𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐒

𝐈|𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀: 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍

Broken. 𝐈|𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐂𝐀: 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍

Absolutely broken.

That was the only word she had to describe how she felt as she met Jughead's dark gaze on the dark street.

Elm Street. The stuff of nightmares.

She felt a chill run down her spine, she felt her heart break, she felt like she was dying inside. Maybe the latter wasn't true at all. Maybe she had already been dead inside. How long had that been true? It felt like forever.

She stood on one side of the street, Archie's side, as Jughead stood on the other side. Betty's side, her mind produces. He's on that annoyingly sexy bike of his a menacing scowl plain on his pale face. The moonlight reflects of his bike and off his leather jacket. It makes his dark hair shine.

A weird thought occurs to Veronica that this look suits him. His blue eyes hold an anger and hurt that pierce the night. They pierce her too because they resonate. And deep down did they not both know this was how it would play out?

In this singular moment she feels so painstakingly close to Jughead Jones The Third. An understanding is silently passing between them despite all the animosity they feel for each other.

Oh, they had hoped.

But what is Hope compared to Reality?

Time has stopped and it's only for the two of them in the world. They don't even like each other. They can barely tolerate each other. Their families are completely at war for the Southside and the future of it. Yet they are linked so intimately in this moment.

When your heart breaks the world always seems to stop. Of course it's an illusion. The world keeps moving on, it's only your world that stops. It comes crashing down on you and while your heartbreaks you feel yourself drowning all alone.

This is what makes this heartbreak so unique and so ethereal. The world keeps spinning, but not hers or his. Oh, yes, she's drowning, but not alone. She is drowning with him. In this moment they exist together and it's just them. What's the most is that she realizes it was always just them.

Archie and Betty have always just been in their own world much like they are up there in Archie's room. While Veronica and Jughead have always been on the fringe of that world looking in so focused on the light inside that they never noticed each other standing side by side in the dark, looking in, much like they are now.

They both glanced back up to Archie's open window where the light inside illuminates the tender kisses of Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper.

Veronica feels like she's spying on them and feels a sting of guilt that contrast with the string of hurt. She looks down at her heels fighting back the single tear threatening to escape. She than glances towards Jughead who's still staring into the window as if trying to solve an intricate math equation.

He looks back at Veronica and their eyes meet. One corner of his lips twitch up in a pained smirk. She reads acceptance on his lips as he revs up the engine on his bike. The sound probably wakes up the whole neighbourhood.

Jughead cracks up his knuckles and rolls his neck then shrugs his leather jacket on a little tighter and Veronica sees the literal transformation of Jughead before her own eyes. She takes one last glance up at the window and sees Archie and Betty looking down at her and Jughead guilt and shock on both of their faces.

"Coming Princess?" Jughead asks pulling the Bike up.

Wordlessly she hops on behind him rubbing her hands on the leather over his shoulders than over the snake on his back. He takes of as soon as she wraps her arms around his waist at a neck breaking speed and all the lights in the neighbourhood are suddenly flashing behind them almost as if they are taking their darkness with them.

Veronica begins to laugh.

Oh, the irony of riding of with a Serpent, because nobody had warned her that Angels bite too.