07; The Secret Is Out
As the sun began to rise the next morning, a beam of light filtered into the room and landed on Lauren's face. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a tired groan when she realized she had forgotten to shut the curtains the night before. It was something she forgot to do often but was quickly reminded early the next morning when the bright sun shined on her face.
"No, go away," she moaned as she blindly reached out a hand to find something to throw but only felt empty air.
She released a pitiful groan and snuggled more under the blanket to try to shield her face from the sun. "Stupid sun. Who even needs it? It's so bright and hot and...stupid," she mumbled to herself.
"Are you talking in your sleep or are you actually awake?" she heard a familiar voice ask, causing her to snap her eyes open and stare up at the ceiling of the projection booth. For a moment she forgot she left home and Jughead had offered for her to crash with him at the drive-in after she cried on his shoulder at Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe the night before.
"I'm awake." She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
"How did you sleep?" he questioned before letting out a yawn.
"Like I slept on a cot." She groaned and arched her back to stretch. The mattress wasn't as comfortable as hers, but it wasn't a bad little bed and was better than returning home.
Rolling from her back to her stomach, she looked down at her friend on the floor. "How did you sleep?"
"Like I was on the floor."
With a laugh, she said, "I told you we could have shared the cot. It's not that big of a deal."
"Forgive me for trying to be a gentleman." He sat up and ran a hand through his dark hair to untangle it before glancing around to look for his trademark beanie.
Knowing what he was looking for, Lauren raised up on her knees and crawled to the end of the cot when she spied the beanie on the floor. She grabbed it then held it out to him with a smile. "You don't have to try, Jug, you are one."
"Thanks," he said, thanking her for the kind words and for finding the beanie. He pushed his hair back with his hands, then placed the beanie on top of his head as he watched her sit back down on the cot with her legs tucked under her and a look on her face like her thoughts were a million miles away.
"How did you really sleep...after everything that happened last night?" He pulled a leg up to his chest and wrapped his arms around it.
Lauren shrugged and wrapped the red and black plaid flannel shirt tighter around herself. She still had the overnight bag in her car so she could at least change out of the dress she wore to the dance, but unfortunately, all she had to sleep in was a thin tank top and short shorts, so Jughead loaned her a button down shirt to wear over her pajamas.
"Do you know what you're gonna do?" he added, trying to get her to open up. He knew she had a bad habit of shutting down when things become too overwhelming and she didn't want to deal with it.
"You mean besides hiding in here for a little longer?"
"You can't hide from the world, Laur." When she shot him a look, he lightly chuckled. "Yeah, I know that's rich coming from the guy who's living in a projection booth instead of going home to his alcoholic father, but still..."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." She nodded when his voice trailed off. With a sigh, she reached out to grab her cell phone and looked down at the blank screen. "I guess the first step could be turning our phones back on, right?"
"Mmhm." He picked up his own phone from the floor beside him.
Before turning it on, he glanced over at her and saw she made no move to turn hers on, she just continued to stare at it like she was afraid what it would say once she did turn it on.
"Are you actually gonna turn it on or stare at it all morning?"
"How did we get here?" she asked, ignoring his question.
"We got into your car last night and left Pop's-"
"Jug..." she cut off his smartass reply. With a soft chuckle, she playfully rolled her eyes. "I meant, how did our lives get like this? I miss the days when our biggest decisions were trying to decide whose house we were gonna play at that afternoon and the only drama we had was Archie being all butthurt when you kissed me first."
"Oh, yeah, when we were playing that game...what was it called? 'Spin a rapist to fill me up in heaven'?"
"It's called spin the bottle and seven minutes in heaven, Jug." She chuckled.
"Same difference." He shrugged.
"But, anyway, yeah it was spin the bottle when we first kissed," she explained. "And even with that drama afterward, I would still take that over the bullshit that's my life now. I mean, between what happened with Betty and Archie at the dance, to my dad leaving and..."
She paused for a moment, feeling too ashamed to mention what she did with her most treasured belongings. She still couldn't believe how she acted and the way she broke or burned everything she once held so dear, most of it was stuff she could never replace and now it was gone forever.
With a shake of the head, she continued, "It's like I lost everything in one night and I don't know where to go from here."
"You haven't lost everything," he argued. "You still have me, Laur, and I bet once you turn on that phone you'll have a million of text messages from Betty. You know she feels bad about what happened last night and will apologize."
"I dunno, Jug. You didn't see how upset she was when she found out I quit the Vixens."
"I'm sure she was, but afterward she'll understand and get over it. She only wants you to be happy...that's all she wants for any of us."
"Maybe you're right, but there's still everything else...Archie, my dad, and..."
She snapped her mouth shut before the name Sweet Pea could pass through her lips. Burning the bracelet he gave her was the only thing she didn't regret. She didn't need that constant reminder on her wrist. She didn't want to think about him and she refused to be hurt by him anymore- she had enough problems to deal with.
If Jughead knew what name almost slipped out, he didn't call her on it, which she was thankful for, instead, he said, "With how screwed up my life is, you would think I would have some sage advice to give, but I'm sorry, I don't."
She gave him a slow nod, then lowered her head as her father crossed her mind. They had drifted apart through the years, but he was still her father and his leaving had shattered her heart worse than any boy drama ever could.
"Does it ever get easier?" she asked him, her voice barely above a whisper. She hated bringing up his own abandonment, but she knew he would understand since his mother left with his younger sister, and in a way, he had also lost his father to the bottle.
"Do you want the truth or-"
"Lie to me," she interrupted, her tone still low as she raised her head to look at him. "I think a lie is all I can handle right now."
"It gets easier." He nodded his head. "Everyday you wake up and miss them a little less until you forget they even existed to begin with. That hollow feeling you feel goes away and you stop feeling worthless once they're out of your mind. It doesn't take long to realize your life is actually better with them gone."
"That's a pretty lie, Jug."
"When you're ready for the harsh reality let me know."
With a shake of the head, she said, "I don't think I'm ready for that now, but I think you were right about one thing earlier."
"What?"
"I can't hide from the world...no matter how much I might want to."
Reaching out, he laid a hand on top of hers. "You'll get through this, Laur. You're stronger than you know."
"Another pretty lie?"
"No, that was the truth."
"Thanks, Jug," she softly said, flashing him a small smile.
Silence passed between the two friends as Lauren stood from the cot and grabbed the overnight bag from the floor. She took out a pair of dark blue jeans to change into after Jughead turned his head to give her privacy. She kept on the plaid shirt she borrowed and tied it at the bottom, revealing a few inches of her stomach, then threw on a pair of tennis shoes.
She was in the middle of shoving the dress she wore into the bag when she heard a familiar noise that she had hoped not to hear ever again in her life...the roar of several motorcycles.
"Oh, great," she groaned as she angrily zipped the bag. "Don't they have something better to do?"
"They've been hanging out here a lot more than usual," he answered, knowing she was referring to the Serpents. "Although, I guess it doesn't matter either way since the place was sold."
"Yeah, now they can be the new owner's problem."
Jughead nodded in agreement, then watched her hands slightly shake as she gathered up her long brown hair into a messy bun on top of her head.
It didn't take a genius to know what was bothering her- where there were Serpents, there was a chance Sweet Pea was around. He didn't know everything that happened between them, but she did tell him how he suddenly stopped talking to her with no explanation.
"You want me to walk out with you?" Jughead offered.
Lauren scoffed. "I'm not afraid of a few Serpents, Jug."
"Not even a certain Serpent?"
"Definitely not him."
"I take it he still hasn't reached out to you?"
"Nope." She shook her head. "No call, no text, or anything; so I finally got the hint."
"How are you doing with that?"
"Okay." She shrugged. "It's no big deal. I mean, it was just a summer fling, right?"
"I think we both know that's not true." The way they had looked at each other screamed more than 'summer fling'- even if she was too stubborn to admit it.
He had seen her over the summer and saw how happy she was- he had even seen her with Sweet Pea a few times when they came to the drive-in, and even though he was worried about her getting tangled up with a Serpent- it was clear to see Sweet Pea cared about her.
"We're telling pretty lies today, remember?" she reminded him.
"Right," he breathed out with a nod. "Look, I know it's hard, but I wouldn't worry about it. Whatever's going on, I'm sure there's a good explanation for it."
"Wow, Jug, you're getting really good at the pretty lies," she said sarcastically, causing him to playfully roll his eyes at her.
"You caught me." He chuckled. "But, no, seriously, if there's not a good explanation, then maybe count yourself lucky."
"Right, because being ghosted by the guy you like always makes a girl feel lucky," she said with the same tone as before.
"If he's a part of a dangerous biker gang she should."
Lauren scoffed and opened her mouth to respond to his comment, but before she could he cut her off, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to get all protective and I know you liked him a lot, and I do want you to be happy, but I'm not gonna lie...I was worried about you getting involved with a Serpent."
"Jug-"
"I know this is probably the last thing you want to talk about with everything else going on, but I've seen what that life can do to people," he continued like she hadn't spoken. "I saw how it affected my mom while Dad was out doing god knows what, until she couldn't take it anymore and left. I've even seen what it has done to my dad over the years as he's gotten more involved with things...it's changed him."
"I hear what you're saying, Jug, and I'm sorry about your parents, but there's good and bad anywhere. It's not just centered in one area or with one group of people." With a shrug, she added, "You don't have to belong to a biker gang to be a shitty person."
"True, but-"
"But, anyway, it doesn't matter," she cut him off and put an end to the discussion. "I'm not gonna talk to Sweet Pea ever again."
Jughead nodded his head at her words, then tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at her as he looked at her closely. "Wait, was that the truth or a lie?"
"All truth. I think I'm done with pretty lies now," she said with a sad smile.
"I'm sorry for bringing all that up-"
"It's fine." She shook her head. "I appreciate you looking out for me."
"And I always will, Laur."
"Thanks, Jug." She stepped forward to hug him. "And thanks for letting me crash here last night."
"As long as I have some kinda roof over my head, you always have a place to stay."
"Same goes for you," she stated. "You know you're always welcomed at my house...for as long as I have it."
"Thanks, but I'm okay here for now."
"What about when the place is closed for good?"
He shrugged. "I'll figure that out when it happens."
"Jug," she softly said. "That's no way to live."
"It's the only way I know how," he said. "I learned a long time ago, you can't plan life."
She closed her eyes for a moment and blew out a low breath as her traitorous mind thought of Sweet Pea. She remembered him saying something similar before during one of their late night talks over the summer. He didn't believe in promises or plans because both were usually broken.
Opening her eyes to look at her friend, she wished she could argue with him on his statement, but with how her life has drastically changed overnight she realized she couldn't because both of them were right- life never went according to plan.
A bitter chuckle passed her lips. "Things were definitely easier when we were younger."
"No, I don't think they were." He shook his head. "We were just naïve enough to believe they were."
"So, basically we're just screwed?"
"It depends on which answer you want me to give." He shrugged. "The truth or another lie?"
"That's okay, Jug. I already know the answer."
Without another word, she began to walk toward the door, then paused for a moment when he called out for her to call him if she needed anything. She gave him a nod in answer, not having the heart to tell him she had no intentions of turning on her phone yet. She already had enough to deal with returning home to her messy life. She wasn't ready to respond to any messages she might have, and she definitely wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.
Calling out her goodbyes, she opened the door and stepped out into the cool morning. She pulled the door closed behind her and leaned back against it for a moment. She placed a hand over her heart and reminded herself to breathe as everything caught up to her.
Her friends were upset with her. Her father was gone. A guy she liked basically disappeared from her life. Her room was a mess and because of her actions, she lost things she could never get back. She was about to lose her home and move somewhere else.
She slowly shook her head back and forth as a thought hit her- she didn't even know where she and her mother were moving too. She was so shocked the night before she forgot to ask. What if she was gonna lose her hometown and everyone she had ever known?
Reaching up, she brushed a tear from her cheek and scoffed. Now was not the time to break down and crying wasn't gonna solve anything- all that did was leave you with puffy eyes, a tear-stained pillow, and the original problem that you had...something she heard her mother say numerous of times growing up.
Pulling in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and slowly released it as she pushed down everything that was bothering her; every problem, every fear or any doubts were buried down deep- it was the only way she would be able to return home, walk through the door, and face her mother. It was the only way to make it through her new life.
She had only taken a few steps from the building when a voice stopped her in her tracks- the voice she thought she had convinced herself that she didn't wanna hear again, but somehow it was still the voice she needed to hear.
"That didn't take long."
Blowing out a breath, she slowly turned and saw the last person she thought she would see leaning against the projection booth. The person she just swore to Jughead she didn't want to talk to.
She hated how one look at him brought back all the memories they had made over the summer. She hated how her fingers itched to run through his soft dark hair, that her lips still tingled from all of his kisses. She hated how goosebumps automatically appeared on her skin when she thought about his hands running all over her body...but most of all, she hated how much she still cared for him.
Finding it hard to look at him any longer, she pulled her eyes away from him and glanced down to see a cigarette in his hand. She jerked her head up to look at him again as she lowered her eyebrows in concern. She knew he only smoked when he was frustrated or pissed off and now that she really looked at him, she realized it was the latter.
Realizing what he said before, she tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Tossing his cigarette aside, Sweet Pea pushed away from the building and took a step toward her. "You moving on to FP's son."
"Moving on to..." she quietly repeated, until what he said clicked in her mind. "Wait a minute, you think I'm hooking up with Jughead?"
With a scoff, he ignored her question. "You know, I should have known. Ever since I caught you two texting-"
"You didn't 'catch' me doing anything because I wasn't doing anything to get caught," she raised her voice to speak over him, forcing him to listen to her. "Besides, it's not like that...he and I are just friends."
Reading the look on his face, she quickly shook her head. "And no, not like we were 'friends'- I mean, actual friends. Not that I owe you an explanation anyway."
Without another word, she turned and began to walk toward the parking lot where her car was, ignoring the chatter from the other Serpents off to the side. Her plan was to ignore Sweet Pea as well, but he made that hard to do when he began to follow along behind her.
"And here I thought I was your rebellious phase." He slipped his hands into his jacket pockets, itching to light another cigarette. "But, I guess you still haven't gotten it out of your system, huh, Lauren?"
Hearing her whole name coming out of his mouth, she quickly turned around to face him with wide eyes. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out. She didn't know what she could say to make things better. The reason he stopped talking to her was now crystal clear.
He smirked at the shocked look on her face. "Yeah, I know who you really are now, Lauren Paige Kinley. Your father's a judge, your mother is a part of just about every charity in town, and you're a typical privileged princess from the Northside who decided to slum it with some Serpents for the summer."
Taking a step toward her, he saw her step back when she caught the angry look on his face, but that didn't stop him as he continued to taunt her. "Now, what would cause a girl like you to cross over to the Southside, huh? Was it boredom? Some kinda bad girl phase? Were you not getting enough attention from Mommy and Daddy?"
"No! I-I was...it wasn't like that," she stuttered. "How did you-"
"Find out you were lying to me?" he finished for her.
"I never lied to you."
When he shot her a look, she added, "Okay, technically, I never lied. I said my name was Ren- which is a nickname for Lauren- and the rest I just omitted the truth or you assumed."
"That's your argument?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're innocent in all of this and I'm at fault because I was too stupid to ask the right questions? That's how you wanna play this?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying. I just- I never said I lived on the Southside," she tried to explain, but was so flustered nothing would come out right.
"But you never said you lived on the Northside either."
"Why does it matter?"
"It matters 'cause-" his voice loud for a moment until he took a deep breath to get control of his emotions.
He refused to let her know how badly she affected him. He didn't want her to know how she somehow weaseled her way into his heart- something no other girl had done before- and he found himself falling for her until he realized she was just using him to rebel against her perfect life and that nothing was real.
"It matters because of what?" she questioned when he paused.
With a shake of his head, he said, "You know what, you're right, it doesn't matter." Taking one last step toward her, he towered over her smaller frame. "We never mattered."
She pulled in a quick breath at his harsh words and angry tone. In her opinion their summer together did matter and it hurt her to hear that he didn't agree. When she saw him turn to walk away, she quickly recovered and lowered her eyebrows in anger.
"You're right, Pea, we never matter," she snapped. "I'm just some story you'll tell your fellow criminals about, right?"
"Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart." He scoffed and turned to face her, taking a few steps back. "You're not much of story to tell. You're just some Northside Princess I banged all summer."
"At least I'm memorable," she shot back, not letting her emotions show. "You're just a faded memory, snake."
She saw him clench his jaw and narrow his eyes at her causing her to flash him a sarcastic smile before turning and walking away- never once looking back.
In her opinion, there was nothing else to be said or at least she had no intentions of saying anything else to him. She could understand him being mad at learning the truth about her, but that didn't give him the right to treat her the way he did- like she never mattered to him. But, if that was the game he wanted to play, she could play it too.
Reaching the car, she hit to unlock the door from the key fob in her hand when she heard her name being called out, followed by a set of hurried footsteps. Turning her head toward the noise, she lowered her eyebrows in concern when she saw it was Jughead.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Sweet Pea watching them intently with his arms folded across his chest, but she ignored him when she noticed the look on her friend's face when he came to a stop in front of her.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Your phone's still off."
"Yeah," she answered even though his comment was more of a statement and not a question.
"That means you didn't get the text." Jughead walked around the car to reach the passenger side.
"What text? What's going on?"
"We need to get to the river."
"Why?"
"They found Jason's body."
"Oh, my God," she breathed out, feeling her heart beating in her chest.
"There's more," he said, getting her attention. "Rumors are already circulating. They're saying he didn't drown...he was shot."
"Wait, so that means-"
"He didn't accidentally drown. Someone killed him," Jughead finished for her.
With that one statement, they knew their little town had changed and nothing would be the same again.
•••
Stepping out of the car, Lauren felt like the world had slowed down around them as she and Jughead walked toward a crowd of people but stopped short to stand on the outskirts. She barely felt Jughead grab her arm to keep her from falling when she lost her balance on the loose dirt and rocks beneath their feet, instead, her eyes were drawn to the river until she couldn't handle looking any longer.
Turning her head, she saw Archie standing with his dad near the yellow crime scene tape. Their eyes met for a moment before he quickly turned his head. He couldn't look at her now- not after what happened between him and Veronica at Cheryl's party the night before.
Even if they were broken up, he still felt guilty- like he had cheated on her. He knew Betty was disappointed in him and it was only a matter of time before she told Lauren. Things were already weird between them and he feared he had made them worse- at the rate things were going, he was worried they could never get their friendship back.
Looking away from Archie, she saw a small crowd gathering behind him and his father. She recognized several of her classmates- ones that she knew had been close to Jason. She imagined the look on their faces mirrored her own.
The situation was already tragic when they all believed Jason had fallen out of the boat and drowned, but to know that someone shot him made it that much worse. Who would wanna harm Jason? He was a nice guy, popular, and well-liked; what kind of monster would shoot him and take him away from everyone who ever loved him?
Feeling eyes on her, she looked in the opposite direction and saw Betty standing with her parents closer to the river's edge. The blonde flashed her a small smile, which she returned until a flurry of activity caught her attention.
She pulled in a shaky breath and blinked back tears when she saw a group of people in uniforms carrying a bright yellow body bag from the river and through the crowd toward all the flashing lights of the parked emergency vehicles.
"I can't believe this is happening," Lauren softly said, seeing Jughead nod his head in agreement beside her.
"It shouldn't have happened like this," they heard a voice say from behind them, causing them both to turn around to find Cheryl standing in front of them with a blank look on her face.
"What do you mean, Cheryl?" Jughead asked.
"Nothing was supposed to happen to him. He wasn't supposed to be hurt," Cheryl answered, her tone emotionless.
"Cheryl..." Lauren quietly said, laying a hand on her shoulder, causing the redhead to blink before turning her attention to her- as if seeing her for the first time.
"Oh, Lolly," Cheryl breathed out. "Did you hear? They found Jason."
"I know, Cheryl, and I am so sorry." Lauren grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.
She knew how close the twins were growing up. She knew how protective Jason was of Cheryl and how Cheryl saw him as the best brother in the world- she also knew Cheryl would consider losing him a fate worse than death.
"If you need anything-"
"I know you'll be there for me, LP," Cheryl interrupted the brunette with a genuine smile.
The two girls might not be as close as they once were, but she knew in her heart that Lauren would always be someone she could turn to. Jason used to joke and say their friendship was like pennies; you don't always need 'em, but when you did they would always turn up.
"Always, Cherry," Lauren said with a soft smile before she stepped forward to give the redhead a hug.
Cheryl's vision blurred with tears when she heard the childhood nickname she had given her. Hearing the old name brought back a flood of memories from when they were younger- like tea parties and trading secrets, eating fruit popsicles by the pool, or playing hide and seek at Thornhill.
It wasn't just them though- a lot of those memories also included Jason as well. Matter of fact, if she remembered correctly, Jason was still the hide and seek champion.
When she felt Lauren loosen her grip to end the hug, she pulled her back toward her, taking the brunette by surprise. She wasn't usually the type to show weakness, but she wasn't ready to let go yet. She just needed a few more minutes. She needed a little comfort during this horrible time and it helped to be able to lean on someone who had known Jason as long as she had.
"Cheryl, are you okay?" Lauren whispered out as she tightened her hold on the redhead, but was surprised again when she quickly pulled away.
"I'm fine...or at least I will be. Thanks, LP, for the condolences and your support, but I must be going now," the redhead stated. "I need to plan a dedication dance to JJ for the rally and make sure the cops don't botch this case."
A determined look appeared on her face. "I won't rest until the murderer is caught and brought to justice."
"Cheryl, you don't have to-"
"I'll see you at practice Monday," she interrupted her friend.
Lauren opened her mouth to remind her that she quit, but she was cut off again when Cheryl bid them farewell and walked off, leaving the two alone as quickly as she had joined them earlier.
"Wow. That was..."
"I know," Lauren said, knowing what Jughead was thinking. You never really knew which version of Cheryl you would encounter when you spoke to her.
"She flipped moods so fast," he continued. "She can't be the only one living in that head. There has to be more personalities in there."
"Jug..." She rolled her head to the side to look at him with a look of warning. "She lost her twin brother. She's in shock."
"I know." He nodded. "I was kidding...mostly."
"Jug-"
"That was the last one. Promise." He held up his hands in surrender. "You know I usually resort to humor in times like this."
"Oh, is that what that was? I didn't notice," she teased.
"And you resort to being a smartass," he joked as the two began the long walk toward her car.
Earlier when they arrived, there were hardly anywhere to park since most of the town showed up to see what was happening, but now that the body was on the way toward the medical examiner's office and the police began searching for clues, the crowd had broken up and returned to their homes.
"You know, I never thought I would say it, but I actually feel bad for her."
"Me too," she softly said. "I dunno how she's gonna survive without Jason. I mean, right now she has something to occupy her thoughts- all she can think about is catching who did this to him, but at some point, it's really gonna hit her that he's gone and I just pray she's not alone when that moment happens. She shouldn't have to deal with that alone."
"No one should have to deal with losing any family member alone," he pointed out as he shot her a look.
Knowing he was referring to her family drama, she shook her head. "I already had my moment, Jug."
"I think that was just the tip of the iceberg, Laur," he argued. "I don't think it's fully hit you yet about your father because you still don't fully know what happened."
"He left. That's all I need to know," she said in a tone that let him know she didn't want to talk about it.
The two were quiet until they reached the car, but before they could slip into the vehicle they heard someone call out to stop them. Turning around, Lauren saw Betty hesitantly walking toward her- the same unsure smile on her face as the one she flashed her earlier.
"Hey," the blonde said coming to a stop and fidgeting with her hands.
"Hi," Lauren said back. After the things Betty said the night before at the dance, she was surprised she would approach her this soon.
"I'll be at the car," Jughead said, offering to give the two girls a chance to talk after giving Betty a nod in greeting.
"From the look on your face, I'm guessing you haven't read any of my texts," Betty said once they were alone. "Which is a relief because I was worried you just didn't want to talk to me."
"No, I shut my phone off last night and still haven't turned it back on."
"A bit of warning, when you do turn it back on, you're gonna have about a dozen messages from me."
"Is that a friendly warning or-"
"No. No, totally friendly," Betty cut her off. "Basically they consist of me apologizing profusely."
"It's okay," Lauren softly said with a shake of the head.
"No, it's not." Betty took a step toward her friend. "I never should have said any of those things I said to you last night. I do know who are you are and I know you would never purposely hurt me."
"I know I should have told you about wanting to quit the Vixens sooner, but that's why, I really didn't want to hurt you," she said truthfully. "You're my best friend, Bets."
"And you're mine too, Lolly." She rushed forward to hug her tight, feeling like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.
"I'm glad you two made up...really, I'm bursting with joy here, but I'm gonna have to interrupt you because I gotta get back," they heard Jughead say, causing them to chuckle as they turned toward the car and saw him leaning back against it with his hands in his jacket pockets.
"I guess I should get going," Lauren said, turning her attention back to her blonde friend.
"Okay, just one more thing." Betty laid a hand on her arm to stop her. "I want you to know, I'm here for you."
"What?" Lauren turned to look at Jughead for a moment with wide eyes, wondering if he had told Betty about her father leaving. Seeing him shake his head, she looked back at Betty. "What do you mean?"
"I just mean, no matter what happens, I'm always on your side, Lolly," she explained, referring to the night before when Archie went into a closet with Veronica. She knew they were broken up, but she was convinced they would get back together and in her opinion, Veronica should have followed girl code.
Lauren opened her mouth to question her more, but before she could, Betty heard her parents calling for her. She waved at them, telling them she would be there in a minute.
"I'll call you later." Betty took several steps back.
"I'll turn on my phone," Lauren promised.
Once Betty was gone, Lauren walked over to Jughead with her eyebrows lowered. "What do you think that was about?"
"Your dad maybe?" he guessed.
"Do you think it's already all over town?"
"It's possible. I mean, I haven't heard anything about that, but you know how this town is, Laur. Nothing stays hidden forever...Case in point." He gestured toward the river's edge where just minutes before Jason's body was discovered.
"You're right." Remembering her confrontation with Sweet Pea earlier, she softly added, "Secrets always come out eventually."
•••
After dropping Jughead off at the drive-in, Lauren went in the opposite direction which would take her through the Southside. She told herself it was because it would take longer and she wasn't ready to go home, but there was a small part of her that wanted to go by the Whyte Wyrm.
She didn't know why, considering Sweet Pea hated her now for not being honest with him. Maybe she was a glutton for punishment. Why else would she ride by the place that held such great memories, but now would only shatter her already broken heart?
Getting closer to the building, she began to slow down when something caught her eye. It wasn't Sweet Pea's motorcycle that she could pick out parked between several more- what really made her stop was seeing a familiar Volkswagen van parked on the side of the building. It was the same one she used to borrow over the summer; the one that was usually tucked in a corner of the garage...the one that belonged to her mother.
Her heart began to race in her chest as she started to worry that somehow her mother had found out about her adventures on the Southside during the summer and was there looking for her after she left the night before, but that fear flew out of her mind when the side door slammed opened and her mother stormed out with Jughead's father tailing her.
FP grabbed her mother's arm to stop her, but she jerked her arm away and yelled something at him before laying her hands on his chest and pushing him backward. He raised an arm and pointed wildly off to the side as he yelled something back, but Melissa wasn't backing down. She stood tall and gave back just as much as he gave.
Lauren knew they knew of each other since she and Jughead were friends and grew up together, but it wasn't like they ran in the same circles. Her mother didn't hang out in dirty bars with bikers in her spare time, and she couldn't imagine FP being the type of person to join in on charities like her mother.
It was clear to see this wasn't some random run-in, this was like years of history coming to the surface at once. So how exactly did the two know each other that well?
Lauren tried to read their lips, but couldn't figure out what was being said. Having no other choice, she slid down in her seat to hide and pressed a button to lower her window to try to hear what was being said between the two as they continued to yell at each other.
"I told you, I don't need your help, FP!"
"You do if you're gonna do something stupid," he argued. "You know what happens when you mess with a snake."
Nodding her head at his warning, she said, "Do I need to remind you of what happened last time one of you snakes tried to manipulate me?"
He gave her a short chuckle and rubbed his chin. "The way I heard it, you didn't do that alone."
"You're right, but I'm not that same scared girl anymore...I've grown up a lot and I can handle my own."
"I'm giving you one chance to let this go, to stand down and let me handle it or-"
"You do what you have to do, FP," Melissa interrupted him. "But you should know by now I don't back down."
"This isn't gonna end well for you, Mel," he warned her.
"I've heard that before and let it stop me...until I decided to not let it define me, and this time is no different." She quickly turned and walked to her vehicle.
After her mother left, Lauren felt like she couldn't move- it was like she was frozen until she heard the roar of several motorcycles. She slid lower in her seat and waited while FP and a few other Serpents pulled out of the parking lot.
Feeling like the coast was clear, she started her car and pulled out onto the road as a flood of questions crossed her mind. She knew her father had secrets, but she never knew her mother had them as well.
Getting closer to the Northside, she shook her head and scoffed as she passed by the Riverdale sign. It didn't feel like there was much pep going on around town at the moment, but there did seem to be a lot of secrets. She couldn't help but wonder which one would come to light next.
•••
A/N; This chapter took longer than I wanted. I had hoped to get it posted before the new season started, but that didn't quite work out- better late than never tho, right?
I hope you all enjoyed it. If the Ren x Sweet Pea scene killed ya, you're not the only one. They broke my heart writing that scene. I did enjoy writing Ren x Jughead tho- I'm loving their friendship.
Thank you to everyone reading and/or adding this story. Big thank to ThatMysteriousSlime, Rhyming With Oranges, corahaale, rachel101448, Patient005, SkinnyChick716, wickedgrl123, alexatkins, and all the Guests for reviewing. I think that's the most reviews I've gotten on a chapter- so thank you all very much for that! I also wanted to thank the few who reached out to me on tumblr.
Also to the guest reviewer wanting me to update one of my teen wolf stories; I would like to get back into that story at some point, but I just can't tell you when that will happen. I'm sorry, please bear with me.
Happy reading!
xx