"Previously on Riverdale..." "The story is about a town, once wholesome and innocent, now forever changed by the mysterious murder of Jason Blossom on the 4th of July." " Can we talk, Ms. Grundy?" " About what?" "You're the music teacher." "Can we talk about music?" "We heard what we heard, and afterwards we didn't do anything!" "How would we explain why we were together at 6:00 a.m. on the 4th of July?" "Polly and Jason dated, and Jason hurt Polly." "Oh, my God, Jason." "He was shot." "Jason's death is now being treated as a homicide." "They'll find out soon enough." "That I'm guilty." "Guilt, innocence." "Good, evil." "Life, death." "As the shadows around Riverdale deepened, the lines that separated these polar opposites blurred and distorted." ""I'm guilty," Cheryl said in Biology class." "But of what?" "To clarify," "I didn't mean I was guilty of killing Jason." "I loved him more than I do myself." "But I am guilty of lying about what happened on July 4th." "The autopsy puts his death about July 11th." "When was the last time you saw your brother?" "It was July 4th." "I don't know what happened the week after that, but..." "Cheryl, in your own words, what happened at Sweetwater River?" "The plan was bananas, even for me." "Jason wanted to leave Riverdale and never come back." "He asked for my help to stage a tragic accident, so that our mom and dad wouldn't come after him." "Our story would be, we went for an early morning boat ride, and the boat tipped, and capsized, and Jason drowned." "In fact, we made it to the other side dry as bones." "We said goodbye on the Greendale side of Sweetwater River." "He promised he'd call me as soon as he was in a place where he couldn't be reached or pulled back by our parents." "One month, at the most." "Every day, I waited for him to call, for an email." "You tell anyone about the plan?" "Any way that you can corroborate it?" "And you have no idea why your brother wanted to run away, fake his own death?" "Doesn't that seem cruel?" "No, he wasn't..." "Jason wasn't cruel." "So maybe this is all just a web of lies you're spinning to cover your own tracks." "I didn't kill Jason!" "There was a gunshot that morning." "We heard a gunshot on July 4th." "Maybe whoever killed Jason took a shot at him, and missed that morning." "You heard a gunshot, and you're just telling us this now?" "I was upset." "My brother was murdered." "So upset that you sang and danced at a pep rally yesterday." "What the hell is going on here?" " Mommy." " Don't say another word, Cheryl." "Get up." "Why didn't you call us?" "Because she's a liar, Penelope." "When we get home, you're telling us everything." "Hot off the presses." "Mom." "First you leak Jason Blossom's autopsy report, and now this?" "People are loving the coverage." "You have to stop sensationalizing this horrible thing." "It's news, Betty." "We own the Riverdale Register." "We have a responsibility to keep the people informed." "Whatever Jason did to Polly, he's still a person." "You reap what you sow." "You should be writing about the real story." "What happened to Jason?" "Who was holding him captive?" "Why was he frozen?" "And who shot that gun on July 4th?" "Well, if you are so keen on reporting, why don't you come work with your father and me?" "The Register could really use a Lois Lane type like you." "I think I know something that can help with the Blossom investigation." "People are saying Cheryl heard a gunshot?" "That's what she's claiming, yes." "I heard it, too." "I was there that morning." "I didn't say anything because at first, like everyone, I thought Jason had drowned." "But then when the autopsy came out and said he died later..." "What were you doing down at the river so early on July 4th?" "Um, working on some songs." "I, uh..." "Write songs." " Did you see who fired the shot?" " No, sir." "Were you alone?" "No, sir." "Who were you with?" "Let's make it a 4th of July you'll never forget." "My dog, Vegas." "So, are you a suspect now?" "My dad says we all are, including me." "Not me, girl." "I don't know these people." "Guys, should we maybe re-binge Making a Murderer on Netflix tonight?" "Sorry." "Can't." "Gotta stay late to work on the paper." "Count me out, too." " I've got a date tonight." " You do?" "Which Riverdale hottie made the cut?" "Hey, Vee-Lo." "I'll swing by the Pembrooke to pick you up at 8:00?" "I'll be waiting." "Cool." " Chuck Clayton?" " You're going on a date with Chuck?" "He's kind of a player." "Who cares?" "He's the hottest of hot, and he's the varsity football coach's son." "In Riverdale, that's like dating a Kennedy." "If print journalism is dead, what am I doing here?" "The Blue and Gold isn't dead, Juggy." "It's just dormant." "But waking up." "You're writing a novel, right?" "About Jason Blossom's murder?" "I am." "Riverdale's very own In Cold Blood." "Which started out as a series of articles." "I'm hoping you'll come write for the Blue and Gold." "I just don't think the school paper's the right fit for my voice." "Juggy..." "Jason's death changed Riverdale." "People don't want to admit that, but it's true." "We all feel it." "Nothing this bad was ever supposed to happen here, but it did." "I want to know why." "Would I get complete freedom?" "I'll help, and edit..." "And suggest." "But it's your story, it's your voice." "Doesn't sound like complete freedom, but..." "I'm in." "Okay great!" "Um, in that case, I have your first assignment." "There's one person who was at the river on July 4th that no one's talking about." " Dilton Doiley and his Scouts." " Exactly." "Hey." "I texted." "Where were you?" "Football practice." "Then I was writing." "Songs?" "Your music?" "I thought you and Jughead were on a road trip on the 4th." "Then I talked with Sheriff Keller." "So, guess that was a lie." " Dad, we were gonna go, but..." " You should have come to me, Archie." "We could've gone to the Sheriff together." "I didn't want to drag you into it, Dad." "That was an error in judgment." "Sorry, Dad." "Sorry I'm not perfect." "You know, you're pretty far from perfect lately, Archie." "That's why you're grounded." "What?" "Are you serious?" "So, in this house, every night for two weeks, 7:00." "You want some alone time with your music?" "You got it." "I'm not 10 years old, Dad!" "You can't just..." "You wanna go for three?" "Okay, okay, let me try again." "Let me try again." " Let me see it." " You don't trust me?" "No, no, no, fine." "You can take it." "Okay, let me see." "Photo approval." "Fine." "You are different than what I thought you'd be." "A former It Girl from New York, made off like a fall from grace?" "I assumed you'd be high maintenance." "Now tell me, what do you miss most about home?" "Only everything." "I forgot how exhausting it is to be the new kid." "Try being the new kid whose dad is also the new teacher." "And the new coach." "Well, from an outsider's point of view, you've not only proven yourself, but you've raised the bar for everyone around you." "Varsity football, Dean's List." "I really have aspirations." "Oh, yes, you've been vetted handsome." "Veronica Lodge is nothing if not an informed consumer." "I'm gonna have my hands full with you, huh?" "I'm betting you can handle it." "Why did you tell them about the gunshot?" "They were gonna crucify Cheryl." "I had to help her." "You were in the clear." "We were in the clear." "I left your name out of it." "So it's not that big a deal." "No big deal, Archie?" "You are caught up in a murder investigation." "What if Sheriff Keller decides to keep digging, and it somehow leads to us, to our relationship?" "I'll stick to my story." "I'll protect you." "I'm suspending our lessons." "What?" "So, how'd it go with Chuck?" "Chuck has muscles for days, but his conversation is not the stuff of Oscar Wilde, or even Diablo Cody." "Hey, Veronica." "How was the Sticky Maple you had last night?" " The what now?" " The Sticky Maple Chuck gave you?" "How was it?" "We had a brownie sundae, if that's what you hyenas mean." " Oh, my God." " What?" "What the hell is a Sticky Maple?" "It's kind of what it sounds like." "It's a Riverdale thing." "No, Kevin, it's a slut-shaming thing." "And I'm neither a slut, nor am I going to be shamed by someone named, excuse me, Chuck Clayton." "Does he really think he can get away with this?" "Does he not know who I am?" "I will cut the brakes on his souped-up phallic symbol." "Or we can go to Principal Weatherbee." "About the coach's son?" "Who is captain of the football team, and Riverdale High's resident golden boy?" "Or I can expose him in the pages of the Blue and Gold." "Yeah, I can do that!" "No." "Spoken like a true good girl who always follows the rules." "Well, I don't follow rules, I make them, and when necessary, I break them." "You wanna help me get revenge on Chuck, Betty, awesome." "But you better be willing to go full dark, no stars." "What do you say, in or out?" "Excuse me." "Veronica?" "Betty, what are you guys doing here?" "Don't worry about it." "I mean it, Andrews." "Hit the showers and stay out of my way." "Huh, B and V. Menage a right on." "Ladies." "This is disgusting." "Take it down." "Whoa, whoa." "Why are you so wound up?" "It's a badge of honor, and you're not exactly virgin territory after your closet date with Andrews." "Okay, that's beyond irrelevant, Chuck." "You're not allowed to go around humiliating girls, for any reason, under any circumstances, you jerk." "Look, I get you're not a closet kind of girl, but hey, if you wanna ride the Chuck Wagon, that can be arranged." "Let's keep this simple, so that your preppy-murderer half-brain can grasp it." "Take." "This." "The hell." "Down." "Okay, that high-toned bitch attitude may have worked on the betas you dated in New York, but you're in Bulldog territory." "But please, fight back." "You'll only make it harder on yourself." "And in that moment of hesitation, you're dead." "All of you are dead." "At ease, Doiley." "I'm writing an article for the Blue and Gold." "Hoping you can help." "Dismissed." "But stay close." "Cheryl and Archie both say they heard a gunshot the morning of July 4th, but they don't know who fired." "Sherriff Keller already asked me about this." "And like I told him, my Scouts and I, we didn't hear anything weird." "Well, did you see anything weird?" "A white-winged crossbill." "A long-eared owl." "Oh." "And Cheryl, sitting by the river, soaking wet." "Psst." "Archie." "Thanks to you, Archie, I'm not the girl who cried gunshot." "You believed me when not even my parents did." "I just told the truth." "Which is why I want to repay your kindness." "Cheryl, truly, that's not why I came forward." "Save the, "Aw, shucks" for Betty." "I'm granting you one wish, Archie." "Nothing is off the table." "Except for my body." "Jason would want you to be rewarded." "Actually, there is one thing." "Hey, Josie." "I love my girl Cheryl, so I am doing her this solid." "She said that you needed help your music since Ms. Grundy bailed on you." "The Pussycats are playing my mom's event, The Taste of Riverdale, and we are rehearsing every night this week." "Come." "Observe." "Learn." "This week I'm, uh, I'm grounded." "Yeah, okay, not your problem." "I'll make it work." "Okay." "Thank you." "Hey, I've been meaning to ask." "How was your date last night?" "I like the looks of that boy." "The more handsome on the outside, the more rotten on the inside." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Nothing, just that he's not really my type." "This is Betty." "Can I take it?" "Yeah." "Hello?" "This story is bigger than we thought." "I started asking around, to see if what happened to you happened to anyone else, and if anyone would go on record." " I will. 100%." " Okay." "It's five guys on the football team." "Chuck and his posse." "Ethel was about to tell us..." "One day last year, Chuck and I talked in the library for 10 minutes." "I helped him with a Pre-Cal problem, and nothing happened." "But the next day, he..." "He started telling people that I let him do stuff to me." "Like, sex stuff." "And then he..." "Or one of his goons, wrote, "Sloppy seconds" on my locker." "Yes, yes, we've all heard your tragic origin story." "I'm so, so sorry, Ethel." "That's horrible." "Not as horrible as being a suspect in your own brother's torture-murder case, but we all have our crosses." "In the meantime, River Vixen practice starts in five minutes, sluts, so..." "They're ruining our lives, and to them it's just a game." " They keep score and..." " Wait, what do you mean, keep score?" "Each conquest earns them points." "They keep track in some secret playbook." "Okay, we have to talk to Weatherbee." "I already tried." "Weatherbee said that he didn't find anything." "Okay, we need undeniable proof." "Proof of what, Nancy Drew?" "That boys will be boys?" "And that playbook reeks of suburban legend." "How would you know, Cheryl?" "Because, Frida Shallow, before he died, my brother was co-captain of the football team with Chuck, and Jason never mentioned it, and he never would've allowed it." "Okay, well, I never met your brother, but I'm not lying about what happened to me." "And Ethel's not lying." "And proof or no proof, book or no book," "I am going scorched earth on these privileged, despicable miscreants." "You wanna get caught in that backdraft, Cheryl?" "Call me, or any of these beautiful, young, strong, intelligent women..." ""slut"" "one more time." "Right." "Yeah, I'm gonna take care of the check, all right." "Save me some." " What the hell, man?" " I saw the way you looked at me." "During Grizzly training." "You're hiding something." "It's Scoutmaster Doily." " He's lying." " About what?" "The gunshot." "It was him." "He was teaching us how to shoot targets." "Dilton Doiley shot the gun on July 4th?" "He's a hardcore survivalist." "He says if we don't protect ourselves, no one will." "Melody's our technique queen." "And you're the songwriter?" "I would love to..." "Love to what?" "That's the real question." "What exactly you expect to get out of this experience." "Short version." "I just want to hear you guys play my songs." "Making them better." "Recording them." "So, you feel qualified to write songs for the Pussycats?" "Yeah." " For divas of color?" " No." "Maybe, maybe." "Look, this isn't LA or New York, this is Riverdale, and people's minds are opening up, but do you have any idea how much hate mail my mom got when she was elected mayor?" "I campaigned for your mom, I get it." "No, no, no, baby, you don't." "I mean do you know why we're called the Pussycats?" "Because we have to claw our way into the same rooms that you can just waltz into." "So, if you think that you can write my experience..." " Josie?" " It's okay, Valerie." "She's right." "Good." "Ethel." "Betty, you know Trev Brown, right?" "Valerie's brother?" " Hey, what's up?" " Hey." "He used to be on the football team." "But I quit." "When I saw Chuck's playbook." "And I may know where it is." "Football players behaving badly, what else is new?" "Steubenville, Glen Ridge." "The coach's son being the ringleader." "I mean, just how depraved is this town?" "Color me impressed." "A B and E with B and V." "What would your holy roller mother say about this, Betty?" "What are you doing here, Cheryl?" "And where did you get those thigh-high boots?" "They're amazing." "Trev told Valerie, who told Josie, who told Ginger, who told Tina, who told me." "And I thought I would help out." "Help?" "Or derail our investigation?" "Get over yourself, Betty." "Hey guys, get in here." "Trev was right." "They didn't even bother to hide it." "New girl?" "Is that what I'm reduced to?" " Nine points?" " Better than "Big girl."" "Seven point five." "Polly's in this book..." "Next to Jason's name." "I'm so sorry, Betty." " This isn't..." "Jason would never..." " It's right there, Cheryl!" "God." "Your brother hurt my sister." "This is what guys like Jason and Chuck think about women." "We're objects for them to abuse." "And when they're done with us, they shame us into silence." "They have zero remorse for the lives they destroy." "Maybe I don't know Jason." "I'll take a picture." "We'll show it to Weatherbee." "It'll be the perfect cover for your expose, Betty." "Yeah, but..." "No." "These girls deserve justice, don't you think, Cheryl?" "You want vengeance?" "You wanna go full dark, no stars, Veronica?" "I'm with you." "And I have a plan." "Val, you are such a poet, but these lyrics, they don't make sense." "What is the hook?" "I mean, I need a line that catches." " I hear that." " This..." "line." " I've been struggling." " What about, "Paintings in the wind"?" "How about, "Paintings on her skin"?" "I kinda dig that." "All right." "Let's, uh, take it from the top." "One, two, one, two, three." "♪ Paintings on her skin Colors in her hair ♪" "♪ Come around the corner, make you stop and stare ♪" "♪ She don't pay no mind, 'cause she don't really care ♪" "♪ What you think about her, think about her ♪" "♪ I don't care what you want me to be ♪" "♪ 'Cause it ain't for you, no it's all for me ♪" "That was..." "That was so good." "What else you got?" "Uh, I was thinking maybe we could invert the second and third verses." "Seduce Scarlet doesn't suit you, dear." "It's Polly's." "I'm borrowing it." "Polly grew up too fast." "I don't want you to make the same mistake." "Well, I like it." "It makes me feel... powerful." "You coming with us to the Mayor's shindig?" "No." "I'm going over to Veronica's to study for a test." "I don't want you associating with a girl like that." "A bad girl, you mean?" "Get used to it, Mom." "She's my friend." "Here." "Pink Perfection." "It's more you." "Hey, Chuck." "Can I sit?" "Not if you wanna discuss Veronica." "Only insofar as..." "I've been thinking lately..." "How I wanna be more... like her." "You wanna be a bad girl?" "Maybe." "Like your sister Polly was?" "Oh, yeah, Jason told us all about Polly." "You know, prissy prude by day, freak in the sheets by night." "Bad girls have more fun, right?" "Yeah." "Maybe you can show me." "Yes." "Yes, I..." "I can do that." "Um..." " When?" " Tomorrow night." " Uh, your place or mine?" " Ethel's." "She and her parents will be out." "She'll leave us a key." "We're friends." "And she has a pool..." "And a hot tub." "I'll be there." "Definitely." "Um." "Hey, and don't worry." "I'll be gentle." " Can't wait." " Hmm." "Welcome home, Ferris." "Sneaking out, breaking curfew." "Getting into fights." "Dad, don't freak out, okay." "I was with Josie, helping the Pussycats with a song they're doing at that Taste of Riverdale thing." " And I was hoping you would let me go." " No, Archie." "You don't get to go wherever you want, whenever you want, and damn what anyone else says." "Dad, this is the first time a song I worked on is gonna be performed in front of people." "On stage." "Please, let me go to this, and then ground me for the next six months, a year." "We're not haggling over your punishment, end of story." "Fine." "But you have to own it." "Own what?" "Okay, if I had a football game tomorrow night, would you stop me from going?" "No, because football you understand." "You respect." "But my music, since I told you about it, you don't care." "You don't take it seriously." "This is not about my behavior." "This is about your behavior." "We're done here." "You're not Betty." "Betty and I talked it over, and we decided it's time to stop fighting over Archie, and start learning to share." " Nice." " Isn't it?" "It gets very, very hot." "Come on." "Let's get wet." "Uh, should we wait for Betty to get here first?" "Betty couldn't make it." "So she sent me instead." "Welcome all, to the first annual Taste of Riverdale." "As a lead-up to our 75th anniversary jubilee, this event proves that Riverdale truly is a town that, when tragedy knocks us down, we get right back up!" "Bon appetit." "Well, well, well, Hermione Lodge." " Fred Andrews." " You look like you could use this." "May I try a blue cheese slider, please?" "Of course." "Hey, you're the music teacher at the high school, right?" " Yeah." " Hi, I'm Fred Andrews, Archie's dad." "Can we talk?" "Penelope?" "Clifford?" "Hey." "How are you holding up?" "How do you think?" "My son is dead, and neither of you have done anything to catch his killer, except, of course, harass my daughter." "Penelope Blossom." "I thought I might run into you." "Would you like to give me a quote regarding the..." " Whoa, whoa, whoa." "All right." " How dare you, Alice Cooper!" "Printing my son's autopsy?" "He was tortured and shot, and thrown in the river like a piece of garbage." "Hey, hey, hey." "Leave it." "Leave it." "Hey, Riverdale." "We are Josieand the Pussycats." "Are you ready to rock?" "♪ Paintings on her skin, colors in her hair ♪" "♪ Come around the corner, make you stop and stare ♪" "♪ But she don't pay no mind, 'cause she don't really care ♪" "♪ What you think about her, think about her ♪" "♪ Moving through the streets, she travels on her own 'cause she don't need... ♪" "Are you sure it was worth sneaking out for some locally-sourced Munster?" "I helped write that song, man." "♪ And if you try to tell her what to do ♪" "♪ She says... ♪" "Not bad." "♪ I don't care what you want me to be ♪" "I'd love to stay, but I got to shake down an evil Adventure Scout." "See you." "♪ 'Cause it ain't for you, no, it's all for me ♪" "♪ Had a lot of people say they'd try to help ♪" "♪ But they don't know the story, they just try to... ♪" "I've heard a lot about you." "Archie says you're great." "Very supportive." "That's very sweet of him." "I need you to tell me the truth about something." "I know my son has passion for music." "Does he have any talent?" "See, I want to be supportive, but as a parent, it's really hard to watch your kid chase a dream they may never catch, when real-life opportunities are passing them by." "Mr. Andrews, Archie..." "He has talent." "Unquestionably." "I'm not gonna lie to you." "He is coming to it late." "And he's got a lot of catching up to do." "And there's an entire world of competition out there." "Will he be able to make a living at it?" "It'd be a shame if he didn't at least try." "♪ Nothing can shake her... ♪" "You know, I gotta ask you." "What made you take such an interest in my son?" "Archie's a special kid." "Okay, we're gonna do something a little different." "Hermione Lodge." "Park Avenue princess to cater-waiter." "Alice Cooper." "No longer lactose intolerant, I see." "How's Veronica?" "Oh." "You don't even know, do you?" "The things that they're saying about your daughter at school?" " What things?" " Slut-shaming." "That's what they call it when sluts get shamed." "You know, you really have to keep an eye on girls like Veronica." "They so easily can get out of control." " What is that?" " Muscle relaxer." "Mix it with booze and it lowers your inhibitions." "Hello, truth serum." "Maybe we should slow it down a little?" "It's fine." "Right, Chuck?" "You don't want to slow down, do you?" "Oh, I'm 2 Fast 2 Furious, baby." "Good." "Good boy, Chuck." "Hello, Dilton." "I talked to one of your Scouts." "I know you fired the gun." "Which makes you both a liar, and a public menace." "So what if I did?" "I was doing the Adventure Scouts a favor." "Somebody has to teach them how to stand their ground." "The way this town is going..." "Save it for your statement." "Which you can make to Sheriff Keller, or to me." "I suggest the latter." "Blue and Gold offices." "Tomorrow." "What?" "What the hell?" "Start recording." "Hey, guys." "It's really hot in here." "And getting hotter by the minute." "Time to squeal, pig." "Tell the truth about what happened between you and Veronica." "We had a good time." "She had a good time." "The truth, Chuck, or so help me, I will boil you alive." "What?" " We made out." " And then?" "And then I took her home!" "And I didn't give her a Sticky Maple." "That is all you had to say, you ass." "And now, everyone will know." "You like shaming people, Chuck?" " Whoa, hey..." " You like dehumanizing them?" "Prissy prude by day, freak in the sheets by night?" " No!" " Apologize." " Hey, get this..." " Calm down." " Say you're sorry!" " Okay!" "Okay, I'm sorry!" "I'm sorry for all of it!" "Good job, pig." "Now, time for your reward." "A Sticky Maple of your own." "Wait!" "What, what?" "Apologize for ruining Polly." " What the hell?" "Oh, my God!" " Do it, Jason!" "Say you're sorry for destroying me." " Apologize for what you did to me!" " Look, I'm not Jason!" " I'm not Jason!" " Betty, that is enough!" "Stop, it's over!" "We did it." "You did it." "You are crazy." "Oh, my God!" "You're crazy as hell!" "Betty?" "I'm fine." "We're done here." "Dad?" "Dad, what's going on?" "Well, I am soundproofing the garage." "I figure, you know, while you're grounded, you should at least be productive." "Practicing your music." "Dad, this is awesome." "Thank you." "I met your music teacher last night." "Yeah, Ms. Grundy?" "Whoa." "They did not look like that in my day, son." "Ah, what were you guys talking about?" "You." "She believes in you, Archie." "So do I." "Quite the expose." "Whenever did you find the time to write it?" "Stayed up all night." "Couldn't sleep after..." "Me neither." "Betty..." "You came through for me, in a way that no one else ever has before." "But..." "Can we talk about what happened?" "What do you mean?" "The wig and everything." "How far were you gonna take it?" " Chuck deserved it." " You called him Jason." " Know what?" "I didn't do that." " Yeah, girl, you did." "You called yourself Polly." "It was like Dr. Jekyll, Mistress Hyde." "You became another person." "Okay, I mean..." "I remember saying Chuck should apologize for Polly, but not because I thought he was Jason." " Why then?" " Because..." "I am sick of guys like Chuck and Jason doing horrible things to girls like me, you, and Polly." "Okay?" "Good and evil." "Light and dark." "Betty and Veronica." "Two sides of the same Janus coin." "Given Betty's article," "Weatherbee needed a sacrificial lamb." "Needed to make an example of someone." "So, after Hermione Lodge negotiated a lesser sentence for our two avenging angels..." "Next time, mija, you come to me first." "You don't take matters into your own hands." "Coach Clayton, to save his job, to save the school's reputation, was forced to cut his own beloved son, and his goon squad, from the team." "An action that, though none of us knew it at the time, would have terrible consequences in the weeks to come..." "Thanks, Betty." "Thanks, Veronica." "Thank you, Ethel, for going on the record." "It made all of the difference with Weatherbee." "You're the bravest of them all, Ethel Muggs." "Hashtag JusticeForEthel." "But one thing was certain, Betty and Veronica, now BV, and maybe forever, had been forged." "They walked through the fire, and survived." "Whoever killed Jason hurt him." "Maybe Jason hurt people, too." "If he hurt Polly, I'm sorry." "Archie?" "I, uh..." "I wanted to thank you for talking to my dad." "I meant what I told him." "I think it could really happen for you." "So..." "Does this mean we can start our lessons back up again?" "We crave absolutes." "They comfort us, but life is infinitely more complex than that." "If you publish a story saying I fired that gun, my life will be ruined." "I'll be banished from the Adventure Scouts, and charged with a misdemeanor." "So, what if I have a better story?" "If I tell you what I know, promise me the gunshot stays between us." "You have our word." "As journalists." "I saw something at Sweetwater River." "Something nobody else saw." "Ms. Grundy's car." "By the river's edge." "She was there." "Despite all of our recent troubles," "I would've done anything to protect Archie." "But Dilton Doiley had just opened Pandora's box, and now, there was nothing I, or anyone, could do to save him."