This is My World, Baby Boy

Chapter 3

With his father behind bars, Jughead had only one option left. The foster care system. That dreaded hell hole made both Jughead and Fangs long for a family even more. With Jughead new placement in some foster home. He was also being transferred to Southside high.

It crushed both of them. Jughead was being ripped away from the only people he knew and now he had to face the younger community of Serpents that looked up to him as there leader. With Jughead gone Fangs had no one. He was back to square one.

He may have known Archie, Betty, and Veronica but they were Jug's friends, not his. He had only one option left other the rotting alone in this living hell they called 'Riverdale high'. He tried talking to Jughead about it but the beanie-wearing brunette told him quite firmly that this was not the life Fangs should be getting involved in.

Jughead was not going to let his closest friend walk down the same path as him. No way in hell. Fangs didn't see why he suddenly needed protecting from this world that Jughead had gladly taken up. The sudden feeling of not belonging anywhere was suddenly so familiar. He was all alone again.

With Jughead gone what was the point of letting the world see who he was. He slipped the mask back on. A mask he hadn't worn since Junior High. He still went to school dressed as the resident bad boy. Instead of his usual shy demeanor, today he wore that false cocky grin on his face smiling at the girls in his classes. He knew he was attractive but sleeping with someone that only wanted him for his looks or for the mask he showed them never seemed right.

He'd much rather have a real connection with someone than someone that just wanted to lose their virginity to the resident bad boy. Or maybe it was that he never had any sexual attraction to women. He brushed those thoughts aside walking through the hallways he ran into his least favorite girl in the entire school but now that the mask on he had to keep up appearances.

~~~~~~~

Cheryl. The school's queen bee. With the mystery of her dead brother now solved, she stopped showing her weakness and channeled all her emotions into making all the lives of the people around her living hell. Maybe her snarky insults and sass were just her way of coping. She was building her own walls, Trying to hide that she was hurting. Hurting so so much.

But every night, quiet sobs could be heard through the door of Cheryl's room. "H-he's gone... Jason, I'm so sorry so so sorry. I'm so sorry" She hiccuped threw heart-wrenching sobs.

She slid down the door, bringing her knees to her chest. Those nightly panic attacks caused by her guilt. That somehow this was her fault. Jason was dead and it was all her fault. If only she hadn't introduced them.

She started coughing. Her breathing was too fast. Everything was going too fast and all Cheryl could think was 'This is all my fault all my fault all my fault!'

Soon though her coughs turned into full on choking. Her breathing was being cut short as tear continued to run down her red burning cheeks. Gasping for air and scratching at her throat Cheryl cough vigorously trying to get a breath of air. Anything.

A knock on the door rang through her ears.

-----

"Honey? Are you okay dear"

Nana...?

Chery's lungs burned ached and her head was pounding. "Y-Yeah I'm fine nana." Wiping her eyes she stood up. Stumbling to the bathroom to wash her face. Dry the tears. 'This didn't happen I wasn't weak' Cheryl thought.

She laid in bed stared up at the ceiling. No one could see her like this. No one will see her like this.

She was the Queen bee, She didn't cry or get upset. She made people upset. She was the almighty, and no one was ever going to get close enough to her to tell.

This became a routine, The panic attacks were so frequent she had contemplated on more the one occasion to just make it all stop. With all the ways to take her life, Go out just like daddy. She could not become another Blossom tragedy. Something the town would pity a week and move on afterward.

 ~~~~~~

Southside High was the moshpit of the southside. A rundown shell of a school. Jughead despised the place because his closest friends despised the place.

His father's arrest is what hit him the hardest. Transferring schools may have been a hassle but losing his only family was a lot harder. Losing Archie and Betty but what hurt the most was losing Fangs for trying to protect him from this godforsaken side of town.

He may have knows Archie and yeah Betty was his girlfriend. He could never be who he wanted to be around them. Hiding under layers of 'I'm weird, I'm a weirdo' Fangs was different. Fangs understood him. He was just trying to protect Fangs. Joining the serpents would be the last thing he needs.