lola | JUGHEAD JONES ✔

f o u r t e e n

The familiar smell of Pop's overwhelmed my senses as I sat across from Veronica in the booth Jughead and I had sat in together so many times. Veronica had asked to meet me, and I had reluctantly agreed. She popped the straw of her chocolate milkshake out of her mouth, her red lipstick staining the black plastic.

"I'm trying to network," She replied in answer to my earlier question of why she had invited me here.

"I'm not exactly friend material," I explained gesturing to the string of pearls around her neck and then to the string of beads knotted around my wrist.

Veronica opened her mouth to reply but the shrill ringing of my phone cut her off. I reached across the table for it but her eyes met it first.

"Peabody?" She queried, "Jughead told me you were more of a lone wolf type."

"I am." I replied hastily declining the call.

Veronica quirked an eyebrow but immediately the ringing began again. Fear knotted in my stomach as Peabody illuminated the screen. I smiled sheepishly before answering.

"Penny?" I began by means of greeting.

"The kitchen's heating up, kid." She said, her voice whiskey-stained.

"What?! No, no, come on, you can't—" But I cut myself off just in time, my eyes meeting Veronica's curious ones.

"Lola, look, I've gotta lot of stuff I can't have getting out. This case is too risky, drop it now." I could picture her boot-clad feet propped up on her desk, a half-empty whiskey bottle beside them. But despite her drunken state she spoke with urgency, her words slurring in a rushed jumble."

Look, Penny, now's not a great time." I said as coldly as possible attempting to end the conversation.

She murmured a reply and hung up, the harsh end tone loud against my ear.

A mischievous smile was painted across Veronica's face, "Penny?" 

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hiya, sorry it's been a million years lmao

I actually ended up changing the entire plot of this, so I'm back with regular updates!

Thanks so much for reading this, it means the world.