I do not own any of the characters. Hope you enjoy.
The next morning the Cynthia showed up to his room with a doctor.
"Hello Mr. Jones, I'm Dr. Masters. I was your physician. I'm glad to see you awake and responsive."
"Yea. Thanks for taking care of me doc."
"Mr. Jones I'm here to talk to you about what we did and what you'll need to do moving forward with your recovery."
Jughead just nodded for him to continue.
"Alright. You came with severe trauma to a lot of your body. Mostly focused on the abdominal area and head. You had 4 broken ribs and a fractured sternum. Because of your ribs being broken you suffered what is known as flail chest and it made one of your lungs collapse."
Jughead moved his hands round his body as the doctor spoke. He placed a cautious hand to his left side and felt what he believed to be staples. He had noticed breathing was harder than it used to be. Guess he had taken it for granted. It's hard to notice things that come so normally without thinking.
"The injury on your head led to a hemorrhaging in your brain, but thankfully we were able to locate and fix with a minimal procedure. Don't worry the scar won't be too noticeable when your hair grows out."
He felt behind his right ear. A good patch of his hair had been shaved and he could trace a curved line of staples going from the back of his head and over his ear.
"Speaking of scars... I'm sorry to say, Mr. Jones. But there was nothing we could do regarding the cuts on your chest. The best course of action is to let them heal and perhaps look into scar removal treatment in the future. Unfortunately, we are not able to provide that kind of treatment in this hospital. We can provide you with information of care facilities in bigger cities. Given the state of your condition we are gonna keep you here until the end of the week to observe how you're responding. After that you're looking at perhaps a month of physical therapy before your lungs are back to normal."
He ran a hand across his covered chest. Just that graze sent a burning sensation to him. He still had bandages over it and hadn't been brave enough to ask what it was they carved into him. He wasn't sure what he'd see once the bandages were off, but he knew it wouldn't be good.
"Mr. Jones there are also some police officers that would like to take a statement from you. They have been instructed not to question you until your father is here though. If you need anything else, Cynthia here will take care of it."
"Thank you." That's all he could say after all of it. He was lucky to be alive, but he knew recovery would be long and hard. Just thinking about it made him lightheaded. He laid back on his bed and drifted back to sleep.
He was awoken by Cynthia later in the day. She was smiling and held a bag in her hands. He sent her a puzzled look, but he smiled widely when she saw what she pulled out of the bag.
"Paramedics told us how you wouldn't give this up no matter what. I figured it held a lot of meaning for you, so I got it washed." She said as she handed him the grey beanie.
"Thank you so much." Jughead carefully placed the hat on top of his head and for the first time since waking up felt complete. That hat was his most prized possession. He felt sadness overwhelm him thinking about it.
His father stepped in followed by Sheriff Keller and a deputy. He quickly pushed any feelings down and faced them. He hadn't prepared for the interrogation that followed but he would face it head on. He told them everything he remembered. He didn't have to be scared anymore. He knew the men that attacked him weren't Serpents and retaliation against his family wasn't a problem since his mom and Jellybean left town. As he talked to the cops he noticed his father sat quietly in the corner. He was taking in all the information. Probably planning for the perpetrators to get what they deserved.
"Dad?" He called for him once the officers left. "When do Archie and Betty usually visit? I really want to see them."
"I'm sorry Jug. I wouldn't know. I haven't seen them the whole time you've been here."
That wasn't possible. There's no way his best friends hadn't visited during the 2 weeks he was out. Unless they didn't know. Right?
"Do they know what happened?" He asked his dad.
"The whole town knows Jug. It was on the Register as soon as it happened. Alice was here taking pictures and statements as soon as you were brought in. I asked her to keep your name off record, but who knows who she told."
That meant Betty knew. And if Betty knew, Archie surely did as well. Then why hadn't they come. Jughead was getting frustrated. He thought back to the drive-in and how he waited for them all night. What was going on? Had something happened that strained their relationship? Was it the kiss? Maybe Betty realized it was a mistake and Archie took her side. But to not even visit him in the hospital? No, his friends weren't those type of people. Friends. Were they still his friends? Jughead pushed that thought back. He was driving himself crazy thinking like that. He was sure there was an explanation. He wouldn't doubt his friends anymore. He knew they would visit him.
Alice Cooper arrived at the hospital the next morning. She was there for a follow up report. She had felt relief when she heard that Jughead had woken up 3 days ago. A part of her was sure he wouldn't after seeing the state he was in the first day. She made her way to through the hospital until she reached his door. She knocked lightly before pushing the door open.
They locked eyes and more relief came over here. There he was. Wide awake and looking much better. He was still rough, but he was alive and wearing his silly hat. Alice smiled to herself. He may not be what she wished for her daughter, but she wished nothing bad on him.
"Jughead, I'm glad to see you're doing better." She said honestly. He just gave her a small nod. "I'm here for a follow up."
"Mrs. Cooper..." he said. She knew it was coming. "How's Betty?"
That surprised her. She was sure he'd ask where she was or why she hadn't come to see him yet.
"She's doing great. Finding ways to keep busy during summer." She now knew she was going to have to drive this to the spot she wanted. "I asked he if she wanted to come with me, but she said no." She didn't miss the way he reacted to her words. He looked hurt.
"Oh, I see. I understand, I'm not a huge fan of hospitals either." She knew he was pretending. Trying hard to find a reasoning. She was gonna must be cruel.
"That's not it." She knew she was probably going to have to crush this boy's hopes. He was young, he would get over it. "Betty said that this was an eye opener for her. She understands now that a relationship with you is pointless and would never work." The young man looked up at her, "come on Jughead. I'm her mother, of course she tells me everything. She's over whatever feelings she harbored towards you. She has the potential for great things, Ans realized you would only be a setback. A distraction on her path. You're stuck in the southside lifestyle. She's appalled by it. By you." Alice knew that every word cut him like a knife. She could see the pain in his eyes. He was fighting back tears. She felt bad and somewhat ashamed, but there was nothing she wouldn't do for her daughter. She would put the final nail on the coffin. "She's gonna focus on her relationship with Archie. Has no doubts those misplace feelings for you will exist for him as well." Alice didn't think the redhead was much of an improvement over Jughead, but he didn't need to know that. "So, Betty is done with whatever this was. Best for you to move on as well. Now how about a statement?" Back to business.
"No" he said in an almost whisper. Alice figured that would be the outcome. She simply turned on her heel and left the room.
Once she was gone, Jughead allowed himself to feel. And it hurt. Perhaps more than being beaten. For the second time in 2 weeks, he was broken.
Days passed, and he was finally released. He had held onto the hope that his friends would walk through the door. With every passing day, Alice Cooper's words proved more truthful.
By the time he had spent a full week at home without any form of contact with the redhead and blonde he had given up. He had been tossed away like trash. That's all he was to them now. Just Southside filth.
Days turned to weeks and weeks to months. Betty was finally going home. She had a great time in Salem, but she was ready to be back in Riverdale. To sleep in her own bed. To have a shake at Pop's. Talk to her friends. To see Jughead.
She had asked about him to his mom and always got the same answer. He never came around. Not to her house or Archie's. She wondered if perhaps he had taken an unexpected trip with his family as well. She hoped that was the case. She knew his family life wasn't the best, but maybe this was a step towards fixing it.
She got off the bus and was happy to see her mother waiting for her next to the station wagon. She looked around. She was home. She walked to her after grabbing her bags. She had brought back so many things for her friends and family. Once they got to the house she immediately went to her room and looked out the window. Archie's room was dark which made sense. He told her he wouldn't be back until Sunday. That was 3 days away. School started on Monday, so she had come back a few days early to prep. Archie liked cutting it close.
She laid out all the stuff she brought back in her bed. She divided it between her friends and family. She had gotten Archie a shirt and a mug in the shape of a black cat. For Kevin she got a shirt that said Ride with Pride and featured a with on a broomstick flying over a rainbow. She thought it was cute. Jughead had been the hardest to shop for. She had decided on a simple black shirt that said Salem and a keychain. Her cheeks flushed as she held the small item in her hands. She had felt so dumb buying it but didn't regret it for a second. The small circular keychain read You Bewitched Me. She couldn't wait to see him. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be possible until school started because her mom was taking up all her time before then.
Monday eventually came despite Jughead's wishes. Summer was over, although he didn't really care about that. He had spent the remaining of vacation locked inside his room. Leaving the trailer only twice a week for his physical therapy sessions. They had ended 2 weeks ago. His father had surprised him with laptop which had made being inside easier for him. He didn't want to know how FP got the money for it, but he appreciated it. He would spend all day typing away, writing stories and any thoughts he would have. A lot of these were somber open-ended letters to no one. He knew exactly who he was writing to, but they never would. It was just a way for him to vent.
He got ready for school and decided to skip breakfast, which is a cardinal sin for a Jones. He just wasn't feeling up for anything. He didn't want to admit it, but he was nervous. It was his first day of high school. His first day at Southside High.
Betty stepped into the halls of Riverdale high and was mesmerized. It was wonderful. She couldn't wait for the next 4 years of her life to begin. Experiencing high school with her friends was gonna be amazing. She looked around. There were very few people in the school. She was there extremely early, but she knew one person would be there for sure. She made her way to the student lounge and found him there.
"Kevin!"
"Oh my god, Betty!" He ran to her and gave her a tight hug. Betty noticed he had grown some during summer.
"It so good to see you. I missed you this summer."
"I know but tell me all about Salem. The pictures you sent me were amazing"
"It was great, Kev. I brought you back a little something." She reached into her backpack and gave him a package.
"Oh, I love it! Thank you Betty" he said once he saw the shirt. Betty gave him a warm smile.
"Where's Archie? Don't you guys usually walk to school together?" He asked her.
"Yea, he had an early meeting with the football team to talk about practice schedule or something."
She had been a little disappointed that morning when Jughead hadn't shown up at her door with Archie. It wasn't often that he walked to school with the two since he had to travel from the south of town, but she had hoped he would this morning. Kevin accompanied her to the office to grab her schedule. She also made sure to grab Archie's. She looked for Jughead's as well but was unable to find it.
Her first 4 periods went by slowly. As most first days tend to do. She had Kevin in all her classes so far, and Archie in 2 of them. To her misfortune Jughead hadn't been in any. She thought fate was playing dirty tricks on her. But now it was lunch and that meant food, and you can always count on finding Jughead where there's food.
"Ok this is nuts!" She said once she was sat down with Archie and Kevin. "Is he skipping the first day of school?"
She had scanned the entire cafeteria and found no sign of him. She looked to Archie and noticed he wouldn't meet her eyes. She knew something was up.
"Who are we talking about?" Kevin questioned.
"Jughead! Where the he is he?" She almost yelled. She couldn't believe he'd miss the first day.
"Well, maybe he hasn't recovered completely." Kevin said. Betty snapped her eyes to him.
"Recovered from what?"
"Oh, Betty. Did you not hear?" His voice lowered. "He was attacked."
"What do you mean attacked? By who?" Betty's heart dropped. "Is he ok?"
"I don't know to be honest. I just know he was found on the street one morning and he was in bad shape."
Betty felt welling in her eyes. She looked to Archie. He was looking down and was unusually quiet.
"Did you know about this?"
"My dad told me a few days ago. He had heard about someone from the Southside going through this, but he didn't know it had been Jug." Archie had been pissed at his dad when he found out. After talking with him he couldn't blame him. Fred Andrews had gone through a rough summer. He had isolated himself and taken comfort in the bottle. He hadn't been privy to the happenings of the outside world.
"A few days ago? When did this happen?" She asked them.
"It was during the first week of Summer vacation." Kevin explained. "I'm surprised you didn't know. It was on the Register."
Betty's was frozen. Tears now free falling. While she had been on the experience of a lifetime Jughead had gone through such a horrible thing. And he had gone through it alone. Worst of all, her parents had kept it from her. She would've come back right away had she known. A new feeling started forming inside her. Anger. Rage. She had called her mother on multiple occasions asking about him and received nothing but lies. She was pissed.
Southside High was a little crazier than he expected, but he could manage. He survived the first half of the day. He had kept mostly to himself. Now he was sitting alone eating what could only be described as cardboard trying to pass off as pizza. Then he saw 3 people approaching him and felt shivers. His mind going back to dark memories of summer. He readied himself as best he could when they reached him and sat down.
"Hey man" the taller of the 3 said. "Name's Sweet Pea. That's Toni and Fangs." He said pointing out the other 2. Jughead simply nodded, still trying to sense if he was in danger.
"Listen, we know who you are. And we know what happened to you during summer." Sweet Pea continued. "We just wanted to let you know that we got your back." He stood and turned around showing the Serpent emblem on the back of his jacket. This made Jughead release the breath he was holding.
"Why?" He asked then quietly.
"You're a Serpent by blood." The girl answered him. "We take care of our own."
"I'm not a Serpent." He said, "my dad is."
"Which makes you one by proxy, little FP."
"Jughead. My name is Jughead."
Sweet Pea laughed. He walked over to Jughead's side of the table and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Listen Jughead, we may not be a family you want, but we are one you need. You were attacked by a rival gang simply for having ties to us. Now if you want to go through it alone, you're brave as hell and I respect it but know this; in unity there is strength."
Jughead thought about his words. He knew it was wisest to allow himself to join them. Survival instinct told him so. What was stopping him? For some reason he thought about what Betty would say if he joined a gang. She would probably be disappointed in him. But she already thought he was just Southside trash. Who was he to prove her wrong? He looked to Sweet Pea and nodded extending a hand.
"Nice." Sweat Pea said. "Also, good job on rearranging Malachi's face. His nose is fucked."
The second part of the school day dragged on. Betty had a hard time focusing on anything. She was still fuming about her mother lying to her. When the final bell rung she was the first one out the door. She made her way straight the Register.
"Elizabeth? What are you doing here? How was school?" Her mother asked when she walked in through the door. Betty just ignored her and went straight to the backroom where files were kept. She opened cabinets and started searching for the first week of summer vacation. Her movements slowed once she found the file. It was true. She opened it.
Southside youth found in critical condition
She read through the article twice. Taking in all the information it said. Tears cascading as she read. His name was never mentioned but knowing it was Jughead made everything worst. She noticed a second folder inside the file. As soon as she opened it she fell to her knees. They were pictures her mother had taken in the hospital. They showed Jughead unconscious in a hospital bed, bandaged and hooked to machines. Betty could barely recognize him through the damage. Her heart ached. He had been hurt and she hadn't been there for him. She failed him.
It been 4 days since she had found the file on Jughead's attack. Betty couldn't take the image of Jughead in the hospital out of her head. She hadn't been able to sleep. She had made her way to the trailer park after leaving the Register on that day. She had stood outside the Jones's trailer but hesitated to knock. When she found the courage, she was thankful there was no answer and quickly went home. Since then she had remained in her room. Leaving only for school. She had gotten into a fierce discussion with her mother over everything she lied about. Obviously, her mother always had an excuse that only made sense to her.
She had cried so much in the last couple of days. She felt horrible. She hadn't attempted to see Jughead since. She was ashamed. How could she show her face to him after everything that happened? Archie hadn't had much luck either. He'd gone by the trailer park, only to find it empty or get vague answers from Jughead's father. He noted he never seemed to Jug's mother or sister there either.
"Hey" the redhead approached her during lunch. "I've been going to Pop's at night. Hoping to run into him. You know how he loves food."
She gave him a weak smile. Grateful he was trying to lighten the mood she been having.
"You wanna join me today? Maybe you'll be a luck charm and we'll finally find him." He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Sure, Archie." She said fighting back tears again. "I just need to know he's ok."
"Don't worry Betty. Before you know, the 3 of us will be hanging out like old times." He smiled, and she prayed he was right.
Later that night, Betty and Archie sat in a booth at Pop's sharing a basket of fries. She kept looking around, searching for a grey beanie atop some unruly raven curls. They had been there for over an hour and with each passing minute she lost hope.
"Betty, relax." Archie snapped her from her thoughts. "Riverdale isn't that big. We will run into him eventually. And everything will be alright."
"How can you be so sure?" She wished she could be as confident.
"I just know. We've been best friends forever."
Betty simply nodded. They turned their attention to idle chat and eating their food. She would glance out the window ever so often. The night was upon them and she couldn't see much outside. Then she noticed Archie's wide eyes and open mouth.
"Oh my god. Betty" he nodded his head towards the entranced and she followed to see what shocked her friend.
There he was. Grey beanie on his head. Her eyes went to his face. And was shocked. He had a black eye and busted lip. She felt tears pooling in her eyes. Remembering the photos of him in the hospital.
He had walked in with people she didn't recognize. 2 guys and a girl. They were all sporting black leather jackets with some sort of snake insignia. She knew of the Serpents, but Jughead would never be a part of that. Right?
He hadn't noticed them sitting in the booth. She was glad because now she was frozen. She wanted to run to him and just wrap her arms around him, but her legs were cemented to the ground.
"Come on" Archie stood first and grabbed her by the arm. Dragged her was more appropriate. "We need to talk to him. We finally got him."
They made their way through the diner. Betty's heart beating out of her chest. She was afraid and nervous. She silently prayed he wouldn't reject them.
"Jughead!" Archie called out, getting his attention. He slowly turned to face them, and Betty saw his eyes widen in surprise. "Hey man. Where have you been? What happened to you?"
Betty was glad Archie had taken the lead. She couldn't find any words. Being feet from his face had allowed her to better assess the damage to his face. Her knees had weakened as a result and she feared she would collapse. Archie noticed as well and placed and arm around her to help her stay on her feet.
"Who are they?" One of the others said as he returned with bags of carry out. "Friends of yours Jug?"
Jughead still hadn't said anything. Betty saw his eyes shift between her and Archie. Glaring with his piercing blues. Then his expression softened. And he turned to the one speaking.
"No," his tone was cold, "they aren't." He turned and walked out of the diner.
"Okaaaay then" the girl spoke and followed him out along with the others.
Betty's heart broke. She didn't even get a chance to speak to him. He didn't just reject her. He'd barely even acknowledged them. His words cutting like knives. His tone cold and void of any feelings. He wasn't hurt or mad. He felt nothing. Betty felt Archie wrap his arms around her and she held onto him like a lifeline as she broke down.
A/N: I know this chapter is a little long. I just couldn't find a satisfying stopping point. Thank you for reading. The first few chapters have been downers, but don't worry, things will surely get better. Right?