𝔸𝕕𝕖𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕕𝕖 | 𝐉𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 [Riverdale] ¹

[CHAPTER SEVEN]

././𝓘𝓷 𝓪 𝓛𝓸𝓷𝓮𝓵𝔂 𝓟𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓮/./.

What makes a place feel like home? Is it warmth and familiarity? Some idealized, make-believe version of the America dream? Is it love and acceptance? Or is it simply safety? Or it's none of those things. and it's a place where the captain of the football team is murdered. Or maybe it's just a forgotten closet under a well-trod staircase... where it's just you and the mice and the spiders like an extra in a Wes Craven movie.

The fourth period hadn't begun yet, and the gang was relaxing in the rec room, listening to Betty tell the others about the entire Polly debacle we faced last night. Neither Jughead nor Betty asked me about what had happened or how I knew about Polly. I was glad because I honestly didn't have an answer for them. I wanted to know the same thing.

Jughead had his arm around my shoulder while I rested my head in his chest. He had been playing with my hair the entire free period, and I couldn't ignore the suggestive looks Kevin and Veronica have been giving me.

"My mom and dad don't want to get the police involved. They don't want anyone to know that she ran away, or about her' shameful condition'." Betty rolled her eyes.

Veronica took a sip of her coffee before scoffing, "Please. What decade is this?"

"Also," I added, "Since she knew where Jason's getaway car was, they're afraid people might think that she burned it and that if she did..."

"She could be the murderer, trying to cover her tracks," Juggie finished for me, kissing me on the forehead, knowing that I had been worried about where Polly had been.

"Who did burn the car, then?" Archie asked us.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Sheriff Keller says it's possible someone was following us, but, I swear I didn't see anyone."

"Oh, my God," Veronica said before looking at us, so done with the Riverdale drama, "Honestly, guys, we-we should just move."

"Guys, what if Polly's really hurt? What if whoever killed Jason is coming after her next?" Betty said, sounding terrified.

Archie looked at us hesitantly, "Even though your parents don't want to, maybe you two should go to the police."

Kevin looked up, "Second it. We can talk to my dad together about how he has to be discreet."

"No offense, Kev, but your dad answers to a higher authority than God: the Blossoms," Jughead groaned, although he was speaking the truth, "They're the first people that he would tell."

"And if there's anyone to keep this a secret from, it's the Blossoms," I added, "They'd twist it around and go after Polly out of spite."

Veronica grabbed Betty's hand, "How can we help? Tell us, and we'll do it."