You Don't Know Me Jughead Jones | Jughead Jones

Chapter 9

Pandora's Box

Jughead and I split ways once the school day begun. He had his own business to attend to and so did I. Throughout the day, I try to keep my distance from Cheryl. As more information comes out about Jason's case, the more anxious I grew. Cheryl knew my dad had something to do with the case, and with my brothers and I doing drug runs we could be top suspects. I had to keep not only my name out of it, my brothers too. My security was gone and there was no reason for her to keep her mouth shut.

I go into the cheer locker room to get my extra clothes and as I dig through, someone slams the locker door shut. I jump back and snap my head up. Cheryl leans against the lockers and gives me creepy smile.

"Cheryl! You scared me!" I say as I put my hand over my heart.

"Not the only thing you should be scared of. I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time with Donny Darko and not enough with the squad. You're losing interest in your hobbies and I can't have you being seen with his kind. It's not good for reputations." She says.

"It's nothing, Cheryl." I respond.

"It better be, nothing. I want you to stop hanging around him and to start coming to practice again."

"Why, so you can cut another person out my life? You're trying to make me feel just as miserable as you. The cheer squad isn't my passion, it's yours."

"I'm worried about you, H. First, sheriff Keller finds you in a ditch all alone. Now you're starting to hang out with the wrong crowd. Next thing you know you'll probably end up dead in that ditch he found you in." She says. My face gets hot.

Not many people know about the summer. It hurts to think about, but everyone has their breaking point. After my dad died, I fell into a dark place i never want to go back to. Mom was just about to leave and things got very heated. Not only screaming and yelling, glass shattering, physical fighting, and crying. That was the first time I got physical with my mom. I left the house and took my dad's motorcycle and absolutely totaled it. I cried and cried, until I couldn't anymore. Sherif Keller found me by the woods by Sweet Water River. He asked many questions but the only response I gave him was, "would you believe me if I told you I tried to cry myself a river." Grayson later came to pick me up and he didn't say a word to me. I think he was scared to. Scared that he'd trigger another episode.

After that, I didn't get out of bed for weeks. My hygiene went way down and I stayed silent. When I actually believed Cheryl was my friend, she came to check on me every once in awhile even though she had her own demons to fight. Archie and Reggie did too a few times, but I just pushed everyone away. The only time I left the house was to help Grayson with drug runs or whatever the serpents set us up with to repay my dad's debt. The worst part was when we got evicted from our house. Grayson and Josh picked up jobs with Fred Andrews's Construction, while I usually did house work. I fixed up the apartment, cleaned their clothes, and made their meals.

Eventually Cheryl and I opened up to each other. We had both lost someone very important to us and it was something we could relate to. She told me about how what happened on July 4th was fake, Jason was really alive. That was a huge red flag, but I didn't see it at the time. She had such a way with words to make you feel like she was the only person you could rely on. She made me feel like how my dad did. That you meant the world to her and that no one could take your spot. That's how she manipulated me. She used that to make me act a certain way. The whole time I thought she was healing me, she was forcing me to be one of her Barbie dolls. Someone she could dress and push around. But today I decide, no more.