In a lonely place | Jughead Jones x Reader

32

My father had been cutting into me since I had gotten home. Wheatherbee called him and told him about my locker.

"Why the hell did you go after I specifically told you not to!" He yelled at me as I sat on the couch.

"I didn't wanna hide from anything." I didn't yell back. I remained calm and collected as I waited for my punishment. "I won't go back again."

"This isn't about hiding from anything Y/n! This is about keeping you safe!"

"From what?" I raised my voice slightly.

"From boys like Chuck Clayton or Jason Blossom or girls like Cheryl!"

"Cheryl is my friend." I glared at him. He scoffed and shook his head before walking into the kitchen. I sat there expecting him to come back, but he never did. I began to make my way up the stairs, unsatisfied with where the conversation ended. For a second I was going to say something but changed my mind.

____

I woke up the nest morning to find myself looking out on a dark grey sky. The sun had just barely begun to smile over the trees and glass below it.

I was alone in my bed which slowly became more and more normal as Jugheads situation became less and less normal. I sent a text telling him good morning but never got one back.

I sat in bed on my phone, the white noise of crickets chirping and the buzz of my lamp infiltrated my ears. The silence was disturbed by my father entering the room.

"Hurry up, you're gonna be late for school." He said as he took my laundry hamper from my room.

"I thought you didn't want me to go?"

"Damage has already been done." He said flatly before leaving.

I quickly got dressed and ready, not seeing my dad again before I had to leave.

I was closing my locker ready to head to the lounge where Betty, Veronica and Archie were when my phone began to vibrate in my pocket.

"Hey Jug, where are you? Have you been getting my messages?" I asked through the phone.

"I'm at Southside High."

"Oh my god, what?"

"This is where I belong, okay? Let's talk about this after school. Please don't worry about me."

    With that he hung up and left me alone and in shock. I ran to the lounge where I assumed my friends would be.

    "Woah, Y/n what's up?" Betty asked me.

    "Jug just called me. He's at Southside High." I spoke quickly. "He said that's where he belonged, nobody wants him here."

    "FP warned me about this." Archie spoke up. "Said he'd cut himself off, 'go to the dark side'"

     "Archie, we can't let him do that." I shook my head. We all looked at each other and without saying a word ran out of the lounge and through the halls.

    Together the five of us entered Southside High through unmanned metal detectors. The halls smells like smoke and alcohol.

    "Where would he be?" Veronica asked me.

    "Cafeteria." Archie and I said simultaneously.

    We quickly made our way into a loud room full of kids our age. They along with the room looked rundown. I easily saw Jughead at a table with several laughing students.

    "Jug..." I said softly. He turned around and his smile faded.

    "What are you guys doing here?" He asked.

    "Let's talk outside Jughead." Archie said, eying the other kids suspiciously.

    "Yeah okay." Jughead stood up and walked with us outside.

    I pulled Jughead to the side and looked at the ground silently.

    "I didn't tell you ahead of time because I knew you'd try to stop me." He said gently.

    "Damn straight, and I'm still gonna try." I spoke sternly and seriously.

    "Y/n, the Southside is where the powers that be want me." He looked away from me. "Maybe I wanna be here as well. I may blend in better here. And it would keep you safe."

    "I'm not letting Riverdales civil war split up apart Jug." I leaned in and wrapped my arms around him and he did the same.

    "Calling you was a dumb idea." He chuckled. I laughed with him but was quickly interrupted by Veronica's voice.

    "Guys, we have to go."