You stepped into the foyer of Thornhill Mansion and were met with a wave of heat and the stench of body odor and marijuana smoke. You allowed James to tug on your hand, leading you inside in the lavish residence.

After that tense conversation in the diner, you had returned home, retreating into your persona of James's Girlfriend by re-doing your makeup and hair and slipping on a little black dress and heels, much to James's delight.

You smiled at yours and James's mutual acquaintances, sitting primly on a stool near the wall. James quickly gave you a red solo cup and a kiss, gallivanting off to find his friends. You sipped the mixed drink and bopped your head to the music, watching in tired amusement as the your hormone-crazed and inebriated peers grinded on the makeshift dance floor. You waved to Cheryl Blossom, your cheer captain and the party's hostess, who regarded you from the balcony with the same vague distaste she regarded everyone.

The large manor doors swung open once more, revealing a sweet-as-ever Betty Cooper in a dainty pink dress, carting along her boyfriend, Jughead Jones III. Some stopped and stared at the odd pair and whispered in disapproval, but quickly returned to dancing. Betty was a River Vixen, after all. Anyone in her entourage was immune to the status quo of Riverdale High. Archie, Veronica, and Kevin followed closely behind.

Jughead spotted you in the crowd, and began to raise a hand in greeting. You avoided his eyes, tossing back the rest of your drink and quickly weaving through the dancing teens in search of James. Jughead made a move to follow, but halted, remembering Betty's hand firmly ensconced in his.

Cheryl noticed this discreet exchange from her viewpoint on the balcony. Her red lips stretched into a sinister grin.

"Just when things were getting boring," she pondered aloud. "It's time that we had some fun tonight."

Cheryl gathered a group of the most sober party-goers in the den for a game. Among those invited were yourself, James, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, Kevin, and Archie. As you stood in the group of confused individuals, Jughead walked past you, your shoulders brushing ever so slightly. You shivered, meeting his blue eyes, full of intent. He looked away, sitting down on the opposite side of the room with Betty.

"Thank you all again for coming to my quarterly cheer and football de-stress party! Hope you're enjoying the festivities so far," Cheryl said in her saccharine tone, silencing the crowd. "But as you all know, a party is not complete without a party game!"

She swayed her hips, circling the crowd and gesturing for everyone to sit. In one hand, she swung an empty beer bottle.

"How about a little spin the bottle?" She said with a smirk.

Betty opened her mouth in protest, glancing nervously at Jughead.

"Yeah, yeah, blondie, we know you have a boyfriend," Cheryl said. "But so does (Y/N), and Veronica maybe?" She looked at Veronica with a questioning smile. "But it's just a little innocent kissing! Don't make it more than you think it is."

Cheryl winked devlishly. "Or are you afraid of letting your wild side loose?"

Betty bit her lip, looking down. Her reputation as a goody-goody was a known sore spot, and Cheryl knew just how to exploit it.

"Wonderful," Cheryl clapped her well-manicured hands together. "James, why don't you go first?"

James took the bottle, spinning it as hard as he could with an amused grin. "Hope I win big," he said, placing a hand on your knee.

Cheryl, who was surreptitiously holding a industrial-strength magnet to attract the metal bottle cap, navigated the spin so it landed on none other than herself.

"Oh!" Cheryl said, feigning a surprised blush.

James turned to you. He looked nervous. "Babe, can I?"

You glanced back and forth at your peers. "I don't know how I feel about this, James..."

Some of the football players started to boo. "Someone's chained down!" Reggie joked. Another boy said, "Pussy-whipped!"

James leaned in. "Babe," he whispered. "It's just a kiss. You're really embarrassing me right now."

Your eyes fixated on your hands in your lap, which began to shake. You wanted to say no, but you knew how James felt about wanting you to be cool and fit in. "Yeah, go ahead."

James moved to where Cheryl was sitting and lightly touched his lips to hers. Cheryl, evil plan well in mind, grabbed a fistful of his hair, angling their mouths open and pulling their faces closer together. James groaned in pleasure, deepening the kiss further and feeling her body. "Fuck, Cheryl," he muttered. His teammates cheered and pulled out their phones to document the event.

You stared as hard as you could on your–now white-knuckled and visibly shaking–hands. You felt tears of rejection pricking your eyes. You were never good enough, it seemed. Jughead wanted to reach out to you, to grab your hands in assurance. Looking down, he noticed Betty's hands in his, instead.

"Oh my God, (Y/N) is crying!" One guy called out, laughing hysterically.

You looked up in shock. Inadvertently, you let a tear slip. You wiped it away in embarrassment, but more kept forming. Your lip began to quiver, so you bit it down.

Everyone turned to look at you, and began to laugh. They moved so they were recording you instead of James and Cheryl. Archie, Veronica, and Kevin looked at you sympathetically, ready to defend you.

"Wow James, didn't know you were dating a toddler!"

"She mad she can't deliver like Cheryl can?"

"Your girl is unstable!"

James pulled his mouth from Cheryl's. "Oh, Babe," he said in embarrassment. He reached out to you, but you were already walking from the room.

Upon your departure, Jughead stood, eyebrows furrowed in anger. "You're an ass," he said to James. "You're lucky (Y/N) didn't let me beat you up when I had the chance."

He began to walk away to find you, but felt the familiar tug of Betty's hand on his. He looked down at her guiltily.

"Betty, I..." Jughead stammered.

"...go to her," Betty whispered, voice resigned in understanding. Tears of her own began to form, and Archie put an arm around her shoulder. She's gonna be okay, Archie's expression seemed to say.

Jughead stiffly nodded, and left the room.

You'd found a small outcropping of land on the Thornhill property that overlooked the vast forest that encompassed the Blossom family trade. You kicked your heels against the edge of the cliff, taking sad swigs from a bottle you'd swiped on the way out. How could things have gotten so fucked up?

You heard a rustling in the bushes behind you, and turned, panicked. You'd forgotten the possibility of malicious wild creatures in the forest, and had nothing to protect you. Oh dear God, you hoped it was a bunny or squirrel.

Not a bunny, or a squirrel, but a boy appeared from between the trees. His breathing was labored, as if he had been chasing you this whole time.

"I don't want to see you, Jughead," you said, keeping your gaze on the star-freckled night sky. "Go away."

Ignoring you, Jughead sat next to you on the ledge. "What a beautiful night," he said.

You glared at him. "Come to humiliate me further?"

Jughead shook his head. He grabbed the bottle from your hand and took a swig. "Teenagers are horrible, and it seems that James Tanner is not the exception."

You shrugged, nodding with a melancholy smile.

Jughead turned to you. "Why are you with him?" He repeated.

You decided to answer him honestly. "Because you chose Betty."

Jughead leaned in. "What if I could un-make that choice?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Why would you? You love Betty."

He lowered his gaze. "(Y/N), seeing you with James and seeing the way James treats you... it drives me crazy. I couldn't figure out why. It felt like it was more than just the fact that he wasn't making you happy."

He met your gaze again, and something within you felt nervous. "It's because everything he hates about you is everything I love about you the most. I love the way you look, and your poetry, and the fact that you hate popularity. I... I think I love those things about you even more than I've loved anything about Betty. Seeing James take those things away... it was taking away a girl I love. James didn't know what he had right in front of him, and it was the one thing I wanted most."

Your breath caught in your throat. "Oh, Jughead."

His face was only inches away. "I'm done choosing Betty, (Y/N). If I could make the choice over and over again for the rest of my life, it would be you. Every time."

Then, in a moment you'd imagined for years, Jughead Jones III kissed you with more electricity and passion and love than all the kisses you'd received from James, combined.

You pulled away from the kiss, smiling. It really was a beautiful night, after all.