But this time I had a little bit of hope. I hoped that maybe Jughead would be enough to help me through all this shit. He understood me a little better than everyone else. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be that bad this time.

The rest of the summer passed quietly. Yet, everything seemed different. It was like the atmosphere rod the entire town changed. I didn't really notice it until about a week before school as it took about 2 months for me to really become completely aware of my surroundings again. It as the fastest I had ever really regained that ability and I was almost sure that it was because Jughead was there helping me.

Nobody knew about us being together, but then again, we weren't entirely sure what we were. We were just us and that was good enough. We hadn't ever said that anything was an official date, we hadn't asked the other if they wanted to be in a real relationship. We were just us and we didn't need to think about anything else because being us was perfect. Why would you want to ruin something that was perfect.

On the first day of school, Archie and I walked with Betty through the neighbourhood. I hadn't seen Betty all summer because she had been doing an internship, so she and I talked about what we did this summer. She told me about what it had been like with strangers all summer and about the people she had met.

"So, Y/N, what did you do?" she questioned me when she was finished.

"Oh, well, I.. I didn't do much. I kinda of broke down again after Jason died." I responded quietly, gripping the straps of my backpack tightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry I wasn't here to help." she said with a sad look on her face.

"No, Betty, it's fine. I don't want you guys to feel like you have to be watching all the time or that it's your responsibility to make sure I'm okay all the time. I'm not gonna be okay all the time. I know that." Archie turned to me as I spoke.

"C'mon Y/N, we're just looking out for you. You need help sometimes and we aren't gonna stand here and watch you struggle."

I smiled, "I know. You guys are amazing, you deserve a normal friend."

Betty smiled too, "Y/N, you know we would never wish that we had a normal friend instead of you. Besides, we have Kevin for that. Not that he's that normal either."

We laughed and talked until we got to school. It was like we were kids again. There was just one person missing. Jughead. The second we got to the entrance of the school, I had two thoughts. One was "Fuck, I want to go home and stay away from all the people" and the other was "I need to get inside and find Juggie. I'll be safe with Juggie". I grabbed onto Betty's arm, who immediately understood that I wasn't gonna make it through this crowd alone. We linked arms and made our way through the sea of people to a couple of empty lockers. Archie told me he would see me later and to call him if I needed to.

"Okay, Y/N, that's our first class right there, but I have to go tour around the new girl so I can't come in right now. Are you gonna be okay?"

"Okay, you're acting like you're my mother and yes, I'll be okay."

She let out a small laugh, "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

She left and I walked into my first class, English. The classroom had light flowing in from the windows with dirty curtains hanging around them and an old radiator underneath. There were scratched up desks set up in pairs throughout the classroom and at the very back was the familiar and comforting sight of a crowned beanie. The person wearing it was hunched over a piece of paper, writing quickly. I immediately made my way to the back of the room, taking in every detail of it as I went.

"Mind if I take this seat?" I asked as approached the boy.

He looked up from his work, annoyed that someone had interrupted him, but the second he saw me, a smile took over the frown.

"You don't have to ask, you know." he said.

"Really? Jughead Jones, Riverdale's resident loner, doesn't mind if someone just sits down next to him while he's working?" I said, taking the seat next to him.

"I don't mind if you sit down next to me while I'm working. Although you might distract me more than anyone else would."

"Good. I like having power over you."

"Oh, please. You like having power over anyone."

"True, but it's especially fun with you. Besides, I don't get power over almost anyone at all so I'm gonna take full advantage over it."

I shifted my chair closer to him while setting my bag on the floor. As I did, Jughead's eyes got wide.

"What? Something wrong?" I asked.

"Uh, no it's just... Archie. He and I are still not on the best of terms and if he found out that you and I are..."

"Are what?" I asked, curious about what his answer would be.

"I... I don't know..."

"Are you afraid to say it?"

"What? No, I just..."

"Don't worry. I get it. I have no idea what's going on here. I think I'm afraid of calling it anything, I just know that I like it."

"Well, good. I do too."

"I don't want this to end. It's not going to. Especially not because of fucking Archie. I don't know he would react to... something like this, but if it isn't good, I don't care."

"Okay." he smiled again, "Want to go to Pop's after school?"

"Only always." I replied just as the bell rang.

-Betty's P.O.V.-

Betty walked out of the main office with the new student, Veronica Lodge, following her. The pair made their way down the hallway and Betty started her tour.

After a few minutes, Kevin showed up and told Veronica about the clubs that were around town. She instantly took a liking to him and he began to walk down the hallway with them as Betty continued her tour. Kevin would speak up every few minutes to add something in.

"...also, if you see a redhead, it has a twin." he told the raven haired girl.

"What?" Veronica asked with an amused expression on her face. Before Kevin could answer, Betty corrected him.

"Actually Kev, that's not really true anymore. Jason, remember?"

"Oh right. Damn, I liked that rule."

"I'm confused, what do you mean 'if you see a redhead, it has a twin'?" Veronica asked.

"There are four kids in this school with red hair and they're also twins. Cheryl Blossom, Jason Blossom, Archie Andrews and Y/N Andrews." Kevin explained.

"You met Archie at the diner the other day."

"Oh right. So he has a twin sister?"

"Yeah but she's kind of... fucked up."

"Kevin." Betty shot him a warning look.

"Hey, those are her words, not mine. Besides, we're friends and she doesn't care. She told me once that she'd rather people just come out with it than try to spare her feelings."

"What's wrong with her?" Veronica asked, confused. Kevin decided to use the way Y/N described herself again.

"She says she's over emotional and can't sort out her thoughts. She usually has too much on her mind and sometimes she goes through these periods of time where she barely talks to anyone and she can't focus on literally anything. She just kinda follows us around and we try to make sure she doesn't trip, which she does even when she's okay. She's pretty clumsy."

"Wow, sounds rough. That's really confusing though, I'm still not sure I understand what she's really like."

"You'll have to meet her. Maybe you will during lunch. God knows she never misses a meal."