~Him~
See, the funny thing is that no matter how prepared you feel you are, you never really are. I mean we have everything planned out, have a manuscript in our head, but when it comes down to it, it never really turns out as we imagined. Sometimes, life would just be easier if it did.
***
"How about I take you to Pop's, Jellybean? And we let Jughead talk to Gladys?" Jellybean gave Betty a quick smile and Jughead sighed. How the hell was he supposed to deal with his mom and Leonard without Betty being able to calm him down? Not a fucking chance in hell that he would be able to keep his calm if he was alone with them. But then again, he didn't want Jellybean to be near Leonard.
"How far away do you think they are?" Jughead asked Jellybean and she shrugged.
"Few minutes. But they don't know we're here and not at FP's." Shit, shit, fucking shit. If they went to the trailer that would mean that they would talk to FP and he would know that Jellybean was in town. This was such a mess. Jughead took his phone and called Gladys.
"Jughead?" Gladys said into the phone and Jughead scoffed. "We're on our way to come to pick Jellybean up. She has school tomorrow." Jughead clenched his fist tightly and Betty carefully opened it and put her hand in his.
"We are at Betty's." Jughead hissed. "I'll send the address." Before he could continue Gladys cut him off.
"Ooooooh, who's Betty?" She giggled. Jughead let out a deep sigh.
"Listen, when you get here, Leonard stays in the fucking car." Jughead said through gritted teeth. Betty squeezed his hand but noticed that Jughead was about to lose it. She carefully took the phone from him and pressed it against her own ear.
"Hi, Mrs. Jones, I'm Betty...what Jughead is..." Betty tried to fix it. And even though Jughead loved her for it he was pissed that she didn't let him yell all the things he wanted to yell.
"Oh dear, call me Gladys." Betty sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Well, Gladys, what Jughead is trying to say is that it would be easier if only you came inside." Betty softly said.
"Did...something happen?" Gladys slowly asked.
"No, I don't think so." She said. "Well...see you in a bit." Betty said. "Goodbye, Mrs. Jo- Gladys." She said and hung up the phone.
"You can't tell her." Jellybean whispered. "Please don't." Jughead looked at Betty and Betty smiled sadly at Jellybean.
"Jellybean, she has to know...what he did to you...it's illegal and she needs to know what is going on." Betty explained. Jughead was so thankful that she was there with him. He would never be able to sit as calm as she does and talk about these things. And he isn't very understanding. And he totally fuckign sucks at keeping calm in situations where the ones he loves are at risk.
"You can't. She'll be heartbroken, Betty." Betty took Jellybean's hands in hers and looked up at her from the couch.
"Sweetie...she has to know." Jughead agreed. Gladys needs to know how stupid she was for choosing such a dick to fall in love with.
"No. Y-you didn't see her when she left FP. She was so...broken. At first, we lived at my grandma's and like mom didn't eat. Not for weeks. And she didn't talk. I almost forgot what her voice sounded like. I begged her to talk...to even look at me. But she didn't. It was as if I didn't exist to her." Jellybean made a pause to breathe. Jughead stared at her. Did this happen? Was Gladys really that broken?
"When she met Leonard..." Jellybean said. "I got my mom back. She was so happy. Even happier than she was with FP. And she talked to me...played with me...she saw me." Jellybean looked so hurt. Jughead felt so bad. He always wanted to live with his mom. He had always been so mad at her because she left him all alone with an abusive father. But maybe...she wasn't thinking straight. He scoffed to get his mind back in place. He was not gonna excuse what she did to him just because she was a little sad.
"I can't ruin this for her. I don't think she can go through another break-up." Jellybean said. Jughead rolled his eyes.
"He could have raped you! Don't you see that!? He is fucking dangerous and I'm not gonna let him walk around and-" He yelled but stopped the second he saw Betty's glare at him. "I'm sorry." He whispered and looked at Jellybean. Her eyes were wide and Jughead had no idea what to do. "I mean...he's dangerous." Jughead said. "I'm just trying to protect you." He mumbled.
"Can't I just live with you?" Jellybean's voice sounded so desperate. She needed to stay somewhere but Jughead knew he couldn't let her live with their dad.
"I...that's not a good idea. We'll figure it out, okay?" Jughead said and Jellybean nodded.
***
As the sound of the doorbell made its way through the huge house Jughead stiffened. He had no idea what to do. This would probably end with a lot of yelling and screaming. He sighed as he stood up but Betty shook her head.
"I live here, I welcome them." She mumbled and Jughead gave her a thankful nod. He watched as she walked out to the hall and opened the door. Jughead couldn't help but follow her. Betty slowly opened the door and Gladys smiled at her.
"You are beautiful." She squealed and Betty reached her hand, waiting for Gladys to shake it. But she just dismissed her hand and hugged her tightly. "Oh no dear, you can hug me." Gladys said and gave Betty a long hug. "You're so much more beautiful than I imagined." Betty let go of Gladys and Jughead rolled his eyes. His mom was one of the most annoying human beings he had ever met.
"Jughead." Gladys said and smiled at him. He just scoffed and crossed his arms. "I can see something is wrong, come on Jughead. I missed you." She said with a smile on her lips and Jughead shook his head.
"Juggie..." Betty begged him. And he knew exactly what she wanted but there was no chance in hell he would hug Gladys. Betty sighed and took Jughead's hand in hers. "Welcome in." She said and smiled.
"Do you live with Betty now?" Gladys asked and Jughead just ignored her. He was so close to telling her what a fucking asshole Leonard was that he didn't dare open his mouth.
"No, this is just temporarily." Betty answered the question and smiled. They walked into the living room and found Jellybean sitting on the couch. Her legs were crossed and she had wiped away her tears. She didn't look up at Gladys as she entered the room and Jughead sat down beside Jellybean.
"Hi, sweetie." Gladys said and Jughead glared at her. "I know you don't want to leave Jughead but we need to get home. You have school tomorrow." Jellybean shook her head and Gladys sighed. "Jellybean-"
"She stays here." Jughead said with a harsh voice. No matter what his mom said, Jellybean would stay in Riverdale. Gladys looked at him.
"You don't have any say in this Jughead." Gladys sighed. Jughead was about to start screaming at her as they heard someone walk into the house. Before Betty could even look at Jughead he rushed out to the hall and saw Leonard peeking inside.
"You fucking asshole!" Jughead yelled as he punched Leonard right across the face.
"What the he-" Leonard started but Jughead hit him once again and this time he fell to the floor. It was as if Jughead forgot what was happening around him. All he could see and think of was the fact that Leonard had hurt his little sister. He stood up and kicked Leonard in the stomach. "Stop it." Leonard coughed but Jughead kept kicking him, this time in the face.
Betty, Gladys, and Jellybean all rushed to him but no one did anything. Which probably was for the best, because if they did, Jughead would probably hurt them. Betty desperately begged Jughead to stop as she pushed Jellybean behind her back in an attempt to protect her.
There was something with Leonard bleeding that satisfied Jughead. Leonard spat on the floor and looked up at Jughead with a hateful look. Jughead glared at him and kicked him once again.
"If you ever touch Jellybean again I will personally make sure that you will never see the sun again." Jughead quietly said. His voice was raspy and cold, filled with so much control, something he didn't have. Leonard's face showed, for a split second, fear but he then returned to a stone cold face.
"Is that a threat?" He smirked, knowing he could probably go to court with this. Knowing he had the power.
"You tell me, you fucking molester." Jughead said through gritted teeth. He could hear his mother crying but didn't give her as much as a second of his time.
"What did you call me?" Leonard said and Jughead could tell the word pissed him off. He smirked.
"You know damn well what I called you." Leonard tried to stand up but Jughead just pushed him to the ground again. "Betty, take Gladys and Jellybean outside." He mumbled. He then took his pocket knife and smirked at Leonard.
"Juggie, don't." Betty said as she moved closer to Jughead. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and he looked at her. "Listen to me, you don't want to do this."
"I do." Jughead muttered. "I want to hurt him, Betty." Betty shook her head even though she knew he wanted to.
"I know you do, baby." Betty whispered. Jughead turned to Jellybean and gave her a long look. She wasn't crying like Gladys was, she wasn't paralyzed like Gladys was. And Jughead saw a small, almost invisible, smile spread across her face.
"Jellybean, Gladys. Get out." It was as if Gladys woke up and she rushed to Jughead. She raised her hand as if she was going to hit Jughead but he noticed and grabbed her wrist and stared at her. "I said: Get. Out." Jughead quietly said. Gladys lowered her hand and stared at Jughead.
"If you hurt him, we are done. I will never ever talk to you again." Jughead smirked.
"Classic Gladys Jones. Never choosing me over anyone." He said and Gladys narrowed her eyes.
"You will never see Jellybean again." Gladys tried her best to scare him. But Jughead knew that Jellybean would choose him over his mom.
"As if she would want to live with you and Leonard instead of me." Jughead laughed. "Now get out." Jughead said and Jellybean pulled her mom away from him. "I'm sorry Jellybean." He whispered as he saw them walk upstairs.
"What are you going to do to him?" Betty asked as she looked at Leonard, who had passed out at this point.
"I don't know." Jughead mumbled.
"Are you going to kill him?" She asked. He could tell that she was scared. The way her hands were shaking and the way she didn't focus on anything exposed her fear.
"I don't know."
"What do you want to do?"
"I-I don't know, okay? I have no idea!" Jughead yelled. Betty walked closer to him and kissed him.
"Jughead, you don't have to hurt him more, I think you've done enough." Jughead shook his head.
"I want him to die."
"I know you do baby." Betty whispered and rested his head on his chest. She hugged him tightly and looked at Leonard. What the hell was he supposed to do now? Kill the guy? Call the Serpents? He kicked Leonard lightly in the stomach.
"Wake up asshole." Leonard looked around and found Jughead.
"What do you want from me?" Leonard asked. His eyes were filled with panic and Jughead enjoyed seeing him this terrified.
"Listen carefully to me, you will never ever lay a hand on Jellybean again. You will move away from Greendale, from my mom..." That was the first time he called Gladys his mom since she left him and Betty stared at him. He ignored what he had just said and kept talking. "and from Jellybean. You will never as much as talk to them again. If you do, I will kill you." Jughead told him. Leonard actually looked afraid of him. Which only made Jughead more confident.
"You think a sixteen year old boy can scare me away from my own family?" Leonard then said and Jughead took his knife. He gently placed the blade on Leonard's face.
"What did you just say?" Jughead asked. Leonard smirked.
"I will sue you." Jughead pressed the blade harder onto his skin and saw as blood started to leave the cut.
"I don't care. People in Riverdale are afraid of me. No one would dare sue me. And at the end of the day, I will tell them exactly what you did to Jellybean and then I won't be the one who is getting sued."
———————
In loving memory of Luke Perry, you'll always be in our hearts
Sorry I didn't post Thursday, which is when I usually post.
I hope you liked this chapter
Love,
Julia
Also, stream Two of Us by Louis Tomlinson