Helpline ((Jughead Jones)) 2

1

Our story continues. The mayors jubilee was supposed to change everything, be a new start. But when we woke up the next morning, Riverdale was still, at its heart, a haunted town.

Meanwhile, Archie Andrews, who doesn't even have a driver's license yet, is at this very moment careening down the streets of Riverdale, trying to outrace death.

Now, I don't believe in miracles, usually. But it was a miracle that Archie got his dad to Riverdale General Hospital without wrecking the truck.

Jughead and I immediately got up, dressed and onto the back of his dad's motorcycle. He threw the helmet to me, which I put on, jumping on the bike behind him. People say that motorcycles aren't safe. They say that accidents are more likely. But the statistics and the warnings from mother and father all melted away because I knew that we had to get to the hospital in record time, or at least get there soon.

Upon entering, we met up with Betty and Veronica who had also been told about the events of that morning, and were, too, on their way to be supportive. We all were faced with a pacing Archie, worry etched onto his face, and blood stained onto his hands. Fred's blood. His dad's blood.

Veronica and Betty were the first two to go up and hug the devastated boy. I joined to group hug before Jughead wrapped his arms around the four of us. It was the perfect comfort in the worst situation.

"I came out of the bathroom and there was this man, a thief, wearing this hood, with a gun on Pop Tate. And then he pointed it at my dad and he fired. And then he..." Archie paused in his tale of the violent act that had just spread around the town of Riverdale. Jughead looked at him, urging him to continue.

"And then he what?" Veronica asked.

"And then he bolted. And I was holding my dad. Pop Tate called an ambulance and it didn't come so I drove here... And I don't know, maybe I should've waited. I made maybe made it worse."

I couldn't imagine the trauma Archie must have been facing. Sat in a hospital, his dad facing surgery that would determine if he lived or died. If I was in the position of one of my parents dying, I think I would feel relief, knowing I may never have to deal with them again. It sounds harsh, and cruel, and like the typical spoiled brat line. However I knew that my mother wouldn't grieve for me like she did Jason. I knew I would shed tears, but I wouldn't be as upset as Archie. Purely because his family was better, more loving, more grateful, more pure than ours.

"No, dude. Are you kidding me? You saved your dad's life. First Cheryl, and now your dad," Jughead had his arm over Archie's shoulder, comforting the boy that was practically his brother. "Keep this up, and you'll need a superhero name. Like Pureheart the Powerful." I knew J was just trying to make light out of a really bad situation, but I didn't think joking was what Archie needed right now. Despite my own opinion, we didn't have chance to see Archie's reaction as Mrs Cooper came over telling Archie that there was no new information and that his dad was still in surgery. Archie excused himself to go to talk to his mother, call her and explain what happened.

Once Archie had left, Mrs Cooper gave Jughead disapproving looks, that same ones he always got from my mom.

"Mom, don't start this." Betty said, clearly guessing what she was about to say.

"What?" Jughead asked, not seeing what was wrong. I knew. Mrs Cooper had a vendetta against the Southside for years and it was becoming more and more apparent. I tried to stop Jughead from asking, but I couldn't.

"I am just wondering if your Southside associated had anything to do with what happened." She said, not even looking Jug in the eye to speak to him. Only when he responded did she bother to look at him.

"At least you can't accuse my father of being the shooter considering he's in jail." Jughead stated, giving Betty a look asking her to control her mother. The adults were silent. I reached over, taking Jughead's hand in mine, showing reassurance. We would get his father back together, and we would go through anyone and anything to get him back.

We all stood as Sheriff Keller began to ask Archie how his dad was. Jughead went with Archie and Keller to talk about what had happened. It was clear to me that this would be Jughead's new story, and it would reveal everything about Riverdale that no other book could.

I sat with the girls, and we sat in silence. No one wanted to speak about what happened and no one wanted to converse, we were just happy to sit together, contempt in koning that we had friends near. We listened at the pointless idle chatter of the adults conversing like they all tolerated each other, trying to fool everyone into thinking they were all happy. The act didn't fool any three of us sat on the chairs in the waiting room. In fact, it amused us, as we knew the minute they went home, they would be scheming and lying and deceiving going on.

Betty and Veronica began to talk, Betty reassuring her. Those two were inseparable, and I wished that I had that close friendship with a girl that wasn't my sister. It made me hope that when I was at Southside High, I would make a friend that was as good as the friendship between Betty and Ronnie.

Jughead came over to me, grabbed my hand and started to walk out of the hospital. I shouted a goodbye over my shoulder to Archie and the girls before turning to Jughead. He looked determined, like he was already on a mission. It was a look that I had seen many times before during the case of my brother's murder.

"J, where are we going?" I asked as he put the helmet back on my head and sat me on the motorcycle once more. He put his hands on my face, cupping my cheeks and looking straight into my eyes.

"Into the serpent's lair, princess, you ready?" He replied, sitting on the bike. I wrapped my arms around his chest, feeling the tight muscles beneath his signature jacket.

"Of course." Jug, glanced back at me smirking, before focusing on the road ahead.

"Then you better hold on." We pulled away from the Hospital. Two investigator on a mission, searching for answers that I didn't know we were going to be asking. Two teenagers, one with a beanie to keep his dark locks in place, the other with a helmet that was doing nothing to stop the fiery mess from blowing as they rode away, and towards the serpents.