Faithfully

127

Sweet Pea held his hand out as Braxton climbed off the back of his motorcycle on Monday morning. She fixed her hair and her skirt as she looked at her boyfriend and said, "Do you think I could break Bret?" Sweet Pea looked at her with a confused look on his face. "Why would you want to do that?"

"When the preppies are together they are impossible to crack. But what if I can get Bret alone? What if I can get Bret to admit that Betty is innocent?"

He groaned as he got off his bike. "I don't know Brax.. What if she isn't?"

"What? You don't trust Betty?"

"I don't trust Bret. Especially not with you." He said then kissed her on the head and headed for the school.

"But if I could just get him to admit it-."

"No matter what I say you're going to do exactly what you want. So if you want to play cat and mouse with him, go for it. Just don't go to any more parties."

"Deal." Braxton smiled up at her boyfriend as she took his hand. So many times before this would have caused a huge fight between the two. With them both being so stubborn it was almost impossible for them to comprise on things. Sweet Pea had learned that Braxton wasn't like the other Serpent girls who did as he told them.

As soon as the couple walked through the doors, Braxton instantly started to play the sad act of a girl who just lost her cousin. She did rather good, even Sweet Pea had to admit. As they continued down the hall they saw a crowed of people gathered around.

"What's going on?" Braxton asked Betty and Archie who met them from the side hallway. "I don't know." Betty said as she walked forward to see what they were all looking at. "Looks like they are by Jugs locker."
When she got closer she saw a memorial was created at Jughead's locker. "Oh.." Braxton said when she walked up and stood next to her. Sweet Pea and Archie standing behind them.

Betty stared at the locker, taking in all the notes and drawings that were left from the students of Riverdale High. Tears started to fill her eyes and she turned pushing past everyone. "Betty wait!" Archie called out and followed her. "Should we..?" Sweet Pea asked wondering if they too should have followed. "Leave them be." She replied as she wiped away fake tears of her own.

Cheryl noticed the two escape from the crowed and quickly followed after Archie and Betty to make sure her cousin was okay. Everything was soon going to fall into plan.

Braxton turned to Sweet Pea and said "Let's go." And she headed for the student lounge. There was a delay for the start of classes that day. The school wanted to allow time to any student that needed access to a counselor to grieve Jughead. Braxton wasn't willing to go that far with her act. She didn't need someone telling her how to feel knowing so had no reason to feel that way. Sweet Pea sunk into one of the chairs pulling Braxton onto his lap. "If it isn't Riverdale's cutest couple." Kevin smiled at them from across the way. "Oh save it, you know that's Archie and Veronica." Braxton replied. "I'm offended." Toni said as she took a seat herself on the couch.

"Maybe if your girlfriend didnt have a vendetta against over half of the student body." Sweet Pea laughed

"She's an angry soul with a rough past, can you blame her?"

Sweet Pea looked around the room as his eyes scanned past the door. As they did Casey walked into the room with his backpack slugged over his shoulder. He still had a vendetta against him, and he always would. Braxton noticed her boyfriend staring with a clenched jaw and reached out grasping onto his chin and turning his face to look at her instead. "Don't." Was all she needed to say to break him of his rage.

As they sat around waiting for the start of their school day, everyone's phone started to go off. Most were pulled out at the same time and a chorus of gasps erupted and people began to whisper. Braxton pulled hers out and saw she had a text from Cheryl. When she opened it she saw a picture of Archie and Betty sharing a kiss in the music room. "What the fuck." Braxton gasped. She knew the photo was coming, but still needed to play her part. She showed her phone to Sweet Pea whose eyes grew two sizes. He still wasn't filled in on the details that would unfold that day. "Is that-" Just as he was about to finished his sentence,  Betty and Archie walked in. They took a seat on the couch next to Kevin and Toni. Braxton didn't have the chance to cause a scene of her own. Cheryl was so quick to tell Veronica that within seconds they all heard the sound of her heels clicking on the hallway floor.

"Betty?" Veronica snapped as she walked in. "Really, Archie? Of all people, Betty?" Both Archie and Betty looked at her surprised as if they didn't know what she was talking about. "How could you do this to me?"

"Ronnie, what?" Archie asked as he stood to his feet. "I don't-."

"Don't play innocent with me, Archie Andrews. Kissing my best friend in the music room, where you and I had our fun?" A sea of gasps from student who didn't yet know about the kids erupted. "Why should I be surprised? That's your special place, isn't it? That's where you take all your women. Me, Josie, Ms. Grundy, and now Betty." Betty and Archie looked at each other as everyone else watched it all unfold. "And shame on you for taking advantage of our friend when she is grieving... and at her most vulnerable." Veronica turned to Betty as she took stood to her feet joining Veronica and Archie. "B, I need you to know, I do not blame you."

"It's my fault." Betty told her nervously. "I'm the one who started it. I kissed Archie. I'm so sorry."

The room again erupted with gasps, that time louder.

"'Sorry'? You're sorry? You scheming, two-faced bitch, Betty Cooper." Veronica snapped. Even Braxtons eyes grew large with how real it seemed. "You know what? You two deserve each other. So burn in hell, the both of you."

Veronica turned on her heal to storm away. As she did Toni said, "That's right. You tell 'em, girl." From the couch.

Betty and Archie looked at one another. Betty looked at Braxton who shook her head. "No." She snapped at her and stood up from Sweet Peas lap and headed for the door. "Brax, wait." Archie called out, and then followed after her.

"Braxton." He called again. This was it, this was her turn to sell it, and she knew Sweet Pea was about to buy into it with the words that were going to leave her lips. "Fuck you, Archie." She snapped at him.

"If you would please, let me explain-."

"Let you explain?! Let you explain that how as soon as Jughead isn't around you're kissing his girlfriend?"

"No, that's not-."

"Yes, it is! It's like, he's not around to stop you so you take advantage. Sound familiar?" The look on Archie's face switched. To him, it was no longer a lie being sold, it was the two talking about the past.

"Brax... no." He whispered as he walked closer to her. "If you want to talk about it.."

"I'm good, thanks." Braxton snapped as she cut him off. She looked to Sweet Pea letting him know it was time to go and then turned for the doors. She did what she set out to accomplish that day. She was ready to be back home in bed grieving the day away like she was expected to do- even though she had nothing to grieve.