(Eng) Broken - Riverdale FF

19

Pops worried when I asked him to give my shifts to someone else on the weekend. It wasn't until Jughead had turned up - like so many evenings - and confirmed that we were going to the funeral that the older man calmed down.

"I know that I'm not an easy kid," I apologized in a quiet minute. "But I'm really trying to get back on my feet."

Pops eyed me warily, but since I was telling the truth, he nodded. "You know that I'm always there for you, little one."

I nudged him gently with my shoulder. "You've kept me afloat for the last few months. I will never be able to make amends for that."

He laughed silently but enough to jiggle his round belly. "It's enough for me if you lead a good life. Finish school, find a job - oh and maybe we'll both get your garden back in good shape next spring. "

I was laughing now. "Grandma would turn around in the grave if she saw the condition."

"She would dig herself up again with her own hands and take you for a ride," the man agreed and we shared a moment of furtive giggles. Quiet so that we don't disturb the guests, but still so full of warmth that my heart almost felt heavy again.

Only Jughead was watching us. Even if he quickly turned his head away, as soon as I looked up at him, I saw the gentle smile as a reaction to this exchange. What did he need me for anyway? He had enough sense and keen eyes himself to see all the little things.

"Yasmin!" The far too loud voice made some guests startled.
"Joe?" Immediately I was around the counter again and led the trio to a table on the edge. "What are you doing here?" Ollie and Esme pushed themselves onto one bench, Joe wanted to pull me onto the other beside him. "I'm working," I told him and pointed to the uniform. Suddenly I was kind of embarrassed about the dress.

"I see," Joe let out a whistle, "chic, chic."

"Do you want to order something?" I asked, hoping to be able to quickly disappear from the table.
It was pretty obvious that the three were ghoulies. And that they knew me. If I really wanted to work for Blue & Gold more often, I would have to explain the situation to Jughead.

In fact, all three ordered burgers, fries, and milkshakes. I disappeared into the kitchen with my head bowed to pass the order on.

"Friends of yours?" Pops asked uncertainly and Jughead no longer made a secret of the fact that he was eavesdropping on us.

"Not quite. Something like that, "I stammered. Hadn't I just promised Pops that it would go uphill?

"Are you in trouble?" He asked, leaning forward so no one could hear us. Not even Jughead.

"Joe was there for me when I was at the bottom. In a way that I can't explain. " I carefully put my hand on Pop's arm. "I owe him as much as I owe you."

Pops sighed, but he wasn't going to drill any further. There were parts of my life that he couldn't take and we both knew it.

I brought Joe and his friends the food. In the meantime the mood in the diner had calmed down again and I risked sitting down with them for a moment.

"Where have you been?" Asked Ollie.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Here?"

"You disappeared without a trace since the party," Esme explained without looking at me.

"Why didn't you respond to any of my messages? Did something... did Kurtz ...? " Joe wasn't the type to look for words like that, but apparently we'd found the one topic he couldn't talk about.

I blushed when I realized what he was going to ask. "Oh God! Everything is good! I just... I don't know where my phone is, "I confessed - although that was a lie. My cell phone was on my bed at home. But I didn't have a single working charger cable, so my phone was of no use since it went out.