The soft knock on the door carried the weight of her mother's grief- heavy, daunting. "Come in." The voice from inside the room was small, barely audible. The door creaked open slowly, the sound of her mother's kitten heels clicking against the hardwood. When she spoke, she spoke slowly, as if not wanting to set off the bomb whose wick was already ignited. Not her daughter's temper, but her mental state. Ever since the incident, everyone in the house had been on edge.
"Juno," Her mother's voice was so incredibly soft, silky, smooth. "I, uh…" Juno didn't bother turning around. The insecurity in her mother's voice, the uneven beat of her words was enough to tell Juno what she already knew was coming. "I… I… think it's time to, uh… pack it up." Juno bit her lip, remembering her mother was just as fragile as she.
"Mom, that's the third time this month that we've moved." She spoke quietly. Her mother could practically hear the tears. "Mom, I don't… please, don't take this the wrong way, but, I don't think moving is going to make this transition any less difficult." The sniffles coming from behind Juno let her know that her mother was in agreement. They let her know that her mother was still hurting, was still broken and trying to heal.
"I-I know, Juno." She sighed. "I just-I'm trying so hard to-to-" Her mother choked on the sobs in her throat. Juno let her own tears hit the floor.
"Yeah mom, I know. You don't owe me an apology. I'll be ready by morning." Juno sniffled, wiped her nose and brought her knees up to her chest, still not turning around.
"Thank you, J-Juno. Th-Thank you." The door clicked softly shut behind her mother, leaving Juno to her own mental vices.
Riverdale. That was the name of the third town Juno was to call her home- this month. She didn't expect to stay settled here long. In fact, she didn't even expect to have time to settle. She haphazardly shoved her clothes in drawers and hung them on hangars to place in a closet which she knew she'd never enter again. Her music blasted in the background, her speaker lying on the bed as she once again adjusted to a new life. It didn't stop her from dancing from spot to spot- closet to bed, bed to vanity, vanity to door. She whipped her long, light brown hair around in an attempt to forget her troubles. "Must be the season of the-" The door flew open and Juno jumped. "Holy shit!" She shouted. Her mother's jaw dropped. "Shoot! I mean holy… I mean shoot."
"Juno, we have guests." Her mother looked around the room. "Juno! Pick this up! I've been telling you all week that you can't keep this room a mess. Hurry up." Juno shrugged and grabbed her phone.
"I just didn't think we'd be here that long…" She muttered. Her mother raised an eyebrow as if challenging her. "I'm just being honest. Besides, is anyone coming back here?" Her mother nodded.
"Yes, dear. Apparently our lovely neighbors are a part of the welcoming committee at Riverdale High and they want to introduce themselves so you don't feel out of place on your first day." Now, Juno's jaw dropped.
"Holy shit!" Her mother stamped her foot.
"Juno Amerite, the foul language has to stop! Be out here in five minutes, and look presentable."
"I can't get the room clean and-" Her mother shut the door and Juno sighed. She picked up every article of clothing left about in the room and shoved them in any free drawer she could find. She threw her hair up in a ponytail and searched from a lipstick that would match her olive skin. She scourged through her makeup, some of it hitting the floor with the ungodly noise of cracking glass. She cursed in her head, but found a nude lipstick good enough to make an acceptable first impression. She ran to the closet- surprise!- and found the forest green dress her mother loved on her. The way it cutely fluttered out past her sides made her stomach churn, but this is what her mother wanted. She threw on a cream cardigan and a pair of matching heels, and next her grandmother's pearls. She took her hair down, brushing it fiercely and decided it was good enough to leave her room. As she made her way down the hall she heard her mother calling.
"Oh! There she is." Her mother's voice rang down the hall and she went after her. "Good choice." She whispered in Juno's ear. Juno made her way to the front of the house where- oh my, a lot of guests had come. She took a deep breath and smiled as widely as she could.
"Hello everyone," She greeted. "I'm Juno Amerite, the newest neighbor." A blonde girl emerged from the crowd, covered in pastel pink and a smile plastered to her face. She held her hand out to Juno.
"Hi, my name is Betty Cooper, your next door neighbor-" You just look like the girl-next-door. "And also one of the River Vixens at Riverdale High. My friends and I heard you were coming to Riverdale High and we just wanted to introduce ourselves so you wouldn't feel out-of-place on your first day." Juno smiled- genuinely this time. She couldn't say she'd ever had someone- a group of someone's- go out of their way to make her stay more comfortable.
"Wow, that is really kind of you. Um, if you… uh, if you guys want, you can come back to my room?" The invite was awkward, but Betty was kind enough to laugh it off.
"Well, actually we were all gonna see if you wanted to come eat with us. There's this place in town… it's called Pop's and we all go there to eat. It's like… our own little home away from home." Juno looked to her mother who was off making conversation with one of the male guests in the house.
"Uh, you know what-" Don't get too attached to these people. It won't last. "I think… I think I'd like that, Betty Cooper."
Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe proved to be exactly the type of place Juno yearned to spend her time. She sat, sandwiched between lovers, Betty and Jughead, but not at all uncomfortable. She learned that Jughead was the typical brooding, miscreant of the bunch, while Archie was the textbook definition of a testosterone-hyped jock. Veronica was rich, and spoiled, but with a nerve Juno adored. And then there was Betty, girl-next-door, but with an undeniable dark side. Each of them made Juno feel as if she'd been a part of the friend group for years.
"So, Juno, I overheard your mom say that you guys move often." Betty said. Juno nodded and took a sip of her strawberry milkshake.
"Yeah, this has been the third time this month, actually." Jughead gasped.
"Where do you get the money for three moves in a month?" Veronica's jaw dropped and Archie no-so-discreetly kicked Jughead under the table.
"Jug!" Betty exclaimed.
"Sorry! It just… it just kind of slipped out." Jughead explained himself and Juno laughed.
"No, no. No need to apologize. It's not a very happy reason, but when my father passed he left quite the inheritance. My mom saved nearly all of it because she had no reason to use it. But, since my sister passed, she's been running from… I don't even know what she's been running from, honestly. She's used the money solely to move from house to house, town to town. Other than that, my mom's a doctor, who has her hand in business." Juno shrugged and leaned back in her seat.
"Wow, Juno, I'm sorry. Your dad and your sister?" Veronica's expression was pained and Juno nodded. This was the first time she shifted uncomfortably.
"Yeah, it's been kind of rough for my mom. I haven't said anything to her about her constant moving because of the circumstances, but I don't really expect to be here very long either." Veronica moved to place her hand on top of Juno's and smiled.
"Well, for as long as you're here, we're here for you. And, I for one, am hoping you're here for quite a while." Juno smiled and nodded as Betty placed her hand on top of Veronica's and Jughead and Archie soon followed.
"How was it?" Juno's mother sat in her recliner with only the lamplight showing on her. She set down the book she was reading. Juno nodded and shrugged her coat off.
"It went really well. I really like them, mom." Her mother smiled and crossed her legs.
"Good, I'm glad you liked them. After you guys left I talked with Betty's mom, Alice for a bit. She seemed like…" Her mother's face twisted and Juno couldn't hold back her laughter. Then her mother laughed as well. "She was quite the woman."
"Not your type of woman?" Juno questioned. Her mother shook her head.
"Of course, I'll play nice, but Alice seems to be a bit too much for my tastes, but um…" Juno stopped moving. "She uh, did tell me some interesting stuff about the Jones kid. Jughead, I think?" Juno raised an eyebrow and walked into the living room, leaning against a pillar. "Apparently he's a gang member." Juno's eyes went wide as she crossed her arms.
"That's quite the allegation, mom. Do you think Mrs. Cooper's telling the truth?" Her mother sighed and shrugged.
"She seems like a gossip, but she doesn't seem like the type to make up lies out of thin air. If that's true, and all the things I've heard about the Southside are true, both from your… sister, and the townsfolk, you know what I expect of you, Juno." She waited for just a moment before smiling. "You treat them like you would any other person in this town. They… they kept an eye on your sister before she passed and… just don't treat them like trash. That's not how I've raised you. That's all I'm saying." Juno felt her smile broaden. She made her way over to her mother and wrapped her arms around the woman.
"I know mom. You know I'm not nearly as judgemental as someone like… Alice Cooper?" Her mother smiled and nodded before smoothing down her hair.
"I know. I just don't want you to get wrapped up in all the antics that come with small towns. I think… we might be here for a while, Juno. I don't want you to have to keep switching schools because I can't pull it together." Juno's mouth pressed into a thin line and she nodded.
"I understand mom. We'll talk more tomorrow, but for now I think I'm gonna go to bed. It's been a long day."