Rosemary ⋇ Jughead Jones

XXIV

"I didn't do it, Ro," Jughead whispered, his voice choking up slightly. "You have to believe me. I didn't kill Jason Blossom."

"Of course," Rosemary whispered back to him. "I believe you, Jug. One-hundred percent."

"Those Paradise Lost kids went to death row because they wore black," Jughead began to panic. "And they listened to Metallica. I don't wanna become a scapegoat, Ro. I-I..."

Rosemary reached forward and took his hand in hers, comfortingly rubbing circles on the top of his hand with her thumb. The two sat in silence for a little while longer. Jughead sniffled and took a deep, shaky breath. Rosemary knew he was trying to keep his cool around her, but she read straight through his faux calmness.

Jughead Jones was terrified.

The door opened and Rosemary squeezed Jughead's hand quickly and pulled her hand out of his tight grasp, Jughead's hand holding onto hers as long as possible as if she was his life raft keeping him from drowning. She turned around to see Betty walk in, looking down at Jughead nervously. Rosemary sent Jughead a comforting smile before getting up and leaving the couple alone to talk.

Rosemary closed the door behind her and looked in the hallway to see Archie sitting in a chair nervously. Rosemary's hand stayed on the doorknob and Archie looked up at the blonde girl to see tears slowly going down her cheeks.

Archie stood up and walked over to Rosemary, pulling her into a tight hug as Rosemary silently panicked. She grasped onto Archie like her life depended on it and he rubbed her back softly as she took deep breathes to calm herself down. 

"Jughead's not helping himself in there," Sheriff Keller talked to Fred Andrews just down the hall. "I asked him for an alibi, and he just gave me lip."

"Maybe because you-"

Archie squeezed Rosemary tightly, causing her to close her mouth. SHe knew sassing the Sheriff wouldn't help Jughead's case, and maybe even get herself thrown in an interrogation room, and she didn't need her record to get mentioned. Not around her friends.

"He was working for me," Fred nodded, quickly lying to the Sheriff. "Yeah, the week of July Eleventh, was it? Yeah, I had him tear down some drywall for me."

"You can provide me with documentation to support that?" Sheriff Keller asked.

"I have to check my time cards," Fred shrugged.

Sheriff Keller went to speak up, but a secretary from behind the desk walked up to him and handed him a file. Rosemary's eyes widened when she saw her name on the top and stiffened in Archie's tight hold.

"Rosemary, come with me," Sheriff Keller said, walking past the blonde girl towards one of the empty interrogation rooms. Rosemary let out a shaky breath and sent Archie and Fred a worried look. She passed the small window looking into the interrogation room and locked eyes with Jughead, whose eyes widened when he saw her getting led away by Sheriff Keller.

The two sat in silence, Sheriff Keller flipping through the very thick file. She watched as every single offense she's ever committed was read by Sheriff Keller, and once he was down he sighed and looked up at the nervous blonde, who bit her nails.

"We were able to get some prints off the car," Sheriff Keller told a silent Rosemary. "Yours, Betty's, and Jugheads. You and Jughead's prints were on file, but let's talk about yours. You've been charged with assault, assault and battery, battery, underage drinking, resisting arrest, battery against a police officer, and shoplifting. All of which happened in the southside all within the past seven years."

Rosemary watched as he flipped through away paper, her fingerprints and mugshots showing with each one. She was silent, not daring to speak a word in case Sheriff Keller would find a way to use it against her.