CHAPTER ONE
JUGHEAD JONES HOMELESS SHELTER
"i've been told to get you off my mind"
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     The blue and yellow letterman jacket was draped loosely over Harley's shoulders.

     She was seated in a booth in Pop's Chocklit Shoppe. The place was very vintage, which kind of was a story telling itself seeing as it was a Chocklit Shoppe. The charming little place was surprisingly empty. Usually, it never was. A halfway eaten burger was resting infront of her along with a chocolate milkshake and a empty tray that had previously hosted deliciously salted fries. She leaned back, closing her eyes, resting her head against the seat.

     "So, how's things with Moose?" Infront of Harley sat a girl her age. Midge Klump beamed at the Byers girl at the mention of her boyfriend. She was more then happy to talk about him. He was a jock, one of the somewhat popular guys at Riverdale High. Midge wasn't especially popular. Harley was, seeing as she was a Rivervixen ( aka a cheerleader ). That, and her beautiful features and big personality amongst other things earned her a place on the top of the social ladder. Midge was popular by associating. After all, dating a jock and befriending the popular girl had its perks.

     "Great, but it's starting to get kind of. . ." The Klump girl trailed off at the end, hoping that Harley would catch on to whatever she was saying. Harley leaned forwards, slurping her chocolate milkshake with one arched brow.

     "Boring?" Harley guessed. Moose was one of the good guys, at least as far as she knew. He treated Midge nicely, was a gentleman and peppered her with cute gestures whenever he got the chance. Whether it was because he was very fond of the girl, or if it was because he was trying to convince everyone and himself that he was straight, was unsure. But as far as these two girls knew, he was a sweetheart.

     "Yes!" Midge exclaimed. It was the exact word. Actually, there were several words for what their relationship was starting to feel like. Basic, plain, bland. You name it, she felt it. It just didn't have that. . . spark of excitement that it used to. "I mean he's really sweet and all, but what do I do? I don't want to feel like this?"

     Harley rolled her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't care, but this was probably the hundredth time they'd had this conversation. Speaking of boring, this conversation was just that.

     "You want my advice?" The brunette arched a brow, leaning closer. She propped her elbows on her table, her head slightly tilted. Midges nodded eagerly, nowhere near prepared for the brutal answer she was about to receive. "Break up with him."

     Her brows knitted up togheter into a confused look. Midge blinked, trying to process her words. "W-what?"

     "Dump his ass, leave him, whatever. If you're not feeling it anymore, you should let him know. A relationship needs two working parties, okay? It's not just about you anymore. You're in this togheter, and you can't keep leading him on. You'll hurt him." Midge hadn't expected that answer. Usually, the brunette across from her was supportive to whatever Midge decided to do. Then again, Midge never really bothered to ask for her honest opinion.

     "I guess you're right." Midge slowly admitted, a sad expression now dominating her facial features. "But I think I'll try a little longer, for his sake." Harley nodded, knowing that the chances of Midge breaking it off with her boyfriend were small.

     "Oh shit, I've got to go." Midge suddenly said when she glanced down at her phone. She jumped from her seat, slinging her jacket on. "I promised my mom I'd be home before eleven." Harley glanced down at her phone, reading 10.42 pm. She nodded, watching Midge go, calling a goodbye after her.

     She wasn't alone in the booth for long. Just as fast as Midge disappeared, one of her other friends appeared. Dressed in a blue denim jacket, black faded jeans that looked somewhat grey and his infamous beanie. Jughead slid into the seat Midge had previously been seated in.

     "Why am I not surprised." She asked. He sent her a loopsided grin, already getting comfortable. Jughead was either at school or here, which sometimes made the Byers girl wonder if he even had a place to sleep at night. Actually, Harley wasn't too sure that he did have one. His father was a dead beat, a guy that favored his liquor over his family, and who was currently incarcerated as he had cleaned up and helped Clifford Blossom cover up the murder of his very own son. Jughead's mother had grabbed his younger sister and left, leaving him to deal with the neglecting father. He had tried improving over the course of the few last months, but as far as Harley knew, Jughead didn't have a lot of place to go.

     After FP Jones' arrest, Jughead did have the option to retreat to his father's trailer, but he was feeling iffy about it. It felt somewhat wrong just moving into the trailer in the absence of his father, and it furthermore pushed the servering of his connection to the Northside. Not to mention the foster family that was suppose to take him in. They appeared nice and all, but the family was a little too sweet for him to trust.

     "You going to finish that?" He asked, pointing at the burger infront of her. She rolled her eyes, taking one last bite out of the burger before letting him finish it. "Nice." He didn't hestitate to stuff his face with the food. The boy had an unhealthy obsession with burgers.

     "So. . ." Harley trailed off. Jughead looked up at her, mouth full of food, with an arched brow. When she trailed off like that, she was either about to drop a bomb or she was going to pry.

     "What?" He mumbled, neverminding the fact that burger was muffling his speech ( the word came more out like 'wha' due to the food ).

     "How'd you sleep?" Jughead immediately groaned, dropping the food back down. He leaned back, wiping his fingers on a paper towel. He knew exactly where this was going. It was a seemingly normal question, but Jug could tell there was a meaning behind her words. It was the latter, she was going to pry.

     "Fine." He answered, a certain edge to his voice. Harley hummed, not the slightest bit bothered by his tone.

"Look, Jug, let's cut the shit. Where are you sleeping?" Jughead looked away, not having expected her to be this blunt. She wasn't sure why, though, because she usually was.

When he didn't answer, she knew. Currently he didn't have one. "Fuck, Jones. How many times do I have to say this?" Judging by the expression he was wearing, he was ashamed. He didn't want to admit that he was homeless, it was embarrassing. Plus, if he did admit to it, he would also have to explain why he didn't just stay at his father's trailer. And he knew that if he did admit, she'd try convincing him to stay at her place. Her mother was rarely even home lately due to work, and her father, well, he was a whole other chapter.

Her mother, Addison Byers, had converted into the dark cult that was work. She had become some type of a workaholic, wanting to spend her time away from the Byers home. Addison actually avoided her home like the plague, only at home to sleep, get dressed and sometimes eat. She'd make sure to leave money for Harley so that she could grocery shop, but other then that, she was pretty much absent.

Her father was a genuinely good person. He, like everyone else, had good and bad days. On his good days he'd wake up early, cook pancakes for Harley and he'd be in a very good mood. On his bad days, however, he relied on beer. And, as sad as it was to admit, his good days were numbered, only growing fewer and fewer as time went on. Harley hated it. He was such a sweetheart when he didn't drink. Don't get it wrong, he never abused her ( at least not physically ), but the alcohol wrecked him. He could be such a dick, and Harley couldn't stand it. She didn't tell people, she didn't want anyone to think he was a bad parent. He was a great dad. He just had his fair share of troubles. And the only solution appeared to be a good bottle of vodka, or a pack of cheap beers.

Jug was aware of her at home situation. She hadn't told him, but he put two and two togheter when he was staying at hers for a sleep over and went down to fetch some soda from the fridge. He had walked in on her father passed out in the couch, several empty bottles littered around him. It reminded him of his own father, and Jug resented Jake Byers for not being a real father to Harley. But Harley and Jug never discussed the situation. She was too busy pretending to be fine, and he had his own stuff to deal with.

"Jug, you can stay at my place." She offered. She hadn't really officially offered for him to stay at her house. It would include him sleeping in her bedroom to avoid her parents finding him, and he'd either have to share bed with her or he'd have to sleep on the small couch in the corner of her room that was highly uncomfortable. But it was better than nothing.

"Har, it's okay. I'll figure something out." He excused, tugging the jacket closer to himself. There was just no way he could stay at her place, especially not after his blossoming romance with a certain blonde Cooper girl. He was going to figure this out by himself.

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Jughead had decided that he was going to stay at Harley's place.

It had taken a hell of a lot convincing from the Byers girl—including a few empty threats—, but Jughead had finally given in. She had given him a piece of her mind, letting him now how incredibly stupid it would be of him to be stubborn and act like he didn't need anyone. He had realized that she was right.

Both her parents despised her friendship with the Jones boy. They hated the Southside, and seeing as Jughead was from there, they hated him. They blamed them for all their problems. Why? Harley had no idea. But she knew that in case her father wasn't passed out and her mother was at home, she'd have to sneak the boy in.

She entered her house, passing by the living room on her way to the stairs. She threw a look on the couch, her father snoring ontop of it. The television was playing a horror movie, but Harley paid no attention to it. She sighed heavily, climbing the stairs. She entered her room and made sure to lock the door. It wasn't unusual of her to do so, as her parents had a habit of barging in without knocking whenever they pleased. It was like they purposely tried to annoy the shit out of her.

She forced her window open, grinning at the crouched boy on the roof just outside. She stepped aside, giving him the opportunity to swing inside, his feet landing softly ontop of her carpet. "My gosh, why can't you have a tree outside your window like every other teenage girl in those movies?" He sarcastically asked, panting. He had climbed to the roof ( don't ask how because Harley had no idea ).

She closed the window, avoiding letting any more cold air inside. "Oh, I'm sorry this isn't some cliche romance novel. I'll make sure to put it on my bucket list. 'Plant a tree outside your window so that you can easily sneak in guys'. Also, I think that would have made us love interest. Sorry, but I'm not that into the 'best friends to lovers' trope." Harley was more of a 'enemies to lovers' or 'forbidden love' kind of girl.

Jughead didn't hesitate to drop his shoes and jacket the ground, flopping onto her queen sized bed. He loved the bed. It was literally the softest thing he had ever touched, the several blankets, comforters and pillows swallowing him whole. Harley chuckled as he disappeared in the mess.

"I freaking love your bed." He concluded, his head popping out from behind a few pillows. She snorted. His beanie was lost somewhere in the mess, and he had yet to notice. Harley was unsure why he wore it. His dark mess of a hair was incredibly attractive, and if made him look hot as shit. She didn't really mind admitting he was hot. Even though they were best friends, it didn't make her blind and she would openly admit to anyone that the Jones boy was attractive. In fact, she would happily gas the boy up, something she sneakily had done to Betty Cooper once she realized the potential between the two.

     The relationship between Jug and Betty had quickly grown once the two realized their affection to one another, but after the past few months since school start, they had been through quite a deal. Jug didn't find himself trusting the blonde completely, scared of their differences. She was this picture perfect straight A student, the girl next door. While he was a mess, 'couch surfing', never really having any certainty presence in his life. Except Harley, of course. Jughead was hoping his decision to stay the night at Harley's house wouldn't cause any troubles, but to be fair, he didn't really think that far either. Right now he just wanted a moment of peace, harboring the sneaking suspicion that it would be one of the last ones for a while.

She was dressed in a pair of sweats that hugged her closely, a random cropped tank top and fuzzy socks. Her curly hair was messily tied into a bun ontop of her head and her makeup was removed. She was sure she looked like a mess, but she didn't really care. The two had seen each other it worse states.

"Move over, Jones." She ordered, bulldozing her way in between the sheets. He grunted, reluctantly rolling over to give her some space. She wrapped one of the blankets around her body, switching off the lamp at her bed side table. The previously dimly lit room was engulfed with darkness.

"Night Jug."

"Night Har."

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The next day at school was painful.

The day went by fairly normal, and lunch had now rolled in. Betty and Archie were sitting in the cafeteria togheter, food on display on the table. Veronica Lodge, a rather new girl and addition to the friend group, was also there. She had moved from New York, arriving at the same time Jason had gone missing. She quickly befriended the Cooper girl. Harley had noticed the slight hostility between the two when she had arrived. Archie and Veronica were going out, which at the first was kind of tuff for Betty to accept. She was in love with him.

But her heart ache was soon over when she realized Veronica was a pretty nice girl and that Jughead was a pretty nice guy. Yes, Jughead had Betty had some sort of romance brewing between them. Harley was unsure how deeply their feelings for each other ran, but she didn't really care either. It was none of her business. She just hoped Betty didn't see her as a threat, cause she most certainly was not.

She was seated at the same table as Cheryl Blossom. Midge had texted her, informing Harley that she had come up with the flu and probably wouldn't be at school till next week. To make it clear, Harley wasn't Cheryl's number one fan. But she didn't hate her either. The Blossom girl just had a rather big personality, one that often interfered with Harley's usually optimistic and good mood. And Harley harbored the belief that ninety percent of the people claiming to have big personalities were in reality heinous bitches with the constant craving for attention. But that just her humble opinion.

Cheryl was dressed in a red plaid skirt, a black off shoulder crop top and some black flats. The red skirt matched her red painted lips and the red curly hair resting on top of her head. It was kind of her signature look. Red. No matter what, Cheryl always seemed to be wearing the color, almost no matter the occasion.

Harley was dressed in tight fitting dress and some sneakers. The look sounded kind of fancy for school, but it was a very casual look. Especially compared to Cheryl's over the top one. The dress reached far enough down for Harley to deep it appropriate for school, and was in a bland gray color.

Around the table sat a few girls Harley didn't really know. She recognized a few of them from random classes, but most of them she knew as squad mates. Cheerleading wasn't exactly a sport where you got to know people, at least not with Cheryl as team captain. You weren't there to chit chat, you were there to work.

"So," Cheryl started, looking over and Harley, "dare I ask who's jacket that is?" Draped across her shoulders were a letterman jacket, blue and gold, just like the previous day at Pop's. Jughead had asked her about, but she had shrugged him off. A bulldog was printed on it, letting everyone know that whoever owned it attended Riverdale high.

As if on cue, the owner of the jacket slipped into the seat beside Harley, throwing an arm around her shoulder. Following suit were a few other bulldogs, like Moose. "Hey babe." Reggie Mantle placed a kiss on her cheek. She leaned into his side, snuggling her head slightly in the crook of his neck. The two were actually just hooking up. At least that's how it started. She wasn't sure what they were yet. They hadn't talked about it.

"Reggie Mantle? Really?" Distaste was visibly on Cheryl's facial features as she looked at the Mantle boy. He was too deep in a conversation about football to even notice it.

"Yeah." Harley answered, leaning closer to him. She enjoyed his company. At first she had thought he was a complete dick, but lately the two had been hanging out a lot. Harley didn't want to label what they had, at least not yet. They were free to do whatever, but were still close. It was nice.

"And I thought you were one of the few vixens with good taste." Harley chuckled, not bothered by the insult. It came with the package deal that was Cheryl Blossom. And after the stuff Cheryl had been through, Harley allowed her to throw her tantrums and petty insults.

"I don't see you getting it on with anyone." The Byers girl fired. Cheryl bit into her apple. The last time Harley had even seen Cheryl next to guy, it had been Chuck, as they both teamed up for double destruction on Betty and Veronica.

"Whatever." Cheryl shut her down. Reggie pulled his attention over to the girl he had his arms around, grinning down at her.

"Wanna hang out tonight?" He asked. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out if she had any plans. "I'd invite you to my place, but you know how my parents are." His parents, simply put, were shit. Harley didn't know a lot about his mother, but his father was such a piece of crap she couldn't even fathom.

"How about we just go to Pop's." The brunette suggested, looking up at him. Jughead was staying at her place, and Reggie couldn't stand Southsiders. Jughead had previously switched schools to Southside high. It made Harley feel uneasy, and she had all right to be. Although she didn't really want to judge the Southsiders, it was a fact that a lot of drug dealers and junkies attended the school there. She didn't want Jug to get into any trouble.

"Sure." Reggie accepted. The two hadn't really been out a lot to public places, so this would be a nice start to do so. They shared a kiss, the bell signaling that lunch was over and that they had to get to class. They pulled away, smiling warmly at each other before parting ways.

word count; 3517
a/n

i'm sorry this chapter is boring as shit. kinda have to make some fillers. this one had a lot of info abt how harley's life is, what her living situation is and how her parents are. currently trying to figure out just how i want harley and sweet pea to meet, so we'll see. meanwhile stay tuned as I desperately try updating my five hundred books because i'm dumb for making this many.

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