word count: 1580

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:

THE PLOT THICKENS

     AFTER GETTING SEPARATED FROM Jughead, Ginny instantly knew where Jughead would go to hide. The garage. She knew upstairs would immediately be occupied by couples commingling so she deduced that would become his safe haven for the evening.

"Jug," Ginny sighed as she walked into the garage and towards him, placing her hands on his shoulders. He sighed as well, looking up at her in disappointment as he sat on a chair in the middle of the room. Her hands curled around the back of his neck, playing at the base of his neck. "I'm sorry– I wanted to tell you, warn you–"

"Why didn't you?" Jughead asked, hurt evident in his tone.

"I don't know," Virginia shrugged, suddenly shy as she stood above her best friend. "I-I'm not your girlfriend and Betty is, she wanted to do something for you, I didn't want to stand in the way."

"But you know me, Gin." Jughead stood up from his sitting position and pulled Ginny into a hug. "You know me better than anyone."

"Exactly," Ginny joked, squeezing him tightly, her hands fisting the back of his shirt. "That's why I always second guess around you."

"Don't," Jughead replied. "You're my best friend I love you, you know that right?"

"N-No," Ginny told him honestly but her voice was shaky, hands sweaty at the confession.

"That's why I want to be with you."

Ginny breathed in sharply as their lips lingered close to one another. All she wanted to do was lean in and kiss him– it was what she craved but she couldn't– Jughead had a girlfriend still. Kissing him again would be a mistake– she didn't want to do that to Betty.

They were interrupted by Archie who burst into the room unannounced– yet again.

"Dude, Valerie just got here. You think she wants me back?" Archie slurred, beer in hand.

"Archie, as my blood-brother, it was your sole responsibility to ensure that something like this never happened on my birthday. And now we're here. In the middle of a Seth Rogen movie." Ginny had stayed quiet, both still extremely close as their friend stood in front of them.

"This was Betty's idea, okay? I just went along with it." Archie defended himself, raising his arms.

"It's so not me." Jughead said with a sigh.

"It doesn't matter, Jughead, you're her boyfriend now." Archie told him, with raised brows. Jughead didn't understand how to be a boyfriend, that was obvious.

"What does that even mean?" Jughead said in frustration, turning to look at the girl beside him.

She was the only thing he wanted. Why did she tell him to date Betty? All he wanted was her, why was this so complicated.

"It means you're getting your birthday party whether you want one or not." Archie shrugged.

Jughead scoffed at the sound of a knock on the doorway and saw who had arrived. This day was getting even weirder. "Dad, hey."

"Happy birthday, Jughead." FP told his son, awkwardly watching the trio.

"How are you, Mr. Jones?" Archie asked his friends dad, oblivious to the tension in the room rising. Ginny stayed silent.

"Happy to be here, celebrating with my son. Didn't realize you had so many friends." FP told Jug awkwardly.

"I don't. And fair warning. You're the only adult here." Jughead told him pointedly.

"So I gather. Where can I put this?" Despite her hatred for the older man, it was nice to see that he had brought a present for his son. It's not like her own mother did anything nice like that for her.

"There's a table in the den." Jughead told him, he paused for a second but continued. "Dad. Did Betty call you?"

"Yeah, she came by too. She knows what she wants, that one." No, she was just annoying. FP was leaving the room and Ginny decided that she needed to talk with him. The house was crowded, it'd be a perfect opportunity to talk without being physically abused.

"I'll be back." Ginny excused herself, her eyes narrowed at FP Jones as he left. She needed answers from him.

"Gin, wait!" Jughead ran out the door after her, a confused look on his face.

Before she could speak, Betty appeared with a frown. "Where the hell have you been?" Betty asked Jughead.

The young man sighed, scratching his head over his beanie. He motioned for her to come into the garage, his eyes watching Ginny walk away yet again.

Ginny was a small girl who could easily get lost in the crowd so she was upset when she momentarily lost FP. Luckily, she was able to make it to the kitchen to see them walking up the stairs.

Ginny was relentless, following up the stairs behind them until she was at the closed door she saw them enter.

"You're the last person I expected to see at my son's birthday party."

"Just doing my job, keeping my ear to the ground." Joaquin replied and Ginny nearly gasped, his job?

"And your tongue in the Sheriff's kid's mouth."

"Did you hear anything interesting?" FP asked.

"Actually, yeah. Hiram Lodge's daughter is here. She said something about her father being connected to Jason's murder."

"That is not good. Hiram and I had some business. What does your boyfriend say about that?"

"His father, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"I'll find out."

"Yeah. You better. These kids are more on the ball than the Sheriff. Let's go."

Ginny stumbled away from the doorway as it was pulled open by Joaquin. Both were surprised to see the young brunette there.

"Virginia," FP sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"FP," Ginny stated, hands on her hips. "Joaquin, can you please leave? FP and I need to discuss something."

Joaquin nodded, pushing past her to leave the room. Ginny shut the door behind her and sent a glare towards the older man.

"What's going on, FP?" Ginny snapped, hands shaking in anger and from being frightened. She didn't know what could happen with him.

"What do you mean?" FP sighed.

"Why won't you give me the evidence." Ginny accused him.

"Because I don't have them," FP told her angrily.

"W-What do you mean?" Ginny asked, her heart stopped at his words.

"Jason Blossom was a stupid kid–"

"What does Jason have to do with this? We managed to fix it without anyone finding out." Ginny rambled desperately, wishing there was an end to it all— but there wasn't.

FP Jones was a selfish human being who didn't want to go to jail– Ginny didn't want to be seen as that girl, the broken one. And, she didn't want Jughead to ever find out.

"No," FP sighed, sitting down on the bed. "He had a diary– or something– and Clifford Blossom found out."

Ginny's head felt like it was about to explode, her heart was beating fast in her ears. This couldn't be happening. 

"What?"

º    º    º

     JUGHEAD WAS WITH BETTY, his mind racing at the fact there was a party, Ginny almost kissed him again, and his dad was here. "You do know my dad has a drinking problem, right?

"Of course I do. I didn't think people would be drinking tonight. I didn't plan on Chuck and Cheryl, and the rest of the school crashing, okay? This was supposed to be just your friends."

"Ginny and Archie are my friends, okay? Everyone else, including Kevin, including Veronica, are people that, two months ago, I would've actively shunned." Jughead told her. Both froze at his words and how he didn't include her in the list.

"Why?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm weird. I'm a weirdo. I don't fit in, and I don't want to fit in. Have you ever seen me without this stupid hat on? That's weird." Jughead ranted, his eyes narrowed at the blonde girl who stood in front of him.

"Why are you getting so upset? It's just a party, Jug." Betty defended herself, wondering why he was getting so upset.

"It's not just a party. It's the fact that you don't know or even care that this is the last thing I would want. You did this for you. To prove something."

"To prove what?" Betty yelled at him.

"You're a great girlfriend. I don't know." Jughead scoffed. "Doesn't it ever occur to you just how different we are? Like on a cellular DNA kind of level? You're a straight-A student, you're a cheerleader, for God's sakes. You're the perfect girl next door."

"I hate that word." Betty whispered.

"I'm the damaged loner outsider from the wrong side of the tracks. Betty, come on. Who are we kidding? We're on borrowed time."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Betty, I'm not one of your projects, okay? Like solving Jason's murder."

"No. You're not a project, you're my boyfriend."

"Until you're sick of slumming it with me, or until Archie changes his mind and says he wants to be with you?"

"That was low," Betty stuttered. "You're an asshole, Jughead. I know what's going on– you love Ginny and I'm just in the way."

º   º   º

hellooo. so, i'm struggling on whether or not to try to keep jughead's sexuality. would y'all be upset if i made Jughead demisexual?

DEFINITION OF DEMISEXUAL:
a person who does not experience sexual attraction unless they form a strong emotional connection with someone. The term demisexual comes from the orientation being "halfway between" sexual and asexual.