Great Minds Think Alike (Jughead x OC)

Part 2

When Jughead saw her walking through the door at Pop's the next day he was torn between two opposite feelings: utter annoyance at being once again disturbed in his writing, and eagerness to share another conversation with this girl whose ability to use sarcasm as a means of communication matched his. It was a surprise to have her walked straight to his booth and sit down like they were old friends and not merely acquaintances who met the day before.

The truth was, he kind of hoped this would happen – it was a lonely life that of writer and High School outcast. Jughead wasn't going to deny himself a little company a few hours a day if he could, especially since his best friend bailed on him the day they planned their road trip and hasn't really spoken to him much since then. Can you feel the bitterness?

Iris and her white twirling summer dress were most welcome at his booth, even though he acted otherwise and sighed deeply when she took place across from him, like she did yesterday. He noted that this time she didn't ask if she could join him and simply did, apparently assuming he wouldn't object to having a new and unexpected writing buddy.

"Hi," she said, smiling brightly.

It was like she just had the greatest day ever, and everything was best in the best of worlds. Today her hair was down and it fell messily on her shoulders – yesterday Jughead thought her haphazardly tied ponytail was an exception due to the heat but maybe she has never heard of brushes.

"Huh, hi?" He replied, sounding a little confused.

"Everything alright?" She asked with a little frown on her forehead. Even these crinkles couldn't make her look any less beaming.

"It was until you came here," he answered automatically, aware of being unnecessarily rude, but she didn't seem to hold grudge against him for it.

"You're such a ray of sunshine Jughead," she said, smiling even brighter if it was possible. "Don't mind me then, I can work in silence."

With that she simply mimicked yesterday's action and pulled out her small laptop, then she gesture Pop to bring her the same milkshake as last night and she went to work, her eyes fixed on her screen and not drifting from it even when Pop brought her order. She simply thanked him and distractedly reached for the cold drink.

Unlike the night before, she didn't seem to struggle as much to write and the words seemed to flow freely from what Jughead could see.

"Iris?" He asked, saying her name for the first time.

He was a little annoyed at being the one who broke the silence again, even though he was the one who wanted quiet. Her fingers stopped typing and she leaned back to look at him with questioning eyes. Jughead was still thinking about how weird it was to say her name out loud after knowing about her arrival for over a month.

"Care to explain why you're in such a good mood?" He asked, making sure to sound detached and jaded. He usually didn't have to put effort into this, it was his natural state but this girl made him uneasy in more than one way.

A smaller, fonder smile stretched her lips and for a split second, he saw her hesitate. She could lie to him, tell him she won the lottery with a scoff and he would probably let it slide because otherwise it would look like he cared at all. Except she didn't see the point in lying. For what she knew he could be a real jerk and end up snapping at her if she kept sitting at his booth day after day. For what she knew he was going to ignore her at school and didn't want to befriend her at all. There was nothing at stake, so why bother lying?

"I didn't go out much the first month after I moved in, and I didn't talk to anyone. Our conversation yesterday worked wonders on my mood," she explained concisely.