1 | There's a Ghost [JUGHEAD JONES]

THIRTY TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:

SPILT SECRETS

     GINNY MADE HER WAY DOWNSTAIRS after FP left the room to join Joaquin again. She felt like the world was spinning and she couldn't make it stop. She thought with Jason's death she could relax but she couldn't. Hell, she just wanted it all to end. She didn't want to hide this secret but she didn't want to be pitied.

"Jughead, hey." Ginny's head turned at the sound of her best friends name. She rushed down the rest of the steps and entered the kitchen, coming face to face with Jughead.

"Hey, Ethel." Jughead greeted the young girl before his eyes focused on Virginia behind her coming into the room. A nervous smile toyed at the corner of Ginny's mouth as she watched Jughead's blue eyes brighten at the sight of her. 

"You didn't have a piece of cake. It's bad luck." Ethel exclaimed, holding out a piece of cake to the birthday boy.

Jughead sighed, wishing he could just go to Pops. Maybe he could drag Gin with him to Pop's. "This whole night is bad luck. I'm ghosting. I'll see you at school." While he passed Ethel, his hand slipped into Ginny's pulling her with him towards the front door. Ginny stayed silent, agreeing to being dragged out of this god awful party.

"Hey. Whoa. Where you going, guest of honor?" Chuck stopped the duo and Ginny frowned at the sudden intervention of the popular kids.

"Get out of my way, Chuck." Jughead exhaled, wishing the night could just end. His grip tightened on Ginny's hand, trying to maintain his composure. 

"Oh, but you can't leave now. We haven't even played our game yet." Cheryl exclaimed with a smirk toying at the corner of her painted red lips. "Listen up, party people. Everyone has their secrets. And we've all done our fair share of sinning. That's one thing my dear brother's death has revealed. So let's play a little game to get those secrets out in the open."

"What the hell is Secrets and Sins?" Jughead asked, annoyed as everyone crowded into the empty living room. Jughead and Ginny were near the window across from Archie, Veronica, and Betty while Chuck and Cheryl were in the middle.

"It's a variation on Truth or Dare. In which we own our truths. By telling it like it is. I'll start the game with Veronica Lodge." Cheryl explained.

"Naturally." Veronica sent the redheaded girl a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Let's begin with the day you and your mob wife of a mother came to town for a so-called fresh start. Tell us, Veronica, what's so fresh about defiling Archie Andrews in a closet?" Cheryl asked loudly. She was cherishing this moment where she was in charge and putting others down. Pathetic.

"That was your doing." Veronica told Cheryl. 

"Moving on to dear Daddy Lodge— Isn't it true that your father, from prison, illegally purchased the drive-in land? Which makes me wonder. What else is he doing from behind bars?"

"Well, I can't speak for my father, but I can think of someone with a very dirty secret. Specifically, Cheryl killing her very own brother." Veronica began, her arms crossed as she sat in the hot seat.

"Everyone knows how much I loved my brother." Cheryl replied with a wavering lip.

"Exactly. But did you love him maybe in ways that a sister shouldn't love a brother? And as you got older, Jason started to think it was strange, unnatural. So he chose Polly over you. So you shot him between the eyes with one of your father's many hunting rifles."