Goodbye, good life | Bughead

01: The change

It was a first day of fall. Wind was chilly and even though the sun was bright, there was a need for good old jeans and a nice sweater. Betty loved autumn and this kind if weather, it was giving her so much energy. It was like.. she'd be student and ready to start the school again with a brand new backpack, pens and calendar. Ready to be a efficient, hard working, perfect student.

But she's not that anymore. She graduated from Yale and she got a magical job offer from this highly valued journal. For year now she had been one of the top writers and got so much good feed back, her boss trusted her for any story and she was giving her world to do her best work. She didn't mind the hours what the work took, she loved her job and it was her favourite thing to do. She had couple friends from work who's company she enjoeyd also in her free time, Carla and Joel. They were a close group and spend their Thursday nights at the pub quiz in these cozy bar they all loved.

Betty walked to her office which was only five blocks from her apartment. The walk was just perfect, she took it every day and it gave her the waking she needed before work. She had a cup of coffee on her other hand and fruit&berry smoothie on the other. She didn't have time for breakfast at her home, she fed her cat Tempo, and that was all she had time. That was how her usual mornings began and she loved her routines.

Today as she walked to last blocks she got a text from her best friend Veronica. Friday night and they had plans for the night. How lucky she was that Veronica lived in New York too. Actually quite many people from their high school ended up living in the city. That was nice, because they got together once in a while and had fun. Besides Veronica, Kevin, Fangs and Cheryl lived here too.

And unfortunately Betty had heard from her friends that now Jughead was living in the city too. Few times per year she got a text from her ex-boyfriend. Sometimes it was her who texted first. Never good things, always some shitty thing.

She for example had a bike ride after years with a date. It reminded her some other bike rides back in the days, but all she texted to him, was rude words about how Jug rode a bike, how much better was that new bike and biker or how good she felt riding on that other bike.

Jughead texted to her few months ago very hurtful things about her father, he was doing some research thing and he wanted to tell her his theories about her screwed-up childhood and how all those things affected her terrible personality now.

They never talked about their actual lifes. They don't know where they work or live, are they having a family or any other things about a real life. Their only goal is to hurt. Few months ago Betty heard from Fangs that Jughead has a girlfriend. Is that a fifth one in this year? She can't even keep count anymore.

Jughead knew Betty loves to go out with Veronica, quite a lot actually, he had already teased her about the cat which he was sure will have a same destiny than Betty's cat in their childhood. Kevin had told that Betty worked a lot too, which sounds about Betty too. No life, he thought.

Jughead had lived in New York only six months now. He did his studies but after that he traveled around, took pictures and worked as a freelancer, did his writings for different papers, journals, magazines. He had enjoyed his time, he found different people to travel with. Usually girls, who kept going with him for couple months but were gone when he got bored or they got. Same patter had worked even though he lived in a same place. He continued his freelancer work in New York and even the girls, he has dated a few and he got bored in a couple months. Where is all the interesting people?

He ended up in New York because Fangs talked him into it. He kept in touch with him throught the college years and even saw him and Kevin few times. When he started talking about finding more permanent place to live and maybe even permanent job, Fangs was all about New York. Jughead thought it was because he needed a friend. Kevin had Veronica here and he heard they spent time with Cheryl too. Maybe Fangs just needed a guy with a leather jacket and guy who is always ready for some beers and pool. So here he was.

Last couple months he had been very busy finding a permanent job. And finally, he got a call and he was now on his way to start his first day. He woke up early, took a subway, walked through the park, bought a sandwich and coffee, sat in bench while eating and drinking. He bought one coffee to go and walked last two blocks. It was first day after the summer, wind was finally chilly and he could breathe easier. He was not into summer and that thick, hot, humid air.

Twenty minutes before her actual work hours Betty arrived at the office. She started always earlier and got her extra twenty or ten minutes efficient work time.

First her boss came to her room, as always. Time for this weeks assignments. But this week would be different. She'd start that with a new colleague and her job was for this Friday and from Monday till Wednesday to be his quide.

"Of course I'll do that. Can I ask why me?" Betty had to ask, she would be much more into investigation and writing than being a tour quide. "Carla and Joel are in the middle of their last missions, they have to close those. And actually, if I remember right, this man was from the same town as you. Was it Riverdale?" The boss asked and Betty swallowed a big lump, she nodded and hummed for the yes.

No way, who could that be? She really didn't have any idea. But that could be fun, maybe he can fit their group of Riverdale former high schoolers.

"Oh, Mr. Jones, you are here, meet your quide for the first days, Ms. Cooper," their boss saw Jughead walking in the hallway and asked him in Betty's room. Betty felt herself suddenly like a statue. Did she hear right?

The look.

He looked like he wanted to turn around.

Betty wanted to disappear.

Betty took a heavy grip on her table with both of her hands, her knuckles were about to got all white. She looked down but then she lifted her face up. Her cheeks were little red, maybe from anger, but it wasn't for blushing, she knew that. Her eyes were full of disgust, hate and something else. Jughead couldn't tell and he didn't even care. Betty didn't know. She felt like someone was pressing her down, so much weight on her shoulders. Breathing was a struggle.

"You can't be serious this is the guy?"

It was more of a whisper than an actual question for a person.

She should have guessed. Her beautiful, steady life - it was gone in right that second he walked in her office.

• • •

a/n

Welcome to my new story! This was such a sudden idea which came to me last night, let's see where it goes!

So tell me what you think about this and vote! All the votes and comments make my day 🖤