✔️ Riverdale Imagines ✔️

Jughead Jones [6]

Title: Exhaustion

OC: Nelly

* * * *

Another day, another long shift. I was trying, trying so hard to support my family, taking up any extra hours in the store.

Nobody knew how much I was working, they all believed I was taking a gap year, not going straight to college after graduating high school.

I am a year older than my partner, the infamous Jughead Jones.

He was oblivious to the troubles I was facing, only because I didn't want to worry him. My mother became sick, meaning she was unable to work. My father, he was out of the picture. It was just myself, my mum and my sister. I was the one supporting the three of us.

I had just finished my shift, 5am until 4PM, just before jughead would leave school. I would do this every day, apart from Sundays, when I'd spend the day with Jughead.

It was becoming too much, I was struggling to cope with the stress.

A sigh escaped my mouth as I threw my bag to the ground. I was lucky I worked in a store, I got discounts on food, which helped a lot.

"Nelly!" My little sister Kelly yelled, as she ran over to me. I'm lucky my mother had friends who were able to pick up my sister from school. She was six years old, she didn't understand why I was always tired, or why our mother was unable to work.

"Hey baby," I grinned, as she hugged me tightly. She told me all about her day, while I tried my best to listen, I was just too tired. "Sweetheart, leave your sister alone. She needs to rest," my mother said.

Kelly's lips started to turn into a frown, making me smile. "Why don't you sing me a song?" She nodded her head, before singing to me. Her voice was beautiful and I found it relaxing. It sent me asleep all the time. I was unaware of what my mother did in that moment.

* * * *

I woke up with warm covers around me, my head on my pillow. I smiled to myself as I felt my comfortable pillow next to me.

My eyes opened and I was shocked as I saw I was in my room. How the hell did I get here? My mother wouldn't be able to carry me. Not with her stomach.

"It's nice to see you're awake."

I froze at the sound of my boyfriend's voice. He shouldn't have been here, not on a Thursday, we only saw each other on Sundays.

"You know, I'm kinda pissed at you for not telling me what was happening," he said. "As were the rest of the Serpents. Do you not know what happens to Serpents who lie?"

"I never lied to you," I told him as I sat up.

He chuckled, as he got out his phone. "I know the truth, Nelly. I know you've been overworking yourself. You're exhausted, the bags under your eyes don't lie. You don't have make up covering them this time."

"Also, I messaged your boss. He told me you've begged for more hours, telling him how you can handle it. He told me he was worried for you, as did your mother, fuck, even Kelly's worried for you. She's a child and she knows something isn't right," he said, his voice surprisingly calm. It scared me.

Jughead ran his hand through his hair. "You're not working all weekend." I opened my mouth to protest, though he shook his head. "In fact, you're not working there at all. You're going to work for us, the Serpents. You're going to work at the bar, where you'll get more money."

He wanted me to work in the bar? He hated me going there, I was apparently too 'pretty' for the place. He gently took my hands, placing a kiss on the back of them.

"We love you, all of us. This is something I want to do for you, something that has been agreed. You know we own the bar," he started. He was talking about his father, he was the owner of the Whyte Wyrm, which they had restored. "You're going to be okay, the Serpents love you, and your pretty face."

I felt tears build up in my eyes, though I didn't want to let them fall. "I love you, Jugz," I whispered. "I love you too, my Queen," he mumbled, before pressing his lips to my forehead.

"Now go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up."

He didn't need to tell me twice. I put my head on my pillow and fell asleep, knowing that I was lucky to have a boyfriend as lovely as him. 

* * * *

* * * *

This Imagine is extremely personal to me.

I worked 7 days straight, doing over 50 something hours and I was exhausted. When I say exhausted I mean I was physically sick. The worse thing is, everything went wrong during those 7 days, like some angst story. I've cried, threw up, even slept 13 hours, when I was woken up once to eat, though I was too tired to do so. Friday was my last day, (until Tuesday), so I've had plenty of time to rest and recover.

Please, don't give hate, or be abusive to any Key Workers, whether they're nurses/doctors, or delivery drivers, even those who work in supermarkets.

Stay safe during this difficult time.