|South Side Desire| Jughead Jones x reader

The cipher night

"They dont fit the profile." He smiled as he shook his head.

"Right. Unlike most serial killers, our guy wears a mask. Well, a hood, when he kills." I tapped my foot on the floor.

"Most likely someone consumed with self-loathing." Jughead added.

"Conversely, he sends letters and cryptos to the press." I smiled as i reached into my bag pulling out a todays newspaper and plopping it onto the desk in front of Jughead.

"Do you think hes narcissistic or a batman villain?" He joked causing both of us to laugh a bit.

"Im a true crime junkie." i smiled looking down at my lap then back to the swoopy haired boy in front of me.

"True crime is my crack." he laughed motioning to everything around him on his desk.

"i figured...Hey the Register took a break from bashing the south side to post the Black hoods cipher...Do you maybe want to help me crack it?" I Leaned forward a little in anticipation.

"Sure." HE smiled coyly after a moment of decision or hesitation fuck if i know im not a mind reader.

Jughead and i spent the next two hours trying to make any progress but to no avail so we decided to call it quits for the day and went our sepret ways. Or so we thaught turns ot we both live in Sunnyside trailer park so we decided to walk home together. How weve lived in the same park for years and never officially met is beyond me.

The following day jughead invited me to help him and his friends decipher the well...cipher. "These symbols look so familiar to me. Its like ive seen them before and its driving me crazy i cant figure out where." The blond headed girl if i remember correctly is Betty. she seemed....well i dont know... deffenetly uptight but theres something elese about her that i dont like.

"Maybe if you loosened your ponytail." I mocked with a slight innocent smile. Everyone just kind of looked at each other then back at me. "What? That was a joke guys."

"Betty's ponytail is iconic and beyond reproach." Kevin jokingly defended.

"Kev...its fine." Betty stressed while Jughead just laughed. "And at this point, im willing to try anything." She sighed as she pulled the tight elastic from her hair.

"Per Mrs. Paroo's books, im looking for common letter associations like T-H, A-N, I-N-G." Jughead spoke as he sat up from the couch he was once laying on.

"Im looking for doubles. Double L and four letter works like Kill." I sighed leaning back letting my back hit the floor.

"Thats morbid." Kevin pointed at me with the fortune teller he made.

"We dont even know if this thing is even in English." Jughead added "Guys, i mean, this could be an anagram."

"Im literally on the top of my brain..." Betty groaned.

"All right. Lets go back to the basics. what do we know about this guy? who is he?" Jughead questioned.

"Hes a white male, in his forties. Like almost every serial killer ever." I laughed slightly even though this is a serious matter.

"No, i mean like why... why is he killing people." the leader of this little group continued "Or at least, why now?"

"We know the hoods obsessed with cleansing the town of sinners and hypocrites, right? and he seems to be attacking anyone with ties to the Northside." Betty began to accuse.

"Here we go with the fake news again. Not to be THAT person but you northsiders and your privilege. All you do is demonize the Southside so of course you think the Black Hoods from here." I kinda lost it on the know it all blonde

"Its not demonizing, y/n. its stating facts. Theres way more drugs and gangs and-"

"The frugs you mean are sold primarily to Northside crackheads? Hell, betty, im surprised you havent just come out and said it yet." I hissed angrily.

"Say what?" she asked as if she has no idea what im getting at.

"That you think the Black Hoods a Serpent. Its obvious how much you hate us." I looked up at jughead for reassurance.

"Okay, Y/n..." He interjected but even i could see in his eyes deep dow he knew i was right.

"I dont hate the Serpents." She defended.

"Then why does your bestfriend have to lie about the fact that he sits with us at lunch?" Is what i wanted to say but i couldnt sell jughead out like that, so instead "Maybe im wrong, but it sure as hell comes off that way."

"Im gonna go." Kevin nodded as he stood up.

"Yeah, you know what im gonna get outta here, too." Betty glared at me before standing up off the floor.

"Ok then i can walk you home." Kev smiled and with that they left.

"Im sorry, Jughead. I didnt mean to pick a fight but even i can lose my paitence with Northsiders." I sighed. "I guess ill get out of your hair now since everybodys gone." I stood up

Unpublished chapter I never finished ✨🤪