He looked out the window of the booth at Pop's as midnight approached. Jughead sighed deeply. He couldn't believe the Twilight Drive-In, Riverdale's holy house of cinema, was closing for good. His days there were numbered. With a frustrated huff, Jughead got up from the booth, said a quick goodbye to Pop Tate, and began the trek to the Twilight Drive-In for one of the final times.
As Jughead walked across the drive-in parking lot, he glanced at the large screen looming over the property. The last movie to play here would be a major event. It was a big responsibility. Jughead stopped, his boots stomping on the gravel, a loud scratch in an otherwise quiet night. He admired the screen, a vast white sheet against the engulfing dark sky.
The last movie would be an event Riverdale would remember, he thought to himself.
With renewed vigor, Jughead continued walking towards the projection booth. He would pick a movie tonight, and give the Twilight Drive-In, his home away from home, the send off it deserves. He entered the projection booth, sat on his makeshift cot, and slowly glanced around the room. The shelves were stacked full with film reels, the lids on some were askew, and the ends of the copper film rolls spilled out, like stories begging to be told. There were so many choices, but he had to find the right one.
Jughead closed his eyes and tried to focus, as he adjusted his beanie on top of his head. He needed to start somewhere. But where?
His mind wandered back to a conversation from Pop's when he told Kevin, Veronica, and Betty about the closing night. His friend's choices weren't half bad.
American Graffiti was still too obvious, he thought.
And Audrey Hepburn or Cate Blanchett? No, definitely not the right audience. But as a newcomer to Riverdale, Veronica really doesn't get a say.
The Talented Mr. Ripley was out too, but Jughead felt Kevin was on the right track with a thriller and a novel adaptation. It wasn't the right fit either.
Then there was Betty's choice. Rebel Without a Cause. Although she had seemed lost in thought during his rant about the drive-in closing, Betty had picked a film that seemed to get right to the heart of the town, and by extension Jughead.
He appeared to be one of the only people who truly cared about the Drive-In, where he had such fond memories with Jellybean, his first job, and most recently his new home. Mayor McCoy was clearly after the money, Fred Andrews was just doing his job, and this anonymous buyer probably wasn't even from Riverdale.
Jughead certainly felt with a rebel, fighting to preserve a piece of vital town history, while everyone else was happy with their Netflix and video on demand. His solo fight also seemed to solidify his spot as the lone town cinephile, and without the drive-in, the physical embodiment of his cause would be gone.
That settles it, he thought.
Rebel Without a Cause would be the final film to grace the screen of the Twilight Drive-In, hopefully giving the citizens of Riverdale one final look at a social commentary it could learn from. Jughead quickly stood and turned towards the film reels, his hands eagerly searching for the film among the crowded stacks.
After a few minutes in which none of the reels managed to go crashing to the ground, his hands grasped a dusty film canister with the name he was looking for taped across the front. Jughead slowly ran his fingers over the title, as though proving to himself that the film existed. A small smile crept its way onto his face, his eyes focused on the words in front of him, in large block letters written in black sharpie on thin masking tape. He felt a sense of responsibility fill his heart since this film would be remembered as the last picture shown at the Twilight Drive-In. But the responsibility wasn't just his. It also belonged to Betty.
Betty Cooper. Riverdale's friendly neighborhood Hitchcock blonde. With her tightly bound ponytail, pink sweater and big doe eyes, she had provided the perfect film without fully realizing it. Jughead felt a slight sense of guilt enter his mind. He almost wished she was here with him to pick the movie. For a split second, he entertained the idea of surprising her with her choice, maybe not revealing the movie beforehand to get more people to show up. Then he would get to watch her reaction as she saw her own movie choice begin to play across the screen.
He closed his eyes, and he could almost picture it. Betty sitting in a truck with some popcorn and a cola, his signature ponytail, sweater and focused "I'm Betty Cooper" face. Then when the film started to screen, an unexpected gasp would fall from her soft, pink lips; her eyes alight with surprise and excitement for the next few hours. The knowledge that her movie choice was the winner among a sea of people who would never guess that.
She would be happy.
It would be a break from the stress of the Jason Blossom murder investigation and this whole mess with Archie and Ms. Grundy. This is exactly what she needed. What the town of Riverdale needed. Then again, he almost wanted that moment to be more personal, face to face. So he could be sure to see her reaction instead of just wondering about it. He would be up in the projection booth after all during the film.
Jughead opened his eyes, turned around and went to the table on the opposite side of the booth. He carefully placed the film reel on the desk, opening it, and inspecting the film reel cautiously. It looked to be in excellent condition, and certainly not played recently, which would also add to the charm of seeing it on a big screen again. After a few moments, Jughead was satisfied that there would be no issue screening the picture and got to work on the next step. Flyers.
The fastest way to let everyone know about Betty's choice, his choice, would be to make flyers to put up at school and get the word out. He'd personally change the marquee in the days before the show as well. He sat down at the desk and immediately began sketching up a flyer for the film, all black and white of course. Jughead's mind focused on the task at hand: making a flyer to encapsulate the experience of watching the film at a drive-in and promoting Betty's choice. His steady fingers grasped the writing utensils as he drew lines and shapes, his eyes following each movement with calculated precision. This had to be perfect. As time went by, Jughead's hand grew tired, a yawn crept into his mouth and he could feel sleep sneaking into his eyes, but he was determined to finish the flyer. For Betty.
Finally, Jughead dropped the pencil on the desk, stretched out his tired fingers, straightened his back, and examined the flyer. He titled it "The Last Drive –In" complete with a comic sketch of a couple in a car, clearly at the drive-in watching the movie of choice. Underneath that to the left was a replica movie poster for Rebel Without a Cause, James Dean front and center, yet looking over his shoulder at the viewer. His name and the film details were to the right of the image. Then in the bottom right of the flyer was the announcement for the time and place of the film, encouraging people to come out and support Riverdale's history.
As his eyes closely examined the flyer, Jughead smiled slightly to himself. His cinephile heart was happy with it and he was sure Betty would be too. He finally had something to look forward to, the silver lining in the darkness of the drive-in closing and all. Jughead rose off the seat and went to make copies of the flyer to pass out and put up in school tomorrow. The night, or day rather, was looking up.
After the copies were made, Jughead carefully placed the original in his bag, trying his best to preserve it for Betty. It was only right that he hand deliver her one since she basically picked the movie. Jughead laid down not long after that and quickly drifted off to sleep, excited for school the next day.
Jughead woke quickly the next morning, got ready for school, double checked Betty's flyer, grabbed a stack to put up at school and left the projection booth. His walk to school was usually a leisurely one, but he was determined to get the flyers up and make the last picture show at the Twilight Drive- In a success. Seeing Betty first thing in the morning wouldn't hurt either.
Approaching Riverdale High, Jughead quickly ascended the steps and made his way to the Blue and Gold offices, which was Betty's home away from home. It was still early, so students were slowly starting to trickle in, but the halls weren't bustling yet. Jughead dropped his bag lightly on the table and reached for the flyers, passing them gently beneath his fingers, generating a mental plan of where to tape them up. He would just pass them to everyone in the hall until he ran out. Problem solved.
Suddenly, he heard moment behind him and quickly turned. Jughead made eye contact with Betty instantly as she came through the door, the blonde's face immediately lighting up at seeing him there in her space.
Hey, Jug! What brings you here so early? Betty asked, her head tilting slightly to the side, a full smile appearing on her face. "Got a story?"
"In a manner of speaking," Jughead replied with a smirk. "A surprise, really."
"A surprise? For me?" she asked, a short laugh gracing her lips as she made her way over to stand right in front of him. A welcome sight after the drama and stress of the past few days doing her best Nancy Drew impression.
Caught up in her obvious excitement, Jughead carefully reached back towards the table, grabbed Betty's flyer and quickly held it up in front of his face, so Betty could see what he had done. Jughead kept his eyes fixed on Betty's as she focused on the flyer, her mouth gaping from shock, while the flyer hid his deepening smirk.
"Rebel Without a Cause," Betty nearly whispered, her eyes slowly reading the name, her mouth twisting into a gracious smile. He watched in fascination as Betty's eyes moved over every detail of the flyer, also rewriting it with her own personal touch. Her perfectly nail polished fingers reached out and touched the flyer, Jughead allowing her to take it from him. She got close enough that he was suddenly engulfed with the idea that she smelled like strawberries and cream, and it reminded him of the milkshake from the previous night at Pop's.
After a few moments, they made eye contact again, and Jughead noticed a hopeful glow behind her eyes, thanking him for this surprise and all of its implications. She slowly glanced back down at the flyer, her fingers moving over every inch, almost like she could sense the amount of effort it has taken him and was appreciating it.
Definitely the right choice, Jughead thought to himself. He couldn't imagine missing this moment for anything.
"This is amazing Jughead," Betty said, beaming at him, her eyes looking into his soul. Her approval of him using her choice seemed to heal his soul in a way simply choosing the movie hadn't. "I love it," Betty continued. She couldn't stop staring at the flyer, which made the cramp in Jughead's hand from drawing it seem worth it. He let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, all the tension leaving his body and an unfamiliar calm washing over him at her positive reaction.
"It's the perfect choice for the last picture show. A great send-off for the Twilight drive-in." Betty complimented.
"Thanks, Betts. I agree. Your recommendation really captured the heart of Riverdale." Jughead replied, his eyes only leaving Betty's briefly to glance down at the flyer in her hands. "It's too bad we can't get an issue of the Blue and Gold out by the weekend so everyone can see this amazing flyer," Betty said, gesturing to the flyer in her hands.
"Oh, I'm going to get one in the hands of everyone here at Riverdale high and one every wall one way or another, Betts. The place is going to be packed, for sure." Jughead answered, before freezing in the realization that he had no tape. "But not until I get some tape of course," he continued awkwardly, his brow furrowing in disbelief that he forgot about tape.
Across from him, Betty giggled slightly, shaking her head at Jughead before moving to another desk along the back wall. Jughead watched as Betty opened a drawer and briefly rummaged in it, before extracting a roll of tape with a triumphant "Aha!" and another bright smile in his direction, all the while keeping the flyer in one hand.
"Always prepared, Betts." Jughead provided, feeling both sheepish and grateful. He sauntered over to where Betty was standing, plucking the roll of tape from her outstretched palm. "Thanks," he said, grasping the tape and staring at it in between his fingers.
A comfortable silence elapsed them both, Jughead glanced up from the tape to find Betty staring at the flyer again, the wonder still shining in her eyes. Minutes that felt like hours went by before their moment was broken by a bell ringing.
"Oh, gosh," Betty remembered suddenly, looking to Jughead. "I can't be late!" Betty quickly moved past Jughead towards the door. She placed her hand on the knob before pausing, her eyes catching the flyer, and then slowly turning towards Jughead.
"Thanks for this Jughead," Betty said with a soft smile. It's going to be a great night and this flyer is amazing."
Jughead grinned sheepishly. "Yes it will, Betts," he answered. Betty's smile grew at his words before she turned and exited the office just as quickly as she came. Jughead stood rooted to the spot, tape in one hand, a bunch of flyers in the other. "It will indeed," he said to himself, staring at the flyers, while another bell rang out.
I can't wait for Saturday, he thought.
Jughead quietly let out a breath, adjusted his beanie, and made his way back out into the hallway to start distributing flyers.