Riverdale Oneshots

Can We Turn Back Time

Running in circles, climbing trees, eating sticky, drippy opsicles on a hot summer's day. Those were the good ol' days, right?

Betty, Jughead, and Archie have always been great friends. The trio: always in the same class at Riverdale Elementary. Always hanging out after school, locked up in Jughead's treehouse doing homework or giggling about who knows what. Always having campouts under the stars and snacking on popcorn and potato chips and soda. Those were the good ol' days.

One crisp November evening, Betty, Jughead, and Archie were all lying on the trampoline in 8 year old Archie's backyard. Chatting about who has a crush on who, and who finished their homework on simple multiplication.

Betty was wearing a cute baby pink sweater with jeans and little cowgirl boots. Archie a T-shirt and dark jeans paired with his black hi-top converse. And Jughead in his normal S T-shirt with jeans, a small dark flannel around his waist, and his signature beanie. All of a sudden, a breeze blows by and Juggie's hat is swept off his head and into a tree.

"Oh no!" Little Jughead cries. The raven haired boy was never seen without the hat. It's almost as if it was part of this little 8 year old's personality.

"Ah!" Betty and Archie cry simultaneously.

"We have to get it down!" Jug whimpers.

"How?" Betty asks with a furrowed brow.

"I need a big stick." Archie says, clearly with a plan.

As the three of them scavenge the yard for a stick, Fred Andrews watched with a smirk from inside the house. Jughead finds a small twig, Betty can only find a rock and some leaves, and Archie tries to lug a huge log across the yard.

"Hmph." Jug plops down on the ground in defeat.

"Maybe I can climb the tree!" Archie says. The 4 foot tall redhead jumps up to grab a branch before agiley hoisting himself into the tree.

"Careful Archie!" Betty says in amazement as she watches him get higher and higher.

Now Fred is outside, trying to get his son down from the tree.

"Archibald Andrews!" he yells. "You come down right now!"

"No daddy! I almost have it!" He reaches up a little higher before grasping the beanie in his small hand.

"Hooray!" Jughead jumps up and down with glee.

"My hero!" Betty gasps admiringly.

Archie drops the beanie down to his friend before climbing back down the tree.

"That was fun!" He says as he hops down to the ground. "Can I do it again daddy?"

Fred has a mixed look of concern and confusion and pride as he drags the three kids back inside.

"Probably not son," He says, "But how would you all like some hot apple cider?"

"Oh boy! Would I!" They all say simultaneously before flopping down on the ground giggling.

Betty tightens her ponytail and Jughead clutches his hat as tightly as possible before jumping up onto the barstools in the kitchen. Fred prepared the cider and plops a cinnamon stick in each before setting the steaming mugs in from of the children.

"I am never taking this hat off again," Jughead says with a sigh. "Mark my words."