Panic Room || Jughead Jones

Dog Day Afternoon // Part One

The box in my hands weighed more than I anticipated as we searched the halls of Stonewall attempting to find Jughead's new dorm room. Jellybean was leading our efforts, Jughead and I close behind with FP bringing up the end of our group.

"Found it!" JB announced as she pushed open the door of what was possibly Jughead's new home. The door let out a loud squeak with the action, allowing us to see what was inside.

Jughead scoffed, "Well, we are certainly not in Riverdale High anymore. Welcome to the Dead Poets Society." He set his box down on the empty bed as we all piled into the small room. It definitely wasn't as big as one would like, but that's the price of attending school in a literal castle I guess.

"Not a bad coop, boy," FP commented as he and Jellybean began snooping throughout the room. I set my box down beside the empty desk that was in the room before moving towards the stained glass window to peak out. Foresting and trees ran for miles and miles, the sun peaking out over the tops. As much as I hated the idea of losing Jughead from Riverdale High, I couldn't deny the beauty of Stonewall and its grounds, but the people, not so much.

"Okay, kitten, let's go find the vending machine and I'll buy you some Triple Bubble," FP grabbed a smiling JB by her shoulders before the two of them walked out of the room.

"You still okay with this?" Jughead asked as his hands grabbed my waist, pulling me away from the window sill and into his arms.

I couldn't hide the worry in my eyes, but I nodded nonetheless. "Yeah, Jug. I'm just gonna miss you, a lot."

"Well, you better take your breaks from me while you can, Marrows," He joked as his hands moved to rest against my cheeks before moving to my shoulders. "Because you and I are in this for the long haul. Okay?"

I let out a teary laugh, my fingers twisting into the fabric of his jacket as I held onto his wrists gently before pressing my lips to his. "Damn straight."

--

The hallways of Riverdale High were louder than normal as I walked through the next morning. I shoved my hands deeper in my hoodie pockets as I turned the corner into the student lounge. The apartment had been eerily silent when I got back after leaving Stonewall. Despite knowing that Jughead and I had been through much worse than distance, I hated knowing it would be a while before I saw him again. It still didn't ease my mind, and that was evident in my lack of sleep.

"Hey," Veronica greeted as I plopped on the couch next to her. "We're just chatting about ways Archie could raise money for the gym."

I gave a silent nod and stretched out across the remaining room on the couch, my head in Ronnie's lap while my feet landed over Reggie's legs. He accepted it without a word, his hand resting on my ankles as he continued to pay attention to the conversation at hand.

"Hey, morning!" Felicity's voice filled the room next as I opened one eye to look at her. She plopped down in a spare armchair before reaching across the table to set a large iced coffee in front of me. "Figured you could use that." I blew her a kiss with my hand before curling back up and closing my eyes as I listened in on the conversation.

"I'm looking at around 40 grand to pay for the renovations that the gym needs," Archie explained to our group.

"I hate to say it, again, but I could just lend you the money," Veronica offered.

Archie disagreed quickly, "No, Ronnie. I don't want to take any more handouts. I want to work for it. I just need to figure out what that work can be."

"We could host a charity concert!" Kevin suggested.

"Or a bake sale?" Betty added with a shrug.

Mad Dog, now going by Munroe, let out a small laugh. "You'd have to sell a lot of cupcakes."

"Now, hold on," Veronica interrupted, seemingly more positive. "I think B's on to something. Not a bake sale, per se, but, looking at you four strapping young men, there's another classic way to raise money."

--

There were two things I was thankful for at the moment: sunshine and caffeine. Felicity had quickly caught on to my lack of sleep and provided me with coffee in the following mornings of Jughead's departure, but I knew I was going to have to learn to sleep without him being so close.

The sun was bright and warm as we stood around Pop's parking lot. It was filled with various cars and people, all here for the fundraiser car wash that Veronica organized in order to fulfill the money requirement for Archie's community center.

Various milkshakes were in my hands as I continued walking out from Pop's to deliver them to waiting customers so they could have a treat while their car was being washed by Riverdale's finest Bulldogs. Betty was right behind me, the two of us taking orders and making shakes like there was no tomorrow.

The car wash lasted a total of three hours, and by the end of it, I was ready to take the biggest nap possible. We grouped inside, Veronica dealing with counting the cash collected from today's events while the rest of us indulged in a free dinner courtesy of Pop.

"What's the haul, Ronnie?" Archie asked as my sister tossed a stack of money in front of him.

"A little over four," She responded as she leaned against the booth behind him.

"Grand?" I asked with wide eyes, surprised we would've managed to pull in so much money by washing cars and making milkshakes.

Ronnie almost rolled her eyes at me. "Hundred, Van. I think I overestimated the financial pull of Archie's pectorals." The redhead in mention tossed the money aside angrily. Veronica frowned at his reaction. "Hey, we're just getting started. Maybe we do a Magic Mike night at La Bonne Nuit. Or... dare I say, you boys go the full Montey?"

Laughter followed her insinuation to which she brushed off with a smile. "We'll figure something out. We always do."

--

sorry this chapter and the next are a bit short. this episode lacked content for my girl sav