𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 | 𝐉𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 |

FP, Donnie and Isabel

Chapter eighteen: FP, Donnie and Isabel

     "You think your mother is gonna be here for reunion week?" Jughead asked Drea as they sat on the bleachers in the gym.

Jughead was typing away at his computer as Drea fiddled with her camera. "Na, she has a late shift, and she wouldn't risk it." Drea held the camera up.

"Say cheese." Jughead didn't look up, but he gave a small laugh. Drea took the photo. She then looked at it and smiled. "You look nice when you smile." Drea complimented with a smile.

Jughead looked up at her. "You too." The brunette girl looked at him. "Thank you."

"So..uh, how's that journal working for ya?" Drea asked. "It's working great, actually. Thank you."

"Speaking of gifts. It took me a bit to get it, but happy birthday." Jughead took a box from his bag and handed it to Drea.

Drea smiled, taking the box. Slowly, she opened the box. "Jug..." She whispered as she pulled out a book. "I didn't know if you had one, but I figured you could put your photos in it. "I'll call it my memory journal." She hugged the book close to her chest.

"You're memory journal. I like that."

Drea pulled Jughead into a hug. "Thank you."

After a few moments, they pulled away.

"Hey, could I ask you something?" Jughead said. Drea nodded. "I wanna go see my dad. Would you join me? Betty's been really busy and well, I haven't asked her, but I don't want to put more on her."

Drea thought for a moment. "Ok."

The next morning, Drea found herself walking into Jughead's old home. She followed behind Jughead, who held coffee and donuts. To their surprise, the place seemed to be clean.

No alcohol bottles, no clothes, no trash. It was quite a home. Jughead smiled at Drea, who smiled back at the boy.

FP came from the back. "Dad? Have you been body snatched."

"I feel good, Jug. I look good, too. I shaved. Cleaned the place up a bit. Paint." FP spoke as he walked towards the two teenagers.

"I got you coffee and donuts." Jughead handed them to FP.

FP looked at the girl. He gave her a smile. A genuine one. "Drea, right?" Drea nodded, looking down. "What I don't bite." FP spoke.

"It's not -"

"I get it. I kicked you out of the bar. You probably heard some things about me, too."

"You seem to be doing great. I'm glad." Drea smiled at the man before glancing at Jughead, who was already looking at her. FP looked between the two before continuing.

"I read your uh essay, manuscript."

"You did?" Jughead questioned.

"Yeah."

"Really?"

"I asked you for it, didn't I?" FP placed the coffee and donuts on the table.

"I thought you were just pretending to be interested." Jughead admitted.

FP placed his hand on the papers on the table. "This is excellent." He took a seat.

"Me, I can barely string two sentences together.  But you, you got a gift. Thank God you're not wasting it."

"Yeah, his writing is great." Drea gave Jug a smile. Jughead shook his head with a smile. "What? You can compliment my photos, but I can't compliment your writing that hardly seems fair."

Jughead continued to smile. "Mind if I ask you a few questions?" FP asked, motioning for the two to sit.

"Uh, I'll just let you two...talk. I'll be in there." Points to the living room before leaving the father and son.

Drea was happy for the two. FP was getting his act together for his family. Not a lot of people could do that, but he did. Jughead's happy, and Drea knew he was also proud.

She settled into the couch. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail it was in and ran her hands through her it.

After a bit, she felt two pairs of eyes on her. She slowly turned to see Jughead and FP looking at her.

"Uh..Hi." She said awkwardly.  FP motioned for Drea to go over to them. She stood up and walked towards the two. "What's up?"

She took a seat beside Jughead. "Jug asked me a question just now."

"And what question was that?" Drea placed her chin in the palm of her hand.

"If I knew your mother. Isabel."

Drea sat up. "Do you?"

"She used to date a friend of mine -"

"Donnie MacBook."

"I take it you did your research." The girl nodded at FP's comment. "Well, I don't think I'm supposed to tell you this, but your mother and I were....best friends. We grew up together on the south side. She and I were inseparable until a few days after Donnie's murder. She left me a note saying why she left. I never thought she would come back until I saw you two at Pop's that night."

Drea listened intently. 

"Your mother she looks almost the exact same. You look like a younger version of her, actually." FP stood up and walked towards a drawer. He pulled out a photo and handed it to Drea.

It was a photo of Isabel, Donnie MacBook, and FP. Isabel stood between the two as they both kissed her cheeks. She smiled brightly.

"I must admit it hurt me when she left, but I understood why. When someone you love dies, it hurts, and Isabel was hurting. She probably still is."

"The question is why she came back." Jughead spoke up. "Drea would have to ask her that because I have no idea."

"I-I." Drea stared at the photo. "I need to go." Drea handed the photo to FP before standing up and walking out.

Jughead quickly followed behind the girl. "Drea, wait." The trailer door slammed behind him. "I need to talk with my mother."

"She's probably at work. Let's just go to school and we can talk to her later." Jughead told her.

"We?" Drea spun around to face him. "Yeah. We." Her face softened. In a town full of secrets and mysteries, there was always someone she could rely on. He was the one person Drea trusted enough to let in.

Jughead pulled the girl into a much needed hug. What they didn't know was that FP was looking at the two from the trailer. He saw himself and Isabel in the two teenagers, but maybe in this version, the boy wouldn't let the girl go.