Shedding Our Skin {Jughead Jones}{Bughead}

Chapter Fourteen

She wasn't stupid. She'd looked in my old trailer first.

With this in mind, I packed enough for the next few weeks, by then, I'd come back and restock. I couldn't stay the night there.

I ran my fingers through my hair and realized, with dread, I'd left my beanie in Betty's bedroom. Hopefully she'd put it away and forget about it.

Once I was packed, I locked up and left. I would stay at the worm until further notice, which maybe was where I needed to be if I would lead.

Walked into the bar, and darted up the stairs to the room with my office.

Luckily for me, I wasn't stopped or questioned by any of the few Serpents in the bar. They were both sleep deprived and drunk out of their minds.

I locked the office door behind me, and looked around. The only difference was that my family photo was put face down on the desk. I fixed it, and laid down on the couch, instantly drifting into a dreamless sleep.

I was awoken the next morning by someone knocking on the office door.

I opened it slowly, and breathed a sigh of relief when I found it was Donny.

"And the prodigal son returns." He muttered.

"I left the girl." I told him, "I'm all your's."

"Good." He said, "That's what we need."

We stood at the top of the steps as Donny called out. "Jughead Jones has returned!"

About 3/4 of the room erupted into cheers.

"I'm calling a meeting in an hour." I said to the room, once everyone had calmed down. "I have some things to sort out."

In the time before the meeting, I unpacked a few of my things and cleaned up a bit. I could hear people making phone calls, probably trying to get in touch with the other Serpents to tell them to get to the bar.

I checked the time. It was almost 3 a.m..

I tried not to let my mind wander to the Coopers, but it happened anyway. In my mind, I saw visions of myself as part of the family. Watching the babies, eating every meal with them, getting a job to help out. I thought about marrying Betty, and waking up to blond children with light skin and eyes.

My heart ached as all I had left behind resurfaced in my mind. Then, I thought about them dying. In pain. Miserable because of me.

I had to help the Serpents, at least until my father got back. I would have to learn to survive. Day to day. My pain was worth Betty and her family's safety. My family's safety.

I began to think wonder if that was the decision my father had to make. And that's why he told me that I was better off alone. To protect me from this pain.

I stood before the Serpents. Some where happy to see me. Others, like Pug, were less than pleased.

"I have done what I have to do to be here for the Serpents. I would be honored to be a part of you all and lead in my father's place."

Most people exploded into applause. After about thirty seconds of this, a voice rose over the crowd and silenced the room.

"Absolutely ridiculous." Said Pug, marching toward me. "You haven't even been here for a week straight! How can you lead? I mean, we find your girl and you up and leave until it's convenient to come back. Who are you to come here and try to pick up where F.P. left off?"

"I admit I got wrapped up in the joy of being reunited with Betty, but I've left that behind me. I know longer talk with anyone from the other side of the tracks. And I know I'm not my father, but I do know he'd want me to commit to this the way he did."

"No. I don't think that's what he'd want. I think the last thing he'd want is a kid taking his place." Pug argued.

"Pug. What do you want? What do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. I'm done. The Serpents aren't the Serpents anymore. Follow if you want." He walked out of the bar, and about half of the crowd followed him.

"Now that we're done with that hissy fit, someone tell me what I've missed?"

Everyone was pale in the face, some with wide eyes and open mouths. Donny spoke from beside me.

"Everyone clear out. We start first thing in the morning! We have a real problem on our hands."

Everyone did as he said, leaving me confused.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Pug is crazy, boy. We need to be ready when he attacks." Donny said, leaving the bar as well.

Those words stayed with me as I retreated to my new, makeshift home and drifted to sleep.

I woke up in the morning filled with dread. I checked the time. Betty would have read my letter by now. I knew she was probably angry at me. I just hoped she'd understand why I had to do what I did.

For the next week, everything was fine. We were mostly quiet, carrying out small jobs and drug deals. As, well, illegal as that sounded, it was life as a Serpent. The pain I felt towards the Coopers never dulled. I thought about how the babies would be home by now, and how I would never really know how Betty felt, or get to see how wonderful of an aunt she was. I would never be Uncle Jughead. I wondered if she had taken my picture down, or if she was already getting ready to go on a date. I thought about all of the guys who'd love to have her. I thought about how she could love so many people, she'd forget all about me.

With these thoughts, it was difficult to sleep and eat. I was never alert, and I stopped writing altogether. I eventually had to put every ounce of consciousness I had into lead the Serpents. Somehow, it was easier this way.

Someone knocked on the office door, pulling me out of the day's first round of depressing thoughts. It was Joaquin.

"Jug, I think you need to see this." He said, obviously shaken up.

In the main meeting room was a cardboard box. A pit instantly formed in my stomach, remembering the last time this had happened. There it was again, a fresh pang of pain.

I took the pocket knife I had been carrying in my pocket out and cut open the box slowly. Shaking, I opened it.

When I saw the contents, I froze. Joaquin gasped, and the other men around the box grimaced.

It was a dead snake. We all knew what this meant, and who it was from.