sleuth ≀ jughead jones

卌

When Noah finally left through the back of Pop's, she pulled out her phone and quickly realized Betty had texted her.

Betty:

Can we get breakfast tomorrow morning & talk?

Noah:

Of course, I'd love that :)

Then she locked her phone and put it back in her pocket. She was smiling, she had a friend. It was official. It had to be. She noticed up the street, just a dozen feet in front of her was Jughead.

She felt stalkerish following him like this. But she didn't want to see him and have him ask questions. But she also didn't want to walk all alone at night. Especially to where she was going.

"Jughead?" Noah finally spoke up a bit, her voice raised to catch his attention from his headphones. She repeated it twice before he finally turned around.

"Oh, hey." He smiled at the moonlit girl as she sped walked up to reach him.

"Hi, sorry, I hope you don't mind. I just didn't want to look like I was stalking you." She admitted.

"No, no, thats perfectly fine. Glad I don't have to call Sheriff Keller just yet." He said, keeping his hands in his pockets. And a smile creased on his face as she chuckled at the comment.

"Uh, so, how's the novel going?" She made small talk as their pace slowed down.

"Good, I got a couple pages done tonight. We'll just have to continue on how Riverdale is taking to these things." He said, looking at anywhere but her.

"That's cool, it's definitely been a changed town." Noah sighed, and sniffled from the nights brisk air.

"Yeah it seems everyones been changing." He finally looked at the girl who was a respectful distance next to him, "I heard you, on the phone with your dad."

She was silent, kicking rocks under her feet to avoid the subject.

"I know your dad, you don't have to lie to him. He wouldn't be mad that your-"

"Not who I used to be? I appreciate the-the help, Jughead, but you don't know him like I do." She lashed out, then contained herself, "What I mean is.. ever since my older brother died... killed himself... all my Dad wants is for things to be okay, again. That nothing changes."

"So he doesn't know about all the things that happened to you last year?" Jughead asked, having heard the thousands of rumors that had circulated Riverdale High about Noah Carson. He found it amazing that in a small town like this she was able to keep it a secret from her dad.

"No." She admitted, the started walking again, "And he doesn't need to know. That girl I was, varsity girls soccer team, River Vixen, class president, that raging bitch I became, was horrible. I actually wanted to be like Cheryl. I just want to be different this year, someone my dad can be proud of. I want to start over, you know? I just need time."

"Totally." Jughead walked alongside her, feeling awkward. He didn't really know how to make new friends. Normally, he'd be shunning anyone like this. But he felt some kind of sympathy for her as he listened.

"You're not going to tell him, right?" She asked, looking at him.

"What?" Jughead looked up at her, and honestly replied: "No. No, of course not."

"Thanks." She exhaled her worries, the last thing she needed was telling someone all this and then having them turn around and telling the only person she wished won't know. And Jughead had the power to do that now, and if he didn't she knew she would be able to trust him.