Helpline ((Jughead Jones)) 2

5

Behold, Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe. For decades, the heart of Riverdale.

Jug and I were standing, hand in hand, looking at the diner in front of us. You could almost see a mirage of faces sat at the tables grinning and chatting while Pop Tate busied himself and made conversation with regular guests. Now, none of that remained. With the words 'DeAth DINER' poorly spray painted on the side, Pop's looked like a shell, just a building with a sign and very distant memories.

"What the hell?" Jug whispered, more to himself than me as we stood still for a moment, taking in the image before us.

Now the latest casualty in the town's ongoing battle against darkness.

We both walked in, the familiar bell indicating our arrival. The sound that would usually be drowned out by the hum of noise, was now echoing around the barron diner. Pop was haunched over the counter top, clearly stressed about the lack of customers.

"Pop?" I asked, moving away from Jughead and closer to him, trying to show some ounce of support to the man that willingly housed us in his diner for many summer nights.

"Did you see? Did you see what they wrote on my Chock'lit Shoppe?" He asked us both, almost in tears. This greying man, with added wrinkles from the stress of recent events, was almost at breaking point. A man that would happily listen to a broken girl talk about anything to get her mind of her dead brother, didn't deserve to be treated this way. The guy that shot Mr Andrews may be the Angel of Death, but Pop Tate was definitely the angel of Riverdale.

Moving past Pop Tate, who ignore what I was doing, I went into the back kitchens and found a mop and bucket and a large sponge in the corner. After putting hot water in the bucket, I took the mop and the sponge outside. Jughead was sat conversing with Pop Tate, distracting him from what was happening to him and his business. Meanwhile, I was outside, cleaning the graffiti from the diner.

It took about an hour, but once I was done, and the water was black with paint, I took the bucket back inside, put the cleaned mop and sponge back and washed out the bucket before joining my boyfriend and Pop.

"All clean Pop." I smiled to him, sliding onto the stool next to Jug as he wrapped his arm around me.

"Bless you, Cynthia." He gave me a hug over the counter and then Jug lead us outside, saying we had people to meet with about important matters. Pop Tate managed to crack a smile as we left, clearly grateful for all we had done, even if Jughead had just sat and stuffed his face.

We got to the school grounds and sat with Betty, Veronica and Archie, beginning to tell them about what we had seen this morning.

"No one was there. His entire staff quit. He's not sure how long he'll be able to keep the doors open. Maybe not even a week." J explained. Everyone's face fell. Pop's was the place where we had first met Veronica. It was the place we went to celebrate anything. It was Pop's that housed our late night planning and gossiping as we tried to solve mysteries. That diner was easily the most important place in Riverdale, and we knew we wouldn't be the only people to miss it.

"It's because of what happened to my dad. People are freaking out." Archie replied, stating the obvious. Of course small minded people from an isolated community would think that after one attempted murder, that place was no longer safe to enter. (Even though the chances of this man striking there again were very low.) "I gotta be honest. I don't see myself going back soon."

"Wait, I'm sorry. Am I hearing acceptance?" Said Betty.

"I agree. You can't let one man with a gun, hiding behind anonymity dictate when you can and cannot use a diner we all love. It's still the same place." I commented. As much as I didn't want to hurt Archie's feelings, it had to be said. He couldn't just sit at home and never enter that diner again. If he did that, he may as well be handing control over to his enemy. Jay-Jay used to tell me that if anyone ever scares me, don't make it obvious, or they'll use it against you. It seemed that our society liked to find weaknesses and exploit them. This man had chosen the perfect place to strike.

"Jug, you went crazy trying to save the drive-in." Betty added, implying that he should try and help the diner. It wasn't a terrible idea. Jughead loved to fight for the underdog, but I felt that this project would be a little too much in this moment.

"I can't take on any more social issues right now. My hands are full." I could tell how much it hurt him not to be the revolutionary he usually was. Placing a hand on his back, rubbing slightly to show my understanding, I leant my head on his shoulder. J wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer, kissing the side of my head.

"With your dad, of course. And he should be your priority. I'll take point on helping Pop Tate." Betty volunteered. Veronica and I quickly agreed to help.

"Another B and V team up with Thia's help? What could go wrong?" Jug jested, "I'm off to meet my dad's court-appointed joke of a lawyer at the sheriff's station." Archie decided to come with him, beginning to stand. I quickly asked Jug whether or not he wanted me to come, but he just kissed my forehead, telling me to stay put and out of trouble as we got to work planning the best way to save the diner.

The next day, after lying in slightly and finding a note from Jug saying him and Betty went to see the mayor, I slowly got ready for the day ahead. I pulled on a tight red skirt, one that went to just above my knee, and a blue jumper, tucking it in. After pulling throwing on some makeup and slipping into some heels, I headed out of the door to find a way to occupy myself.

Veronica texted me saying that they were holding a meeting about what to do to save Pop's, so I headed there. When I entered, my red hair slightly messy from the speed I got there, I took a seat, seeing that they hadn't began yet. Betty smiled at me, as did V and Kevin, as she spoke about hosting an event.

"...Why this hill to die on?" Veronica asked her. I chose to answer, showing that it wasn't just Betty that held memories there.

"Vanilla iced coffee with my mom after ballet recitals. Cheeseburgers with Cheryl and Jason every Friday without fail."

"Grilled cheese with Archie on the last day of summer vacation. It's where I met you for the first time, V." Betty continued what I was saying, adding memories to build up the picture of Pop's.

"And Jug," I added, "He might lose his dad, but maybe I can help save this place for him, for all of us, especially after all that you have done for my sister and I." Everyone held smiles of nostalgia, remembering other times they had at Pop's. It wasn't just us that loved the diner. We were all sat with distant looks on our faces, like when you sit just watching the playground on your last day of school, watching children run around in glee, knowing that you are moving on, and they are in blissful peace. That was the look that each of us held as we sat around the small desk, trying to recall every event that had happened in Pop's, every single detail that would inspire us to do anything to save our sanctuary.