Okay, maybe a little more…
Up isn't always up, down isn't always down. And sometimes, things that seem cruel are just misunderstood.
"Mister Jones, put it away."
Jughead snapped his attention back to class. "Sorry about the intrusion," he retorted to his math teacher. "Kids these days can't concentrate unless everything is dead silent. Even then, the idea of learning eludes some people. Isn't that right, Reggie?"
Reggie got to his feet, ready for a fight.
"Sit down, King Kong," Cheryl ordered. Their classmates exchanged looks of confusion, and Reggie sat down, baffled at being told what to do.
"Mister Jones, final warning," came their teacher's voice.
Jughead shut his laptop and chanced a glance around the room.
Reggie was glaring like he might start using Superman's laser vision. Betty was out today, and Archie was half-asleep in the corner. Cheryl was smiling at him.
"Good one," she whispered, giving him a small wink. He smiled back and looked away, straight into the face of Veronica. She was scowling and pointing at Cheryl. "Are you friends?"
At the front of the room, their teacher was still prattling on. "Who can tell me what an outlier is in a set of data?"
Jughead pressed a finger to his lips. "Math time, Ronnie."
After class, Archie and Veronica flanked Jug. "So," Archie started. "Pop's tonight?"
Before they could answer, Cheryl interrupted and acknowledged the other two. "Archie. Second hand pearls. I'm afraid Juggy can't join your little pow wow."
"Juggy?" Veronica frowned.
"I can't?" Jughead asked, a bit of anxiety rising in him.
"I'm tutoring you tonight, remember?"
"Right," Jug nodded. "Gotta keep up the grades."
"Since when?" Archie teased.
"What subject?" Veronica demanded. Her arms were crossed and she looked ready to strike.
"That's tutor-student confidentiality," Cheryl smirked. "There's no need to worry."
"But I appreciate the tiger mom thing you're doing, Ronnie," Jughead added.
"What sort of Hedda Gabler manipulation do you have planned?" Veronica pressed on. Jughead sighed and stepped between the girls. "Sometimes a Blossom is just a Blossom. Let it go." The request was stern, and Veronica nodded silently.
"Come on, Jug," Cheryl beckoned. "Lots of learning to be done!"
She turned and began walking briskly. Jughead shrugged at his friends and followed the redhead down the hall.
"So, what's going on?" Jughead asked when they were out of earshot of the others. He tried to keep his head down, but just his speaking to Cheryl Blossom was getting the attention of some of their classmates. A small crowd blocked the way.
"Move along," she ordered, making a shooing gesture at the teenagers. "Jones is with me today. Yes, he's lucky. No, it'll never be you." The crowd parted and they headed out the front door without a single person blocking their path.
"Neat party trick," Jughead commented.
"Sorry," Cheryl apologized under her breath. "It's the easiest way to get everyone off our backs."
When they finally arrived at the drive-in and were safely inside their hideaway, Cheryl took off her shoes and jacket. Jughead caught himself staring as she did so. "That thing is freaky," he said, indicating Cheryl's infamous spider broach and hoping it justified his gaze.
"You don't like it."
"I'm clearly a fond of weird accessories," he said as he pulled off his hat. "But I'm sure it unnerves most people."
"Well, if anything ever happens to me, I'm unofficially bequeathing it to you," she said half jokingly.
Cheryl pulled the blanket from Jughead's cot and laid it on the floor. She pulled a smaller bag from her purse and spilled the contents onto the blanket. Two burgers from Pop's.
"Dinner and a show?"
"I didn't want to have to leave just for food," she admitted.
Jughead put on Ferris Bueller, and the two ate quietly while watching.
"I love eighties films," Cheryl announced after it was over. "Especially the John Hughes ones. There's always the good girl and the bad boy in a leather jacket."
Jug grabbed a jacket from his bed. It was one of his dad's Serpent jackets. "Well, I don't know if you're exactly a nice girl, but we do have a jacket."
"I can be sweet and demure," she teased. Cheryl pouted her lips and widened her eyes. "I just wanted to go to the dance, but no one will take me."
"Not bad," Jug grinned.
"Pass it to me," Cheryl demanded, and Jughead handed over the leather jacket. She put it on and gave a devilish smile. "Oh, but being bad is so much fun."
Jughead's breath caught looking at the solo Blossom twin with her bright red lipstick and the worn leather jacket. He wasn't sure he liked having this sort of reaction to her.
"Everything okay," she goaded, and he swore she knew what he was thinking.
"It's much more your speed," he said at last.
"Guess that makes you the good one."
"Don't corrupt me," Jughead challenged. "You'll ruin my virginal beauty."
He thought she might have blushed at hearing 'virgin,' and he wondered if she'd ever been with anyone. Surely she had, but he couldn't recall a single guy in Cheryl's life who'd been around for more than a night.
She slipped the jacket off and cleaned up the remnants of their small picnic. "Thanks again for being my… for you know…"
"For being…" he tried to finish the sentence as well and came up short. 'Friend' didn't seem like the right description. There was something more intimate to the nature of their relationship.
Jughead stood and changed the reel to an old drama from the fifties that neither one of them cared about. It was always good to have something in the background for when the inevitable silences kicked in.
Cheryl and Jughead were lying on the cot like before, facing each other this time, and talking about anything they could think of. It was a rare situation for both of them, and everything felt urgent to tell.
"I hate pickles," she blurted out.
"I hate tomatoes," he replied.
So not everything was as serious as alcoholic fathers or dead brothers, but the more they spoke, they easier it came.
"I'm scared," Cheryl admitted. "Whoever shot Jason is still out there." By this point, the two were pressed against each other, and Cheryl ran her fingers over Jug's arm while she spoke. His hand played absentmindedly with her hair, and they were tangled up in a way that was less than romantic and more than friendly.
"No one is going to hurt you," he insisted. "Betty and I are going to figure this out. I won't let anything bad happen to you."
"This is crazy," she muttered. "I never thought I'd be here with you. Or even talking to you."
"Sorry to disappoint."
"Not at all," she corrected. "Everyone thinks Archie is the only good guy at Riverdale High, but Jughead Jones might just be in the running."
"I'm not a good person," he answered seriously.
"Yes, you are. You're not a nice person, but you're good."
"Kind of like you," he argued.
Cheryl shook her head. "No, I'm just a mess."
They looked at each other and noticed the closeness of their lips. They had both been leaning closer without realizing where they had ended up.
Jughead hesitated, and Cheryl noticed. "You're just a guy, and I'm just a girl today," she whispered encouragingly.
He nodded and closed the distance between them. Cheryl's lips parted as they met his, and she moaned softly at his touch. His lips traveled down her neck, becoming more passionate with each one. She pulled at his hair and let out a small gasp.
"Cheryl!" a loud voice rang out from the other side of the door. "Come on out. It's Sherriff Keller."
They looked at each other mournfully. The moment was gone, and who knew when another one would arise? A heavy knock. "Cheryl Blossom!"
She cringed. Their escape was over for the evening. She stood up and started gathering her things. "I'm coming, Sheriff," she called out. Jughead watched her with a pang of sadness that surprised him in its intensity. She crossed to the door with Jug close behind. She kissed him quickly.
"Bye," she said quietly and opened the door.
Sheriff Keller stood in the doorway. "Christ, are you two mad? Jones, if the Blossoms knew about this, they'd raze this place to the ground. And if anything happened to you, young lady, they'd tear me apart!"
"I'm fine," Cheryl insisted. "We were just watching a movie. Please, don't tell my parents where you found me."
Keller sighed then looked into the booth. "For God's sake, Jughead, hide that jacket away. Look, I know kids will be kids, but it's dangerous to go sneaking off right now. You just never know…" His voice trailed off. "I'll drive you home, Cheryl. Lock the door if you're staying here, Jughead."
He started towards the car, and Cheryl lingered for a moment. She gave him a sad smile and whispered "Back to being a Blossom," before following after the officer. Jughead watched as they pulled away, and when they departed, a few lingering South Side Serpents wolf whistled.
Jughead raised his middle finger. "Knock it off, nothing happened!" He slipped back inside the booth, locked the door, and turned out the light.