Lost (in Your Emerald Eyes)

F O U R

Jughead woke at two male voices shouting at each other somewhere in the distance. He blinked his eyes open, glaring at the dirty ceiling above him, and with a groan sat up on the pull-out couch. Understanding the voices were coming from the trailer park, outside somewhere, he stood tiredly and tugged sweatpants over his boxers, leaving them to loosely rest over his hips as he tiredly made his way to the front door.

It was unlocked, signifying his father was gone already. Jughead hoped it was for work and not to go to the Wyrm with other Serpents.

With his eyes adjusting to the bright light outside, he thanked the Lord for school holidays and blinked twice more before his pupils focused on the two men screaming at one another, both wearing leather, about to knock each other's heads open.

"Jones," Toni murmured, suddenly appearing next to his doorstep. "Do something before they kill each other." And just like that, she walked back to her trailer where her grandfather was standing on the door, looking towards Jughead for help as well.

The guy registered all the heads poking out of the trailer doors and windows, somewhere a child crying because of this mess. He sighed, sliding sandals onto his feet, and walked towards the two.

It was a guy he probably hated the most in the world, Tall Boy, and Sweet Pea, a boy his age who always got on Jughead's nerves. The beanie-wearing boy was about to reach them when the teenager cracked his knuckles and Tall Boy twisted a knife out of his pocket.

"Whoa, easy there," Jughead grumbled, glaring the two down as both of them turned their focus on him.

"Jones," the tallest of the two, Sweet Pea, spat. "It's none of your business here, get lost."

"He's about to kill you with that kitchen knife, but sure," Jughead said, rolling his eyes and looking at the man. Nudging his head at him, he said, "And you? Getting into fights with teenagers? Don't you have anything fucking better to do?"

"You better shut that mouth, Jones," the man screamed, holding the knife in front of him.

Jughead arched his eyebrows, not scared of him. He had gotten some fists from his own dad, not even starting to talk about this old man in front of him. If he was scared of anything, it was the child crying in one of the trailers, afraid the parents had hurt her like his hurt him. "Or what? You gonna stab me with that rusted knife? For what exactly?"

Tall Boy took a step closer, making Jughead's jaw clench. "Drop it."

"Scared?" he sneered.

"I said. Drop. The fucking. Knife!" the boy growled loudly; a murdering look in his green eyes. Tall Boy clenched his fist, shaking his head, not about to give up that easily.

"Your father is the king here, boy," he said angrily, almost jumping on his place. "You may be a Jones, but you are no leader! You have no Serpent bone in your body and I will take it up to myself to prove that!"

And with that, Jughead's fist flew up, connecting with his jaw, and knocking the man off his feet. Everything around him seemed to be quiet as he squatted down, in front of the steaming angry man, collecting his knife. "I don't care about how my father deals with your bullshit, Tall Boy. But I will make sure that the next time you'll come searching for trouble from the Serpents—your family... You won't be on the ground without this knife in your leg."

Jughead stood up after the threat and sighing, offered the man a hand to get up. Tall Boy spat on it and got up by himself, Jughead rolling his eyes while cleaning his palm in his sweatpants.

"Put some clothes on, Jones," the man growled and turned around, walking away, from the half-naked Jughead, and Sweet Pea who had been watching them the whole time.