Smokestacks - Jughead Jones [1] ✔

Chapter Two

SMOKESTACKS

CHAPTER | TWO

When Savannah tottered into her Chemistry class that day, she'd found their teacher drawing up a new seating plan on the black board.

She was insisting that school finished in a week and that this allowed them to get to know their partner for the next semester early.

"Well, gosh, aren't I lucky?" Savannah sarcastically pondered aloud, sitting down in the seat beside Jughead Jones.

"I'm definitely not."

"Ouch," Savannah smirked, tossing her bag down at her feet and kicking it away from her. "He bites."

"Only snakes." Jughead sighed, tapping his pen loudly against his notepad.

The brunette looked at the boy with both curiosity and amusement. "Okay, Jones, tell me, how am I a snake?"

"Oh, you know." Jughead muttered, his voice lowering as the class grew silent, their work having been set for the lesson. "You're sleeping with someone else's boyfriend."

Savannah's eyes narrowed as they filled with fury. "Excuse you." She hissed, so sharply that he turned his head to face her. "You know nothing about my life, so don't you dare judge me."

They didn't speak for the rest of the class. Savannah had slid as far away from him as possible, trying to focus on her work rather than the tension between the two of them.

And it definitely wasn't the good kind.

*

It was just after dinner that she found him lurking around outside her front porch. He had his hands in his pockets and headphones wrapped around his neck, shifting awkwardly as if debating whether to ring the doorbell.

She wasn't sure how he knew where she lived. Maybe he was some cyber stalker, a hacker, and Pop's diner was his base.

Savannah snorted. As if. Nothing unusual ever happened in Riverdale.

The door was pulled open just as Jughead had curled up his fist to knock. His hand hovered in the air for a few moments before it dropped to his side again.

"Well, come in then." Savannah opened the door wider, stepping back to invite him in.

Striding toward the house, he moved quickly as if hoping to rip the band-aid off and stopped dead in the hallway. The room was completely black and white, including the photos on the wall. There was no colour, no life and no comfort to this home.

Savannah beckoned him with her head and hurried up the stairs in front of him, taking a right at the top into her room.

It was a sharp contrast from the room that he had just come from, the walls were painted a deep blue and on the wall, a phrase was written in beautiful white calligraphy. The curves and embellishments of the words linked together to form the quote, "Death is not the opposite of life, but a past of it".

Jughead frowned at the words and turned to the girl who sat, cross-legged on her double bed, bathed in sheets of purple and surrounded by dozens of small pillows. "What's with the quote?"

Savannah merely blinked at him and cleared her throat awkwardly, "My dad died six months ago." She glanced over her shoulder to set her eyes on the words. "I was feeling a bit dramatic when I painted it."

Jughead sat down across from her at the foot of the bed, "I'm sorry, Savannah, I didn't know."

"No, you didn't." Savannah said shortly, "I know that... this thing I have with Jason, it's fun and exciting and to be entirely honest - a distraction."

The dark haired boy didn't say anything, but shuffled on the bed, conflicted on what to say. How could he express his feelings toward their relationship, when she'd just announced that her dad had died.

"I know it's a cliché." Savannah told him with a sigh, running a hand through her messy hair. "My dad bought me a piano when I was younger and I never played it. So, I asked Ms. Grundy for lessons. She was giving Jason guitar lessons too, one day we clashed, and that was it, I guess."

"You've been seeing him for six months?"

"Way to make me feel worse." Savannah scoffed, pulling a pillow from beside her to hug it tightly.

Jughead frowned at the girl, "Do you feel bad? About it?"

Savannah debated the question for a moment before she shook her head. "No. I'm glad it happened, because now Polly will know that Jason was never truly faithful. I just wish I hadn't met him again after the first time."

"Why not end it now?"

"Because I need him."

*

"Jason!" She'd hissed, her back up against the wall of the janitor's closet, the head of a mop was too close to her head for her liking. "Don't you dare mess up my hair."

The boy smirked and he gently ran his fingers through her curls. "You're beautiful, you know that?"

Savannah felt her heart melt a little but she ignored it and scoffed, "Stop being such a guy, you're already getting in my pants."

"Well, that's a relief." Jason muttered humorously, "What if I want more?"

"You don't." Savannah told him, firmly. "You're just rebounding from Polly. I don't know what happened between you two but you don't deserve her anyway."

Jason took a step back at that, feeling a little hurt that she would just dismiss his feelings like that. Sure, he did love Polly, but he was in a relationship that his parents constantly told him to end. When someone nags at you every single day, telling you that your relationship is doomed, you start to believe them.

"Don't be mad." Savannah said softly, reaching out for him. Her fingers wrapped around his shirt, pulling him gently toward her until his body was pressed against hers.

It was a feeling that felt so good to her, safe. To be so close to another person, to be in such a compromising position between a wall and a muscular body, and yet feel completely safe in that room with him.

She shook the thoughts of her past from her mind and stretched up on her tip toes to press a kiss to his lips. "Please." She pouted, trying to coax him out of his mood.

It was his weakness, she knew him like the back of her hand.

He rolled his eyes and laughed lightly, before he kissed her back.

*

She sat in their chemistry class, tapping her painted nails against the dark surface, the other hand holding a flask full of clear liquid. Her eyes snapped to the door when the two twins entered, Cheryl rushing to her seat before her brother even stepped a foot into the room.

They must have been arguing again.

Savannah turned to look over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Cheryl Blossom's. The red haired girl looked rather happy, or smug even.

The two girls continued to stare at each other until Jason broke their gaze, taking his seat beside the red head. He smiled at his sister before his eyes flittered toward the brunette.

Savannah felt the air leave her lungs and she felt the swirling pit of guilt settle in her stomach once more. She loved how he was looking at her, like he needed her. It also made her feel ill, reminding her of what a horrible person she was.

Sharply turning back to the front of the class, she heard Jughead clear his throat loudly.

"What is it?" She practically sighed, knowing that it had something to do with her.

"Sorry to interrupt your little love feast," He started, his voice just as monotone as usual. "But I don't know if you noticed that you're pouring diluted acid on the table."

"Aw crap."