*Your POV*
I wake up and my hands start to hurt a little. What the hell? I hold them up and a flashback of that night comes in my head.
"Say you're sorry for destroying me. Apologize for what you did to me!" she yelled.
"Look, I'm not Jason! I'm not Jason!" Chuck yelled, closing his eyes.
"Betty!" I said and ran towards her. I tried to take the syrup out of her hands but she pushes me back and I tripped and my hands broke my fall on the concrete.
"Betty that is enough! Stop! It's over, we did it. You did it." Veronica said.
I sigh, and go into the bathroom and slowly peel the band aids off. I look at my cuts and they look infected. Probably because I didn't treat them in any way. I literally just put a band aid on them and called it good.
I look through my cabinets and find some rubbing alcohol for cuts. I slowly put some on, but stop every now and then from it stinging.
I finally finish and hold up my hands. For some reason, my mind just tells me to count the cuts, so I do. There are three vertical ones on my left hand;and two vertical with one diagonal on my right.
I put new, clean bandaids on them and walk back out. I check the time, and it's 6:30.
~
The day goes by pretty fast, and I find myself sitting in a booth at Pop's, Jug next to me, with Kevin, Veronica, and Betty across from us. I'm drinking a chocolate milkshake.
"The Drive-In closing is just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale. No, forget Riverdale, in the coffin of the American dream." Jug says. "As the godfather of, of, indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino likes to say-"
"Please, God, no more Quentin Tarantino references." Kevin interrupts. Veronica looks over at him.
"What? I'm pissed. And not just about losing my job." He looks over at me and then back at them. "The Twilight Drive-In should mean something to us. People should be trying to save it."
"In this age of Netflix and VOD, do people really want to watch a movie in a car? I mean, who even goes there?" Veronica asks.
Kevin looks over at her, "People who want to buy crack." I snicker.
"And cinephiles," Jug adds, "and car enthusiasts. Right, (N/N)?(nickname)"
I look up from the table, "Totally."
"Anyway, it's closing because the town owns it, but didn't invest in it. So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy and offer she couldn't refuse-"
"Anonymous buyer?" Veronica interrupts, "What do they have to hide? No one cares."
I'm not really talking a lot in this conversation, and so I space out and think about places in Riverdale where I could go to take pictures of...
"I do!" there's a slight pause, "Also you guys should all come to closing night. I'm thinking, American Graffiti, or is that too obvious?"
"I vote for anything starring Audrey Hepburn." Veronica says. "Or Cate Blanchett."
There's the park, where Jug and I were at a couple days ago..or the rose gardens..
"Or The Talented Mr. Ripley." Kevin says. "(Y/N), your choices?"
I look up from the table.
"Everything okay, (N/N)?" Veronica asks.
"Yeah, yeah, no, I'm just thinking." I say and lean forward, "Um, I've never been there so, I don't really have any great ideas." I chuckle. "Betty?"
"Maybe, Rebel Without a Cause?" Betty says. Jug looks over at her and they both snicker. I look over to them and something hits me...it's like, a feeling that I've never felt before. Wait..it can't be jealousy, can it? No. Jug wouldn't do that to me.
"Here you go, kids." Veronica's mom comes over and puts some food on the table.
I reach for my burger, and I see my milkshake slide over. I quickly look over and Jug took a sip of it. "Wha? Excuse me." I say.
"Excuse you what? Did you-" nope. I know what he's doing.
"Ep, ep, shut up. Shut. Up." I put my index finger up and we both laugh.
The rest of them just have a confused face. I look over to them, "Oh, it's an inside joke." I say, and take back my milkshake. I see V raise her eyebrow. I give her a, "stop-it-right-now" look.
I hear a slam on a table behind us. I look over, and it's Cheryl. "Be sure to put all that cash in the register." Veronica gets up, "You are a Lodge, after all, and Lodges are known to have sticky fingers."
I turn back around. A little while later, Veronica comes and sits back down. The doorbell chimes.
"Now that's an odd combo of people." Kevin says. I look behind me, and Ms. Grundy, Archie, and his dad all walk into Pop's.
"I'll be right back." I say, and get up.
"No, (Y/N). No, don't.." I hear Jughead say.
I continue walking over to them.
"Hey, (Y/N)." Fred says.
"Hi, Mr. Andrews, Ms. Grundy. Archie, can I talk to you?" I say.
"Sure. I'll call you later?" he asks.
"No, actually, now. Just school stuff. Outside?" I raise an eyebrow and tilt my head towards the door. He looks at them and then gets up and follows me outside. When we reach a little ways from the door, I turn around. "You uh, mind telling me what the hell is going on? Why are you with her?"
"We're just having dinner, (Y/N).." he says, looking around.
"Uh-huh, okay. So I take it your dad has no clue what's going on between you two?" I ask and cross my arms.
"No." he says.
"Have you told Keller about being at Sweetwater River yet?" I ask.
"I did!" he realize he raised his voice. I raise my eyebrow. He looks around again, "Sorry,"
"Did you tell him that you were with her?" I ask.
He looks down at the ground, "No.."
"Archie! You lied to Sherriff Keller and said that you weren't with her!" I uncross my arms and Veronica comes out.
"What's going on, you guys?" she asks.
I sigh, "Do you wanna tell her?"
"Tell me what?"
Archie sighs, "It's nothing."
"Um, it actually is something." I look over at Veronica, "Did you know he was seeing Ms. Grundy?"
"Well yeah like, I know that she's giving him music lessons."
"No like," I give her a look and she finally realizes it.
"Oh, my God. You and your music teacher are having an affair?"
"We are..." Archie says, "together. Look I know it sounds bad, but-"
"Bad? It sounds scandalous." Veronica says and looks at me.
"It sounds like jail time to me! Illegal!" I say.
"(Y/N) don't go there."
"Oh, I'm already there." I put my hands up.
"Ronnie, a little help here?"
"I-I mean, I mean," she stammers, "technically, (Y/N)'s right. And, ethically, well, what is Grundy to you, anyway? Your girlfriend? Your booty tutor?"
"I don't know, I don't know what to call her."
"Why did you lie? To protect her?" I ask.
"She believed in me when no one else did."
I cross my arms again and look behind him to see Kevin and Jug are staring at us. I close my mouth and look back at Archie.
"Okay, we get it." Veronica says.
Betty comes out. "What's going on you guys?" she asks.
"Archie is having an affair with Ms. Grundy." I say.
"(Y/N)!" Archie says.
"No, don't get mad at me. I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Wait...what?!" Betty yells. A car horn honks, and I turn around. It's her mom.
"Get in the car, Betty. Now." She shrugs and walks over to the car and gets in. "What have I told you about those three?" I raise my eyebrow.
"Can we just go?" Betty asks quickly. Her mom takes one last look at us and drives off.
Veronica sighs, "Oh, Archiekins, you're in it deep this time." She walks inside.
Archie turns back to me, and I'm speechless. "(Y/N), please say something..."
I look at the ground and just nod. "Honestly, I don't really know what to say." I turn around and start to walk away. I hear Pop's door open, and someone running up to me. I feel a hand on my shoulder and I turn around. It's Jughead.
"Where are you going?" he asks.
I sigh, "Back home." I open my car door.
"Was it that bad?" he asks.
"I guess not..but, it's getting late anyways and I should get going." I lean in and quickly kiss him on the lips, and pull away. "I'll text you later. Bye, Jug." I get into my car and drive off. I look in my rear mirror and I see him just standing there. I nod and close my eyes for a second. When I open them, I drive home.
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Word Count: 1513