A/N: Oh hello there. Please bear with me as I haven't written fanfiction in nearly five years.
Reviews are much appreciated :)
CHAPTER ONE
It wasn't unusual for the subway to be packed in the morning; it was New York City after all. People had to get to work, get to school, or just escape whatever life they were living for a little while. Jughead knew the feeling of escaping for some time now. Nothing in his life had ever been picture perfect; at least he couldn't remember it ever being like that. His father was a drunk and a felon while his mother skipped town with his little sister Jellybean years ago. It was all bullshit and he learned how to cope in his own way of being a loner and the weird kid throughout his entire life. He really didn't care what people thought of them, he had heard it all.
As the subway train pulled up, everyone began crowding the doors. This was always the issue; people on the Queens Boulevard line had no consideration of letting the passengers get off first then proceed to go on it. It was a jumbled mess with people bitching at each other. Jughead squeezed his way into the subway and managed to get a seat. An older woman who he had somewhat become acquaintances with took the free seat next to him. Her name was Dolores.
Dolores had a deep complexion and always wore loud colours. Her hair was dark and curly with streaks of gray running through it. And, most importantly, she was a fantastic baker. She usually gave Jughead her leftover creations on Friday mornings when she saw him and today it was lemon loaf which wasn't his favourite but he'd go ahead and eat it anyway.
The subway halted forward and began to race down the tracks. Jughead's ride was about forty minutes, so in the meantime he either listened to music or wrote some things down in a notebook he had since his laptop would take up too much room.
"There she is." Dolores whispered to Jughead. He looked up from his phone and glanced in the direction Dolores was motioning.
Jughead's eyes fell upon a girl he had seen many, many times before. She sat down with her bag on her lap, taking out a book and opened up to the page she had left off on. Something about her was remarkable and Jughead couldn't put his finger on it. She had her blonde hair up in a high ponytail which seemed to be her trademark look. Today her sweater was a powder blue that was paired with some black leggings and ballet flats. She looked cozy which was appropriate for the fall day they were having in late September.
Dolores voice pulled Jughead away from his thoughts, "Have you figured out her name yet?"
"Not yet." Jughead replied. Although, on her backpack she had some patches sewn on and one was of the letter B, so his good guess was that it started with that letter. His head dipped down when she had glanced up from her book to check what stop they were at.
What he did know about this girl was that she was on a new book every week and she liked to eat cherries for a snack on the ride. She also went to NYU as well, but he always lost her when they were getting off the train.
Typical.
Jughead said goodbye to Dolores as he made his way off the train and just like that, he had lost the blonde girl in the matter of seconds. He tucked his phone into the pocket of his coat and made his way up to ground level. It was a beautiful sunny day in the city with a hint of a crisp wind. Jughead was a fan of this weather since it meant his apartment would no longer be a sweat box and he could wear sweaters for the next seven months, hopefully.
He pulled open the doors of the campus building after his ten minute walk and wandered inside. He had an early class but there were already a ton of people buzzing around the building. All he had to do was make it through a few classes then he could go sit in Washington Park for a few hours before heading home for the rest of the day.
Betty was still trying to navigate the halls of NYU. She was a transfer student from Harvard and if you knew her, you'd know that it was defying her mother's wish of becoming a top-notch lawyer and pushing yourself above and beyond. It wasn't Betty's calling and finally after so long, she had broken free and started to do something for herself. She knew her parent (mainly her mother Alice) wasn't over the moon with the decision but Betty had managed to somehow sway their opinions, for now at least. Pushing herself into journalism wasn't exactly a surprise either, she had written for the Blue and Gold back in Riverdale and her father did own (a failing) newspaper company too. Writing was in her blood, telling the true side of a story was what she was meant for.
At the same time, Betty was taking Law and Society as a minor to please her mother such, it was a backup plan. Keep your head high and your social status higher, Elizabeth. Betty sighed to herself as she looked around at the bustling students. She had finally found her way to her one class and made a mental note to draw and colour code a small map to keep in her notebook. She didn't want to look like a chicken with her head cut off anymore.
Betty went ahead and took her seat. Even though she felt like she was running beyond, she was still the first one in class. Always the overachiever. She placed her notebook on her desk along with two blue pens, a black pen, a red pen and a mechanical pencil. She also had various colours of highlighters, a ruler and eraser on standby. Sometimes you just never knew what you were in for and Betty was a sucker for stationary supplies.
Other students began to file into the room, taking seats. They all seemed to be paired off in friendships, and that was okay with Betty, she knew she was the new girl and it would take some time to make friends here. At Harvard, she had a few friends but she wasn't sure if they would be lifelong ones. She spoke to them every now and them but the friendship was fading. That's how adulthood went.
New York was a new opportunity and Betty was going to make the most of it with a smile on her face and her eyes bright. No one likes a girl who frowns, Betty.
"Hey there." Betty glanced over her shoulder as she placed her notebook and supplies into her bag. "I've Kevin Keller." He smiled at Betty.
Betty gave a wide smile back. "Hi Kevin. I'm Betty."
"Consider me the welcoming committee. You have survived your first month at NYU, congratulations!"
Betty laughed, a little unsure if she was supposed to be thankful or slightly frightened. She was equally both. "Thank you. It's been an experience so far. But I like it here." She told him, sliding her backpack through her arms.
"Well, Betty, I'm glad you like it so far. I've been studying you, you know, and you seem like my kind of girl."
"Oh?" Betty looked at him with peaked interest as they began to exit the room back out into the hallways.
"Platonically speaking." Kevin said. "I am very much into people that aren't equipped with vaginas. No offence."
Betty couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Oh! I understand, don't worry. Got it."
"Good." Kevin gave her another smile.
Betty instantly hit it off with Kevin. Sometimes her mother's words weren't so bad, she thought. She was wishful and now she seemed to befriend someone. Kevin seemed to be an open book and a bit of chatter box which made Betty feel comfortable when she didn't have much of an input on things. Kevin and Betty wandered on into a coffee shop close by to get some coffees and bagels.
The coffee shop wasn't too busy since it was an off peak hour but there was still a line up. Betty stood with Kevin as she took in her surroundings. It was a cute, quaint shop with the vibe of being a book lover's paradise. Betty eyed up a green chair next to the mock fireplace that she loved to snuggle in with a book. That was now on her to do list. Add a cup of hot chocolate with a million little marshmallows and that sounded like a perfect afternoon for her.
Kevin had approached the counter and ordered himself a latte with a ginger molasses cookie. "What do you want Betty? It's on me."
"Really?" Betty gave a polite grin and looked back to the cashier. "I'll have a medium caramel latte and… one of those ginger molasses cookies too." She said, peering into the display case. They had a nice variety of treats and she was definitely intrigued in the pecan tarts, too.
Kevin paid for their coffee and treats, going to wait over by the side. He began talking about a boy named Nathan in his economics class. "He is literally a perfect specimen. Someone from a Greek mythology… what's that one guy's name? The male version of Aphrodite?"
"Adonis." Betty folded her arms and tipped her head to look at Kevin. "This guy must be the hotter than young Leo DiCaprio."
"Young Leo DiCaprio is ancient history." Kevin took their coffees and treats, handing Betty's hers.
Betty made her way out of the shop with Kevin so he could show her the quick route to her next class. She turned after she held open the door for some students and smacked right into the shoulder of another person. "Oh! I'm so sorry." Betty replied, looking at the boy. He sort of shook his head, adjusting the beanie on his head.
"Don't worry about it." Jughead mumbled. He was used to being a wall inside of a person. Betty nodded, although she did apologize again before going to catch up with Kevin. Jughead looked in her direction recognizing that blonde ponytail immediately. What were the odds of bumping into the blonde girl from the subway? Statistically speaking, at some point it was going to happen since they went to the same school and were on the same campus.
Jughead didn't believe in fate, rather coincidence. What person in New York didn't like coffee anyway?
"Up the stairs and to the right." Kevin motioned for Betty. "Remember not to go through the main doors anymore or it'll take you twice as long."
"Kevin, thank you." Betty's tone was sincere. "I really do need a map, though."
"Your new best friend is your welcoming committee, your coffee date and now your tour guide." Kevin told her. "Trust me, Betty, you'll be fine. I'll you later. Have to make it to class before Nathan so I can stare at his ass."
Betty laughed, shaking her head. "Bye Kevin." She waved, heading on into her class.