Blackmailed by Betty (Jughead Jones III)

A Touch of Evil Part 3

Alex sat alone in the bleachers waiting for the football game to start in front of her. Even though she wasn't on speaking terms with her brother right now she would hate herself if she missed his first varsity game. When the cheerleaders lined up on either side of a giant blue and yellow banner everyone in the crowd stood up and cheered.

Archie was the first to run through and all Alex could see was the giant blue and purple bruise surrounding his right eye. All the possible scenarios of how it could have happened were running through her head and she almost didn't notice Cheryl running off the stage towards the locker room.

Knowing she would find someone who knew, Alex climbed down the bleachers and walked around the back finding Jughead. "Please tell me that black eye isn't from you." Alex pleaded as she got closer to the crowned boy.

"I would ask you the same thing if I didn't see it happen myself." He said pushing himself off the metal beam of the bleachers and meeting her halfway.

"God who decked my brother?"

"I wouldn't ask God, but it was Reggie." Jughead said trying to make eye contact with the girl in front of him for more than a second at a time. "Can we talk about something else before you run away again?"

"I don't think I've run that much since Halloween a few years ago."

"I can't believe you thought that chainsaw was real." Both of them smiled fondly at the memory. "But that's my point, we have so much history and I'm a little surprised your so quick to throw that all away with no explanation."

"Jughead, it was never my goal to push you away. I just got overwhelmed with all the drama between Archie and Betty and I was kind of heartbroken."

"Who broke your heart? I'll kill him." Jughead was quick to get defensive over his best friend.

"String yourself up then." Alex said looking down at her converse covered feet.

"How did I break your heart?" Jughead thought long and hard about the past few weeks and couldn't think of one thing in particular he had done that would even offend Alex, let alone break her heart.

"Jughead, you watch everything that happens in this town. You knew about my brother before anyone else, you know everything about everyone, but you missed the one person who you're with every day." Alex worked her hardest to avoid outwardly saying how she felt about Jughead. She had done a good job for the past few months so a few more minutes didn't seem that hard.

"Alex if you have something I need to know just tell me. You know you can tell me anything." The way he spoke so casually was what made her nervous. It was almost like he already knew and just wanted to hear it out loud.

"I like you. I like you a hell of a lot more than I should. Even when you don't look up from your computer for hours and never take off that damn hat. Or when you yell at my brother and call him out for being the idiot we all know he is. God it sucks sitting right across from you every night at Pops and being so far away from you because your so damn oblivious to what's right in front of you." Alex took a deep breath in and looked away from him taking a step back.

"So that's what you meant the night before school started? When you asked about a hypothetical girl liking me?"

"No shit Sherlock!" Alex couldn't hold back the words.

"Do you remember what I said that night?" He said taking a step closer.

"Yeah that my personality is why I'm single. Just like Cooper." She let out a breath causing her side bang to fly up and cover her eyes.

"Yeah, but when I said that if she was worth it I would look up." When Alex felt a cold hand under her chin she flinched slightly before looking up to see Jughead looking right back at her.

"So how about Pops? I was thinking we could split the onion rings since you end up eating most of mine anyway." Alex offered with a small laugh.

"Pops sounds great."