Stand of Pearls ~ Vughead/Jeronica

Ch, 22. Five

Jughead

"What?!" Betty yells.

"Are you insane?!" Archie at backs away from the kitchen, "Archie you don't have anything to say about this?"

"Don't look at me this wasn't my idea."

"Betty could you just consider it?" I ask, she looks at me.

"Jughead she brought up my mom, my mom! In front of her little minions, Archie, Veronica, and you!"

"Now she wants to help?"

"She has some info that could be of use to us."

"Really? Like what?" Archie looks at me slightly worried.

"Well, Saturday night we stayed at my house because my motorcycle broke down, cause it was so cold outside. She was calm usual Cheryl that night than when she woke up was acting strange."

"Why?" She asks.

"I should have asked but I didn't, we broke up on Monday I thought it was because of me getting jumped it wasn't."

She checks her posture and hops onto the counter, "why did she?"

"She got a phone call from a man, saying if she didn't break up with me somebody would hurt me."

"Why didn't she tell you, me, or even Archie for that matter?"

"She was told not to say anything," Archie adds.

She turns to him, "when did you find out about this?"

"Last night Jughead told me,she turns back to me.

"When did you two talk?"

"She told me last night."

"Did you go see her after your date with Veronica?"

"No, she messaged-"

"Don't lie to me Jughead that may work with others but not with me."

"Betty that's not your business to know," Archie intervened.

Now it's my turn to back up, "Archie you and I watched as Jughead wouldn't get up out of bed to wash his hair for a week. Or when he fell in the shower, didn't eat for a week or two, eyes sunken in, hands shaky."

"Betty-"

"We pulled him out of the bathtub for goodness sakes-"

"Betty!" Archie yells.

I look down at the ground feeling extremely uncomfortable, Betty is turned away but Archie is watching me like a hawk.

"We can't choose how Jughead finds closure, we can't choose how this ends, he does with her. His choice how he deals with it or talks with her, not ours."

She turns to me, "I'm sorry."

I look up, "it's okay"

"I just don't want to see you hurting again."

I nod, "I know that Betty it's alright, she says she's sorry about how she talked that day when we went swimming. She also said she will apologize in person when she sees you two next."