Quicksand ¤ Jughead Jones

6-Bitter words spoken

"We were at Sweetwater river on July 4th. We heard a gunshot, the gunshot." Archie told the pair. 

Lauren rubbed her face in anger. 

"Dude, you have to tell somebody." Jughead told him calmly. 

"I can't. And neither can you, if someone finds out about Grundy..." Archie doesn't get the chance to continue as Lauren steps in. 

"What the hell, Archie? A kid is dead! What right do you have to keep this information to yourself?" Lauren yelled at him, she stepped forward quite close to the redhead now. "A kid is dead and you're worried about some cougar?" 

"Don't call her that." Archie tells the two. "She is not like that, she cares about me." 

"Stab in the dark." Jughead spits. "I'm guessing she cares more about herself. She's the one who's telling you not to say anything, right?"

"Look, I saw you guys, she's messing with you, man." Jughead continued, calmly. 

Lauren sighed, shaking her head. "Arch, what you are doing is wrong! It's illegal, you, hell both of you could go to jail!"

"What the hell do you know about it,Lauren? Jughead? What do you know about me, even? You ignored us for a year and now you think you can come in suddenly and ruin our lives? Well i'm sorry if that is what you thought." Archie snapped at her, having no hesitation to make the girl feel guilty about what she had done.

Lauren stopped for a moment, her breathe hitching as she stopped breathing for one moment. Her eyes well up with tears as she immediately took a step away from him with a cry almost escaping her lips, bit she suppressed it. Jughead's eyes somehow narrowed more as he was completely gobsmacked at the words that had left the redheads mouth. Quite mad, Jughead takes a step back as well, hurt just as much as Lauren. 

"Nothing. But I used to know this guy once. Archie Andrews. He wasn't perfect but he always tried to do the right thing." Jughead says while grabbing Lauren's hand and attempted to walk away but Archie stops them, both thought for a split second that the boy was going to apologize for the appalling words he had spoken, but that was before his mouth opened. 

"Jug. If you tell anyone about this..." Archie says but trails off. 

Jughead looks at the boy with an unreadable expression, Lauren doing the same, though her expression was paused on the words that was thrown at her. 

"What? What are you gonna do?" Jughead inquired, dangerously close to the boy. 

The door to the Andrew's residence opened and out stepped Fred Andrews with a smile which Lauren couldn't return. 

"Hey, Jug, Lauren. Coming in? We got take-out from Pop's." Fred says, nicely. ( Fred is so adorable)

Lauren look down, once again, her hand still squeezing Jughead's. Her anxiety was rising and all she wanted was to escape the situation. 

"They were just leaving." Archie tells his dad, his voice threatening and Jughead scoffs, gripping Lauren's hand before walking away, both their minds still racing.  

****

Lauren was seated in between Kevin and Betty the next day in school as Reggie Mantle ranted about a subject completely 'absurd'. Betty was telling Lauren about the mishap with Cheryl and everything after that. 

"And Sheriff Keller is grilling me, Mantle the magnificent cause i'd want blossom dead when he was the one good quarterback we had. And speaking of offensive tight-ends. I should've sent the cops to you, moose. Because here's another unsolved mystery. What exactly were you and Kevin doing at the river, huh? Or does being with the Sheriff's son give you a free pass, Keller?" Reggie teased and ranted to his buddies of goons, looking at Kevin before sending a wink at Lauren.