Poison | Jughead Jones

Chapter fifteen

Memorials

Jessebelle pulled her hair into a pony tail as she slid into a booth in the whyteworm. Toni watched the girl suspiciously, toying with a pink lock of her own hair.

"Why are you still at that school?" She asked, her attention however still content on the pink strands.

"When will you stop asking me about it?" Bella counteracted with a smirk, tugging her leather jacket closer to her skin as the cold air trickled in from a near window. The girls budged over as Sweetpea and Jack fell next to them, each one choosing a girl to sit with.

"We do miss you Jessie, Southside Highs lost its spunk without you." Jack wriggled his eyebrows as his arm fell against the head of the booth.

"I told you, I prefer Bella." The brunette corrected him, stealing the drink he had brought over. She sipped on the vodka and coke, eyes trained on her brother to quietly beg him for an excuse.

"She'll be back before next term, just a few loose ends." Sweetpea explained, his voice low and almost unforgiving. But Bella knew he was a softie at heart.

The conversation played on, yet Bella had tuned out. She let her head rest on her chin as she began to daydream, barely noticing when her name was called or when the proxemics within the booth got smaller.

"Bella." Jack repeated for the third time, clearly agitated she wasn't listening. She turned her head slightly, raising her eyebrows in question. He had slid closer to her, she had realised, their bodies a bit too close.

"Juvenile Jones is Here." He muttered with a roll of his eyes, slouching back into his seat as he watched her face light up. There he was, stood awkwardly by the entrance and staring straight at them. Bella broke out into a massive grin as they matched gazes, and leapt over jack to get out of the booth.

"What are you doing here?" She smiled, skidding to a stop and pulling him out of the pub filled with intrusive stares.

"You didn't call." Was all he replied with, his expression flat. A hand clasped around Bellas lips as she let out a small gasp, her eyes widening.

"I thought something had happened, that something went wrong." Jughead continued, gaze narrowing to the petite girl.

"I'm sorry jug, I totally blanked." Bella apologised, letting her skinny fingers drop to her side. Jughead nodded, fishing out the invitation still hidden in his jacket.

"Look that's not why I came, you've been invited to Jason's funeral." He thrusted the letter into her hands without a second for her to process, the elegant cursive boldly spelling her name.

"Why was I invited, I didn't even know the kid very well." She muttered a response, pulling away the baby hairs clinging to her lip.

"Anyway doesn't matter I'm not going." She continued, shoving the letter into her pocket without even opening it. The boy rolled his eyes, digging his hands firmly into his pockets to keep them warm. Autumnal air was unforgiving.

"Cheryl wants to remind everyone, it is not optional." He mimicked the girls light voice with a smirk tracing his lips at his friends reaction.

"I don't do-." Bella began to retort, the small smile wiping from her lips.

"Funerals, I know. But you'll have Betty and Veronica and Archie there. And you'll have me." Jughead interrupted, nodding at her adequate response.

Jessebelle Rhodes grew up without biological parents, all assumed they had passed or wanted nothing to do with a set of twins. At least that's what they were told.

Knowing that maybe her parents never got the send off they deserved, funerals became nothing but a bitter way to dig up the past.

*****

Bellas braided her long hair as she sat in front of the cracked mirror resting on the broken vanity. Nothing was new in their little apartment, all collected from junk yards and second hand sellers.

She didn't want to go to the funeral at all, watching the fake somber expressions flood the room just to shift the blame. She wouldn't be surprised if Jason's killer sat silently watching, crying crocodile tears as if in irony.

Her dress was of black lace, more modest than how she normally liked. A funeral was no place for a little black number after all. She could hear the front door creak ajar, taking it as her cue to leave and prevent any unwanted heat between boys. Bella slipped into the small room, her eyes casted down as she fiddled with the loose hem of the dress.

"Woah." A soft voice filtered into the air, scared of disrupting the pleasant atmosphere. Bellas gaze drifted up to the scrawny boy in an unfitted suit, rolling her eyes at his choice of words.

"Don't remind me how stupid I look, Jones." She stated, dropping her hold of the skirt of the dress and stopping in front of him.

"No, I was going to remind you how stunning you are." Jughead grinned, pulling down the beanie still clasped to his head. Her eyes widened slightly and for a second the snarky girl had lost her words, gaze glued to the boy.

"I must be sleeping still, not only is Jughead Jones actually wearing a suit but he gave a compliment." Bella smirked, handing over her phone for him to put in his pocket.

It was his turn to roll his eyes as he opened the door into the musty hallway. The two walked out and headed to the car the boy had borrowed, the air quiet for a simple second.

"Well, what can I say Jessebelle? Things are changing."

*****

Bellas eyes were clenched shut as she focused on each intake of air. She was there as a favour to Jughead, not wanting to cause any more drama then necessary for a dead kid.

But with the room tense and awaiting the arrival of Cheryl Blossom, Bella couldn't help but feel suffocated. She didn't have her safety blanket around her, not one single person that knew all of her family history.

Expect for jughead.

She swallowed a thick layer of fear down as the music played softly in the background, trying to ignore the conversations around her. A hand suddenly enclosed around her own, followed by a soothing tone.

"Hey, it's okay. Just focus on something else." Jughead whispered, watching the girl as she cautiously opened her eyes. She scowled slightly, eyes flickering across the room.

"How, Jug? How am I meant to focus on something else when everything here screams memorial." She muttered lowly, her chest growing tighter. He shook off her sharp comment, knowing how the girl acted more than anyone.

"Focus on me okay? Keep your focus on me." It took a moment for Bella to absorb his words, her eyes casting down to the intertwined hands resting on her lap.

He gave a light squeeze, allowing her response to be unvoiced as he watched her mind work. Archie fell back into the seat in front of them, a somber expression resting on his skin.

All was quiet for a moment, no one questioning why Rhodes was so timid all of a sudden.
After all, even snakes have weaknesses.

•••

What do we think?
And what about the finale?
I can honestly say I cried for an hour for the second to last episode, I was in denial but still believed that was it. So glad it wasn't.