Holding on to You

Chapter 31✔︎

Y/N PoV
Jughead sets the pizza down on the table proud he made something without causing a fire. He sits down next to me, "So, A John Landis double feature at the Bijou. American Werewolf in London and Animal House."

Archie cuts into the pizza, "That's awesome except," he clears his throat, "I told Betty about your birthday."

"You told her? Dude, come on. That's a primal betrayal." Jughead sighs.

"I tried to stop him." I grab one of the hot slices of pizza burning my fingers.

Archie dusts the pizza crumbles off his hands, "Why do you hate your birthday so much, Jug?"

"PTSD from when I was a kid. I don't know. Things were always messed up at home. Usually because of my dad. And then there was this arbitrary day, that we would just get together and pretend things were great. We were normal. And it just made me feel really lonely."

I set my pizza down and rub Jug's back. "Your not alone. Not then or now. You have me and Archie."

He gives me a weak smile. Jughead shakes those memories away and eats a slice of pizza. "I can't believe we didn't burn this! Mr.Andrews is going to be so proud."

We laugh and look back on one of our three musketeers disasters.

The memory:
We were up in Archie's room doing what we know and love. Video games. The boys would always drag me into them. I don't know how to play so I watch the boys play every time.

They never pay attention to anything once the game turns on. Their only goal is to beat the other. I was paying attention luckily. A very burn smell crept up the stairs. It smelt awful and got scared because the house must have been on fire. Then I remember what we where doing earlier.

We were baking cookies for a bake sale at school. I jump up and turn off the game. Jughead and Archie start yelling at me to turn it back on.

"The cookies are burning!!!!" I scream.

The boys bound down he stairs with Archie falling face first onto the ground. The way it smelt and the smoke circling above our heads made Archie get up and forget about his tumble.

We look into the kitchen to see flames coming out of the oven. I have no idea what to do so I stand frozen at the doorway. Fire has always been one of my biggest fears because of what happened to my mom. Jughead knows this so he grabbed the phone and shoved it into my hands, "Get away from the fire and call Fred! Arch and I can get it!"

I listened and when to the living room. I called a terrified Fred. He didn't care if the kitchen was totally gone but cared if the boys were ok. I went back to the kitchen to see Archie and Jughead throwing water into the oven yelling, "WATER!! WE NEED MORE WATER!!" and "ARCHIE YOUR WATER PRESSURE SUCKS!" and my favorite when Jughead slipped, "WHY ARE WE SUCH DOUCHES!!"

I would have been sitting there laughing at the scrambling boys but there was still fire. The fear of fire left me numb. I try to walk forward but my legs couldn't carry me. Jughead saw me standing at the door, "Y/N go outside!" He doesn't want me near anything that could hurt me.

Then I remember my worst fear, losing my boys. This pushed me to take steps to the oven. I grab an oven mitt and open the oven so water could actually reach the fire! My boys might want to be heroes but they have no common sense.

Archie throws some water into the oven and then fire hisses at us. It stops burning and I sigh. Jughead rushes over to me. "Are you ok?"

I smile at him, "I'm great actually. How about you two?"