SMOKESTACKS

CHAPTER | TWENTY-TWO

It was just after twelve on a cold winter night, the street lights were beaming down against the concrete, lighting the way for a few stragglers out past their bedtime.

Most teenagers had made their way to one of the many after parties that happened after each school dance, but there was a group of teens who had decided instead, to look for one friend that had taken off into the night.

One girl was walking along the edge of the sidewalk, balancing daintily as she watched her feet cross over each other, each step feeling like a tidal wave, ready to knock her off into the unforgiving ocean.

Her hand was held up to her face, pressing the phone against her ear. "Jughead." She sighed, voice full of worry and distress, "Please, just call me back."

She'd left too many voicemails to count, wondering how many until it was full. Somehow, thinking of her other friends who were just as concerned, she thought it would happen quite soon.

Veronica had texted her, saying how sorry she was that she'd been dragged into their mess. Savannah hadn't replied.

Still in her blue dress and black flats, Savannah wondered whether her brother would be worried about her. Probably not. He'd assume that she was out having fun with her friends.

How wrong he would be.

Her phone vibrated and Savannah's heart leapt at the thought that it could be Jughead.

Found him. He's at Pop's. - Betty.

A wave of relief washed over Savannah and she hopped off the sidewalk and onto the road, feeling the stress lift off her shoulders.

The girl set out in the direction of Pop's. She hadn't exactly been looking for him rather than hoping he'd come to her. If he didn't want to talk then she couldn't make him, Jughead wasn't that trusting, especially after his friends betrayed him.

But if Betty had already found him then she was going to see him.

The large 24 hour sign was familiar to her, giving her a sense of comfort. She came here almost every day, either to work or sit with Jughead as he wrote. However as their world started to spin around them, they'd had less time to do the simple things. Like have coffee.

Savannah recalled the empty offer of getting dinner with Cheryl Blossom.

Had the girl meant it? She wasn't sure, but it definitely wasn't likely after that stunt she had pulled at Archie's house on Jughead's birthday. Betty had cried in her room all weekend.

Savannah could see the group stand just as she arrived, all of them coming toward her quickly. Betty latched onto her hand and tugged her right back out the door that she walked through and into the cold once more.

"We're going to the police station." She told her hastily, eyes flickering to Jughead with worry every few seconds, his face unreadable. "The gun wasn't there when Veronica and Archie searched it. He's being framed."

And despite their story, while it may be the truth, FP Jones confessed to Jason Blossom's murder all the same, unable to look his son in the eye as he walked past in handcuffs, now branded a murderer.

School.

It seemed so trivial after the events that had unfolded. Jughead's father was in prison for killing Jason Blossom, a crime that he did not commit. And yet, there it sat, a newspaper on the top of a plastic cafeteria table - the article that blamed him, with his face for all to see.

"The police report said FP acted alone." Betty said, placing the newspaper back down on the table.

"No mention of your dad, Ronnie." Archie said to Veronica, whilst scooping out the remains of his yoghurt. "That's good news, right?"

Veronica nodded, "I can't stop thinking that maybe my dad hired another Serpent to plant that gun."

Savannah noticed as Archie's hand disappeared under the table but didn't say a word. She was watching as the students fawned over Cheryl, offering their support as if Jason Blossom had died all over again.

"It's surreal, isn't it?" Kevin Keller asked as he approached the group, taking a seat at the table. "How's Jughead doing?"

"Not good." Betty told him.

"He's not coming in today. He's at the station."

"Being grilled by your dad." Veronica added, sassily.

"He's just doing his job." Kevin defended his father with a frown.

"Did the job description mention having to suck up to the Blossom family?" Savannah drawled out, bored of their discussion. All she wanted was to talk to Jughead, but she knew that she had to wait until he was ready.

Kevin scowled at her. "Of course he's going to ask Jughead questions."

"Okay, well he's wasting his time, Kev, because FP did not kill Jason." Betty firmly insisted, slapping her hand down on the table, repeatedly.

"Betty, he confessed."

"Or he was coerced." Betty snapped, "Or he's protecting someone. Maybe a Serpent. My mom saw him and Joaquin together."

"Don't." Kevin interrupted harshly, "Do not drag my boyfriend into this."

Betty gave him a blank look, Veronica opening her mouth to speak on Betty's behalf when Archie cut across them all.

"Oh no."

"What?"

And there he was. The boy that Savannah so desperately wanted to see.

Jughead Jones had appeared in the cafeteria, the room breaking out into whispers as he crossed the open space, his eyes set on one girl. Cheryl Blossom.

"What happened to him not coming in today?" Veronica asked with a frown.

The group watched from afar as he stopped in front of the girl, the entire room was either standing or straining their necks in an attempt to see the son of the murderer. Cheryl had noticed him, looking up with a blank expression.

"I'm sorry, Cheryl." He had said, and despite how quietly he said it, it was if the whole room heard it.

Cheryl swallowed thickly before she stood up, her eyes growing tearful. Her hand collided with his cheek in a painful slap, her hands clutching to his shirt as she shook him, as if he were FP Jones himself.

He stood there, hands in his pockets as she battered her fists against his chest, taking what he believed he deserved.

They all jumped up immediately, clambering over the benches as they made to help their friend. Archie reached them first, holding Cheryl back and pulling her away from his best friend.

Betty slipped her hand into Savannah's and she offered a reassuring smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. The brunette couldn't stop staring at the boy, so broken, that stood before her.

"Jughead." She mumbled quietly, pleading with him to look at her.

Cheryl broke away from Archie and ran from the room, away from the son of the man that killed her twin brother, her soulmate.

"That's enough!" Principal Weatherbee had shouted, "Mr. Jones you need to come with me. Right now."

"He was apologising!" Archie cried out in defense for his friend. "He didn't do anything wrong."

"Right now." Principal Weatherbee repeated, but Jughead was already following the man.

Shaking off Betty's hand, the brunette went after them, leaving behind the group of friends that were calling for her to come back. She didn't care if she got in trouble, she didn't care what biased Principal Weatherbee thought.

She was missing English, she noted as the bell went, signalling the end of lunch.

Savannah sat outside the offices, waiting for Jughead to reappear, which he did, after over half an hour. She collected up her bag, tossing it over her shoulder as he came out to meet her.

"Are you okay?" She asked immediately, before cursing herself. "Sorry, stupid question. What happened?"

"Oh, just my second interrogation for the day." Jughead muttered as they moved through the halls, the girl struggling to keep up with the boy and his long legs. "Don't know who's more of a dick, Keller or Weatherbee."

"Weatherbee." Savannah answered quickly. "I mean, clearly that wasn't your fault but of course he'd find a way to pin it on you."

Jughead suddenly stopped in the hallway, "I, uh, wanted to apologise for attacking you at homecoming."

"Don't worry about it." Savannah said instinctively. "You were on edge, you found out that your friends betrayed you."

"I just -" Jughead paused to run his hands under his beanie before pulling it back over his head, "I just don't know who to trust, my dad - my own flesh and blood lied to me and I can't -"

"Hey." Savannah cut him off gently, moving forward to take his hands, pulling them away from the back of his neck. "You can trust me. Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?"

Jughead shook his head and the girl pulled him in for a hug, wrapping her arms around him tightly.

"You deserve so much better than all this, Jughead." She muttered into his denim jacket, "I'm so sorry."

He wasn't a big hugger, but in that moment, feeling so desperately lost and alone, he let his arms fall around the girls waist and embraced her just as tightly as she had him.