The morning was quiet as Betty pulled her arms through her pink cardigan's sleeve, adjusting the soft cotton against the collar of her loose, V-neck tank top. The outfit was simple, thin white fabric decorated in black polka dots acting as her top, jeans of a dark blue shade going to her ankles, where the blonde stepped into beige flats.
"Elizabeth," Alice said from the doorway, knocking before holding the golden doorknob. "Did you take your medication already?" It was then Betty saw the glass of water in her mother's other hand.
"Uh, yeah. Before I brushed my teeth," Betty answered, her ponytail slightly swaying behind her as she turned her head. Alice only nodded slightly before looking away. There was nothing too severe with the medicine; she only took Xanax to help manage her anxiety, which Betty was already good at without her meds.
"Betty, I just," Alice takes a brief pause to breathe, not allowing herself to shed a tear or have despair be heard in her voice. "I just need you to know that I love you. And everything I do, I do to protect you," she finished, seemingly tightening her grasp on the door handle.
"Mom, is there something wrong? W-What's going on?" Betty asked confused as to where the sudden need to say that came from. "Nothing, honey, just," Alice pauses once more, making her way into the room and taking her daughter's hands in hers. "Just tell me you know that."
"I know, Mom. I promise," Betty replied, still suspicious. "Okay," Alice says in a mere whisper, a hopeful smile painted across the woman's lips. With one hand, she grazes her fingertips over Betty's cheek, resting her hand against her jawline as all the girl could do was offer a small, shy smile.
"Okay, well, I know you have to go soon, so I'll leave you to getting ready," Alice said, walking back to the door before Betty said, "Oh, I'm gonna be back later tonight, Jughead and I are going on a date."
Alice gave a small smile and replied, "That's okay. As long as you stay safe and make smart choices." The blonde stood still for a moment or two after Alice had left, trying to process what had just happened until the chime of her phone broke her from her trance.
A text from Archie stretched across Betty's lockscreen, asking if the two were going to walk to school together as usual. Betty typed out a simple, "Yeah, I'll meet you outside," and grabbed her bag, baby blue with white florals; small, but enough space to fit her notebooks and class materials.
"Mom, I'm heading out," Betty called out as she opened the red front door, making sure to secure the locks behind her. "Hey, Betty," Archie said, his hand up from across the sidewalk. "Hey," she said with a smile, walking over to the ginger.
---
School was over in a matter of hours, students pouring out of the double doors from each of Riverdale High's buildings. "When do you want me to meet you, Jug?" Betty asked, turning her head as she pulled her Mac Book from her locker.
Jughead stood in his usual attire, his sherpa jacket over a tee-shirt, flannel tied around his waist and beanie sitting over his black locks. "Don't bother, I'll pick you up," he smiled, shoulder leaning against the locker beside Betty's.
She offered a smile and closed her locker, taking two slow steps forward and put her hand on his chest. "Okay. Pick me up at eight," before leaning in for a kiss. Jughead obliged, putting his hand on the side of her face before the two broke apart.
"See you at eight," Betty said, still smiling, glossed lips unable to frown. "See you at eight, angel," he repeated with a smile, looking down at the giddy blonde before she was walking off, heading for the blue double doors at the end of the hallway.
---
Music played quietly through Betty's speakers as she refreshed her makeup and tightened her (newly redone) ponytail, having changed from her cardigan and jeans into a blue button-up top, tied at the waistline of her pastel pink pencil skirt.
She stepped onto the chest at the edge of her bed to tie the white shoelaces on her light pink converse flats into a double-knotted bow before switching legs and doing the same to the other.
The familiar honking of the Jones' truck horn made Betty instantly smile, walking to her window, hands bracing herself as she leaned out slightly. "Hey, angel! It's eight!" Jughead called from the sidewalk, having gotten out to wait for the blonde. "I know!" she called back with a chuckle.
"I'll be right down!" were the last words spoken before her stereo was turned off and she was racing down the stairs. "Bye, Mom, Bye, Dad. Don't wait up," Betty rambled as she put her hand on the door. "Wait, Betty, before you go," Hal started to say as he stood from the brown recliner. "Not now, Hal," Alice replied, her mug in one hand as her other was held up like a stop sign.
"Alice, we need to tell her--" "We will later," the woman interrupts in a quiet, almost warning voice before her hand comes back to her mug and she turns to her daughter with a smile. "Have fun on your date. Be safe, be smart." Betty gave a shy smile in response, spitting out a rushed, "I love you guys," before walking out the door.
She walked down the porch steps with a skip in her step, meeting Jughead halfway on her driveway. They came together in a hug before departing. "It's November, Betts, how are you not cold?" he asked, moving to take off his jacket slowly. "I am cold. I misjudged the weather," Betty punctuated with a laugh as he draped the warm fabric over her shoulders.
An arm across her back led her to the truck where Jughead opened the door for her. She sat in the front seat, trying to maneuver her arms through the sleeves of her boyfriend's sherpa jacket as he walked around the front to get in. "Seatbelt," Betty said with a raised eyebrow as she put hers on, looking over at the dark-haired boy turning the key.
"I know what I'm doing," he chuckled back, giving a "see?" look while taking a hold of his strap, waiting for the click before letting go. The blonde gave a small laugh, hand resting on her cheek to keep her head up as she turned her head to the house, a quiet sigh leaving her lips as she wondered what her parents were hiding.
"Everything okay?" Jughead asked, looking over. Her ponytail swung as Betty turned her head back, replying with a simple, "Everything's fine," and a small smile. "My parents have just been acting, kinda...weird lately. Especially around me." "You mean, parents aren't supposed to be weird?" the boy replied sardonically, making his girlfriend laugh before settling back into her seat.
"I'm sure it's nothing, but will you let me know if you find anything?" Jughead asked sincerely, a caring hand on her chin. "Yes, but only if you stop stalling and drive already," Betty giggled, pretending to roll her eyes before he pulled her in for a kiss, departing with the words, "You've got yourself a deal, angel," before shifting from park to drive.
YOU ARE READING
Hey, Angel | Bughead
Fanfiction"We were eight when he first called me 'Angel.' By this point, we'd been friends for years, and he knew my name is Betty. But ever since then, whenever I hear that name, I turn my head." Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones had been friends since they cou...
