Them [bughead]

~Her~

Her lips formed his name but her voice couldn't bare saying it. They were at school. These things weren't supposed to happen here. They never do. Why now? Why him? The guy smiled. And Jughead almost seemed unbothered. Not an ounce of fright could be seen in his eyes.
"Who do we have here?" Betty stared at him and heard the bathroom door open and heard Toni gasping.
"Don't you dare touch her Malachai." Jughead growled through gritted teeth. Malachai's smile grew even bigger.
"Is this your latest slut?" Malachai laughed. Betty shook her head.
"He's..."She started.
"Don't talk to him!" Jughead said and Betty shut her mouth. "It's going to be alright babe, I promise." Malachai looked at Betty and then back to Jughead.
"You've got to be kidding me. She's your girlfriend?" A single tear dropped down on Betty's hand and she realized she was shaking. Her breathing was still as rapid as her heart. And her entire body was filled with so much fear that she didn't know what to do, let alone could do. She was frozen.
"Just fucking let him go." Toni yelled and Malachai pushed the gun even closer to Jughead.
"What in the world..." The principal walked out of his office and saw what was going on. Finally someone would help them.
"Don't move or I'll shoot." A middle aged woman said.
"Penny?" Weatherbee said with a confused look. Betty felt as confused as he looked. "Why are you on my school?" Malachai rolled his eyes.
"Because we knew Jughead would be here." Betty stared at Malachai. "Now Jughead, tell us where the hell Mark is. Or you know. We shoot you." Betty's head was spinning and she couldn't think clearly. Jughead's eyes met Toni's and filled with worry. Betty turned to Toni who was slightly shaking her head. Betty had no idea who Mark was. Jughead knew, Toni knew, Malachai knew, every last Ghoulie knew. But only Jughead and Toni knew where he was. And they had made an oath not to tell anyone else. Even though they would. They just didn't know it yet.
"I. Don't. Fucking. Know. Where. He. Is." Jughead said slowly. Betty was still staring at Toni while trying to read her face. Which had gone back to stone cold. A clicking sound made Betty turn her head faster than ever. She felt as if she was going to snap her neck. Malachai's ginger was now gently placed on the trigger.
"Tell me or I'll shoot." What Betty did next was one of her most stupid decisions.
"Don't shoot!" She yelled and Jughead's eyes grew larger. Filled with fright. She felt something cold touch her temple and she heard a click. Without looking she knew it was a gun. Her eyes fluttered and she took a deep breath.
"Don't shoot just yet Penny. And why wouldn't I?" Malachai smirked at her.
"Because..." She started. "Because I love him." Malachai and Penny laughed as if she had told them the best joke in history.
"You love him. How sweet." Malachai was not having her bullshit. Loving him wasn't enough. She took a second to think.
"Don't shoot him, please. He's..." She took a deep breath to get more time to think. "He's going to be a father." She said and Toni gasped for air. Jughead's eyes met hers and his mouth opened. He stared at her.

"You're...?" Jughead whispered.
"I just took a test." She lied. She did everything she could to convince Malachai not to shoot Jughead. But Malachai seemed unbothered.
"Listen, you seem like a good girl, so just walk away and you won't have to watch Jughead get shot. Because if you see him get shot, I'm going to have to shoot you too." Betty turned to the woman pointing the gun at her.
"It's Penny right?" Penny nodded. "Shoot me. Shoot me instead."
"Don't you fucking dare shoot her." Jughead growled. Penny looked at Malachai and then back to Betty.
"Please don't hurt him." Betty desperately cried. "I just lost my sister. I can't lose him too." Her racing heart calmed down. "So kill me. Shoot me. And let him walk away from this."
"No way in hell." Jughead said. "Betty look at me." Betty turned her head and looked at Jughead. "I love you. But you have to walk away. They'll let you do that. Walk away and don't come back. Move to New York. Become a journalist like you've always dreamed. Walk away and forget me. Please." Jughead begged her. She shook her head. "Elizabeth. They're going to shoot me. You can not be here for this. Take Toni with you."
"No Jughead." Toni said. "What happened..."
"Shut up." Jughead glared at Toni. "Betts..." Betty sobbed and turned to Penny.
"Just let me say goodbye before you shoot him." Penny looked at Malachai who nodded. Betty turned to Toni who, in secret, handed her a knife. She was thankful there weren't any other witnesses beside Penny and Weatherbee. She held the knife tightly in her hand and walked to Jughead. She hugged him.
"In five seconds I'm going to stab him." She whispered as quiet as she could. Jughead nodded.
"I love you." Betty smiled and as she let Jughead go she turned to Toni and gave her a quick look before she pushed the knife into Malachai's arm. He screamed and let go of the gun. Jughead quickly took it and pointed it at Malachai.
"Don't you ever fucking threaten her again. I swear to god I will rip your heart out of your chest. Slowly." Jughead growled to him. Betty pulled out the knife from his arm and turned around to see Toni pointing a gun at Penny.
"We're going to walk away. And you won't ever come back." Toni said and Penny nodded.
"Get the hell out." They both walked away and when they were out of sight Jughead took Betty in his arms. "Are you okay?" He asked her. She nodded and cried into his chest. "I'm so sorry." He whispered into her hair.
"Don't you dare tell anyone." Toni said to Weatherbee.
"Tell anyone what?" He said with a shaking voice.
"Good boy. Go back into your office." Betty heard him slam his door shut.
"I'm sorry about Melanie." Jughead said and Betty let him go.
"Don't be. I know she did it to piss me off."
"Betty are you...pregnant?" Jughead said and Betty laughed.
"No. But I was desperate. I had to say something." Jughead didn't laugh.
"What you begged them. To shoot you? That is not okay. You don't ever get to do that again." Betty looked into his green eyes, who for once, seemed less dark. Almost as if she had enlightened them.
"If that's what it takes to save..." She started.
"No. No Betty. You don't get to sacrifice yourself for me. I can't lose you." Betty wiped away her tears and sniffled.
"I thought they were going to shoot you." Betty whispered. "Why would they? Why would they do that?" Toni gave Jughead a long look.
"Just an old feud. Nothing important." He lied.

"Do you want to stay in school?" Jughead asked.
"I don't have any choice. I can't miss anything Jug." Jughead smiled.
"Ugh, nerd." He rolled his eyes and Betty smiled.
"I'm not a nerd you gangster." He kissed her slowly.
"Okay turtledoves. That's enough." Toni said and rolled her eyes. "I have to talk to you Jones." Jughead looked at her and then at Betty.
"I'll be fine. I have maths now either way." Betty tried to ignore her anxiety. The intense feeling that there was something Jughead wasn't telling her. That the Ghoulies were far more dangerous than she thought.

She tried to look unbothered when she walked back to the classroom. She opened it carefully and watched as everyone turned their heads to her.
"Sorry I'm late...I...was at the principal's office." She lied. Because she knew Weatherbee would cover for her. Otherwise Toni would shoot him. And he knew it.
"It's fine. Just sit down." Betty sat down beside Veronica. Who stared at her.
"Have you been crying?" Betty shook her head.
"No." She focused on the whiteboard. Watching as the teacher wrote down equations that she didn't care about.
"Where's Jughead?" Veronica curiously asked.
"I don't know." Betty said.
"Are you pissed?"
"I will be."
"Fine. Fine. I'll leave you be."
"Thank you." Betty said. Still looking at the whiteboard.
"...and that is why X equals 55 instead of 43." Betty tried to keep up. But all she could think about was Jughead.
"One last question. Did the guy with curly brown hair find Jughead?"
"Malachai? He sure did." Betty said.
"Who is he?"
"An idiot."
"Why?" Betty's patience is running low and she closes her eyes.
"Cause he is." Betty mumbles.
"Betty..." Veronica whispers. Even quieter than before.
"Why do you have blood on your hand?" Betty finally stopped looking at the whiteboard and stared at her hand. It's not much blood. But enough for it to be noticed. She sighed.
"I had a nosebleed. That was why I was late." She lied.
"But you said you were at the principal's office?" Veronica said.
"Cause That was less embarrassing than a nosebleed." Betty mumbled. She took out her phone and was just about to text Jughead when she got a text from him.
Toni and I are meeting up with some Serpents. There's a spare key underneath a red rock by the left side of the trailer door. Dad won't be home. I promise. There's food in the fridge. Be careful and don't forget I love you
Betty read the message twice before she realized that they were going to do something stupid.
I'll come with
She replied. Veronica stared at her. Waiting for her to say something.
No. You won't. End of discussion.
She sighed but kept trying to convince him.
Please Jug, I don't want to be alone. Please stay home. With me.
She placed her head in her hand. Staring in front of her. Waiting for him to reply. Wondering who he would choose. The Serpents. Or her. Wondering why Malachai was willing to kill Jughead in front of so many people. Wondering who Malachai was in the first place. And why the hell he was at Riverdale High. And who was Mark? She wished Jughead didn't have such a complicated past. That would make things so much easier.
"Betty?" She woke up from her trans and looked at the teacher. "What's the answer?" Betty stared at the board but had no idea what the teacher had asked. She eventually shook her head and stared down at her empty notes.
"Veronica?" As Veronica answered Betty spaced out once again still asking herself the same questions.

A few minutes later the door flew open and Betty's eyes met Jughead's. His eyes were focused on hers and only hers.
"Who are you?" The teacher asked. Jughead ignored him and walked straight to Betty. Betty stood up and took her bag and notebook.
"Jug...?" She said.
"Are you okay?" He mumbled and grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry you can't just interrupt the class. You'll have to wait until we finish in forty minutes." Jughead turned his head and glared at him.
"I don't have to do anything your privileged ass tells me to. Shut up or I'll slit your throat."
"Jug!" Betty mumbled.
"Answer me Betty! Are you okay?"
"Yes Jug, I'm fine." Jughead turned around and started to walk out of the classroom. "Babe, wait!" She whispered, afraid that someone would hear her. But judging by the 'oooh's' that travelled through the classroom everyone had heard her. "I've told you before, I don't miss class." She tried to keep her voice low. She really didn't draw attention. Even though she knew everyone was staring at her.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight." He said.
"I can take care of myself. I'm here. And I'm fine." Jughead shook his head. She wondered what had happened between the text when he said she would not come with to this very moment.
"I can't lose you." In that moment she ignored everyone else in the room.
"Jughead, you won't lose me." Her eyes teared up when she saw that he was shaking. "What happened?" He shook his head.
"It doesn't fucking matter Betty. Because there'll always be a new crisis."
"Okay let's take this outside." She said and walked outside with Jughead.

He was right.
There would always be a new crisis.
And eventually they wouldn't be able to do it anymore.
At least not together.