Betty woke up to the early morning sun pouring through the crack in the curtains. It stung her eyes and she squinted, forgetting her surroundings, but was soon at peace when she realised she wasn't home. She was away from all the drama for now, and she still had a good few hours before anybody would notice she was gone. After scrolling through her phone she couldn't anymore, her mind was racing, the picture set as her lock screen of her and Archie had distracted her from her tranquility.
"I see that sofa bed didn't do you any favours you look a mess!" Jughead laughed walking into the living area of the trailer and pulling his beanie over his head.
"Aren't you going to comb your hair before you hide under that rag?" Betty firer back, squinting her eyes at him but a trace of a smile danced on her lips.
"Catty in the morning aren't you?" He smiled sitting down beside her and turning the tv on.
"I don't usually have someone annoying me the minute I wake up" she laughed.
"That's not true, your boyfriend is the biggest dick ever" he laughed and Betty was actually amused by it, letting out a little chuckle. He was distracted by something outside, and he frowned as he watched.
"Betts go hide" he whispered and she turned around, following his gaze to see Archie angrily striding across the trailer park towards his trailer.
She nodded as she made her way towards the back of the trailer, and Archie banged on the door repeatedly.
"What are you doing here archie?" Jughead sneered as he swung the door open.
"Where is she?" He shouted barging into his home and his eyes scouring the living room.
"Who?" Jughead played dumb.
"What are you talking about who? I saw you last night with her!" Archie spat.
"Dude, we saw you last night with josie McCoy, I wonder why she's went fucking AWOL, she is supposed to be your girlfriend" he shouted.
"Like it's any of your business" he screamed.
"Do you not ever stop to think that she has put up with your bull shit for years now and maybe she just wanted one night to be normal?" Jughead squinted his eyes his fist clenched as Archie walked towards the bedroom.
"I get it jones, your still in love with her, and I told you not to talk to her again" Archie said eyes scouring the bedroom and then abruptly turning to leave.
"Fuck You" Jughead screamed back as he listened to the front door slam and he slumped back on the bed.
The closet door slowly opened and a wide eyed Betty cooper sat amongst all of his clothes looked at him with a tear in her eye.
"Jug? What does he mean?" She whispered.
He threw his beanie to the ground and got up to walk away.
"No jughead, we're not kids any more I can handle it" she said slightly louder.
"We were kids, and Archie tormented me for years, there was this girl we both liked, well I have to admit I loved her and he always had the cooler stuff all I could offer was a shoulder to cry on you know what I mean" he said nervously.
"And there was this one night last year, where I plucked up the courage to go tell her how I felt after she had just broke up with her stupid boyfriend for the like millionth time, so I bought some flowers and some movies and waited on her back porch until she got back" he said, remembering it as if it were yesterday.
"And then there was gun shots and screaming coming from her house and I ran in there, but the girl was already there with her on again off again boyfriend, and her dad was on the floor, and her mom was a mess, and she was confused and she was lost, full of shock and she mindlessly ran into my arms instead of his and he never forgave me for it" he sighed.
"It wasn't mindless Jughead, I ran into your arms because you make me feel safe" she choked on tears.
"But she ran back to her boyfriend and I was forgotten about again" he nodded and walked out of the room, leaving a deafening silence.
"I waited for you that night Jug" Betty said almost inaudible as she sat next to him on the couch.
"Don't worry about it, it's ancient history, you'll be in New York soon, I'll be here, and Archie will still be Archie, you'll still be Betty and it will be will they won't they until you get married or pregnant or both" he scoffed.
"Is it any freaking wonder I chose him when any time anything gets emotional you go hard and turn to stone and be an asshole" Betty shouted.
"I was there Betty, I was always fucking there! Every time he broke your heart, every time he let you down and you looked right through me!" He screamed.
"I wish you wouldve told me Jug, I wish everything was different" she cried.
"Well it's not Betty, and I'm sorry that I wrecked this but you were gonna find out one way or another" he said his tone softer now.
"You were always there Jug, why didn't you tell me?" She sniffled.
He looked away avoiding her gaze. "Because you're the best thing in my shitty life and I take what I can get, any chance I would fuck it up I'd avoid" he laughed sarcastically.
"I just wanted someone to love me Jug, and Archie" she choked up.
"I loved you betty, it was always you, I just wasn't as popular as him" he rolled his eyes.
"Don't say it like that, we were all scared of my dad before he was the blackhood, he didn't want to tarnish the Cooper name" she said trying shuffle closer to him.
"I get that" he nodded sullenly.
"Jug"
"I think your moms waiting for you at home" he said standing up and walking out of the room.
"Don't be like this" Betty pleaded.
"Nothing has changed Betty, we're still friends, I just want a little bit of space" Jughead said quietly, and a tear rolled down Betty's face as she nodded in agreement.
"Reggie I sent you to pops over an hour ago, where have you been you dope!" Veronica giggled opening the door to her five seasons apartment. And it wasn't Reggie stood with pops in hand, it was Betty, in last nights prom dress, messy hair, and tears rolling down her face.
"Can I talk to you?" Betty cried.
Veronica didn't say anything, she was shocked, and she knew in that moment that her best friend just needed a hug. And she did, Betty lay her head on her shoulder and cried, who knows for how long, and it went deeper than the recent revelation. Everything she had bottled up for a year poured out of her eyes and down her best friends silk robe.
"What's this about B?" Veronica whispered in her ear as they lay on her four poster bed.
"Archie, my dad, my mom, Jughead, Cheryl, my internship, college which we can't afford, pick one V" Betty said exhausted.
"What's Jughead got to do with this?" Veronica raised her eyebrows.
"All's I ever wanted was to be loved, for someone to love me. And I waited so long, and put up with so much shit from Archie because I thought one day he would but he doesn't. And then Jughead comes along, and he's loved me all this time and I never even noticed" Betty sobbed.
"Love is blind Betts, but do you love him?" Veronica said pushing her hair out of her face and wiping her tears.
"How can I love him? Or any one when I don't even love myself" Betty sobbed.
"What makes you so unlovable?" Veronica frowned.
"Who can love the daughter of a serial killer, people don't look at me the same way" Betty shrugged.
"Jughead does, he always has, everybody thought his dad killed Jason, and it turns out Cheryl's dad did, and she's thriving, and everybody knows my dad's the devil himself and the only good father in town is Fred Andrews and that only slightly makes up for his embarrassment of a son" Veronica giggled.
"I guess your right, but what do I do V? I love Jughead but I don't know whether I can be in love with him" Betty sighed.
"That's up to you to figure out babe" Veronica kissed her forehead.
"It's a good job I have a Betty Cooper section of my closet for emergencies and job interviews and what not" Veronica laughed.
"Good because my moms gonna be wondering where the hell I am" Betty laughed.
"Oh she thinks your here, when you didn't come home last night she called to see if you were on the southside, she was slightly worried, but I told her you were at pops bringing us a midnight feast home, and she said "yes well calories don't count after 1am" and I think that is something to live by, your moms a very wise woman" Veronica giggled pulling out jeans and a very cute pull over.
"Her slimmers group have been whispering in her ear for months" Betty laughed.
"Betty?"
"Yeah v?"
"I have a question" Veronica smirked.
"Shoot" Betty smiled pulling on her jeans.
"Do you ever think about Jughead" Veronica said but something in her tone was teasing.
"What do you mean" Betty furrowed her brows confused.
"Like in ways you shouldn't think about your guy best friend" Veronica burst out into a fit of giggles.
And Betty went a violent shade of red.
"Once he was showering and I really needed to pee, and in hindsight I should of knocked, how was I supposed to know he doesn't have a shower curtain?" Betty blushed.
"Oh my god, what did he do?" Veronica thrives on the gossip.
"He turned the other way and continued to shower whilst I peed" Betty laughed.
"Like it was nothing?" Veronica gasped.
"It's not a big deal, I've seen Jughead naked more times than I've seen Archie naked" Betty laughed.
"What about the penis?" Veronica giggled.
"That's the first thing I make eye contact with" Betty giggled.
"Oh Betty Cooper you are scandalous, but you didn't answer my question" Veronica playful nudged her arm.
"This is really bad, and you have to promise not to tell anyone" Betty made Veronica lock pinkies with her.
"The last time I had sex with Archie, which is going back to hmm maybe six months ago, I got a glimpse of Jughead as he was you know" Betty cringed.
"No I don't know?" Veronica laughed.
"Well he went down on me and it was when we did that school production and he had to spray his hair black to play Romeo. Yup I thought it was Jughead" Betty giggled.
"Oh my god I remember that and you told that he made you"
"I remember what he made me do Veronica" Betty cut her off quickly.
"Answered your own question, once again Veronica Lodge aka Ellen has made your problems absolve into the abyss, if that will be all Betty Cooper you've got a hot young James Dean waiting for you about 10 minutes away in the direction of south" Veronica giggled.
"He said he wants some space" Betty sighed.
"And it takes two to tango, take that bull by the horns and take what you want for a change, but first Archie" Veronica rolled her eyes at her boyfriend walking in with a cut lip and a bag of pops.
"Reg you okay?" Betty asked him.
"Archie Andrews is just a dick" Reggie muttered.
"I'm so sorry V, and you too Reggie, I'm gonna our a stop to all of this okay?" Betty said sadly and Veronica smiled sympathetically.
"It's not your fault B, the dude is still shit face muttering something about Jughead and he knew all along" Reggie said wiping his bloody mouth on the kitchen towel and hand Veronica her burger.
"See Elizabeth, even Archie knew" Veronica teased.
"I know he knew, he tortured Jughead for years and it's all my fault" Betty replied.
"Betty, Archie didn't just torture Jughead, he told every one to keep away from you, I've always thought he was obsessed with you and he's my friend so I thought nothing of it, and after today, well" Reggie trailer off.
"Hell hath no fury like an Archie Andrews scorned" Veronica raised her eyebrows at Betty, sipping on her milkshake.
"It's ironic isn't it?" Betty scoffed.
All this time she suffered, thinking everyone around her wanted America's sweet hearts to be together, but everybody wanted nothing more to see them apart.
She walked home deep in thought, and the only person she wanted right now was Polly, and Polly hadn't been herself since before Jason died, and every time she saw her sister it broke her heart to see the vacant lifeless shell of the girl she once was. She was as broken as they come, never talked, was stuck in her own head and it was killing her, that's why she's permanently staying at the sisters of quiet mercy, she needed the help. And again Betty was alone.
Even when Betty was in a room full of people she felt lonely, and that is a feeling she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy, well maybe her father.
Without even thinking her phone was out and his line was ringing.
"Can you talk?" She asked shyly.
"What took you so long?" Jugheads teasing voice came through the speaker and she looked across the road, and behind a passing car she saw him on her lawn, flowers in one hand, movies in the other.