Too Late ➳ Bughead

chapter five

betty

I woke up, Veronica snoring next to me. My basement was a mess. There were empty ice cream containers and chip bags scattered everywhere. I start to clean so I don't have to hear the wrath of my mother so early in the morning. When I'm done cleaning, Veronica is still asleep, so I check my phone. My heart skips a beat, a text from Jughead glows on my screen.

jug :) : i really need to talk to you, im so so sorry. please meet me at Pop's tonight at 7. i miss you.

betty <3 : ok.

Truth be told I missed him too, but I couldn't just let him off after one minute. I just needed some time. I know he didn't mean to say it. It was in the heat of the moment. Thinking back, I smile remembering how defensive of me he was. I heard rustling next to me. Veronica was awake.

"Morning sunshine." I chuckle, it was 10:30 already.

"Very funny, B." She says sarcastically.

"What time do you need to be back home?" I ask her.

"My parents are getting back at 5, and I still need to clean up the party, so around 3:30," She answers, "just enough time to go to the mall!"

"But the malls all the way in Greendale." I protest.

"Like I said, just enough time to go to the mall." She smiles.

"Fine," I state, "I'll be down in 5."

I walk up the two flights of stairs to my room. All my jeans are dirty so I put on leggings and a Harvard crew neck. My brother, Chic, went to school there before moving to Los Angeles. Now he's a lawyer. I grab my phone and walk back down the stairs and my mom is sitting on the couch, reading a magazine and drinking coffee.

"Can I borrow the car?" I ask.

"Sure, honey. The keys are on the counter." She replies, not even looking up from her magazine.

Normally she would interrogate me. Where are you going? With who? For how long? But not today. I think she secretly feels bad for me after my breakup with Archie. She's normally super strict. Veronica loads her bag in my car and we start the 30 minute drive to Greendale. I'm relieved to be leaving this town, even if just for a few hours. Ever since Clifford Blossom killed Jason, the town has never been the same.

We shop for a few hours. I buy a sweatshirt from Hollister and Veronica buys three pairs of jeans from American Eagle, a pair of Vans from Journey's, a few blouses from Macy's, and three Nike shirts from Foot Locker. At the beginning of Sophomore year, you would never catch Veronica in a pair of jeans, even pants for that matter. Now, she wears all sorts of jeans and sneakers and t-shirts. She still has all of her designer clothes, and wears them often, but she's loosened up after she started dating Nick. I like Nick, but I get a weird vibe from him. Nothing too bad, I just never could shake the feeling that something about him was a little odd.

We arrive back in Riverdale, and I drop Veronica off at the Pembrook, helping her tote all of her bags up to the penthouse, where she lives, of course. I offer to help her clean up, and she refuses to let me, so I drive back home. I park in front of my house, and set the keys on the kitchen counter, right where I found them. My mom asks how my day was and I give her the generic teenager answer. "Fine." After a couple minutes of useless conversation, I make my way upstairs, checking the time. 3:48. Just enough time for a nap. I set my alarm for 6:20, so I have enough time to fully wake up before meeting Jughead at Pop's, then get in my bed and fall asleep.