SMOKESTACKS
CHAPTER | SIX
On the last night of summer vacation, Savannah found herself staring into Piper's closet, listening to said girl's attempting to convince her that she'd suit whatever she picked out.
"Do you have anything that isn't three sizes too big or has the potential for a nip-slip?"
"Nope." Piper responded brightly, "I dunno why you wanted to search my closet, you hate my clothes."
"You're just so extreme, there's no in-between. It's either all out or drowning yourself in baggy clothes."
"It's a fashion statement."
"Who are you kidding?"
Piper slid off her bed slowly, approaching the girl like a wounded animal. She didn't know what Savannah was thinking, but she was sure that the brunette was hiding how she really felt. Her face had always lit up at the sight of Jason, like she was excited.
"Savannah." Piper started, taking hold of the girl's hand and pulling her over to sit on the bed.
"Yeah?" Savannah frowned at her friend, beginning to feel worried at the sudden change in atmosphere. "Are you okay? Did something happen with Kyle?"
"No." The blonde shook her head, "I'm just worried about you. The whole Jason thing -"
"Piper, please." Savannah sighed deeply, "People keep telling me how I should feel and I just want to put it all behind me, okay? It happened, it's over."
"Okay... Okay, if that's what you want." Piper relented. Not quite believing the girl.
"Thank you."
Staring up at the school, Savannah was worried for the first time since her father's death about walking into that school. Surely everyone knew about her hidden romance with Jason and they would be glaring at her as she walked down the halls.
It was only when a cold hand slipped into her own that she took in a deep breath. Betty squeezed her hand and gently pulled her forward, edging the two into the school together.
"I know I made a mistake." Savannah breathed out, feeling the guilt start to drown her in some sort of sick irony. "I don't want them to stare."
"They won't." Betty said to the girl, "Everyone is focusing on Cheryl, who is as peppy as ever, as if her brother didn't die."
Savannah frowned at that.
The two took in the bare blue locker and the clear floor beneath it. It was as if Jason's death was a fleeting moment in everyone's lives and that they shed a tear, and moved on.
"Come on." Betty urged the girl toward the hall. "Cheryl's supposed to be making a speech."
"Thank you for that moment of silence." Cheryl's voice echoed loudly through the hall. She had placed a black fishnet veil over the top of her head as a sign of mourning. "Many of you were lucky enough to have known my brother personally."
They were sitting next to the new girl, Veronica Lodge, who Savannah could care less about. This new girl carried herself like she was the best thing since sliced bread.
"Each and every one of you meant the world to Jason. I loved my brother." Cheryl continued, "He was, and always will be, my soul mate. So I speak with the confidence that only a twin could have. Jason wouldn't want us to spend the year mourning."
Savannah thought back to the times that she had spent with Jason. He was always kind to her, considerate. He wasn't a bad person, just a boy who made mistakes. He was human.
"Jason would want us to move on with our lives. Which is why I've asked the school board not to cancel the back-to-school semi-formal." The students around Savannah broke into cheers and applause, excited girls turning to each other with wide grins.
"- But rather, to let us use it as a way to heal, collectively and celebrate my brother's too, too short life on this mortal coil. Thank you, all."
Savannah joined the rest of the school who clapped for Cheryl, some in pity, others in excitement, and the rest, with slight worry for the red head who was acting much too chipper for a girl who had practically watched her brother drown.
When lunchtime rolled around, the second-most highly anticipated part of the day, Savannah stood at the edge of the seating area outside, her eyes scanning the grounds for a few tufts of familiar hair.
As her eyes landed on Betty Cooper, she almost took a step to head in that direction when Veronica Lodge sat down at the very same table. Savannah scrunched her nose and rethought sitting with Piper and her brother, who always visited at lunch time for their makeout session.
"Not a fan of the new girl?" A familiar voice asked from beside her, causing Savannah to let out a quiet yelp and jump, almost dropping her tray.
Jughead chuckled lightly and nodded his head in the direction of a nearby tree. They sat down beneath it and Savannah split her lunch with the boy who never ate food that actually belonged to him.
The boy wanted to devour the whole tray, but held himself back. He wouldn't mention it, but had noticed how she had been more careful with her money. The next day, he'd buy lunch.
Savannah held the burger out to him and he shook his head.
"Eat it." Jughead ordered with a glint in his eye, "No one would dare stare into the goodness of a burger and not salivate at the mere scent of its deliciousness."
Savannah rolled her eyes at his dramatics and murmured, "Oh ha ha."
The night of the semi-formal was one that Savannah intended to spend curled up on Piper's bed with some terrible zombie movie. Instead, Piper had decided to go with Kyle, who tossed a bucket of toffee popcorn in her direction.
But even after she put the movie on and snuggled under the covers, she found herself terribly bored and feeling especially alone. It wasn't the same without Piper.
Her hand reached for her phone, unlocking it and instantly hitting one of the numbers on her speed dial.
He answered immediately, the same monotone, bored voice coming through the phone. By the sound of clinking plates and his frantic typing, she assumed that he was at Pop's.
"You busy?"
"What do you want?"
"You at Pop's?"
"When am I not at Pop's?"
"I'll see you in ten, okay?"
"Do I have to?"
She'd thrown on a pair of leggings and an over-sized shirt before borrowing her mother's car to meet Jughead in his favourite booth. As she threw herself down opposite him, the boy slid his cup of coffee over to her, signalling to the waitress that he'd like another.
They didn't speak for a while and they didn't need to. Just being in each other's company was enough, listening to the soft music playing in the background harmonising with the soothing sound of fingertips on a keyboard.
"Why didn't you go to the formal?" Savannah asked eventually, already on her second cup of coffee. She relished in the feeling of the hot liquid trickling down her throat and making her stomach feel warm.
"Why didn't you?" Jughead asked in return, always answering a question with another question. He didn't look up from his laptop, pausing in his typing for a moment to take a sip of his coffee.
Savannah bit her lip, tempted to avoid the question, but her mind screamed at her to tell the truth. To confide in Jughead.
She'd found herself wanting to spend time with him, seeking him out in a crowd and calling him more often than he said he'd like - when truthfully, he enjoyed their phone calls too.
"Uh, I couldn't make it to the last semi-formal. Let's just leave it at that, it kinda ruined them for me."
Jughead ceased his typing, his fingers stopping as if frozen. He shut the lid half-down, his eyes narrowed and calculating as he watched the brunette close her eyes for a few moments, before taking a deep breath and opening them again.
"I'm not going to ask." Jughead told the girl, her eyes flitting up to meet his. "But if you want to talk about it, I'm here."
Savannah opened her mouth to reply when a familiar boy came running into Pop's. He looked panicked and much too fancy to be eating in a diner.
"What is Archie doing here?" She whispered to Jughead, who was frowning and shrugged in return.
The red-haired boy came over to the table and for a split second, Savannah saw Jason staring down at her, with his charming smile and ruffled hair. Her mouth dropped and she could feel her stomach clench.
"I'll give you two a moment." She said, sliding out of the booth as quickly as possible, disappearing into the bathroom.
Savannah fumbled in her back pocket for her phone, trying to keep ahold of it with her clammy fingers as she dialled the familiar number.
The brunette moved over to the wall, her free hand pressed against it as she slid down to the floor. The phone rang and rang, until she finally heard his voice.
"Hey, it's Jason, sorry I can't make it to the phone right now, but leave a message and I'll phone you back."
Savannah sniffled and locked her phone, ending the call and resting her head back against the wall. A single tear trickled down her cheek as the girl felt like someone had punched her in the gut.
Maybe those six months had meant something after all.