Faithfully

58

It wasn't uncommon for Jughead, prince of the trailer park, and Veronica, princess of park avenue, to collide in disagreement. Just as Braxton and Kevin walked in to the student lounge, they caught the end discussion of the eviction debate between the two.

"Did you guys hear? The police found another dead body. There was blood everywhere." Kevin said in hopes to change the subject. "What, when?" Jughead quickly asked.

"It was the other night."

"Could the Black Hood have risen from the gra-"

"Did they say whose body? Where did they find it?" Betty questioned cutting Jughead off.

"The investigation's ongoing." Kevin assured her. "But apparently, it was a gruesome, gangland-style execution at a hotel, with blood and brains splattered all over the duvet-"

"Okay, Kev, we get it." Braxton said stopping him.

Betty quickly stood up and pushed past Braxton and Kevin. "I gotta go." She told them all and darted out of the lounge. Braxton saw her face turned white at the mention of another death. Betty's reaction was weird so she became curious.

She followed after Betty into the bathroom. When she walked in she heard the sound of someone getting sick and then the toilet flush. Betty sat on the floor leaning against the stall as tears fell from her eyes.

"Betty, are you okay?" She asked. "Do you need some help?"

"I'm fine, Brax."

"Let me grab you a towel."

"I said I'm fine!" She yelled which caught Braxton off guard. She shot her a concerned look then let it roll off her shoulder. She looked down at Betty and said, "You have puke on your collar." before she turned and walked out of the bathroom.

As she walked down the hall she saw Archie as he got a drink from the water fountain. She walked up to him and asked, "Was it Hiram?" "What are you talking about?" He replied then wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"Did Hiram kill that man found in the hotel room?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"You spend a lot of time up his ass now. Figured maybe you had an insight."

"Of course I don't." He snapped and started to walk away. As he passed Braxton, she grabbed his arm and looked him in the eyes, "Don't be stupid." She told him. "You can lay with the snakes all you want, but you're going to get bit one way or another at some point."

He ripped his arm from her hand and said. "The only snakes that bite are Serpents. Hiram Lodge is a fair man. I know you can't see that, but I do." Then stormed off. She watched as he disappeared down the hall, at that point she knew that Archie Andrews had officially succumbed the the Lodge family.

______

It had been three Weeks since Tall Boy was exiled from the Serpents and no one had heard from him. Three weeks since Hiram bought Sunnyside and forgave all debts that were owed. Three weeks since Archie secluded himself from his friends and focus primarily on Veronica and working for Hiram.

Jughead and Veronica officially had a blow up over Jughead's accusations against Hiram and she finally had enough. And it had been a week of Betty realizing that Chic wasn't exactly who they thought he was.

Hal continued to stay with Penelope Blossom, refusing to stay under the same roof as the stranger. A drug dealer showed up at the Coopers doorstep looking for Chic. An altercation amongst the drug dealer and him resulted in his death that Betty and Alice needed to cover up for Chic with the help of FP, Rich and their sons. A secret that all four of the Jones boys agreed Braxton could never know.