WARNING! SMALL BIT OF SEXUAL CONTENT AHEAD! WARNING!
ALSO SORRY FOR NOT DOING THIS SOONER. BEEN OUT OF WORK FOR 7 WEEKS, SCHOOL IS A HASSLE AND MY DEPRESSION HAS PREVENTED ME FROM BEING MOTIVATED. I'M DOING MY BEST THOUGH AND WILL KEEP THIS UP! I WANTED THIS OUT BY IT'S ANNIVERSARY BUT OH WELL. ENJOY THE READS! I WORKED EXTRA HARD ON THIS ONE!
Chapter 62: Little Chock'lit Shoppe of Horrors!
*Aria's POV*
Nearing the end of August now and the summer rush was dying down. Why? Because another burger joint opened up. They only got customers because they were fast. I, in secret, went to the shop to try a burger. I spat it out as soon as I tasted it. It was disgusting and I didn't even bother with a refund but left a horrible review before going to Pop's again. I worked as fast as I could but, between the both of us and the details for every meal, it wasn't enough.
We had loyal customers at least, thank goodness, but this was a problem still. We couldn't hire anyone to work, my wages had to be temporarily cut which wasn't a big deal for me, we did our best to offer specials but failed and this had been going on for the whole month. I talked to our old customers, asked why the cheap nasty burgers instead of Pop Tate's and the results were the same. Speed. I did my best to be fast, really I did, but I wasn't fast enough. I had talked to Dilton on this, just to vent, when he suggested an invention to help us.
I was weary, and stated this because of past events, but I figured something small wouldn't hurt. Right? Anyway, today was a dead day, same as of late, as I leaned against the counter in sheer boredom. Reggie was here and was complaining about how slow everything was, to which I told him something delicious took time. He rolled his eyes, called me Doll Face, before saying something about being faster with a pout. I rolled my eyes and got Pops to make the order as I took care of the very few customers we had in here. Moose came in and greeted me happily and I did the same, followed by Archie and Jughead, who had to work in 4 hours, sitting at Reggie's table. Pops got Moose while I went to Archie and Jughead.
"Hey Arch. Hey Jughead." I greeted happily as I served Reggie's soda.
"Hey good lookin', what's cookin'?" Jughead said flirtatiously to me. I lightly laughed at how Jughead flirted. It was cute.
"Some burgers and your special shake." I say before sneaking a kiss on his lips. Yeah, I purposefully did this in front of Reggie to get him to stop flirting. He was backing off a little bit, but not enough for me. I heard the boys groan before pulling back with a smile. Jughead had on a goofy, lovestruck grin.
"Thats a good shake. Mind if I have fries with it?" He asked me in a lovestruck tone. I tried very hard not to laugh.
"Sure. The usual amount?" I said after I calmed down.
"Yes please." Jughead said with a gleeful smile.
"Got it. Arch?" I asked as I wrote down the order.
"My usual with extra cheese please." Archie said to me.
I wrote it down, told them it'd be out soon, then skated off. I had a lot of spare time so I took the time to clean and finish orders. I felt bad for Pops since he wasn't getting enough customers. I gave the boys their food before hearing a horn honk. I went outside and began taking orders. I went in and out as I delivered food. I got another order ready, handed a table the bill. Then skated out with the order up to a familiar car. I smiled and went up to it.
"Hey dad. How's work?" I asked as I gave him his food.
"Slow at the moment. How's it here?" He asked me.
"Slow. Pops is loosing customers thanks to that new burger shop. All because they're fast. They don't even taste good." I tell him as I leaned on the car door.
"Really? That place has bad food." Dad tells me. I remember him saying his work mates went there for lunch and the food made dad sick.
"Glad you agree. Too bad others only want speed and cheap vs delicious." I say to him.
"That's why you're smart. You see why to take your time vs not to. By the way, grandpa's coming over tonight and he said he has something for you." Dad said with a small smile.
"Really? I can't wait to see him." I say, more excited to see grandpa rather than the gift. Turns out, grandpa was a lot like Archie and me and I loved it. When grandpa first met me, he seemed a bit put off with my black clothes, but then he and I talked and he grew attached to me like he did with Archie. Archie visits him too.
"Want me to make something for dinner this time?" I asked him kindly.
"How about that yummy chicken noodle casserole?" He asked me. I smiled happily at him.
"Done deal. And a dessert?" I asked him.
"Anything you want. You're cooking is amazing either way." He says with a smile.
"Is Archie and his parents coming over too?" I asked him.
"I didn't ask, but why not ask him? I'm fine with it and I'm sure they would be too." He says as his smile grew.
"Ok. Archie's inside now, so I can ask. Anything else?" I asked dad before slipping him the bill. Dad smiled and handed me some cash.
"Nope. Just have a good day, songbird." He tells me as he calls me my nickname. I never felt embarrassed about it because I liked it, it was cute, my name was musical so it made sense and dad always said my singing was as beautiful as a songbird's. I backed up with a smile.
"And you have a great day, dad." I say as I waved.
He smiled and left as I saw him off. I was heading inside when I heard a bark. I looked and saw Hot Dog, easy to tell it was him since he was the only dog of that breed in town, running and chasing a butterfly as his leash dangled. My heart sank as I saw him running freely. I rushed in and gave Pops everything before rushing.
"Hey! What's wrong!" Pops called out. I looked back.
"Hot Dog's loose! He might get hurt! I'll be back!" I called out before rushing out the door. I sped as fast as I could to him, happy I was on blades, before catching the leash.
"Hot Dog! Stop!" I called out loudly. He stopped and sat, which caused me to fly by him before being tugged back and hit the ground, back first, with a groan. Hot Dog then got to my face and started kissing me.
"Eek! Ok ok! I missed you too, boy!" I say before getting him off of me. I sighed before getting up and looked around. I saw no one in sight and wondered how he got loose. In the end I decided to take him back with me and call Mrs. Jones to let her know. I got near the entrance and saw Reggie storm out.
"Something wrong?" I asked Reggie worriedly. He turned and looked at me before point a finger at me.
"If I were you, I'd quit this job and work for Speedy Burger! You're too good for this dump and deserve better!" Reggie scolded before storming off. I felt my blood boil but calmed down as I entered. I went to Jughead, Archie and Pops as they were talking.
"Was Reggie complaining about the speed here?" I asked them.
"Yes. I just like doing things a certain way. Like Moose's tomatoes or counting in my head when I'm away from the register." Pops tells me.
"So?" I questioned, kind of failing to see the problem in personal details. Plus the register has been acting up a bit lately, so sometimes we have to do the math in our heads.
"Does everyone not use math in their head?" Pops asked me worriedly.
"Well, some don't but I do." I assured him.
"That's because you're a math genius." Archie tells me. I rolled my eyes before feeling a lick on my leg. I jumped as I remembered Hot Dog.
"Jughead, your dog was running loose. Here. I need to call your mom to let her know." I say before going over and handing him the leash.
"Thanks. I wonder how he got out?" Jughead said before Hot Dog got on his lap and ate a couple of his burgers. Pops didn't seem to mind, making the exception of lost dog, as I headed over to the phone and called Mrs. Jones. Turns out Bingo was supposed to be walking him and probably lost him. I thanked her and let her know Jughead had him here before hanging up. I walked out and Archie told me the plan to gather up the gang to talk about what to do.
"Good idea. By the way, wanna have dinner with grandpa, dad and I tonight? Your parents are invited too." I say as I decided to ask now.
"Sure. I'll let them know as soon as I get home." He said before paying and leaving. I got Jughead another Pops' triple decker before cleaning up. As soon as I finished, Bingo rushed in. He went to Jughead and apologized before coming over to me.
"Thank you for finding him." Bingo said happily to me.
"Lucky I was outside when I was." I say with a smile. Bingo was a super cool dude, kinda like Archie actually, so we became friends instantly. Bingo smiled at me.
"Lucky's right." He agreed as he holds the leash.
"Where's Souphead?" I asked curiously.
"At home with Aunt Gladys, playing with Jellybean." He tells me. I smile and nod.
"Do you want anything while you're here?" I asked him as I went to the register. It was almost time for me to have lunch.
"Sure. Might as well." He said casually. I got his order and we talked a bit. I didn't notice Jughead eyeing us until the order came through.
"Thanks. You having a good day?" Bingo asked me.
"Yeah, just slow. Miss your girlfriend?" I asked him curiously.
"Yeah, but I call her every night." He tells me. He was honest, kind and nice to see. He was also very loyal as well.
"That's good at least. Hope you have a good day." I say with a smile as I saw he was ready to leave.
"You too." he says with a wave before him, Archie and Jughead left. After that I cleaned, served whomever was left, then helped Pops close up at the end of the day. We closed at 5pm, earlier than usual, due to no customers now. I had no idea of what happened after the boys left, though.
*Jughead's POV*
I walked with the guys and felt off. Aria and Bingo had been talking a lot and, even though he has a girlfriend and is loyal, I felt like there was something I was missing. When Archie left, leaving me and Bingo with Hot Dog, I decided to make my move.
"So~, you and Aria seem close." I say casually to him. Bingo looked at me a bit confused before his face went to one of understanding.
"If you're worried about me stealing Aria away, then you don't need to worry. Aria and I are just good friends. Honestly, she is cute, but I see her more as family. Plus she's your girlfriend and I love my girl too much." He tells me with a smile. I sighed a breath of relief when he told me that.
"Phew, that's good." I commented with a smile.
"Don't you trust her?" He asked me suddenly.
"What? Yeah, I do. It's just… Between Dilton and then the robot boyfriend incident, along with the robot puppet, the vampires and that jerk Vinnie, it's hard to trust some people around her." I confessed as I felt sheepish about it.
"It means you care for her. I also understand why you feel like that. She's got this personality and charm to her that can get anyone and everyone to adore her. But in all do seriousness, she cares for you. Like, really cares. I think she might be the girl you marry." He tells me truthfully. I was blushing and looking away from embarrassment.
"And if not?" I asked quietly.
"Then both of you are crazy." Bingo tells me. I turn and see him giving me a relaxed smile. I calmed down and pat his back.
"Sorry for thinking about the accusation." I say to him with a smile.
"No big deal, I get it." He tells me with a shrug.
I felt better at his words, but then a thought came into mind. We got home and I went into my room to lay down a bit before having to get ready for work. I was now having a think. I usually walk when having a think, but this was a different one. Not my usual kind where I think why hair can be red but not naturally blue and what not. No. This was different. The kind where I wanted to be sure in my thoughts.
*Do I love Aria? Yes. More than anything. Does she love me? Even though she hasn't said it, I think she does. But what about Dilton? Does she love him more than me? They don't spend much time together like we do, but there's still a chance. But what if she does love me? Loves me more than Dilton? Is this just puppy love to her? No way! Not by the way we kiss! So… What now? What college would she go to? Would she meet someone there? What would I do if she leaves Riverdale? I don't know what to do about it.* I thought as my mind was racing.
I thought about mom telling me how she met dad and how they were together for a long time. Then a thought hit me like a ton of bricks. I shot up from my bed with a smile, gently slamming my balled up hand into my palm as I had a huge smile on my face.
"That's it!" I exclaimed as my mind went to a brilliant idea.
It would be very risky, but maybe it could work. It had to! I got up and went to my computer to do some research on what I needed and the cost. It was a lot, but it fit her perfectly. I sighed as I pulled up my bank account and counted what I had there vs what I had in my piggy bank, literal one on my desk, before sighing. I needed more cash. I then decided to make out a plan and budget everything. It meant I'd be eating less of Pops burgers, but for Aria Andrews, I felt it was worth the sacrifice. After all that I got ready for work and wished my family bye before leaving. I felt confident but scared about my plan but had a faint smile on my face.
*Is she worth it? Yes. Very much so.* I thought before heading into work. I only had a 4 hour shift, but it was still worth it. After work I headed right to Pop Tate's for our meeting.
*Aria's POV*
Archie called me, telling me he'd be over with his parents and to tell me he got everyone to the meeting, as soon as I got home. I was happy to hear that and agreed we'd meet after dinner. I got out of my uniform, put on my usual top but wore my biker shorts due to the heat, and began brushing my hair before putting it up in a ponytail. I then heard the bell ring and bolted downstairs before opening the door.
"Grandpa!" I say happily before hugging the old man in front of me. He happily hugged me back with a smile.
"Aria, how are you?" He asked me in an elderly tone filled with joy.
"I'm alright. How are you?" I asked as I helped him inside. He was a bit old fashioned but he accepts how things are changing at least.
"I'm doing well, thank you." He said as he accepted my help.
"Did someone bring you?" I asked him curiously. I know he doesn't drive so he either walks, take the bus or has someone bring him like Archie or a nurse or even a cab.
"No no, I took a bus then walked the rest of the way." He tells me with a smile.
"Grandpa.~ You should've called me. I would've been more than happy to get you." I say to him with a smile.
"Oh, hush. I'm old not useless." He says with a bright smile. He was stubborn like I can be, which made me chuckle.
"Ok, fair enough. I just don't want you hurt is all." I say as I let him sit.
"I'm fine, Aria. Really." He tells me with a smile.
"Do you need a drink?" I asked him politely.
"Yes, some water please." He said happily.
I smiled and went to get him water. I heard Dad come out and talk with Grandpa before I came back with the water. I gave it to grandpa, he thanked me and drank, before sitting down and talked to him. We talked about aliens and other things, like the big foot in the woods here, as the bell rang. Dad went and let Archie and his parents in. Archie sat down, joining the conversation immediately, as we talked and laughed. Then grandpa pulled out two presents for us. He loved to spoil us rotten, especially me since he hasn't seen me the first 15+ years of my life. It also helps that he's very well off, not rich but has money to burn I guess, but Archie and I don't ask much. Our cousins get gifts too, but they were a bit ungrateful and when it's cash they somewhat complain because they were wealthy and it was annoying.
"Here you kids go. I hope you enjoy them." Grandpa said with a smile as he handed us some boxes.
I let Archie open his first and he gawked at the new laptop. He thanked grandpa, hugged him and was super happy over it. It looked like his old one except a newer model. I was happy he got a new one, since his old one had a few buttons that started sticking, before opening mine. I opened the box and saw a case. I was confused until I opened it. I gasped before pulling it out. It was a violin. Not just a normal one, though. This one was the one I was eyeing while with Dilton. I looked up, eyes still wide in shock, as grandpa was smiling.
"I heard you used to play and I saw you leave the store with a boy. I talked to the owner, an old friend of mine, and ended up buying it for you along with a couple lessons from the shop owner. I hope you like it." He says with a smile. I was speechless. All I could do was get up and hug him.
"Thank you." I say as I showed a smile on my face.
After I put it away, we went to have dinner. We talked, I had cooked earlier before changing, got compliments on the food and everything went smoothly. After everything, Archie and I left, Uncle Fred and Aunt Mary were bringing Grandpa home, while we headed to Pop Tate's in my car since Archie didn't drive.
"You going to play the violin again?" Archie asked me since I got the gift.
"Well, I was looking at them with Dilton but figured it would be better not to. Since grandpa got it for me, I figure I'll make time to learn for him." I say as I made a turn.
"Well, I heard you were good. Plus, you're smart so you'll learn fast." He says with a smile.
"Thanks, but I just hope it's not too much." I say honestly to him.
"Yeah, don't overdo it." He tells me as we parked the car.
I looked and saw no other cars were here, except Pops' car, so we were a bit early. We got inside and waited for everyone to show up. Jughead came in next, still in uniform and smelling like pizza, as he came right over and pulled me into a hug with a kiss on the cheek. I giggled before he pulled me onto his lap as he sat down. Archie and Pops were talking as Jughead kissed my neck, making me giggle from both the tickling feeling and his actions.
"Jughead.~ That tickles." I whisper as I tried to get him to stop.
"But your giggles are adorable." He whispers in my ear. I blushed at his words as he held me closer.
"I love that you smell like Pops burgers." He whispers to me before I hear him inhale through his nose.
"Makes me want to slather some ketchup on you and-" He was about to continue but then got his ear pulled followed by a loud yelp in my ear. I jumped away, holding my ringing ear, as I saw Archie had Jughead by the ear.
"Alright, enough with the flirting." Archie scolded him as he got protective. I smacked Archie's arm, not too hard but hard enough to get him to back off, as I gave him a stern look.
"You do the same thing with Betty and Veronica and I don't stop you unless it's important. No one is here right now so no excuses." I scolded him gently.
Archie only rolled his eyes but couldn't say anything as Betty, Veronica, and Dilton, whom I went over and kissed on the cheek, entered the shoppe. We all sat down as Archie, per usual, took charge. They talked about volunteering, making outfits and Jughead offered to make the burgers.
"No Jughead." I said sternly.
"Aw,~ why not?~" Jughead whined out a little bit. He was adorable.
"1. You'd eat them and 2. If I don't know Pops' secret recipe, even though I've worked here for a long time, then why would he let you? I mean, you're cute and a good cook, but no. No way." I said plainly to him. He whined but then gave a smile.
"You're right, can't argue with logic. Plus my job would keep me too busy." Jughead claimed as he went back to thinking. Pops then made a point about Betty working for free is wrong and the cost of the uniforms.
"Yeah… Hey.~ What's wrong with the uniform?" I asked as I suddenly realized she wanted to change the uniform.
"Well, it's… Old fashioned." Veronica said as she tried to think of a nice way to say it. She was trying harder with that at least.
"So? This is an old fashioned place and the outfit matches the Grease theme." I pointed out to her.
"True, but it's a mess." She tells me.
"You try working and not getting messy." I say as I crossed my arms.
"Reggie's right, then. Maybe I'm too friendly to stay in business." Pops said as he sat at the bar and sulked.
"Well, I'm friendly but that's not the problem Pops. We need speed and I'm going as fast as I can go. Maybe if I helped in the kitchen as much as I do out here, perhaps we would be faster." I stated logically. Dilton, throughout this time, had been writing/drawing plans in his notebook, very quietly, until he decided to speak.
"First of all, Reggie is never right." Dilton muttered loud enough for us to hear. I mentally smacked my head as I realized I never pointed out Reggie being wrong
. "Second, Aria is correct. This isn't about friendliness, this is about speed." Dilton said in a slightly louder tone, causing a faint blush on my cheeks from the compliment, before stretching and standing up.
"The reason why Speedy Burger is popular is because they're fast. Why?" Dilton spoke as he went to the front where Archie was and waited for the answer.
"No. No no no." I stated, knowing full well where he was getting at, as I stood up and decided to be firm on this.
"What?" Dilton questioned curiously.
"No Dilton. The answer is no." I state firmly.
"No to what?" Pops asked curiously.
"Dilton thinks technology will save the day on this one." I explain as I had a bad feeling on this.
"Exactly. Pops, is your food pre-made?" Dilton asked as he asked Pops instead of me.
"No way. I make the food fresh when the customer orders it." Pops explained as if it were obvious.
"And that's why it's good. Speedy Burger makes the food ahead of time, then recooks it in a microwave. That's why the food sucks but is fast. Dilton, I get that you want to help, and any other time I'd support you, but not this time. We do need to make a few changes, but not pre-make the food and then recook it or bar-coding inventory. I will admit though, we need a cash register." I say as I went behind the desk to show off the antique adding machine Pops and I had been using.
Why?
Because the register finally broke and became fully unusable.
"My father gave me that in 1952!" Pops exclaimed to me.
*1952? Ok, how old is Pops?* I thought to myself.
"But Aria, the world is advancing fast and we need to keep up with it." Dilton explained to me.
"I know, believe me I know, but there are some things we don't need versus what we do." I explained as I was now being stubborn.
"But the lack of technology is leading Pops to disaster." Dilton explained, making a valid point.
"But, what can I do?" Pops suddenly asked.
"I say we need to organize a bit better, maybe do a promotion of sorts or an activity night, a new register for sure and that's it. Everyone will see how bad Speedy Burger really is and come back." I voiced my opinion.
"Automate is better. We'll modify this place with machines!" Dilton said as he ignored me. My blood was boiling but I kept my cool.
"No. N. O. We are not doing that!" I exclaimed as my tone was much more stern and commanding now. Dilton suddenly turned to look at me.
"Why are you being stubborn?" Dilton asked me suddenly.
"Because this place is fine as is and an automate will take my place!" I exclaimed to him. Yes, those were two of my three reasons.
"It won't take your job Aria, it'll improve it and assist you." Dilton tried to reason, but I stopped him.
"No it won't. It'll end up doing my job to where I won't have one." I say as I crossed my arms.
"Where would we get them fingle fangled gizmo's anyhow?" Pops suddenly asked in a worried tone.
"I'll invent them." Dilton exclaimed as he went to show us the plans he was working on.
"No, definitely not." I said as I shut down the idea quickly.
"But, why not?" Dilton suddenly asked me, shock was written in his voice more than his face.
"Because 1. It'll take too much time and 2. Nothing personal, but some of your inventions tend to… Fail." I said as I reminded him of his past inventions. Most failed or broke or caused a disaster in the town that could've been prevented.
"But it will work! Plus, I'll work all night! How can you tell me my inventions are failures? Yes, they faulted in one way or another, but they still worked." Dilton exclaimed as I saw him getting upset.
"Dilton, I'm not trying to be mean. If you rush, then you will mess up or something could go wrong. Also, they tend to cause mysteries or something bad that we have to stop. I just think that we need minor things and not your whole lab." I explained as I was nice but honest.
"Let's let Pops decide. It's his shop." Dilton suddenly pointed out. I frowned more as I realized he had a point.
"Well, even if I chose this, it seems… Impersonal." Pops suddenly piped up. Dilton went over and showed him the ideas and explained them all. I rolled my eyes at this.
*It's my job though!* I thought bitterly as I gave a low growl. The growl startled me and I noticed everyone was paying attention to Dilton and didn't hear my inhuman growl.
*This is getting bad. Is it linked to my anger?* I thought as Archie started saying something about more work and Dilton mentioned a tiny computer. I was now tuned back in to what Dilton is saying.
"Dilton! You don't have a tiny computer for this! This is preposterous!" I explained as I felt my blood boil again.
"Ah, but I do have one. I recently made it." Dilton told me.
"Oh? When? And why didn't you tell me or let me help like always?" I asked, very suspicious now, as I crossed my arms and raised my eyebrow.
"Well, I don't have to work on everything with you." Dilton suddenly said before he pulled something out of his pocket.
"Everyone, meet the Stanley 9000." Dilton then introduced. I felt a pang in my heart at Dilton's words, how hurtful they sounded towards me, as everyone eyed the new gadget.
*Why did he say that? We always work on inventions or at least talk about them together. Does he… hate me?* I thought as Archie asked about where he got it and claimed he couldn't have made it. Dilton got very defensive and nervous suddenly.
*Is he lying? Why?* I thought as Pops looked worried.
"Well, ok Dilton. I suppose we can try a test run." Pops suddenly agreed. Dilton happily thanked him and rushed off while I had a look of hurt on my face.
*He agreed? Why? Things don't need to change that much.* I thought as I felt upset.
"You ok, Aria?" Archie suddenly asked me. Pops seemed to take notice too.
"I… I guess..." I said as I couldn't muster up much words.
"Don't fret, Aria. I promise you'll still have a job here and keep assisting customers." Pops assured me. I sighed in defeat.
"Alright." I say as I felt my heart grow heavy. I had grown attached to this job and was more in it for the customer service, the style of the place and more rather than the money. This job, this Shoppe, was a big part of my life. I hated to think about leaving here, and this town, let alone being replaced by some machine.
*But it's Pops' decision so, even if I hate the idea, I should respect it.* I thought to myself. With nothing left to discuss we all headed home for the night. I had brought Archie home and was now in the car with Jughead. I started driving but Jughead caught my attention.
"Hey, let's go to the cliff tonight." Jughead suddenly said. I looked at him, dumbfounded at the sudden request, before doing what he suggested.
"Why the suggestion all of a sudden?" I asked him curiously.
"I didn't want to ask with Arch I the car, you know how he gets, plus I figured we could have one of our nightly thinks together. I didn't get to do much thinking on my usual walk tonight and I like spending time with you." Jughead explained casually to me. I didn't realize I had a smile on my face as my worries seemed to melt.
"I'd like that." I said softly as I drove us all the way to the cliff where we first saw that ship Gleebo was in. I parked and turned the car off before popping the top off. It was a nice night, no clouds, and we could see the stars so it was perfect.
"You're really upset about the change, aren't you?" Jughead asked me suddenly, even though he knew the answer.
"Yeah. I don't want to lose my job." I comment as we reclined our seats and looked up at the night sky.
"You won't. No way Pops would ever get rid of you." Jughead assured me.
"Yeah..." I say softly as my gaze never left the stars.
"Dilton hurt your feeling. I could tell when he gave that comment about not sharing everything with you." He suddenly said.
"Read me like a recipe book, you can." I commented in a Yoda like way. I might not be a big fan of Star Wars, but I understood many things and used references at times from it. Jughead chuckled at my comment.
"'ej SoHvad nay' pup Hoch poH." (And you're the perfect dish every time.) He said in Klingon. I loved speaking in Vulcan and Klingon to him because it made us feel like we're in bubbles no one can burst but very few can enter if they know how.
"mum QaQ vIta' vaj?" (Do I taste good?) I asked jokingly in Klingon.
Next thing I knew, Jughead had pulled me on him, grateful I didn't move the gearshift at all, and began passionately kissing me. I kissed him back as my hands rested on his shoulders while his arms were wrapped around my hips, hands grazing my sides, as our tongues swirled in each other's mouths in a battle of dominance while getting a taste of each other. I had let a small moan escape as his kisses soon trailed down my neck, then up, before stopping right at my ear.
"Very. I would have you over Pops' burgers any day." He huskily whispered in my ear before gently blowing in it. I shivered in delight while blushing.
*But Jughead loves those burgers.* I thought before pulling up and looked him dead in the eyes.
"Jughead… Do you mean that? I mean… Do you love me that much?" I asked him cautiously. I knew he loved me, he even said so, but I couldn't say it back because I wasn't sure.
"Very much so. I understand if you don't or can't say yet, but no matter what I'll still have these wonderful moments." He confessed to me.
My heart felt like it would burst as I felt a flaming emotion course through me. Did I love him, though? Do I feel like this because of the way Dilton treated me? Either way, I caved to the heat coursing through me and passionately kissed him again, to which he replied quickly. This was the thing with Jughead. He was childish and intelligent, but ever since we had started dating and kissing he's… Well…. He's had this odd side to him. A good one, though. He was like a normal teenage boy. Hormonal. I didn't mind because I was the same way with him.
We passionately kissed, our tongues fighting for dominance again, as his hands would trail my sides and my butt, our bodies becoming hot and mildly sweaty as we grind our bodies together. I adjusted my legs to straddle him so the grinding could be more intense, as we moaned in pleasure from this. His grinds were rough but his hands were gentle, almost as if cautious, as I felt, at one point, his hands lifted a very small part of my shirt by accident. I smirked before sitting up.
"You know, I still find it unfair Reggie ended up seeing me topless." I commented as my lids were half closed while my voice was smooth.
"Why would you bring that up?" Jughead suddenly asked me. I took a breath and decided to be bold.
"Because good boys, like you, deserve a small treat." I commented seductively before slipping my top off and tossed it in the back seat. I know, the top of the car was off and the windows down, but we were alone and in the dark and by the woods. I then felt something slightly hard under me as Jughead started eye-balling my breasts while drooling.
"You like?" I asked him as I rubbed his chest. I knew the answer, but I just wanted to hear him say it.
"Yeah… Me likey." He commented with a dopey grin. God damn he was cute. I slipped my hands back and unclipped my bra.
"Well, I think we can do a bit better." I commented seductively before I slipped it off and tossed it in the back with my top. I then felt full hardness under me, blushing at knowing what it was, as he blushed as well.
"Well… Now I see why Reggie brags." Jughead suddenly commented.
"Wait, what?" I suddenly said before I felt Jughead's hands cupping my breasts. I gasped before he started gently rubbing them. I moaned as I began grinding against him again.
"They're perfect… They feel amazing as well." He commented quietly, slightly moaning as well, as his thumbs brushed against my, already erected, nipples.
I gasped again, a soft moan escaping with it, as I felt my heat spreading all over me more and more. I bent down and we began kissing and moaning again, our grinds in sync, while he kept massaging my breasts, playing with my nipples every so often. I felt his hardness grind against me perfectly as I felt myself get wet from this. I then felt Jughead bump me up, forcing my lips away from his, before moaning at his lips wrapped around my right nipple.
"Jughead.~" I moaned out softly as he gently sucked on it. Oh god, Jughead was amazing!
I know he's a virgin, and I am too, but he knew exactly what he was doing. Instinct I suppose. I moved one hand up to grip the top of my seat as my other hand gripped his hair to keep him nestled where he was as our grinding kept going. I didn't know how far we'd get, and at this moment I honestly didn't care, as I enjoyed his touch. He would switch from his lips to flicking his tongue over my nipple, then switched nipples after a bit. My soft moans told him he was doing everything right and I felt him smiling from this. I then gasped as Jughead's right hand went into my shorts and panties. As soon as he found the 'gem' and grazed his finger over it, my head flung back as I moaned and shivered in delight. Jughead gave a soft moan, while sucking my nipple, before he began massaging my gem. I blushed a rosy red while moaning in pleasure, his name escaping my lips every few seconds, as I felt a knot form in my belly. He massaged faster while his other hand got slightly rough with my free boob, now nipping my nipple and tugging gently, as my grip tightened and moans got a bit louder.
"Jughead! I… I think I'm… Gonna…" I moaned out as I lost track of my words due to the sheer pleasure and the knot getting tighter. He then put more pressure on my gem and massaged it full force, causing me to vibrate and whimper in delight, as he left my nipple and trailed his kissed up to my neck, kissing the crook of it, before going to my ear.
"Let it out. I want to hear you cry out my name from me." He whispered before going to my neck and began leaving a hickey. I vibrated more and more as my whimpering moans got a bit loud. I then made a begging whimper when he stopped but then moaned his name in shock as he slipped a finger inside my womanhood and pumped with all he had. He could barely move in my jeans, so I quickly unbuttoned and zipped them, as I grind into his knuckles fast and hard, begging for my release.
"This feels better than what I imagined." Jughead moaned out once he finished leaving me a vary dark hickey.
"So~ good! I'm close!" I moaned out as the movements were rough. I decided to reach my hand in his pants and gently gripped his erection, making him gasp, before stroking it to the same speed we were going. We were both moaning in delight as we enjoyed the heat of the moment. This wasn't like us, since we weren't like other teens, but at the same time we're teens and this is normal. Right?
"Gah! Aria! I'm close!" Jughead cried out as I felt him throbbing in my hand. I tightened around his finger before crying out as my knot finally released, making me spill my juices all over his finger and knuckles. He slowed to a stop, my grinding stopped, as I kept playing with his erection for a bit longer until he cried out and I felt something wet and sticky coat my hand. I stopped completely as we both pant but didn't move from our places.
"Sorry..." Jughead then muttered through his heavy pants. I moved to look at him curiously.
"For what?" I asked him.
"For moving too fast." He said to me suddenly. I rolled my eyes and pecked his lips.
"I provoked it. Besides, I didn't want you to stop." I say before, carefully, moving my hand out of his pants.
"But… Did I force you?" He suddenly asked. I realized he was worried about consent.
"No, not at all. Did I force you?" I asked as I reached behind me, opened the glove box and pulled out the spare napkins I had before closing it and put some on his chest before cleaning my hand up. I shivered when he moved his hand out of my shorts and began cleaning up.
"No, but this was a surprise." Jughead said to me.
"Your idea to come up here, you kissed first, I let my body do what it wanted and I enjoyed it. Did you?" I asked after giving my explanation.
"Heck yeah, but..." Jughead said happily but then trailed off. I realized why and leaned down to peck his cheek before moving to his ear.
"I never did this with Dilton. To be honest, I don't think I would." I whispered before leaning back up. Jughead looked shocked as he stared at me.
"R-really?" He asked in shock. I blushed lightly and nodded yes.
"Why?" He asked me curiously.
"Because he doesn't seem to be into that. Everyone is different when it comes to relationships and I can respect that." I explained before feeling a nagging feeling in the back of my brain.
Was it a form of guilt? Was it because I didn't do these things with Dilton? Or was it because my feelings for Jughead were beginning to triumph over Dilton? Maybe I only lusted Jughead but loved Dilton? Or am I just using them both and not realizing it? I hated questions with no answers. They bothered me a lot. I didn't get time to answer because I heard something. I looked up and saw a light before panicking.
"Shoot! Car!" I squeaked out before grabbing my top and bra. Jughead looked as I slipped in my seat. As soon as the I saw the lights on us and hearing a car motor before hearing it go into park, I managed to get my bra and top on while fixing my jeans. We fixed up fast and made it seem like we were star gazing before seeing Sheriff Werewolf come up to us with a flashlight.
"Oh Geeze, Sheriff. Scared me half to death." I commented innocently before sitting up.
"Miss Andrews? Mr. Jones? What are you two doing up here?" He asked us in a slightly shocked tone.
"Stargazing and talking in Klingon about odd topics, like if the ocean turned purple, would the sky as well?" I said, stating a random example, as we both smiled at him innocently. The sheriff looked between us, seeing nothing wrong at all, before sighing.
"Alright, that's fine. I just need you two to head on home though. It's late and getting past the town curfew for you teens." He tells us.
"Sorry. We will be going now. Thank you." Jughead said as we adjusted out seats and put our seat belts on. The sheriff nodded, bid us good night, then got back in his car before driving off. I started the car before we looked at each other and laughed a bit.
"That was close." Jughead said as we calmed down.
"Too close." I said as I put the car in reverse and backed up.
"I can't believe we got away with that." Jughead said as I drove down into town.
"It's because we're both good kids and not like other teens, supposedly. We have clean slates." I comment honestly before stopping at a stop light. I saw the time and groaned.
"What's wrong?" Jughead asked me.
"It's almost 11pm." I say and showed him the clock.
"Oh gosh. I'm sorry." Jughead said to me.
"It's fine. It was worth it." I say, winking at him, before driving after the light turned green.
"So… Um… Could… We do this again?" Jughead asked shyly as he rubbed the back of his head in awkward shyness while blushing. I blushed too as I felt my heat spark up.
"Y-yes… When the time's right." I commented before pulling up to his place.
We didn't say much after that. I think it was because we just felt awkward from our first time having advanced foreplay like that. The only thing we did was give each other a quick kiss, said goodnight and I watched Jughead go into the house before driving off to my home. I had snuck in the house quietly, since dad was sleeping, and went to my room. I got into shorts and a tank top before laying in bed with my cheeks a nice shade of pink. My mind raced over this but, oddly enough, I didn't regret my brash actions. I did, however, wonder how Jughead felt.
*Jughead's POV*
I had snuck in my home and to my room as my face was red. I couldn't get what we did out of my mind. Why would I do that? We've been dating for a while, yes, but she was also dating Dilton! Her words echoed in my head.
'Because good boys, like you, deserve a small treat.'
'Well, I think we can do a bit better.'
'I never did this with Dilton. To be honest, I don't think I would.'
Those words echoed in my mind as I felt my body heat up again.
*Darn it! Why am I like this? I mean, the first time we had that fancy dinner date I set up, I was excited but kept control. This time though, being alone and seeing her topless for the first time, I lost it! Is this what it's like? What Sex Ed warned us about with our hormones?* I thought as my thoughts raced.
enjoyed what we did, and Aria did too, but was it right? I mean, marriage should be first, right? Will we go further? Is this right to do? Especially if she's still with Dilton? I hate questions with no answers. It's very bothersome. I only suggested the cliff to stargaze and talk. Maybe even kiss. This was more than I bargained for and, I won't lie, I enjoyed every second of it. So… Where do her and I stand? And where does she stand with Dilton?
I suppose I should wait on…
No!
I'm getting that for her! It will either be a wonderful thing or a painful reminder. Either way, she's worth it. After a couple more hours of thinking I finally nodded off to sleep. I hope tomorrow will be well for her.
*Next day, Aria's POV*
I had been up very late, getting only 2 hours of sleep, because of my thoughts. I decided to walk today, not risking driving, as I ate an egg sandwich. I yawned as I finished my food, tossed the trash in a near by can and ran as I saw Pops.
"Morning Pops!" I called out before catching up to him. He was walking towards the shop, usually there before me except this time. He turned to look at me and smiled.
"Morning. Ready for work?" He asked me with a smile.
"Always. I'm just worried Dilton will take it too far with his love for technology." I explained my honest opinion. Pops then pat my upper back in understanding.
"I understand, though I'm surprised. You are usually the one who supports him and even assists him. Why the change?" Pops spoke to me then asked. I sighed softly.
"I'm just worried something bad will happen. A feeling I suppose. I feel the Chock'lite Shoppe is perfect in it's vintage glory, hence why the updates will take it away. I also feel Dilton, while meaning well, is not thinking clearly. He thinks only about being praised, acknowledged and even rewarded for what he does, not on the harm it could cause or how it'll ruin something that's meant to represent the past, the memory of it." I explained as I saw the shop ahead.
"Well that's reasonable. Let's just test this out, for a few days, before deciding it's bad." Pops suggested. I saw him smile but a hint of sadness in his eyes. He agreed with me, I knew it, but he wanted to try this and give the benefit of the doubt. I gave a soft smile towards him.
"I suppose it couldn't hurt much. Maybe I'm blowing this whole thing out of proportion." I said as we arrived at the shop.
Once we opened the shop, knowing Dilton was in here all night and had left the doors unlocked, we walked in. My jaw hit the floor at the change. I couldn't believe it. The shop looked different! It was more futuristic, advanced, nothing like how the shop used to look at all! The only thing that was the same was the floor design, the jukebox, the wall color and the old car on the wall. That's really it. I disliked this a lot.
"Then again, maybe I'm not." I mutter as I gained my composure. Dilton came out of the kitchen, with his tool belt, and smiled at us.
"Greetings. Ready to open for business?" Dilton asked us.
"Dilton… What did you do?" I asked in shock. Before Dilton could answer though, we got a few customers in.
I sighed and got ready to work. I took orders and went to Pops and Dilton. Dilton took the order, put it in a cellphone and in 2 minutes a tray full of food hovered over us and went down right in front of a customer. I saw this happen with other tables, claws coming out to pour ketchup or refill drinks, that sort of thing. Archie soon came in and came to us in amazement. Archie, Pops and Dilton were smiling at the customers. I wasn't. Dilton was explaining this to us as he guided us to the main computer in the back to show us everything. I frowned more over this. I saw the cameras and everything. Pops explained how he felt useless but Dilton explained that Pops would be more social with everyone, which perked Pops up.
"I don't like it." I said sourly. The three looked at me.
"What? Why?" Dilton asked me in shock. I only looked at the Stanley 9000 instead of him.
"Dilton, you took away my job after promising you wouldn't. What do I do? This machine serves the customers, does the cooking and dishes, calculates the bills, everything that Pops and I do. I can't just socialize all the time, that's not work for me. I mean, really, what do I do? You assured us I'd still have a job but it feels like I don't." I explained as I felt sour. I didn't see Dilton's face drop at all of this.
"Well, I hate to say it, but she's right Dilton. I can't just pay her to do nothing, but I don't want to fire my best, and only, loyal employee." Pops said as he realized this too.
"Well, you don't have too. I have a special job for her." Dilton said in a nervous tone. I turned and looked at him, seeing him be nervous, and knew he was lying but played along.
"Oh? Care to share?" I asked as my sour tone stayed with me.
"Well… Besides engaging with customers and helping to seat them, you'll… Um… Get to do maintenance during and after hours!" Dilton said as he went from nervous to having a plan. I raised my eyebrow at him.
"Hear me out. I can't always be here, you still want to work, you're just as smart as I am with inventing so you're the best person to help make sure the Stanley 9000 is running efficiently as well as being able to call me in case of an emergency. Pops wouldn't be able too since he doesn't know much on computers and I trust you with this." Dilton explained. I was still sour, but darn it he had a point.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Mr. Tate, the burger machine needs more ground beef." The Stanley 9000 said to us. I was creeped out by this thing. To be fair, I've been creeped out with talking machines since Vlad and Leon.
"Oh yeah, coming right up." Pops said as he rushed into the back to grab his fresh ground beef. I looked right at Dilton.
"I'm not happy about this, not one bit, but I'll do this. For Pops and the Chock'lit Shoppe." I tell him as I tried to compromise.
"See? It'll work out. Plus, you and I can spend more time together." Dilton added. My eyes narrowed when he said that.
*Did this genius just make it so I could spend more time with him? Really?* I thought as I was shocked at this.
"Excuse me. I need to check on everything quickly." I say as I start to walk out.
"I have everything under control, Miss Andrews." Stanley 9000 told me.
"I still wish to see for myself, thank you." I said before walking out. I was annoyed with everything as I walked around. Everything was fine, as Stanley 9000 said, but I needed to be preoccupied. I was able to clean before Stanley 9000 could and that was good enough for me. At least I could try to calm down.
*Archie's POV*
I heard what Dilton said and was a bit shocked. Maybe he meant it in a good way, but it annoyed Aria badly. I decided to talk to Dilton about all of this now.
"That's amazing, Dilton. But it feels like the machine has got the humans working for it instead of the other way around. Where did you get that gizmo again?" I commented then asked. I remember him telling Aria he made it, but he seemed nervous when saying that.
"Huh? I told you, I found it in a magazine." Dilton told me. I frowned at him.
"No, you said you made it." I said to him.
"O-oh yes, well, I… Uh..." Dilton started in a nervous tone.
"Dilton! Where did you get that?" I asked in a stern tone. He lied about making it, lied about finding it in a magazine, so why is he lying?
"I, uh, found it… In a dumpster behind a computer factory. I figured out what it did when I got home." Dilton confessed to me.
"Well, I gotta go home and work on my new invention. Bye." Dilton said as he started leaving.
"Oh no you don't." I said as I grabbed his arm and made him look at me.
"Why did you lie? Especially to Aria?" I asked him sternly. We were cousins, yes, but after her spending over a year here we became more like siblings. I was going into protective brother mode now. Dilton looked away as he got nervous.
"Well..." Dilton started but trailed off.
"Well?" I asked him. Dilton then sighed.
"I feel like Aria and I are drifting apart. I care for her deeply, I really do, but I'm tired of sharing her with Jughead. I feel like she spends more time with him then with me and it's bothersome. I wanted to show off, show her how smart I am, show her why we started dating in the first place. I hate the feeling of us drifting apart and thought this would impress her. Instead, it didn't. Trying to help Pops and impress her made her upset. I then thought 'If I made her job very easy, then her and I could spend more time together' but now, well, I just made it worse." Dilton confessed as he kept his gaze away from me.
"Why not tell her?" I say to him.
"I have told her, but she says she spends equal amount of time with me as she does with Jughead. She also says I'm too clingy and need to give her space." He said sadly.
"Dilton, she's right. I've seen her cancel plans to spend time with you, move her schedule around to even things out between you and Jughead and Jughead and I have seen how you get a bit clingy with her. This isn't healthy, you know this, and she care for you too. But, if you keep this up, then you'll loose her completely. Not just as a girlfriend, but as a friend as well." I tell him. Dilton still looked upset, not looking at me, as he sighed.
"I know, I meant well though." Dilton said in sadness.
"I know, but you need to respect her boundaries and listen to her. She listens to you and does what she can for you. If you keep this up, then you'll loose a friend as well." I tell him, letting him know I meant me as well. Dilton looked at me, getting what I meant, before he nodded.
"You're right. I'm just a jealous lovesick fool. I'll make this right." Dilton told me. I let him go.
"Good." I say to him. Dilton then turned and left, leaving me alone with Stanley 9000. Now that I had gotten some answers, I went to the machine and stared at it.
"Something weird is going on here." I muttered as I examined the machine, unaware of the camera examining me, as I found out who made this.
Mega Micro Industries.
I decided to go investigate why they tossed it out. As I was leaving I decided not to let Aria know about this and about what Dilton told me. At least for now. I then stopped and went back to try and see if I could remove it to return it. Bad idea. I got shocked.
"Youch!" I yelped out as I pulled back and held my hand.
"Sorry. Not my fault." Stanley 9000 said to me.
"You zapped me!" I yelled at it.
"Simply static electricity. Now, please step away from the unit. This unit is off limits to unauthorized personal." It told me. I glared at the machine is distaste. No wonder Aria didn't trust it. Then again, after Vanessa, I don't trust robotic things either.
"This is a joke, right?" I asked in disdain.
"Exit meat thing!" It yelled at me in a non-computerized tone. I was so freaked out that I ran out of the room. Once I was next to the counter, I held my chest as I caught my breath.
*That thing is hostile! I've gotta figure this out fast before it hurts anyone.* I thought as I noticed Aria heading to me with a worried look.
"Archie? What happened?" She asked me worriedly. Should I tell her.
"The Stanley 9000 zapped me. Something is weird but I'm not sure." I say to her.
"How did it zap you?" She asked me.
"I reached to touch it and got zapped." I told her truthfully.
"Well it's probably static, but I get why you're worried. I'll go check it out, just to make sure there's no chance of a fire. What did you and Dilton talk about? You two were in there a while." She explained then asked me.
"Just asked a few questions, that's all. I have to go now." I said before I darted. I didn't want her near the machine, but I trust her to examine everything better than me. Right now, I decided to head out to see why the Stanley 9000 was tossed out and what is going on.
*Aria's POV*
Once Archie left I frowned.
*Something is weird.* I thought bitterly as I went into the back. I was going to figure this out right now. I went into the back and checked out the Stanley 9000.
"Greeting Miss Andrews. How may I help you?" Stanley 9000 said to me.
"What's this about zapping my cousin?" I asked in a bitter tone.
"Simply static electricity. Nothing more." It replied to me. I glared at it.
"No, I doubt that. Still, I'm going to do a quick diagnostics check, just to make sure nothing short circuits." I say as I went over to examine it.
"There is no need, I never make mistakes." It told me.
"Now listen here, you are a machine, I am one of the three in charge of you. You listen to me when I say I'm doing a check up because of what you did. If you don't, I'll rip you out immediately and I don't care if you shock me." I said very sternly to it.
"Just because you're threatened by me doing your job better than you, does not mean you should be hostile." It told me. I felt angry from that but took a deep breath to keep calm.
"This has nothing to do with that. You hurt my family member and I worry you might hurt Pops or a customer. I'm doing the check up and that's that." I say to it in a semi-calm tone.
"You're not authorized to do so." Stanley 900 told me. I felt my anger rise.
"Yes I do, you have no say in my job, plus I'm just making sure you are working at 100% with no issues rather than at 99% with a 1% chance of problems. You don't know if something is wrong unless you're examined properly by a professional. Unless you think that's wrong and think taking chances is better than efficiency." I say as I decided to pull a mild reverse uno card. The Stanley 9000 glowed a few different spots before responding.
"Very well, you may do a proper check up." It told me. I smirk in triumph as I did a quick examination.
Computers weren't 100% my thing, but I knew enough to figure if something was wrong. I examined everything, seeing the company name as well, and concluded it was safe…
For now.
"Alright, you seem to be fine. I'm not sure if you did what you did out of defense, but don't do that again unless necessary or ordered by me, Pops or Dilton." I ordered it.
"Very well." It replied to me. After that I walked out and did my routine the best I could. I was bothered by the company logo.
*Dilton lied to me. Why?* I thought to myself.
I was very upset that I was lied to. This was not looking good on Dilton. I mean, I'm lying to everyone about the DNA change in me, also fearing it's getting worse, but this was different. I'm lying to keep them safe, he lied to keep me closer to him. I'm also sure he's trying to get me and Jughead to breakup because of his jealousy. I mean, I know he cares, but this is overwhelming. I have been giving him a few chances and this was close to the final straw. All day things were moving quickly, but it felt very odd to me. Like, people were forced to leave even if they're not ready. At the end of the day, Pops let me leave an hour early so I went home and immediately called Dilton. I got his mom and asked for Dilton and waited until Dilton got on the phone.
"We need to talk. Now." I said sternly but in a normal tone.
"What's wrong?" He asked me.
"You lied to me." I said sternly to him.
"Wh-what do you mean?" He stuttered out.
"You told me you made the Stanley 9000 but I did an examination after it zapped Archie and it says it was made by Mega Micro Industries." I tell him.
"Oh, well-" Dilton said but I cut him off.
"Please tell me you didn't steal it!" I said sternly over the phone.
"No! I, well, found it in a dumpster. I figured out what it did when I got home. I'm sorry… I just wanted to impress you." He told me quietly over the phone.
"That was stupid. You don't need to impress me. I already liked you, am dating you and still value as a friend. Now… I don't know… This hurt me, Dilton. Between you snapping at me, lying, trying to keep me closer to you and even thinking, possibly acting, to break me and Jughead up is not cool at all. I… I don't get why we can't go back to the beginning… Like the first year we dated. You were not like this at all…" I voiced as I felt my chest hurt.
"Aria-" Dilton said but I cut him off.
"Dilton, I don't want a half donkey apology. I want you to think about how upset I am, how hurt I am, why I'm scolding you. If you can't understand why then we're done. This is low, Dilton. Not even Veronica and Betty go this low. Heck, Reggie doesn't even go that low and he's Reggie." I say to him.
"Aria wait-" Dilton started saying but I hung up. I was not happy at all. I took a deep breath before calling Archie's cell number.
(Yes, he got a cellphone for emergencies.)
"Hello." Archie answered.
"I know Dilton didn't make the Stanley 9000. I got him to tell me everything. Did you know?" I asked him in a sour tone.
"He told me and I'm sorry for not telling you. I was going to tell you later tonight but you beat me to it." He tells me. I sighed.
"You confronted him, huh?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I got protective." He tells me.
"Thank you. Now, what about the Stanley 9000?" I asked him.
"I'm close to the address. I'll call you after I find out more about it." He tells me.
"Ok. Be safe and quick about it." I say before hanging up.
Something was clearly wrong and I didn't like it one bit. I had no choice but to wait on it all. I decided to change and make a quick dinner for dad for when he came home. About 40ish minutes later the phone rang.
"Andrews residence, Aria speaking." I answered.
"Aria! Get to the Chock'lite Shoppe now!" Archie said frantically.
"Archie? What's wrong?" I asked in a worried tone.
"The Stanley 9000 is dangerous, deadly even, and we need to destroy it!" He tells me. I paled at his words.
"I'll hurry now." I say before hanging up.
I grabbed my keys and darted to my car before speeding to the Shoppe. The lights were on, meaning Pops was still here, so I parked out front and ran in. I saw Pops and Dilton trying to save Jughead, strapped to a chair and burgers piled on him, because of something else Dilton made and controlled by the Stanley 9000. I acted quickly and ran into the back, while Dilton and Pops were trying to get the arms to stop, and went to the machine.
"Stop it now!" I ordered it.
"You now have no authority over me." It told me.
"I'm not giving you a choice!" I told it as I ran and pulled some wired out. I watched as Archie came in and managed to break the chair. I pulled out more wires until I got electrocuted. I yelped as I flung back a bit. I glared and saw it was turned off, or so I thought.
*That'll have to do for now.* I thought before I got up and went out.
"You ok Jughead?" I asked as I came out.
"Yeah, just fi-holy mother of burgers. What happened?" Jughead asked me as all 4 looked at me in shock.
"What?" I asked before looking at the window. I saw my reflection and my jaw dropped. My hair was standing on ends now just like Archie's did from the sewer mystery. Archie ten started laughing.
"Now we're even." Archie lightly laughed out. I turned and glared at him.
"This happened because I shut the Stanley 9000 down, yours happened because you plugged in too many plugs and shorted out Betty's fuse box." I exclaimed before fixing my hair as best as I could. We all went outside and decided to talk about this.
"Why are we out here?" Pops asked us.
"In case I didn't fully shut that thing down." I said matter of fact like.
"She's right. That thing is dangerous." Archie told them.
Jughead pulled me close to him in a comforting way as Archie and Dilton argued back and forth about the Stanley 9000 and what was discovered. Jughead even voiced it wasn't cool he lied about making it. In the end, we went back inside and turned everything off to make sure. I tried to pull the Stanley 9000 out but couldn't.
"I can't get it off." I said as I gave up.
"I'll have to go home and return to disassemble it with my tools." Dilton explained. I turned and looked right at Dilton.
"I told you this was a bad idea. I wish you would've at least listened to me instead of demanding that you were right. Next time listen instead of dominating." I said in a cold tone before walking out. I know that hurt Dilton, but he needed to know how lying to me hurt me too. I walked out and went to my car but then felt my hand get grabbed. I looked and saw Jughead with a worried look.
"You ok?" He asked me. I saw the concern in his eyes and finally cracked.
"No." I said as my eyes watered. I then hugged him for comfort. He didn't hesitate and hugged me back. He didn't ask what was wrong or anything, he just held me and comforted me. That was exactly what I needed too.
"Want me to stay the night with you?" Jughead asked me softly. I nodded yes.
"Please." I whispered softly. Jughead smiled and opened my driver door for me.
"After you m'lady." Jughead said with a smile.
I gave a soft smile as I got in. He closed it and I started the car as he got into the passenger side. I saw Dilton looking right at us, hurt about this, but I didn't care. He hurt me badly and I was now wondering if I was feeling love for him anymore or just friendship. I ignored that feeling and drove off to my house. I told Jughead everything and he agreed Dilton was in the wrong but also understood why. Jughead knew exactly how to comfort me, understood me, and I loved that about him. We made t to my house and I went in. I saw a message on the answering machine and played it.
"Hey Aria. I wanted to tell you I'm not going to be home tonight. I have a lot of work to do and won't be back until the afternoon. Hope you won't be too lonely. Love you." I heard Dad's voice over the machine before it beeped.
"Looks like we have the place to ourselves now." I say with a small smile. I felt Jughead's arms snake around me in an embrace.
"Movie night?" He asked me.
"Sounds good." I say as I leaned into his embrace. We went into the living room and I popped on a movie. We snuggled close together and enjoyed the movie. I had fallen asleep in the middle of it and was woken up when it was over.
"Mmm. Wha?" I questioned as I felt myself get lifted up.
"Let's get you to bed." Jughead said softly to me. I sleepily wrapped my arms around him and snuggled close to him.
"Yay. Bed." I said in a sleepy childish tone. Jughead chuckled as I felt my bed under me. I let him go as I relaxed. I saw Jughead start to leave so I lunged up and grabbed his hand to stop here.
"No.~ No leave. Sleep here with me." I said in that same sleepy childish tone. Jughead blushed as he looked at me.
"Ya sure?" He asked me. I nodded yes as I gently tugged. He didn't refuse and got in bed with me. I snuggled up close to him, him holding me close to him, as we were under the covers and fell asleep with smiles on our faces.
*Flashback to earlier, Dilton's POV*
Aria ended her call and I felt upset. I was angry because she was mad at me, but I was also sad because I was the cause of it. A minute after she hung up my dad came up to me.
"Did you really do what she said?" He asked me. I then realized he had picked up the other phone to listen in on the conversation.
"Why were you eavesdropping?" I asked him.
"I didn't know you were on the phone until I picked it up. Answer me." He tells me in a stern voice. I only lowered my head. That was enough for him.
"Why did you lie to her and treat her badly? Didn't I raise you better?" He asked me. I felt bad about that.
"I just wanted to prove I was all she needed." I confessed.
"That wasn't the right way." He tells me. I still didn't look up at him. I heard him sigh before he sat next to me.
"Let me give you some advice. If you are trying to prove to her you're better ask yourself this. Are you doing it for her? Or yourself?" He asked me. I looked up at him.
"Her. Why?" I answered quickly. Dad shook his head.
"The way you're acting, it seems to be more for you than her. Think on it." He tells me. I was confused but then thought about everything in the relationship. I frowned as I realized he was right. I liked Aria and enjoyed dating her, but dating her was more for me, my happiness and my need to not be alone mostly rather than for her.
"Y-you're right… It's about me." I said softly.
"Do you like her for her?" He asked me. I nodded yes.
"What about dating her?" He asked me. I couldn't answer but he knew the answer.
"You need to decide whether you'll change for the better, or end it to keep a friend." Dad said before he stood up.
"I just want you to be happy but I also want to be a good man, not a bad one." He added before he left me alone.
My mind spiralled as the thoughts went through my head. Could I change? Would I? I decided to head to Pops to show off my invention, to have time to think on everything before a final decision. There was one thing on my mind though. Could she forgive me?
*Morning Aria's POV*
I woke up to my phone ringing. I rose up and answered my phone.
"Hello?" I answered in a sleepy tone.
"Hey Aria, its Pops." I heard over the phone.
"Pops? Is something wrong?" I asked worriedly. I had the day off today. Did he need help cleaning up?
"Do you mind coming in today? I had an idea on a small movie booth for the shop and was wondering if you'd like to test it out." He says to me. I rubbed my eyes and stifled a yawn.
"I think it's an ok idea." I say as I put my hand down and felt something. I looked and saw Jughead sleeping right there.
"Could I bring Jughead to test as a date?" I asked Pops.
"That sounds like a great idea." Pops said happily over the phone.
"Ok, we'll be over shortly." I say before hanging up. I leaned down and kissed Jughead's cheek. He opened his eyes and looked at me.
"Morning." He mumbled out.
"Wanna head to Pops with me? He said something about a movie booth to test out." I say softly to him.
"Sure, I'd be willing to go." He says happily before getting up. I got in the shower and changed before hearing the phone ring.
"Andrews residence, Aria speaking." I answered.
"Hello Aria, is Jughead with you?" Mrs. Jones asked me kindly.
"Oh hello Mrs. Jones. Yes he is. We fell asleep during a movie." I told her honestly.
"Could you send him home please. Today is Bingo's and Souphead's last day here and we we're all going to go out as a family." She said to me. I slightly frowned before smiling again.
"Not a problem. I have to head into work anyhow. I'll drop him off if you'd like." I offered kindly.
"That would be wonderful, thank you." She said sweetly. We said goodbye before hanging up. Jughead came out of the bathroom as I hung up.
"Jughead, your mom wants you home." I said to him.
"Aw man." Jughead pouted. I leaned up and kissed his cheek sweetly.
"I'll drop you off before I go into work." I say to him. He smiled and pulled me into a hug.
"We should have another movie date soon." He says to me before kissing my lips. I kissed him back before pulling back.
"Definitely." I agreed with him. He let me go and we went to my car. As I drove to his home I decided to talk with him.
"Thank you for staying with me. I needed that." I said with a smile.
"I'll always be here for you, whether it's as a boyfriend or as a friend." Jughead told me, honesty in his tone, as I caught a glimpse of him smiling.
We pulled up to his place, kissed, then he got out and went in as I drove off. I came to a decision, a hard one, and would deal with it later on today. I parked and saw something felt off. I cautiously went to the door and saw things were very different. Before I could react, the door opened, robot claws grabbed me and I was yanked into the store. I screamed and struggled but was soon taped up and set in a back room with a taped up Betty, Veronica and Dilton. I saw the Stanley 9000 was activate and had an upgrade. This was bad. Very bad.
"Welcome Miss Andrews. I hope you're comfortable. It will be the last time you will be." It said to me as fear set in.
*Archie… Pops... Help us.* I thought as we had no choice but to wait for either our heroes to save us or our demise.
Whichever came first. After what felt like hours, probably 2 hours, the Stanley 9000 began talking about humans being the problem. I saw through the camera he was talking to Pops. We were then grabbed and put into a booth like ride as the Stanley 9000 imitated Pops' voice and explained how we would be recycled.
*Recycled?* I thought before we were sent into a trash compactor. Then it turned on and I freaked out! I began struggling as the tape was on tight.
*Come on Morpholomew DNA! If there's anytime to work, it's now!* I thought as nothing happened.
I then decided to use the trash to get it under the tapes to loosen them. It worked and I was free. I helped the others out before trying to figure out a way out. Not good. Not good at all.
'CRASH!'
I jumped before looking at the door. Archie's car crashed through the door, but Pops was the one out of the vehicle.
*Where's Archie then?* I thought before seeing Pops make a mess.
Then it hit me. Pops was distracting while Archie shut the Stanley 9000 down for good by taking out the memory cards first.
*Please hurry.* I thought as I began using the larger items to try and hold the glass compactor walls apart for as long as possible.
The girls and Dilton joined in and tried to prolong it as long as possible. The objects broke easily though and we started getting crushed. I held back tears of fear until the walls stopped moving. I opened my eyes and then saw them move back before the door at the end opened. We ran out and I thanked the stars we were safe. We were all safe and sound. Pops called in contractors and told them how someone faked being him and everything. The company apologized and came over to fix everything. Today the shop would be closed and we went our separate ways. Except for me and Dilton. We looked at each other outside of the shop.
"We need to talk." We both said at the same time. We blinked but nodded.
"Let's talk at the park." I suggested. Dilton agreed and we walked there together. We found a bench and sat down to talk.
"I'm sorry for how I've been. I realized I was in the wrong and shouldn't have acted like that." Dilton said in a genuine voice.
"And I'm sorry for being to harsh on you. I should've been more tender." I replied. I needed to tell him.
"Aria, I wish to terminate our relationship." Dilton suddenly said. I froze at his words and looked right at him.
"Why?" I asked him curiously.
"Because, I've thought about it and have come to realize that, while I do like you, I only like you as a friend. I've also come to realize that I'm only dating you to make myself feel accepted and not alone in this world and my jealousy is because I want you to myself when I know I cannot. Therefore, I cannot continue to pull you along in this relationship and hurt you more and more. I… Hope you're not upset." Dilton said as he looked away at the last part.
The odd thing was, I didn't feel pain in my chest. Only relief. I then started laughing. I don't know why, but I did. Dilton looked right at me, looking as if I slapped him, before I calmed down.
"Oh thank goodness. I'm glad we could agree." I suddenly said. Dilton looked at me in confusion.
"How so?" He asked me.
"Because, for a while now, I wasn't sure on how we were in the relationship. It had started feeling like my chest was tightening. I wanted to talk to you to end this, because I felt we would only be good friends and didn't want to string you along. Hearing you want to end it too has relieved me of both the strain from this and the worry of breaking your heart." I explained. Dilton then understood and softly laughed, which caused me to laugh again.
"So, you're not mad?" He asked me.
"Only if you're not." I said to him.
"Friends?" He asked me as he extended his hand to me. I smiled and gladly took his hand in mine.
"Friends." I say as we shook on it.
Our relationship, as boyfriend and girlfriend, was now over but our friendship remains. A happy ending on both our ends.
Except…
I still had Jughead and Dilton had no one. I felt bad about it but I'd work out something to find a girl for him. Until then, I was his friend he could rely on. We went our separate ways and saw I had a voice mail on the machine. I played it.
"Hey Aria, it's Pops. Since you were put in danger today, I'm going to give you tomorrow off as well. I'll see you working the day after though. Thanks, bye." Pops said in the machine. I smiled as another voice mail came on.
"Hey songbird, listen I had to run out of town for a work emergency. I know it's short notice, but I'll be back in a couple days. Be good until then. Love you." Dad said in the machine. I smiled and was about to call Jughead when a call came in.
"Andrews residence, Aria speaking." I answered.
"Hey, it's Archie." Archie replied.
"Hey Arch." I said over the phone.
"I'll be typing up the story tomorrow, hoping you'd join me, but I saw you and Dilton walk off together. Are you ok?" He asked me.
"Yes, I'm ok. We just ended the relationship is all." I said to him.
"You what?!" Archie asked me in shock.
"Mhm. Turns out we only view each other as friends. We're going to stay friends but we're not dating anymore." I said to him.
"And you both are fine with this?" Archie asked me in a worried tone.
"Yes, we both are. We discussed it and have agreed to be friends only." I informed him.
"Well, alright. As long as neither of you are hurt." Archie said to me.
"We would've ended up with hurt feelings more if we kept dating. This is a clean ending." I told him.
"That's good at least. See ya tomorrow?" He asked me.
"Yes, see you tomorrow." I said and hung up.
I called Jughead and he answered the phone. I told him what happened and how it happened. He made sure I was fine and everything. I asked if he wanted to go on a date tomorrow and he was quick to jump on it. After the talk I called Big Ethel and Midge to see if they wanted to have a sleep over. Midge couldn't but BE could. She came over and we had a girls day until night came. I had told her about the break up and she listened to me.
"So, you and Jughead are still together?" She asked me curiously. I knew she still crushed hard on Jughead but I tried not to let it bother me.
"Yeah. I really do care for him a lot." I said as I smiled a goofy smile over how cute he was.
"Yeah, you're a lucky girl to have a cutie like Jughead." BE says to me.
Now I had another goal. Get BE on a date. I wanted her to see there were other guys besides Jughead. The problem is…
Who?
Night soon came, I made us dinner and we ate, watched movies then went to sleep on the living room floor.
*Next Evening Aria's POV*
Today was a good day. I brought BE home, met Jughead at Pops, went out on a movie date, told some corny jokes and then I took him home.
"Jughead. I'm going to be home alone again. Do you, um, want to… Spend the night again?" I asked him sweetly yet nervously.
"Sure. I'll tell my folk's I'm at Archie's and come over to your place." He tells me with a smile.
"Great. I'm heading to Archie's real fast to type up the weird mystery, but I'll see you tonight." I say and kissed him. He kissed me back and then we went our separate ways. I got to Archie's and we typed up the whole story. Even me and Dilton breaking up. Now we were at the conclusion.
"Dilton dismantled all his labor saving devices and returned the faulty Stanley 9000 to the factory. Jughead quickly got over his Stanley 9000 incident and is now eating burgers like never before and we all appreciate Pops' Chock'lite Shoppe a little more. Now the Chock'lite Shoppe is back to normal and customers have come back after finding out just how good our food is vs. Speedy burger's. ~Aria. So how'd you know Speedy burger tastes bad? ~Archie. Ok, might as well tell. I cheated on Pop Tate's burgers for theres and regretted it. It was yucky. ~Aria. Anyways. Giving personal attention might be 'inefficient', but it makes everyone feel good. Efficient machines are great, but so are friendly people and we need a balance of both. ~Archie. Exactly as I've been saying. ~Aria. … Especially in a little town called Riverdale! ~Archie & Aria."
We finished and I was satisfied.
"Glad everything turned out well." Archie said with a smile.
"Me too. Oh, by the way. If Mrs. Jones asks, Jughead's staying the night here." I say to him.
"Huh? Why?" Archie asked me.
"Because Jughead's actually staying the night at my place for a horror movie marathon and sleepover while I'm home alone." I say to him. Archie rolled his eyes but agreed.
I thanked him and left to meet up with Jughead. I met him at my place and we started up the movies. At 3 am we headed to bed, changing in separate rooms, before snuggling in bed together. We did make out for a bit, but soon fell asleep. No foreplay, only kissing and snuggles.
THANKS FOR READING AND BEING LOYAL. I HAD TO REDO THIS BECAUSE WEIRD CODES KEPT POPPING UP. I DECIDED THAT DILTON AND ARIA SHOULD BREAK UP BECAUSE, WHILE I ADORE DILTON, JUGHEAD HAS LATER BECOME A MATCH. I DON'T USUALLY PLAN WHAT I WRITE, IT USUALLY JUST COMES OUT. IF YOU DISLIKE IT, I'M SORRY BUT NOT SORRY. IT'S JUST HOW THINGS WORK OUT IN REALITY. STILL, GLAD YOU READ IT. REMEMBER, ANY IDEAS ARE WELCOMED.