Flash of Red

Chapter 2

Jughead walked out of the shower, not liking how it looked outside. He got changed quickly, leaving his room to get downstairs so he could turn on the news before the power went out. He got there just in time, watching the radar go across the screen momentarily before the power shut off and a yelp came from upstairs.

The door to the bedroom that Betty was staying in opened and she walked out. "I'm so sorry, it just startled me." He chuckled and waved her off, walking over to a cabinet, pulling out multiple flashlights and candles.

She walked down the stairs timidly, leaning on the railing. "Do you want one?" She nodded and he passed it to her, watching her turn it on.

"You don't have a backup generator?" He could feel the fear and anxiety rolling off of her, and he could see it in the way the flashlight trembled a little in her hands.

"Um, I-I do I just don't use it for lights. Not big ones, at least." Big ones? What the hell are you thinking? He mentally cursed himself, turning away from her.

"Wh-Where are you going?" He raised an eyebrow as he glanced back at her, her cheeks pink. "I-I'm sorry, I just... I don't... I'm sorry."

"No, no, you're fine. You're probably scared. It's a new place and you don't know me and now... more likely than not, a tornado is going to touch down. I mean, it probably won't touch down here but it will touch down close and it'll cause damage." He sighed, shaking his head. "Why don't you stay down here? I will, too." He watched her shoulders loosen slightly as she gave him a head nod. "I'm going to grab you a blanket, I'll be back downstairs in a second."

He waited until she was seated on the couch, walking up the stairs and taking two at a time. He grabbed a blanket from the linen closet, walking back downstairs and turning the corner to flash it to her. "Thank you, you didn't have to do that."

"It's a precautionary measure." He flashed her a smile, sitting on the end of the couch. An awkward silence grew, the only noise being the wind, thunder and occasional lighting. He could see her shoulders tense every few seconds, her hands curling as well. "Um, w-we're going to be here awhile and... I know nothing about you and you know nothing about me." Her head turned and he clenched his jaw before continuing. "Y-You can say no to this but... maybe we can talk or something? Just-Just to get our minds off of what's going on."

She turned to face him fully, sitting criss-cross on the couch. "Like, a game of twenty questions?"

"Yes, no... maybe?" She smiled a little, Jughead doing the same. "I-I just want to help you feel comfortable because there's no way you're not scared on some level. I... I know I would be if I were in your position." Her face contorted to part confusion and part worry and he sighed, smacking a hand over his face. "God, I don't mean it like that. I-I just mean if I was at some random house in the middle of a huge storm-"

"I understand what you mean." He let out a huff that was almost more of a laugh, sighing. "Well, um, we-we know each other's names. I'm Betty, you're Jughead. I'm 24-years-old, I'm a grad student at University of Southern California pursuing a flammable career in journalism, and I moved there for no reason. I actually hate it there. The people are fake and just want money and don't stick to anything. They're all there to become the next big movie star, it kind of sucks."

"You're not?"

"No," She said it around a small laugh, her anxiety obviously melting a little. "I would hate to be on TV. Once you're out there and your social media accounts are at everyones grasps, anyone can judge you no matter what and they'll never be held accountable for the things that they do. I-I know journalism is kind of right there in the spectrum of it, but I tend to stay away from celebrities' lives. It's not worth it. Knowing they're every move; it's ridiculous." She sighed, taking in a deep breath. "Let me stop talking about me. What about you?"