Bad Beat Jackpot (Jughead x Reader)

Chapter 51

You'd spent the entire morning going through the notebook, researching ideas, and attempting to formulate a plan. You made sure to answer the phone when the school called with their automated message about your absence that day. Around four-thirty Jughead received a phone call.

"Archie?

"Thanks for the offer but in lieu of recent events I think I'm going to have to decline." He said grumpily.

Moments later he sighed. "Yeah, I know..."

"Okay fine, but I'm only going for the ravioli."

"See ya."

"What's going on?" You questioned.

"Archie invited me to dinner tonight."

"And you're going?"

"It's complicated. As furious as I still am with him. We've literally been friends our entire lives."

"Yeah, but he's betrayed you multiple times. How can you ever trust him again?"

"Trust no one." He quoted The X-Files, amassing a smile from you.

"I just don't think he deserves you as a friend."

"I am pretty awesome." He jested.

...

When you saw Veronica in Chemistry the next day, she had a huge smile on her face.

"So, can I expect you this weekend?"

"Expect me for what?"

She frowned. "Jughead hasn't spoken to you yet I guess. We're having a kind of romantic couples' getaway at my family lake house this weekend. Reggie and I, Archie and Betty, and I was hoping, you and Jughead. Due to the holiday, we get a three-day weekend and I think we should make the most of it. It will do us some good to get out of Riverdale, if only for a couple days."

"I don't... Wait Archie and Betty? I thought she was seeing Chuck?"

"Yeah, I guess things didn't pan out."

"And you're okay with them seeing each other?"

She shrugged. "It's whatever. I'm feeling pretty good about Reggie and I."

You nodded. "Well, I don't know if that's something Jughead would be up for."

"That's funny because he pretty much used those exact same words about you when Archie invited him."

"Really?"

She widened her eyes. "Yeah girl. Come on, just come. It will be fun. A nice weekend away from this town, at a beautiful lake. What could go wrong?"

You sat in your room that night trying to focus on your homework, but you kept wondering why Jughead hadn't at least messaged you about the invite to the lake house. Did he not want to go with you? I mean it really didn't seem like he would want to spend a weekend stuck in a cabin with Reggie Mantle. Yet why had he told Archie he didn't think you'd want to go? Probably just as a scapegoat so he didn't have to explain his reasoning. Your thoughts were interrupted by your phone vibrating, you glimpsed Jughead's name on the screen. You turned up your stereo and went into the bathroom.

"Hello?"

"Can I come over for a moment?"

"No, my dad's here."

"Well can you meet me somewhere?"

"I wish, but I can't. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to see you. I-"