Just The Two Of Us <Sweet Pea FF>

82. Boys will be bugs

So it's future day at Riverdale High, which is just like bring your child to work day just that it's not in April. Short before the winter break nobody is motivated to do anything in school so we have lots of special days and future day is one of them.

Basically, it's a class free day but you have to accompany one of your parents to their work. You see where my problem is.

After another uncomfortable conversation with Mr. Honey, I am allowed to join Fp today.

Uncharacteristically for Riverdale there has not been a murder or street fight today so I sit at the station, turning around in my chair.
Fp is sitting behind his desk, playing solitaire on his computer, desperately waiting for the phone to ring.

"I'm sorry, kid. It's usually more interesting than this" fp sighs, his hand gliding over his beard.
"No worries, fp. I wouldn't be doing anything else in school, either way" I say, while I keep on spinning around in my chair.

"Did Jug tell you about the novel he is writing?" The sheriff glances into my direction.
"The Backstreet boys?"
"What?" Fp starts laughing.
I stop spinning since I start to get dizzy "I called it that one time and now it has become somewhat of an inside joke."

"But that wasn't going too well. That snarky teacher thought it was too soft" I shrug my shoulders.
"Really, Jason's story? If he would have been there he would not say it is too soft" fp scoffs.
"Yeah, but he has to meet up with the brotherhood today and pitch some new ideas. In fact, I was thinking about visiting later, looking how it went."

Suddenly, the phone starts ringing.
In anticipation I role closer to fps desk, hoping to hear some details.
The sheriff only makes some humphing noises before he hangs up with a "Thank you, Miller."

"So?" I nearly can't hold myself on that chair but fp does not say anything.
"That was our janitor. Our toilets work again" a sorry look on his face.
Disappointed I lean back in the chair, pushing myself away from the desk with my feet.

The rest of the day exactly nothing happens. I helped fp with some paper work and then we went to patrol around the Southside.

Fp offered to drop me off at stonewall prep, so now I am on my way to jugheads room or should I say Forsythes room.

"Hello" I sing, pushing the door open, to see Jug and Bret working on their desks.
"Hi, Jules. How was future day?" Jug turns around, pushing the papers on his desk away.
"Kinda boring. But more important, how was your pitch? Did they like it?" I drop down on his bed.

"Good, they liked my new ideas" he states but real joy won't settle in his voice.
"That's great. What are your new ideas?" I pull my legs closer, to sit cross legged.
An uneasy sigh leaves jugheads mouth "I... Mr. DuPont advised me to take something from my own experiences... so I chose the black hood story" he stutters, looking into my eyes with a desperate expression.

"Betty is not going to like this" my smile slowly fades away "you copied her story, a part of which she is ashamed of"
"She stormed out of here. I think it really upset her" he sighs, his head dropping low.

"But he didn't cover everything" Bret turns around, joining our conversation "He changed the backstory, right Jones?"
"Hmm. What did you change?"
With a quick motion jughead turns to look at the blond guy behind him. His eyes begging Bret to stop talking.

"The boy grows up with a strong sense of justice. His father is a judge, so he basically 'punishes sinners'" bret explains.
"But one day both his parents get murdered by several men in black masks and the boy turns crazy. He is turns into the black hood and continues his father's work, killing bad people" he continues.

Slowly, I push myself off the bed. Everything starts to hurt and I can feel my face contorting, struggling to keep the tears at bay.
"You made me the black hood? You took advantage of my story, disrespect my parents and made me the black hood" I point at myself, my finger touching my chest.

"Jul-" jug starts but i cut him off, i dont want to hear a lame excuse.
"This is how you see me? Someone who turned crazy? And you use it to impress this brotherhood" my voice shivers and I can feel a tear rolling down my cheek so I turn around and run out of the room.
"Wait, julia. Thanks bret" I hear coming from behind but I keep running down the hall.

Stonewall changed him. I never thought Jug would become so opportunistic, using our pain to get ahead. It hurts, I feel used. And he didn't even care to ask first.

Unaware of where I was heading, I ended up in the yard. The fresh breeze hits my body and I realize, I forgot my jacket in his room.
"Ugh, great" I sob, wiping the tears off my face.

Frustrated I sit down on the stone steps and look at the students passing by. I plug in my headphones and put the playlist on shuffle. Mr. Brightside by the killers starts playing so loud that it actually hurts a bit but i don't care as long as i don't hear anything else. I don't want to listen to the world anymore, I don't even want to hear my thoughts.

I always used to take pride in how well I closed the chapter labelled past. The murder of my parents was just something that happened, I was not able to change it anyway. But then this psychiatrist called me emotionally dead and told me to take some sessions with her. So now I'm sitting here, sobbing like a baby, in the cold.

I notice someone sitting down next to me and I take out my headphones, looking into Brets face.
"You must be cold" he says while taking of his grey and red stonewall jacket and places it around my shoulders as I reply "A bit."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up" he rest his arms on his knees.
"No, it's good to know. Jughead obviously didn't plan on telling me" I wipe another tear out of my face "no need to apologise" I say clenching the jacket tighter around my body.

"There is something else I would like to apologise for" he sighs "I was behaving inappropriately at the football game. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, there was do much adrenaline and... I really like you" he turns his head to look at me with a soft expression and a bit of shyness in his eyes.

The only reason I rejected him was because of jughead.
"Thanks. I reacted a bit weird as well" with that I take out my phone "Do you still want my number?"
"Sure" a smirk spreads on his face.
This whole action screamed fuck you jughead and maybe it was petty but I don't care.

"Do you want me to take you home?"
"It's very nice of you to offer but I already texted fp, he is picking me up" I try to smile but the tears won't stop flowing. I'm not even that sad anymore but they just won't stop.

Bret walks me to the parking lot
"Don't cry anymore. You are way too pretty to cry that much" he says wiping a tear from my cheek.
Plastered, my eyes fall to the floor.
"Oh, I still got your jacket" I was about to take it off but he stops me.
"No, it's alright. You can keep it for now. I guess you don't want to return to our dorm, so just return it the next time we see each other"

Bad days always have a good ending.