Double line break means change in POV


The plane landed and Jughead's eyes opened. He sighed – he was officially in a different continent. The overhead voice told him about the current outside temperature and everything. He wasn't really listening. All he could think about was how far away he was from France and everything he had known for the last three years.

Three years of knowing a country.

Three years of falling in love with the girl on the other side of the bar.

And now, it was like starting from scratch.

The laptop lay heavy on one shoulder, bouncing against his side. It reminded him of closing it to go to sleep on the plane. He had tried to write about the clouds, the ocean, anything. Nothing seemed to help him. The page was just as empty as before.

When he finally walked out of the airport, he saw Archie in the distance and wheeled his luggage towards him. Archie grinned and hugged him.

"Jughead! I'm so glad you decided to come to Riverdale!"

"You and me both, buddy," Jughead said, with a feigned laugh. Archie didn't catch on and simply insisted on taking the trolley from him.


Betty's phone began ringing on her bedstand. She groaned – if it was Reggie with another fake emergency, she was going to kill the bastard. Holding her phone above her face, she squinted at the screen, trying to figure out what it said.

The V to my B.

Veronica's name flashed across her phone. Sighing, she picked up, and said, "You better have a bloody good reason for waking me up before ten on my Saturday off."

"Betty! Kevin and I thought we could surprise Jughead with breakfast but we... well we completely fucked up and, well..."

"Tell me you didn't set anything on fire, Veronica," Betty groaned.

"The thing is... we're not making breakfast at home. We're at Archie's – the fire extinguisher is outside, Kev – and things aren't going very smoothly."

"I fucking hate you. I'll be right there," Betty said, reluctantly climbing out of bed and padding down the fire escape to Archie's flat downstairs. When she pushed the window open, smoke billowed out and, after overcoming the coughing, she climbed in. The place smelt like burnt eggs and cheese.

"Jesus Christ, how did you-" she broke out into another coughing fit as Veronica and Kevin rushed forward with water and juice, respectively. Once the smoke had cleared a little, Betty got a good look at the mess they had made. The eggs were stuck to the pan and the grilled cheese was basically black cheese in blacker bread. Sighing she took the pans off the stove and scraped off the contents into the bin.

"Do you guys want to run down to Pop's and get some breakfast, instead?" Betty asked, once she had managed to force Kevin and Veronica to wash the pans. They nodded mutely and she smiled. They agreed to meet downstairs in ten minutes. Betty traded in her pajama bottoms for jeans and quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail before going downstairs. Kevin and Veronica were looking spectacular considering they had just nearly burnt down Archie's flat.


Considering that Betty very rarely went to Pop's for breakfast, she was surprised at the crowd. She had figured that other people would be making the most of the Saturday and sleeping in. But no – at seven thirty in the morning, the place was brimming with people. But, since she and her friends got special treatment at Pop's (owing to them coming here for the longest time), Pop immediately cleared a table for them.

"Busy morning, isn't it?" She asked, taking a seat. Pop smiled.

"Not everyone wakes up at quarter past noon on a Saturday, Betty," he replied and Veronica and Kevin chuckled. They sat down, ordered coffees, and began going through the menu.

"Oh, Betty, thank you so – oh my god," Veronica said, looking over Betty's head. Frowning, Betty turned around, making eye contact with the man walking in, with Archie following closely behind. He had a beanie on but Betty could tell his hair was somewhat a mess.

For a moment, it felt like they were the only two in the diner.

But then Archie grinned and the moment ended. Pulling luggage behind them, they approached the table and Archie slid in beside Betty, pushing her to the corner. Jughead sat down beside him and Archie said, "Guys, I would like to introduce you to Jughead Jones."

"Ah so you're the famous Jughead! We've heard so much about you! I'm Veronica, by the way," Veronica exclaimed and Jughead chuckled. It was a low rumble and, when he smiled, Betty noticed that his smile didn't reach his ears.

"All good I hope," he replied and they all laughed.

"I wouldn't believe there could be anything to dislike about you, Jughead," Veronica said and Betty rolled her eyes. It was just like Veronica to flirt with a new male specimen.

"We shouldn't have a long conversation then. I'm afraid I may disprove that theory," Jughead replied and instantly Betty liked him more.

"So, Jughead, you were in France before this – what was that like?" Kevin asked.

"It was gorgeous uh..."

"Kevin."

"Right. France was gorgeous. Charming, beautiful. I suppose it helped that I stayed in the countryside more than the city. It was really calming, actually. Everyone should go, sometime. I'm sorry – I didn't catch your name," he said, looking at Betty.

"Betty. Well, Elizabeth. But everyone calls me Betty," she replied and he nodded. Betty felt like it was a knowing nod. Like he already knew her before coming. "So, Jughead, that can't be your real name... can it?" She asked the question she had been itching to ask since they had joined the table. Jughead chuckled again while Archie outright laughed.

"No – no. I'm afraid my real name is much worse than my nickname. My name is Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third," he said, clearly embarrassed by the name's Victorian grandeur. While Veronica and Kevin fought hard not to laugh, Betty's mind suddenly went back to her bookshelf.

"Wait, you're not FP Jones III, are you? The author?"

"At your service," he said, smiling at her. Suddenly he was so much more interesting.

"Your books are brilliant! I really like the way you frame the suspense in your novels – it gives me chills everytime," she gushed and felt Archie's hand brush against hers, making her stop. This time Jughead laughed.

"Thank you. I mean, it's always nice to meet a fan."

"Archie, you didn't tell me you knew FP Jones III!" Betty said, turning to Archie, who simply shrugged.

"He said he was obscure," was his only explanation and Betty rolled his eyes. She didn't care enough for this conversation to even argue that Jughead was a bestselling author. If anything, she was a little offended considering she had allowed Archie to borrow one of his books when he told her he wanted to know more about the author she couldn't seem to stop talking about.

"Anyway, Jughead, I'm afraid you'll find Riverdale is not nearly as grand as France. But I hope you'll be able to make a home out of it," Veronica said, swiftly changing the subject.

"Oh, I'm sure that isn't true. After all, from what Archie tells me, a lot happens in this small town," Jughead replied, the knowing smile playing along his lips again.

"And what exactly has Archie told you?" Betty asked, frowning at this smile. Jughead and Archie exchanged a glance before Jughead shrugged and said, "I guess you'll have to wait for the next book."

Archie laughed at this but it didn't sit well with Betty. After all, a surprising lot had happened in Riverdale over the past decade. It was no longer the small, safe town Betty had grown up knowing. But with everyone laughing at this, Betty gave an uneasy smile too.

Soon after, the breakfast arrived and these statements were forgotten.