"Hey sorry for bailing last night." Cheryl apologizes to Jughead once finding him in the Blue and Gold office. She feels bad for leaving their study session so abruptly the night before. She promised to help him with calc, but they didn't exactly have much of a chance to dive into the material before Veronica made her grand entrance in the trailer.

Jughead standing near the window across the room, flipping through the pages of a book, looks up and chuckles upon seeing his visitor, "if you didn't bail after that show, I would have been concerned." He turns his attention back to the book in hand, thoughtfully searching for something. As much as he really does need to prepare for that exam, he's glad his friend was happy again. As much as Jughead enjoys spending time with Cheryl, she has a tendency to be a complete buzzkill when things with Veronica aren't going well.

"In my hurry to leave I accidently grabbed your notebook." With the object in hand, Cheryl extends her arm in Jughead's direction.

Once again, he looks up, having spent enough time with Cheryl Jughead can tell she obviously has something to say. He knows he's not going to get any more research done before class starts so he sets his book down on the table between them, grabs the notebook with a grateful nod and places it in his open bag that sat atop the table. "I hope this means things are good with you and Veronica again." Directing the conversation back to the reason Cheryl left in the first place, figuring that had something to do with the weird anxious vibe she's giving off.

Cheryl fidgets with her backpack strap as she answers rather unconvincingly, "right yes they are." It's like she's not actually happy? Jughead grows concerned.

"But?" He pries, knowing that besides Veronica, he is Cheryl's go to confidant when it comes to things. Judging by her facial expression, he can tell there's a lot more going on in her head than she's leading on.

"Well," Cheryl is unsure of where to begin. She sits at the table, gesturing to the chair nearest her for Jug to do the same. "I have to ask a favor of you, and it's a little-" she trails off not knowing the correct word to describe the task she wants of him. Her body language is enough to reveal its importance, as Jughead leans forward and asks her to go on in response.

"Hiram Lodge is returning to Riverdale," This bit of information alone is enough to draw fierce concern all over Jughead's face. Cheryl continues, "and it seems within the week I'll be out of a place to live," Jughead swallows nervously, clearing his throat. He thinks he knows what's coming, and he's not opposed to it, but there's still a lot of uncertainty in his mind. Cheryl can see the gears turning in his head as he tries to calculate the pro vs con ratio, she lightly laughs which causes him to mentally stop, looking at her with a reserved confusion. "Relax, Jug. Let me finish." She adds, clearly understanding what his apprehension is about, but reassuring that he doesn't need to go there, as that's not the favor she's about to ask. "I'm sure Veronica's gonna try to convince you to let me stay with you," There is is. "but I need you to let her know that's not a possibility."

Jughead seems a bit perplexed by this as his brow furrows and his face scrunches. He leans back a bit, bobbing in his seat as he decides what exactly to say. "I mean you are welcome to stay with me if you want, I know it's not much, but it's a room at least." He offers, somehow less anxious about the prospect given he's had the chance to allow it as opposed to Cheryl inviting herself. Jughead understands the real weight of this situation, and while he feels bad for even hesitating offering Cheryl a safe place to stay, he values their friendship enough to know how that type of living situation could potentially upset the balance in not only their relationship, but all their friends, given who they are dating.

"I really appreciate that Jug." Cheryl sweetly smiles and gives his hand that rests atop the table a quick squeeze. "But I actually think it's time I returned to Thornhill, I can't keep running forever." It was the first time she said it out loud. No one knew of her decision, not even Veronica, until now. She thought long and hard about this since learning the truth about Hiram's return. She wasn't going to let anyone convince her otherwise, her mind was made.

Jughead, while surprised by Cheryl's insistence on returning home, he doesn't question her about it yet, knowing that once Cheryl arrives at a decision, she's determined to see it through. Curious, he diverts course, "So Veronica doesn't know that's what you're planning to do." It's more of a statement than a question, figuring through the context of her previous remark that was exactly the case. Cheryl nods, confirming Jughead's suspicion. Given that it seems to be clear that he's the only one who knows of this information, Jughead feels like he has to at least confirm that this is what Cheryl really wants to do. Being the voice of reason, he questions, "Are you sure going back home is a good idea? Never mind Veronica's guaranteed opposition, but your mother?"

Besides Veronica, Jughead was the only person who knew of the details of her relationship with her mother. How toxic and abusive she was. He knew the details of what happened the day she left Thornhill almost three months ago. He had every right to be concerned about her decision to go back there, because of everything he knew. She would be surprised if he wasn't at least somewhat opposed to her plan, and she's grateful that he actually is. Jughead really was her best friend, besides her girlfriend of course, but it's always good to have someone who's less emotionally invested for their own personal reasons and feelings, and more invested just because they genuinely care about your own well-being. Jughead truly was that person for her, the last person she ever would have expected to become that important anchor in her life.

When she first opened up to Jughead about her past, he, much like Veronica, immediately went into protective mode, rambling off numerous child abuse statistics, because of course he knows that off the top of the head, that's why he's such a good reporter Cheryl thought. He then wrapped her up in what was probably supposed to be a comforting hug but given the newness of their friendship at the time, it felt a little more awkward. He even went as far as offering to go with her to the police. It was all very sweet and eye-opening for Cheryl. Something about his reaction really resonated with her. Perhaps it was just the fact that for a change someone actually seemed to care about her well-being, although she knew if she was being honest with herself it was more likely due to the fact that in the moment, he reminded her of Jason.

Sometime between the events at Sweetwater River and that moment in time, Jughead had unknowingly assumed the role of protective brother in Cheryl's life. He was there for her in so many ways that Jason once was. Not only did he offer an ear for those times when Veronica alone wasn't enough, but he was just there for the mundane things too. They were able to have these deep, and sometimes dark conversations, as well as just having fun goofing off. It was a great balance in communication.

In trusting Jughead with this information about her plans to return to Thornhill, Cheryl hoped to curb any backlash he might receive from Veronica when she inevitably freaks out after learning she decided to return home. While staying with Jughead is the obvious, and possibly even safest choice, Cheryl knows that she has to face her mother someday, no point in delaying it any longer. She understands the danger, and if it comes to it, she'll leave again. The point of going home is more about facing her fears and standing up for herself, something she never felt she could do before, than about not wanting to be a burden on whoever she would end up staying with besides. Now that Cheryl has a support system behind her, she feels confident that she is strong enough to face her mother and to refuse to be treated the way she's been in the past, to demand some respect.

She explains this reasoning to Jughead who nods along, understanding and acknowledging her decision as her own right. He doesn't try to talk her out of it or convince her of a 'better' alternative plan. He merely listens, nods, and offers some kind words in support. "If anything goes wrong or you ever change your mind, my place is always available." He reiterates before throwing in a shy compliment, "I'm proud of you."

"What?" Cheryl asks for clarification as well as elaboration in a smug tone.

Knowing what Cheryl was doing, Jughead smirks. "You heard me."

Cheryl continues to tease, "I heard Jughead Jones say he's proud of me, but surely I'm mistaken, Jughead would nev—"

He cuts her off because although he always enjoys sparing a few rounds with the queen of sass, he really did have a sentimental point he was trying to make. "Shut up. Look, you might not think it, but you've always been one of the strongest people I know. Never taking shit from anybody, except your parents," he says meekly, "but now you're gonna show your mother the Cheryl Blossom the rest of Riverdale fears, it's honestly pretty admirable."

Cheryl playfully scoffs, "You know, for a writer, that wasn't a very eloquent compliment." She just won't let it go, and Jughead laughs at her persistence.

He continues to stay sober, refusing to let Cheryl reduce his meaningful statement to that of a joke. "So, I could have said it better, but you got the gist, right?" He is adamant that Cheryl really hear his words and understand that she's stronger than she realizes, always has been, and that's something Jughead wishes he had more of, strength, perhaps having Cheryl in his life helped him grow in that respect as well, and for that he's thankful.

Cheryl smiles affectionately, "Yes Jug, thank you."

Relieved she finally gave up, Jughead relaxes back into his chair, resting his arms behind his head. Changing lanes, while still staying on the topic at hand, he questions, "So when are you gonna break the news to your girlfriend?"

"Lunch."

A/N: Hey all! I hope you had a lovely weekend! I wanted to get this update in for you as my work schedule is starting to pick up again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, Jughead and Cheryl being bffs is something I never knew I needed until I started writing this fic, now they are one of my favorite pairings to write for. As mentioned in my last AN, I promise to keep updating this fic through fruition. I know with the rise of Choni, the interest in Cheronica has died down, but I'm determined to not let that stop me. That's why I need to ask for your help to keep me motivated! Please send me comments, favorites, share my tumblr posts (jimalim) about this fic if you're on there (I only get like 2 likes on any YNA post, if any, over there and it's the woooorrrsssttt) I am also planning on writing some choni stuff, mostly drabbles and headcanons, there's no way I'd be able to juggle multiple multichaps, so if you're into that keep an eye out! I've already written one called Love, Choni it's posted here if you wanna check it out! As always, thanks for reading/the support! Much love to y'all! Let's keep Cheronica alive