Following a break up with Betty, Jughead finds himself exiled to the library, where he meets you, a seemingly sweet girl. Little does he know the dark secrets you keep inside.
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In which Jughead gets in a fight with the gang and makes an unusual friend in his exile. Out of everyone in Riverdale, he should know that appearances are not always what they seem.
"The Riverdale School Library will close in fifteen minutes. Thank you."
It had been three days since The Incident. Jughead hadn't spoken to his former best friends (which will hitherto be referred to as Defendants 1, 2, and 3 as he could not think their names without gagging). During the hours when Jughead wasn't crammed into the uncomfortably close classrooms or attic bedrooms with the three defendants, he found his solitude in the library. The drive-in would have been much preferred, but that was a paradise of time's past. Very past.
"Come on now, what is it?"
Jughead looked up from a checked-out textbook about film theory to the girl sitting across the table. For three days Jughead has sat at one of the only not-gummed up tables in the whole library. For three days this girl sat across from him, her own book in hand. For three days, they haven't said a word to each other.
Until today.
"What is what?" Jughead asked, quickly veiling his curiosity with his default look of adolescent disdain.
"You look like you have a lot going on up there. I'm here if you want to talk." (Y/N) shut her book and placed it on the table. Jughead wasn't popular, but Riverdale High was small. Small enough for Jughead to know that the name of the resident "Library Squatter" was (Y/N) (L/N) and that (Y/N)'s family had moved to Riverdale from some big immigrant city in California at the beginning of the year and that she lived in the small house on Pendelton with the yellow paint. They were in the same English class, but she never raised her hand or talked to the other students.
"I didn't come to a library to talk," Jughead hissed. The librarian shushed the two of them, glaring particularly hard at Jughead.
(Y/N) continued with a whisper: "Come on, it's not like I'm part of Cheryl Blossom's banshees or your own little mystery squad. Nothing bad will come of venting to me." She gave a very faint, but sly grin. "I'm Switzerland."
The librarian coughed pointedly, indicating that the two were close to overstaying their welcome in the library.
Jughead looked her once over. Her perfectly curled hair and warmly-colored cardigans rang much too close to a certain Defendant 2. Much too close to the Incident. He could notice smaller differences, though. (Y/N)'s hair hung loose rather than in a tight ponytail, and her expressions were subtler and more timid. Her sneakers were torn a bit and stained, much like Jughead's familiar Converse. She seemed like a simple girl. Nice enough, would never cause trouble.
What could go wrong?
(Y/N) sipped primly from a strawberry milkshake. "So, spill."
Following the librarian's daily banishing, the two bookworms retreated to the much familiar Pop's Diner. Jughead bit a fry.
"The 'mystery gang' isn't talking to me."
"Why?"
"Because Betty and I broke up and they all took her side."
(Y/N) put her milkshake down, eyebrow quirked. Betty and Jughead were one of the most talked-about couples in school. "Why?"
"Because Betty admitted she still loves Archie after he sang that dumb song to her. Archie sided with her out of pride, and Veronica sided with her out of loyalty."
Jughead's eyes watered and he focused on the pick-up trucks and Fords passing by on the outside street, fist clenched around a napkin. He loves, well, loved, Betty. Losing who he thought was the love of his life in one day, along with all of his friends was almost too much to handle.
(Y/N) looked distant, as if she were feeling his pain. She patted his hand. "I'm sorry, Jughead."
Jughead turned to glare at the girl. He hated that statement; he's gotten way too many "I'm sorry's" for make up for the immense load of crap life has given him.
(Y/N)'s eyes widened and she looked down, hands wringing even more intensely. Jughead swallowed. He forgot that outside of the three defendants and Kevin, most found Jughead's typical banter socially unacceptable.
Jughead forced a meek smile. "Thanks (Y/N). It means a lot." God, it sounded fake even coming from the son of a Southside Serpent.
For a moment, she smiled brightly, and everything about her changed. Her eyes crinkled and the smallest of dimples peeked through on her cheeks. She looked as beautiful as Betty, or even Veronica. Jughead couldn't look away.
(Y/N) sobered, averting her eyes again. "I'm shit at making people feel better, to be honest. But if you ever need a listener or a distraction or someone or smash things with I'm here."
Jughead gave a small, yet genuine, smile. This was more honest. This was more trusting. "I'll have to take you up on that offer. It's not like we don't spend all day together anyways."
The tension broken, the two continued to talk about any odd subject. While quiet at first, Jughead realized when comfortable he could get (Y/N) to say a lot. She was reading, for the tenth time, The Perks of Being a Wallflower (she loved the relationships between the characters), she didn't raise her hand in English because she hated people staring at her (also, she thought some people just had dumb opinions that would take too long to argue with), and she didn't know what she wanted to do with her life, but she someday wanted to have a garden. Eventually she nervously admitted she was out past her curfew, so they paid tab and said goodbye to a very curious Pop. He walked her to the small house on Pendleton with the yellow paint. She asked if they could exchange numbers, in case one or the other had an overdue book but couldn't make it to school. She said she'd see him at the library, and left.
Jughead walked home, perplexed, yet feeling a bit lighter. (Y/N) was right. Talking to someone about his problems rather than being bitter and rude actually... helped.
Jughead passed Archie, who was lounging on his bed picking at his guitar.
"Hi, Jughead. How are you?" Archie asked nervously. For the past three days he had asked Jughead the same question, and for the past three days Jughead had ignored him. While Archie wanted to comfort Betty and support Veronica, he saw no point in carrying a feud into their home.
"...hi Archie." Jughead said without gagging. He shrugged off his jacket and laid back on his air mattress, opening his laptop to type the days events. "Today was all right."
Archie's jaw dropped. Jughead clicked around on his computer nonchalantly, as if they'd never spoken.
Not wanting to push him, Archie returned to his playing. He faintly smiled, knowing something, though he didn't know what, had changed.
