Young Gods || [Not Updating]

•26•

[chapter twenty-six]

One shot for her parents, who have found her letter and called a dozen times in the last half hour.

Two shots for Betty Cooper, who can't catch a break no matter how much she deserves one.

Three shots for Cheryl Blossom, who cries when she's drunk and swears it's cause she's happy.

Four for all the other people that Veronica sees and doesn't see in front of her. The walking tragedies that make up the residents of Riverdale. Herself, she thinks as she downs the fifth shot, included.

She's drunk now. Legs wobbling, smile aching, arms flailing as she dances. She's drunk and it's every bit as good as she remembers it being.

"Don't you think you should slow down?"

She glances over at Jughead and pouts. Her lips are sticky from the shots. She licks them and grins when he looks away. Whatever.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" She picks a glass out of someone's hands and takes a swig. Two thirds vodka to a third coke. Nice.

She shouldn't be mean to him. He drove her home. Smiled at her when she lied about being OK. Even offered to drive her away and face Cheryl's wrath.

But he doesn't love her.

He doesn't think about her when they're not together. He probably doesn't think about her at all. Not the way she wants him to. Needs him to. He doesn't even like her and, the drunker she gets, the harder it is to let that go.

"I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Well." She downs the rest of the drink. "Why don't you stop pretending that you actually give a shit and just leave me alone."

He opens his mouth to argue. The furrow in his brow tells her that she's hit a nerve. The fire in his eyes puts her shoulders straight. There's nothing she wants more in this moment than to argue with him. To scream until her throat hurts.

"Took me a while but here you go." Grace appears before he's able to speak, shoving a red cup into his hands and smiling sweetly at Veronica. "Having fun?"

It's the sixth time that Veronica has seen Grace in the hours she's been at the party and the first was already one too many. Veronica rolls her eyes. "I was."

"Well, don't let us ruin your good time." Jughead snaps, drinking whatever Grace gave him. "You want to dance?" He asks the blonde, finishing the rest of his drink when she nods.

Veronica stares him down, only breaking eye contact when Grace puts her cup in Veronica's hand.

"You don't mind?" She smiles again.