'Sometimes the people who smile the most aren't the happiest'

I don't own any of Riverdale, only my characters

FORMAL, GOD I HATE FORMAL'S. Tonight all the girls my age from Riverdale high we're getting their hair and makeup done to perfection, nails painted, trying on their dresses and making sure they look good for their date. Then there's me, I'm sitting on my bed eating Doritos in my pyjamas, the seasoning covering my fingers as I snacked. Rocking zero makeup, with a messy bun and tracksuit pants while binge watching some TV shows. 

All day I had been getting invites to the formal, and of course I turned them all down. Excuse me if I don't see the point in getting dolled up, wasting my money on a dress I'm only going to wear once and heels that will give me blisters. Being tortured by sweat on my makeup, aching feet and itchy dresses is not how I want to spend my Friday night.

However, I am excited for tonight. For Jughead and I are meeting at Pops diner tonight for burgers and milkshakes, I'm praying it all goes well so we can hang out more.

I knock at my door made me press pause as I sat up closing my laptop,

"Yeah!" I called out.

The door opened revealing my mom, she smiled brightly at me as she moved in, leaning against the door frame. "Are you going out tonight?" Mom asked tucking a piece of her dark hair behind her ear, "yeah" I answered.

She raised an eyebrow "so, you are going to the semi-formal" she said, "no, just going to Pops" I replied popping on the p.

"Oh really" she smirked wiggling her eyebrows, "are you going alone?" Mom asked with a cheeky grin. I chuckled and pushed my laptop off my stomach "no, I'm not going alone. It's just with a friend" I said, sitting up properly. 

Mom's grin widened "and who is this friend?"

"Just a guy"

She laughed "any girl who says it's just a guy, really means it's more than that" she said, with a knowing look. "What's his name?" she questioned. I pursed my lips and shrugged, might as well tell her. "Jughead Jones"

Upon hearing the name, her face instantly paled. Her eyes looked away from mine, and she started playing with her fingers. "That's a strange name" she said, avoiding my eyes. "Well, everyone's a bit strange" I replied, ignoring her sudden change in demeanour.

She seemed to change once more and smiled brightly "well, I hope you have a good time with this, Jughead Jones. Don't stay out to late" she called turning to leave. "I won't" I called back as she drifted away, closing the door behind her.

I sighed before checking the time, 7:20, Jughead and I were planning to meet at 8. I got up and washed the seasoning off my fingers before walking into my bathroom, I had a quick shower to wash off any bacteria I no doubt would have caught at school. I redid my makeup and pulled my hair into a ponytail, I left small strands frame my face.

After I got out of the bathroom I changed out of my pyjamas and got into a long-sleeved black and white flower dress that ended halfway up my thigh, I threw on my see-through black stockings and my pair of heel-less ankle boots. I pulled a dark blue leather jacket on and wrapped a choker around my neck, I looked in my mirror nodding in agreement before checking the time.

7:49

Ten minutes.

I grabbed my bag and went down stairs and called a quick goodbye to my mom before I went outside and jumped into my car, then sped off to Pops.

I walked into Pops, my teeth gnawing on my bottom lip as my eyes cast a glance over the diner searching for Jughead, I found him typing away on his laptop. I walked over to him, my hips swaying.

"Hello again" I smiled sitting down next to him from him, he jumped and clicked something on his laptop quickly  "hey Anna" he replied.

"Are you working on your novel?" I asked, "um, sort of" Jughead said.

"Can I read it?"

He nodded turning the laptop to me, I read over it and wow it was really good. He clearly spent a lot of time on it, it's very detailed.

"This is, wow, this is really good" I smiled, "thanks" he smiled back sheepishly.

"Have you written anything else?" I asked.

"Um, no. N-not really" 

I found a hard time believing that.

I brushed it off not wanting to question him "okay".

A waitress came over and took our orders, we both got burgers, Jughead got a black coffee and I got a caramel milkshake, my favourite,

"Do you have any hobbies?" Jones asked, "I used to take photos, landscape mostly but I'd do portraits every now and then. It's a little ironic since I have a photographic memory" I answered sipping from my milkshake as I tapped the side of my forehead.

"You have a photographic memory" Jughead smiled astonished.

I smiled nodding "why do you think I skip half of my classes, I already know all of it"

"Why won't they let you go into a different year?"

"My dad" I answered. "I was supposed to graduate when I was fourteen but my dad said I needed to get 'the real high school experience'" I said quoting my dad with my fingers, "he just didn't want to pay for college yet" I added.

"Do you still do it? Photography"

I shook my head looking at the table "I showed them to an art gallery and they said an I quote 'this is absolute garbage' of course that shut down my self esteem towards photography".

"That's not harsh at all" Jones said sarcastically, I giggled softly "it's alright, I never saw myself doing photography forever".

And for the next two hours Jughead and I talked, we talk and talked and we really got to know each other.

We laughed and we shared memories of our childhood, I found out he was the boy who pushed Kyle Robins out of his seat in the fourth grade for pulling on my hair. I had a crush on Jones for a day before I completely forgot about it.

I really like him, he's nice, and funny. Talking to him more often is a definite must on my to-do list.

And what felt like the millionth time, I began laughing over something he said.

I laughed loudly pulling his beanie over my eyes, I stole it from him a little while ago. He laughed along with me, our crumbs from our burgers were spread over our table and our drinks empty. Jughead's arm was behind my head both of us laughing hysterically, I clapped my hands struggling for air as we laughed.

But I died down, my cheeks aching and my stomach tight as we softly chuckled. "That was funny" I smiled wiping away a stray tear, "we have to do this again" I said giving him a toothy grin.

"We have to" Jones cheered giving me genuine smile, "um, do you maybe want to go to the drive-in with me? I work there and I could make a recommendation" he said.

"I'd love to" I replied pulling the beanie above my eyes "really?" Jones questioned "well I'm not going to say no Juggie" I smiled, "and 'Pulp Fiction' is my favourite movie".

"Quentin Tarrantino fan?' Jones asked.

"He is my number one director, I love his movies, 'Reservoir Dogs', 'Pulp Fiction', 'Django Unchained', Inglorious Bastards, all the volume of 'Kill Bill', all my favourites" I answered crossing my legs under the table.

"What do like most about his movies?"

"How entertaining the conversations are, the characters can talk about the most random things but how he gets the actors to express themselves make it seem so lifelike. But I also like how random the storyline is, like there's someone's story and then there's another persons story and they are combined so nicely. Just how he makes the movies so relevant in the weirdest way possible is why I love it" I explained.

His grin widened, his blue eyes looking into my brown ones.

"What?" I smiled.

"Your just, so different from what everyone says. But in a way, I knew you weren't like the rumours" he said, "the rumours are often exaggerated" I sighed.

"I did slam some guys head in a locker but that whole thing about me almost cutting his head off, obviously that's a load of crap. A dingy steel door can't cut off someone's head" I said rolling my eyes.

"Clearly" Jones replied, "so what if he got fifteen stitches, he shouldn't have tried to grab my arse" I said.

Jughead raised an eyebrow "he really tried to do that?" he questioned. I pursed my lips and nodded, my eyes looking down.

I don't really like to talk about this kind of stuff, it just makes my insides turn to jelly, and not the good kind. Especially since...

'No, Anna. Don't think about him, not what he did' I screamed at my self.

Jughead seemed to see me squirming and quickly changed the topic. "You're a lot nicer than everyone says, I mostly hear how moody you are" he chuckled lightly, I smiled and plucked the beanie off his head "I can say the same to you" I said fastening the beanie lopsided on his head.

Then a beeping sound went off, I took my phone out and looked at the text I received.

Mama bear 🐻🐻: just wondering when you were coming home??

"Sorry one second" I said quickly texting her back

Me: probably be home soon, having a great time though 😄😄

I threw my phone back in my bag and turned to Jughead, "it was my mom, she wanted to know when I was coming back home"

"How is your mom, I haven't seen her since the 8th grade"

"She's alright, she's finally stepped up from nurse to surgeon. She was really excited when she got her degree" I said.

Jughead smiled. "I bet, isn't she becoming the head surgeon at the hospital?" he questioned, raised an eyebrow and nodded "yeah, she is. I'm really proud of her"

Then my phone began ringing, I looked at it seeing moms name pop up.

"I'm sorry, it's my mom" I stood up and answered it heading into the back of the diner.

I spoke into the phone. "Mom, I told you I'd be home soon"

"I know honey, but I really need you to come home now" she had a urgency in her voice, something I haven't heard in a long time.

I frowned and pressed the phone harder to my ear. "Mom, what happened?" 

Then she broke into tears, sobs echoing throughout the phone.

"Please just come home, I'll explain" she gasped through the sobs, then she hung up.

I walked back to Jughead, "hey I'm sorry, that was my mom. She wants me home, family emergency you know" I said.

I pulled out a thirty and placed it on the table, "is everything okay?" Jughead asked "I don't know, I am really sorry. I'll see you at school" I quickly left running off.

Sliding into my car I revved the engine but a voice yelled out to me.

I looked towards the diner seeing Jughead, he ran to my car holding something. My bag.

"You forgot this" he said, "thank you" I smiled grasping it.

"I owe you big time" I said, "goodbye Anna" he replied.

"Bye Juggie"