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[roseinthenight]

Back to town [Jughead x OC] - Chapter 2

[Summary] | [Ch1]

2| Old best friends 

Later that day, around 6 pm, Archie knocked on the door of his sister’s room. April opened it rather quickly and looked up at the ginger boy.

”I was wondering if maybe you’d want to meet up with Betty, Jughead and Veronica at Pop’s?” Archie asked right away.

At the mention of Jughead April’s heart instantly started beating faster. She tried not to show too much interest, but honestly, she failed miserably.

”Yeah, sure,I’d love to! Buut... who’s Veronica exactly?” April tilted her head to the side as the question left her mouth.

”She’s new to the town, came from New York. I met her on the last day of the summer vacation.”

”I see. Well, why the hell not?” the girl shrugged. ”Just a sec,” she held up her index finger, singalling Archie to wait.

April looked at herself in the front camera of her phone. She wanted to look her best if she’s going to meet Jughead -and of course the others. After a few seconds, she put it in her back pocket, ran her fingers through her hair and turned back to her brother.

”Alright, I’m ready to go.”

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The red neon lights shined brightly in the warm August evening, bringing every bypasser’s attention to the diner coated in blue wooden panels. April could already see the familiar blonde ponytail and grey beanie from the window. She felt her palms beginning to sweat as she and Archie got closer and closer to the entrance. She fiddled with the hem of her flannel shirt nervously, not knowing at all what to expect from he best friends.

Finally, the bells above the door chimed, indicating that someone had entered. When the siblings turned towards their friends’ booth, Jughead was already on his feet, pacing towards them with disbelief in his eyes as he stared at April.

He didn’t change that much since April saw him the last time. He was wearing black boots, a gray pair of jeans, a darker grey T-shirt with an ’S’ on it and a thin black denim jacket. He also had a flannel shirt tied around his waist, and of course his signature beanie. Locks of his raven hair have lightly moved as he walked towards April.

She couldn’t help but let a huge grin appear on her face. She was so, so relieved to finally see her best friend (and crush, but that’s not really important, right?) again. Even Jughead seemed surprised at his own actions when he reached the girl; everyone knew that Jughead Jones was not a fan of PDA. Yet, he hugged the girl so tight and close to himself that you couldn’t even fit a piece of paper between them. April, of course, had nothing against this. She wrapped her arms around his waist and let her head rest on his chest. Jughead put his chin on the top of her head and just enjoyed the closeness of the smaller girl with closed eyes and not a word spoken between them.

They stood there, in the middle of the diner for what seemed like hours. The two girls who were still at the booth looked at them just as shocked as everyone else. The first to break the awkward silence, which seemed to have slipped the pair’s noce, was none other than Veronica Lodge.

”Excuse me for disturbing your cuddling,” she started with an edge in her tone, ”but you have your girlfriend right over here, Jughead.”

The mentioned boy lifted his head up from its previous position, but before he could even turn around and say something much likely rude as a response, Betty has already stood up for him.

”It’s okay, V,” she placed a hand on the black haired girl’s shoulder, a calming smile on her face showing that she really meant it.

”What? Are- are you fine with Jughead hugging another girl like his life depended on it?” Veronica asked with furrowed brows, not understanding the situation one bit.

”She isn’t just some girl, Veronica,” Jughead spat, every single word of his dripping with venom.

The raven boy looked at her like she had committed some kind of felony. He has now let go of April, but still stood close to her, their arms touching. His piercing eyes burned a hole on Veronica’s face. He unconsciously clenched his fists, which were slightly trembling with anger.

”Juggie, calm down,” April gently squeezed the boy’s shoulder. ”She doesn’t know me, remember?”

Jughead looked down at the girl, took a deep breath and slowly calmed down with April’s hand still on his shoulder. When it felt safe to leave his side, the brunette stepped in front of Veronica.

”Hi! I’m April Andrews, Archie’s sister. Jughead and I have been best friends literally since we can remember, so hugs like this aren’t really extraordinary. Plus, we haven’t seen each other for 2 years!”

While explaining the situation to the girl, April could feel Jughead stepping close behind her. She felt the warmth radiating off his body, his protective aura practically surrounding her. Even though she didn’t need any protection from a girl like Veronica, she wasn’t about to complain; she loved it.

”And I’ve already told you V, I’m okay with it,” Betty stood up from her spot and came over to April. ”Hi! I’m so glad you’re here again!” she smiled at the girl.

”It’s been so long, Betty,” April grinned and hugged the blonde, who returned the gesture.

When they let go, everyone sat in the booth, Jughead, Betty and April on one side and Veronica and Archie on the other. April saw that the ”new girl” still wasn’t really okay with her, but she did apologize and introduced herself as Veronica Lodge.

Pop Tate came over to their table to take their order.

”Well, well, what a surprise, little Andrews is back to town!” the man chuckled as he took his notepad in his hand.

”Hello!” she greeted him joyfully. ”Umm, I’ll have a strawberry milkshake please.”

The others also gave their order.

”So, April,” started Jughead when Pop Tate went away. ”What about your new style? I mean, you look cool, I’m just a little surprised.”

”Yeah, same here,” chimed in Betty.

”What could I say? Pinterest does wonders, especially when you have lots of freetime on your hands,” she replied with a soft giggle.

That was when the door opened again. April turned her head towards it, and saw the well-known faces of Riverdale High; the Bulldogs with Reggie in the middle. She wondered though, where could Jason be?

As Reggie scanned the place for an untaken booth, he noticed April and smirked at her, immediately starting her way.

”Wow, April Andrews,” he clicked his tongue. ”How come you’re back?”

”You know Reggie, there’s this thing called moving. Maybe you should try it,” April said. The distaste she felt for the boy was evident in her cold eyes and sarcastic tone, but her sickly sweet fake smile said otherwise.

The other people who sat at the table laughed quietly.

”Still the old brat, I see,” he laughed. ”If you change your mind, I could always take you on a ride,” he winked at the girl.

”Hey, watch it! You’re talking to my sister, for god’s sake!” Archie yelled protectively.

”Calm down, Andrews. I’m just sayin’,” with that he left and sat in a booth far away from April and her friends.

April shook her head while chuckling and didn’t notice that Pop brought them their drinks and food.

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It was about an hour later when April needed an escape from Betty and Jughead, so she excused herself and almost run to the bathroom. Until then, she could keep herself from feeling miserable and heartbroken, but it was just getting too much. They were stealing each other’s food, stealing kisses from one other and so on. It shattered April’s heart into pieces. She always thought she didn’t have a chance with Jughead, but there was at least a little bit of hope; now it only became clearer that she was never going to end up with her secret crush and she just needed to get over it. He was with Betty and April would never want to break them apart. They were so perfect together, she couldn’t even imagine how she could compete with someone like Betty. She was not an excellent student, she could never be as strong and pretty as Betty. April could go on and on about why she would never be enough for someone like Jughead, but she figured that she’ll have time for that when she gets home.  

These thoughts didn’t help her hold back her tears, but at least she could keep down her sobs. After minutes of trying to dry her tears, she finally succeeded. After getting herself together, she left the restroom and went back to their table like nothing had happened.

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At 10:23 pm, April was laying in her bed, staring at the white ceiling and thinking about today’s events. Suddenly, a loud thud shook her up from daydreaming. She looked over to her window and cautiously walked over, to be greeted with Jughead’s face and a ladder leading up to her window. She stumbled back a bit, before sighing in relief and opening her window.

”You scared me, shithead,” April looked at him angrily, crossing her arms.

”Sorry,” he smirked, not at all looking apologetic. After climbing in, he casually walked over to her bed and sat down on it, April following him.

”Soo, what you doin’ here?” April asked him.

”I just happened to be walking around this part of the town, you know, like in the old times.”

”Mm-hmm,” she hummed, putting her head on his shoulder. ”Well, I’m sleepy, Jug.”

”Yeah, I can see that much,” he chuckled as he looked at her face, noticing how she could barely keep her eyes open. ”It must have been tiring, travelling for so long.”

April nodded, then put her head back to its original place. Neither of them talked for a while, just enjoying the calm quietness. In the end, Jughead broke the silence.

”I missed you, you know?”

”I missed you too, Juggie. There wasn’t a day when I didn’t think about you.”

”I can say the same. I also thought a lot about the old times. When we were still kids, with no real problems.”

”Yeah, those were nice times,” April agreed. ”Oh, by the way. What happened to Jason? I didn’t see him with the Bulldogs at Pop’s.”

”Uh... he- he was murdered. His body was found a few days ago,” Jughead thought it would be better to say it simply.

”O-Oh, I’m...” April couldn’t find the right words. She wasn’t really close to the Blossom boy, in fact, she never even talked to him, but it still scared her a little bit. But mostly, she felt sorry for Cheryl, she knew how close the twins were.

”I’m writing a novel about it,” Jughead stated casually.

”Oh, so you’re still into writing? I’d love to read it someday.”

”I guess I can show you,” Jughead grinned. ”But right now you should sleep. I’ll go, okay?”

April definitely did not want Jughead to leave, but she was just so tired and it wouldn’t be nice if her father or Archie met with Jughead in the morning in her room.

”Okay, but be careful. A murderer’s on the loose.”

”Sure thing,” he stood up and walked to the window. ”It’s good to have you back, princess,” he smiled genuinely at the blushing girl. April didn’t expect him to call her by her old nickname. Only Jughead had called him this.

”You too, Juggie,” she whispered, his words still repeating in her head.

It filled her with joy, knowing that Jughead remembered and still used it. She got this nickname when she was about 5 and Jughead was 6.

Archie, Jughead, April and some other kids were playing hide and seek and the girl hid in a small, unfamiliar wooden cabin. When she entered, she didn’t notice that the lock has slammed down. Soon, she could hear that they were about to start another round, loudly arguing about who the seeker should be. She panicked and tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. She shouted for Archie and Jughead, tears running down her red face.

Jughead rushed to the door first, but when he didn’t succeed in opening it, he went over to the side and broke in the window with a branch from the ground. He helped April climb out, then hugged the sobbing girl.

”It’s okay. You’re safe now,” he whispered.

After long moments of calming the girl down, he let go of her.

”You were like a princess from a tale,” Jughead laughed softly. ”And I saved you.”

That night, April fell asleep with Jughead’s words on repeat in her head.

”It’s good to have you back, princess.”

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Word count: 2162

[roseinthenight]

Back to town [Jughead x OC] - Chapter 1

[Summary]

1| The Arrival

”Do you have everything you need?” Mary asked her daughter, mentally counting the bags surrounding the teen.

”Yes, mom,” April rolled her eyes in annoyance. ”And even if I didn’t, I’m sure dad would be more than glad to help me out with some clothes or something.”

The older woman sighed, then opened her arms.

”Come here, sweetie,” she said, dragging April into a bone-crushing hug. ”I’ll miss you.”

”I’ll miss you too,” answered the younger.

She didn’t know if she really meant it or just said it out of politeness, but either way her mother was satisfied. Mary let go of the teen as the cab rolled up. April put her baggages in the trunk, then sat in the yellow car. She waved at her mother, then plugged in one ear and started her favourite playlist.

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’Welcome to Riverdale! The town with pep!’ read the sign on the edge of the oh so familiar town. Memories flooded April’s head, pictures of her father and brother smiling and laughing happily. Going to the park to run around with Betty. And then Jughead. He and April were always the closest to each other. The girl spent her entire childhood with the raven haired boy. Going for walks on the bank of Sweetwater River, spending time in FP’s trailer, watching movies in the Drive-in and so much more.

”Hey, we’re here,” the voice of the driver brought her back from her thoughts.

”Oh, sorry,” April gave the man some cash, then got out of the car.

The man helped the younger girl grab all of her bags from the back, then sped away. Nervousness took over her as she eyed her old home. It was just the same as she remembered; the yellow walls of the house stood tall and welcoming, but right now the building only tightened the knot in her stomach.

Knowing that she couldn’t back down now, she took a deep breath and walked towards the door. Her legs were as hard to move as if they were made of concrete. She put up her shaking fist to knock on the door, when it suddenly opened.

The boy who stood in front of her was so different from the picture she had in her mind. Archie was just as shocked as April. He didn’t expect to see his sister; it was supposed to be a surprise for him.

”A-April? Wha-? How can you-?” Archie couldn’t even finish his sentences, he didn’t know what to say.

”I’m home, Archie,” April said in a ridiculously small voice.

Her brother finally got back to his senses -well, as much as it was possible in a situation like this. He hugged the girl so tight she couldn’t breathe, but April didn’t mind it one bit.

After a long minute has passed, they let go of each other. Archie looked up and down the girl.

”Wow...” he breathed. ”You look so... different.”

To tell the truth, April was expecting a reaction like this, she really changed since her mom took her away from riverdale. She was no longer the plain, preppy girl who she used to be. She cut her brown hair, which she had inherited from her father, so it was now a bit longer than shoulder-length. She curled it before coming here and let it down. However, the most noticable change was the colour of it; April persuaded her mother into letting her dye the end of her hair purple.

Her style in clothes has also changed a lot. It was a sharp turn from wearing really colorful and some would say ’girly’ outfits. Right now she had a pair of black combat boots, a fishnet, a pair of torn black shorts with a chain, a Nirvana T-shirt tucked in her shorts, and a black and yellow flannel shirt on top.

”Well, you can’t say otherwise. I see you went to the gym a lot?” she playfully pushed herbrother, grinning at him.

”I worked for dad in the summer,” he smiled at the smaller girl sheepishly.

”You worked with me, son,” April heard her dad correcting the redhead from behind the boy.

”Dad!” she yelled excitedly, practically jumping in his open arms.

"Wow, hold on there, little one,” Fred Andrews laughed, closing his arms around his daughter. ”Your old man almost fell over, you know.”

April -as emberrassing as it might sound- has always been a daddy’s girl. When she was younger, she always ran to her father for help instead of her mother. If anything happened to her, her father was the first to know, maybe after Archie. That’s one of the reasons why it was so hard for her to leave Riverdale.

”Archie wasn’t lying when he said you look different,” the older man said as he looked April up and down.

”Well, get used to it,” the girl replied with a mischievous smirk.

The three of them carried April’s bags upstairs, into her room. It was so nostalgic being there. The walls were still painted a light shade of yellow, but other than that, everything disappeared from her childhood.

”Um, you took most of your stuff from here to your mother, but I figured I’d clean up for your arrival, so I took everything you left here to the attic. If you need something just go up and get it, okay?” April’s father looked at her.

”Yeah, okay. Thanks, dad,” she smiled at him.

”Also, if you want to paint the walls or something, just tell me or Archie and we can do it together.”

April nodded, but didn’t say anything else. The Andrews men took it as their cue to leave, so they did. The brunette girl sat on the bed with white sheets and looked around. There was only a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe in her room, all made from the same kind of wood. She wanted to paint the walls, but didn’t know what colour, she was thinking of black, but she wasn’t sure her father would approve.

She didn’t want to pack her things out until the walls were painted, so she just put the baggages in a corner of the room. She pulled her phone and texted her mother, saying she had arrived.

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Word count: 1035 [Ch2]

[roseinthenight]

Back to town [Jughead x OC] - Summary

The once best of friends Archie, Betty, Jughead and April got separated from each other, when Fred and Mary Andrews split up. Archie stayed with his father and April got taken away with her mother. Two years later, when the girl turned 15, she finally convinced her mother to let her live in Riverdale with her father and brother. April presumed that a lot of things has changed since she left, but she was sure as hell in one thing; her feelings for a certain raven haired boy have not died down. However, when she got back to town, she needed to face a rather unpleasant fact; Betty and Jughead got together. April tried to get over her long-time crush, but being so close to the boy did not help her at all. Is there any way the two of them could have their happy ending or anything more than a friendship between them is deemed to death?

[Ch1]