Catching Feelings

Not Made for Defeat - Part 5

Bright lights enter Veronica's hazy vision when she comes to. Underneath her, she feels stiff, cheap, scratchy fabric and she knows immediately that this is not her bed. Fully opening her eyes the dull beige room finally comes into focus.

She is in the nurse's office and three figures are looming over her. Betty, Kevin and Archie's concern faces are staring at her, it feels a bit weird.

When the hell did he get here? She thinks as soon as she remembers what landed her in this drab nurse's office.

Ignoring their concern questions about how she's feeling Veronica looks around for her dark-haired accomplice. Kevin must have picked up on this because he answers her unspoken question.

"Weatherby has Jughead and Miller in his office now." With that information, Veronica immediately sits up but there's a sharp pain in her head and dizziness suddenly overtakes her. Archie's arms come around to help steady her and Veronica takes a deep breath to help keep the pain at bay.

"Maybe you should sit back down, V." Betty's concerned voice comes somewhere to her right, but Veronica ignores it. Pushing herself up she wobbles slightly on her heels but sorts herself quickly.

"No way, I can't let that walking, talking Soc cliche pin everything on Jughead." She grits out, shaking off Archie's lingering hands. She smiles at the three "I'm fine, but if you three want to follow that's your prerogative. I am not staying here." Grabbing her purse she sets out with a determined stride to the principal's office not looking back to see if the three are coming.

Lucky for Veronica she doesn't have to go too far, ignoring the receptionists she makes her way to Weatherby's closed door and bursts right in.

Her eyes immediately seek out Jughead's and she feels angry at his split lip, turning her attention towards the jock, Miller her mind supplies. She notes with extreme satisfaction that he has a puffy blackening eye, a split lip, bruising on his chin and a bloody nose. Turning away from the beaten boy she sets her eyes on the principal who she can tell is not too happy about her interruption.

"Miss Lodge, what is the meaning of you rushing into my office?" His voice is stern and a little rough and the stare he pins her with would make a lesser girl crumble. Veronica Lodge never crumbles.

"I need to make sure, Principal Weatherby, that you have all the information on what happened so that you can make the right unbiased judgment." She cocks her hip and crosses her arms. To her left, she hears a huff of amusement from Jughead and bites her cheek to keep a straight serious face.

"Miss Lodge I can assure you that my judgment is not in the least bit biased and once you step out into the hallway I can continue with the punishment that is deserved" He gestures towards the door, but she makes no move to leave. She, instead, makes her way deeper in the room to stand directly beside Jughead.

"I don't think I've had a chance to give my details of the event." She sees Miller squirm and hears Weatherby sigh

"Miss Lodge-" but Veronica interrupts him.

She didn't want to resort to using her ace in the hole so quickly but her head is starting to throb again and she absolutely just done with today.

"Principal Weatherby I would hate for my mother and her lawyer to find out about the injustice that happened to her daughter and her friend today." It's a low thing for her to do but does not care right now.

Weatherby stares at her, then flicks his eyes from Jughead to Miller and back to her. He seems to come to a conclusion because he waves her out.

"Mr. Jones and you may go." He grits, obviously none too pleased with what just happened.

She withholds her smug smile, choosing to grab Jughead's hand and drag him away before Weatherby changes his mind.

She isn't surprised to see her three friends waiting for them when they get to the hallway and makes note of the way Kevin's eyes slip down to their joined hands.

"Are you guys okay?" Archie asks concern clouding his features.

"Yeah Arch," Jughead answers. "Thanks to Joan of Arc here, Weatherby is not taking any action, plus I think she scared the shit out of Miller with all her lawyer talk." Jughead throws a smile in her direction and she has to stop herself from preening under his attention.

"Lawyer talk?" Betty questions, of course, she would pick up on that detail. Doesn't this girl ever stop?

"Let's get out of here and I'll tell you all about it, and you can tell me what I missed when I was out." She eyes Jughead's split lip and thinks of Miller's face when she says this.

"Yea," Jughead agrees, pulling Veronica along down the hall. "I'm starving and a double cheeseburger from Pops sounds amazing right now."

"I'm pretty sure you'd find a raw potato amazing Jug," Archie laughs following behind.

"You know we still have class left." Betty, the voice of reason, lets out. Kevin just shrugs and follows them out. Betty shakes her head but follows behind with a smile.

At Pops Veronica learns that Miller was apparently was all talk and no bite. Once the Jocks had seen what happened to Veronica they fled to avoid punishment. Archie, who had walked in when the jocks fled, was the one to pull Jughead off. Mostly because he didn't want Jughead to do something he would regret.

Archie got up to pay for everyone's food out of some sort of misguided guilt for not being there when the whole thing started. Kevin left after receiving a text from Moose, one he refused to share with anyone. Betty got up to use the bathroom, which left Jughead and Veronica sitting side by side in the booth together. Jughead cleared his throat, causing Veronica to look up at him.

"Veronica," Jughead started and Veronica prepared herself for the lecture about how he could have handled it himself, that he did not need her help. "Thanks." Veronica blinks and looks at Jughead, who is looking down and playing with a napkin.

"No need, Juggie." She responds testing out the nickname "You're my friend and Veronica Lodge refuses to let her friends get bullied."

"Still," He replies, as she watches his hands slowly tear the napkin apart. "Not, many people stick up for me, especially in a crowd of idiotic jocks." He takes a deep breath and continues. "I'm just thankful, but I'm also really fucking sorry you got hurt because of it."

"Jug," She breathes out involuntarily.

They both look up and she is struck by the soft look on his face. Their eyes connect and suddenly she feels as if this moment means something and one of them just needs to say the right thing to solidify it. Jughead mouth starts to move.

Veronica is hyper-focused now.

This could be life-changing.

"Whatcha talking about?" Archie interrupts followed by Betty who squeezes in the booth after him.

"Nothing," Jughead replies taking a sip of his chocolate shake and looking away.

Veronica refuses to put a name to her emotion, but it feels a lot like disappointment.