Just Friends ▻ Jughead Jones

36

After Betty, Veronica, and Archie came to Southside High to stop their friends from making a big mistake, the trip stood outside alongside Jughead and Victoria.  

Victoria And Jughead sat on the hood of a car as they talked to Betty. Archie and Veronica stood several feet away from them.

"Man, can't you just let us be, Betty?" Victoria complained, rolling her eyes at the blonde, "Southside High is where we belong, nothing is going to change that. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Tori, you of all people belong at Riverdale High. You're Riverdale's Golden Girl. You're captain of the football team!" Betty argued with her and Jughead sighed out, shaking his head in agreement.

"Sad to say, Betty, but she isn't anymore," Jughead informed the Cooper girl, giving Victoria a sympathetic look.

Victoria had a sad look in her eyes at the mention of her no longer being on the football team. Jughead noticed this and wrapped an arm around her. Victoria immediately rested her head on his shoulder, which caused Betty to look at them, jealousy in her eyes.

Same went for Archie, who turned his head to look at them. He was with Veronica now, but those feelings he had Victoria were still there for some odd reason.

Veronica noticed that Archie's eyes were on Victoria instead of her so she quickly spoke up, "They're each other's soulmates. Not even Team Bughead can top Team Jori. Good for them though, don't you think?" Veronica spoke up and Archie stayed quiet, slowly nodding his head even though he wasn't so sure with his answer, "Archie, what is it?"

"Ronnie, I—" Archie began to confess to her, only to be interrupted by Veronica's phone buzzing.

"Wait," Veronica stopped him before he could finish, "'Thanks for trying. I'm going to be with Jason now.'?" Veronica read out her text from Cheryl.

She was confused for a long moment before she came to realization what it meant, "Oh, my God!" She gasped out.

"What?" Archie asked Veronica concerned.

"Where would Cheryl go to be with Jason?" She asked, even though she knew the answer.

"Sweetwater River," Archie replied quietly.

"We have to go," Veronica said quickly, walking past Archie and toward her three other friends, "Guys, we have to go!"

————

The five teenagers made their way to Sweetwater River as fast as humanly possible. Since snow covered all of Riverdale, Sweetwater River was frozen over with thin ice.

"Cheryl? Cheryl!" The group called out for the redhead as they searched for  her.

Jughead and Victoria held each other's hand as they followed Archie, Veronica, and Betty through the woods. They stopped walking at the River's edge, "She's not here," Archie sighed out, clearly disappointed that they weren't able to find her.

As her eyes scanned around the River, Victoria's eyes instantly locked on Cheryl, who stood on the frozen river. She wouldn't even have been able to see her if it wasn't for her bright red locks, "Oh, my God, Guys! Over there!" She yelled out, pointing across the river.

"Cheryl! Cheryl!" They all screamed out as they ran forward.

"Cheryl, stop! What are you doing?"

Before they could walk into the river, both Archie and Victoria pushed the group back, "No, stop. Don't. The ice." Archie warned them as a bunch of the ice began to crack.

"He's right, too much weight and we'll all go under." Jughead agreed with his friend.

As they all began to beg and shout for Cheryl to come back to the shore, the redhead didn't seem to listen, She continued to pound at the ice in search of a hole to fall through.

Cheryl had a depressed look on her face as she slowly turned to face the group. Her cheeks were streaked with tears and her face seemed paler than ever.

"Just come to the shore, Cheryl. We can figure this out together. You don't have to do this." Victoria pleaded with her.

Cheryl stared at her for a long moment just before she fell trough the ice.

"No!" They all screamed out as they ran toward the place she fell through, not caring that they could fall through too if there was too much weight on the ice.

Archie and Victoria seemed to be in the lead as they ran across the ice. Both of them knelt in front of the large hole in the ice to find her not there.

"The current has her." Jughead explained to them quickly, "Spread out, spread out!"

The group of five all went their separate ways in search of Cheryl, who was trapped under the ice. Archie was lucky enough to find Cheryl and quickly turned to face the group, "She's here! She's here!" He informed them.

Victoria's eyes lit up as she quickly ran over to Archie and knelt near him. Archie began to punch the thick ice, trying to break it.

He seemed to be struggling with it so Victoria did the unexpected and started to help him. Over and over, she punched at the ice alongside Archie, her knuckles bleeding severely as she did so.

"Archie, Tori, be careful!" Veronica pleaded.

"We're punching ice, How is that freaking careful?" Victoria shouted out in anger as she continued to slam her fist into the ice.

Victoria yelled out in pain as she and Archie punched one last time, the ice finally breaking. The water felt freezing cold as both Archie and Victoria reached their hands into He river and grabbed Cheryl, pulling the redhead out.

Blood covered the ice around them, both Archie and Victoria's. They both gently laid her down on the ice before Archie began to give her cpr.

Soon enough, Cheryl coughed up the water and Victoria sighed in relief. Archie quickly picked the girl up bridal's style before they took her away from the river.

————

"I'm fine, really," Victoria rolled her eyes as she sat with Jughead in the hospital room.

She had just received her cast and the couple sat together in the chairs of the hospital room.

"You broke your right hand and your three of your knuckles, Tor. That's not fine," Jughead replied and Victoria couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, at least now I can get out of writing my English papers because I broke my dominant hand." She commented and Jughead laughed along with her.

Jughead smiled as they both stared at each other. He took it upon himself, leaning forward as he kissed her passionately.

After a moment, they pulled away from each other, "Tori, I—" Jughead began to say, only to be interrupted by the doctor.

"Victoria Munroe, you are hereby allowed to leave. Just come back in a few weeks, okay?" The doctor announced and Victoria nodded her head in response.

AN: only one more chapter of season 1!