Great Minds Think Alike (Jughead x OC)

Part 1

The first time Iris entered the small town of Riverdale, she thought she had just stumbled upon the most boring place on earth and gave a desperate look to her dad as soon as she saw the ridiculously low number of people who lived here under the Welcome to Riverdale sign.

A great deal of arguing happened when her parent broke the news to her that they were getting a divorce and then ensued a fight about who Iris would live with. The choice ended up being a practical one: after selling their house, her mom moved to a small apartment in Chicago, and her dad decided to go back to his hometown, in his childhood house. A house big enough for Iris to live in with him, big enough for her to keep sulking about being torn away from her life and friends and to keep avoiding her dad to silently punish him for destroying her life.

That's what she thought about when she saw the old looking but huge house with a white fence surrounding it. Iris was hyper aware of being dramatic, but nobody expected her to react any other way: she was at the age where every little change in her habits felt like a personal attack against her.

For the first month she mainly stayed in her room. It was the beginning of summer break, it was a shame to waste her holidays like this, but she was content with being on her own despite the boredom that came from this constant isolation. After a while she began to wander the streets early in the morning or late in the evening, to discover the town freely, without having too many people around to wonder how the hell she was – because it was the kind of small town where everybody knew everybody.

Riverdale didn't have the same holiday vibes than Chicago, Iris found herself appreciating the lack of sun and not having her air stick to the back of her neck or worrying about getting a sunstroke. Still, it was nicer to walk around before sunrise and after sunset. She gradually discovered what would later become her favorite spots in the town – the drive-thu, the public library, the gazebo in the park and her latest find: that 50's looking diner at the edge of the town.

It was way past 10pm the first time the saw the red neon sign that read "Pop's" and Iris wasn't going to deny herself a milkshake. Besides, she had been looking for a place to sit down and work a little the whole day, and the park was full of screaming kids today. If it gave her an excuse not to go back home before her dad went to bed, then it was all the more better.

A bell rang when she walked through the front door of the diner and Iris took in the interior, looking at the black and white floor tiles, the red seats of the booths and the jukebox sitting at the far end of the room. A little smile cracked her severe looking face and Iris couldn't help but nod appreciatively at what she saw. The man behind the counter greeted her and gave her a warm smile when she ordered her milkshake, before telling her that it would come right up and to take a seat.

Her bag hanging off her shoulder, Iris slowly walked down the row of booths – all empty, except for one. Curiosity took the best of her – she might not want to be looked at like she was some sort of curious animal but she wasn't asocial in the least – so she approached a little closer to have a better look. It was a boy who looked to be around her age, probably going to Riverdale High – since it was the only High School in a fifty miles radius – so this must be her first encounter with a potential classmate. His eyes were fixed on his computer screen and it seemed like he hasn't noticed her at all, despite the ringing of the bell when she opened the door.

For a couple seconds or so, Iris fumbled with the handle of her bag and hesitate, but she took a deep breath and stepped closer. The boy stiffened and his eyes slowly drifted from the computer to her, though he didn't move a muscle, his fingers frozen over the keyboard as though he was waiting for her to walk away before continuing.