Deadline ((Jughead Jones)) 4

24

Jughead POV

The tape that Betty and I watched at Cheryl's unsettled me. Not only did it show Jason Blossom's murder played out by masked men once more, but it also meant whoever was behind this knows a lot about us in Riverdale. What was more, the appearance of another of these tapes fell too close to the other tape.

Who would be next?

What other secrets did this guy know?

What would be his next move?

I was very glad that Thia hadn't come. This would have ended with her in the same state that Cheryl was in, so, it was a silent agreement to not tell her. She would know that Cheryl got a tape that she needed to hand to me, no more. I would make sure she focused on the good, on the positives, like next week's appointment.

Forget art imitating life. Here we had a case of art imitating death. A snuff film that showed Jason Blossom being murdered by dear old Dad, and a bizarre recreation of it.

"Breaking news everybody!" Jughead began as he ran into our study circle in the student lounge. I was on the end of the couch, trying to ignore my kicking child so I could focus on work. We all turned to Jughead to listen to his big announcement. "So, this University has one of the best writing programs in the country. I applied for spring but they told me they could take me as early as fall." I was starting Iowa in fall. By starting that late, it would give me a chance to have the baby and spend some time with them before going to college. Iowa had already said that they would help me find separate housing facilities and child care if I'd need it.

Jughead took a seat beside me and I turned to him, eager to know all the details of whatever conversation he had so clearly just had.

"And what University is this, Jug?" I was praying it was somewhere close or at least closer than his last University would have been. He then smiled widely at me.

"Iowa." He announced and I threw myself into his arms. That meant he was trying to get into the same university I was going to, so he could be close to me and baby. "And I spoke to the dean, they said they'd house us together, and he'd try to alternate our schedules so we don't pay for child care because one of us will be home with our baby. I just need another story to give them." This was the best news I had heard all day.

Betty came in, heartbroken because Mr Honey refused to publish the yearbook. It wasn't the principle that Mr Honey had taken yet another thing away from us all in our senior year, something that he seemed hell bent on ruining.

"Do you remember when he threatened us on our first day back?" Betty asked, and I thought back to that day. It seemed like a lifetime ago and I couldn't comprehend how much my life had changed over the course of a year. "And how many of us are already banned from going to prom?"

Just from our small group, we began to count up who was banned. Fangs, Reggie, Toni and Kevin were banned because of an event he called Ticklegate. Betty was out because of, in her words, 'That bogus quiz show cheating scandal'. Cheryl's rendition of 'Cherry Bomb', her, Veronica, myself and the rest of the Vixens barred from attending. So that left only two.

"You wanna go to prom with me, Jug?" Archie laughed, pointing to his date. How those two had become the only ones allowed to go to Prom was a mystery.

"I'd be honoured. But I'm not putting out." Jughead announced, as Kevin made a perfectly relevant comment.
"Let the fanfiction begin."

Before I knew it, the group around me were talking about what the perfect way to scare Mr Honey would be. Tuesdays would be the best day because he was known to leave the school around 9. Archie brought up the fact that he'd recognise us so that meant we'd all have to wear masks and Stonewall jackets, and I couldn't go because being pregnant I'd be a little too easy to recognise. Archie would knock him out and then they'd all tie him up, carry him to Reggie's beloved car and put him in the trunk. Veronica's family cabin that was located in Fox Forest would be where we'd take him. It was then decided, led by Cheryl, that the way they were going to scare him into thinking he was going to die would be maple-boarding. The same way she had done to her mother. With his vision blocked in the cabin, I'd be allowed to be there, and I'd watch over the cabin and drive all our supplies up there.