Pleather || A Sweet Pea Romance (Riverdale)

chapter 1|| a cold reunion

(Author's Note: Normally I'm so critical of my writing I never publish it. This is a story I've had in my mind for a while now and I decided I just want to write it and publish it. I know it's not as edited as it could be or extremely thought out, but this is fun way for me to be creative.

This story is set in Riverdale after the second season. Because the third season hasn't come out as I am writing this, it will not be accurate after the second season in regards to "Riverdale' plot.

I hope you can look past any editorial errors and any plot mistakes and just enjoy reading this fan-fiction as much as I have writing it.)

"And I will gladly break it, I will gladly break my heart for you"
  "And I will gladly break it, I will gladly break my heart for you" 

I feel someone tap my shoulder before I hear them call my name. I take out my headphones and see my uncle standing in the doorway to my new room.

"Reagan. Jesus, how loud do you need to play your music?" FP asks me. "Dinner's ready in the kitchen. I'm off to work. If you need anything ask Jughead. Sometimes he's helpful." He mumbles the last part and I hear him walk down the hall and out the front door of the tiny trailer.

I look around my small room. It barely fits my twin sized bed and a dresser, but it'll do. I don't have too many clothes or things anyways.

The last few items in the box I'm unpacking are books that my dad gave me before I left. I put them on the dresser and put the empty box on the ground and look around. This is it. This is my life for the next few months.

In the kitchen Jughead is eating some soup and reading something on the kitchen table. He doesn't look up as I take a seat with my own bowl of soup.

"What are you reading?" I ask him.

"The newest edition of The Riverdale Register," he says with disgust. "Alice doesn't know what she's talking about." He folds up the paper and pushes it aside.

I had the option to live with Alice and her family, but I decided against it. When I met them a few months ago, there seemed to be a lot of ... tension in the household. I thought it might be easier living with FP and Jughead.

Growing up, my dad, Charlie, FP and Alice were best friends. My dad met my mom and they had me the same year that FP had Jughead and Alice had Betty. But by then, they weren't as close as friends as the once were. Alice left the Serpents and married a boy from the north side. FP began to have his own problems. My mom and dad, instead of getting caught up int he chaos, decided to move to Greendale when I was just a child. Soon after moving my mom died and I grew up with just my dad. 

Last year they announced that due to 'unsolvable fiscal problems' they would be shutting down the high school. With only two years left of school my dad and I decided it was best for me to move back to Riverdale to get my high school diploma.

"So uh," Jughead starts. He's awkward around me. I don't get the feeling that he was 100% on board with the decision for me to move in. "Are you excited to start at Riverdale High tomorrow?" he asks.

I shrug and I look at my spoon as it moves in circles around my soup. "I'm kind of nervous. I only know a handful of people who will be going. It's sucks having to start completely over and find new friends."

"Well, you'll know me. And Betty ... kind of. But she'll make you feel welcome. She's good at that."

"Yeah, she is really nice." I comment. It's kind of weird that him and Betty are dating. To me, Betty and Jughead are like my cousins, but I guess they don't feel the same way. Maybe it's because I never had any brother or sisters growing up. They were the closest thing I had to family.

"If you want, we're kind of having this bonfire tonight. You could come and meet some more people?" he offers.

I clear my throat. "Oh, I don't know." I was planning on staying in my room and starting one of the books my dad gave me. 

"Betty's coming. And I think she's bringing Archie and Veronica. It'll be good to meet them."

"Yeah, okay." I agree.

 °  º  ° °  º  ° °  º  ° °  º  ° °  º  °

I pull my hoodie around me a little tighter. Even with the huge fire, I'm still a little chilly. The wind whistles through the trees of the forest and it feels like it goes right through me.

People are talking and drinking, but I am not. I am standing close to Jughead and his friends, but they aren't talking to me. They're talking about how crazy the last year as been and reminiscing and I can't join in. Sure I read about the Blossom boy and the black hood in the papers in Greendale, but I didn't live through it first hand. I have nothing to add to the conversation.

"I'm going to go get something to drink," Jughead says. "Reagan, do you want to come with?" he asks me.

"Oh," I cough. He caught me off guard. "Sure."

We make our way to the picnic table with all the drink options. He grabs a can of soda, but I don't grab anything.

There are a few people sitting at the table. They all have on their Serpent jackets. 

"This can't be Jellybean, can it?" The only girl at the table asks Jughead.

"Oh no," I answer, but my voice to too quiet for anyone to hear.

"No, Jellybean's still with my mom. This is my ... cousin, Reagan. She just moved here from Greendale." Jughead answers for me. He hesitates when he says cousin.

One of the boys looks over towards me. His eyes are dark and his expression is darker. I can feel already that he doesn't like me, but I can't figure out why. I haven't done anything to deserve his look of distaste.

The girl stands up and goes to shake my hand. When I extend my own hand, she grabs it with both of hers and shakes firmly.

"Oh that's right. I remember Jughead saying something about someone moving in. I'm Toni. That's Joaquin, and that's Sweet Pea."

I wave at the other two Serpents, but only Joaquin waves back. Sweet Pea continues gives me one more bitter glance before he turns his attentions back to Jughead.

"I hope you don't try to convince her to join the Serpents, Jughead. We have a reputation to uphold and all your north side initiates are making it hard to keep up our own image. I can't imagine what people would think if we let a girl from Greendale in," he tells Jughead.

I don't know where this comment comes from. I hadn't even thought about joining the Serpents. In fact, I think if I did my dad would kill me.

Jughead looks at me, gives an awkward laugh, and then says. "Sure, well, I'm going to get back to Betty." He turns to walk back to his group of friends. I turn to, but before I do I meet Sweet Pea's eyes once more.