You move to a new town after your father accepts a promotion at his company. You soon find out that the small town is riddled with secrets, chaos, and intriguing characters. There is one boy in particular, Jughead Jones, you can't seem to get off yo...
You and Jughead sat in the back seat, a large cooler sloshing around in the cargo department behind you. He'd let you take the window seat, while Reggie sat beside him. Then it was Veronica, Betty, and Archie in the middle bench seat, with Veronica's driver isolated up front. It was certainly awkward seating arrangements but in the eight-seater escalade there really weren't many options.
You decided to check your email in the car to avoid the awkward circumstances. You clicked on a message from the writing contest.
We are pleased to inform you that you are the first-place winner for the Vermont Young Writers Spooks Throughout the Countryside Anthology. In addition to the monetary prize, we are excited to formally invite you to our all-inclusive writer's retreat, taking place June 15th-June 20th. Please see the attached files for additional information.
You rubbed Jughead's arm, getting his attention before showing him the screen on your phone. He read for a second before a smile broke across his face. He leaned over and kissed you. Whispering in your ear, "I knew you could do it."
You caught Reggie watching you out the corner of his eye but disregarded it. All you could do was think about how you'd officially won your first writing contest. You'd never even considered your writing up to par to enter in the first place, but Jughead had believed in you, making this happen.
"Ronnie, why am I the only one that doesn't get to sit next to my girlfriend?" Reggie moaned.
"We only have an hour left. And Archie will sit next to Jughead on the way back, okay?"
"Sure, Ronnie." Reggie leaned his head against the frame.
Veronica attempted to make some small talk with you. "So, you were assigned the same English assignment as us, right? Having to go to Fall Festival and then do a creative writing assignment on something you experienced."
"Yeah, which seems a little weird. I'll probably just make something up." You replied.
Veronica twisted in her seat. "No, we're all going opening day. Plus, Betty says Mrs. Shea always sets up a booth, giving away free books. But really to see if people are following through on the assignment."
"It's true." Betty concurred.
"Well, I know Mr. Phillips would probably never be caught at Fall Festival." Jughead stated. "But he gave us the same assignment. Probably just teachers stealing each other's curriculums again. I'll come to." He glanced at you.
"You know it's odd. My dad just told me the other day he'll be at fall festival the first day. His company is doing a kind of job fair, hiring type booth." You announced. Jughead raised an eyebrow at you.
"Lockheed Pyron sure seems to be hiring a lot of people, it really makes you wonder what kind of expansions they are doing." Archie spoke.
"Doesn't it?" Betty said snootily.
"I mean I guess it could be a good thing. So many jobs. This town needs that right now." Archie concluded.
The rest of the ride was pretty much Archie and Reggie talking football, Archie and Jughead discussing videogames, or Betty and Veronica speaking about mundane things. You spent your time staring out the window, enjoying the feeling of getting away.
Welcome to Shadow Lake
Est. 1811
Population 1,950
"Almost there." Veronica announced as you passed the sign.
Moments later you were pulling into a shrouded drive, leading to the obscured cabin. Everything was so quiet and still. You only discerned the rustling of the trees, and a few birds singing periodically. Veronica showed you to your rooms, placing you and Jughead in the center one. The cabin was set up so all three bedrooms were upstairs, each one having its own small bathroom.
Jughead sat his backpack on the blanket box before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Why didn't you tell me about your dad's upcoming recruiting mission?"
"Well, I knew Lockheed was looking for additional employees. I didn't really think much of it because I wasn't going to go to Fall Festival. But if Mrs. Shea really does take this assignment so seriously. I guess I'll have to because it makes a big part of my grade this trimester."
"Fall Festival isn't that bad. They usually have lots of good food." Jughead nodded looking around the room. His eyes lingering on the deer head and taxidermy hawk decorating the room. "Cozy." He pronounced.
You chuckled, placing your hands on his cheeks and drawing him in for a kiss. The sounds of a bed squeaking and muffled moans soon emanated from the walls. He pulled away; his face contorted.
"And this is what I meant by awkward."
You felt your cheeks flush. Was this really the first thing they were going to after your arrival? You knew it was a romantic couple's getaway, but you'd thought you'd at least all hang out for a bit or something. He placed his hand on yours, rubbing it with his thumb. "Do you want to go for a walk along the lake?"
"Yeah, that sounds nice."
You both put on gloves and a scarf before heading outside. He laced his fingers in yours and you made your way down to the lake. It was completely frozen over.
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"Well, there go my dreams for a late fall swim." He said sarcastically. You ended up meandering into the edges of the forest. Jughead bent over and handed you a pinecone.
"It's nice." You gave him a funny look.
"Pinecones are a representation of human enlightenment, symbolic of the third eye."
You smiled, placing the small pinecone in your jacket pocket. His depth of knowledge never failed to impress you. "Thank you." He kissed your cheek before releasing your hand and making his way down a bank. "What are you doing?" You called.
"I think I see a mushroom down here." He shouted back. He reappeared a moment later, slipping on some snowy slush on his way back up. You reached for him, helping him the rest of the way. "No mushrooms." He looked disappointed. "I wish we could have come here in the spring, I bet they'd be everywhere." His cheeks were turning red from the cold.
"I didn't know you were a mushroom hunter." You grinned.
"What can I say? I have layers."
You ran your fingers over his scarlet cheeks, the cold making his exhalations distinctly visible. Your lips neared his as you heard a branch snap nearby. You both turned to see Veronica threading your way in an oversized violet jacket.
"What are you guys doing? I thought you'd fallen through the ice. Come back inside. I've prepared drinks and snacks, and we're about to start a game of Monopoly."
