The good news was that Amelia was out of the hospital.

The bad news was that Amelia kept expecting to wake up from this dream and it had been two weeks and she hadn't yet.

The worst news was that she had to go to school now. As a sophomore. With her supposed brother and his friends and some new girl named Victoria or something, not important, what was important is that she's supposed to be a junior.

"Archie, this doesn't make any sense? I'm a year older than you? Why am I in your grade?"

Archie sighed as he packed up his backpack, having been on the receiving end of her incredulity for the past week. "Mom and Dad think it will be better for you if you're not alone after your accident. And I agree. You haven't remembered anything yet and I know the doctor said six months, but… this might help, Ames."

Amelia puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her tongue before deflating. "Fine. Fine! Whatever. Let's go, loser, we're gonna be late for my very first day of junior year." She glared. "As a sophomore."

He chuckled and ruffled her hair as she walked past him to the door.

They got to school quickly, rushing to their first class (because they had the exact same schedule. Because she was an invalid apparently. Ugh) and sat down just as the bell rang.

Amelia pretty much zoned out during this class (she thought it was English but it might've been chemistry) and tried to remember what it was like going through freshmen year when she was awake.

Doing homework. Being surrounded by horny male children with voice cracks and finger guns. Having the correct last name.

Sigh.

The good ole days.

"Miss Andrews, perhaps you'd like to solve the problem on the board?"

Amy jerked and looked from the teacher to the board, on which there was an obviously mathematical equation. It's a math class. Oops. "Uh, sorry?"

The teacher nodded at the board and crossed her arms. "The board, Miss Andrews."

Amy nodded back, staring at the board contemplatively and holding a hand up to Archie when he looked like he was going to protest. "Forty two."

The teacher nodded approvingly. "Correct."

Amy smiled and sat back in her chair, pretending not to notice Archie staring at her in bemusement.

Archie brought it up during fourth period, which she found odd considering they had all the same classes together and he could've done so at any time before then.

"Since when are you a math wizard?"

"I'm not."

"Well, how'd you get it?"

Amy smiled. "What's the answer to the earth, the universe, and everything?"

Archie stared at her incredulously before grinning and shaking his head slowly. "That is an impossibly lucky guess and you took it from Douglass Adams."

"Not impossible, Archie. Improbable."

"If you start quoting Sherlock Holmes at me, I'm disowning you."

"Ouch."

The bell for lunch rang and Archie took her to his table where Betty was waiting, along with a pair of unfamiliar dark haired people.

Archie gestured to the table. "Amy, this is Kevin Keller and Veronica Lodge. Veronica, this is my baby sister, Amy."

Amelia elbowed him in the side and smiled at the other two. "Hi."

Veronica (not Victoria, whoops) smiled at her and held out a hand. "You know, you kind of look like Heathers' Winona Ryder as a ginger. We're going to be good friends."

Amy shook her hand and raised her eyebrows. "If you say so, but you're not calling me Veronica 2.0."

Kevin snorted and held out his hand. "Hey, Amy. We've met, but you don't remember, so here's my new first impression. I have never once spilled any kind of milkshake on your first ever Guess handbag."

Amy shook his hand and sat down, letting out a laugh. "Even if you have, consider it forgotten. Because it is."

Archie sat beside her and they started eating before she realized something was missing and looked around. "Where's Jug? He sick or something?"

There was a halt in consumption and conversation as everyone besides her and Veronica looked at each other awkwardly.

Betty spoke. "Jughead likes to write during lunch, so we don't bother him."

Amy nodded slowly and shared a look with Veronica before looking down and picking at her food. "I mean, that makes sense." She looked up and smiled. "Archie hates it when I go into his room while he's moping on the guitar."

The tension broke and they laughed as Veronica tried to flick Archie on the head. "Archiekins, that is not a very nice way to treat your sister."

Archie ducked and put on a mock-indignant face. "Hey now, no violence. Amy threw a water bottle at me once because I walked into her room while she was reading!"

Amy scoffed. "You were being loud!"

Archie mimicked her scoff. "It was dinner time!"

"I was at the good part!"

"You can't gain sustenance from paper, Amy!"

Amy groaned and shoved at his shoulder. "You sound like mom."

Archie shoved her back and laughed.

Betty grinned at them and nudged Kevin, who nudged her back.

Amy looked at them, smiling. "What?"

Betty grinned wider. "You're remembering things."

Amy blinked quickly in surprise. But. What? "What?"

Archie pulled her to his side and squeezed. "Betty's right! See, told you this was a good idea."

Amy nodded slowly and then detached him from her person. "Hey, I gotta go to the bathroom—"

"I'll take you."

Amy blinked at Veronica, who was already standing up. "Uh, you don't have to."

Veronica smiled. "I insist. New girls stick together, Amykins."

Amy made a face but stood up to follow her anyways. "You are not calling me that."

Veronica laughed and took her arm, turning back to the table. "See you guys later. B., remember we have Vixen practice until five."

Betty nodded and rolled her eyes. "I remember, Ronnie. Go before Amy pees herself."

Amy rolled her eyes and let Veronica drag her away. "You're lucky I like you, Elizabeth Cooper. Bye, Kevin, nice to re-meet you. See you next class, Archibald."

Veronica led her to the bathroom, chattering about the Vixens (the school cheerleaders) and how she was a cheerleader and how the captain was apparently an awful person whose brother died over the summer so it's made her even more awful.

"Talking about me, Ice Princess?"

Veronica made a face. "Speak of the devil."

Amy tilted her head and smiled, turning them around so they were facing her. "Hello. You must be Cheryl?"

Cheryl raised an eyebrow. "So the rumors are true."

Amy glanced at Veronica briefly before turning back to Cheryl. "That's not cryptic."

Cheryl smiled patronizingly. "Since you're memory is gone, Dory, I'll reintroduce myself. I am Cheryl Blossom, senior captain of the River Vixens. There's no use trying out, since we're two weeks in and I already don't like you, but you could always try next year."

Veronica started to say something but Amy cut her off. "You don't have very many friends, do you?"

Cheryl's smile dropped. "Excuse me?"

Amy shrugged. "Just a feeling."

"That's—"

"Also, your outfit is killer, but you have lipstick in your teeth. You might wanna fix that. Come on, Veronica."

Amy led Veronica away from the senior and into the bathroom as she felt herself starting to blush. "Why did I do that? Why did you let me do that?"

Veronica started laughing. "Are you kidding? That was Princess Leia level badass."

"You're exaggerating."

"No, I'm really not. I've only been here two weeks and from what I've gathered, no one at this school has ever stood up to Cheryl Bombshell." Veronica flipped her hair. "Well, besides me, of course."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "So what I'm hearing is, I'm one of two people Cheryl Blossom dislikes specifically."

Veronica shrugged. "I mean, if you want to be Katy versus Taylor about it."

Amy blinked. "What?"

Veronica looked at her with wide eyes before shooting her. "I'll fill you in later, go pee."

Amy made a face and went into a stall to do as she was told.

On her way to her next class (alone, because Veronica forgot she had to talk to her history teacher at lunch until the last possible moment) she bumped into Jughead.

Literally.

"Ow, holy shit!"

"Amy?"

Amy looked up from the floor to see Jughead picking up her bag. "Jug, you know I just got out of the hospital, right?"

He winced and helped her up. "Sorry, Lia, I wasn't looking where I was going."

She scrunched up her face. "Lia?"

He pursed his lips and something in his eyes closed off. "Sorry. Amy."

Amy nodded and looked at him oddly. "You okay? You weren't at lunch."

He smiled quickly and shrugged. "Perfecto, fair maiden. Shall I accompany you to your next class?"

She smiled back confusedly and put her hand in the crook of his offered elbow. "If it's not a bother. I actually don't know where my next class is."

He started walking. "Well, since you probably have every class with Archie, and I have the next two periods with Archie, we're going the same way."

Amy tilted her head. That's... convenient. "Ah."

He looked around. "Where is he anyway? Shouldn't he be showing his poor, lost, injured sister around the dark and strange corridors of Riverdale High?"

Amy made a face. "You make me sound so pitiful."

"It's a gift. So?"

Amy sighed. "He had to talk to his music teacher about something. Grungy, I think."

Jughead appeared to be mulling this over.

Amy continued. "Y'know, with the whole music versus football dilemma, he's kind of reminding me of Troy from High School Musical. I think he'll eventually come to realize he can do both. Go his own way, if you will."

He snorted. "Wasn't that Gabriella's song?"

Amy grinned at him. "If you weren't giving me serious brother vibes I would be so attracted to you for knowing that."

Jughead made a face. "Number one, I had a childhood too. You and Betty made Archie and I watch all three of those movies at least ten times. Each."

Amy shrugged, as that seemed like something she would do. "Fair. Number two?"

"Number two, Ames, is we swam naked together in a kiddie pool until you were five. I think that ship sailed years ago."

"Rats."

"And crashed into a fiery abyss."

Amy laughed loudly before looking up at him and biting the inside of her cheek. "Hey, Jug? I have a question."

He squeezed her hand. "Shoot."

She took a deep breath. "Why does everyone at this school talk like a character from a failed film noir?"

He looked down at her for a moment, took in her earnest expression, and laughed until they got into the classroom.

At this point, Amy was blushing again. "It was a genuine question, Jones."

He caught his breath, ignoring the looks they were getting from Archie and sitting down in the back of the room. "Amy Andrews, you are a hoot."

Amy crossed her arms and sat down next to him. "Jughead Jones, you sound like my grandmother."

He looked like he was going to say something else but he was interrupted. "Ames?"

Amy looked over at Archie to see him gesturing to the seat beside him.

Beside her, Jughead's face closed off.

What is up with those two?

She smiled apologetically at Archie and shook her head.

Archie looked from her to Jughead before nodding slowly and turning in his seat to face the front.

Veronica rushed in as the bell rang and took the seat next to Archie, alleviating Amy's odd little pit of guilt at choosing to sit beside Jughead instead of her brother.

Supposed brother.

Amy put her chin in her hands and sighed. "I'm going insane."

The teacher turned toward her. "What was that, dear?"

Amy smiled and ignored the concerned looks from her fictional friends. "Nothing, ma'am."

Amy hoped she'd wake up soon. It was becoming increasingly difficult to remain unattached.

Who was she kidding? At this point, she'd probably have to start watching the show when she got back because she'd miss these people.

Jughead kicked her in the leg lightly and nodded at Archie.

She looked over and saw Archie mouth 'you okay?'

Amy smiled and nodded.

This was gonna suck.