Speak Now (Jughead x Reader)

Speak Now, Part 2 (Jughead x Reader)

"You're... you're what?" You asked, your face twisting in hurt and confusion.

"Engaged," Jughead repeated. "I'm going to be married."

In that moment, you swear you could hear your heart shatter.

"To who?" You said, so soft it could have been a whisper.

"Betty Cooper," Jughead said with a fond smile. "Remember her? We went to high school together."

"Yeah," you mumbled. "I remember her."

You sat in awkward silence until you finally said, "I didn't know you guys were dating."

"Yeah," Jughead said, rubbing the back of his neck. "It was kind of sudden, honestly. Only a few months ago."

"Only a few months and you're engaged?" You said it like it was a dirty word.

He shrugged. "We're in love. Better now than later, I figured."

What a Jughead answer. You'd laugh if you weren't so heartbroken.

On that note, Pop brought the two of you your usuals: burgers, fries, and shakes. "So good to see you kids after so long," he said. "You two finally dating?"

"No," Jughead said with a laugh. "Just friends, Pop. I'm with someone else."

Every time he said it was like a punch in the gut. You averted your eyes, concentrating on the neon signage outside.

"Oh, how disappointing," Pop said, frowning. "Well take care now." He returned to the kitchen.

"Why hasn't Pop seen you in a while?" You asked Jughead. He'd normally go to Pop's multiple times a week. You would have thought he'd marry a cheeseburger before marrying Betty Cooper.

"Now that I have a full time job it's hard to find the time to come in. Fred sometimes brings us to-go orders from here," Jughead said, stuffing some fries in his mouth. "Betty's dieting now for the wedding and forbids this stuff in the house anyways."

You raised an eyebrow. Betty keeping Jughead away from burgers? That's like keeping a fish out of the ocean.

He grinned. "Plus, this place just doesn't feel the same without you."

You tried to smile but it came off as a grimace. You looked down, pushing around the fries in the basket.

"So... there was something you wanted to tell me, right?" Jughead said. Your head snapped up.

"Um... I miss you," you offered, voice hollow. Well, it was kind of true.

"Oh, (Y/N), I miss you too," Jughead said, smiling tenderly. Your heart melted at the sight, and you cursed yourself internally.

While you hurt so badly inside, talking to Jughead distracted you from the pain that he had caused. Noticing your quietness, he supplied both sides of the conversation, giving you all the big updates of what had happened since you went away for school.

Archie and Veronica were attending school in New York–Archie for music performance and Veronica for business management, but they were both in town for wedding preparations as the best man and maid of honor. FP had finally joined Alcoholics Anonymous, determined to be sober for Jughead's wedding. There were even rumors of Jughead's mom coming back to town.

Your other classmates were off enjoying futures full of opportunity. The Pussycats (after years of arguments Josie finally agreed to make the band a group effort) were a huge hit on YouTube, and were planning to fly to LA to collaborate with other artists and video creators in the area for the summer. Kevin was attending state school and was enjoying the larger LGBTQ community there, making friends and dating around. Reggie was at that same school on football scholarship, and there was talk of a future in the professional league.