The last day of school. Freshman year is finally over and summer can begin. Jughead Jones was standing by his locker, talking to his best friend, Archie Andrews, about their summer plans. Jughead had been bugging Archie to go on a road trip for years. Now that school was over and the two of them were old enough to drive, it seemed like this was the first year they could actually go.
Despite a reputation for being surly, Jughead was unable to contain his excitement.
"So I am thinking we go full Kerouac. Stopping at diners, just going and not looking back. Time nor parents to constrain us…" Jughead spoke of these plans at his fastest talking speed.
"Slow down, Jug." Archie said, holding his hands up. "I have to work construction all summer for my dad. I told him about the trip, but I am not sure how much time he is gonna let me take off."
Jughead sighed. He knew that Archie made a good point, but he really didn't want to accept the possibility that they might not go.
"Oh come on. Your dad isn't going to mind you taking a few days off for the road trip." Jughead reasoned, putting his books in his locker.
"He might not mind, but it is a job, Jug. A job for my dad's construction company that he hopes I will take over one day." Archie reasoned.
Jughead could hear the sadness in his best friend's voice.
"You know, just because your dad wants you to, it doesn't mean you have to." Jughead rationalized, closing his locker door to face his friend
"It is not like I have anything else going on." Archie stated, looking around as if he were hoping someone else would refute this fact.
Jughead wished he could help, but Jughead considered himself an honest guy. Archie was his best friend, but the guy didn't seem to have much going for him in the talent or hobby department.
"Besides, not all of us are aspiring novelists." Archie stated, trying to move on.
"Aspiring, but unsuccessful. Riverdale has to be the least inspiring place on the planet." Jughead snarked, his frustrations with his own hobby apparent. "'The Town With Pep'. More like 'The Town Where The Pep Left About 50 Years Ago'"
They stood there in silence for a moment
"That wasn't your best line, Jug." Archie told him honestly
"I know. That is how uninspired I am." Jughead replied "Which is why I am seeking inspiration outside of this town."
Jughead could hear the sadness in his own voice now. He hoped he was able to mask the desperation however.
"I get it Jug, I do." Archie reasoned, pulling on the straps of his backpack "But things might not work out the way we want them to."
Jughead was instantly worried.
"Wait, you are not backing out on me, are you?" Jughead accused.
"What? No. I would never back out on you. I am looking forward to this trip as much as you are." Archie said sincerely.
"I doubt that." Jughead snarked, trying to breathe a sigh of relief without Archie noticing. "But I am glad you are dedicated."
Archie smiled. Things had been kind of distant between the two of them since Archie joined the football team. Among other things, Jughead hoped that Archie and he could reconnect on this road trip.
Jughead pulled a map out of his back pocket to show Archie.
"Anyway, I was thinking we could make the first stop…" Jughead began, starting to unfold the map to point.
Jughead didn't get to finish his sentence because Betty Cooper, Archie's other best friend, had shown up to talk to them by the lockers. Not that he minded; they had all been friends for years.
"Hey Archie" Betty said breathlessly, smiling from ear to ear, glowing in that way that she only seemed to do around Archie.
"Betty, Hey!" Archie replied, a somewhat less emphatic smile creeping across his face.
There was a brief pause before Betty turned away from Archie.
"Hi Juggie." Betty replied, still smiling but no longer glowing.
"What's up, Betts?" Jughead responded, nodding in her direction
"You are never gonna believe what has happened!" Betty exclaimed, looking between her two friends.
"Cheryl and Jason Blossom finally released their sex tape?" Jughead joked, trying to ignore the differences in the ways she greeted them
"Ew, no. You know Jason and my sister are dating, Jug." Betty replied, a look of disgust on her face.
"He might be dating your sister, but he shares milkshakes with his sister. If there is not some Game of Thrones type of thing going down there…"
"What happened, Betty?" Archie asked, interrupting Jughead from whatever sarcastic insult he was about to finish.
"I got a literary internship!" Betty squealed.
"Wow. That's amazing!" Archie said, pulling Betty into a hug.
Betty laughed as she wrapped her arms around Archie, her smile lighting up the usually dim locker corridor. Anyone with eyes could see that Betty was in love with Archie. Jughead had know it for years even though he had never said anything to either of them about it. Anyone could have figured it out, except Archie apparently.
Jughead started feel uncomfortable. That had been happening more recently. Betty was in love with Archie, Archie was oblivious, and Jughead was trying to pretend to be unaffected by the changes in their friendship. No longer were their days filled with carefree trips to Pop's without romantic attachment. Betty pined and Archie remained blissfully unaware. Whenever Jughead sat down and started thinking about what made this so uncomfortable, he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Part of it could have been just the endless waiting for one of them to verbally acknowledge the shift in their relationship. The other part could have been that Jughead knew Archie very well and wasn't sure that Betty was going to come out of this happy. And despite how uncomfortable this romantic possibility was making things, Jughead didn't want Betty to be hurt.
While Jughead continued to ponder this, he realized that Archie and Betty had been hugging for awhile.
"Congratulations, Betty." Jughead added, just as a way to remind the two of them that he was still there.
Archie and Betty pulled apart, Betty looking disappointed.
"Aw, thanks Juggie." Betty replied, patting him on the shoulder.
Jughead raised his eyebrows at the shoulder pat. It wasn't exactly the most indicative of a life long friendship, but he understood.
"What kind of literary internship is it? Like, what would you be doing?" Archie said, starting to walk away from the lockers.
"It seems like your pretty standard internship." Betty said, following Archie with Jughead trailing behind the two of them "Get coffee, file paperwork, pick up dry cleaning. Maybe, if I get lucky, I will get to help set up and take down book release parties."
Jughead nodded. It sounds interesting enough.
"That's incredible. When does it start?" Archie asked, beating Jughead to the punch
"A week. Crazy right?" Betty said, smiling.
"Crazy but amazing. Betty, this is so awesome for you." Archie said, looking as though he were about to hug her again
"So where is this internship?" Jughead asked, yet another reminder that he was still standing there.
"Oh, um." Betty replied, taking a couple steps back from the embrace she almost had. "That is the tricky part. It is in LA."
"LA? As in Los Angeles?" Archie asked, his voice filled with confusion
"I doubt she is abbreviating Louisiana as LA." Jughead snarked, not sure why he was annoyed all of a sudden "How long are you going to be gone for?"
"That depends. The initial internship is 6 weeks, but if they like me, I could end up there until right before school starts."
"That is phenomenal Betty." Jughead tells her, feeling genuinely happy for his good friend.
Archie, however, is not looking too happy with the latest development.
"You are gonna be gone all summer? I won't get to see you at all?" Archie asked with a lot of sadness in his voice
Betty looked guilty.
"We can Skype. Or call. Or text. Or email. Or maybe I can come home for 4th of July weekend…" Betty tried to suggest
"That wouldn't work." Jughead said, stopping Archie from talking. "4th of July weekend is our road trip. Maybe Bastille day..."
"That would be great, Juggie." Betty said, clearly not paying attention to what he said. "Well, I have to go. I told Kevin I would let him know as soon as I found out if I got the internship."
"Ok." Archie said, sounding disappointed. "See you later."
"Bye." Betty said, smiling as she walked away from them.
Archie stared after her, looking confused.
"Arch, it is gonna be ok. Betty will be back." Jughead reassured him, not sure why his old pal needed reassuring. It is not like Betty was leaving forever.
"I know." Archie said, looking back at Jughead. "It's just, we have never been apart before. Any of us. Me, you, Betty, Kevin…the four of us have been inseparable since elementary school."
"Ah yes." Jughead remembered "I remember when Mrs. Waid tried to tell Betty she couldn't play in our sandbox because we were boys and she just marched over and did it anyway."
Jughead smiled at the memory. Betty has always been in their lives, in his life, in some form or another.
"Exactly. And what if she misses something?" Archie asked, sounding anxious
"Miss what? You working construction? Me at the drive in working on my novel? Kevin interning for his dad." Jughead once again rationalized "She would have been so bored here this summer with the three of us going our separate ways."
"I guess you're right." Archie acquiesced "But it isn't going to be the same around here without her."
"You are right about that." Jughead confirmed.
Jughead and Archie both quieted down after that. Jughead felt himself agreeing with Archie in spite of himself. A Betty-less summer was a grim prospect indeed. This internship sounded amazing and he wanted that for her, but Jughead was already feeling how empty Riverdale was going to be without the blonde haired girl in it.
They both started staring at the hallway Betty had just walked down