𝙽𝚘𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚕'𝚜 𝙱𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 ~ 𝙹𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝙹𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜

In a Lonely Place

Jughead's POV~

~What makes a place feel like home? Is it warmth and familiarity? Some idealized, make-believe version of the American Dream? Is it love and acceptance? Or is it simple safety?~

The loud blaring of my alarm wakes me from my weird dream.

~Or it's none of those things. And it's a place where the captain of the football team is murdered. Or maybe it's just a forgotten closet under a well-trod staircase, where it's just you and the mice and the spiders, like an extra in a Wes Craven movie.~

I put on my familiar crown beanie and some flip flops and make my way to the locker room. I take a shower and head over to a sink to brush my teeth. I look away for a second then the next, I gasp at the sight of Archie appearing out of now where.

I laugh as I try to calm down my nerves.

"What are you doing here?" Archie asks.

I turn back to the sink. "Taking advantage of the schools state-of-the-art facilities." I say, trying to play off the question.

"No, really, Jughead. What are you doing in here?"

I look down and sigh. I get dressed and lead Archie to the closet under the stairs where I've been living. He walks in, looking around for a minute, then back at me.

"How long?" He asks.

"Well, since they shut down the drive in. That's where I was living before."

"Why the hell are you not living at home?"

"The truth is, things aren't good at home."

"With you dad?"

"Yeah. He kind of fell off the wagon. After your dad fired him, to tell you the truth. Hasn't had a job since. He keeps promising that he's gonna get his act together, but my mom couldn't take that rollercoaster anymore, so she grabbed Jellybean and went to live with our grandparents."

The school bell rings. I grab my bag and close the closet. Archie and I walk away from it, trying to make sure no one sees us.

"God, Jug, why didn't you tell me? And where does your dad think you are?"

"He thinks I'm couch-surfing."

"Well, screw that. Live with me."

We stop walking and I sigh. "This is temporary, man. I'm going to figure something out. Just don't tell anybody. Especially not CJ."

Archie scoffs. "CJ? She's not gonna care. If anything, she'll tell you to stay with her. I mean, you are her best friend. And besides, if anyone's gonna be a snob about it, maybe Veronica."

"Right, well, exactly. Don't tell her either." With that, I walk away.

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CJ's POV~