full dark, no stars

Jughead had his back leaning against the cool metal of a locker door, his dad had pretty much told him to keep a close eye on Clara Sawyer. There hadn’t been any room for him to refuse or ask why, all his dad said was that Clara was going through a tough time and that was all Jug got as an explanation.

He hadn’t even known that his dad had friends that weren’t other Southside Serpents, but Jughead knew better than to ask questions when his dad has been drinking. So he nodded his head and walked away from the trailer he once called home, he didn’t know why he had to keep an eye on Clara when Grace would probably do much better than he would.

The only girl he really spoke to were his sisters, plus he was still working on writing his manuscript about Jason Blossom’s death. An event that rocked the town of Riverdale, and an event that Jug was writing about whenever he possibly could. He had never liked the Blossom twins, or the Blossom family, but there has never been a death or a murder in Riverdale before that split the town in half.

But Jughead, being the guy he was, now stood beside the locker he knew was Clara’s and waited for her to arrive at school. Did she even know about this deal that their parents had made? He hoped she did, otherwise things would quickly get awkward between them.

---

To say that Grace was still upset over Archie suddenly cancelling the road trip that they had planned with Jughead, was true. She was upset, it would have given them all a chance to get away one last time before school started again. A chance to leave Riverdale behind, even if it was just for a weekend. Because as much as Grace loved her dad, and saw him do no wrong. It would have been nice to not think about her dad or his drinking problem, a secret that she and Jug still kept to themselves.

Was she as upset as her twin brother? She wasn’t sure, but she hadn’t spoken to Archie since he cancelled on them and she knew Jug had done the same. She did miss having the redhead around though, another secret that she would keep to herself. Going back to school was hard, but not as hard as what it would have been for Cheryl. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like, losing a twin in the way that Cheryl had.

Losing the locker door, Grace held the text books she needed in her arms. Turning around so she could head towards her first class of the day, her eyes easily found the familiar redhead standing at his locker across the hall. She was tempted to go over, but Reggie was there going on about something that didn’t look to interest Archie.

Clara still had several bruises that were healing and she felt achy even now. For a moment, she thought it might be because of the injuries, but she figured it could also be because she hadn't swallowed any medicine yet. It wasn't the best way to start a day, but she was all too used to it by now - so used to it that she hadn't even cared when her parents told her that they'd asked FP for help.

Besides, what was FP going to do? He was a grown man. It wasn't like he could follow her to school or anything. She almost rolled her eyes at the thought, even as she entered the school building, though her eyes immediately landed on her ex - the same one who'd gotten her into this mess in the first place. Brushing past him when he tried to talk to her, she tried to remind herself that he wasn't worth it.

But now, she definitely needed something to numb her. So, instead of going directly to her locker, she slipped into the bathroom to swallow some pills and stared at herself for a few moments before she sighed out. Leaving the bathroom, she headed to her locker, only to pause in her steps when she spotted Jughead near her locker. Instead of really acknowledging him, she moved to open her locker, taking out a few books.

---

Archie was still reeling from what had happened during the summer. He'd heard that gunshot, he knew he had. And it'd happened so early in the morning that day that he wasn't sure what to think of it. The fact that it coincided with when Jason had first gone missing made it all the worse. And, knowing that Jason had later been found dead made things even worse. He even felt guilty for not reporting the gunshot, but he knew the trouble it could cause.

Regardless, when he entered school that morning, his eyes had immediately searched for Thea and Jughead, like he had any other year, but he knew they weren't currently talking to him. It hurt, admittedly, but he knew he probably deserved it a bit. After all, he'd bailed on them, even though they'd all been excited about leaving Riverdale for a few days. They'd had it all planned out and he'd had every intention to follow through with it - all the way up until he heard that gunshot.

Sighing, he looked to Reggie when the other joined him, though he didn't pay much attention to what Reggie was saying. For the most part, Archie was set on trying out for football this year, and he was sure that was what Reggie was talking about, but he mostly ignored it, his eyes instead searching for Thea and Jughead again. He spotted Jughead not too far away, near a locker that wasn't his, but, when his eyes landed on Thea, Archie couldn't help but to pause in his steps for a moment.

Jughead wasn’t blind, he had spotted Clara when she entered the hallway. He saw her ex-boyfriend try to stop and talk to her, he saw the way her body tensed as she moved past him and into the girl’s bathroom. Now he may have been told by his dad to keep an eye on her, but nothing was said about when Clara needed to use the bathroom.

So, he stayed where he was until Clara arrived at her locker, his light orbs finding her as she seemed not to be paying any attention to him. “I don’t get a hi Jughead, how was your summer?” He looked at her passed the open door of her locker, “Alright… Hi Clara, please don’t be alarmed that the resident weirdo is talking to you.” Jughead wasn’t good at small talk, he wasn’t all that great when it came to having a conversation with anyone who wasn’t his family.

But Clara was beautiful, she always had been which made Jughead feel even more awkward for suddenly going up to her and speaking to her. This year she did seem different, he couldn’t figure out why exactly just yet. But it had to be why his dad was so keen on him watching her, making sure she didn’t do anything stupid, which where FP’s exact words.

---

When Grace saw the familiar brown eyes of Archie land on her, she forced herself to look away. She didn’t want to encourage him to come over to talk to her, because she knew she’d want to forgive him for ditching the road trip at the last second. But her brother wasn’t ready to forgive his ex-best friend, so she decided not to look at Archie until he apologized and explained what had happened that summer. Which was harder than she had first thought, especially since Jug wasn’t by her side as he was talking to Clara for some reason that Grace didn’t know.

And Grace didn’t really have any other friends, it had always just been her, Jug and Archie. She knew that things would have changed anyway, Archie had always wanted to be a Bulldog and now was his chance to try out. A jock just wasn’t meant to be seen with someone from the South Side, so Grace would keep to herself whenever her brother wasn’t around.

She was about to head off towards class when she felt a body bump into her, Reggie had left Archie when Moose walked along. Which is who bumped into Grace, Reggie didn’t bother glancing at her as he continued on his way. However, Grace was left with her books knocked to the floor, bending down she started collecting her books. But as she reached for her sketching journal, it was picked up before her fingers could reach it. Grace was always drawing, she took her journal everywhere with her.

Clara arched a brow as she glanced over at Jughead, eying him for a moment. "Hi, Jughead. How was your summer?" she drawled out before she shook her head and returned her attention to pulling out her books for her first few classes. "We've never really talked before. I didn't know it was suddenly a necessity." She wasn't trying to be snippy or anything, but it was the truth. Why was Jughead suddenly talking to her?

Shaking the thought away, she slipped the books into her backpack and closed her locker to fully concentrate on him. "I'm not alarmed and I don't think you're the resident weirdo. It's just a little... off-putting to say the least, when I don't think we've ever said more than five words to each other." And it wasn't because she hadn't wanted to talk to him; they just... each had their own things.

Jughead had Archie and his sister and that was pretty much all he ever spent time with. And, up until recently, Clara had been completely invested in her boyfriend. She hadn't had time to talk to anybody, and he was awfully jealous, so even trying to talk to Jughead would have gotten her or Jughead hurt, and that was the last thing she wanted.

---

Archie's expression dropped when he spotted Thea get bumped into. Without really thinking or really even trying to hold himself back, he quickly moved over. They may not be on speaking terms right now, but he didn't want her to get upset, either, and he wanted to be there for her. Besides... It was almost instinct for him to jump in to help her any time he could; he cared so much about her that he just wanted to help.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he picked up her journal, though he didn't open it or anything. He'd also picked up a few more things and held them out to her, offering a small smile, hoping that he'd get the chance to apologize to her now that they were right there, together. But, he wasn't sure if she'd accept his apology. Moreover, he wasn't really sure whether he even deserved for her to forgive him or not.

"Sorry about him," he muttered after a moment before he moved to stand up and helped her stand up as well. "I'm sure he didn't mean it. He can be a bit... Oblivious, as we all know." His eyes took her in for a moment and he cleared his throat, figuring that it was now or never. "About this summer..." He trailed off while trying to think of the proper way to explain or apologize. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to bail, honest."

“My summer could have been better,” Jughead shrugged his shoulders, he knew that Clara didn’t care about how his summer was. But he’d tell her anyway. “I can’t come over and be nice to you? Besides it wasn’t ever really an easy thing to do before,” He had seen the jealously that her boyfriend displayed when someone would talk to Clara when he wasn’t around, Jughead never wanted to risk having her boyfriend have a go at him just for talking to Clara.

“Well I’ve decided that I want to put myself out there a little more, besides my dad said you’re going through a hard time right now. I know all too well how that can be,” He looked at her and shrugged his shoulders, “I thought you might like a non-judgemental friend. But I guess, if you don’t, then I won’t bother trying.” He put it all out there for Clara, he wasn’t going to keep secrets from her especially about why he was now suddenly talking to her.

He also gave the decision to her if she wanted him to stick around or not, he wasn’t going to pressure her into hanging out nor would he want to be near her if she clearly didn’t want him there. “Besides I think you’ll really like my sister, she’s amazing.” He grinned as he looked at Clara, “So what do you say? We can even hang out in silence, play some video games… whatever you like.” He suggested to her, hoping she’d agree as it would be easier for him to watch her then.

---

Thea stood up as she looked at Archie, “I’m fine.” She took her journal and other books from him, it was hard for her to not act like she used to around Archie. She didn’t want to be cold towards him, as things come up in life and plans get broken. She knew that, but Jughead was still hurt over what happened. The feelings she held for him were more than friendship, but if she told him it would ruin what they did have. She wasn’t going to risk losing him as friend, because he didn’t share the same feelings for her.

“Arch, it’s fine. It’s Jug who you need to apologize to, you know how he gets.” She looked at him, taking the last book from his hand she felt their fingers touch. “What did you do instead?” She asked as she was curious, she knew he didn’t go to see his mom in Chicago because he would have told them that. It wasn’t because his dad made him work, Thea knew Fred had given his son that weekend off months ago.

Because of the cancelled trip, Thea pretty much spent her time with her brother. She did pick up a casual job at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe, which helped as something to do and it gave Thea some much needed cash. Especially when the Twilight Drive-In got shut down, another blow to Jughead as he had always adored the drive-in.

Clara cringed at Jughead's words, because she knew exactly what he meant without him having to elaborate. She knew how her ex had been when it'd come to other guys. Hell, he got jealous of even girls talking to her or her parents requesting family nights. She should have known how toxic that was from the beginning, but really... She wanted to believe that he could change, that she could change him, but it hadn't worked out that way at all. "Sorry," she said after a moment. "It's just... Not been the best couple of months."

But, then Jughead mentioned his father and she could feel herself tense slightly. What exactly had FP told Jughead? Jughead had mentioned being non-judgmental, but if he didn't know what exactly was going on, how could he be so sure that he wouldn't be judgmental if he were to ever find out? And, really, she couldn't remember the last time she'd had a real friend or the last time she'd had a conversation where her ex wasn't looming over her shoulder, keeping track of and reading into every single word that was being spoken.

"Are you sure you're up for being friends?" she asked as she peered over at him. "I mean, that would mean that you would have to promise to not go easy on me in those video games, or to relent to going easy if I pull the 'but I'm a girl!' card." She eyed him for a moment, arching a brow. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to have a friend, so long as she was careful to avoid letting him figure things out.

---

Archie's expression dropped slightly, as he wasn't sure if she was being standoffish or if she really was fine. He couldn't help but to worry, though. Thea meant so much to him, even more than Jughead did, and the last thing he wanted was for Thea to hate him because he'd bailed on both of them. Plus, he was worried about her in general. After what had happened, they hadn't spoken and he wasn't even sure how the rest of her summer had been. Had anything happened? Had she been okay during it? Had anybody bothered her? He didn't feel like he had the right to ask, though.

"I will apologize to him, I will," he promised with a small nod, though he wasn't sure that an apology would suffice with Jughead. Jughead hadn't spoken to him at all, after all, and hadn't given him the opportunity to apologize, so he worried that his friendship with Jughead may be permanently ruined. He didn't want that at all, but he wasn't sure how to find a way to apologize to Jughead when he was pretty sure Jughead was probably avoiding him. "I... It's a long story, Thea..." he trailed off, not really wanting to go into details about it.

On top of that... What would Thea even think about him if she were to ever find out the truth? If she found out that he'd hooked up with a teacher... If she found out that he'd heard the gunshot but hadn't reported it... If she found out that he hadn't reported it because he wanted to protect that teacher... How would she see him afterwards? The thought of her having a bad reaction about it twisted his heart in a painful way and he glanced away. "Are you really okay, though? Did anything else happen this summer?"

Jughead quickly shook his head, “No need to apologize. He’s a dick, always has been and probably always will be. Don’t apologize for how he acts,” He looked at Clara, she couldn’t change someone who doesn’t want to change or think they have to change. He knew how it was trying to change his father so he wouldn’t be an alcoholic, nothing worked because his father didn’t see a reason to change his way.

Even if it pushed his family away. “I get that, it wasn’t the best summer that I’ve ever had either. But now school is back, so I’m going to make the best of it.” He had decided on that after Jason Blossom died, he never liked Jason as he was often the source of most of Jason’s harsh bullying. But it proved to Jughead that life could change in a second, for the better or the worst and Jughead didn’t want to regret anything in his life.

He scoffed when Clara brought up the video games, “Have you ever seen me play a video game? I don’t go easy on anyone, you’d have to be pretty special for me to ever go easy.” He grinned at the blonde as he could see her being someone special in his life, firstly as friends of course. There was no way she’d be ready for anything other than being friends, and Jug was perfectly fine with that. He needed another friend, someone who he could trust and be himself around. He only had his twin sister now.

“What video games do you like?” He asked her, if she wanted to play the whole ‘innocent girl’ card then she could and he would go easy but that wouldn’t happen often as he took his video games very seriously.

---

“I know you will, and give him some time. He’ll come around eventually,” Thea looked at Archie, they both knew how stubborn Jughead could be. He needed some time but Thea knew her brother, he would forgive Archie in time. When Archie didn’t tell her what he did over the long weekend, Thea grew suspicious because he would normally always tell her everything. She was the first person who he told about his Mom moving to Chicago and his parents getting a divorce, they had always told each other everything.

But she didn’t want to push it, even though Thea had a strong feeling in her gut that he had found himself a girlfriend. A girlfriend who wasn’t her and that hurt, it broke her heart but she wouldn’t let that show. “I am fine, it’s just… family stuff.” How could she possibly tell Archie that her Dad started drinking heavily after Fred fired him, which caused her Mom to take her younger sister and leave Riverdale, and then that caused her Dad to join a biker club who were criminals? She was ashamed and embarrassed, she couldn’t tell Archie.

Turning Thea begun to walk down the hallway but she glanced over her shoulder when Archie didn’t follow, “Keep up, Arch.” She sent him a soft smile as she couldn’t pretend to not be his friend anymore, Jughead could do whatever he wanted but Thea wasn’t going to push Archie away any longer. Once he was beside her again, she glanced at him. “Are you going to try out for the football team?” She asked knowing he had always wanted to be a Bulldog, she hoped that if he did then he wouldn’t become like Jason, Reggie or Chuck. She couldn’t stand guys like them.

Clara knew Jughead was right. Her ex had been a dick and she couldn't change that; she didn't need to apologize for what he'd done, but she couldn't help it. There was so much she could have done to get out of the situation, so much she should have done to get out before she finally did. The damage that he caused not only her but those around her - it could have all been avoided and she felt that was why she had been apologizing.

Nodding anyways, she returned her attention to her locker. "Is there any way to make the best of it?" she asked after a moment. "I mean, it is school, after all." She offered a small, joking smile, but it was true. School was... It was hard for a lot of people, especially for the social outcasts. With everything that had happened over the summer, she was sure it would get even worse, but she supposed they'd have to wait and see.

At the mention of video games, she arched a brow. "Well, we've never hung out before, so I definitely haven't seen you play video games," she reminded him with amusement. It was odd how... Normal this felt. Even with the meds in her system, she was... okay. "Action, fighting. I'll take Mortal Kombat any day."

---

Archie listened to Thea's words, but he hoped she was right. He wasn't sure what he would do if Jughead kept to this avoiding game. It bothered him, because he'd known the twins his whole life, practically. Jughead was his best friend, but... He definitely felt something more for Thea. A part of him worried that, with Jughead already avoiding him, it would just get worse if he made that known, though.

"I hope so," he admitted quietly as he watched her for a moment. "I mean... It was bad enough that he was avoiding me during the summer... I don't want him to avoid me the whole school year, too, you know?" And, he knew that it was his fault that Jughead was avoiding him and everything; he knew that he'd caused this, but... But that didn't mean that he wanted Jughead to avoid him forever. He wasn't sure he could deal well with that.

Hearing her words, he blinked, wondering what had happened. He didn't press, though; she'd tell him when she was ready to. Nodding, he offered a smile and moved to walk alongside her, glancing around to make sure nobody bumped into her or bothered her. "Um, yeah, that's the plan," he confirmed with a nod, "I figure why not, you know? I'm in good shape to give it a try, so I might as well. Besides... We both know how much I want it."

“I was trying to be somewhat positive about school,” Jughead shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Clara, he knew school was harder on them both because they weren’t the popular kids. Clara could have been if she didn’t start dating her ex, she was beautiful and smart and a nice person. She should have so many friends, but he had seen all of that fade away once the douche had entered her life.

Then he smiled at the games she liked to play, “It seems like we many have more in common then we first thought,” He looked at her, now he wanted to spend time with her and get to know her. Not just because his dad told him to, but because Clara seemed to be an amazing person who just had some bad luck and shitty people in her life.

“You’ll have to hang out with me and see how awesome I am at video games, but right now we should probably head to class.” Jughead knew they shared a few classes together, English being one of them which was first up for them that day. “Not that I really want to, but I guess we should.” He couldn’t be bothered attending school on most days, it was only because of his sister that he went.

---

“He won’t, Jug won’t be able to go that long without talking to you.” Thea assured Archie, it would take her brother time but it wouldn’t take all that long. Especially now that school was back and they would see each other more often, she knew Jug would get over how he felt about Archie in time. She listened to him and she wanted to agree with him, he was in fantastic shape but she couldn’t come out and say that. That would just make this awkward between them again.

“And I know you’ll get on the team, just promise me that it won’t go to your head. If you become like Chuck or Reggie… I don’t want them or the game to change you.” Thea told him honestly as she looked at him, she couldn’t handle seeing him lose himself just because he started to think he was better than anyone else.

It had been a struggle not to talk to him or see him over the summer, but if he changed into a different person then she would decide for herself that she didn’t want him in her life. It hurt Thea just thinking about that, she knew Archie better than anyone but she also knew people still changed throughout life.

(Sorry! I didn’t even realize this one had been replied to.)

“Oh, fake positivity isn’t any fun. It’s exhausting, actually,” Clara teased lightly, smiling with faint amusement as she watched Jughead. She almost wondered why they’d never talked before, but she didn’t need to, because she knew why. Her ex had made sure to keep a close eye on her in the past and he wouldn’t let any guy near her and hardly any girls, either. Obsessive and possessive, he’d made it a point to keep her world revolved around him, and she wasn’t sure how easy it would be to break out of that habit. Shaking her thoughts away, she adjusted her bag a bit as she listened to him and nodded.

“Who knew?” she hummed out, tilting her head slightly. For a moment, she wished that she’d talked to Jughead before she’d started dating her ex. Maybe he could have talked some sense into her back then. He seemed understanding enough, and she was pretty sure that he would have been able to convince her what a bad idea it was.

Still, she nodded to his suggestion. “Ah, right… Class.” She made a slight face but turned to start walking to class anyways. She could feel herself growing a little drowsy and groggy from the meds, but she ignored it. She could just take a nap in class, she decided; hopefully, nobody would notice.

---

Archie smiled, hoping that she was right, but he couldn’t be too sure. He wasn’t sure how upset Jughead was with him after what had happened, after what he’d done. He wanted to fix that, though; he wanted his friends back. At least Thea was talking to him, though; that meant more to him than he could even possibly begin to explain. As long as Thea was talking to him, he was sure that he could handle Jughead avoiding him, even if Jughead ended up avoiding him forever. While Jughead was his best friend and he did want his best friend in his life, Thea meant something different, something more.

Of course, he couldn’t tell her that. Or Jughead. Not right now, anyways, not when things were only just starting to be okay between him and Thea again. He didn’t want to ruin it again, not so soon. “It won’t change me, I promise.” He smiled slightly as he watched her, taking her in, and shook his head. “I won’t let it change me.”

He smiled, hoping to ease her worries, because he didn’t want her to freak out. While he wanted to be on the team, he didn’t want to lose himself and he didn’t want to lose Thea or Jughead more than he already had, especially when he was just started to get Thea back. “I promise,” he told her with a small grin before he shrugged. “But, for now, let’s head to class. I can’t be on the team if I fail or ditch class too often.”

“We know now and that’s good enough for me,” Jughead grinned softly as he looked at Clara, he wished he had started talking to her sooner than that day. She was different than how he thought she would be, but he was glad they were talking now. Even if it was only because his dad told him to keep a close eye on her, he still couldn’t figure out why as she seemed fine to him. Sure, she was still dealing with breaking up with her jerk of a boyfriend, but other than that she wasn’t giving off any alarm bells that she secretly wasn’t alright.

He chuckled at the face she pulled when she agreed to head off to class, one that he didn’t share with his sister so he usually sat by himself. Maybe now Clara would sit beside him when Thea couldn’t, “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed. But I’ve found the best place to sit, you can join me if you like.” He sat towards the back in every class he could, somewhat out of sight and out of everyone’s minds.

---

Thea smiled when Archie promised that being on the football team wouldn’t change him, she believed him because she knew him better than anyone. “Good,” She looked at him as they continued to head towards the classroom, they shared the same class that morning. “We both know I wouldn’t let you fail any classes,” She had helped him before with homework when he got himself stuck, and she would do it again if he needed her help. It didn’t take them long before they both entered the classroom and naturally went straight for the two joined desks that they always sat at together, Thea didn’t even think if she should sit somewhere else away from Archie. Because she didn’t want to.

“It’s going to be an interesting day,” Thea made sure to keep her voice low, she was surprised that she had seen Cheryl arrive at school that morning. If anything happened to Jughead, going to school would the last thing on Thea’s mind. They were both twins, twins had a special deeper connection that other siblings just didn’t have or feel. But Thea wasn’t going to say anything about it, as Cheryl could and do whatever she wanted.

She wasn’t glad about what happened to Jason, she didn’t like him but she would never want anyone to go missing or to be found dead. But she secretly was glad that he was one less person who felt the need to bully Jughead, she was lucky that the jocks never bothered her even when she was standing right beside her brother.

Clara watched him for a moment, mildly surprised with how… Easy-going he was about all of this. She was still trying to figure out why he had chosen to talk to her in the first place, but she pushed the thought aside and offered a small smile before she nodded. “Right… Now we know,” she said quietly, watching him for a few moments before she glanced around, shifting a bit as she dropped her gaze. It felt odd, being there without her ex and being able to actually talk to other people.

“Actually, I didn’t notice that,” she said honestly, lifting her gaze back to him, watching him for a moment. “I guess that’s just proof that you’ve found the best seat, though, huh?” She smiled slightly, jokingly, but headed to class, walking in before long, glancing to him while she waited for him to show her to where they should sit.

---

“Lucky me,” Archie said with a small grin, rather glad to hear it. He knew he could always count on Thea, but, more than that, he just wanted to be able to believe that things would be okay for them. Things might never be normal between them again, especially with how he felt for her, but at least he hadn’t lost her after screwing up over the summer. Shifting, he led the way to class, though he found himself glancing over at her constantly, taking her in and enjoying her beauty. He’d missed her over the summer.

He nodded to her words, though, offering a shrug. “I’m not really sure what to think about it,” he admitted, turning his attention ahead. “I mean… It’s Riverdale. I didn’t really expect anything like this to happen here. And, really, I’m surprised something like this happened at all.” And, who knew what would happen to the town because of it?

Jughead grinned at Clara, “Or you’ve just been too busy taking notes that you never noticed.” He spoke as he looked at her, he had seen her in the all the classes they shared together, she actually tended to pay attention to what the teacher was saying. Jug did as well, it depended on the class and what else was going on in his life at that moment. Walking through the halls, they reached their first class of the day and he headed right towards the desk at the back of the room. It was a place he felt comfortable and where no one would bother him, he could even sneak in some writing as the teachers also never really paid much attention to him.

“Here we are,” He grinned as he arrived at two empty desks, he stepped back to let Clara pick the desk she wanted to sit at first as he didn’t mind. Once she had sat down, he sat down at the other desk beside her. “I hope today doesn’t drag on and on, I need lunch time already.” He grumbled as the teacher walked into the room, shutting the door behind them so they could start to lesson.

---

Thea had always felt safe in Riverdale, nothing ever gave her a reason to not feel safe where she lived. But now there was so much uncertainty lingering over the town, hopefully that would vanish once the police found out what actually happened to Jason. “I hope it doesn’t get too messy, or change how we feel about Riverdale.” Because it was a great small town, it may not be filled with great people but Thea did love living there and she held so many fond memories of growing up there.

Even Southside wasn’t as bad as what people made it out to be, she still lived at the Jones’ trailer with her Dad. She was torn during the summer when Jughead moved out, but she couldn’t let their Dad be on his own after he started drinking more. Thea had always been the closest to FP, she couldn’t walk away from him when he needed help the most. It hurt her every day to see him drunk or hungover, he needed her there so she stayed. She knew that Archie’s Mom lived in Chicago so he could move to her, but Thea couldn’t go anywhere. Her Mom barely called now, she doubted there would be any space for her and Jug at their Grandparents house.

(I think we can do a short time skip at this point?)

Clara smiled slightly with the mention of it, but she knew it wasn’t true, not anymore. Before she’d started dating her ex, sure, she’d definitely been studious and had paid attention in class. But, now, after she had started dating him and things got bad, she was usually too out of it to pay attention. It was even worse now, but she tried not to think about it. Still, she nodded as she moved to take a seat and she set her bag down. “Yeah, I hope so, too,” she admitted quietly, “Otherwise, it’s going to be a hellish day and I think everybody kind of needs a break after everything that’s happened.”

She fell silent after that, though, and looked ahead as class began. She couldn’t focus at all and she found herself slipping, getting close to drifting off. Of course, she tried to fight it; she didn’t want to raise suspicion, especially when Jughead seemed so focused on talking to her now - which still caught her by surprise since they hadn’t really talked at all before this. Regardless, she did her best to stay awake and to at least look like she was focusing on the lesson.

---

Archie watched Thea with mild concern for a few moments before he offered her a small smile and nudged her gently. “I’m sure it won’t affect us like that,” he assured her carefully as they got to class and he moved to sit down. He half-expected Thea to sit next to him now that they were on good terms, now that things were okay between them. “I mean… Riverdale’s our home. And I guess bad things happen everywhere, so we just have to try to deal with it, I guess.” That sounded like the worst thing to say at the moment, but he wasn’t sure how else to word what he was trying to say - simply that they shouldn’t let one bad thing change their view on Riverdale.

Leaning back in his seat, he watched her for a few moments, taking her in, relieved to know that she was back on his side, that he was back on her good side. He’d have to work on getting back on Jughead’s good side but, for now, he was completely happy with just knowing that Thea was okay with him, that they were okay. Before he could say anything else on the matter, though, the teacher walked in, calling attention to herself as class began.

Lunch took forever to roll around or at least it felt that way for Jughead, he had shared a few more classes with Clara that morning and he did notice how she seemed to grow quieter as the day went. He also caught her sleeping in one class but thankfully no one else really seemed to notice her, or if they did then they didn’t care enough to do or say anything. It made Jughead curious as to if her sudden withdrawal had anything to do with why his father told him to keep an eye on Clara, maybe she just wasn’t getting enough sleep during the night or… well he wasn’t sure what else could cause her to be so tired that she fell asleep in class. Once the bell for lunch echoed through the school, he quickly dumped his backpack into his metal locker and grabbed his food. He didn’t often buy his lunch as he didn’t have the money to spend, like most other kids.

Today Thea had made him food from home and brought it with her, he didn’t know what he’d do without his sister. With his packed lunch in hand he wandered through the corridors until his eyes landed on the pretty blonde. Making his way over to her, he greeted her with a small smile. “Hey, you sitting with us today?” He asked Clara as he knew Thea would have already found somewhere for them to sit, he did feel slightly awkward asking Clara to sit with them as she has never sat with them before and he hoped that all this time spent with him wouldn’t make Clara think he was weirder than she probably already did.

---

Thea found a table outside that was shaded by a large tree, she felt more comfortable having lunch outside as less people seemed to bother her and Jug. She took a bite of her sandwich which she brought from home that day, she chewed her bite as her bright blue eyes landed on and followed Archie. He was heading straight over to her once he saw her sitting there on her own, she couldn’t stomach turning him away because Jughead was on his way so she decided not to. Her brother would have to see Archie sooner or later, “Hey,” She smiled when Archie grew closer and sat down at the table, it felt so nice having him around again and she was still a little hurt that he cancelled their planned trip away. But it was Archie and Thea never could hold a grudge against him or be angry at him for longer than a week, she had tried and failed each time.

They had gotten out of the assembly that was held to address Jason’s death, in which Cheryl announced that the annual back to school dance would still be held like normal and that there would also be an after party at the Blossom manor in honour of her brother. “That was some speech Cheryl gave, so who are you going to ask to the dance?” Thea asked as she looked at him, she was curious to see who he wanted to take. Thea had decided that she wouldn’t attend the dance, she didn’t have any nice dresses and she wasn’t about to spend any of her savings on a dress that she would only wear once.

Clara had very little care for the thought of eating. Of course, she knew she’d have to eat but, really, she didn’t have much of an appetite. Normally, she’d push through it and force the food down even though she didn’t want it, and she figured that was what she would end up doing today as well, especially when Jughead came over and asked if she would be sitting with them - and by them, she assumed he meant himself and his sister, Thea. She hadn’t really ever talked to Thea, either, but she tried not to think about that too much. “You sure you don’t mind me crashing your usual three-party meal?” she asked, because, as far as she knew, Archie had usually eaten lunch with them. Or, at least, he had the year before.

Shrugging the thought aside, she watched him for a few moments, weighing her options. She could say no and avoid any awkward conversations or silences because of her presence. Or, she could say yes and pretend to be normal for a day. While she wasn’t usually one for normalcy, the idea of talking to people who weren’t her ex or her parents seemed far too tempting to pass up, so she eventually offered a small nod. “Sure, why not,” she decided eventually.

---

While Archie wasn’t sure how Jughead would react with him sitting at the table that he was sure was meant for Jughead and Thea, Archie just couldn’t pass up the thought of sitting with his friends again. Even if Jughead still hated him, he wanted to at least keep spending time with Thea. Jughead would just have to get over it one way or another. And, who knew? Maybe sitting here and risking the possibility of Jughead sitting with them would mean that Jughead would actually talk to him and at least let him attempt to explain. Of course, his explanation wasn’t the best, especially when he couldn’t tell the truth, but he wanted his best friend back. “Hey,” he greeted with a small grin, watching Thea for a moment as he set his tray down.

For a moment, he was mildly surprised by her question and he thought about it for a few moments before he eventually shrugged. “I really don’t know,” he said honestly, “I mean… I could just go solo and hang out with people, I guess.” He watched her for a moment, scanning over her features, taking her in while he could, because Jughead might try to make him leave. “Are you going to the dance?” He arched a brow with mild curiosity. If she was, maybe they could just go together.

Jughead shook his head, “You won’t be crashing anything. Besides it’ll only be Thea now, I’m not speaking to Archie at the moment.” He explained as he wasn’t expecting Archie to be joining them like he normally always did, he was still avoiding his old best friend which wasn’t all that hard considering Archie wasn’t trying to speak to Jughead when they happened to cross paths. Which was good, Jughead still hadn’t forgotten nor has he forgiven Archie for ditching them at the last possible second. He grinned when Clara agreed to sit with them, “You’ll like Thea.” He stated as he just had this feeling that Clara would get along with his sister, “She’s not as cool as me though. Just so you know,” He joked as he started heading towards the cafeteria, “Did you need to grab lunch?” He asked as he would wait if she did need to buy her lunch for the day, he glanced over to Clara and took her in.

He wanted to ask if she was okay, but she appeared to at least look a little better now than she did before in class. However, he also knew that could be pushing things too far, they still wouldn’t have been considered friends. Jughead still didn’t know much about Clara, but he did care for her already as it was obvious she was still dealing with the break up. But he thought if he started asking questions, it would push Clara away and she might need a friend right now. Even a silent friend who could still be there for her, but wasn’t nosy and didn’t want to know every single thing that she was going through.

---

Thea looked at Archie as she listened to his answer, “You can’t go alone. You hang out with people all the time at school, besides we both know all the girls will want to go with you.” It was true, Thea wasn’t blind. She saw how most girls looked at Archie whenever he happened to walk past them, especially now after he worked with his dad over the summer. Not that Thea cared about Archie’s appearance, but it was obvious that the other girls at school did and they were noticing him a lot more now. She shook her head lightly, “I don’t think I’ll go.” Of course, she wanted to go, she wanted to be able to dress up and have some fun for one night. One night where she wasn’t home alone, caring for her drunk dad in the early hours of the morning.

Thea looked at Archie and gave him a smile, in hopes it would encourage him to still attend the dance. “Besides who wouldn’t want to see you in a suit?” She laughed softly, Archie had to go to the dance. Thea wouldn’t let him refuse and stay home, even if that is exactly what she was doing. “It would also look bad if the future star of our football wasn’t at the dance,” Smiling Thea looked at him, she wished that he would ask her to go and not just because they were best friends. She knew that would never happen, it was a thought that she quickly pushed out of her mind.

“Ah, so it will be the Dynamic Duo, rather than the Golden Trio?” Clara asked with amusement as she looked over at him. A part of her was curious as to why he wasn’t talking to Archie, but she didn’t want to question it. It really wasn’t her business and she didn’t want to seem like she was prying. It was odd to hear such a thing, though, considering that the two had been best friends for as long as anybody could remember. Clara could remember them sticking to each other’s side way back when they were kids. She hadn’t really talked to them back then, either, but… She supposed now was as good a time to speak with Jughead and get to know him as any.

She tilted her head, watching him for a moment. “Not as cool as you? I didn’t know you claimed to be cool,” she joked lightly, smiling to herself. It felt nice, freeing, to talk to somebody else. Even if she couldn’t talk completely freely, the thought that she could just chat with somebody without worrying about her ex bothering her or without the prying that her parents insisted on, made her feel rather relieved. Blinking, though, she shook her head slightly. “Ah… I’m not really all that hungry.” Of course, her parents had given her money for a meal but she didn’t have much of an appetite. Plus, if she saved up her lunch money the next couple of days, she could score.

---

Instead of responding to the mention of not going alone, Archie seemed to focus on her next words, his brows furrowing slightly. “Why wouldn’t you go?” he asked with confusion as he watched her. He figured she deserved to be able to go, if only to have a little free time to herself. And, with everything going on in Riverdale right now, he was sure it would be a nice way to relax and forget about Jason’s death. While none of them had been close to Jason, it still came as a shock and the news ripped through Riverdale, reminding them that even the safest place had its dangers. So, he thought that attending the dance would be a good thing for Thea to do, even if this was the only dance she attended this year.

He smiled, though, shaking his head slightly. “I wouldn’t say that I’m the future star of our football team,” he admitted, because he knew he still had work to do when it came to the sport, just like he still had work to do when it came to his music. There was always room for growth and Archie felt like there was an incredible amount of growth that he had to do still. “You know what? If you’re not going to the dance, I’m not going to the dance.” He grinned slightly as he watched her, arching a brow. “So, if you want me to go and dress up in a suit, well, then you’ll just have to go with me.” He figured it was the most casual way he could put the invitation; after all, he didn’t want to weird her out.

Jughead grinned to himself before turning his attention onto Clara, “It will be the Dynamic Duo again. But who knows, maybe the Golden Trio will return one day… that’s up to you though.” Where Jughead had gotten his confidence from was beyond him, he hardly spoke to anyone at school and he didn’t trust people easily. But here he was, spending time with Clara and proposing that she continue to hang out with him and Thea. He wasn’t sure what had gotten into him, but he wasn’t actually bothered by what he was saying. Clara was different, although Jughead didn’t know her well there was something about her that he obviously liked. He was inviting her to hang out with him and Thea, and he would do anything to keep his sister safe and protected.

His elbow nudged Clara lightly as they walked, “I know I’m cool. It’s just that no one else knows, it’s a secret that you’ll have to keep now. I don’t want everyone knowing and then trying to be my friend,” He joked with her and it was easy to joke with her, of course he knew he was the furthest from being cool and he didn’t want to be cool. He was happy being the weird boy, as many of the guys on the football team called him. “Sure,” He nodded lightly when Clara told him that she wasn’t overly hungry, he wasn’t going to tell her otherwise so he turned towards the doors that lead outside. Pushing the door open, he stepped aside so Clara could walk outside first and he followed behind her once she had. “Thea should be right…” Jughead stopped speaking when his eyes landed on his twin sister, but a frown formed on his face when he saw who she was sitting with. What the hell was Archie doing there? He didn’t want to make a scene because Clara was there but he was not happy about this, “I guess he decided to join after all.” Distaste evident in Jughead’s voice as he guided Clara over to their usual table.

---

Thea couldn’t tell Archie the truth, that she couldn’t justify buying a nice dress when she didn’t want to waste money. And she couldn’t ask her dad for money as he spent most of what they had buying booze, she stayed silent until Archie gave her the chance to go with him. “Do you know how annoying you are?” She looked at him, she would hate herself if she was the reason that he didn’t go have fun at the dance. Groaning softly, she looked at him, “I’ll go if I have something to wear…” She finally gave in, but she didn’t say that she would stay all night at the dance. All she had to do was get Archie there and once he was having fun, she could slip out before anyone like Cheryl, could tease her about what she was wearing or for just being there.

Her eyes caught sight of her brother who was heading over, but he wasn’t alone. Clara was following him, he had already briefly mentioned to her between classes that Clara may start hanging out with them. “Hey, took you two long enough.” Thea smiled at them both, to make sure Clara felt welcomed and to also make sure that Jughead behaved himself. “Archie and I were talking about the dance, are you going Clara?” Thea asked looking to the blonde, she knew her brother most likely wasn’t planning on going to the dance as he didn’t care much about it and it wasn’t his ‘scene’ but maybe if he had someone to go with that could change his mind.