Thank you so much to @FLORDIALuver for this idea!
Betty's POV:
I wake up to light, feathery kisses being planted on the back of my neck. I smile and roll over in bed to be met with the handsome face of my boyfriend. Jug's arm is slung over my waist, and he pulls me tighter against his front. I shove my face in his neck and close my eyes, but whine when I feel him pull me out of his neck and force me to look at him.
"Betts we gotta get up and go to school. You don't want to be late." He chuckles and kisses my forehead.
"I don't care about school all I want is to sleep." I roll away from him and curl up with all the blankets.
"Woah only living here for a month and I'm already rubbing off on you." I giggle and Jughead grabs my hands and drags me up out of bed. He laughs when he sees my pouted lips. I slump to the bathroom so I can start getting ready for the day. I brush my teeth, pull my hair up into that obnoxiously tight ponytail. Even when I'm away from my mother she still has a handle on my life and my appearance. I go back into Jug's- our- bedroom and walk over to our shared closet. It makes me smile whenever I see our clothes hanging side by side. This is what it'll be like when we get married and live together for the rest of our lives. Somewhere far, far away from Riverdale. I grab some light blue jeans and pair it with a pink sweater and my white Converse. I walk out of the room and look in the kitchen to see Jug sitting at the table stuffing his face with cereal. I laugh and peck his cheek while grabbing an apple for myself, since I'm never really hungry this early in the morning. He is already dressed in an S-shirt and dark jeans. He's wearing Vans and of course, his beanie that I love. We sling our backpacks over our shoulders and link hands as we start the walk to school.
We walk through the big double doors of hell, and go to the student lounge to meet up with the others. When we walk in Veronica and Kevin say hi and call me over, as the serpents do the same with Jughead. He squeezes my hand before walking over to talk to Sweetpea and Toni. I go and sit on the couch next to Veronica, as she starts telling me about this guys Kevin is seeing. I'm only half listening as I lay down on the couch and close my eyes. I listen as their voices fade and sleep takes over my body.
I feel someone lightly shaking my shoulder and open my eyes slowly to see Veronica standing above me.
"B, you need to get up. The bell for first period just rang and if you wanna make it to math on time you better get your ass moving." She says. I nod and sit up while rubbing my hands over my face. To be honest, I haven't been sleeping well at all lately. I keep having these nightmares about my dad, and they cause me lots of anxiety and paranoia. I groggily stand up and grab my bag. I realize Kevin is also standing next to Veronica, and he pulls me into a hug which he somehow knew I needed. Together we all walk to math, and Veronica starts telling us about her and Archie's one year anniversary which is on Saturday. We all go sit in the middle row in math, and take out our books just as the teacher walks in and the bell rings.
At the end of the day, as I'm at my locker putting my books away Jughead comes up to me with a huge smile on his face. He grabs my cheeks and pulls me into a passionate kiss which I smile into. He pulls away and the grin remains the same, but now I have a matching one.
"What's got you so happy?" I ask him.
"My dad just called and told me that my mom and JB are coming to stay with us for the weekend." He says excitedly. My smile falters slightly as he says 'stay with us.' I'm worried that JB and his mom won't like me living there with him, or even being around during their stay. Jughead must sense my apprehension because he puts his hands on my arms and rubs in a comforting motion.
"I think I'll stay at Veronica's while your mom and JB are here. I'll come back once they leave."
He looks at me weirdly and says, "You don't have to do that. I want you there while they're in town."
"I'd hate to intrude. You've been wanting to see them for so long, I don't want to ruin this for you." I look down at my shoes and hear him sigh.
"Love, you wouldn't ruin anything. I'd get to spend time with them and you which is the perfect combination. Please don't stay at Veronica's. Please." I nod and give him a small smile. He kisses my cheek and takes my hand as we start the trek back home.
-Time skip to the next day-
Today is the day that Jughead's mom and sister are coming. I put on a yellow sundress and decide to leave my hair down. My mom always told me appearance when meeting someone for the first time is everything. I put foundation on and a light dusting of blush. I brush my eyelashes with mascara, and leave the bathroom to go in the kitchen. When Jug catches sight of me his jaw drops and his blue eyes rake over my body. I feel myself blush under his gaze, and he comes over and places his hands on my hips.
"Wow you look beautiful, baby." He compliments and I lay a kiss on the corner of his mouth. The sound of someone knocking on the door makes me flinch away from him and stand up as straight as I can. Jughead gives me a reassuring smile and opens the door. A young girl with the same dark hair as his comes flying at him and hugs him tightly around his torso. Jughead picks her up spinning her around and I smile at the scene. Then an older lady, with brunette hair and a pleasant smile on her face comes walking into the house. She gathers Jughead into a tight hug and whispers something in his ear that makes him smile. She presses a kiss to his cheek and examines the trailer that has become my favorite place in the world. I watch as her eyes land on me, and she clears her throat and nods at me. Jughead comes over to stand by me and wraps an arm around my waist.
"Mom, JB, this is Betty Cooper. My girlfriend." He introduces. I put on my best smile as I watch them look me up and down. Surprising me, JB comes up and gives me a hug. I let out a gasp, but quickly hug her back. She pulls back to look up at me and then turns over to her brother.
"You did good. She's really pretty. WAY too pretty for you." I laugh and Jughead just scoffs while messing up her hair. I look over at Mrs. Jones and see her smiling at me. I take that as a good sign and so I step closer to her.
"Mrs. Jones it's so good to meet you. I've heard wonderful things about you." I hold out my hand, but she swats that away and brings me into a hug.
"So you're the Betty I hear about all the time. He never stops talking about you. It's always 'Betty this' and 'Betty that.'"
"Mom!" Jughead exclaims. I giggle and give him a little wink. Jughead shows them where they will be staying as I start to prepare lunch for all of us. I decided to make turkey sandwiches with a salad- but chips for Jughead. I hear footsteps come down the hallway and someone jump up on the counter next to me. I look over and see JB sitting and watching me make the sandwiches.I don't say anything and continue on with making lunch while I wait to see if she'll say anything.
"So Betty, how did you and my brother start dating?" She asks. I smile at the memory and at how far we have come together.
"Well Jug and I had been working on solving who killed Jason Blossom. We worked together everyday. At the time this was happening, my parents had shipped my sister Polly off to some insane place for the 'crazy' and I was really stressed about it. One day, your brother climbed a ladder up to my window and he knocked on it. When I opened it he made a reference to Romeo and Juliet because he knows it's my favorite story ever. I started to confide in him with how my family was crazy and how I thought that I was crazy, and he told me 'we aren't our parents, Betty.' I believed him because if it comes from him I believe anything. Then he leaned in and kissed me. From there the rest is history." I hear JB squeal and clap her hands at the romance of our story.
"Do you love my brother?" I pause my actions for a moment to look the young girl in the eyes.
"More than anything." I responded. She nodded and hopped off the counter to go find her mom and brother.
After finishing lunch I called all of them into the kitchen, and they all come and sit down to eat. I put the bowl of salad on the table along with some chips for Jug which he smiles gratefully at, and then give everyone their sandwiches. I sit down and Jughead places a hand on my knee and kisses my cheek in thanks. Everyone starts to eat, and the only sound is the sound of silverware on the plates.
"So Betty, do you do any extra curriculars? Have any hobbies?" Mrs. Jones asks. I swallow my food before answering her question.
"Yeah I run the Blue and Gold with Juggie, and I'm a cheerleader. As for hobbies, I love to write and read." She nods in approval.
"Are you living here? I noticed some stuff lying around that I know isn't Jughead's." I see Jughead shake his head at his mom in my peripheral.
"Um yeah I am. It's just something for right now. I just have some family stuff going on right now." I feel him lace his hands with mine to prevent me from digging them into my palms. The table goes quiet and I just stare at my plate, suddenly not hungry.
After lunch I excuse myself and go into our room. I sit on the bed and stare at the floor as I do everything in my power to not dig into the flesh of my palms. I hear the sound of footsteps approach the door, and Jug peeks his head in. He sees me and comes over to sit by me. He brings me to sit on his lap and I curl into his chest.
"I know your mom didn't mean to make me upset. I'm sorry for ruining lunch." I whisper to him.
"No no no, you didn't do anything. I know things are still hard for you right now. It's okay, sweetheart. If you need a break that's okay, take all the time you need. I love you. You did absolutely nothing wrong, honey." He kisses my temple.
"I love you too." I respond.
Later that night, Jug and I are curled up together in bed. His arm is slung over my waist and my arm is tracing patters on his bare stomach. The sound of his rhythmic breathing is the only sound to be heard. My head lays on his chest and I listen to his heartbeat. A curl falls in front of his face and my hand itches to push it back, but I restrain myself and slowly pull myself out of his arms. I'm afraid to go to sleep in fear that I'll have those nightmares again. The ones where I'm just like my dad, and have hurt the people I love. I creep out of the room and slowly close the door as quietly as I can. I go over and sit down on the couch, and put my head in my hands. I feel my breathing start to speed up, and I practice taking deep breaths to regulate it. I feel the couch dip beside me and a hand comes to lay on my back. I look up expecting to see Jughead, but instead I see his mom. Her brunette hair is pulled into a low ponytail that rests on the back of her neck. Her hand rubs up and down my back in an attempt to soothe me which works, and soon enough I am able to breathe normally. We sit in silence and listen to the sounds that nighttime has to offer. Mrs. Jones turns over and faces me and I do the same.
"What are you doing up so late, Betty?" She asks in a soft voice. I feel the tears start to prick behind my eyes and I move my gaze down to the plush carpet underneath my feet.
"I can't go to sleep." I whisper.
"You can't or you won't?" I sigh and bring my eyes back to her.
"A month ago my dad was discovered as the Black Hood. He killed and hurt so many innocent people- people that I knew. He would puppet master me by calling me and force me to do his dirty work. He threatened to hurt my sister and her babies, and even threatened to hurt Jug. I did everything he said and the whole time I had no idea that it was my own father, my own flesh and blood. When I found out it was him I was broken, and everything that he did haunts me. Nobody at school treats me the same. Not even the teachers. They all fear me, and don't come near me. Ever since then, I've had nightmares about him and everything that has happened. They cause me to wake up in tears and just pools of sweat. They make me afraid because in them I'm just like him. I have the same darkness that he has, and that scares me. I'm scared that I am capable of hurting someone and one day might do just that. My own mom is scared that I'll turn out like him, and she kicked me out of the house- that's why I'm living here. I don't want to be like him. I'm just scared." Tears stream down my cheeks and I sniffle quietly. I feel my hands curl into fists and my nails dig in my palms. Mrs.Jones places her hands over mine and rubs them comfortingly. She turns my body and makes me look her in the eyes.
"Betty, let me tell you a story of my own. When I was about your age maybe a little younger, my mom was an alcoholic. She drank all day everyday and when she wasn't drunk off her ass, she was verbally abusive to me. She used to tell me that I'll never amount to anything, and that I was a pathetic, useless child. Her words were painful and for a while there I believed them. I believed everything that came out of her mouth because she's my mom and I tried to see the good in her. Up until I was 20 years old, her words stuck with me and I was very depressed and angry. A co-worker of mine told me that I should consider therapy, and so I ended up going to see someone to talk about the way that I felt. When I told her what was going on she just chuckled. I remember looking at her as if she was insane, and I was so offended and was about to leave, when she grabbed my hand and said to me: 'Silly girl. The facts that you still believe those words means you're letting her have a hold on your life. You are nothing like your mom and you don't have to follow her path. You have a choice to make a name for yourself, and move on with your life. Just because she was abusive and an alcoholic doesn't make that your future. Choices like that aren't genetic. So it's up to you to go down the path you want to go down.' After that session, it was like I saw the world in a whole new light. I realized that just because my mom made them, doesn't mean I'm gonna follow that, because her and I- we are not the same people. Not in the slightest. So I made something of myself, and my life turned out amazing and everything I could've hoped for. It wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be. I was happy. That's all that mattered to me," She gripped my hand in hers and grabbed my arm lightly. " You are not your father. You can be someone else. You don't have to make those decisions, but if you keep being afraid of your future you're gonna miss your life. You aren't really living, you're just existing. Change up the script and be somebody else. Be the person you want to be, not the person your father is."
It felt like a light switch went off in my brain as I processed her words. She is right. I'm not living, and I can't go through life like this. I looked at her and hugged her. She hugged me back tightly and placed a kiss on the top of my head. She's like the mom I never got to have.
"Thank you, Mrs.Jones." I say once we pull away. She waves her hand at me in dismissal.
"Please call me Gladys. I see the way you and my boy look at each other. You aren't going anywhere." I grin at her and wish her goodnight. I walk back to my room, leaving her sitting on the couch. I crawl back in bed and push myself against Jughead's body. He wakes slightly and looks at me concerned when he sees the tear tracks on my face.
"Are you okay?" He asks me, his voice thick with sleep. I smile and nod my head.
"Yeah, I'm feeling the best I ever have." I turn around and close my eyes, while he nuzzles into my neck. I feel sleep consume me and this time I don't try to fight it. I let it overcome me. I'm not like my father, and I never will be.
Hey sorry this is out so late. I haven't had much motivation to write lately. Part 3 to Till Death do us Part will be out after this. Love you guys!