Valentina

What makes a place feel like home? Is it warmth and familiarity? Some idealized, make-believe TV version of the American Dream? Is it love and acceptance? Or is it simple safety?
Or it's none of those things. And it's a place where the captain of the football team is murdered. Or maybe it's just a forgotten closet under a well-trod staircase, where it's just you and the mice and the spiders, like an extra in a Wes Craven movie.

ΨΨΨ

Avoiding Jughead is a lot harder than I thought. I see him everywhere I go, it seems like he's a ghost destined to haunt me for the rest of my days. I can't say I would mind that but this is a different situation.

He still has a few days left before I completely disappear from his life. I know I said goodbye to him two days ago, but I'm still hoping for something better. I'm hoping for the impossible, but the impossible feels so good right now. All I want is for him to choose me, instead of choosing Betty Cooper.

But I'm okay with it. I'm alright. There's only a tiny of pain buried deep inside my heart. I won't let anyone else hurt me like Jughead did. I will never open my heart like I did with him, even if I have to become the cold-hearted person most people believe I am.

I've been writing an article for The Blue and Gold but I believe Betty won't let me publish it. It's about my brother and the amount of theories related to his disappearance. If only people knew he has been hiding in my bedroom- and his sometimes- for a week now.

Once school starts after a weekend of discussions at home, I find the one person I do not want to see right now standing next to my locker, inspecting her perfect manicure with disdain.

"What do you want?" I don't look at her, I just open my locker and grab the book I forgot I left here. "Last time I checked, you weren't a fan of meeting me in public. What changed?"

Cheryl Blossom lost the respect I had for her when she started avoiding me while other people were around, only approaching me in the locker room or some isolated place. That's not what a real friend does. She changed, since Jason's death. I get it she is in pain, but it's not a good reason to push her best friend away and make her look like an outcast.

"I'm sorry." She states, flipping her hair to the side and looking at my face. "I just thought you would like to know that-"

"If you're here to tell me about the tree-tapping ceremony, yes, my family will attend it and every event your mommy and daddy have planned for us." I interrupt her and say, not in the mood for her games. "Just make sure you stay far away from me. We wouldn't want to ruin your reputation, would we?"

I bang my locker shut and turn my back to Cheryl, slowly walking towards the students' room where I know my friends are at. And not my new friends, like Betty, Veronica and Archie, but Reggie, the guys from the football team and the River Vixens. I admit I missed hanging out with them and the pranks we pulled on other students.

"Hey!"

No one speaks as I take a seat next to Reggie, like the old times. And with old times I mean before I decided to trade my true friends for people who really don't care about me. Like Betty and her little group of friends. She saw the way Jughead and I interacted with each other before she decided Jughead was "boyfriend material". Excuse me, Betty Cooper, but I've had my eyes set on Jughead for a long time now.

"Long time no see, Adams." Reggie pats my shoulder and leans forward. "How have you been?"

"Good, I missed you guys." I smile brightly at my old group of friends. There's only one member missing- apart from Cheryl- and that someone is Chuck. "Where's Chuck?"

"Oh, you don't remember?" Ginger snickers and pops her gum, looking down at me like I'm a piece of dirt on her shoes. "Your little friends got him suspended for a few weeks and expelled from the football team."

My eyes widen with realization. I completely forgot about that detail. I remember now. After the scandal with Veronica and Chuck's date, they found some kind of journal with girls' names and numbers following their names. It turned out boys gave the girls they had flings with a score. I was one of the only girls whose name wasn't present in that journal.

I didn't participate in the activity Betty and the other girls "organized" but they told me all about it a few hours later. It was one long phone call, may I add.

"Oh, that." I start playing with my fingers, a nasty habit of mine ever since I was a kid. "I remember they exposed him but I never heard of the consequences."

"Now you know the kind of people you're friends with." She smirks, playing with her hair and sending Reggie flirtatious eyes. "Right, Reggie?"

"Don't torment her, she had nothing to do with it." He defends me and I raise my eyebrows at him. Now his is something new.

Both Ginger and Tia- what a shock, her name isn't Pepper- stare at me as if waiting for my answer. I don't give them any, I just stand and leave the room behind, not even bothering to look back at them.

Unfortunately for me, the two girls have something else up their sleeves.

"Is it true that you killed your brother?" Ginger asks, walking closely behind me.

I can feel everyone's eyes on my back as I walk down the hallway towards the doors. I need to get out of here before I snap. Clenching my hands until I'm sure I have small half-moons craved on my palms, I breathe in and out a couple of times. Deciding against my own brain, I turn around to face them.

"Who told you that? Some crazy asshole who only wants to hurt people?" I can feel the fear emanating from my body, and so can Ginger and Tia. They sport pleaded smirks. This is exactly what they wanted. "My brother is everything to me. I would never hurt him."

"What about Jason Blossom?" It's Tia's turn to shatter my heart. "Did you kill him?"

Because no one has a clue about Jason's murderer, everyone speculates, points the finger at an outcast and accuses innocent people of being the killer of Riverdale's sweetheart, Jason Blossom.

Looking the girl in the eyes, I slowly walk towards her. I don't feel the sting on my hand, I just hear the loud slap I plant on her cheek. Tia gasps and hold her hands against her reddening cheek as she slowly backs off.

"Don't you dare say that again." I yell for everyone to hear. It's dead silent, the other students focused on our fight. "Jason was like a brother to me, when my own brother disappeared. So I will not tolerate this madness."

After feeling my heart break in thousands of tiny pieces, I turn my back on the judgmental eyes and run for the next hallway, which is devoid of nosy students. I spot the janitor's storage room a few feet away from me and quickly hide inside of it.

As there's no one here to see me cry like a baby, I let my feelings out for the first time in a while. Yeah, I cry a lot.

"Valentina?" A voice asks, followed by a knock on the door. "Open the door, I know you're in there."

I pretend I don't exist, my lips forming a tight line as I shake my head, tears silently falling down my cheeks. I've been crying a lot lately.

"Go away." I whisper loud enough for Reggie to hear me, but he insists, banging his fists against the door like he wants to tear it down right this second.

"I won't ask again, Valentina."

I sigh, erasing any trace of my tears and the sadness I'm feeling within the deepest pit of my damaged soul. Letting Reggie in without looking up at him, I don't see what he's about to do- neither was I expecting it.

He hugs me. And I like it. 

We stay like this for what seems like hours- even though I know it lasts for a few minutes- and he kisses my forehead when I stop shivering. I am not cold, at least not physically. But I do feel cold inside, like the most vital organ of my body is slowly dying, becoming as cold as a cube of ice.

I can feel my heart breaking and turning into pure, cold ice.

"Don't let them get to you, sweetie." Reggie kisses my forehead and takes my hand in his. "Are you ready to face the world again?"

I nod and let him take my by the hand back to the school halls, ignoring the stares and whispers of curious students after my little breakdown in front of everyone.

Reggie and I walk past the duo, Veronica and Betty, as we make our way to the school's library. They look at me, then at Reggie- who smirks and circles his arm around my waist- and smile, clearly confused. I smile back and let Reggie guide me to the library.

"Did you see their faces?" He whispers in my ear when we're far away from them.

"I did." I kiss his cheek and he turns a deep shade of red. "It was priceless."

"Do you think they can still see us?" I nod at his question and tilt my head to the side, questioning him with my eyes. "Because I want to make sure that hobo keeps his hands off of you."

It is certainly not Betty and Veronica he is talking about. Looking at something over my shoulder, Reggie smirks and grabs my hand, pulling my body to his. I can feel every muscle, every fiber of his body connected to mine. My heart is telling me how wrong this is but my mind is battling it, images of Jughead's rejection painfully showing me the truth.

I feel his lips against mine and I can't help but compare them to Jughead's. Reggie's lips are rougher, but softer at the same time, as butterflies emerge from my stomach.

This is wrong.

But I don't care.

I bring one my hand to his face, caressing it with the tips of my fingers as my free hand runs around his soft hair, earning a groan from Reggie. His hand slips under my shirt and tickles the sensitive skin of my waist. I giggle against his lips and move mine against his, Reggie's tongue battling mine for a bit of space inside my mouth.

He breaks the kiss when we're too out of breath. We do not want to die during a kiss, right? He glues his forehead to mine and closes his eyes while I examine every inch of his flawless face.

Why can't my heart love you, instead?

"Excuse me for a minute, I have to pee." I peck him on the lips one last time and smile before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

Before I can even look for an empty cubicle to do my own business, a certain red-headed girl stops me and places me right in front of one of the mirrors.

"Nice meeting you here, Valentina." She twirls a strand of my hair around in her fingers, inspecting my face. "Wanna know what I just found out, dear Valentina?"

I shake my head, fear that she found out about Viktor consuming me. She can't, how?

"Ginger texted me while I was in the ladies' room. It seems that crazy bitch, Polly Cooper, escaped from some looney bin, the same night Jason's car was torched." She says while looking at me and playing with my hair. "So let me do the math for you. Polly escaping plus Polly torching Jason's car equals she's Jason's killer. Covering her tracks, trying to go underground, like the vicious, cold-hearted murdering mean girl that she is."

Cheryl smiles sheepishly at me and I tremble from head to toe. She has never looked more crazy. Is her hatred towards Polly being transferred to me right now? I really do not want to find out.

"Oh, and I just tweeted this out to all of my minions, so the pressure's on, Valentina." She leans forward, her nose touching mine, as the other girls leave the room. "I don't care who you decide to associate with, but I will warn you one last time. Do not come back to me, crying for help, when those people- Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead- understand you're worthless to them. They're going to leave you, Valentina."

I can't fight the tears that are prickling my eyes, but I lift my chin up high and look at her like her words didn't affect me at all.

"Get your facts straight before attacking someone like that." I feel one single tear fall down my cheek and quickly wipe it away. "In case you didn't notice, they value my friendship. They are not embarrassed of me and gladly meet me in public. So don't try to question their motives, at least they don't use me and spit me out when they no longer need my help."

I hold back the tears and nod my head slowly, letting my own words sink in. Do I really believe what I just said? No, not yet. Not after Betty's horrible betrayal. I'm yet to witness a kind gesture towards me, without second intentions.

Leaving the bathroom behind without another glance, I find Reggie leaning against the wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest and head held high. He smiles when he sees me but it's quickly replaced by a worried frown. His arms find their way to my waist and I'm pulled to his soft chest.

"What happened?" I don't have to answer his question as the reason for my sudden sadness is closing the door behind her back, smiling sadistically at us. "Oh."

"Yeah." My voice is raspy from the tears I'm not longer shedding, and I'm grateful that Reggie didn't desert me after I left our group of friends. I'm glad he came after me. "Can we leave?"

He nods and I let him guide me away, feeling the sharp glare of Cheryl Blossom following me down the hallway.

Unfortunately, when I only want peace and quiet, Veronica and Kevin reach us. I internally scream, Reggie's arm tightening its grip around my waist. He plants a soft kiss on my forehead as we face them.

"Guys." Veronica looks excited, and her hand waves around with glee. "Back in New York, whenever I needed to blow off some steam, or force my mother's hand, I'd go out on a bender, dancing with my fave celebrity gal-pal, my best gay, and some dim-witted, sexy, disposable arm-candy."

"So?" I ask, not really understanding what she means. "You lost me at 'fave celebrity gal-pal'."

"That's you, Valentina." She giggles and pats my hand. "You're kind of a big deal here, your family is super famous and well-known in Riverdale. So, my best gay is Kevin, and the other one..."

She looks at Reggie from the corner of her eyes and smirks. It seems like she's ignoring the arm he has wrapped around me. I raise my eyebrows at her and cough slightly, and she snaps out of her little trance and blinks her eyes.

"Oh, are you two together?" Veronica asks and warmth spreads around my cheeks.

"It's a bit fresh." Reggie answers and locks his eyes with mine. "But it would be amazing if she said yes."

I smile and look down at my feet, feeling my cheeks burn up even more. I will answer his question later, when we're no longer surrounded by teenagers who are eager to listen to our conversation.

"I'm in if you are." I speak in a low voice, his finger tracing soft patterns down my back.

"I'm in, I'm so in." By now, I have no idea what he is answering to: going to said party with Veronica or being in a relationship with me.

Anyway, both are perfect for me.

ΨΨΨ

As Veronica asked this morning at school, Reggie and I are sitting on my car near the entrance of her building, patiently waiting for her arrival.

"Ready to have some fun?" Reggie asks, our hands intertwined on my thigh. "At least you can forget about your problems for one night."

"Yeah, I'm ready." I giggle at his goofy grin and peck him on the cheek.

He quickly turns his head to the side and meets my lips with his soft ones, slowly moving alongside mine in a calm dance.

A tap on the driver's window separates my face from Reggie's in a heartbreak, both of us slightly panting. It seems Veronica decided to interrupt our moment, as she slips inside the car and sighs from the backseat.

"Kevin will meet us there, he had to make sure his father didn't follow him to the club." Veronica touches her face to make sure everything is in place and smiles at us. "You two make a cute couple, what's your ship name?"

I groan internally and slap my hand against my forehead.

"What in the name of baby Jesus is a ship name?" Reggie asks and I let out a soft giggle, running my fingers through his black hair.

"Don't worry, Veronica is only teasing us." I look at her from the corner of my eyes and she seems to understand my message.

Shut the hell up before I punch your face.

That's kind of what I wanted to say but settle with a mean glare.

The car ride to the club is silent, only the low hum of the tires running down the streets interrupting our thoughts, each one of us too absorbed in our minds.

While Reggie tries to find a parking spot, Veronica and I show the security guard our tickets and wait patiently for Reggie and Kevin. The latter arrives first, throwing his arms around us and smiling like he just won the lottery.

"Why are you smiling?" Veronica asks, her tone indicating Kevin does not smile so brightly that often.

"Nothing, I'm just excited to be here. I needed a break from the horrible weeks I've had." He breathes and I pat his back, completely understanding what he means.

"Let's have fun." I yell as Reggie wraps his arms around my waist from behind and we follow Veronica to the center of the dance floor.

Thank god I decided to store my phone and money inside my underwear.

Loud music plays from the speakers, bright lights shining down on us, creating mesmerizing illusions on our skin. Reggie turns blue when the light hits his strong cheekbones and I smile, letting him twirl me around and pulling me close to his warm body.

"I'm loving this." He whispers in my hair, his nose running up and down my neck. "I don't know how to say this, but I've always had a tiny crush on you, Valentina Adams."

His confession makes my heart swell with happiness. He leans forward and I smirk to myself. Instead of kissing him like he is expecting, I tuck my head under his chin and hug him as close to my body as humanly possible, leaving no space between us.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me feel."

"Do you want to know what would make me the happiest teenager in Riverdale?" He asks and I shake my head, still snuggling against his warmth. He grabs my arms and pushes me back until he can look down at my face. Reggie smiles and caresses my cheek with the back of his hand. "Be my girlfriend."

I don't answer with works, as sometimes an action can be worth a thousand words. Or is it a picture? In this case, I wrap my arms around his shoulders and pull him down to my face. When I'm sure he can hear me with the loud music blaring on our ears, I smile and nod my head.

"Yes." As soon as the word falls from my mouth, Reggie's lips attack mine in a rough kiss.

I let him play with my hair as I grab hold of his shirt, making sure there's zero space between us. I want to feel his body glued to mine. But above all, I want him to help me forget.

Because if I want to be in a relationship with Reggie, give him all my love and support and be the best girlfriend I can be, I have to forget about Jughead Jones and the stupidly futile things he does to my heart.

We dance together for a few more minutes, more and more songs playing as we forget about the world around us. My feet are sore due to the high heels I decide to wear tonight. The right black dress my mother gave me for my birthday last year guys like a glove, the small diamonds on the neckline giving the outfit a glamorous look.

At least there's one thing I know for sure: my mother will never let me walk out of the house looking like- according to the woman herself- "one of those poor idiots that inhabit the less fortunate neighborhoods of our beloved Riverdale".

"I need a drink." Reggie yells over the music. "Go find some sofas we can seat on, I'll bring you something to drink."

I nod and he lowers his head to kiss my forehead. If there's one act of love I know- because of my brother, not my parents- is the "kiss on the forehead". My brother used to do that every night before we went to bed. We didn't have our parents to kiss us goodnight or read us to sleep, so we helped each other out and became more independent, but surely dependent on each other's company.

It's so good to have him back. I don't think I've told him how much I've missed him. He will never understand what I went through, but at least I know he's safe and sound.

I smile when a group of teenagers leave two sofas near the corner, emptying the space so I can sit on one of the couches, waiting for my friends. While I wait, I wave my hands around my face to freshen up a little bit. I bet I look like a mess. But not just any type of mess. A hot mess.

I spot Veronica's black hair and raise my hand so she can see me and come sit by me. She looks a little sad when she reaches me. 

"Mmm-mmm, girl. You better hydrate. You practically left your body on the dance floor." I hand her the drink Reggie carries in his hand.

"I wish, Valentina." Veronica sighs and takes a seat by my side. "I wish I could leave my body sometimes. Leave Riverdale, leave everything."

"Is any of this helping? Going out, going Black Swan, any of it?" I ask, grabbing her hand in mine and waiting for her answer while sipping on the drink Reggie bought for me.

Hmm, Fanta.

"When my dad got arrested, the police, the lawyers, the judge, the courts, they took everything from us. Our houses, our cars, our club memberships, our yacht, even, I'm not kidding, the clothes off our backs." She sighs as I wrap my arm around her waist, bringing her face down so she can rest it ok my shoulder. "Anyway, my mom sat me down on the edge of my canopy bed and she told me not to cry. Because there was one thing in this world that no one could ever take from me. Not ever."

"Your trust fund?" Reggie asks with a smirk and I kick his knee, glaring at him.

"My name, Reggie. Which, after telling me no one would ever take it, that is exactly what she did. Like it meant nothing. It was nothing." I feel her shiver and I kiss her forehead. Her eyes are focused on the wall right in front of us, and she has a sad look on her face. "Like I was nothing."

I run my hand up and down her arm, trying to comfort her as best as I can. I'm not very good at this, as I've never been given he amount of love a child needs. But I'm trying to let her know I'm here for her.

After a few seconds of silence, Kevin claps his hands and changes the subject. I'm glad he did this, I was starting to regret ever leaving my house. This night out is becoming a "let's reveal our deepest secrets and be sad for the rest of our lives" type of gathering.

I wonder what my secret would be. I have dozens of them, but I believe the most shocking one would make Kevin call his father so he could investigate my house. How would I say it? Bluntly or shyly?

Knowing myself, I would just say something like "hey, I'm hiding my brother on my bedroom. You know, Viktor, the one who slipped on the rocks near the river ten years ago and disappeared without a trace".

Veronica orders a round of shots for all of us and I cringe. Tomorrow will be a difficult day, we have classes in the morning and I'm sure I'll have the worst hangover ever.

Coming back with a grim look on his face, the waiter hands Veronica her card back.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Lodge, but your card's been declined."

My eyes widen and Veronica's body straightens up, trying to look more mature.

"Really? And let me guess, it's been reported stolen."

"It has, in fact. We're supposed to call the cops." The waiter eyes me and gulps.

Oh yeah, he knows exactly who I am.

"Yeah, sure. Call the cops. We'll be happy to tell them how old we are. Or I could call my parent, the Adams." I taunt him and pull a handful of cash from my bra, the waiter's eyes almost coming out of it's sockets. "This should cover it."

He walks away with the money on his hands and an astonished look on his face. I can't help but laugh at him and his odd behavior. Reggie, on the other hand, does not look very pleased. He keeps his hand on my knee the entire time as we all turn back to Veronica for an explanation.

"Veronica, did your mom cut you off?" Kevin asks.

"She did." She answers, falling back against the couch, her hands playing with the hem of her dress. There's a smile threatening to appear on her face.

"And that's a good thing?" I question, suddenly feeling a bit confused.

"Oh, Valie." She says, smiling like a madwoman. "This is how we Lodge women roll. We feint, we parry, we approach, we retreat. We're like a cobra and a mongoose dancing. She blinked, which means, I suspect, that Hermione Lodge is ready to negotiate."

"Wow." Kevin, Reggie and I whisper in unison, earning a giggle from Veronica.

It was surely an interesting night.

ΨΨΨ

"Thank you did tonight." Reggie says as she parks his car in front of the tall gates leading to the entrance of my family's mansion. "I had a lot of fun."

"Me too." I smile up at him and lean forward, kissing the corner of his mouth, slowly kissing my way around his face, but never touching his lips.

"You're torturing me." He groans and stretches his hand so he can grab my shoulders and bring my face back to his. I quickly open the door and stand outside, laughing at the sad expression on his face.

"Don't be sad, honey." I send him a kiss as I make my way to the gate. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He nods and starts the car again. When my key is in the little hole of the gate, I hear his door open and close, and a pair of warm arms around my waist, his hot breath hitting my ear and sending shivers down my spine.

"I'm not letting my girl go without a goodnight kiss."

His hands spin my body around so we're face to face. Consuming my lips with his, I easily forget about my brother- who's definitely spying on me from my bedroom window- and all the crap that has been thrown at me in the past couple of months. Everything is beautiful, everything is perfect.

His teeth graze my lips and I let out a soft moan, the sound foreign to my own ears.

I step back, taking my time with breathing again. My eyes close as Reggie kisses my forehead and breaks the contact between our bodies.

"Bye, Reggie."

"See you tomorrow, princess."

I enter my house with a giddy smile on my face. I really had a lot of fun tonight, and the best part was I didn't really think about Jughead. Yeah, his face popped up on my mind a few times but nothing compared to the past couple of weeks, when I couldn't take his stupid smile out of my head.

ΨΨΨ

Heyyyyyy. I'm back with another chapter! I hope you liked this, I don't really know how I feel about this chapter.... hmmm. Okay, moving on! Who else wants a Reggie? I surely do ToT. What do you think of the new couple? Any ship names? (Because I have no idea what to call them) THIS CHAPTER WAS SUPER LONG GUYS! WTF?!
I'll probably edit this in the morning, I'm too lazy right now. It's 1:42 am here in Portugal, and I'm updating this. Yay for me.
Don't forget to vote and comment to show your support. It means the world to me when you guys give me some feedback on how I'm doing.
See you guys next time!
Byeeeee.