In which Jughead finds a new place where he feels he belongs, and the Gang grows suspicious.

After their first night at Pop's, Jughead's days at the library with (Y/N) felt like something to look forward to rather than something to dread. While for the most part, silent, he would sometimes whisper snide comments or funny observations from his day to her in hopes she would break her studious façade.

His favorite moments were watching her read. While politely guarded in her everyday interactions, her expressions when reading left nothing to the imagination. When a moment in the narrative was particularly suspenseful, she would chew her lip and furrow her brow. When a moment was confusing or loaded, she would flip between pages to remind herself of the events leading up to the revelation. When a moment, he assumed, was amorous in nature, a light pink dusted her cheeks. He found himself ditching the film textbooks and discreetly checking out the same books that she would in hopes he could see into what she was feeling, why she reacted the way she did. He found himself growing nervous that she would catch him staring and retreat to her guarded state, away from their intimacy.

When (Y/N)'s seat across from him at the library table was empty one day, he grew suspicious.

Jughead tried, with no avail, to fix his mop of black hair before knocking on the door of the small house on Pendleton with the yellow paint. With a trembling fist, he lightly knocked on the screen door separating him from the forbidden, inner world of (Y/N).

A small woman with a kind, sun-beaten face opened the door. "Hello?" Her accent was something he couldn't quite place, from his limited cultural interactions in this small town. From the condition of the house and the way Mrs. (L/N) was dressed, Jughead predicted that (Y/N) was wealthier than him, but nowhere near Betty or Veronica.

Jughead focused his thoughts and cleared his throat. "Um, good morning Mrs. (L/N). I'm Jughead Jones, (Y/N)'s friend from school. She wasn't in class today so I brought her homework."

Jughead hoped that (Y/N) was actually home and hadn't snuck out on some clandestine mission, or else he would have absolutely blown her cover. He texted and called her with no answer, so he felt that it was his responsibility–no, his duty as a Riverdale student to make sure she stayed on track. It was a bit difficult since he was only in her English class, but some threatening of the school secretary acquired him her class schedule so he could find the rest of her assignments.

Mrs. (L/N)'s eyebrows raised. "Oh, (Y/N) has a friend from school?" She beamed. "How wonderful! Let me show you inside!" She led him inside by the arm.

The house was small, but neat. Furniture was the bare minimum, but the small-sized living room made it feel cozy. Framed pictures of (Y/N) from kindergarten to high school showed how his friend had matured over the years. A keyboard with a dust-cover sat in the corner.

Mrs. (L/N) led Jughead to an upstairs bedroom and knocked on the door. "(Y/N)? Jughead from school is here!" She gave him a warning glance. "She's been coughing all day so be careful that you don't get sick too!"

The door opened a crack and (Y/N) peeked out. She let Jughead in and shooed her mother away, who left with a giggle.

"Hey, Jughead," (Y/N) said with a tired smile.

Her voice was free of congestion but (Y/N) looked like she'd been through hell. Her usually-curled hair was straight and frizzy from sleep, and the bags under her eyes were on-par with Jughead's. Her eyelids were slightly swollen. She wore a baggy pair of pajama pants and the Riverdale High long-sleeve tee shirt they make you wear in gym class.

"Hey, (Y/N)." Jughead was taken aback. "Are you okay? I was worried when you didn't make it to school."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about not answering your texts, I wasn't feeling well."

"It's okay! Uh, I brought your homework." Jughead thrust a folder of papers towards her. "I can help you with the English readings if you want, since you weren't there."

(Y/N) looked into Jughead's eyes with a sort of tenderness. "Wow, thanks Jug." She glanced at the time on her phone. "Wanna hang out or watch a movie? I don't want to impose if you have other plans though."

Around this time of day, Jughead would normally be with his friends at Pop's or the student lounge... in BI Times. BI as in "Before Incident" of course.

"A movie sounds wonderful," Jughead agreed.

"Oh God," Veronica said, sitting back on the couch in the student lounge. "Somebody take me to the hospital."

"What's wrong?" Archie asked frantically, taking a closer look. Nothing seemed off about his feminine friend, who looked as savvy and put-together as she's always been.

"Something's seriously wrong, Archikins," Veronica replied with a huff. "I actually miss Jughead."

"I do too," Betty murmured. While she couldn't lie about her blossoming feelings for Archie since the recital, she still loved Jughead in her own Betty Cooper Way.

"Where's he been, anyways?" Archie asked.

"He spends all day in the library with (Y/N) (L/N)," Veronica said, incredulous. "One of my girlfriends even told me she saw them together at Pop's. Jughead and (Y/N) is a match made in hell if I've ever known one."

Betty gasped, furrowing her brow. She never imagined Jughead would move on this quickly. Was what they had not real? It was real to her. "Do you... do you think they're dating?"

"I don't know," Veronica said with her usual sly smile. "What I do know is, we need to win back Jughead Jones."