They say when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. What happens when life gives you an organ-stealing cult, a horror game come to life, and drug-dealing drama all while you're trying to have a normal junior year of high school? Savanna Marrows is...
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*sav's fit up top or tell me what you prefer to imagine her in for bonus points*
Jughead stuck around for morning coffee before heading back home to spend time with his dad for his birthday. Veronica, Betty, and I had joined together to get ready for the day before we moved to La Bonne Nuit to begin setting up for the party.
"Vanna?" Betty's head popped around the corner as she looked for me. "Do you have a pair of tweezers I could borrow?"
I didn't move as I attempted to correctly wing my eyeliner. "Yeah, the second drawer on the right," I directed as I began rapidly waving my hand to dry the liquid. "I should be ready in ten minutes and then I'll be good."
"Okay! I just have to finish fixing my eyebrows. Veronica's ready, she's in the kitchen," Betty said before she disappeared out of my bathroom.
"Shocker," I mumbled at my sister's preparedness. It was unusual that Veronica was the first one done. It was mostly Betty pulling herself together first, me shortly after, while we waited another forty minutes for Veronica to walk out the door.
Swiping a shade of red lipstick on, I quickly fluffed my hair before turning out the light and walking into my room. Veronica had insisted on a pair of her Louboutin heels to go along with my outfit so I quickly strapped them on before heading into the kitchen.
"I swear, if Gladys tries to upstage me at my own business in front of everyone, I will not hesitate to expose her right then and there," Veronica threatened as she scrolled through her phone. Her eyes didn't leave the device as I tossed my makeup in my purse and stared at her incredulously.
The weather was beautiful as we drove to La Bonne Nuit. Gladys would be joining us to approve of the decorations before everyone showed up, lest we have a showdown beforehand.
After a shot (or three oops), we set to work on decorating to the best of our abilities. I got too frustrated at blowing up the balloons that I shoved them into Betty's hands before deciding to attend to the table covers. I was nervous about this party, for many reasons of course, but mainly I didn't want Gladys attacking me if she thought I spilled her secret. I did, yeah, but she didn't need to know that.
"Looking good." Speaking of the devil, Gladys Jones walked down the steps of the speakeasy with JB trailing behind her. The latter gave me a short wave before plopping in a booth and flipping open her computer to play Minecraft for the time being.
Soon enough, the room was filled with a lot of the Riverdale parents and kids that were involved in our circle of friends. Gladys and JB had left soon after their approval of everything to get Jughead and FP so they could all arrive as a family. Once we had a chance, Betty and I snuck away for a quick moment to fix any last-minute makeup and hair issues before the party really kicked off.
"Why do I have a major pit in my stomach?" I mumbled as I fixed my lipstick.
Betty laughed from beside me as she touched up her hair. "Because your boyfriend's mom is a soon-to-be drug dealer and probably knows that you ratted her out to her son?"
I gave her a sharp glare. "Thanks for the reminder, Elizabeth."
She winked. "Always welcome. Now come on, we can't hide in here forever."
Luckily, we walked out at the perfect moment where the Jones family was just arriving amongst cheers. FP looked absolutely overjoyed as he took in the scene.
"Happy birthday, Mr. Jones!" I moved forward to give him a hug, one he returned with a smile.
"Thank you, Savanna. You know, not too long ago, you threw one of these for Jughead, you remember?" He asked.
I pressed my lips together and nodded as the said boy pulled me closer. "Ooh, how could I forget?" The memories of that chaotic night would probably haunt me for the rest of my life and I'd made a permanent note to never throw Jughead a surprise party ever again.
"Hey, you kids don't go too far because the good stuff is about to happen. Right?" Gladys asked, earning agreements from both of us. We stepped away to grab a seat by the bar where Veronica and Betty were serving drinks.
After sneaking another shot (since my previous ones were wearing off), I managed to convince our fab five group to take advantage of the super fun photobooth Betty put together. These were definitely the moments I wanted to remember more than us chasing a crazy murderer every day.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming out to celebrate one of Riverdale's finest. The finest if you ask me. My husband, FP Jones." Gladys began to speak as Jughead and I sat down at the table with his dad and sister. My thumb rubbed the back of my boyfriend's hand as we watched his mom address the crowd.
After the applause stopped, Gladys continued her speech. "Once, he was a king, a great king. Maybe the best ever. But I think the greatest role that he's ever held is that of a father. So, why don't we ask Jughead to come on up here and say a few words? What do you say, guys?"
As the room cheered, I leaned over slightly towards the boy in question. "Do you have any idea what you're going to say?" I murmured as I kept my gaze on the woman on stage.
"I have no clue," He responded as everyone began to chant his name while he got to his feet and walked towards the stage. He shared a hug with his mom before stepping up to the microphone. "It's no secret that the Jones men don't really like birthday parties. We're rather a broody bunch. You know, I remember when you made me promise to not stop writing. Not for anything. And I haven't, I've written every day.
"I could punch keys every night in a booth at Pop's and never come up with a story nearly as remarkable as yours. You've gone from the wrong side of the tracks to the right side of the law, from Serpent king to sheriff of Riverdale. From a man that most people in this town had probably written off to someone who righted his wrongs and brought our family back together. That's who you are to me, someone who would do anything for his family. But there's something you need to know about this family. "
Jug's eyes met mine as he debated his next words. My heart dropped at the serious look on his face as I feared the worst. He could take this two ways: he could send his dad a hint, or he could bluntly expose everything going on right here, in front of everyone. I was busy praying to disappear in my seat.
"We'll always be there for you. Me, and Jellybean, and Mom. I'm proud to be your son. I'm proud to share your name. And I am proud to be part of your amazing story. Here's to 50, Dad. And to 50 more."
Cheering and clapping followed the conclusion of the speech as Jughead stepped off stage to hug FP tightly. I could practically see Gladys glaring through his skull as the two embraced each other.
Jughead and I relocated away from his parents when we had the opportunity. I picked at the cookie on my plate as I sat next to him. "That was a beautiful speech, bub," I complimented as I spun on my seat to face him slightly.
"Thanks. Most of it was true," He sighed as he looked at me, both of us spinning around to watch Gladys parade across the room.
"What are you gonna do now?" I asked as both of his arms wrapped around my waist, locking together over my stomach. I placed my hands on top of his as he rested his chin on my shoulder.
"Save Jellybean, protect my dad, and run my mom out of town," He answered as if it were the most common question in the world. "Do you wanna help?"
I looked at him as best as I could before kissing his cheek. "You don't have to ask me twice."
