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Sunday, March 13, 2016

A History Of Friendship - PART SEVEN



Some time passed, and it was now just a few minutes before Miss Grundy's history class was about to begin, and Wembley Morris was ready for it.  He had just completed his oral report for tomorrow's class, and armed with his mother's jewelry box and his oral report scribbled in his notebook, he was ready to give off a great report.  He was thinking that he would get a B+ at least, or maybe even an A.  He was really proud of it, and he had hoped that his report would have made his parents proud as well.
   He turned the corner and saw that Miss Grundy's classroom was open, and that nobody else was inside, so he figured that he would head on inside and wait for class to start.  He walked inside the classroom, and started to head towards the desk as the warning bell began to ring, informing people to hurry ahead to class.  He was more than excited to hand in his project early and be done with it.
   But, as Wembley walked inside the empty classroom, he heard a door slam behind him.  When Wembley turned around, he was shocked to find Clay and Johnny standing in the doorway.
   “We need to have a talk.”  Clay said.
   “You need to stay away from me.”  Wembley said.  “The principal said.”
   “Well, he's not here...is he?”  Johnny said, walking slowly towards Wembley.
   “I don't like what you said about us to Weatherbee.”  Clay said.  “Thanks to you, we can't play in the homecoming game.”
   “And, we don't like that.”  Johnny said.
   “So, we're going to make you pay.”  Clay said.
   Wembley looked scared.  “Wh...what are you going to do?”
   Clay smiled.  “Wouldn't you like to know?”
   Johnny then noticed the stuff that Wembley was carrying.  “Get a load of the stuff he's carrying.”
   Clay grabbed the notebook out of Wembley's hands.  “What's this?  Your homework?”
   “Give it back!”  Wembley yelled.
   “I just want to see it!”  Clay said, flipping through the pages of the notebook.
   But, Clay was purposely turning the pages forcefully, causing the pages to rip out completely.
   “Oops!”  Clay said.  “I seem to have ripped the book.  What will I do?”
   Johnny laughed.  “Let's party!”
   Clay sneered as he threw the pieces of paper up in the air.  “Happy New Year!”
   Wembley looked like he was about to cry.  “You won't get away with this!”
   Just then, Reggie walked into the classroom and saw Clay, Johnny, and Wembley inside the classroom.  “Clay?  Johnny?  What are you doing here?  You aren't in this class!”
   As Wembley continued to look nervous, Clay turned towards Reggie and smiled.  “Ah, Reggie!  Just in time!”
   “We're about to play a game!”  Johnny said.
   Reggie looked concerned.  “What are you doing to that kid?”
   “Oh, don't worry, dude.”  Clay said.  “Wembley here is just having fun.”
   “Funny.”  Reggie said.  “He doesn't look like he's enjoying himself at all.”
   “Oh, but he is.”  Johnny said.  “Trust us.”
   Clay was eyeing the red box that Wembley was carrying.  “What's in there?”
   Wembley looked scared.  “You...you can't have it?”
   Johnny smiled.  “You know something?  Tomorrow happens to be my birthday...and it looks like Wembley bought me a present.  Isn't that thoughtful of him?”
   “Sure is.”  Clay said.  “What do you say, Wembley?  Give Johnny his present.”
   “No.”  Wembley said.
   Clay got angrier.  “I said, give Johnny his present.”
   Reggie looked uncomfortable.  “Clay, Johnny, you're taking this a bit too far.”
   “Be quiet, Mantle.”  Clay snapped.
   Johnny then grabbed the box out of Wembley's hands.  “Let's see what you bought me.”
   Wembley was visibly agitated.  “Please!  No!  Give that back!”
   Clay stood in front of Wembley as Johnny tore open the red box.  “What the heck is this?  It looks like a blue wooden box.”
   “No way!”  Clay exclaimed.  “That's a jewelry box!  The wimpy kid has a jewelry box.”
   “You need to give that back!”  Wembley pleaded.
   Clay scoffed.  “What kind of dorky man has a jewelry box anyway?”
   “I don't know, but it's nothing that I can use.”  Johnny said in disgust.
   “I WANT IT BACK!”  Wembley shouted.  “Please!”
   “Guys, this has gone on far enough.”  Reggie said.  “Give it back to him.”
   “You want it back, Whiny Wembley?”  Clay asked.
   Wembley nodded.
   “You REALLY want it back?”  Johnny asked.
   “YES!”  Wembley yelled.
   “Fine.”  Clay said.  “We'll give it back.”
   Clay walked over to where a frightened Wembley was and started to hand over the jewelry box to him.  But, just before Wembley could lay a hand on the box, Clay yanked it back, winked at Johnny and yelled “CATCH!”
   Wembley could only look on in horror as Clay threw the jewelry box up in the air to Johnny who was on the other side of the classroom.
   Johnny caught the jewelry box and laughed.  “Wow...great throw.  I can see why Coach made you quarterback.”
   STOP IT!”  Wembley screamed.  “Please!”
   “Guys, this is crazy.”  Reggie yelled.  “You have got to stop this!”
   “Why?”  Johnny said, tossing the jewelry box back to Clay.  “We're having too much fun.”
   As Clay caught the box, Wembley was visibly upset, and for the first time, Reggie could see that Archie and Betty were telling the truth about Clay and Johnny bullying Wembley.  And, he knew that he was the only one who could make things right.
   As Clay threw the box back over to Johnny, Reggie quickly intercepted the box.
   Clay was visibly upset.  “What did you do that for?”
   “Because this is wrong.”  Reggie said.  “Look at what you're doing to this kid!”
   “Why are you defending this weirdo?”  Clay yelled.  “He doesn't speak in class, he doesn't say anything to anybody.  He just doesn't do anything!  He's the weirdest person in the whole school!”
   “I don't care!”  Reggie said.  “This is wrong.  It's one thing to crack jokes to people, or good-naturedly rib our new team members.  This is bullying, and I think you two need to stop.  Wembley is getting his jewelry box back.”
   “No he's not.”  Johnny said, grabbing on the box that Reggie was holding.
   Reggie tried to get the box out of Johnny's grip.  “What are you doing?”  he screamed.
   “Wembley got us thrown out of the game.”  Johnny said.  “He needs to pay!”
   “Guys, stop it!”  Wembley screamed.  “You're gonna wreck it!”
   But Reggie and Johnny wouldn't stop.  Reggie was trying to get the box out of Johnny's hands so he could give it back to Wembley, but Johnny wasn't letting go.  Suddenly, both Reggie and Johnny tripped over a chair and both of them let go of the box.  Wembley could only watch in horror as the wooden jewelry box landed on the floor, breaking into several pieces all over Miss Grundy's classroom floor.
   “NOOOOOOOO!”  Wembley cried out!
   Wembley immediately ran to the broken jewelry box and upon seeing the damaged box, broke down into tears.
   Reggie looked really uncomfortable, while Clay and Johnny were chuckling to themselves.
   Reggie was furious.  “Are the two of you happy now?”
   Just then, the rest of the class started to pile into the classroom, and immediately came upon the sight of a sobbing Wembley, and Clay, Johnny, and Reggie standing in the middle of the classroom.
   Jughead noticed the broken box on the floor, and then fixed his gaze on Clay and Johnny.  “WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM?”
   Clay and Johnny glanced at each other.
   “We didn't do anything.”  Clay said.
   “Yeah,  it was an accident.”  Johnny said.  “Right, Reggie?”
   Reggie looked like he was punched in the stomach.
   “You two aren't even supposed to BE in this class!”  Betty snapped.
   “Get out of here now.”  Veronica said.  “Haven't you done enough to this poor boy?”
   Archie just stared at Reggie.  “I really hope YOU had nothing to do with this Reggie.”
   Jughead tried to kneel down beside Wembley.  He reached his hand out to him.  “Wembley?”
   “Just leave me alone!”  Wembley sobbed.
   Just then, Miss Grundy walked inside the classroom.  “Good afternoon class, I...”
   Miss Grundy then looked around.  “My classroom!  What happened to my classroom?  Why is Wembley Morris crying?  I want to know what is going on, and I want to know what is going on right now!”
   “I'd like an explanation myself.”  Mr. Weatherbee said as he too entered the classroom.
“Miss Grundy invited me down to speak to the class for a few minutes, and I see that there is obvious disorder here.  I want to know what is going on.  NOW.”
   Wembley wiped his eyes and approached Mr. Weatherbee.  “I'll tell you what's happening.  I'm leaving Riverdale High.  I want to transfer to Central High.  I can't...I can't be here...”
   Wembley ran out of the room as Jughead tried to go after him.  “Wembley...Wembley, wait!”
   “Hold it, son.”  Mr. Weatherbee said, holding Jughead back.  “Nobody is leaving this room.”
   “But, sir, Wembley...:”  Jughead said.
   “I understand that you're concerned about him.”  Mr. Weatherbee said.  “That's why I need to know what exactly happened in this classroom.”
   Jughead angrily turned and glared at Clay and Johnny.  “Why don't you ask these two?”
   “Jones, what are you talking about?”  Clay said.
   “AS IF YOU DON'T KNOW!”  Jughead yelled.  “You two have been hounding Wembley for weeks!  You've been bullying him, making his time in school miserable...and now you broke his jewelry box!”
   “You have no proof!”  Johnny said.
   “Do you have any idea how much that box meant to him?”  Jughead yelled.  “That box was one of the only things he has left to remember his parents who died in a fire when Wembley was little!  It was all he had, and you two just destroyed it!  How cruel can you be?”
   “Look, I'm sorry his jewelry box got broken, but you can't blame us.”  Clay said.  “It was an accident!”
   “Yeah, it accidentally fell.”
   “It was NO accident, and both of you know it!”  Reggie yelled.
   Clay and Johnny glared at Reggie.
   “Reggie, you don't know what you're talking about.”  Clay said.
   “Great, now you've turned against us too.”  Johnny said.  “I guess nobody cares about whether we win the homecoming game, not even Reggie.”
   “I'd rather lose every game than let you hurt Wembley any longer.”  Reggie said.
   Jughead walked towards Reggie.  “Reggie, what happened?”
   “I'd like to know what happened too.”  Mr. Weatherbee said.
   Reggie sighed.  “Clay and Johnny cornered Wembley in this classroom, and they were harassing him when I walked in.”
   “He's lying!”  Clay said.
   “Oh, be quiet, you boor.”  Veronica snapped.  “I can't believe I ever thought you were cute.”
   “Reggie, go on.”  Mr. Weatherbee said.
   Reggie breathed deeply.  “When I came in, Johnny grabbed the jewelry box out of Wembley's hands, and started to play catch with it.  He and Clay threw it back and forth just to hurt Wembley.  I tried to step in and get the box back once I saw that Wembley was really upset about it, and in the struggle, the box got broken.”
   Jughead angrily glared at Clay and Johnny, who were looking more and more guilty with every word that Reggie was saying.
   “Sir, you have to believe me.”  Reggie said, his voice cracking.  “I wasn't aware that any of this was going on with Wembley until I saw it.  I am so sorry that Wembley's box got broken, and I swear to you that I didn't have anything to do with Wembley's bullying.  Please believe me.”
   Reggie then walked over to Archie, Betty, and Jughead.  “Guys, please forgive me.”
   Betty sighed.  “You really tried to stop it?”
   Reggie nodded.  “Yes.  I did.”
   Archie smiled a tiny smile.  “Maybe there's hope for you yet, Reg.”
   “Sir.”  Reggie said to Mr. Weatherbee.  “I really am sorry.”
   Mr. Weatherbee sighed.  “Reggie...I can't say that I'm all that pleased to hear what happened here...but at the same time, I admire your courage.  In the end, I really do believe that you tried to make things right.  That does take courage, and I respect that.”
   Reggie nodded sadly.  “Thank you, sir.”
   Mr. Weatherbee's attention then turned towards Clay and Johnny.  “I am however incredibly disappointed in the two of you.  What were you thinking?”
   “The kid is weird.”  Clay said.  “We wanted to get him to open up.”
   “By destroying his history project?”  Miss Grundy exclaimed.  “In all my years of teaching, I have NEVER seen people treat each other so cruelly.”
   Mr. Weatherbee shook his head.  “You two have disappointed me, Miss Grundy, the football team, the school...and especially poor Wembley.  I want to see both of you in my office.”
   “But, sir.”  Clay said.
   “NOW.”  Mr. Weatherbee bellowed.  “You two are in some serious, SERIOUS trouble.  Come with me.”
   Mr. Weatherbee left the classroom, with a dejected looking Clay and Johnny following behind him.
   Jughead looked like he was about ready to be sick.  “I can't believe those two would do something like this.  What person would do this?  What HUMAN BEING would do this?”
   “Guys, you have got to believe me.”  Reggie said.  “I am so sorry for what happened to Wembley.  I tried to get them to stop and give the box back.”
   “Reggie, I believe you.”  Archie said.
   “Yeah...”  Jughead said.  “...you at least feel something about what happened, which is more than I can say for those two.”
   “Poor Wembley.”  Veronica said.
   Jughead walked over towards Miss Grundy.  “Miss Grundy, we have got to find Wembley.  He's hurt and upset.  He really needs a friend.  May I be excused from class to go and find him and talk to him?”
   “Normally, I would say no.”  Miss Grundy said.  “But, in this case, I will make an exception.  Go on.  Find him.”
   “Thank you, Miss Grundy.”  Jughead said.
   “And, I'm going with you.”  Archie said.
   “Archie, I appreciate this, but I don't know if you'd be any help.”  Jughead said.
   “Jughead, you and I have been friends for how many years now?”  Archie asked.  “I'm not letting you deal with this alone.  I want to help you find, Wembley, okay?”
   Jughead nodded.  “Come on.  We'll use your car, okay?”
   “All right.”  Archie said.  “Let's go.”
   “Good luck, guys.”  Betty said.
   “You find him, all right?”  Reggie said.
   Archie and Jughead left Miss Grundy's classroom, and headed towards the front door of the school.
   “Would you have any idea where Wembley might have gone?”  Archie asked Jughead.
   “I can only think of one place.”  Jughead said.  “I just hope that I'm right.  In the meantime, you'd better call Wembley's aunt and uncle to let them know what happened.  I have the phone number.”
   “I just hope we can find him.”  Archie said.
   “Me too.”  Jughead said.
   Back inside the classroom, Reggie kept staring at the broken pieces of Wembley's jewelry box as Miss Grundy attempted to get class back in session.
   “This is so unfair.”  Veronica said.  “I mean, we helped Wembley try to get the bullying to stop, and in the end, he still ended up getting hurt.”
   “I still think that we did the right thing.”  Betty said.  “I mean, none of us saw this coming, but we had to say something.”
   “Betty's absolutely right.”  Miss Grundy said.  “If someone was being bullied or made fun of in this classroom, I would want to know about it so I could find a way to try and get it stopped.  I don't believe that anybody should have to go through any sort of harassment in this school.”
   “I can't help but feel so bad about this.”  Ethel Muggs said.
   “This is one horrible situation.”  Dilton Doiley added.
   “Moose, were you aware that any of this was going on?”  Midge asked.
   “D-uh...not at all.”  Moose said.
   “You couldn't have anyway.”  Reggie said.  “I didn't even know that this had been happening until I saw it with my own eyes.  Clay and Johnny did all their picking on Wembley out of sight of anyone.  It explains why they were always late for football practice.  Why didn't I see it earlier?”
   “I think part of it could have been that maybe you were afraid that by speaking out, you could have been teased too.”  Betty said.
   “A lot of teenagers don't report bullying to school officials.”  Miss Grundy said.  “Some people are afraid to go to a higher authority for fear of repercussions, or they may feel that they may lose friendships, or they simply feel that they can deal with it themselves.  But, the truth is that there is power in speaking out against school bullying, and I promise you that we will do our best to make sure that we never have a situation like this happen again.”
   “But, how does this help Wembley now?”  Reggie exclaimed.
   “Reggie, we're doing it right now by talking about this.”  Veronica said.
   “Exactly.”  Chuck said.  “The more awareness we bring to this issue, the better chance we have to stop it once and for all.”
   “I just feel so horrible about this.”  Reggie said.  “I mean, I was calling Wembley names, and I was making jokes at his expense, not knowing what Clay and Johnny were doing.  I just feel so incredibly horrible.  I mean, I know I have the reputation of being a jerk, but I'm not heartless.”
   “Reggie, of course we know that.”  Miss Grundy said.  “I think you're being a little bit hard on yourself.”
   “Yeah, I mean, it's not like you were throwing Wembley's backpack in the trash.”  Veronica said.
   “And, you certainly didn't intend to break Wembley's jewelry box.”  Betty said.  “You tried to get it back from those two.”
   “It's still broken though.”  Reggie said.  “And, now that I know how much it meant to Wembley, it doesn't make me feel any better.”
   “I know.”  Miss Grundy said.  “But, the best thing you can do for Wembley now is top be his friend now.  The best thing every single one of you can do is show Wembley just how much he is appreciated here.”
   “That all depends on whether Jughead and Archie can find him.”  Nancy Woods said.
   “I have faith in them.”  Betty said.  “We have to believe that Jughead and Archie will be able to be there for him through this.”
   “For now, this class will be a free period.”  Miss Grundy said.  “You may choose to work on your assignments if you wish, or if you want to just reflect on what has happened today, you can do so if you wish.  I will be here for any of you if you need me.”
   The class began to work on their assignments in silence.
   Reggie Mantle continued to stare at the broken jewelry box.  “I don't care what people say.  This jewelry box would have never been broken if I had acted sooner.  I've got to find a way to make it up to that kid.  I just have to...”

Saturday, March 12, 2016

A History Of Friendship - PART SIX

Just a little reminder, everyone.  Tomorrow morning at 2:00 am, set your clocks ONE HOUR AHEAD.  Your cell phones and computers should do this automatically.  Despite what Cher says, you do NOT turn back time.  Think like Kenny Chesney instead and live life in fast forward...at least for one hour.



And now, part 6 of "A History Of Friendship".

In the school gymnasium, Reggie had just run inside, knowing that he was late for football practice, hoping that Coach Kleats would keep his cool.  He immediately saw Moose and ran towards him.
   “Yes, I know I'm late.”  Reggie told Moose.  “I know that I'll have to do more laps around the gym.”
   “Don't worry.”  Moose said.  “Coach ain't here.”
   “Oh, thank goodness.”  Reggie said, relieved.
   “Clay and Johnny are late too.”  Moose explained.
   “What?”  Reggie asked.  “That's odd.  Clay and Johnny were late for Friday's practice session as well.  I wonder what's going on with those two?”
   Just as Reggie pondered this, Clay and Johnny quickly entered the gym.
   “Good.”  Clay said.  “It looks like Coach Kleats isn't here.”
   “All right.”  Johnny said.  “No extra laps for us.”
   “And, just what was it you two were doing that was more important than football practice?”  Reggie asked.
   “Oh...we were just hanging out with someone.”  Clay said with a smirk.
   “Yeah.”  Johnny said.  “We had something to tell him.”
   Reggie looked at them suspiciously.  “Really...”
   “Yeah, really.”  Johnny said.
   “And, who are you?  Coach's spy?”  Clay asked.
   “No, of course not.”  Reggie said.  “If anything, I was late myself.  But, the Riverdale vs. Central homecoming game is coming up soon, and Coach Kleats really wants us to win it.  We have to try and make it to practice on time.”
   “You're right, Mantle.”  Clay said.  “We're sorry.”
   Just then, Coach Kleats entered the gym.  “All right, team.  We have just a few days until the homecoming game, so we need to make sure that we are ready.  I want all of you to start by running ten laps around the gym.”
   “Yes, Coach.”  the team said.
   “Oh...um...one more thing.”  Coach Kleats said.  “Since Mantle, Brock, and Sangria were late for practice, they will do an additional fifteen laps.”
   “What?”  Johnny exclaimed.
   “That's not fair!”  Clay whined.
   “How did you know?”  Reggie sighed.
   “I may have been born at night, but it wasn't last night.”  Coach Kleats said with a smile.  “Get running, boys.”
   Reggie nodded his head.  “You heard the coach.”
   As Reggie joined the rest of the football team doing laps, Johnny approached Clay.  “I told you we were gonna be late!”
   “Relax.”  Clay said.  “Picking on that Wembley geek was worth the extra laps.”
   “HEY!”  Coach Kleats said.  “Brock and Sangria, you better start doing laps now.”
   Johnny started to run.  “Picking on Wembley certainly is fun...but what if someone finds out?”
   “Relax.”  Clay said.  “We're doing this without anyone knowing, and we have Wembley so scared, he's not going to say anything.  Who's gonna know?”

   Meanwhile, in the school library, Archie, Jughead, and Betty were seated at one of the tables.  Jughead kept checking his watch, looking impatient.
   “I wonder where Wembley is?”  Jughead said.  “He said he'd meet us here to work on our projects with us.”
   “Maybe he's running late?”  Archie suggested.
   “No.”  Jughead said.  “I can't put my finger on it, but something's not right.”
   “You think that something happened, didn't you?”  Archie asked.
   “Archie, I heard Reggie and Moose talking about another football practice.”  Jughead said.  “A practice that is going on right now.  It's just too much of a coincidence.”
   “Juggie.”  Betty said.  “Archie kind of filled me in on what's been happening.  I just can't believe that Wembley has had to go through so much.”
   “Nobody knows.”  Jughead said.
   “I think for whatever reason, Wembley has a lot of trouble opening up to people.”  Archie said.
   “Can you blame him?”  Jughead said.  “I mean, he had to deal with the loss of his parents, moving to another country, and now he has to deal with people making fun of him.”
   “We don't know that for certain.”  Archie said.
   “I just think he's had too much happen to him.”  Jughead said.  “All he needs is to have some really good friends to confide in.  To make him feel like he's not completely helpless in this.”
   “You're doing a good job right now.”  Betty said.
   “Yeah, you've gone above and beyond for this kid.”  Archie said.
   “Let's just say that I know what he's going through.”  Jughead said.
   “Yeah, about that.”  Archie said.  “You keep saying that you can relate to Wembley and you know what he's talking about, but I'm not sure exactly what you mean.”
   “Oh...that...”  Jughead said.  “Well, you see...”
   But before Jughead could answer, Veronica entered the library.  “Oh, good!  I'm so glad all of you are here.”
   Archie looked shocked.  “Oh...um...er...hi, Veronica.  Yeah, I know what you're going to say.  You're still...upset over Saturday.  I know.  I promise you that I will make this up to you.  I'll buy you flowers, I'll give you chocolates, whatever it is, I will make this up to you, just please don't be mad at me.”
   Betty and Jughead looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
   Veronica looked annoyed.  “Archie, stop talking, please.  This doesn't even have anything to do with you.”
   “Then what is it?”  Archie asked.
   As Archie asked that question, Wembley happened to approach the table in the library that Betty and Jughead were still sitting at.  He looked visibly shaken.
   “Wembley!”  Jughead said.  “You're here!”
   “Something wrong?”  Betty asked.
   “I'm...not feeling good.”  Wembley said.  “I know that I promised that I was going to meet you here in the library to work on our projects, but I'm not feeling well.  I'm gonna go home early.”
   “You sure?”  Jughead asked.  “You sure it's not anything else?”
   “Yeah, it kind of looks like more than you just being sick.”  Archie said.
   “No, I really am sick.”  Wembley said.  “I'm sorry.”
   Wembley started to leave, but Veronica turned towards him and said “Why don't you tell them the REAL reason.”
   Wembley turned towards Veronica.  “That is the real reason.”
   “Oh, really.”  Veronica said.  “It wouldn't have anything to do with the 'talk' you had with Clay and Johnny, did it?”
   “What?”  Betty exclaimed.
   Jughead sighed.  “I knew it.”
   Wembley looked angry.  “Veronica, you don't know what you're talking about.  I really need to go.”
   “Wembley, I saw everything.”  Veronica said.  “I saw Clay and Johnny take your backpack and shove it in a garbage can.”
   “What?”  Archie said.
   “Wembley.”  Jughead said.  “Is this true?”
   Wembley stared down at his shoes.
   “Wembley, talk to us here.”  Jughead said.  “We're your friends, remember?  You can tell us everything.”
   Wembley sighed.  “You have any idea how hard it is to be the new kid?  How hard it is to make friends?”
   “I know all too well, Wembley, but guys like Johnny and Clay aren't your friends.”  Jughead said.
   “Not after what I saw.”  Veronica said.  “It was really horrible, and I'm sorry that you had to go through that.”
   “Wembley, how long has this been going on?”  Betty asked.
   Wembley remained silent.
   “Has this been going on a long time?”  Archie asked.
   Jughead sighed.  “This has been happening since you started at Riverdale High hasn't it?”
   Wembley nodded.  “I didn't know what to do.  I figured that if I just sat back and did nothing, that it would eventually stop, like it did at my old school.”
   “But, it hasn't...has it?”  Betty said.
   Wembley looked like he was about to cry.  “No.”
   “Wait a minute.”  Jughead said.  “You mean to tell me that this has happened before at other schools?”
   “Jughead, you have to understand.”  Wembley said.  “When I was younger, after my parents died, I moved around a lot.  I was lucky if I only had to attend four schools a year.  It wasn't easy to make new friends, so I basically just kept quiet.  When my uncle and aunt finally decided to settle in Riverdale a year ago, I thought that I could finally start to open up to people, but at Hadley High, the kids used to make fun of me there, so I just closed up.  It's been like that since I transferred to Riverdale High.”
   “I'm guessing you transferred to this school from Hadley because of the bullying.”  Betty said.
   “Yeah.”  Wembley said.  “I thought that this school would be better than Hadley High, but those guys from the football team did all the same things that the kids at Hadley did to me.”
   “Is it the whole football team doing this?”  Jughead asked.
   “Yeah, our friends Reggie and Moose are on the team, and I can't see them doing anything that horrible.”  Archie said.
   “Well, Reggie calls me names.”  Wembley admitted.  “But, it's mostly Clay and Johnny doing the worst.  I don't think the other members of the team even know that they're doing it.”
   “I knew Clay was bad news.”  Veronica said.  “I once went on a date with him.  It was the worst date that I had ever had.  He was so rude, and boorish.  I'll never make that mistake again.  Looks like Johnny's following in his footsteps.”
   “Wembley, this is serious.”  Jughead said.  “You have to tell someone about this.”
   “No, it's fine.”  Wembley said.  “It's nothing.”
   “Dude, someone taking your backpack and throwing it in the garbage isn't nothing.”  Jughead said.  “I'm guessing that Clay and Johnny were bugging you when I first met you, didn't they?”
   “I don't want to talk about this.”  Wembley said.
   “Wembley, you have got to tell Coach Kleats.”  Archie said.  “Or, Miss Grundy, or Mr. Weatherbee.”
   “We'll all go with you.”  Betty said.
   “Absolutely.”  Veronica said.
   “I tried going to the teachers at Hadley High, and they didn't do anything.”  Wembley said.  “In fact, it just got worse.”
   “That was Hadley High.”  Jughead said.  “This is Riverdale High.  The teachers really care about the students here, and I know that if you gave them a chance to help you, they would.”
   “I don't know.”  Wembley said.
   “Wembley.”  Jughead said.  “What Clay and Johnny are doing is wrong.  They don't have the right to make anyone feel bad.  And, they certainly don't have the right to pick on you.  You have the power to change this.  Let us help you.”
   Wembley looked around at Jughead, Betty, Archie, and Veronica and realized that maybe, just maybe, they knew what they were talking about.
   “Would you all come with me?”  Wembley said.  “To Mr. Weatherbee's office?  It might be easier for me to talk about it if I had you guys with me.”
   “You got it.”  Jughead said.
   “You're doing the right thing, Wembley.”  Veronica said.
   Wembley sighed.  “I hope so.”
A few days passed.  It was now early Thursday morning.  The day before Miss Grundy's history assignment was due.  And over by their lockers, Veronica was showing off her project to a very surprised Betty.
   “And, this credit card is from Fjordstorm's, and this one from Lacey's, and this one...this one is from Beeman Barkus!”  Veronica exclaimed in glee.
   Betty was shaking her head.  “Veronica, you're doing your history project on credit cards?  It's supposed to be something from the twentieth century that is meaningful.”
   “Well, Betty, credit cards were invented in the twentieth century, and since I got my first one, I've never had so much joy and meaning come into my life.  You were right, Betty, this project was a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see the joy in everyone's faces when I show off this project.”
   “The only 'C' is see is the one that Miss Grundy will give you as a grade.”  Betty said, with a chuckle.
   Veronica just rolled her eyes.
   Just then, Archie and Reggie approached Betty and Veronica.  “Hey, girls.”  Archie said.
   “Archie, Reggie.”  Veronica said.  “Good.  I need your honest opinion.  I'm going to do my history project on my credit cards, but Betty doesn't seem to think that my project idea is a good one.  What do you think?”
   “Well...um...”  Archie said.  “...that all depends on how well you're doing in history class.”
   “If you're coasting, you may need to hold on for dear life with a project like that.”  Reggie snapped.
   Veronica grew angry.  “Oh, you people are so critical!”
   And as Veronica stormed off, Betty chuckled.  “I do believe she'll be pulling an all-nighter tonight.”
   Just then, Clay and Johnny approached the group.  Both of them looked incredibly upset.
   “How could Coach Kleats do this to us”  Johnny yelled.
   “This is so unfair.”  Clay whined.
   “What happened?”  Reggie asked.
   “We're benched from the homecoming game!”  Clay yelled.
   “Really?”  Reggie exclaimed.
   “I wanna know who the heck told the coach lies about us.”  Johnny said.
   “Yeah, getting pulled off the team for harassment!”  Clay said.  “What proof do they have?”
   Archie and Betty exchanged a look as Reggie tried to calm them down.  “Okay, Clay, Johnny, what happened?  From the beginning.”
   “I don't know.”  Johnny said.  “All I know is that yesterday we were called into Weatherbee's office, and in the office was Coach Kleats.”
   “And, it was there that they accused us of bullying a student, which we denied, of course.”  Clay said.
   “And, before you know it, Coach pulls us from the game.”  Johnny said.
   “I don't understand it.”  Clay said.  “This is the biggest game of the whole season, and we have to miss it.  Why does Weatherbee and the rest of the school seem intent to sabotage our football team?”
   “We're going to lose the game now thanks to this.”  Johnny said.
   “Look.”  Reggie said.  “Did you want me to talk to the coach about this?”
   “Do what you want, Mantle.”  Clay fumed.
   “All I know is that whoever went to the principal will hear about it from both of us.”  Johnny shouted.
   As Clay and Johnny stormed off, Reggie looked like he was angry himself.  “I don't believe this!  Clay and Johnny are benched from the team just days before the homecoming game!  How could Weatherbee do this?”
   “Sorry to burst your bubble, Reggie, but those jerks had it coming.”  Betty said.
   Reggie turned towards Betty.  “You say this as if you know what's going on.  Like you know who ratted those two out.”
   Archie and Betty stared in silence at each other.
   “You do...don't you?”  Reggie exclaimed.  “Do you have any idea what this does?  To have two of our best players benched because of some gossip?  We could lose the game and the season because of this!”
   “Clay and Johnny brought this on themselves.”  Betty said.  
   “Why do you keep saying this?”  Reggie asked.
   “Because we're the ones who went to Weatherbee about Clay and Johnny.”  Archie said.
   “Why would you two do that to them?”  Reggie exclaimed.  “What did they ever do to you?”
   “Reggie, are you really that blind?”  Archie exclaimed.  “You know what they've been doing to Wembley Morris?”
   “They have been teasing him and picking on him ever since he got here.”  Betty said.
   “I don't know what you're talking about.”  Reggie said.
   “Give me a break.”  Archie said.
   “Just ask Veronica.”  Betty said.  “She saw them take Wembley's backpack and shove it into a garbage can.”
   “They're bullying Wembley, and eventually, it was going to catch up with them.”  Archie said.
   “Look, I'm not defending what they're doing to that Wembley kid, but don't you get it?”  Reggie exclaimed.  “You went to the principal and totally blew a little innocent teasing out of proportion and now we're going to lose the homecoming game.”
   “I'd rather have the rest of the football season be cancelled if it means that Wembley won't have to endure any more bullying from anyone.”  Betty said.
   “I can't believe you'd stand here and make us look like the bad guys here.”  Archie said.
   “I don't mean to.”  Reggie said.  “But, again, what they're doing is harmless.”
   “Oh, really?”  Archie exclaimed.  “If it's really that harmless, why is Wembley afraid to talk to anybody except Jughead and I?”
   “Reggie, you may see bullying as physical injuries, but emotional bullying is just as horrible and there is no excuse for it.”  Betty said.  “Why can't you see that what Johnny and Clay did was wrong?”
   Reggie shook his head as he started to leave.  “I need some air...”
   As Reggie left, Archie was trying not to blow up.  “How can he stand there and defend those two bullies?”
   “Archie, don't let this stress you out.”  Betty said.  “Maybe Reggie's just blinded by the whole idea of team unity that he can't see things for the way they are.”
   “It just makes me so frustrated.”  Archie said.  “I never thought anything like this happened at Riverdale High.  Now that I've seen it first hand, I hope I never see anything like this again.”
   “Well, Mr. Weatherbee obviously punished Clay and Johnny for this.”  Betty said.  “Hopefully, they've learned from it.”
   “I don't know...you saw how angry those guys were.”  Archie said.  “I'm kind of glad that we told Reggie that we ended up reporting them.”
   “That was a smart move.”  Betty said.  “Because if those two ever found out that it was Wembley who really reported them, it's going to make things much worse.”

   At the same time, Jughead was being thrown out of the school cafeteria by Ms. Beazly.
   “Jughead Jones, for the last time, the cafeteria does not open for breakfast!”  Ms. Beazly said.
   “Can't you make an exception just this once?”  Jughead said.  “Can't I have a muffin?  A banana?  A stick of gum?”
   “Out, Jughead.”  Ms. Beazly said, closing the door behind him.
   As Jughead tried to get back into the cafeteria, Wembley happened to sneak up behind him.  “Jughead, if you really want food, I can give you a dollar for the vending machine outside.”
   “Hey, Wembley!”  Jughead said.  “How have you been doing?
   “A little better.”  Wembley said.
   “Good.”  Jughead said.  “So...were we right about Mr. Weatherbee or what?”
   “Yeah, you were.”  Wembley said.  “I'm glad I talked to him about what Clay and Johnny were doing.  It seemed to help, and he was very kind.”
   “I told you.”  Jughead said.  “You had nothing to worry about.”
   “I don't know about that.”  Wembley said.  “I told him everything.  I named names and everything.  I'm just worried that they might try something else.”
   “They wouldn't dare.”  Jughead said.  “Word is that they've been benched from the homecoming game because of what they did to you, and I'm pretty sure that if they try anything else, they'll get thrown off the football team entirely.  I wouldn't worry.”
   “I just really wanted to thank you for all of this, Jughead.”  Wembley said.
   “You have nothing to thank me for.”  Jughead said.  
   “No, really.”  Wembley said.  “You, Archie, Betty, Veronica...you've all been great, and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the courage to do anything about it.”
   “Well, hey.”  Jughead said.  “Don't mention it, really.”
   Jughead then noticed that Wembley was carrying a red box in his hand.  “Is that...?”
   Wembley nodded.  “Yeah...it's my project for Miss Grundy's class.”
   “You brought in the jewelry box.”  Jughead said.
   “I did, I did.”  Wembley said.  “I know the project isn't due until tomorrow, but I decided to bring it in today so I could work on it during study hall.”
   “Yeah, I brought my project in early too.”  Jughead said.  Miss Grundy said that she would lock them in her classroom overnight if we wanted to.  I am kind of surprised you chose to bring something that has such value to you.”
   “Well, that was what the assignment was about.”  Wembley said.  “And, this is my most prized possession.”
   “I'm sure the class will enjoy it.”  Jughead said.  “And I bet you're going to get an A.”
   Wembley smiled.  “I hope so.”
   “So, do you need any help working on the project?”
   “No, not really.”  Wembley said.  “My study hall is in the same classroom as Miss Grundy's...I have a full period to work on the oral report.  I'll just head there and work on it.”
   “Okay, then, I'll catch you later.”  Jughead said.
   “Bye, Jughead.”  Wembley said, as the two of them went their separate ways.
   However, Wembley was unaware of the fact that he had just made a big mistake.  He walked towards his locker, unaware that Johnny Sangria had overheard the conversation between himself and Jughead.
   “So, it was that whiny Wembley who ratted us out.”  Johnny said.  “I should let Clay know this...he made a big mistake...”

Friday, March 11, 2016

A History Of Friendship - PART FIVE



The following Monday at Riverdale High, Jughead and Archie were trading tales about what had happened on Friday night.
   “So, you ended up having to wait until ten o'clock to see 'Zombie Assassin 7”?  Jughead exclaimed.  “I can't imagine that went over well with your parents, Arch.”
   “Actually, it wasn't that horrible.”  Archie said.  “Mainly because Chuck and I called home to let our parents know that we'd be catching the late show.  I think Moose did too.”
   “And, Reggie?”  Jughead asked.
   “Last I heard, Reggie was grounded for two weeks for missing curfew.”  Archie said.  “Worst part about the whole thing was that the movie wasn't that great.  It was a huge disappointment from the last few films.  You didn't miss much, believe me.  It was even worse on the weekend when my dates with Veronica and Betty were a total mess.”
   “Not even gonna ask about Betty and Veronica...”  Jughead said.  “...but that's too bad about 'Zombie Assassin 7'.  It's probably for the best.  Besides, what I had to do was more important anyway.”
   “Did you make any progress with Wembley at all?”  Archie asked.
   “I wish I did.”  Jughead said.  “I didn't get any information about whether or not the football team was harassing him, but I did learn more about his background.  It's really sad.  He lost his parents at a young age, and from what I understand, he's been living with his aunt and uncle for the past few years.  They live above a warehouse on Duncan Street.”
   “That sounds horrible.”  Archie said.  “No wonder Wembley hasn't really been all that outgoing here.”
   “He seems to be making the most of it.”  Jughead said.  “He seems grateful to be living where he is, and he by far has one of the coolest bedrooms I've ever seen.  But, I can't help but get the feeling that there's something he's keeping from me.”
   “You seem to think that if the football team is picking on him, he's not willing to volunteer that information to you or anybody else, right?”  Archie asked.
   “Exactly.”  Jughead said.  “I mean, I didn't press on or anything like that, but I just wish I knew what exactly he was keeping.”
   “I may be able to fill you in a bit.”  Archie said.  “And, I'm warning you ahead of time that you probably won't like it.”
   “What do you mean, I probably won't like it?”  Jughead asked.
   :”It involves Reggie.”  Archie said.
   “Great, this just gets better and better.”  Jughead said.  “What did you find out?”
   “Well, nothing set in stone.”  Archie said.  “But, when we were waiting in line at the movie theatre to get in, the subject of Wembley came up, and Reggie didn't seem to have that much of a high opinion of Wembley.  He accused him of being too snobby and stuck-up.”
   “Reggie whining about someone being snobby and stuck-up?!?”  Jughead exclaimed.  “Has he not looked in the thirty-six mirrors he loves so much?”
   “My thoughts exactly.”  Archie said.
   “Nice to know that Reggie actually made an effort to get to KNOW Wembley before judging him.”  Jughead said, sadly.
   Archie nodded.  “That's exactly what I said.  Chuck and Moose also tried to make that point too, and I think that even Reggie knew that he was kind of crossing the line.  But, then his buddies from the football team arrived.  Clay Brock and Johnny Sangria.”
   “And, what happened?”  Jughead asked.
   “Well, nothing, really.”  Archie said.  “Aside from some whining from Clay, Johnny, and Reggie about missing the 7:15 show, not much.  Though I did bring up the subject of bullying in a general sense, and the one thing I got was that the football team's definition of bullying doesn't exactly match mine.”
   “That still doesn't prove that the football team is bullying Wembley.”  Jughead said.
   “Maybe not, but I think that the two of us need to keep our eyes open.”  Archie said.  “I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's something about both Clay and Johnny that I'm not comfortable with.”
   “And, I hate the fact that Reggie is caught up in this too.”  Jughead said.  “I mean, Reggie hasn't exactly been the nicest person to walk through the halls of this school, but I never thought that he'd be the kind of person to maliciously tease and bully someone either.”
   “Again, we don't know the whole story yet, so we need to hold off forming an opinion about Reggie until we know for sure what is going on.”  Archie said.
   Jughead nodded.  “I just hope that we're completely wrong about this, and that Wembley's just extra shy...but something in my gut tells me that it's more than that.”
   Archie sighed.  “That's what bothers me.”

   Jughead and Archie headed down the hallway and turned the corner just as Reggie was leaving the shop class workroom.  Reggie was speaking with the shop teacher, Mr. Krosskutt.
   “Reggie, I'm very impressed by your work in the woodworking portion of the course.”  Mr. Krosskutt.  “You seem to be the only one in the class who has done perfect or near-perfect work.”
   “What can I say, Mr. K?”  Reggie said.  “When I do things, I do things well.”
   “However, your ego still needs a little bit of deflating, I see.”  Mr. Krosskutt sighed.  “At any rate, I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to help some of the other students with some of their projects.  Particularly with Dilton Doiley.  The lad might be skilled in chemistry, physics, and machinery, but his woodworking skills are a hopeless case.”
   “I shall do my best.”  Reggie said.
   “Good.”  Mr. Krosskutt said.  “I will see you and Dilton both in class later today.”
   As Mr. Krosskutt walked back into his classroom, Reggie noticed that Betty and Veronica were approaching.
   “Hey, Bets, Ron.”  Reggie said.  “Need an escort to class?”
   “Only if you want to.”  Veronica said, sharply.
   “What's with her?”  Reggie asked.
   “Oh, she's still trying to figure out what she's going to do for Miss Grundy's assignment due this week.”  Betty said.  “That, plus Archie ran out of money on their movie date this weekend.
   “Can you believe Archie asked me...Veronica Lodge...to go HALFSIES on our movie date?”  Veronica scoffed.  “I've never been so humiliated in my whole life!”
   “At least he had enough money for you to go halfsies with.”  Betty said.  “I ended up paying for our whole movie date.”
   “You're taking this rather well.”  Reggie said to Betty.
   “Yeah, well...I wanted to see the vampire movie anyway.”  Betty said.  “Besides, when you've gone out with as many dates with Archie, you expect things to be unconventional.  But, he did promise he'd make up for it.”
   “I'll believe that when I see it.”  Veronica said.  “I'm so angry with Archie Andrews, I don't care if I ever see him again.”
   “Great...more dates for me!”  Betty thought to herself with a smile.
   “And, get that silly grin off your face, Betty Cooper.”  Veronica sneered.  “As if I don't already know what you're thinking.”
   Betty shook her head.  “And, on that pleasant note, I have to go meet with Jughead and Archie to work on Miss Grundy's homework assignment.”
   As Betty left, Veronica angrily stared towards her.  “I hope the only dates you study with Archie are HISTORY dates!!!”
   Reggie just chuckled.  “Ron...all this could have been avoided if you had gone to the movies with me.”
   Veronica was fuming.  “Oh, be quiet, Reggie.”
   Veronica then stormed away from Reggie as he shook his head.  “All this could have been avoided if she had gone out with ME instead of Carrot-Top.”
   Reggie had looked at the clock in the hallway and realized that he was running late for yet another football practice.  “Great.”  he muttered.  “I completely forgot that we had a practice during lunch.  Guess I'd better eat and run.”
   Reggie quickly turned the corner and almost ran into Wembley.  “Move it, goober.” he shouted as he darted past.
   Wembley just stared at Reggie as he left.  “Geez...he's in a hurry...”
   Thinking nothing of it, though, Wembley turned the corner of the hallway that Reggie had just been in and was about to head to the library to meet up with Jughead to work on their class project when he heard a couple of voices that he hoped he didn't have to hear.
   “Yo, Johnny...look here...it's Whiny Wembley!”
   “More like Wah Wah Wembley to me, Clay.”  
   Wembley's whole demeanor changed as Clay Brock and Johnny Sangria approached Wembley.  “Excuse me, I have to go.”
   “What's the rush?”  Clay said, stepping directly into Wembley's path.  “We just wanna talk.”
   “I don't have anything to say.”  Wembley said, attempting to walk in the opposite direction.
   “Not so fast.”  Johnny said, as he got closer to Wembley.  “You're not going anywhere right now until we talk to you.”
   “Seems like you don't talk at all.”  Clay said.  “That's very, very, weird.”
   “Too weird.”  Johnny said.
   With Clay and Johnny on opposite sides of him, Wembley was effective stuck.  “Guys, just please...leave me alone.”
   “Why?”  Clay said, sarcastically.  “We only want to be your friend.”
   “Friends don't block people in the hallways or talk down to them.”  Wembley said.
   Johnny pushed Wembley up against a block of lockers.  “You dare talk back to us?”
   “You better watch what you say, Wembley.”  Clay warned.  “We're on the football team.  You know, the team with all the biggest and strongest guys in the school.  I'd hate for you to have them on your bad side.”
   “Why are you doing this?”  Wembley asked.
   “Because you're the weirdest kid in school, and we don't want weird kids who don't speak in our school.”  Johnny said.
   “Does it not bother you that in the short time you've been here, nobody has wanted anything to do with you because nobody likes you?”  Clay asked.
   “It should.”  Johnny said.  
   Clay then grabbed Wembley's backpack.  “Let's see what you brought for lunch today.”
   “Give that back!”  Wembley shouted.
   Johnny held Wembley back.  “What's he got?”
   Clay scoffed.  “Just a stupid sandwich and an apple.  Garbage.”
   Clay then took Wembley's backpack and shoved it into the nearby garbage can, with Clay and Johnny laughing the whole time.
   “We'll catch you later, Whiny Wembley.”  Clay said with a sneer.  “I quite enjoyed this chat.  Let's get some real food, Johnny.”
   Clay and Johnny laughed out loud as Wembley, shaken, grabbed his backpack out of the trash can and sadly walked down the hallway.
   However, fate had a funny way of bringing attention to the situation.
   And, in this case, fate was wearing black pumps and a designer purse.
   Veronica Lodge had seen the whole event take place from the background...and suddenly, she wasn't as mad at Archie anymore.

Thursday, March 10, 2016

A History Of Friendship - PART FOUR



Back on Duncan Street, Wembley had spent several minutes showing Jughead around his home, and Jughead was completely blown away over how it looked.  As it turned out, Wembley's home, which looked like a warehouse from the outside was in fact, a warehouse.  But, it wasn't just any typical warehouse, and as Wembley and Jughead approached the living quarters of the warehouse, Jughead was quickly discovering that there was a lot more to Wembley than he initially thought.
   “So, your uncle owns this warehouse, and you live in a little apartment above it?”  Jughead asked Wembley.
   “Yes.”  Wembley said.  “My uncle, aunt, and I used to live in a house on the other side of town, but when I transferred to Riverdale High a month ago, we felt it best to just stick close to where he worked, so we moved into the apartment above this place.”
   “Doesn't it get a bit noisy here, with all the people working below and the noise of the forklifts?”  Jughead wondered.
   “Actually, you'll find that our flat is quite soundproof.”  Wembley said.
   “Flat?”  Jughead asked.
   “Oh, sorry.”  Wembley said.  “I'm sorry, I meant apartment.  You see, my parents are originally from Britain.  I moved to America when I was seven, and I'm more or less Americanized, but a little bit of British slang pops up every now and again.”
   “That's cool.”  Jughead said.
   Wembley approached a metal door that was covered in red paint and had the letter 'W' stenciled upon it.  “Here's my room!”
   Jughead was shocked.  “Your bedroom door is made of metal?”
   “Well, the apartment used to be a part of the factory.”  Wembley said.  “So, as a result, my bedroom is sort of a bit different from the average person's.  Would you like to come in?”
   “Sure.”  Jughead said.
   Wembley opened up the door, and he showed Jughead inside, where Jughead was completely in awe of what he was seeing.  In the middle of Wembley's bedroom was a chain link fence, which was completely covered with tons of posters, old discarded street signs, a couple of neon lights, and the main focus piece of the room, a retro-style jukebox, right next to Wembley's bed.
   “This room is...so cool!”  Jughead said.
   “It's not much, but I call it home.”  Wembley said, as he sat down on the edge of his bed.
   “I mean it!”  Jughead said.  “The neon signs, the awesome music posters, the really cool jukebox.  This is one really cool room!  Where did you get all of this really cool stuff?”
   “Mostly from my uncle and aunt.”  Wembley said.  “That's part of the reason why they opened up this warehouse.  They send and receive retro-style knick-knacks all over the state.  A lot of the vendors offer up free samples as a thank you for doing business with them.  It includes the movie posters all over the walls here.”
   “That's generous of them.”  Jughead said.
   “Well, my uncle and aunt definitely work hard to provide a good living for us all.”  Wembley said.
   “So, you live with your uncle and aunt.”  Jughead said.
   Wembley sighed.  “I'm thinking you're probably wondering what happened to my parents.”
   “Well, no, not really...”  Jughead said.
   “No, no...it's all right.”  Wembley said.  “My parents aren't alive.  They died in a house fire when I was six and a half.”
   “I'm sorry, Wembley.”  Jughead said.
   “That's part of the reason why I moved to America.”  Wembley explained.  “My uncle and aunt were my only living relatives.  But, I've been in this country the last ten years, and my uncle and aunt have been incredibly supportive and caring.”
   “They sound like fantastic people.”  Jughead said.
   “Oh, they are.”  Wembley said.  “Still, though...I do miss my parents.”
   “I imagine you do.”  Jughead said.  “I couldn't imaging losing loved ones, especially at such a young age.”
   Wembley nodded.  “You know, I've never actually talked about my feelings about this with anyone else.  It's always been so hard for me to open up to people.”
   “You seem to be doing fine with me so far.”  Jughead said.
   “Well, you made the effort.”  Wembley said.  “Not everyone would be as kind as you.”
   Jughead looked confused.  “Why would you say that?”
   Wembley sighed.  “Oh, um...it's nothing.  Forget I said anything.”
   Jughead nodded.  “You know if you want to talk about whatever is on your mind, I won't judge you.”
   “No, really, it's fine.”  Wembley said.  “Really.”
   But, somehow, Jughead knew that Wembley seemed to be holding back on him.  And, he had an idea as to why.
   “All right.”  Jughead said.  “I won't press further.”
   “Thank you.”  Wembley said.
   “So, let's change the subject.”  Jughead said.  “Have you thought about what you want to do for Miss Grundy's homework assignment?”
   “Not really.”  Wembley said.
   “I'm kind of surprised.”  Jughead said, looking around Wembley's room.  “You have so much stuff in here that is supposedly retro, you could do an entire project on your bedroom alone.”
   “Yes, but none of this stuff really has any special meaning to me.”  Wembley said.  “All of this stuff I've only collected over the last few years.  Most of my childhood stuff was burned up in the fire.  I only managed to save one thing.”
   “What is it?”  Jughead asked.
   “Hold on.”  Wembley said.  “I'll get it.”
   Wembley got up off of his bed and opened up the door to his wardrobe.  He pulled out a bright red box and opened it up.  Inside was a light blue wooden box that had deep blue flowers painted on the lid.
   “What is it?”  Jughead asked.
   “It was my mother's.”  Wembley explained.  “It was a jewelry box that my father had bought for her back when they were dating.”
   Jughead eyed the jewelry box intently.  “It's nice.”
   “It used to play music.”  Wembley said.  “But, it's been broken for a few years now.  It's actually a miracle that I managed to save this...the fire was really bad.  Look on the bottom of it.  There's an inscription underneath it.”
   Jughead turned the jewelry box upside down and saw an inscription written in bright blue ink.  “To my dearest Laura, in honour of our first year together, and many many more thereafter.  Love always, Samuel.”
   “I can see why this box means a lot to you.”  Jughead said.
   “It's really the only thing that I have from my parents.”  Wembley said.  “It is my most prized possession, and really the only thing that I could bring in for Miss Grundy's project.  But, I doubt that it would be interesting or meaningful enough to make for a good project.  I wouldn't even know if I would even get an A.”
   “If it's special to you, then it's good enough for the project.”  Jughead said.  “Miss Grundy did say that it had to be an item from the twentieth century that brought a lot of meaning to you, and clearly this jewelry box does.  But, it's your project...you need to decide what to do.”
   Wembley took back the jewelry box from Jughead.  “Thanks, Jughead.”
   “You're welcome.”  Jughead said.  “Listen, I hate to leave like this, but I really have to get going.  But, hey, why don't we meet up again in the school library later this week, so we can help each other work on our projects?”
   “Sounds good.”  Wembley said.
   Jughead headed towards Wembley's door and turned back towards Wembley.  “The offer to talk...you know that it still stands anytime.”
   “I know.”  Wembley said.  “Thanks.”
   As Jughead left, Wembley stared at the jewelry box in sadness.  “I wish you were both still here...maybe you could help me find a way to stand up for myself instead of getting pushed around.  Opening up to Jughead was a HUGE step for me...I just hope I'm right about trusting him...I've had too many people hurt me enough.”

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

A History Of Friendship - PART THREE



About a half hour later, Jughead found himself walking down Duncan Street.  According to the handwriting on the inside of the notebook that Jughead found, Wembley Morris called Duncan Street home.  But, something did not seem right to Jughead.
   “I don't get this at all.”  Jughead said to himself.  “According to the notebook, Wembley supposedly lives at 2 Duncan Street...but all I see at 2 Duncan Street is this warehouse like building.  He couldn't possibly live here...can he?”  
   Jughead then noticed that the front door of the building was opening up.  He then realized that he was definitely at the right spot when he saw Wembley's familiar red hooded sweatshirt in the doorway.
   “Wembley!”  Jughead shouted.
   Wembley slowly turned around and stared in shock.  “Jughead?!?  What...how did you...what are you doing here?”
   Jughead pulled out Wembley's notebook.  “I brought your notebook back.  You left it at Pop's, and I saw that the address to this place was here, so I figured that you must have lived here, but seeing as how this is a warehouse, you obviously must have written your work address inside, so...um...here.”
   Wembley sighed.  “Jughead...you didn't make a mistake.”
   Jughead looked confused.  “You...live...here?”
   Wembley nodded.  “Jughead, why don't you come in?  I know that this doesn't look like much, but I'm sure that once you see inside, it's not so bad.”
   Jughead smiled.  “Only if you're sure.”
   “I'm sure.”  Wembley said.  “You're actually the first friend that I've actually invited over.”
   “Really?”  Jughead asked.
   “Yeah.”  Wembley said.  “Come in, please.  We can talk about Miss Grundy's homework assignment...maybe have some snacks.”
   “You talked me into it.”  Jughead said, as he followed Wembley inside.

   Meanwhile, at the Riverdale Mall, the movie theatre was packed with several teenagers, waiting to get tickets for “Zombie Assassin 7”, the horror film that had been the talk of the school for several days.  The ticket line was so long, it extended past the front door of the theatre, past the entrance to Fjordstrom's Department Store.
   Standing outside the entrance to Fjordstrom's, where the end of the line was located were Archie, Reggie, Chuck, and Moose.
   “Come on!”  Reggie said.  “Can't this line move any faster?”
   “Relax, Reggie.”  Archie said.  “The movie doesn't start until 7:15.  It's only just after six.  I'm sure that we'll get in to see the movie in no time.”
   “I just hate waiting.”  Reggie said.  “We should have just skipped school and waited in line at the beginning so that we'd be inside the movie theatre by now.”
   “Don't you do anything else besides whine?”  Chuck exclaimed.
   “Reggie.”  Archie said.  “Get a grip.”
   “D-uh, yeah, Reg.”  Moose said.
   Reggie sighed.  “Forget it.  It's bad enough we're at the end of the line.  It looks like my friends from the football team are running late.”
   “Yeah, who's all coming, Reg?”  Chuck asked.
   “Oh, the quarterback and wide receiver.”  Reggie said.  “Clay Brock and Johnny Sangria.”
   “I've heard things about those guys.”  Archie said.  “I hear they're two of the most talked about players this season.”
   “Well, obviously, I'm the star of the team.”  Reggie boasted.
   “Obviously.”  Archie and Chuck said simultaneously, each of them rolling their eyes back in their heads.
   “But, you know, I have to give credit to where credit is due.”  Reggie continued.  “Though I may be the star of the team, Clay and Johnny have really been an asset.”
   “They definitely seem to have the student body talking.”  Chuck said.
   “They're really, really, really...good.”  Moose said.
   “Well...good.”  Archie said.  “By the way, speaking of the football team, there's actually something that I was curious about, and maybe you could help me out, Reggie.”
   Reggie looked a bit confused.  “I'm not sure what you're wanting to know, Carrot-Top, but shoot.”
   Archie sighed.  “It's about football practice.”
   “What about it?”  Reggie asked.  “Oh, wait...don't tell me you're interested in joining the football team.  Remember last year?  You couldn't even be the water boy without fumbling something.”
   Archie tried his hardest not to let Reggie's sarcastic comments get to him as he continued to speak.  “Reggie, let's not talk about my athletic abilities here.  The football practice after school today...it was held in the gym, right?”
   “Well, yeah, it rained earlier today and Coach Kleats never lets us practice when the football field is wet.  Mr. Weatherbee enforced that rule to prevent Mr. Svenson's job from having to be harder than it needed to be.  Why do you ask?”
   “Well, earlier today, Jughead happened to run into Wembley Morris outside of the gym while your football practice was going on.”
   “Wembley Morris?”  Reggie exclaimed.  “That little goober in Miss Grundy's class?”
   “Reggie, that's kind of rude.”  Chuck said.
   “I'm sorry, but the kid is weird.”  Reggie exclaimed.  “You ever notice that he's been in our school for a whole month and he has barely even said two words to anybody since he arrived?”
   “Maybe he's shy?”  Moose suggested.
   “And, even if he's not, it's no excuse to call him names.”  Archie scolded.  “Especially since you don't even know him.”
   Reggie sighed.  “And, do you know Wembley?  Does anyone know him?”
   “As a matter of fact, Jughead and I have both met him, and we like him.”  Archie said.
   “Lemme guess.”  Reggie said.  “Jughead blew off the movie tonight so he could have a play date with his new best friend.”
   “Reggie, what's your deal?”  Archie said.  “Sometimes you can be a real jerk, you know?”
   “Okay, Arch.”  Reggie said.  “I'm sorry.  Maybe I'm just frustrated that we have to wait so long in line.”
   “It's fine.”  Archie said.  “But, I still think you might be a little hard on Wembley, especially after what Jughead witnessed earlier this afternoon.”
   “Okay, fine, I'll bite.”  Reggie asked.  “What happened?”
   “Jughead saw Wembley outside of the gym, and he looked really spooked.”  Archie said.  “He ran away from Jughead when he tried to talk to him.  If Wembley hadn't showed up at Pop's later on, we'd still be wondering what was going on with him.”
   “Sounds really weird.”  Chuck said.
   “Is he okay?”  Moose asked.
   “Yeah, once Jughead and I got to talking with him, he started to open up to us.”  Archie said.  “Still though...I wonder what happened that caused him to react that way.”
   “I still don't understand what this has to do with the football practice today.”  Reggie asked.
   “Could anyone have seen what might have happened?”  Archie asked.  “Like, if the football practice was going on at the same time whatever happened that made Wembley afraid, you would think that someone saw what was going on.  Reggie, would anyone have seen Wembley during the football practice?”
   “Not unless they were standing outside in the hallway.”  Reggie said.  “The doors of the gym have frosted glass, remember?  Nobody can see inside or out through the door.”
   “Did anyone come to practice later than normal?”  Archie asked.
   “Archie, what are you getting at?”  Reggie asked.  “You seem awfully concerned about this Wembley kid, even though he's more or less invisible to the staff and students of Riverdale High.”
   “Because it seems to me that maybe Wembley is going through a hard time at school for whatever reason, and I'm wondering if maybe I can help.”  Archie said.  “Maybe he's failing a class and he's worried about it.  Maybe he's being bullied by someone and he's afraid to talk about it.”
   “Archie, get serious.”  Reggie said.  “This is Riverdale High.  Friendliest high school in the state.  People don't bully people at our school.”
   “Says the man who just referred to Wembley as a goober.”  Chuck said, dryly.
   “Come on, Chuck.”  Reggie said.  “That's not bullying.  Bullying to me is when you slam someone into a locker, or throw them down a flight of stairs...things that...well, Moose does when you hit on Midge.”
   “D-uh, I don't think I like that, Reggie.”  Moose said.  “And, if you say that again, I'll throw you through a wall!”
   “I rest my case.”  Reggie said.  “Archie, you may have a right to be concerned about Wembley, but take it from me.  He's not being bullied.  I would know if my team was responsible for anything like that.”
   “I hope you're right, Reggie.”  Archie said.
   Just then, two men wearing blue and gold football jackets arrived outside of Fjordstrom's and immediately waved at Reggie.  “Yo, Mantle.”  the blond-haired man shouted.
   Reggie smiled.  “Hey, Clay!  Nice to see you.”
   The dark-haired man shook Reggie's hand.  “You certainly put forth a lot of extra effort in practice, Reg.  I could have sworn you'd be too tired to sit through a movie.”
   “Right, Johnny.”  Reggie said.  “Nothing, and I mean, nothing will keep me from seeing “Zombie Assassin 7”.
   “I just hope it's better than the sixth movie.”  Clay said.
   “So, we know Moose here.”  Johnny said.  “Who're the other two?”
   “Oh, right.”  Reggie said.  “Clay, Johnny...these are Archie Andrews and Chuck Clayton.  Chuck, Archie...meet Clay Brock and Johnny Sangria.”
   “Nice to meet you.”  Chuck said.
   “Yeah, hi, guys.”  Archie said.
   “Good to meet you too.”  Johnny said.
   “So, why's the line-up all the way out to Fjordstrom's?”  Clay asked.
   “Guess 'Zombie Assassin 7' is more popular than we thought.”  Archie said.  “Makes sense, since tonight's the premiere.”
   Just then, a female movie usher from the movie theatre arrived at the entrance and tried to get the attention of the line outside of Fjordstrom's.
   “Attention, everyone.”  she shouted.  “Due to outstanding demand for tickets, we regret to inform you that the 7:15 showing of 'Zombie Assassin 7' is sold out.”
   “NO!”  Reggie exclaimed.
   “Does this mean no movie?”  Moose asked.
   “However, because of the demand for tickets, management has decided to add another showing of the film at 10:00 pm tonight, so stay in line, and I promise you that you will be able to see this movie.”
   “Great.”  Reggie exclaimed.  “My curfew is AT ten!”
   “So, I guess you have to leave?”  Chuck asked.
   “Forget that!”  Reggie said.  “Seeing this movie is worth getting grounded for a weekend!”
   Archie meanwhile was eyeing Clay and Johnny intently.  “Hmmm...Reggie was no help...but maybe these two might know what's up with Wembley.  I wonder if Jughead's making any head-way with him?”

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

March 8, 1979

I'm going to take a little break from the fan fic posting for a little while to bring you today's edition of the Tuesday Timeline.  And the only thing that I can tell you about today's timeline subject is that it influenced the way we heard our favourite songs...at least for a little while anyway.

That will be your only clue in this electronic inspired posting for today.  But since we're here, why don't we have a look at what other events of historical significance took place on the 8th of March - I think it's quite an impressive list.

1010 - Ferdowski completes his epic poem, "Shahnameh"

1618 - Johannes Kepler discovers the third law of planetary motion

1775 - "African Slavery in America" is published by an anonymous author calling for the emancipation of slaves and the abolishment of slavery

1817 - The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is established

1868 - Eleven soldiers from France lose their lives after being ambushed by Japanese Samurai in Osaka, Japan

1920 - The Arab Kingdom of Syria is established

1921 - "Gilligan's Island" actor Alan Hale Jr. (d. 1990) is born in Los Angeles, California

1922 - Actress/dancer Cyd Charisse (d. 2008) is born in Amarillo, Texas

1936 - The first oval stock car race is held at Daytona Beach and Road Course

1937 - The Battle of Guadalajara takes place during the Spanish Civil War

1943 - Actress Lynn Redgrave (d. 2010) is born in Marylebone, London, England

1949 - "Axis Sally" is imprisoned for treason

1957 - Following the Suez Crisis, Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal

1971 - Joe Frazier defeats Muhammad Ali in "The Fight of the Century"

1974 - Charles de Gaulle Airport opens in Paris, France

1983 - President Ronald Reagan condemns the Soviet Union, branding them an "evil empire" while speaking at a convention of Evangelicals

1999 - Baseball player Joe DiMaggio dies at the age of 84

2004 - Actor Robert Pastorelli dies of a drug overdose, aged 49

2011 - "Alice In Chains" bass player Mike Starr dies at the age of 44

2014 - Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappears; it is believed that all 239 passengers are confirmed deceased despite the fact that only pieces of the craft were ever found

2015 - "The Simpsons" co-creator Sam Simon dies of cancer, aged 59

And here is just a small list of celebrities who are turning one year older today!  Dick Hyman, George Innes, Susan Clark, Bruce Broughton, Micky Dolenz, Randy Meisner, Michael Allsup, Carole Bayer Sager, Richard Ouzounian, Pepper MaShay, Jim Rice, John Kapelos, Cynthia Rothrock, Bob Stoddard, Gary Numan, Lester Holt, Aidan Quinn, Buck Williams, Camryn Manheim, Leon Robinson, Kate Betts, Shawn Mullins, Andrea Parker, Meredith Scott Lynn, Angie Hart, Boris Kodjoe, Juan Encarnacion, Freddie Prinze Jr., Hines Ward, James Van Der Beek, Nick Zano, Charli Robinson, Kat Von D, Benny Blanco, Elly Jackson, Kristinia DeBarge, and Stephanie Davis.

I would also like to take this time to send out my condolences to Randy Meisner following the death of his wife on March 6, 2016.  Thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.

Let us take a look at the date for today's Tuesday Timeline flashback.



We're going back to March 8, 1979

1979 was a year in which disco was at the top of the charts (at least for a little while), "Good Times" went off the air, "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "The Facts of Life" made their debut, and where "Kramer vs. Kramer" was the highest grossing film at the box office.

And if you were around in 1979, you would know that the prime source of buying music at that time was vinyl records.

Now, I'm old enough to know and remember vinyl records.  When I was born, my mother used to play the soundtrack to "Saturday Night Fever" on the record player.  Apparently disco music soothed the savage toddler.  I also remember hearing Duran Duran, Wham!, Michael Jackson, and that 1984 Christmas single "Do They Know It's Christmas" playing from the record players of my siblings. 

By the time I was old enough to start buying my own music, records had all but disappeared (I seem to remember 1988 as being the last year I saw a record on sale).  Cassette tapes were the new way to listen to music as the 1980s closed out, and I do remember having a walkman and boombox to listen to some of my favourite tapes throughout my elementary and middle school years.  By the year 2000, however, cassette tapes became out of style, and people were getting irritated with their tape players turning their favourite Bananarama albums into lunch.

Interestingly enough, both the vinyl record and cassette tape are beginning to come back in style.  Music stores have been selling reissued vinyl records over the last decade, and sales for vinyl continue to rise.  And Eminem recently announced that he would be re-releasing one of his best-selling albums on cassette tape - the first time in well over a decade that an album released on cassette would hit store shelves!

Of course, one format of music is still holding on.  Sure, it's stumbled a little bit since the invention of the iPod back in 2001, and yes, it's true that many stores have shrunk or gotten rid of their selections of these once popular items.  But let's face it.  With these little inventions being used to release music, videos, computer games, and even security cameras, it's safe to say that the compact disc is far from going extinct.



Now, compact discs are no stranger to the marketplace.  Introduced to the general public in the mid-1980s, compact discs were the most common form of purchasing music by 1994, and reached their peak just ten years later.  But did you know that a few years prior to being able to purchase George Michael's "Faith" on compact disc that the electronics company known as Philips demonstrated how a compact disc worked?

In fact, the date they chose to hold this demonstration was exactly thirty-seven years ago today - on March 8, 1979.

Of course, everyone knows how a compact disc works.  A series of laser beams shines down onto the disc which has a series of songs encrypted on the disc surface.  The position of the laser beams determines what song will play.  It was the format that lead to the laserdisc technology (which crashed and burned in the 1990s), but also lead to the creation of the DVD (which since 1998 has become one of the many ways you can watch digital media).

American inventor James T. Russell was the man behind the creation of the compact disc, and had filed a patent application for the device as early as 1966!  By 1970, he had been granted the patent for the compact disc, but it would not be until the end of the 1970s before he felt comfortable enough to show the world his creation.

Initially, the compact disc started out looking nothing like how we see them today.  The old design used analog optical audio discs that were twenty centimetres wide (standard size is 120 MILLIMETRES), and boasted a sound quality better than any vinyl record could play.  But because the sound quality of the analog disc wasn't quite up to par, it was suggested that the disc follow a digital standard instead.

Philips publicly displayed the prototype of an optical digital audio disc at a press conference held thirty-seven years ago, and while there was initially a little bit of skepticism regarding the new technology, Philips teamed up with Sony to bring compact discs to the mainstream market, in which they had succeeded by the year 1982.



By the way, did you know that the very first album to be released on compact disc format was Billy Joel's "52nd Street" in October 1982?  Mind you, this release was only in Japan, but it is still significant.  And in 1985, the first group to sell one million compact discs was the group Dire Straits with their album "Brothers in Arms".

And to think...if not for that press conference held thirty-seven years ago today, we may still be listening to music on cassettes.

Or records.

Or even...8-track tapes!