Weirdo - Jughead Jones

13: Back to Pop's

Despite my mother's calls I trudged out into the night. I wasn't sure where I was going; my body moved without my mind telling it to.

For five months I have worried about him, missing him to death. I thought he hated me. I thought he wouldn't want anything to do with me. But really he had been a few miles away. Just across town. But now I'd missed my chance to reunite with my father. Now he was missing.

Pop's appeared in front of me. My strides slowed and I wiped away tears I didn't know I'd shed. I took a deep breath and entered the shoppe.

I was looking around when I heard the only voice that I had wanted to hear.

"Maddie?"

Jughead was standing by a booth near the back. Again I felt like my body took over when I made my way over to him. I didn't stop until I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his jacket. He tensed for a second before responding to the embrace, wrapping his arms around me. As he rested his chin on the top of my head I finally let it all go. I let the tears fall. He rubbed my back as they did.

"Sorry," I said once we were sitting in a booth with my hot chocolate and his coffee. I looked down at my drink, embarrassed.

"Don't apologize." Jug shook his head. "I want to be here for you, Maddie."

I met his eyes and nodded with a soft smile. "My dad... has gone missing," I told him. I looked away and tugged at my bangs. My fingers curled around the strands of hair. "The last he was heard of was over two months ago. The sheriff was just at our house." I sighed. "Jug, he was here. All this time I thought my dad was in California. But he was living on the south side in some trailer park."

"Sunnyside?"

"I think so, yeah."

"My dad lives there, too," he said.

I looked up at him. "Do you live with him?"

Jughead hesitated, avoiding my gaze. "It's complicated. We don't exactly talk." He looked at me and his expression softened. "But I'll talk to him if he knows something about your dad."

"Thank you," I said quietly. "Five months. For five months he was right here. He was so close, but my mom was keeping me away from him. She didn't want me to see him, or talk to him. And now he's gone, and...." I started tugging my bangs again, fighting back the tears that were resurfacing.

Jughead got up from his seat and moved across to sit next to me.

"There was something else." After a moment of thought I decided to tell him. I told him about the man who came to our apartment to remind my dad about the deal. I still couldn't remember his name.

"Do you think he has something to do with this?" Jughead asked.

"He threatened my dad," I told him. "He threatened all of us." I looked at Jughead. "What if... what if he's...."

"Hey." Jughead stopped me, meeting my eyes with his. "Don't think like that. Have you noticed how good of a team we are? We'll figure this out, okay?"

"Okay."

"A-also..." He looked away from my eyes. His voice was soft. "I... uh."

"Jug?" I asked, confused by his stuttering. Was Jughead Jones nervous?

His eyes met mine again. I got lost in the intense blue-green. A look of determination crossed his face and I could hear his breathing getting heavier.

I was about to ask what was wrong when suddenly he leaned forward, closing the gap and pressing his lips against mine.

I felt a gigantic burst of warmth spreading from my stomach through my chest and all the way to my fingertips as he kissed me. One of his hands raised to hold the side of my face while the other went to the back of my neck.

The need for air came sooner than either of us would have liked it to and we pulled away. We both grinned and he pecked my lips once more before taking my hand.

I smiled to myself, taking my spoon up with my free hand and eating a scoop of whipped cream from the top of my hot chocolate.

"Nice lips, weirdo," I said after a while.

"Not too bad yourself, weirdo."