nebulous *✧･ﾟ

TWO

It was seventh period when she realised how different they had all become. Something had changed between them, and she could tell even if no words were being said. Something had gone missing.

Jason Blossom.

Her brow furrows once again, and his face appears before her eyes. She remembers him, with how he used to walk down the school halls and how he used to smile.

Used to, her mind highlights, coming to the conclusion that Jason would never walk down another hall and that he would never crack another smile. How could that be? How could someone be there one second, and gone the next?

Roman presses the end of her mechanical pencil to her cheek, thinking deeply. She never had a real conversation with Jason, not really. Everyone had a fragment of him with them, but she didn't. The only thing she could remember him by was his red, flaming hair.

"[...] And so change can mean a great deal to all. When you've made some sort of change in a person's life, you have left them a legacy of yourself-a piece of yourself, you could say. What you did is how you will be remembered."

If anything, Roman catches ahold of these last few words. She had been daydreaming during class, which was typical. Still, her teacher's speech remained in her head, even when the bell rang.

What is the change that Jason made, and to whom? To what?

-

"I was so close to flinging that stapler at her head," Roman brings the straw to her lips before she takes another sip.

"I don't see what the big deal is, Josie seems...to be chill?"

"Chill? Chill? You know what's chill, this drink-this drink is chill, but Josie McCoy? No, nada, non." Roman threatens to spill the pop onto Jughead's laptop, but he holds his hands up defensively. She relaxes, sinking back into the red cushion. Her fingers rest on the ledge of the table while she examines her chipped nail polish.

"On more important matters, did you see the new girl?" Jughead starts typing again, his eyes refusing to leave the electronic screen. Roman glances up from her nails, raising an eyebrow instead.

"New girl?" She narrows her eyes when Jughead scoffs.

"I thought you of all people would've heard," The novelist says before he swears under his breath, slamming a finger on the backspace key. Roman laughs lightly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Clearly I haven't, so please, explain." She nods her head to him, seeing his lips twitch into the smallest of smiles-she's definitely getting better at this.

Before Jones can open his mouth and begin his explanation, Roman's attention turns away with the ring of a bell. The diner's door swings open and a girl steps in. She's fairly tall, with silky blonde hair that's tied back into a high ponytail-Roman doesn't recognize her.

"[...] Veronica Lodge."

Roman's face falls, noticing she let herself get distracted again. She licks her lips, glad that Jughead hasn't looked at her since. If he had, he would've noticed her wandering eyes and made a fast comment on it. Luckily Jug is too burrowed into his work to even notice the fries missing from his plate.

"I'm sure her arrival to our little town will be entertaining."

"Most definitely," Roman says sarcastically. She stretches a hand over to Jughead's side, trying to steal a fry. His hand whips out and he slaps hers away, big mistake.

"Jesus, Juggie."

"You know how I feel about sharing food," Jughead shrugs, she knew she had it coming. Roman huffs in defeat, drawing her hand back as she crosses a leg over the other. She twists her lips, wondering if she should ask about the new girl, Veronica Lodge, or start a depressing conversation about Jason.

Jason it is.

Roman licks her lips, preparing herself to blow Jughead's mind, until something catches her eye. Again.

It's the girl, the one who had entered just a second ago. She's standing at the end of their table with an expression Roman can't read. The girl appears to be familiar and Roman thinks she's a student at Riverdale High, either that or she's a friend of Jughead's. The idea makes her smile and she has to bite her lip in order not to laugh.

But it's the blonde's look that silences her completely.

Her eyes flicker to Roman, and suddenly she can't breathe. Blue eyes examine brown ones while pink lips lift into a half-surged smile. Roman turns away subtly, cheeks burning as she plants a fist underneath her own chin.

"Jughead." Roman whisper-shouts, addressing the new comer with her eyes. Jughead straightens his back, and for the first time in the past forty five minutes, he looks up.

"Betty?" His forehead creases as he looks at her with plain confusion.

"Hi, Jughead. I-I was supposed to meet Archie but," She fidgets while she speaks, her eyes constantly avoiding them, "He isn't here."

Roman's eyes widen, turning her head back to the girl, Betty, slightly surprised. Archie Andrews would stand up a cutie like her?

Ah, yes. Archie Andrews. Roman knows that name, she hears it everywhere now. So many girls had been talking about his glow up at lunch, it was truly sickening. Okay, she couldn't deny it-Archie had gotten a lot hotter over the summer, but that didn't explain the way he'd been acting lately. Jughead was still upset about 'the incident', which made Roman automatically dislike Andrews. In a way, they were both waiting for an apology.

"I'm sure he's just running late, you know how Archie is." Jughead sounds like he's trying to convince himself more than he's trying to convince Betty, still, Roman stays quiet. Some part of her wants to invite the girl to sit down, while the other part just wants her to leave.

"You can join us while you wait for him." Roman shoots a glare at Jughead and he gives her that scolding look before he makes room for Betty, sliding his laptop over.

"Really? I don't want to interrupt-"

"No, please do. Jughead was just boring me with his excruciating silence."

Betty smiles, and something inside of Roman twists. She isn't sure what this feeling is, but she knows it hurts. Meanwhile, Jug's head is overfilling with witty retorts he could've barked at his friend.

"All right then," The blonde sits down, folding her arms onto their table.

Jones returns to his novel, shooting Williams a look before his fingers start typing. Roman rolls her eyes, displeased at his action.

Whatever, it's fine, I can talk to her.

"So, Betty, you want some of my fries?"

---

when betty walks in ''my kind of woman" starts playing in roman's head just an fyi
okay ya'll but episode two was so wild im still shook?? veronica, cheryl, and betty looked so good hhnng
i apologise this chapter did not come out the way i wanted it to but i will try to explain more of the jughead jones & roman williams vs archie andrews later on ( i hope i didn't make betty too awkward)!!
&& don't u think it's funny how juggie protects his fries like a mama bear because i do
speaking of my fav jones, ive been thinking about writing a jughead fic? yes, no? idk?

thanks for reading! <3