word count: 1285

↳ CHAPTER THREE:

ANOTHER SCHOOL DAY↵

     IT WAS ANOTHER MORNING AT RIVERDALE HIGH and Virginia was at her locker retrieving her materials for the day. She had already missed her first period because her mother had slept on the kitchen floor and needed help. So, here the blue eyed girl was, late to school, and irritated that her mother existed.

"Hi," Virginia turned to see Jughead standing beside her, backpack in hand as he leaned up against the locker beside hers.

"Hey," she replied softly, pushing her hair behind her ears. She didn't say anything else, she wasn't sure how the two stood now in their friendship– if they were friends again.

"I'm just gonna ignore the awkward silence and officially state we're friends again." Jughead announced. "I'm sorry for what I did, I know it was a dick move to call the cops but I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Juggy." Virginia teased, grasping on the straps of her backback as she tugged the zipper shut.

"Good, Ginny." Virginia immediately glowed at the sound of her nickname, relishing in the past warmth it held. She smiled at her friend but halted as she saw Archie Andrews in the distance, walking towards the pair. Although her friendship with Jughead and Archie ended during the spring, somehow the boys had lasted until the summer.    

"Hi." Archie greeted, awkwardly staring between the brunette girl and boy who once were his friends.  

"Do you think I can use Jason Blossom's death as an excuse to get out of PE?" Jughead asked and Virginia covered her mouth after she sharply breathed in. "'Sorry, Coach, I'm just too depressed and freaked-out right now to do pull-ups.'"

"Don't joke about Jason Blossom." Virginia's smile vanished and knew that Archie was right. Virginia knew that Jason Blossom deserved to die. That the facade that the young twin had was merely what it was– fake, and the boy on the inside was poisonous.

"What? Sardonic humor is just my way of relating to the world." Jughead focus moved from Archie to the crowded hallway, scoffing. Virginia followed his hardened glare to a rapidly approaching pair of assholes: Reggie and Moose. "Look, it's the rich kids from The Goonies. All right, I'm out."

"Watch it, Wednesday Addams." Virginia frowned as Reggie bumped shoulders with Jug, hating the popular boy for being so rude. She smiled and waved goodbye to Archie, dipping into a doorway to get away from horny jocks.

"Oh, my God, those are gorgeous." Virginia peeked up from looking at the ground to find herself in the front office with Kevin and Betty, who were facing the front desk and the secretary. "Are those for Betty, Mrs. Philips?" In front of the two were a beautiful bouquet of flowers.

"That's why I called her." Mrs. Philips looked so bored and Virginia could almost laugh at the older woman's hatred for her job.

"Dear Betty, please forgive me, XOXO, V." Kevin read out loud and Virginia propped herself up against the wall of the office, intrigued to the conversation at hand. " Who the hell is "V" Is it Virginia?

"Veronica," Betty replied and Virginia looked to her side to see Veronica appear, a white box in hand.

"Veronica. The yellow is for friendship. I also had Magnolia cupcakes flown in from New York. Because, as my mom likes to say, 'There's no wrong the right cupcake can't fix.' Also I've booked us for hers-and-hers mani-pedis at Chez Salon. Blowouts, too. I am so, so sorry, Betty. I don't know what happened to me that night. It was such a basic bitch move. It was like I was Possessed by Madame Satan? The old Veronica. And I will never, ever do anything like that to you again. I swear on my mother's pearls. Just, can you please give me one more chance?" Virginia almost fell asleep from the apology and how cheesy it was. What the hell happened that Betty Cooper deserved flowers, a cupcake, and a mani-pedi? Hell, Virginia wanted all of that.

"Okay." Betty replied.

"What?" Kevin sounded really surprised.

"What?" Veronica gasped in surprise, "really? Awesome. I'll take it and you won't regret it."

"Okay."

"And I'll bring these to lunch so we can celebrate!" Veronica grinned as the bell rang and walked away, a slight spring in her step.

"It's the path of least resistance, Kev. A week ago, Veronica and I weren't friends. Next week, we'll nod to each other as we pass in the hall, but that's it. You know, in two weeks, she won't even remember my name. And in three, she'll have latched he to some other girl to destroy."

"That's positive thinking," Virginia pushed her way into the conversation and walked to stand beside the girl and boy. "Why not just ignore people like you did with me?" Virginia propped her arms on her hips, cocking her head to the side.

It was true, Betty had stopped hanging out with Virginia because she found out Archie had a crush on her. Virginia had been upset that a stupid crush had ended her friendship. It wasn't like it was her fault, anyways. Virginia stared at Betty unblinkingly before she left the office, angry that Betty hadn't tried to befriend her again.

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After a surprising announcement with Weatherbee, the sheriff, and Cheryl in English class, Virginia rushed off to her biology class but found herself halting as she saw Jughead approach Archie in the distance.

"Archie. Weirdest thing." Jug began, staring at his old friend in concentration. "This summer, we were supposed to go on a road trip over July 4th weekend. Which you bailed on at the last minute. Is there something you wanna tell me, pal?"

Jughead's eyes moved its focus from Archie to the distance and Virginia gulped before bolting from the scene. Tension spewed from both boys and she definitely didn't want to get involved. She eventually settled down as she got comfortable in her lab seat. She, however, wasn't comfortable staring at the dead frog on the  table in front of her.

"Seats, everyone. Pair off, gloves on, scalpels up."

"Wanna be partners?" Virginia smiled as Jughead approached her table, his tall frame towering over her seated figure.

"Of course," she told him and Jughead immediately sat down, dropping his bag to the ground. His large frame scooted towards the blue eyed girl, his own viridescent eyes staring into hers.

"What did you hear?" Jug asked her quietly, ignoring the teacher begin to instruct.

"I-I didn't hear much," Virginia shrugged. "I'm surprised you and Archie had a road trip planned, you two lasted longer than I expected."

The tension among the three of them had boiled when Archie's crush became known. Maybe it was Ginny's reluctance to go on a date with him or her own feelings for Jughead. Or maybe it was Jughead's protectiveness over her that caused the three to stop being friends. It was, kind of ridiculous.

Virginia turned her attention away from her friend to look back at Archie who sat with Cheryl. "Well, I'm not great at science, but I can take point on this if it's too weird for you." He offered to the redheaded girl who was staring down at the dead frog.

"Weird, why? Oh, you mean because my brother is being dissected with a blade, just like this one, possibly at this very moment? Don't worry, I'm fine." Cheryl stabbed the frog, cutting it open quickly and the girls in front of Virginia's table squealed in horror at the sight.

"In fact, I'm amazing."

"Damn," Virginia whispered to Jughead, her eyes wide as she stared at the twin girl. "What a crazy bitch."

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