sick game.

"New girl? This is who I am ? Nine points?" Veronica asked, distressed.

"It's better than the big one! Seven points and a half. "

So her name was Ethel. Good to know.

"People in this city have a serious problem." Dani murmured, receiving glances from the whole group, letting her shrug her shoulders in defense. "Simple facts."

However, the mood soon worsened for some reason as the blonde next to Dani spoke. "Polly is on this notebook."

"Next to Jason's name." Cheryl added, letting Dani look between Betty and Cheryl in the plot.

"I'm so sorry, Betty." Veronica apologized as Betty turned away.

"It's not ... Jason would never have ..."

"It's written in black and white, Cheryl. "

For some reason, Dani suddenly raised her flashlight on the angry blonde's face. "Hey! that's enough! "

"His brother hurt my sister!" Betty defended tearfully, leaving Dani staring at her with a marble face. "That's what guys like Jason and Chuck think of women. We are only toys for them. Then they humiliate us to be silent. They have no remorse. "

She was not easily affected by people's sadness. Even more since the death of her mother. She simply could not find the strength in her to take the trouble of people.

"I didn't know Jason that well." Suddenly Cheryl drew in spite of herself the attention of Dani.

The latter narrowed her lips before turning off her flashlight, shaking her head fervently. " No, no! Our memories are the only way to stay healthy! "

Honestly, she did not know why she felt so invested in Cheryl's case. Maybe because she just as annihilated if she learned something so horrible about her mother.

Or simply because she had been the only one to bring her some distraction for several months.

In any case, she approached the strawberry blonde to get her away from this cursed book."C'mon, the research part is over. "

Veronica took a picture of the book with the intention of showing it to the principal only Betty seemed to have a different opinion as she stopped Cheryl and Dani's departure.

"We must avenge these girls. You don't think? "

However, at the lack of response, Betty quickly took a much colder expression before advancing towards them. "Do you want revenge? Do you want to get your hands dirty, Veronica? You can count on me. And I have an idea. "

Dani gauged the whole group seemed more than satisfied by this idea before she took a step back by raising her hands in refusal.

"And I'm leaving." Dani said in a definitive tone before giving Cheryl a look. "Thanks for the little experience but I doubt that I will come back to you. "

With that, she turned on her heels, waving her hand over her shoulder.