getting a little steamy steamy up in here if you know what I mean WHEW
—
After Mr. Andrews' funeral, the rest of summer vacation passed in a surreal haze. Veronica, Betty, Savanna, and I spent as much time with Archie as we could. We had dinner at Pop's every night, and every day you could tell he was getting better and better. I'm not saying he wasn't heartbroken, the entire town was, but my pal Archie's a fighter. And by the last day of summer vacation, while the football field was being mowed for the new season, the school floors were being buffed to a shine, and banners for the first dance of the year were being hung, Archie was doing what he does best.
Despite the rocky summer that we had made it through, the hopes for senior year were higher than ever. The chaos followed us as predicted, and before the first day of school, Veronica and I found ourselves seated in La Bonne Nuit with lawyers.
"Now that your parents' court date has been set, you two need to make a decision. Are you testifying on behalf of your mother? Or your father? Or both?"
"Or neither," Veronica was quick to respond, the two of us having had multiple conversations about the issues on the table. "We can be Switzerland."
Mr. Sowerberry sighed, "At a minimum, I recommend you issue a statement of support. The press will want to know where you stand with--"
"No comment," I interrupted, placing my hands on the table. "That's our statement. Now, if you'll excuse us, Mr. Sowerberry, we have some last-minute school supply shopping we need to do."
--
School supply shopping was easy enough, and after a quick frisky shopping stop, Veronica and I returned to the Pembrooke to prepare for the night ahead of us. I dropped my new purchases to the floor before heading into the bathroom, patting Mocha's head as I passed while he laid splayed out on my bed.
My room at the Pembrooke wasn't as homey as my apartment, but it was a comfy bed and a room to myself so I wasn't complaining. Wrapping a towel around my wet hair, I stepped from the shower smelling like some form of coconut body wash. I honestly didn't know where half the stuff in here came from, but knowing Ronnie, she probably shoved extras in here just in case.
"Hi, bubby," I cooed as I walked into my bedroom to give Mocha a kiss on the head. I could hear clanging sounds in the kitchen, most likely Veronica already prepping dinner. Quickly getting dressed, I tossed some product in my hair before heading out to help my sister. "Wow," I commented when I saw her already plating food. "You busted that out quick."
"Or you were in the shower for thirty minutes," She sang teasingly as she popped the cork on one of mom's expensive wines. I rolled my eyes, grabbing one of the glasses, and snatching the bottle from her hand to pour even more for myself. Ignoring her questioning look, I moved to the door where a knock had sounded.
"Hey!" I greeted, stepping aside to let Jughead, Archie, Betty, and Connor through, pausing to kiss my boyfriend on the cheek. "I'm glad you guys could make it!"
"It smells good in here, Ronnie!" Betty called out as she tossed her coat and purse on an empty chair. Mocha came sprinting out, tangling himself in between my friends' legs out of excitement as everyone shifted towards the kitchen.
Dinner was quickly consumed before Connor and Betty left to head back to his house for the night. Mocha didn't hesitate to curl up in his bed on the floor, fast asleep.
"You know, I really can't think of a better way to spend the last night of summer vacation," I said as I sat down on Jughead's lap in one of the loveseats.
"Isn't it crazy?" Veronica asked from her spot on the couch next to Archie. "In just nine months, life as we know it will be over. No more high school."
I nodded. "No more heart-to-hearts at lockers, late-night milkshake runs."
Ronnie gave me a look. "Don't get sad on me now, Van."
I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm just saying. I can't help but think life goes by so fast. And none of us are very good at stopping to savor it." Glancing down at Jughead, his eyes were already watching me as his hand traced patterns on my thigh. "But tonight we will be."
Jughead hummed out a small, "Mmhmm," before pressing his lips against mine, his right hand moving to rest on the back of my neck. Whatever Veronica said after that was left unheard when Jughead bit down on my bottom lip softly, electing a groan from my throat.
"Room," I whispered before his hands were moving to my hips, pulling me into his grasp as he moved swiftly without breaking our kiss. Somehow managing to avoid slamming me into walls, Jughead kicked the door shut gently with his foot before the soft blankets of my bed collided with my back.
"Off." Fingers tugged at my shirt before it was tossed on the floor amongst Jughead's clothing. He paused for a brief moment, lips already slightly swollen as he hovered above me. "What's this?"
I couldn't fight the smile on my face as I glanced at the silky green lingerie that had been hidden beneath my clothes. "Gotta make sure you're savoring it, bub. You're gonna miss this when I'm gone next year."
Jughead's tongue brushed over his lips before he was pressing kisses against my neck, pausing to leave a few bruises in his wake as his fingers pressed against my hip bone. "You're damn straight I'm gonna miss this, but I can promise you you'll never forget it."
As Jughead's hands started wandering further, I could help but let out a small laugh as a thought came to mine. "My poor dog."
--
"You guys! Wake up, we're gonna be late for the first day of senior year! Hurry up!"
A pillow was thrown at my head causing me to groan. I shifted in my spot, Jughead's hand falling from my waist with the movement as I opened my eyes to check the time. With a sudden realization, I tossed the covers aside, grateful that we actually decided to put some clothing on after our shower last night.
"Jughead, come on!" I threw a pillow at what I thought his head would be as I scrambled to get ready.
My boyfriend let out a huge sigh before pulling himself from the covers. I watched him shrug on some pants and a clean shirt as he ruffled his hair in the mirror before shoving his beanie on. "I'll take Mocha out."
Part of me wanted to glare at him for how quickly he was ready, but I settled for a grateful nod as I shoved my toothbrush in my mouth. The chaos lasted for another fifteen minutes until we managed to get ourselves together enough to push a now-fed Mocha into his crate and run out the door.
The hallways were already empty when we sprinted in, hopefully going to manage to sneak in without major trouble. Our luck came to an end once a man walked out of the office and stopped us short.
"You're late," He snapped, stern eyes looking at us through his glasses.
Jughead readjusted his backpack strap as he squinted at our accuser. "And you are?"
"I'm Principal Weatherbee's replacement, Mr. Honey."
Veronica quickly caught on to the awkward silence and tried to cover for our asses. "We apologize for our tardiness, Mr. Honey. It won't happen again."
From my spot hiding behind Jughead's shoulder, I could tell he wasn't about to let us off easy. "I don't know what kind of ship Waldo Weatherbee was running around here, but things are going to be different this year. We'll have order. Discipline. Consequences. Now, get out of my sight."
With a now slowed pace, we stepped around him to head to class, now later than we would've been before.
A couple of hours in and my backpack was killing me with the weight of already stacked homework. Betty was in charge of Blue and Gold sign-ups for the day and had been texting me periodic updates, including the fact that one Kevin Keller apologized for what he did while he was at The Farm. Other news included the fact that Miss Veronica Lodge was declared a Harvard shoo-in, but once I heard Jughead's name called over the PA, I knew the uncertain events of the day weren't done.
"Hey," I greeted him as he approached his locker once our free period ended. "What happened earlier."
Jughead huffed and rolled his eyes as he spun in his combination. "That's a story. Apparently, someone was impressed with my story for the writing contest and invited me to tour Stonewall Prep. Said it was a 'tremendous offer.'"
"Well, are you gonna give it a thought?" I asked as I leaned against the lockers.
Jughead glanced at me while he shoved a book on the shelf. "Babe, I don't-"
"Savanna, what are your thoughts on your parents' trials?"
"What are you and your sister going to do?"
"Whose side are you on?"
Too many questions started getting thrown amongst the flashes of photography as I looked over to see a swarm of paparazzi scrambling towards us. Jughead's locker closed in a split second, already shoving someone away as I backed up while he stood in front of me.
"What about your parents' fortune?"
"What's next for the Lodge family?"
"Who are you defending?"
The other half of the hallway was already filled with more photographers and reporters. I grabbed the back of Jughead's shirt to tug him away and towards me, quickly getting overwhelmed with the mob at hand. He was quick to stand down, arms wrapping around me as he held me to his chest in the middle of the two armies.
Absolute perfect timing occurred when the fire alarm started ringing throughout the building causing the hallway to flood with students. The barrage of pictures slowed as we evacuated the building in the mess of people before the outside was revealed.
The journey home was full of me wondering exactly what the hell was going on and how the first day of senior year could end up so problematic. I slammed the front door behind me before rushing to my room to flop on the bed, flicking Mocha's crate open in the midst of my entry. Before I knew it, a wet nose was poking at my arm before a soft head plopped itself on my chest. I opened my teary eyes to see Mocha's nose staring right at me before his tongue connected with my chin.
"Hi, baby," I mumbled as I started to pet him. He shifted to lay on my stomach completely, something they had taught him to help lessen my anxiety. With a grateful smile, I leaned forward to kiss his head before laying back on the bed with a sigh.
There was no easy way to tiptoe around the trials in our family. Part of me knew it would end up like this, but there was always that thought in the back of my head that this could be different from everything else. My saving grace came in the form of Veronica, who I knew would guide the two of us through this as elegantly as possible, especially since she could easily handle the business aspects.
My phone buzzed beside me with a text from Jughead, pulling me from my thoughts.
My dad's making me tour Stonewall.
Wanna come?
With a sigh, I responded back with a yes even though I was dreading it. Losing Jughead would be the icing on the cake for the beginning of the year, that was for sure.
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