Hold On || Jughead Jones

The Man in Black // Part One

Veronica gave a stiff nod before grabbing her purse and leading the way out of her room, not even stopping to call out a goodbye before we slammed the door shut behind us.

--

"Do you think they'll ever come back?" Veronica asked as she brushed her wet hair over her shoulders. It was going on midnight at this point and both of us had just finished up getting ready for bed. I was buried under the covers as I watched Ronnie pace back and forth.

"I don't know, Ron," I hummed as my fingers played with a stray fabric. "Jughead said if Archie was safe, he'd do it. But with Hiram running every street corner, I don't know if it's possible."

My sister sniffled before nodding and tossing the brush on my dresser. "I just wish I could help him more, make sure he's okay."

I put my hand on her shoulder as she sat next to me, "Babe, you got him cleared of all the charges against him. I think you've done all you can at this point."

She sighed before crawling under the blankets herself and turning off the lights. The two of us stared at the ceiling for a moment in silence before she spoke up, "When were you going to tell me?"

I turned my head to face her. "Tell you what?"

"About this." She shifted on her side to poke the constellation tattoos that was left exposed by my tank top. It covered my left shoulder and continued over my shoulder blade.

I shrugged and moved to look back at the ceiling again. "Toni did it for me before we found Archie at the juvie with Elio," I explained, leaving out the additional two that were covered by my clothes. "She's really good at it, Cheryl too with the designs."

Ronnie laughed to herself as she watched me for a moment. "It's crazy, you know? To think that not too long ago you were this silent, tiny girl who barely spoke a word in the streets of New York and now you're the Serpent Queen with tattoos and a knack for investigating trouble. Who knew."

I rolled my eyes at her before shoving her shoulder gently. "A lot has changed, Ron. We both know that."

"Well of course," Veronica hummed as she settled on her back. "I'm proud of you. You've come a long way."

I flicked her arm, "Stop getting sappy on me. Where's the take names, kick ass girl that I've always known?"

"She's a little tired at the moment," She sighed, "I just want him back, Van. Is that too much to ask for?"

I shook my head as I grabbed her hand under the covers. "After everything you guys have been through, Ronnie, Archie will come back. I know he will."

My hopeful lie seemed to please her enough as we moved into silence, listening to the patter of the rain on the windows as the night crept on. I prayed Archie would return, for his own sake and Veronica's. After everything that Hiram had done to them, that the world had done to them, they deserved peace. Even if it was just for a little bit.

--

When Veronica's alarm went off at 6:00 AM, I knew I was going to regret inviting her to stay with me. I had offered to join her at Pop's, something she gladly accepted, as long as she made me an iced coffee.

That's how I ended up setting placemats out at 6:30 in the morning while Ronnie swept the floors. Some old classical song played around us as Pop stepped in, tying his apron behind his back.

"Veronica, Savanna. You're early. What time did you both get in here?" He asked as he watched us move in tandem.

Veronica only smiled politely and continued to move around, "You know what they say about the bird and the worm," She joked, earning a chuckle out of Pop.