the duff. ❨ reghead! ❩

CHAPTER NINE

THE JUGHEAD PARTY GOSSIP had dialed down a tone the day after. Today sitting at the lunch table, editing some of my chapters, felt less like a sad episode of me starring on the real world and more like what a normal day at Riverdale High could look like.

I looked up at the wrong time, seeing my now post-best friends walking down the steps with a tray of food in their hands talking. It was a bittersweet world. Obviously I missed them, but most likely sitting at the table would mean coming face to face with what it meant to be the four letter acronym I was trying to stop thinking about.

The day was vastly going by as only three classes had remained for me to go to. All I had to do was try to avoid Reggie as best as I could and I'd be home free. I could even to go to Pop's to celebrate.

All I had to do was suck up to the gym teacher as best as I could and he'd allow me to skip the dreadful sweaty class. Just as long as I helped him pick up all the balls once everybody escorted back to the locker rooms. I saw Reggie out in the bleachers observing everything that was going happening on the fields. He looked right back at me, most likely feeling my eyes on him immediately as I turned my head. After we made eye contact, I started packing my stuff up putting it back in my satchel so I could get headed to my next class.

I looked behind me again, still seeing Reggie stare at me. Shit. I'd probably still go to Pop's after school. But now after that, it might not be because I didn't talk to Reggie today. I opened the school doors again speed walking to my next class.

The hallways being deadly empty as everybody else was still outside gave me an advantage to ease right pass any obstacle all the way to English. I reached the floor leaning my shoulder on the wall looking down at my shoes. I don't know what it was with me and luck but it didn't have the best timing. And I actually didn't have it because what do you know, the person I most dreading to see walks out of the locker room. The tan boy with dark hair, Reggie, looks up from the floor fixating his eyes on my green ones.

He had something written across his forehead. I'm an idiot, it said. I almost laughed. I crossed my arms, my jaw clenching knowing that he was going to say something. He came closer to me stopping about two feet away from me. "I'm starting to get the feeling you're trying to avoid me." He says. No shit.

I sigh, "don't you have to be stupid somewhere else?" I ask him. He cackles at my question. "I mean, technically. I could be somewhere with Holly Jensen, inside the janitors closet but I'm trying to be less of an asshole today, so no." He answers, grinning. I roll my eyes.

He comes even closer, leaning his shoulder on the wall in the opposite direction of me. "I'm an idiot." He starts. I snort. "I know. Your forehead just told me." Reggie laughs. "Yeah, Archie helped me out on that one." I looked down. The floor becoming very interesting all of a sudden.

"But really though. I'm sorry, and I shouldn't have said what I said in the locker room. Locker room talk is for dipshits." Reggie apologizes. "It is," I agree. "I'm a jackass. And an asswipe. Also an uh, what'd'ya call it?" I raise my eyebrow. "A Neanderthal?" I question. He nods. "Yeah, that. I'm that too." I start to look up, slowly, when I end up seeing Reggie's bandaged fist. I gasp. "You're hand." He nods, smirking after. "You weren't the only person punching someone that day. I mean- after we got in a fight."

I smiled. "Who was it?" Reggie shrugs. "One of Moose's cousins. He was in charge of taking the pictures that day. Poor boy didn't know what was coming to him." I laugh, shaking my head. Reggie laughs contagiously. "So uh- do you um, do you forgive me?" He asks.