every man is going to lose a battle

“Are they though?” Fred questioned once more, was it really worth it if the answers weren’t enough to paint the full picture. “Everyone seems to think the killer is what’s lurking in the woods. Dude, I doubt it’s the killer. It’s probably some serpents or kids from Greendale trying to scare the shit out of us.” He shrugged, feeling a shiver run through his body. Was that from the cold, or the fact these woods are possesed? Fred had to laugh at himself for even beliving the haunted woods rumour. “Or maybe the demon rumour is true.”

"Yes, then we can put all of this past us.” Liam wanted to move forward, all the questioning throwing him back to a year and a half ago. A place he didn’t need to relive to remember every detail of it. “No doubt it’s someone playing a joke on everyone. It’s fucking Halloween all year round for them, but it’s only going to be rumors until we see for ourselves.” The temperature seemed to drop, pulling the jacket tighter around him. “Demons? The last thing we need is some make believe shit to be true.”

“I’m starting to think this might have been a bad idea.” Fred murmured as his hand ruffling his own hair as he attempted to gather his thoughts. “Are we really sure we want to know what’s in the forest? Featherhead’s killer or whatever it is. At this point I’m more likely to believe demons than think some dude is living out here after committing murder.”

Deep down Liam thought the same thing, only coming to the woods to get some answers risky or not. “Some sort of answers are better than sitting around waiting for someone else to give them to us. Anyone in their right mind would run after killing someone. Then again, murderers aren’t exactly right minded people, it’s a possibility he could be living out here.”

“hm, i see. well, what exactly have you told them that makes you least likely for the crime?”

“That I was home by myself all night, although not entirely true. Hermione and I were drinking together, which we didn’t want to get in trouble for. I finally fessed up this last round, which will hopefully get them off my back.”

“Oh, right.” She looked to him, with a bout of silence hitting her as she merely stared, trying to feel less awkward in the situation, though the thought was quite impossible. With Featherhead gone, really, there wasn’t even a lot of room for a new principal to come in and replace him, at least not gently. And, with his next line of questioning, Hermione nearly seized up, knowing she couldn’t talk about the Midnight Club, and instead lied away. “I promise, I wasn’t with anybody. Both my parents were working anyways and I was home alone all night. It’s a win-win for both of us.”

With the reactions from everyone in town, even he wouldn’t have enjoy that sort of power. Apparently no one else did either with the position still being empty, and probably would be with the amount of drama it could bring. His head nodded as the alibi fully sunk in, easily taking it for what it was to the both of them. A way out with her was better than trying to do this on his own. They could vouch for each other now, and by the grace of everything holy, get out of whatever hole he’d fallen into. “As long as we make it believable, I’ll take anything at this point...Thank you. I’m not sure I could take much more of this.”

“That’s local law enforcement for you. Paint a picture and try to get it to fit.” Fred shrugged, “They’ll figure it out eventually. For now I think you just gotta take all the bullshit they’ll throw. Just gotta keep your head down, that’s what I’m doing.”

“It’s a bit different than I’m used too.” Last year he hadn’t been questioned this much, even with being at the same party. “Might have to get some pointers because I must be doing it wrong. Do you think they’ll lighten up any time soon, or this is going to continue forever?”

“Think it like this: you hand me some drugs, I don’t do something violent shit like trying to pick a fight with the star of the football team…in this hypothesis, that’s you, by the way, and then I pay you back. Everyone wins.” Alice mumbled, an amused smirk on her lips as she took a drag of her cigarette and looked at the students leaving the school. 

“Let’s get out of here, before I hear some polish idiot complaining about having too much money or something and I start throwing hands.” Alice said, turning to see Liam. “Did you have a car?” She asked, before her playful smirk returned to her face. “I don’t know if I want people seeing me sharing a car with you, but well, must be better than walking.”

“Wow,” he started slowly, a small laugh coming out. “You want my drugs and make fun of me all at the same time. That’s going to get you far, Alice.” Liam wasn’t going to completely say no, if only to not have the spend the afternoon with his own thoughts. 

“Please. No one needs to be subjugated to that kind of torture.” He would go along with it around the team, but even he didn’t enjoy the high and mightiness many of the students seemed to have. “You are just rolling with the punches to my ego today, but I do have a truck.” His hand pointed at his as he flicked the cigarette in the lot. “If we pass anyone, just duck, or the bed might be more comfortable to lay down in. I promise to go slow over the bumps.”

The question sparked a flicker of hurt within her. She used to, but now she doesn’t— not that her parents would have ever let her come to Riverdale on her own in the first place at a tense time like this. “No, not anyone who would or could come at this time of night anyways.” She sighed, her smile turning slightly sheepish and a little forced. “It serves me right, I guess, for not paying attention to the time.”

His head nodded in understanding, only having a way home at this point because of his truck. “It’s okay, I’d be stranded too.” He felt a little bad for asking the question in the first place, figuring there might be more involved by her expression but wouldn’t pry. “Want a ride home?”

“I wouldn’t try and make it worse for yourself. They keep questioning everyone they can. I wouldn’t take it personally.”

“I’m not sure I can make it any worse than they already think it is. They are because they aren’t getting any answers. Clearly, they haven’t figured out that they’re looking in the wrong place.”

Diana cursed mentally, moving as if to leave before letting out a sigh of resignation. “I’m not going to be able to get to the bus stop in time, aren’t I?” She smiled gratefully at the other boy, a flicker of confusion passing her face. He wasn’t a familiar face, not that she knew everybody in Riverdale. “Thanks, and sorry for bothering you.”

“Umm...” He dragged out the word, thinking it over. “Probably not? Unless you run fast.” He chuckled at his own joke, heading shaking slightly soon after. “No no you didn’t bother me at all. Do you have someone who could maybe pick you up?”

She had to admit that he was attractive compared to other boys around. Mary rolls her eyes at his teasing. Boys were off limits to her. “Me? Of course I would. Who else?” She teased back at him with a half amused look. The way he was wording things was amusing to her. Like she was gonna actually tell anyone. If someone had asked, which no one ever does, she knows how to answer without lying. It was a skill she quickly picked up months ago.

“That is true.” She hums softly. “But technically it’s outside of the school building isn’t it?” At this point, she was just making fun of him now.

“You’d be the only one.” He could have stood outside the school and joked with her all day about the techniques of lying, but there were places he needed to be. Time not being on his with having to return to school again to finish out the day. “How technical are you trying to be?” Liam chuckled, “Even with technicalities, still school grounds.”

Hermione wasn’t selfless. That much had already been established, but when it came to the night of the suspected murder of Principal Featherhead, she needed her own alibi to cover herself, seeing that the Midnight Club wasn’t going to do her any good. “I don’t know who died and made you the police chief, but I’m just speculating, like you.” She folded her arms over herself. “If it’s both of our words, then they don’t have anything against us. And you can change your story, so long as you have a good reason. Tell them we were drinking together or something, and you were scared of getting in trouble for getting caught.”

“No no no. I’m the new principal, remember?” Possibly a far too soon joke, but with how Liam felt about it now, he didn’t care all too much. The more she spoke about the alibi, the more he could believe it himself. His head nodded slowly, “You don’t think they’ll ask anyone else? I’m all for saying we were drinking alone and didn’t want to get in trouble, but no one else knew where you were, right? The last thing we need is this plan falling through.”

His comment seemed to offend Alice. She hit his chest with the back of her hand, in a gesture that was more to catch his attention and show that she was being serious rather than to hurt him. “I will pay you, okay? I just need to figure out where to get the money, but I don’t need your charity.” She tossed him the lighter, a smirk appearing on her face, not so serious anymore. “Think it more like a…a drug loan. Or a trust investment.”

Alice didn’t like the feeling of someone gifting her something. It made her feel like she would end up owing the wrong people, even if it was with someone like Liam. Taking another drag of her cigarette, she added. “Beer’s on me.” 

“Ow,” he joked with a chuckle, nodding his head. “It wasn’t charity, but if you insist on paying me back. I’m not going to deny you that right.” And if she did, it would at least his mind could be at ease about them not being a full gift. “A trust investment? Have we reached that level of commitment?” 

Liam caught the lighter, lighting the cigarette and giving it a long pull. He didn’t smoke them often, but with the stress he felt recently, he knew it would help calm him down until later. “That I can be on board with. Might even be a better payment than real money.”

“well well, they either suspect that you killed the ol’ bastard or they just can’t get enough of that handsome face of yours,” she smirked.

“i’m hoping for the latter, though i suspect that’s not the case to achieve anything. hopefully, they’ll lay off me and focus their attention on actually searching from someone who’s guilty.”

Mary Maiden was far from a snitch. Just implying it, made her give him a look. “I’m sure someone will miss that pretty face.” Her voice filled with sarcasm. Clearly she was hanging around the others too much. “As for telling, now everyone knows I don’t lie when asked. You better hope no one asks the right question.”

“Who? You?” He teased, a deep chuckle escaping him as he thought of a new way to get around her keeping this between them. “There are ways to tell the truth and not give much away. Technically, the last place you’ve seen me is school. You don’t know where I’m going either.”

“don’t they usually suspect the ones who get angry, easier, more? i’m just trying to help out, but you don’t have to listen.”

“That’s the thing. I wasn’t angry before. It didn’t start happening until yesterday when they took me to the station and questioned me again.” 

“Are you a priority suspect then?” Hermione inquired, with a bit of a cheeky grin, as if it were a joke, but as she looked to him, her expression dropped. Things were only getting more interesting it seemed. “I’m not overthinking it. I’m only thinking about it like a game of Clue.” She paused for a moment before her lips thinned. “If you need a real alibi, tell them you were with me all night. I’ll cover for you.”

He shrugged, “I suppose so. God knows why.” Liam could think of a few reasons, all of which he wouldn’t mention to anyone while the investigation was on going. He chuckled, “Thinking of it at all when you don’t need too, is overthinking it.” An eyebrow raised as he stared her, thinking it to be a joke. “Who’s going to believe that? Plus, I can’t change my story after they’ve asked me twenty times...Can I?”

“Easy there, tiger. Although, if I was a cop I would’ve sent you to jail after 5 seconds.” Alice joked, sitting next to Liam as she took from her backpack a cigarette and used her lighter to lit it up. “Just for being a pain in the ass.” With a laugh mixed with smoke, Alice watched as students left the school’s building, something she had done 15 minutes ago.

After taking a few drags, she offered a cigarette to Liam too, almost as if she had forgotten he was there until that moment. “What you need is to stop by my trailer today and share some of…whatever you probably have in your pockets. That’ll release some of the stress. As long as it’s not Jingle Jangle, I’m down to anything.” She cleared the ashes of her cigarette. “I don’t have the money, but I’ll pay you later.”

“Just for being a pain in the ass,” he mocked, poorly imitating her voice. The joking eased the tension he’d previously felt, letting it dissipate as he relaxed. It’d been a week, maybe after another the cops would finally stop bothering him. Although, without a better alibi, it felt more like a far off dream. “Good think you’re not a cop then or I might as well live in a cell with how often you’d throw me in there.”

He took the cigarette from her before offhandedly asking for a light. His eyes went to his lap for a moment, needing to think it over. Liam knew she was right about needing to release some stress, but sharing wasn’t something he was too particularly keen on quite yet. With hesitation, his head started to nod. “I might have to take you up on the offer. And it’s not that Jingle Jangle shit. I need to destress not be more high strung.” He smirked, “I’ll have to forgive you this time.”