Aberration ≫ Jarchie

F I V E

Five Years Old ❣︎ December

Jughead was excited for Christmas Eve Dinner.

He was practically bursting at the seams, already having picked out the best gift and running up to the red head's doorstep.

He was utterly ecstatic, until the scarlet hue's mother opened the door, and Jughead hadn't heard his best friend's footsteps, but instead he heard the blonde hue's playful laughter coming from upstairs.

The raven haired boy's parents greeted Archie's parents, and soon enough they were greeting Betty's parents once they stepped inside.

Jughead smiled at everyone, as he placed the gift by the door and hung his old winter coat up, but he was honestly upset. He couldn't help but to feel betrayed, and unwelcome.

Jughead thought that he was supposed to be the scarlet hue's best friend, but it seemed to him like Betty replaced him, and it sparked a sadness inside of him.

Why wasn't he good enough for Archie?

Jughead stood around for a while, contemplating whether or not he wanted to go upstairs and join the two. He couldn't help but to feel utterly excluded whenever he was with the duo, and he realized that being alone is better than being unwelcome, a practice he will unknowingly carry out when he gets older.

"Archie and Betty are upstairs honey, why don't you go on up?" Archie's mom suggests while his own parents shoot him a worried glance.

Mrs. Jones has a good idea of what's going on, but she opts for speaking to her son later about it, not wanting to ruin the beautiful night ahead of them. She has some very special news, a gift worth waiting for, and who better to share it with than the very people she's gotten to know so well over the years.

The raven haired boy smiles politely, but reluctantly makes his way up the stairs. He slowly walks down the long hallway and turns into Archie's room, frowning once he sees Archie and Betty playing with Archie's remote control car on the race track.

The race track he gave him, not stupid Betty.

"Hey..." he trails off shyly, causing the lemon hue to shoot him a soft smile, and the scarlet hue to turn around excitedly.

"Juggy! You're here!" Archie practically yells, quickly ditching his toy and running up to the darker hue, engulfing him in a big hug.

Jughead opened his mouth in shock, but smiled genuinely before hugging his bubbly friend back.

"It took you so long to get here, I was w-worried!" The scarlet hue almost scolds. Jughead just giggles before sitting down next to Betty around the race track, and waiting for Archie to join them.

Archie just smiles before going under his bed and pulling out a big box with the darker hue's name on it.

"I'm sorry that I-I didn't get you anything Betty, it's just me and Juggy's tr-tradition." The scarlet hue speaks apologetically. He honestly felt a little guilty, but Jughead was his best friend, and Betty didn't come close to the relationship he and the raven haired boy had.

Betty nods understandingly, not feeling any type away about the gift. She hadn't gotten Archie anything either, and if she had thought to get him one, she wouldn't have known what to get.