Deadline ((Jughead Jones)) 4

12

"Right, let's get to work guys, I can't have you round all evening," I told them all, directing them all to their places around the room to begin their work.
"Yeah guys, get to work. The quicker we finish, the quicker Queenie can call Jughead!" Falcon said in a singing tune, making fun of me. It was a good job he was young and could arguably get away with what he was doing. I pointed my finger at him, telling him to take a seat, while I picked up my letter and read through it properly.

The next day, I walked into the house to see, surprisingly Jughead standing with his father. I had called him the previous night, excitedly telling him that I had gotten into Iowa. He had sounded so proud, so impressed.
"There's my genius Queen!" Jughead ran forward to me, picking me up into his arms and spinning me around as I laughed. I had barely been able to put my school bag down before I was in his arms and off my feet. "You better start reading up on what you can do in Iowa," He told me, putting me down and placing a kiss gently on my lips.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"Well, not only did I want to come and congratulate you, I also had to go and get a transcript to send off to colleges. And I spoke to Mrs Burble who helped me realise that it was about time I focused on my writing again." His arms were around my waist, mine around his neck and I looked over at the laptop that was open, a story loaded up on his computer and beginning to unfold on the screen.
"Well I better not distract you too much." I said, moving out of his arms to hug FP. FP told me how proud he was of me, that he was glad this Queen would get an education, because so many Serpent leaders had left school before finishing high school. Jughead looked at us both, his girlfriend and his father, and smiled at us, before continuing writing.

And by that night, I was lying on my bed, Jughead nervously pacing behind me as I read through the final page of the first chapter. As I turned the final page, I sat up and locked eyes with Jughead.
"These are amazing, Jug." I told him, flicking through the pages to find my favourite parts. "You've really captured the essence of the Baxter Brothers, but you've made it your own too, I love it." One thing that I always tried to do was be Jug's biggest fan and his harshest critic, not that he needed it. His writing was stunning, capturing the personality of every character and gripping the reader from the first line. Every word that he wrote entranced the reader from start until end.
"I caught up with all of my college applications as well. I wanna show you something," He told me, getting his laptop and sitting it on my bed, sitting beside me to show me whatever he had found.

"I found this article from 2002." He told me and I read the title. Novelist Theodore Weisel drowns in yachting accident. The name began to ring bells in my mind, and I knew that I had heard the name before. So, I asked Jug why the name sounded familiar.
"He was in the Quill and Skull literary society with my grandfather. I tracked down all the original members." He told me. Jughead really had been busy, whatever Mrs Burble had said to him, it must have really sunk in, because he hadn't been this focused in a while.
"That's a great place to start, J. They could tell you something about what your grandad and DuPont were like then." I voiced my thoughts aloud. Jug then revealed that Theodore wasn't the only one of the original members that suffered a tragic accident. Every person, Jane Dallas Brown, Charles W.Chickens, were dead, leaving only DuPont and Forsythe the First. Which would raise suspicion that these weren't just accidents, but horrible murders at the hands of a serial killer.
"Jug, if you're right, you need to transfer," I warned him, worried for his safety. We had been through many adventures, defied death every time but I worried what would happen when Death caught up with us. Jughead had lived through shootings, being beaten to a pulp, running through the forest from my psychotic mother; fought in gang wars and uncovered more mysteries than any local police force. I worried that his luck might just be running out.
"I can't. We're so close to this. I can feel it." He replied, almost begging me to let him stay at Stonewall.
"That's what I'm afraid of, Jug. I can't lose you." I said to him, pulling his face closer to mine, my eyes tearing up as I thought of a life without him, or what I would do if he wasn't beside me.
"Hey, Thia, I'm not going anywhere. I promise you." I nodded, pulling him into a much needed kiss. A kiss that was needy, hungry, passionate. It was one that begged him to stay with me, to prove that he wasn't going anywhere, that he was alive.

Jughead POV

Thia was lying on my chest, fast asleep. I couldn't seem to find the calm tranquility that sleep brought, but I wouldn't move. I didn't move because I would hate to wake her. As much as she appeared to be healed, I knew sleeping when I wasn't there was a hardship she didn't want to admit. So, she lay on my chest and I ran my hand through her red hair, loving the softness and memorizing every detail.

I couldn't help but think of the words spoken to me by Mrs Burble, remembering the end of our conversation.
"What of Cynthia? Are you in a good place?" She had asked. Just the mention of Thia put me on edge because I had no idea what this woman would insinuate. Thia was fine, although she could probably do with one of these meetings herself, and our relationship was going from strength to strength.
"Yeah, we're great. She's a breathtaking enigma that I don't deserve in the slightest." I admitted. Before, I had been slightly held back, but one mention of my girlfriend and I was melting in my seat. She wasn't even here. She was probably in class, writing away, ignoring the world.

Mrs Burble smiled at me, probably because I had some stupidly love sick expression on my face. I ran my hands over my face, trying to hide my own nostalgic smile as I thought of my Cynthia, wondering what she would do if she saw me like this. Probably tease me.

"That's the first time I've seen you smile. You must really love her." She spoke, watching me, trying to understand exactly who I was and what my issues were. I didn't mind it too much anymore.
"I adore her. And the minute we have our own house and our jobs, I'll ask her to marry me before she realises that she can do so much better." This caused me to smirk at the floor. I hadn't admitted that to anyone else yet. Everyone knew that I saw a future with her, and everyone knew that by taking her as my queen, I was basically saying that I wanted her to be mine forever. Still, despite every talk of our future we had, I hadn't told her I wanted to marry her. Many would say I was too young to know what that commitment meant; that I shouldn't rush into it because I will wish away my youth. But, I knew what I wanted. And I wanted Cynthia Andrews.

"Why do you think she could do better? From what I saw at the school musical she needs you as much as you need her," She told me. Everyone at the school had seen Cynthia's very public anxiety attack at the musical. They had seen her fear, and how much she clung to me as we guided her off stage. I almost laughed at the woman's question, wondering how she couldn't see what I did.
"Please. She was way out of my league when we first met, let alone now. She's an alluring beauty that is beloved by all, and I'm the social outcast with an obsession for mystery novels and serial killers. On paper, we shouldn't match up." I admitted. All the football team wanted her, but she ignored every comment and every look, choosing to focus on me for no more reason than because she loved me. Despite us being together for nearly four years, I still felt the insecurity of a new relationship, and nothing that Thia did gave me reason to.
"Jughead, from what I can see, she loves you. That is all the reason that you need to believe that she won't leave you. She may be this beauty gracing the halls, but she chose to be a gang leader, not a privileged individual with some regal status from an outdated perception of popularity. She saved you time and time again you didn't realise it, just like you saved her. She chose you, because she saw what no one else did. "

I was silent. I sat back against the couch I was on, in a stunned silence. Mrs Burble was right. Thia chose me and she chose me again and again over everyone else. She saved me as many times as I saved her. I thought of the moment I watched her fall through the ice at Sweetwater river. The moment my heart leapt to my throat and I felt like I was ready to dive into the Sweetwater river to be with her. I felt a tear fall down my cheek which I quickly wiped away.

Mrs Burble looked at me like she knew exactly what I was thinking about. "You know, if she means this much, use her as inspiration. Use her to push you to do your work, to write stories. The better you do now, the brighter your future with her will look. Maybe then you'll feel like you deserve her."
 And as I stroked Cynthia's hair, listening to her quiet breaths as she slept, I knew that's what I had to do. No matter what I did, I would never deserve her, but maybe giving her the best life would be a good place to start. She was my everything, and everything that I did would be for her.