𝕊𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕖 𝕄𝕪 ℍ𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥 (ℝ𝕚𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕕𝕒𝕝𝕖)

10.|| 𝕚𝕟 𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕟𝕝𝕖𝕪 𝕡𝕝𝕒𝕔𝕖

WHAT MAKES A place feel lie home? Is it warmth and familiarity? Some idealized, make-believe version of the American Dream? Is it love and acceptance? Or is it simply safety?

Or it's none of those things. And it's a place where the captain of the football, and my cousin's best friend, is murdered.

Or maybe it's just a forgotten closet under a well-trod staircase, where it's just you and the mice and the spiders, like an extra in a Wes Craven movie.

🔆🔆🔆

JUGHEAD LET OUT gasp as he looked up in the mirror, finding Archie and Beau standing behind him.

"What are you doing?" Beau asked.

"Taking advantage of the school's state-of-the-art facilities." Jughead told the two of them.

"No, really, Jughead. What are you doing in here?" Archie asked,

🔆🔆🔆

BEAU AND ARCHIE looked around the small closet as the three of them walked into it, seeing all of Jughead's stuff inside the small room.

"How long?" Archie asked.

"Well, since they shut down the drive-in." Jughead told them as Archie stood up from his crouched position. "That's where I was living before."

"Why the hell are you not living at home?" Beau questioned.

"This truth is, things aren't good at home."

"With your dad?" Archie asked.

"Yeah. He kind of fell off the wagon. After your dad fired him, to tell you the truth." Jughead directed towards Archie, "Hasn't had a job since. He keeps promising that he's gonna get his act together, but my mom couldn't take that roller coaster anymore, so she grabbed Jellybean and went to live with out grandparents. Come, on." He said as the bell rung.

"God, Jug, why didn't you tell me?" Archie asked, "And where does your dad think you are?"

"He thinks I'm couch-surfing."

"Well, screw that. Live with me and Bryce." Archie told him, "She'd love having both cousins living with her."

"This is temporary, man." Jughead said, "I'm going to figure something out. Just don't tell anybody. Especially not Betty," He turned to look at Beau, "And don't tell Bryce. I want to tell her on my own."

"Betty?" Beau scoffed, "She's not gonna care. If anyone's gonna be a snob about it, maybe Veronica."

"Right, well, exactly. Don't tell her either." Jughead walked away from the two of them.

🔆🔆🔆

"OUR MOM AND Dad don't want to get the police involved." Betty said as everyone sat on the student lounge. "They don't want anyone to know that she ran away or about her shameful conditions."

"Please," Veronica spoke, "What decade is this?"

"Also, since she knew where Jason's getaway car was, they're afraid people might think that she burned it and that if she did..." Betty spoke.

"She could be the murderer, trying to cover her tracks." Jughead said.

"Well, who did burn the car, then?" Archie asked.

"Sheriff Keller says it's possible someone was following us." Betty told them.

"Oh, my god." Veronica said as Bryce's phone rung for the sixth time since they sat down, "Honestly, guys, we should just move."