This Spells Trouble - A Riverdale Fanfiction

Dark Matter

Sabrina wandered to the table that Betty had told her to go to. She could see Jughead and his everlasting beanie from afar, the others sitting beside and across from him, save for Betty, who seemed not to be present. Sabrina frowned at that, but continued towards the table anyway. She would just have to introduce herself as a friend of Betty. Hopefully not in a awkward way. Sabrina pondered some examples. Hello, 'tis I, Sabrina, friend of Betty Cooper? No, definitely not. I'm Betty Cooper's friend Sabrina? Better. Nice to meet you. I'm Sabrina. I'm friends with Betty Cooper. Yes, that would work. Sabrina smiled, rolling her shoulders back and striding confidently.

She arrived at the table. The first to notice her was Jughead, who raised an eyebrow.
"Sabrina Spellman, I presume."

Sabrina shoulders sagged as the groups eyes fell on her. Oh, damn it, she wasn't prepared for this line of dialogue. Jughead patted the spot next to him, saving her from whatever terrible attempt she was about to muster. She scuttled over to the spot, and sat down. Jughead seemed to study her. Sabrina's smile faltered. Up close, she could see the bruised purple tint under his eyes, which themselves weren't lively. His eyes were old, like he'd seen too much, and now wore their weariness. Sabrina felt his dark, intense energy as they watched her for a short moment, until they flickered away, and the heaviness faded. Sabrina remained watching him, still feeling the weight of the eyes, before a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey. Sabrina, right? I'm Veronica. Nice to meet you."

Sabrina shook out of her stupor and turned her head to Veronica, who was presenting her hand to shake across the table, a smile on her face. Sabrina shook the hand, returning a smile of her own. Veronica began introducing the others, not once saying something negative about them. Sabrina was astounded. Veronica seemed nicer than what she was used to, her energy more comforting and soft. But even that could not outweigh the strange energy she had felt from Jughead. It was so unlike the energy of her universe's Jughead, which was boundless and vibrant. This energy felt trapped, desperate to escape. It was overwhelming, even when his eyes were not letting her see it. She could just feel it, itching at her skin.

"I bet you're wondering where Betty is."

It was Archie, whose gentle grin transcended dimensions. Sabrina managed a smile.
"Yeah. I was."

"Blame Archie. He reminded her there was Vixen practice," Jughead muttered, as if he was also annoyed by the fact. "It's a mystery you even knew that Archie. Are you a secret cheerleader or just a stalker?"

Archie smiled sheepishly, whilst Veronica looked at Archie horrified.
"Wait, there was Vixen practice?!"

"Yeah. Hey, why aren't you there?"

"Because I forgot. Why didn't you mention it earlier? You know I'm a cheerleader, idiot. Well, it's too late now," she said dramatically, her head falling into her hands, an unhappy pout on her face. Sabrina felt reassured; this was definitely still Veronica.

"Be glad, Veronica. You get to enjoy one less practice of a sport based around the objectification of women to entertain people," Jughead commented.

"....You know there are male cheerleaders too, Jughead."

"Archie, don't ruin my point. Besides, male cheerleaders don't wear skirts when they get thrown in the air."

"True, true," Archie murmured, nodding his head.

Kevin at this point joined the conversation.
"I can vouch that I once saw Reggie wear a cheerleader outfit. Pretty sure it was a dare, but hey, he wore it well."

Jughead smirked.
"I'm am definitely using that next time he says something demeaning about me in my presence."

"Aren't you and Reggie friends?" Sabrina interjected awkwardly, not wanting to be that weird person who sits quietly during a conversation.

Jughead and the others scoffed, as if that was the most unbelievable thing ever.
"Definitely not. I don't think in any universe we would be friends. That's like putting tomatoes in chocolate milk." He turned to the others. "Trust me, it's disgusting."

Sabrina rubbed her neck awkwardly as the others made noises of distaste.
"Yeah, definitely."

This universe was strange, no doubt. She was still not sure if it was in good way. When lunch ended, Sabrina could still feel the lingering energy of Jughead as she went to her next class. And when she returned to the hotel, it remained like a memory, pricking at her skin. She sank down onto the bed, putting her bag beside her. The bag shook like an egg, and Salem popped out, an extreme look of irritation on his face.

"If you told me I was going to be a handbag cat, I would have rejected this inter-dimensional getaway idea. I am not made for bag travel, Sabrina."

"I'll give you some yarn for tomorrow," she replied irritably.

Salem nudged her arm, pushing himself onto her lap and looking at her with his amber eyes.
"I'm supposed to be the sarcastic one. What's got your wand in a twist?"

"It's Jughead," she muttered simply.

Salem hummed in amusement.
"Did he reject you again or something?"

"Oh, hush. I'm over that....No," she frowned, unsure of how to phrase this, "he just seemed....different."

"We are in a alternate universe, Sabrina. It was bound to happen."

"Oh, I don't know, Salem! He acted kind of the same, but his energy was just so....lonely."

Salem remained silent, before murmuring.
"Yes, I felt that too."

Sabrina hugged Salem close, petting him whilst she was deep in thought, thinking of how she could possibly help. She really wanted to. Jughead was her friend, and she wished for him to be happy, because from what she had felt, he wasn't. Salem's purr was a soundtrack to the formation of her new idea, one that could benefit Jughead's well being. She cradled Salem close, to whisper in his ear.
"I have an idea."

Salem sighed.
"Not again."