Angel / Reggie Mantle

Chapter One

It was the night before Sophomore year and Jughead sat at the corner booth at Pop's, the same booth he occupied every evening when he went to write. There wasn't a lot of people out at the late hour, just Jughead and the closing waitress. Jughead was so focused on the words he was writing that he didn't notice the small ding of the door signaling someone entering the diner.

Astrid Gladys Jones looked around the small diner, hugging her leather-clad arms around herself to stay warm from the cool night air. She let her eyes scan the room, grinning when she finally saw Jughead. She quietly made her way to his booth, and took a seat across from him, not bothering to give the boy a proper greeting.

"Jesus, 'Sythe, do you ever sleep," the young girl joked, snatching the open laptop and pulling it to her side of the booth. "What are you working on now, huh?"

"Stop calling me that, AJ," Jughead groaned, failing to retrieve his laptop from the girl in front of him.

"Or what? You'll tell dad? Mom?" She asked raising an eyebrow at the beanie clad boy. "Oh, right. Mom ditched us and dad's too drunk to give a damn," she continued, a bitter laugh escaping her lips.

Jughead rolled his eyes at his sister's comment and leaned back in the booth. "I'm writing a novel about Jason Blossom's death. You did hear about his death, right? Not too deep into the Serpent den?" Jughead asked, clearly annoyed with his sister's choice of company.

"What's your problem, Forsythe? The Serpents were there for us when no one else was. They protect their own. What's so wrong about that?" AJ wasn't always so bitter. In fact, she was once the sweetest girl you could ever meet. She had soft chocolate eyes, a contagious laugh, and a smile that could light up the whole room, but that was ripped away from her at a young age. She was no longer the sweet girl with a kind heart. It was very rare to ever see a true smile on the female Jones's face. She was hot-headed and didn't care whose face she ruined with her strong fist.

Jughead glared at his sister for using his full name. She knew he hated it, but that just encouraged her to use it more often. "What's wrong with the Serpents? There is a lot wrong with the Serpents, AJ. For one, they're dangerous. You're going to find yourself in trouble and not even they will be able to protect you."

"You're just jealous I'm finally happy. I have a family that will protect me and you have no one, but you can't blame that on me, Jug. You decided to alienate yourself. You decided to leave us." AJ didn't give her brother a chance to reply, she was already standing up and ready to make her way back out the door. "I love you, Jug. I do... More than anything, but I can't keep watching you do this to yourself. Come home, Jug," she pleaded. She hated that her brother was living in the Twilight Drive-in. She missed having her brother at home.

"Maybe when he stops drinking, and finally starts trying for this family." Was the only response she got before her brother turned his attention back to the laptop in front of him.