Just Friends ▻ Jughead Jones

25

Victoria felt bad for not being there for Jughead when she got arrested. She had fallen asleep at five in the morning after the eventful night on the Southside. She had gotten into argument with the asshole named Sweet Pea, got drunk, then left the Whyte Wyrm alone, only to get jumped by Ghoulies and then, saved by Sweet Pea, of all people.

Now, here she was, sitting in the student lounge room as always with her group of friends. Everyone had been dying to ask her what happened, but they feared to facing her wrath.

"Polly's convinced herself that no one wants her baby," Betty complained in a calm tone.

"Besides, of course, the child snatching Blossom monsters," Kevin commented, only to see that Cheryl, who was also there, seem offended by the comment, "No offense, Cheryl."

"None taken." Cheryl replied with a small frown on her face.

"So your mom and dad want Polly, but not the baby and the Blossoms want the baby, but not Polly," Jughead explained to them. Victoria only sighed as she shook her head.

"It's an impossible situation," Betty added in.

"Betty, come on. An impossible situation is being invited to the Vanity Fair Oscar Party and Elton John's Oscar Party on the same night," Veronica spoke up, causing Kevin to place a hand on her shoulder as she turned to face her friend, "Which happened to me one year, I know." Kevin seemed to be amazed by the revelation as Veronica continued to speak, "This is merely an annoying situation, but luckily I've been percolating an idea. Hellishly simple in its conception. What if my mom and I were to host a baby shower?" Veronica proposed.

"Count me in." Cheryl smiled, agreeing with Veronica's proposition.

"Betty, you want Polly to feel loved and supported, right?" Veronica asked the blonde.

"Yeah, but ideally by her own parents," Betty replied.

"Okay, so baby steps, girl. Get Polly and your parents in the same room, in a public setting where they can't right and wala, let the healing begin." Veronica explained and Victoria couldn't help but smile.

"Am I expected to come to this thing?" Jughead asked them, seeming amused by this all.

"Of course, you're Betty's boyfriend, so." Veronica replied as if it were obvious as she took a sip of her coffee.

Everyone seemed to feel awkward after hearing the last part of Veronica's sentence, "Okay, guys, calm yourselves. It's just a word that starts with the letter B." Victoria spoke up and Archie raised a brow at her, "Shut up, Archie."

Archie lifted his hands up in surrender, "I didn't say anything."

"Betty, what do you say?" Veronica asked the blonde, who continued to smile.

Just then, Alice Cooper entered, causing the whole group to turn their heads to look at her, "Elizabeth Cooper." She spoke sternly.

"Mom?" Betty asked shocked.

Alice seemed pissed as she pointed at Veronica and Betty, "I need you and you. Right now." She demanded and  Veronica frowned in confusion as she pointed at herself.

Once the three females left, Archie and Jughead turned to Victoria, "What the hell happened to your eye?" Archie asked his friend concerned as he walked over to her. He took a seat next to her before he used to right hand to turn her head to face him, "And your lip."

While Archie examining her face, Victoria looked over at Jughead, who seemed to be annoyed about something, "Picked a fight with a Southsider in Sunnyside Trailer Park, no biggie." She lied to him and seemed to believe her, unlike Jughead.

"Hey, Tor?" Jughead spoke up, which caused Victoria to immediately look over at him, "Can we talk outside?"

"Sure," She nodded before getting up from her seat, leaving Archie there.

The two teenagers made their way to the hallway. Jughead sighed, "Look, what really happened to you?" Jughead asked her concerned.

"What my mom told me about me not being a Serpent and all hit me pretty hard," she confessed quietly, "I hung out with my sister at the Whyte Wyrm and she told me a lot about being a Serpent. I got into an argument with a Serpent that I don't get along with and I left there pretty drunk. When walking home, I got mouthy with a few Ghoulies and they kicked the living crap out of me. I could have kicked their ass, but I was wasted."

Jughead looked at her with shocked eyes, his eyes glancing at the bruise under her eye and the busted lip she had. Instinctively, he ran his fingers over the bruise under her eye, "Does it hurt?" He spoke up and Victoria shrugged.

"Not really." She answered in a voice just above a whisper.

It was silent for a moment as they both just at each other, "Tori, there's something I need to tell you--" Jughead began to tell her, only to be cut off by someone calling Jughead's name.

"Juggie?" Betty spoke up, causing both Victoria and Jughead to look at her, "Can I speak you to you? It's urgent."

Jughead shook out of his thoughts before nodding his head, "Sure thing."

______________

Victoria was at home, watching TV by herself. Nobody else was home, Alex was working a shift at Pop's and Eliza was at the Whyte. Victoria sighed, lifting up the controller so she could put on Netflix.

Before she could, there was a knock on the door. She wasn't expecting anyone, which made her deeply confused. She groaned as she got up from her seat on the couch in the living room and walked over to the trailer door.

Victoria frowned when she opened it to see Sweet Pea standing before her, "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked annoyed, opening the door wider so she could let the tall Serpent in, "Come to get into a fight with me again, Sweetie Pie?" 

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes, holding up Victoria's jacket, "You left it at the Whyte Wyrm, thought you might want it back." He told her and Victoria smiled slightly as she went to grab the jacket from his grasp.

As she went to grab it, Sweet Pea walked backwards so she couldn't take it, "What are we, five?" She remarked and Sweet Pea laughed.

"One of us is." He replied as the door knocked.

Victoria groaned, "Who the hell is it now?" She complained.

Victoria walked over to the door and opened it to find Archie Andrews at her doorstep, "Archie, what are do you doing here?" She asked her friend confused.

"I need a favor," he spoke up, "And you're going to need to get some of the Bulldogs in on it, too."