Faithfully

126

"I'm getting ready to head to the search party for Jughead. Serpents are helping out." Sweet Pea told Braxton as he laid in bed next to her. "Okay." Was all she replied with.

"It's been 9 days Brax.. Where's his body?"

She didn't know how much she could keep up the lies. "In the woods."

"He's just laying out in the woods?"

"No."

"So he's hidden?"

"Yes, very well."

"Like under the ground? Is he buried?"

"Under the ground, yes. Buried, no."

Sweet Pea was becoming frustrated. "That makes zero sense." He told her as he sat up.

"He's in Dilton's bunker right now. And tonight he will be somewhere in the woods waiting to be found."

Sweet Pea looked at her with concerning eyes. "You four have this all planned out?"

"Five." She told him.

"Who's five? Because I'm not apart of this."

"Jughead."

The concern became confusion. "What?"

"Promise to keep a secret?"

"Of course."

"Jugs not dead." She quickly said as she stood up.

"He's not dead?! But you said-"

"We thought he was. The night of the Ides of March we really did think he was. Betty called Charles and he came to get him, took him to some FBI medical facility since it was attempted murder."

"So Betty?"

"She didn't do it. She was framed by the preppies."

"But you were so angry with her?"

"So I can act." She told him as she shrugged her shoulders.

"So Jugs now down in the bunker?"

"Yes, he's hiding. He wants the preppies to think he's dead so he can unravel all these mysteries regarding the murders and Stonewall." Sweet Pea didn't say anything. He just looked at Braxton with a confused look on his face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wanted to, but I couldn't. We needed to sell that Jug didn't make it."

"But he's okay?"

"He's okay."

"So I can go back to hating him?"

Braxton rolled her eyes. "No. Now let's go find Jug." She chuckled.

The four friends had no idea where Jughead would be hiding. They didn't want to make it too obvious for if one of them found him. They also didn't want it to be an easy find and then all eyes be on them. Braxton walked with her hand in Sweet Peas as he held an umbrella and she held a flashlight. She didn't care to look all too hard. She didn't want the sight of a 'dead' Jughead to haunt her dreams anymore than it already had.

"Sheriff Jones, over here." They heard Archie call out. "I think I found something!"

FP quickly walked over to where Archie was standing and the two looked down.

"Stay back!" FP called out to everyone.

Sweet Pea looked down at Braxton and said, "Does FP still not know?" Braxton's eyes were sad. "No." She told him. She was about to watch her uncle break. As much as she wanted him to know, he couldn't, not yet. It was Betty's call and she needed as much of a real reaction as possible.