Calm Waters [Jughead x Archie]

₁₀.

All my worries and anxiety suddenly vanished as me and Archie locked eyes. My heart beat though, kept at it's steady high rate. The pain I went through in this small amount of time was enough to wear me down like its been happening for years, but seeing him there almost made me static with happiness, so much that I forgot that he was mad at me.

I was so focused on him that my mind automatically blocked the rest of the world out. My mind only wanted to see and hear Archie, no one else; not even Reggie.
"Archie." I called out, as if he could hear me from a crossed the hall.

Of course he didn't answer back, he just stood and stared at me. Sadness filled his eyes and all I wanted to do was kiss it away from his stupidly gorgeous face.

I began to walk towards him. Archie saw this action, his eyes dropped to the ground and he spun around on his heel slowly and began to walk away from me.

I wanted to run after him, I really did but Reggie grabbed the loose collar of my t-shirt before I could slip away. This snapped me back to reality, all my feelings overwhelmed me as they came rushing back. The aching in my chest was out of my control now, I couldn't stop it. The emptiness was back and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I craved the only human in the world that gave me attention when it actually matter since my life was utter shit.
Sure Reggie was there but it's just not the same. I do not crave his touch, taste, or attention like I do with Archie. Reggie was more of a person who is here to distract me from the void I feel inside rather than full it.

Archie was definitely someone that could feed the emptiness. I wanted to be consumed by him and the lack of him I was getting was making everything worse. Making my feet feel heavier with each step; a complete opposite of cloud 9 which I was always on until Archie's sudden rejection.

I wanted him to tell me what I had done wrong, what I did to mess everything up since it was apparently my fault. I wanted to fix whatever I had done because I was already tired of these heavy feelings.
I wish he'd give me a chance to ask.

Betty popped up in front of me, blocking my view of Archie. I looked down at her and she looked hesitant to speak. She bowed her head as if she was shy and didn't know how to talk to me.

"I'm sorry about what happened on Friday." She finally confessed as she held her hands together tightly.
Then it hit me, Archie, Betty, the video.

I narrowed my eyes at her.
"It was you!" A flume of angry overcame me and I was now consumed into a world of anger.
Her eyes got big like I had hit a sore spot.
"It was you, wasn't it?! Just admit it Betty!" I yelled, causing people around us to stare at us and for Reggie to look at me in utter confusion; his eyebrows coming together as he watched.

"Don't make a scene Jug, what do you think I did?" She said in a sharp tone, staring me down.

"Don't act innocent, you took the damn video just admit it!" I yelled again.

"The video? What, why do you think that." She glared at me.

"You had the video before it was shown on Friday!" I pointed out, my anger still fuming. I could see out of the corner of my eye how annoyed Reggie was getting with this scenario. Even though Reggie and me were on okay terms right now doesn't mean he stopped picking on me, he still gets on my nerves just for the fun of it.

"Well yeah because someone sent it to me!" Betty began to scream back.

"Then show me!" I reached for her phone and she pushed my hand away.

"I'm capably of getting my own damn phone!" She hissed.
Betty grabbed her phone out of her pocket forcefully and clicked it on. She immediately went to her messages and clicked on one of her chats then practically shoved it into my face.
The number read: unknown
But the same exact video that was sent to Archie was there.

"Is Reggie your new boyfriend!?" She threatened. Reggie got really upset by the comment and before I could say another word he had tugged me away from Betty.

He guided me out of the hallway though the bell had rang long ago. I didn't know where he was taking me but I trusted him enough to guide me to a better place; and he did.
We stopped at the bleachers that were lined along side the football field before letting go of my hand. We stood in silence staring at the football field as the sprinklers had just stopped watering the fields around it.

Taking it upon himself he reattached his hand onto mine, calming the anger caused by Betty's previous comments. Soon his hand was squeezing the life out of mine probably because he was mad at me for getting involved in the fight.

"Fuck her." Reggie said suddenly, breaking the silence. His thumb now scratching circles on the back of my hand, no not tracing, scratching.

"What?" I answered a little breatheless at his comment.
He didn't say anything though instead he sat down, letting go of my hand, finally. I immediately rubbed red spot he had caused on the back of my hand before releasing it and staring down at him. Feeling awkward I hesitantly sat in front of him, waiting for him to speak.We sat in the little grass between the fence of the football field and the concrete between the bleachers.

I watched him carefully, I could never read Reggie; everything was a mystery. His hands pulled individual blades of grass out of the ground, then he'd rip the blade in two and toss it aside; probably something he wanted to do to me right now.

"Do you know," He began as he stared down at his hands that picked the grass from the ground.
"Do you know why I was always mean to you." He finally finished.

I studied his face some more. His eyelashes cast shadows into his cheeks as he looked down.
"No." I said a little uneasy.

"In sixth grade I was getting bullied by these seventh graders and one day you decided to stand up for me, you said something along the lines of 'I'll tell the principle.' You were so naive, you still are." Reggie grunted before continuing,
"The only reason they fled was because they were on their second warning and the third warning they got from the principle they'd be suspended and their parents were going to ship them off some where, which wasn't true but I guess they were just as naive as you." A small smile washed over his features as he began to rip more blades of grass out of the ground.
"You were taller than me then. You told me that everything was okay and that you'd always be there for me. But we only had that one run in and the bullying didn't stop so I moved schools til I came to Riverdale high during high school."

"Really?" I said, shocked at what he was saying; I remembered it faintly but I never remembered the person to be Reggie Mantle.

"And if I told you why I always pick on you, you wouldn't be fond of it so, I'm going to leave it at that." He sighed.

I stared at him in silence. I didn't really know what to say. What made Reggie become a total softy right now?

"You're so annoying." He huffed, throwing the last blade of grass aside and looking at me with a stern look.
"Like so annoying." Reggie frowned.

"Well you're a dick, or do you prefer to be called an asshole maybe even douche- no no no! Even better you're a-"

Reggie abruptly cut me off as he leaned in close. Within a matter of seconds our lips were touching.
I didn't move away once our lips touched. I felt nothing, numb to his foreign taste. It wasn't anything I desired. To me it was more of a friendly innocent kiss- the kiss itself was innocent, no movement just lips on lips.