"I swear in that little moment, a match was lit."
[RIVERDALE: BETTY & JUGHEAD FANFIC]
SEASON ONE ONLY
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NOTE: I do not own the characters, plot or original Riverdale story line. I have only enhanced and fantasized the Bughead...
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chapter twenty: road block
♚jughead♚
AS IF this place is not creepy enough, the lady sitting behind the counter at the front desk has been staring deep into my non existent soul for the past twenty minutes, her narrowed slit of her eyes giving me the chills.
It does not matter how much I look away or distract myself, I can feel her treacherous eyes staring at me, burning holes into my back even as I turn away. Maybe it's because I'm a teenage boy, with a stereotypical reputation to cause trouble, but honestly I can't take it any more.
Finally I've had enough of this eeriness, so I stand and walk over to the lady, putting on my best polite boy face. "Ma'am, do you have a washroom I could use?" I ask with a forced smile.
"To your left, through those doors and to the right, Mr.Jones." She replies, her lips pressed in a fine, stern line as if they're glued together.
Mr.Jones. How does she know my name?
I subconsciously pause and stare at her, trying to think of a time today when I gave her my name but nothing comes up. The level of creepiness I felt moments before whilst sitting in the lobby is now intensified to a soaring level, so much so that I feel the palms of my hands start to sweat. "How do you know-"
"I know the Jones family son. Don't think your father hasn't ever paid a visit here before?" She questions, but this time her stern lips are curled upwards into some sort of mysterious smirk, as if they're pushing the line of being devious.
"I didn't know actually." I snap, angered that perhaps that is the reason she was giving me such dirty looks earlier.
"Shouldn't be a surprise considering his childhood. He was bound to end up in here." As she speaks my hands ball up into fists, my jaw clenched as I hold in the ball of firing rage growing inside me. I'm use to this kind of talk about my father, use to the hate and reputation he's built for himself. I just can't seem to ever catch a break from it, as it pops up with baring sharp teeth in every corner of this town.
"The only thing I'm surprised about, is that you haven't ended up in here." She huffs a chuckle, staring at her coworker beside her as they share a little laugh. Their laughter however is like gas to my rage, fuelling the fire.
"I guess I chose a new set of footprints to follow. Sorry if that disappoints you, but I'm afraid the Jones family line within this place has come to a close." I retort bitterly, before turning around and walking in the direction she pointed me to for the washrooms.
"We'll see about that." She says quietly, but not quiet enough so that I don't hear it. Part of me knows she wanted me to hear it.
Despite the part of me that so desperately wants to turn around and confront her again, I find even greater strength to find the restraint to keep going until I find myself in the washroom.
