The Sad Breakfast Club // BUGHEAD + VARCHIE + KEVIN

TREIZE

"'Andrew! You've got to be number one! I won't tolerate any loser in this family! Your intensity if for shît! Win! Win!' You son of a bïtch. You know, sometimes i wish my knee would give. And I wouldn't be able to wrestle anymore. And he could forget all about me."

~ Andrew Clarke, The Breakfast Club (1985)

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This chapter contains mentions of suicidal attempt.

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KEVIN

IT STILL AMAZES KEVIN how quickly Betty forgave Veronica for what she told her. He thinks it's only because abetty has a heart of gold and is a total sweetheart, but as soon as she did, she and Veronica couldn't stop talking to each other, like they've been friends for so long. Jughead continued his smoke while Betty put hers out, and Archie happily accepted a cigarette when Archie offered him one. Kevin watched them all, feeling so out of place, but at the same time it felt like he belonged.

"If you don't mind me asking, what did you guys do to get detention?"Veronica asked, looking aorund the group, breaking off her conversation with Betty about God knows whatever it was. There was an exchange of gazes, unsure of who should start, before Betty spoke up. "I can tell that the reason I came in here is the lightest reason, so I'll start."She said.

"I skipped a whole day of classes with Cheryl and went out of town to shop."Betty answered, nodding her head slowly. "And the reason I did it was because I've always wanted to rebel against my mom for some time now, and I've always been too chicken to do it, so when Cheryl offered to take me out of town with her I took it as an opportunity to rebel."

"What about you, Archie?"Veronica asked, turning to face the ginger. He hesitated before he answered the question, putting out the flame of his cigarette. "I'm here because I beat up this kid from the Southside who comes to school here too."He said, and Jughead's attention was immediately caught. He perked up at Archie's confession. "You were the one who busted Fangs' nose?"Jughead asked, and Archie glanced at him, with shame on his face. He nodded and sighed.

"Reggie got sent to the hospital, he was beat up pretty badly. And, because I was so angry and because of Bulldog loyalty, I asked him who beat him up so I'd do the same to the guy. He said he didn't get a good look at the guy because it was dark, but he said he was sure it was a Southsider."He explained, gulping softly. "I assumed it was Fangs, because no other Southsider would be crazy enough to take on a Northsider outside their property, so I beat him up."There was moment of silence, everyone surprised at what Archie did. Jughead knew Fangs very well, and he knew how bad Archie broke his nose.

Who knew the golden boy could do something like that?

"Well the reason I'm here is because,"Jughead trailed off, avoiding Archie's gaze. "I was the one who sent Reggie to the hospital."He admitted, and Betty gasped softly while Archie's eyes widened in surprise. "That was you?"Archie asked, clearly stunned as he froze right on the spot at the same time Jughead nodded, confirming his confession. "I beat him up because I saw something he did that he shouldn't have done."

Kevin tensed visibly. If he had understood what Jughead said correctly, then it means that Jughead saw what happened to him, and that he already had an idea of why he received detention. He gulped softly and glanced at Jughead, only to see that his eyes have landed on him already. "What the hell, Jughead. You stuck a switchblade into Reggie's rib!"Archie scoffed, standing up on his feet.

"You're not looking so innocent after what you did to Fangs, you shït!"Jughea djumped to his feet as well, ready to lunge at Archie but halted and contorlled himself. "That's enough."Veronica ordered, fiddling with her thumbs. Betty stood up and whispered to Jughead, pulling him to sit back down slowly while Veronica tried the same with Archie, who only moved away from her. "What about you, Kevin?"

"Jughead said he saw Reggie do something he shouldn't have done."Kevin started, keeping his eyes on Jughead. There was this glint in his eyes that told Kevin that he knew, he knew the reason he was there. "That means that he knows why I'm here."Jughead soon averted his gaze from his, settling it on the floor.

"I'm here because Coach Clayton found a gun in my possession."

Everyone looked surprised at Kevin's reaction, everyone except Jughead. Kevin assumed correctly, then. Jughead knew why he got detention. "I sneaked one out form my dad's stash, one that I was sure he wouldn't notice was gone, and kept it in my bag. Sometimes I hid it in my gym locker, and that was how Coach Clayton found it."

"Why would you have a gun?"Archie asked, looking at Kevin with a confused expression. Kevin stared back at him and debated whether or not he should answer—it was a very personal question that required a very personal answer, and Kevin wasn't sure if he could talk about it.

"I planned on using it on myself."

Aside from Betty's gasp, the room was silent, and Jughead had already given up his cigarette. Everyone was eager to hear Kevin's story, and the boy sighed. "I planned on killing myself. Reggie and his friends were bullying me, picking on me whenever they could. But it only got worse when I did something with one of his friends, and he completely snapped."Kevin began to explain.

"One day, in the gym locker rooms, Reggie and his guys started physically assaulting me, calling me names. They barely even let me process what was happening, and the next thing I knew was that Reggie had sliced a line on my arm, just a little above my elbow."Kevin started pulling his sweater up for proof—a single line that did look like it was the result of the handiwork of a knife. "He said if I told anyone about it, he'd tell Mr. Weatherbee about my gun, which I didn't realize he found in my locker, which he broke into just hours before that fight."

"And I saw what happened, from a distance but I still saw it."Jughead spoke up, folding his arms over his chest. "And because of what I did to Reggie, I'm guessing he tipped Coach Clayton off about your gun and now you're here."Kevin nodded at Jughead's prediction, rolling the sleeves of his sweater back down.

"What did you do that got Reggie so pissed at you?"Archie asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You said you did something with one of his friends that made him snap at you. I don't understand—"

"I slept with Moose Mason."Kevin blurted out, his eyes widening and his hands flying up to cover his mouth once he realzied that he had told them the truth. Oh, shît. He thought to himself, panicking. Veronica gasped in surprise, palcing her hand over her chest in a sophisticated manner. "You're gay?"

He hadn't officially told anyone about his sexuality, but yes, he was. And if Moose shut up about their late night adventures, the Reggie wouldn't have found out and he would have laid off him. But of course, Moose jsut had to ruin everything, and now his reputation was on the line. "Yes, I'm gay. And because I'm being stepped all over because of it, I felt so worthless, and I jsut wanted to shoot myself and die."If his father ever found out he was gay, Kevin would be disowned. Kevin nodded at Veronica's question, and he sighed softly before he turned to Jughead.

"Thank you, for what you did to Reggie. He deserved everything you did to him—all the punches you landed on his face."Kevin spoke with a small smile, addressing Jughead, who nodded his head appreciatively in reply. "The pleasure's all mine."He replied, and Betty turned to Veronica. "What about you? What did you do to get in here?"Betty asked curiously, and Veronica shrugged her shoulders lightly.

"I had nothing better to do."