CHAPTER 6- BITTER WORDS SPOKEN
"Betty and I have been next door neighbors since we were four..." Archie started as Lauren awkwardly trailed behind him, playing with her fingers. "We've always gone to the same school, same class and that's where we met Lauren."
At the mention of her name Lauren looked up as Veronica lets out a small laugh along with Archie who looked back, motioning for her to catch up to them.
"I remember in the second grade, I was having trouble reading and Mrs. Gribrock, told my mom and dad I should stay back a year. Betty and Lauren were so against me not being in the same class as them, that they took it upon themselves to tutor me everyday. Lauren would help me on alternate days, they had a whole schedule." Archie says, his love for the two girls quite evident on his face.
"In the second grade?" Veronica muses with disbelief looking at Lauren for confirmation, was smiling fondly at the memories. That shocked the raven-haired girl as she had never witnessed the brunette with a real smile on her face.
"Yeah." Archie grinned, looking at the girl who continued to look to the floor.
"Anyway when I passed, I kissed Betty and asked her to marry me and while Lauren refused saying 'She didn't like me like that', Betty said oh little Archie we're too young ask me when we're 18 and I'll say yes." Archie told her shaking his head as her remembered the words spoken by the two.
****
When the two reached Archie's place, they spotted Jughead already there sitting on the steps that led to the house. Archie looked at Lauren, obviously clueless about what was happening.
"Jug. What's up?" Archie asked.
Lauren walked up to Jughead, who wrapped his arm around her lazily. "What's up is that we saw you, Archie."
"In the music room with Ms.Grundy." Lauren continued and Archie looked alarmed, as he walked forward, pointing to the house behind them.
"Keep your voices down, my dad's inside."
"I'm trying to help you, dude." Jughead said, holding his hands out in surrender. "I'm trying to be your friend here, even though we're not anymore."
"How long?" Lauren asked, tapping her foot against the pavement. "You and Grundy."
"Since the summer." Archie answered reluctantly. Lauren sighed at this. "I like her."
"Oh come on, Archie." Lauren scoffed. "She is obviously using you."
"So i'm guessing she is the reason you've been acting so weird since summer?" Jughead questioned his eyes narrowed.
"One of them." Archie says, quieter.
"One of them? There's more?" Lauren asked, her face showing the disbelief that she felt.
"We were at Sweetwater river on July 4th. We heard a gunshot, the gunshot." Archie told the pair.
Lauren rubbed her face in anger.
"Dude, you have to tell somebody." Jughead told him calmly.
"I can't. And neither can you, if someone finds out about Grundy..." Archie doesn't get the chance to continue as Lauren steps in.
"What the hell, Archie? A kid is dead! What right do you have to keep this information to yourself?" Lauren yelled at him, she stepped forward quite close to the redhead now. "A kid is dead and you're worried about some cougar?"
"Don't call her that." Archie tells the two. "She is not like that, she cares about me."
"Stab in the dark." Jughead spits. "I'm guessing she cares more about herself. She's the one who's telling you not to say anything, right?"
"Look, I saw you guys, she's messing with you, man." Jughead continued, calmly.
Lauren sighed, shaking her head. "Arch, what you are doing is wrong! It's illegal, you, hell both of you could go to jail!"
"What the hell do you know about it,Lauren? Jughead? What do you know about me, even? You ignored us for a year and now you think you can come in suddenly and ruin our lives? Well i'm sorry if that is what you thought." Archie snapped at her, having no hesitation to make the girl feel guilty about what she had done.
Lauren stopped for a moment, her breathe hitching as she stopped breathing for one moment. Her eyes well up with tears as she immediately took a step away from him with a cry almost escaping her lips, bit she suppressed it. Jughead's eyes somehow narrowed more as he was completely gobsmacked at the words that had left the redheads mouth. Quite mad, Jughead takes a step back as well, hurt just as much as Lauren.
"Nothing. But I used to know this guy once. Archie Andrews. He wasn't perfect but he always tried to do the right thing." Jughead says while grabbing Lauren's hand and attempted to walk away but Archie stops them, both thought for a split second that the boy was going to apologize for the appalling words he had spoken, but that was before his mouth opened.
"Jug. If you tell anyone about this..." Archie says but trails off.
Jughead looks at the boy with an unreadable expression, Lauren doing the same, though her expression was paused on the words that was thrown at her.
"What? What are you gonna do?" Jughead inquired, dangerously close to the boy.
The door to the Andrew's residence opened and out stepped Fred Andrews with a smile which Lauren couldn't return.
"Hey, Jug, Lauren. Coming in? We got take-out from Pop's." Fred says, nicely. ( Fred is so adorable)
Lauren look down, once again, her hand still squeezing Jughead's. Her anxiety was rising and all she wanted was to escape the situation.
"They were just leaving." Archie tells his dad, his voice threatening and Jughead scoffs, gripping Lauren's hand before walking away, both their minds still racing.
****
Lauren was seated in between Kevin and Betty the next day in school as Reggie Mantle ranted about a subject completely 'absurd'. Betty was telling Lauren about the mishap with Cheryl and everything after that.
"And Sheriff Keller is grilling me, Mantle the magnificent cause i'd want blossom dead when he was the one good quarterback we had. And speaking of offensive tight-ends. I should've sent the cops to you, moose. Because here's another unsolved mystery. What exactly were you and Kevin doing at the river, huh? Or does being with the Sheriff's son give you a free pass, Keller?" Reggie teased and ranted to his buddies of goons, looking at Kevin before sending a wink at Lauren.
"How about that date, Davis?" Reggie pouted at the girl, cheekily.
"In your dreams, Mantle." Lauren sneered with a scoff making Reggie laugh.
"Reggie's just being a blowhard, Kev, Laur." Betty assures, giving the jock a side glance.
"I don't care what he says." Kevin answers.
"I mean, let's think about it." Reggie started once again, "If a kid at Riverdale killed Jason, It's not gonna be a jock right? Now lets be honest, Isn't it always some spooky, scrawny, pathetic internet troll, too busy writing his manifestos to get laid? Some smug, moody serial killer fanboy freak, like Jughead." Reggie says looking at the said boy for his reaction.
Jughead looked Reggie unamused as Lauren got up at this knowing something was going to happen.
Lauren stands next to Jughead as she waited for Archie to finish his withdrawal as she wanted to buy water.
"What was it like, suicide squad? When you shot Jason?"
"Reggie? How about you shut the fuck up?" Lauren asked, bored.
"Oh come on, Laur. You didn't do stuff to the body after, did you? Like... After?" Reggie questions faking surprise.
"It's called necrophilia, Reggie. Can you spell it?" Jughead muses calmly, his back still pressed against the wall.
Reggie get's up, mad and jumps over the sofa to get his hand on Jughead just as the said boy stands up straighter. Before Lauren could do anything Archie stepped in putting his hand on Reggie, "Hey shut the hell up, Reggie."
Veronica gets up as well sensing a fight. "Boys." She warns.
"What do you care, Andrews?" Reggie asked, shocked at the boy standing up for Jughead.
"Nothing. Just leave him alone." Archie answers.
"Holy Crap." Reggie says astonished though a smirk was making a way on his face.
"Reggie," Lauren warns standing in between the boys.
"... Did you and Donny Darko kill him together? Was it some sort of pervy blood brother thing?" Reggie teases, taking a step closer to the boy. Lauren puts her arm around Reggie's arms to stop him from going to physical.
Archie pushes the boy, as Jughead and Lauren both stand there shocked. Reggie licks his lips, Lauren pleading with the boy to have some common sense. Reggie pushed the redhead into the vending machine, making the glass shatter. Reggie's elbow hits Lauren in the face, as the aggressive act takes place, making her fall to the floor with a grunt.
Every bystander's eyes widen at that as Veronica puts her coffee down to check on the girl rushing forward to move her out the way.
"You okay?" Veronica asks as she notices the bruise that was bleeding slightly.
"Fine." Lauren mumbled, moving her hand to hold her wound but wincing. Veronica helps her up as Betty comes to help as well.
****
It was much later now and the game was just about to begin. People held up pictures of Jason and Lauren and Jughead both stood to the side as they talked about what had happened.
"That actually looks really cool." Jughead says brushing his hand on Lauren's bruise making her grunt and move her face away, the boy mumbles a sorry before retracting his hand.
They notice that Archie and Ms.Grundy were standing awkwardly and Archie runs forward to talk to the pair.
"Girl trouble? You?" Jughead muses with a straight face.
"Grundy and me. We're telling Weatherbee. At least I am." Archie told them making Jughead to smile proudly, Lauren gulps and starts to walk away.
"Lauren, wait!" Archie says making the girl stop and turn around. "I'm so sorry. For everything I said, it wasn't fair and I didn't mean it, I just, I was so mad."
Lauren smiles weakly. "It's okay Archie."
"No, It's not." Archie mumbles. "I'm so sorry. For everything, even the bruise."
"Hey, at least we have matching bruises now, huh?" Lauren grins.
Archie laughs, "Yeah."
Reggie walks over to the trio, not looking at anyone but Lauren. "Davis, can i, uh, Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Lauren looks at Jughead, sending him a weird look before nodding her head and walking away from the pair.
"Listen, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about your eye. It was totally uncool and in no way going to get me a date with you." Reggie says awkwardly. Lauren smiles slightly at this.
"You actually want to go out with me?" She asks eyebrows raised.
Reggie nodded shyly,which was quite odd.
"It's okay, Reg." Lauren smiled. "But I usually like to at least talk to someone before we go on a date."
"You got it, Laur." Reggie salutes before walking away to his teammates.
Lauren shakes her head a smile playing on her lips.
****
NEW CHAPTER YAYYY. So I know I've been gone a while but only cuz I have my exams which just finished yesterday. And they went so welllll.
Anyway yesterday was Ed Sheeran's concert in my country but I couldn't go cuz it was sold out :(
I cried for a long time btw.
I'm so in love with this chapter, it might be my favorite. I hope you guys liked it too.
(Thank you so much darkbitterchocolate1 for commenting it definitely cheered me up)