The Change

"Alright, see you in ten?"

"Yea, see ya." I hung up the phone. My dad yelled at me to put a jacket with a hood on, incase it does start raining. I head out the door towards Pop's.

~~~~~

As I slipped out the front door, the heat of today was gone and replaced with rain. It smelt more sour than normal then the rain. I pulled my hood on the started walking to Pop's. It only took me 15 minutes to get there by foot.

When I opened to door to Pop's, Archie, Betty, and Veronica were at our usual booth.

"Jug, did you walk all the way here in this rain?" Betty questioned concerned.

"Yea, but it's fine, I had a hood on all the way there."

"You know about the rain today, the bacterial rain? And about what it does if it touches your skin?" Veronica whispered the last part, almost to where I couldn't hear it.

"Yea, ish, my dad was trying to explain it to me but I guess he didn't tell me happens when it touches you."

"Jug, the bacteria Wolbachia, can turn you into female if you get enough of it on you." Betty replies, cutting off Veronica.

"Guys can we talk about something else?" Archie pouted. I nodded my head and seat next to him. The girls seem to be in their own little world, that's when Archie and I started to talk about life.

"Man, football's getting tougher. It's like…" his voice became a ringing sound to me. Archie then turn to look at me, I seen the emotions going through his face. First it was a concern expression, then the questioning face he makes, then finally realization. He knew then and there something was wrong with me. He made an excuse to the girls and pulled me out of the booth and into his truck. He was trying to talk to me but all I could hear was at stupid ringing sound. I don't remember when I closed my eyes but when I opened them I was in Archie's arms, bridal style. He carried me inside and placed my on my bed. The ringing finally stopped and I heard Archie and my dad, FP, talk in the living room.

"I'm sorry Mr. Jones. I didn't know where else to take him."

"You're fine, boy. It was better that you brought him here. What even happened anyways?"

"I don't know. We were talking and all the sudden he looked in pain, so I thought bringing him to sleep it off was the best option."

"It was by bringing him here, and I thank you for that." my dad sounded like he was scared or afraid of something. Like I was going to die, which I knew I wasn't. I heard the door slam shut, that's when I got up to go to the kitchen.

When I got to the kitchen that's when I saw my dad, he looked stressed to the point of drinking again. I walked up to him and hugged him, and I told him everything is going to be okay. He seemed to believe it, thank god, because he turned to face me and hugged me fully. He let out a sigh and let go of me.

"Son do you know what Wolbachia is?"

"No, I don't ,dad. Why?"

"Wolbachia is a bacteria that has been known to change a roly-poly poly from a male to a female, but when it gets into the rain clouds it could cause damage to us humans with just one drop." he explained.

"So... what you're saying is that I could be changed into a female from one drop of bacterial rain?" I questioned with a bit of a shocked face.

"Yes, son, that is what I'm saying."

"How do you know all this stuff?"

"Because it happened to someone every close to me, one time." he answered but with hesitation. Like he didn't want me to know the person was or like it would kill him to tell me who the person was. I started to go down the short list of people that my dad actually cared about. I started to name out people to him but everyone I said he denied them, until I got to Fred Andrews.

"Boy, quite saying names, would ya?"

"So Mr. Andrews was a girl once? How did he changes back?" I said sarcastically.

"Jug, Andrews was a girl until this thing started with Wolbachia. And no she couldn't change back we- I mean they couldn't find a cure for it." he said sadly.

"Wait …. Did you-"

"No! We didn't. We were and still are very close friends. I'm the only only who knows about this. Now you too son, that means don't going and telling everyone. Got it?" he said. He looked at me and I nodded, saying that I wasn't going to tell.

"Why are you telling me this now, though?"

"Because- I don't know. I feel like it's going to happen to you if I don't tell you what it does to people." he replied with a nervous voice.

"Its okay dad, I'm fine. I'm safe at home, where you can keep an eye on me." he laughed and I was relieved.

"I'm going to bed, see you in the morning." I told him. He nodded and hugged me good night.

The next morning, I woke up hot and I had a headache. I groaned getting out of bed and started to do my daily routine. I pulled some shorts and a baggy shirt on then I looked in the mirror. My scream could be heard across the trailer park and all the way to the northside. My dad came running into my bedroom and he saw me on my knees crying my eyes out. He picked me up off my knees and carried me to the kitchen countertop. He was trying to calm me down and I finally stopped. I looked down at myself. I looked smaller, more breakable than what I already did.

"I… what…why?"

"I don't know, maybe you did get some of that rain on you." my dad's statement made me what to cry more.

"What do I do? What do we do?" I questioned.

"I don't know. But I do know school is today and that big test you were talking about is today too. But if you don't want-" with that said, I jumped off the counter and ran into my room to get ready. I put on some tight black ripped pants, my favorite 'S' shirt, and my bennie. Flannel around my much smaller waist and grabbed my bag and ran out the door. My dad yelled after me to be safe.

When I got to school, everyone was looking at me. Did they think I was a new girl or something? Well I kinda was, but I'm still Jughead Jones. I walked to my locker and put my stuff away, Archie walked up behind me and asked,

"Jug, is that you?" he whispered. I was thankful because I didn't want anyone to know anyone to know.

"Yes, but please don't tell any-" I said turning around to face him.

"Jughead is that you?!" Veronica yelled across the hall and everyone turned around to look at me. I rolled my eyes and walked away.

"No, she Jugs cousin, um…. " Archie tried to make a cover story but I was too far away to hear the rest of it. 

    Later that day I sat with Archie, Betty, and Kevin at the lunch table. Veronica strolling in and sat at her normal spot.

"Well… looky here what the cat dragged in, Jughead Jones herself." Veronica said with venom in her voice.

"What's wrong Veronica, afraid I'm going to steal your man?" I said to her sarcastically with a laugh.

"Come on V, its okay. It's just Jug, she's not going to do anything. Right Juggie?" Betty with her calm voice. I nodded my head

"No, I think it is disgusting that Jughead is now a girl. I mean could she be anymore of a floozie! And on top of it all, everyone of you are accepting of it." Veronica said walking off with a stomp in her step. We were all shocked enough that we had to let the words sink in. Did Veronica really just say that I was disgusting?

"I don't think she really meant it Jug. You know how she gets." Archie said rubbing my back to try to calm me down. I just nodded my head, as if I was agreeing with him. The rest of the day went by okay; but when the school day was over, I just wanted to just go home to sleep. But no, my life is too complicated for that. When I started to head towards my motorcycle, Veronica was there waiting for me.

"What do you want, Veronica?" I asked trying to walk pass her.

"I want you to leave town and never come back."

"And why would I do that Veronica, I would be leaving my dad, Archie, and Betty behind and I don't want to do that." especially not right when my dad just got clean and is doing perfect.

"I'm just saying it now, before you get hurt, just think about it Forsythe." then she walked off. I shook my head and headed home.

    When I got home, Fred Andrews was sitting there at the table talking to my dad, who by the way looked terrible, by the way. They didn't seem to notice me until set my bag down on the floor. They both turned to look at me.

"Jug, you doing okay?" asked Fred as he and my dad stood up.

"If Veronica telling me to leave town is the new normal around there, then yea, I'm just peachy."

"She did what?!" they said in harmony.

"Wow, okay, um…" I said in confusion.

"Please don't tell me you're actually going to do that." my father said while grabbing my shoulders. He looked so frightened that his whole body was tense from the fear.

"No, but her words hurt."

"What else did she say?" Fred asked wanting to know more.

"She said I was disgusting and that I was a floozie …. What's a floozie?" I asked the last part confusingly.

"Don't worry about the word -She called you a what?!" they both said at the same time.

"She is nothing but bringing you down, Jug. don't let it get to your head. Trust me, I know." Fred said, trying to not let FP get a word in; I nodded my head. Fred turned to leave but before he left, he gave me a smile and then close the door.

"So, what were you and Mr. Andrews talking about?" I asked.

"We were talking about you and how can help defuse the situation." my father look tired, like he had been up all night trying to figure a solution; but really he hasn't.

As the days and weeks went on, everyone seemed to not notice the change. Like everything was normal, well as normal as Riverdale comes. Veronica moved back to New York with her family, where she got put in her place for bullying. And with me, everything changed with one rainy day.