Sometimes I think back to how I got here and a cold rush flows through me. Let's start at the beginning, shall we?
My name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones III but don't you dare call me that. My dad, of the same name, goes by FP. I personally go by Jughead. It's a nickname I got as a kid because I had large ears. So yeah, I looked kind of like a jug. Ha ha. Probably a big part of why I cover them with my beanie that looks like a Whoopee cap. I belong to a class of people in south Riverdale called greasers. It's not something most of us want to be, but the oppressive class structure have sorted me into this box. It's an all out class war between us greasers and the snotty upper crust chavs and prepsters. That being said, my three best friends are from that class.
Betty Cooper isn't dingy and tainted. She's all suburbs and simplicity; I mean that as a compliment. Her neighbor, Archie Andrews, is a family friend since we're as tight as our fathers were the generation before. The kind of bond that transcends petty bullshit like dividing people by money.
Our last friend moved into town a few years back and is a bit naïve. He's the sheriff's son so he would like to believe we live in a place without these problems. He's a bit oblivious. I actually made friends with him because Archie's other friend, Veronica Lodge, thought he was really attractive and I happened to know through a reliable source that he was gay. That sting of rejection made my day. Ronnie and I just don't get along, not even when she's dating Archie. I just think she's all show and no go. I don't really have any friends in my own faction, because I'm a loner I guess. The only other friend I have is a burger.
Speaking of Burgers, there's this place right next to the tracks called Pop's and I practically lived there. Only business in town that never closes, except for a few hours on Christmas. It's safe. My actual home is a run down trailer in a park with my dad. My mom hightailed it out of there when my sister was little, but she was a firm believer in boys versus girls so I got left behind with the drunken failure I mentioned earlier. I sometimes went to school, but I was often late because I scored a job as the projectionist at the Twilight Drive-In. I kept a bunch of stuff there, too, for the more tense nights at home. I'm sure my dad blamed me for my mom's departure about as much as I blamed him. Though in the end I'm kind of relieved. I like to believe the town they ended up in, Toledo, didn't have the same level of animosity like we had here. Maybe Jellybean wouldn't get bullied for being poor.
On this night at the movies, we were showing To Kill a Mocking Bird. I had a leather bound edition by Harper Lee sitting on my desk by the projector. I settled in with a bunch of hot dogs. It's one of the few movies that lives up to the book it's adapted from. It's a work of art, really. Sometimes during a scene, I'd flip through the pages for a comparison. That's exactly what I was doing when Betty came in. Her face was blotchy and I could tell right away what had happened.
Archie Andrews had two girlfriends; his girlfriend, and his backup gal. Betty, of course, was the backup gal. Surprisingly, she actually got along quite well with Veronica, and Veronica often yelled at Archie for his accidental poor treatment of our favourite blonde. Hell one time when him and Ron were off, he skipped Betty entirely and went on a date with the embodiment of Cherry Cream Soda, Cheryl Blossom.
On this particular night, Archie and Veronica started making out instead of watching the movie, leaving Betty to awkwardly third wheel until she decided to join me in the projection booth. This is the third time this had happened so far, and she was clearly running thin. She threw up her hands in exasperation and didn't even have to say anything. I just knew. I sighed, trusting the projector to do it's job as I took her outside and went to get more snacks. It was going to be a long night, so I figure I might as well get loaded up. We usually just stayed inside the booth, so this is a marked departure from the norm.
I could hear snickers, they follow me everywhere, so I just rolled my eyes. Betty, however, looked around terrified, and then it hit me. I felt like a complete moron. People didn't usually see Betty and I together. I cursed under my breath upon understanding the repercussions. It was like stepping into the Outsiders by Hinton. That whole story basically started with a guy like me hanging out with a girl like her in a place just like this, right down to the concession stand. I left as fast as I could and by then Betty was so worried about my reaction and sudden paleness that she forgot about her cad of a best friend.
"I'm such an idiot, Betty. You know, I can take it. All I hear is whispers when I enter a room. That's normal for me. But you, you have so much going for you and I fucked it all up by openly showing that you associate with a greasy weirdo like me." I threw my head in my hands in frustration. She gave me a small smile. She didn't think she cared, but I knew she would. I'm not the kind of person anyone admits to associating with. I was considering just staying the night here in the booth, but somewhere along the way Archie forgot it was movie night and not a date and drove off without his girl Friday. Of course. At times like these I almost liked Veronica more. At least she didn't have the same kind of loyalty to betray. So here I was, like a schmuck, walking Betty home because it was too dark out. Mrs Cooper was probably going to throw a fit at the Andrews residence later. I didn't care because I kind of felt he deserved it. We had been growing apart ever since high school, probably due to his interest in women and my lack there of. Betty was the only girl who wasn't blood in my world. I'd put up with Veronica, but that was as far as I would go. Ethal Muggs tried to befriend me a few years back and it was a solid no from me. It's best if people just call me a woman hater. I prefer that to chasing skirt. I'd rather chase burgers.
Betty thanked me and gave me a quick kiss on the cheak before I left. Alice Cooper thanked me, too, which was weird because Archie always told me she was a hard ass. Maybe she has a weakness for boys who help her daughter when said daughter's friends forget that there's a world around them.
I was going to go to Pop's to grab a bunch of burgers for me and a meal for my dad. He didn't really cook and I figured this was better than a TV dinner. Plus I was a bit spooked from my realization earlier and felt that being in more public spaces would be a safer course of action. As it turns out, I have poor street smarts or something because I was very wrong.
I had just left when Chuck Clayton came and attempted to whack me with a crowbar. To get you up to speed, Chuck is the king jock in our respectable high school. He takes it upon himself to keep the social heirarchy in order and put us all in our place, which is ironic because he can't force me to go to Southside High where he clearly would think I belong. I guess attempted is the wrong word. It didn't hit quite like he wanted but I did tumble down and drop the food, causing it to spill out of the bag.
"Do you defile pretty girls because nobody would want any from your end of town? Stay away from Betty Cooper." It was simply a warning, or maybe even a threat, and he walked off, but if he thought that would stop me then he had another thing coming. My lip was split and I limped home with a smile. I wasn't going to let that dumb jock boss me around, us greasers fight back.