I finished this chapter in a hurry, because I'm tired and going to sleep now, so I'm sorry if there are any mistakes. I'll probably edit it a bit tomorrow, I was just determined to get it out today xx
Also, this is super long... Enjoy!
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With the summer ending, the new seniors received text messages from Cheryl Blossom about her annual end-of-summer pool party. The kids buzzed in anticipation, coming up with different lies to their parents as every year, mostly about spending the night at their friend's place while the friend used the same argument, simply vice versa.
This time, though, the usual classmates weren't the only ones getting the invitations. This time, the Southsiders were invited, too.
Cheryl had sent the message to Toni, without adding the inviter's name, and the pink-haired girl had shared the invitation with every senior Southsider that was going to be attending Riverdale high this year. Most of them were Serpents, but the group also included a few Ghoulies and a couple of non-gang members who just happened to live in the same area.
(Many kids from Southside High would attend Seaside High, or Baxter High in Greendale, depending on their location.)
Jughead was sitting on his couch, legs sprawled out over it, reading a book when his two best friends kindly let themselves into his trailer. The boy gave them his attention for a moment, offering them a nod of acknowledgment before turning back to the fantasy world.
Just a second later, the book was snatched out of his hands. "Enough of reading, Jug," Joaquin said and flipped the book shut, tossing it onto the bookshelf near them.
"Now I gotta find the right place again," Jughead grumbled under his breath as Toni pushed his feet off the couch, making him sit up. The boy groaned again. "Could've at least bookmarked it," he murmured.
"You got the invitation?" Toni asked, crossing one leg over the other as she took a seat, and Jughead observed her usual fishnet tights on her legs, wondering how girls could wear those without breaking them. He couldn't even pull on a t-shirt without damaging it somehow.
"Obviously," he rolled his eyes. "I gotta say, I'm impressed by Blossom. Though it was a really risky move and I wouldn't recommend trying it again.
"What's risky?" Joaquin asked, joining their conversation as he sat onto the ground in front of the couch and reached under Jughead, tugging away one of his pillows.
"God, can you two stop making yourself at home and leaving me without comfort?" Jughead said, half-joking while rolling his eyes with an annoyed expression.
"Nope," Joaquin grinned and winked at him.
"You gotta stop flirting with him now that you have a boyfriend," Toni joked.
"Oh, Kev won't mind. He has this friend Archie and flirts with him all the time." He shrugged it off.
"God, don't mention his name around me," Jughead groaned.
"What's gotten into you today, Jones?" Toni frowned. "And why can't he say his boyfriend's name?"
"I meant fucking Archie. He's constantly on my mind anyway, which is one of the stupid reasons I was distracting myself with a book anyway and..." he trailed off with a sigh. "Why do you care?"
"What did that jerk do then?" Toni smirked. "Hitting on your girl?"
Jughead rolled his eyes, making both of his friends grin. "He is, huh?" Joaquin mused.
"It's not fucking funny. He and Betty have history. She used to crush on him, but he turned her down a few years ago, and now she says she has no feelings whatsoever, but he is hitting on her all of a sudden, and... I don't know," he sighs, "I guess I'm just insecure or some shit like that."
"Never thought I'd hear you say anything like that."
"Yeah, seems like our Jughead finally fell in love," Toni joined Joaquin's teasing.
"Can you two stop?" Jughead sighed, dragging his hand over his face. "Everyone falls in love at some point in their life, with someone or something, and I think it was about time."
"True. I mean you're the only one who never has. I think all of us have about three exes already that we thought we loved."
"Loving someone and being in love with them is the furthest thing from each other," Jughead mumbled, leaving the two think about the statement as he dragged his feet into the kitchen and grabbed a Snickers bar from the fridge.
"Anyway," he sighed when he sat down again, sprawling his feet out on Toni's thighs which only made the girl scowl and push them off. "What are we gonna do about the party?"
"We're going, obviously," Joaquin said. "I mean, I won't pass this opportunity to see my boyfriend in swim trunks."
"I agree," the girl giggled. "I mean I've seen her naked but it's not the same thing..."
"Okay, too much info, Topaz," Jughead said, a smirk lingering on his lips. "Fine. But lay low, both of you. And make sure Blossom and Keller do the same. No touching, no exchanging more than a few words. And no eye-fucking."
"Oh man," Joaquin whined. "You really know how to suck all the fun out of a party."
"He's right," Toni yawned. "I mean we can hook up in the bathroom or something."
"What?" Joaquin frowned, his lips curled upward and nose scrunched up a bit.
"Not with each other," Toni frowned and looked away with a scoff of laughter. "Ew."
Jughead laughed at them, the two joining in just a moment later. "But, will we finally officially get to meet your sunflower?" Toni asked once the laughter had started easing down.
"Maybe," Jughead shrugged. "You guys wanna play cards or something?" he chuckled.
"Sure. Kings in the corner?" Toni asked when he stood and walked toward the bathroom where he remembered leaving his bag.
"Yep. Jug, fetch your deck!"
"On it!"
At the same time, Betty was sitting on the couch in her living room, head down, staring at the floor with tears in her eyes, and listening to her mother go on and on about her eating habits. Apparently, it wasn't enough for her that Betty ate much less than normal, and that she had become bone skinny. Now she demanded the girl to put up an act around everyone else so that they wouldn't know.
Fred had yelled at Alice, and while Betty knew inside that her mother had deserved it, she also was aware that he had made everything so much worse.
And now, she wasn't far away from screaming at her herself.
"You just can't do it, can you, Elizabeth? Just live without getting anyone involved in our lives and habits? Your sister always kept private, even and especially when she got pregnant, and you should be smarter than all of those—"
"What do you want me to do then?" Betty suddenly said, cutting her mother off and leaving her in shock. She was glaring up at the woman, her eyes full of tears. "I'm not Polly, mom! Stop treating me like it."
"I'm not treating you like you were Polly, Elizabeth. I never have and I never will. But I do not appreciate you going around and telling everyone that I'm not feeding you enough!"
"You think I'm walking around and sharing that information?" Betty laughed through her tears. "Why would I, mom? I was fat-shamed by you my whole life, and now that I've finally lost a lot of weight, everyone seems to think it's okay to comment on my eating habits. I would never tell them!"
"Excuse me, young lady?" the woman scoffed. "Fat shamed?"
"Yes, fat-shamed!" Betty cried and stood up, furiously sinking her nails into her palms as she glared right at her mother. "It is always eat less, train more, don't skip your runs, no eating your Halloween candy... It's not fucking fair!" The last exclamation had come out as a scream right into her mother's face and Alice Cooper was furious.
She wouldn't let anyone, not even her own flesh and blood, yell at her that way. And this was one of the first times she had ever heard Betty swearing.
"Sit the hell down!" she screamed the same way, some of the slobber from her mouth flying into Betty's face, the girl's body taken over by sobs out of nowhere. "I have never said anything about your weight and..."
While Alice kept going, Betty scoffed and shook her head, cutting her off in a few moments. "You know what? I'm tired of this! I'm tired of you! Stop trying to tell me what to do and stop fucking ruining my life with your beliefs and expectations! I'm done with this! I'm done with you!"
After the loud words, Betty ran upstairs, her mother screaming something after her, commenting on her tone, swearing, and everything else she could possibly have thought of.
Betty simply slammed her door shut and fell onto the ground, her sobs breaking apart after a strangled voice left her mouth. Her nails sank into her palms, and while attempting to take deep breaths, the room started spinning in front of her eyes until it all went dark for a while.
The three friends were four games in, Joaquin dealing the next cards while promising to win the next time, when there were three knocks on the door. They all turned to look at it when Jughead sighed and stood, hoping it wasn't some Serpent coming to announce that his father was drunk on someone's floor again.
When he opened the door, the boy momentarily froze.
He watched the red eyes facing him, the blonde hair flying around the skinny shoulders, and finally, his eyes landed on her face as a whole. Tears were pricking in her eyes, and her cheeks were stained red from all the crying she must have done, slight lines of dried mascara running down them.
Jughead stood there still for a few more moments before looking straight into her miserable eyes and breathing out her name. "Betty."
The girl moved at that, taking the two steps into the trailer, and her arms made their way around his torso immediately. She pressed her cheek against his chest, bending her head a bit, and squeezed her eyes shut, enjoying the warmth flowing from him.
"Betts, you okay?" he whispered into her hair, hugging her back while gently running his right hand through the golden locks of hers.
"Fine," she exhaled. "Just a bit shook up."
"Did something happen? Did someone—"
"Shh."
Jughead's heart was heavy as he held her in his arms, knowing she was using him to calm down even though he felt more anxious by the minute. What had happened and why did she look like this?
"You've got bandages?" Betty finally whispered when her eyes slowly blinked open and she gently tugged herself away from him. "I uh... I ran out."
"Yeah," he breathed, eyes immediately dropping to her hands that were now shuffled deep into her pockets.
His hand rubbed gentle circles into her back when they took the few steps to the kitchen, and Betty watched the way he opened a medicine cabinet. To her surprise, it was full of different things that would help in the case of an emergency, and her brain slowly acknowledged that the Serpents probably needed it more often than other people.
"Here," he sighed, handing her an antiseptic and two rolls of bandages.
"Thank you," she silently said and offered him a small smile before turning to wash her hands in the sink.
"How did you get here?"
"Oh, um..." She looked at him while drying off her hands. "My car's at the gas station next to the trailer park."
"Betts," Jughead sighed, dropping his head onto his nape for a moment to take a deep breath. "Keys?"
"Why would you—"
"Joaquin, get the car somewhere safe," he suddenly said, and Betty moved to look in the direction he was looking at. Only now did she realize that she had been oblivious to any crowd before and hadn't realized Jughead's two best friends were silently watching them.
"Keys," Jughead said again, and Betty handed them to him with a sigh.
"Whoa, you just do that? Your car's expensive..." Toni said.
"And that's exactly why it shouldn't be on the Southside," Jughead mumbled and threw the keys to Joaquin who had already pulled on his Serpent jacket. "Run." The boy nodded and disappeared out the door.
"Sorry, I couldn't think clearly earlier," Betty mumbled to Jughead, a bit uncomfortable now that she knew the others had watched her hold onto Jughead like an anchor before in order to calm herself down.
"Don't worry about it, let's just hope nobody has trashed or stolen it yet," the boy said and focused on her hands. He inhaled sharply when he noticed deep wounds in her palms, the dried blood now washed off as she cleaned them with disinfectant.
He took a small step closer and Betty's eyes moved onto his for a moment before looking back down at her hands. "Baby, what happened?" he whispered.
"You guys," Toni suddenly said. "I can go." She didn't really wait for an answer and already stood from the floor.
"Yeah," Jughead said at the same time that Betty shook her head.
"No that's..." she trailed off, earning both of their attention. "I'm fine, I don't even know why I came here, I guess I just..." She sighed as her green eyes moved to Jughead's. "I just needed to calm down."
"What happened?" the boy asked, eyes demanding but soft for her.
"Look, I'm just gonna go to my trailer, and whenever you're done talking or not... you can call me back. Or not."
Jughead gave Toni a thankful nod and the pink-haired girl disappeared out the door with a small smile to Betty. The blonde sighed when she was gone, dropping her head.
"Jug, I didn't know they'd be here," the girl murmured, cheeks slightly red as she stared at her feet. "I'm sorry I ruined—"
"Stop," Jughead exhaled and slowly wrapped her up in his arms. "I love you," he whispered right into her ear, sending small shudders down her spine.
"I love you too," she quietly said and watched the way his hands slipped around hers. She leaned against his chest and let him clean and tie them up, the trailer remaining silent.
In a few minutes, the two moved to his couch and sat down on it, Betty sighing while doing so. "Okay," she murmured and then sighed. "So... Fred Andrews yelled at my mom because on the trip he noticed how I ate. My mom got furious with me for apparently showing to everyone that I don't eat much. And then she started saying all these mean things to me, which lead to her comparing me to my sister again, and I just... I just snapped.
"I told her bad things, and then a couple of minutes later, I said I was done with her and all the bullshit and... I don't even know," she sighed. "I don't remember well, but she got even angrier, and I ran to my room, and I—I broke down. I think I blacked out for a moment because when I woke up on the floor, my limbs were stiff and it took some time before I got to stand again."
"Oh, baby," Jughead breathed into her hair, holding her in his embrace on the couch. "And then?"
"I grabbed my keys and I ran downstairs, and when she started screaming again, I flicked her off and just drove away..." Her head was down, tears creeping in her eyes, and Jughead couldn't help but sigh at the embarrassed look she gave him. "I'm really sorry for just showing up in daylight where everyone could see, but I needed to calm down, and after the horrible things she said, you were the only person I could think of that could help."
Jughead pressed a kiss to her head and simply held her in his arms, every once in a while reminding her how much he loved her and kissing her face while she cried.
"I'm proud of you for flicking her off," Jughead finally whispered, and Betty giggled in his arms as she sank further into him.
"Thank you," she quietly said and smiled when his lips touched her cheek again.
They sat in silence for a few minutes until the blonde sighed, feeling calm, and turned her head, attempting to look at him upside-down. "You can call Toni back, I'm sure Joaquin will be here soon, too."
"You want to?" he murmured. "I don't mind just spending today with you and avoiding the two intruders that made me stop reading my book."
Betty giggled. "Yes, I'm sure."
She watched how he sighed and pulled out his phone, texting a 'Betty wants you to come back' to Toni, arms maintaining their place around her. He tried to ignore the fact that she was half lying on him, her butt right against his jeans between his separated legs that she used as an armchair.
"What were you reading earlier?" the girl asked.
"In Cold Blood."
"Ooh, I love that one," she said, snuggling as far into him as possible when she heard the steps on the stairs outside. "How far along are you?"
The door opened and the two of them watched Toni who smirked, having heard the last question. "Jughead is pregnant?"
The boy rolled his eyes while Betty let out a snigger. "Yeah. He's so moody all the time, might as well be pregnant."
Toni grinned at the girl, stepping closer. "Is he even ever moody with you?"
"I mean he just yelled at me the other day for having to change schools..."
"Why?" Toni chuckled. "He was thrilled when he found out."
"When I found out that I was gonna get a good education until I realized someone had to be behind it."
The pink-haired girl simply rolled her eyes as she took a seat on the carpet in front of the couch. "You did us a favor, Sunflower. Jug just got pissed 'cause he's afraid of commitment."
Jughead snorted behind her as Betty turned her head to look at him. "Is that so?" she smirked at him.
The boy simply rolled his eyes and made her turn back around.
"And why'd you call me Sunflower?" Betty asked, looking amused.
"'Cause you're all sunny and happy, and it's your name on Jughead's phone."
"Really?" the blonde giggled and attempted to turn around to look at her guy again, only to be stopped by Jughead who firmly held her in place and nuzzled his face into her shoulder blade.
"Wow, Jones. Never seen you that smitten before."
His right hand rose for a moment, the middle finger with it, and once he was sure Toni had noticed it, he lowered it again against Betty's leg, pressing a kiss onto her neck behind her hair, making sure his friend didn't see.
"Okay, let me go," the blonde mumbled.
"Yeah, you should probably wash your face before it gets damaged," Toni said, and Betty frowned for a moment, not realizing what she was talking about. "Mascara."
"Oh," she breathed and tried to sit up, Jughead's arms pulling her right back. "Juggie," she said, a smile appearing on her lips.
He only hummed, eyes closed, enjoying the closeness.
"Let go."
"No."
"Wow," Toni breathed. "You know what, this is disgusting to watch, so what about I order something to eat? Okay." She didn't wait for an answer, walking to the kitchen area and turning her back to them to make a point, grabbing her phone.
"Can you please get me a salad? I'll pay you back," Betty said.
Jughead smiled a bit, proud that she was asking for food herself, however healthy it was. "Sure, but you gotta stop eating rabbit food," the other girl answered, not seeing the look that crossed Betty's face for a moment.
"Juggie," she said again.
"Hm?" His lips trailed up her nape to her hair, and back again to the collar of her shirt.
"Let me go?" she asked, turning her head to see his reaction. With a raised brow, he gave her the point of what he wanted to hear, smirking when Betty blushed and huffed, turning back around. "Please?" she whispered.
"Good girl," he mumbled into her ear, Toni busy talking on her phone.
Betty's insides ached at that phrase, and the way his hands lingered against the hem of her shirt when he let go didn't help either. She got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen sink. While leaning down and carefully rubbing water all over her face, she cursed herself for having a weird kink that her boyfriend seemed to love as well.
She just wanted to be normal and not turned on by shit like that.
Because now he had a way to tease her while enjoying it himself.
A day later, Betty walked into Veronica's mansion, immediately greeted by the girl on the door. "B!" she exclaimed and threw herself at her best friend, her arms wrapping around the blonde's neck.
Betty remained silent and hugged her back as tightly as she could, enjoying the warmth and the support flowing from her friend. Veronica had been away for almost two months, and even though they had texted a lot and called through the weeks, she still had no idea about anything Betty had experienced that summer.
She knew nothing about Jughead or the fact that Betty had managed to fall in love.
But she wasn't about to tell her yet, either.
"Hi," Betty finally breathed once they pulled away, sharing smiles. "How are you?"
"Oh, I'm great! So rested, and so ready to start our last year of high school." Veronica sang the last five words, making the blonde grin.
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
"What about you?" she questioned when Betty pushed off her shoes. "I mean, what have you been up to? You've only told me about photography and Reggie and work."
Betty chuckled awkwardly. "Um, just hanging out I guess..."
"Okay... Details?" Veronica asked, giggling when her friend blushed. "Oh come on, spill."
"Not yet," she mumbled as they made their way up the stairs. "Can I tell you something else at first? Something important before the party tomorrow?"
"Sure, whatever you need to say, I'm all ears," the girl smiled.
Betty waited until they were locked in Veronica's room, sitting on her bed, both of their legs crossed and hands linked. "So, um... I need to tell you about Archie."
She explained everything. From her feelings for him (which didn't exist) to the gazes and words he had shared with her. Veronica seemed to be well aware that Archie was pissed at her since they weren't on the best terms, but she had never thought her boyfriend would run off to pine after someone else. Especially his best friend. Her best friend.
"I know it's fucked up, V, and I tried explaining to him why I don't like him, but he wouldn't listen," Betty whispered, head down and looking guilty.
"Girl, no," Veronica said, grabbing onto her hands again as she had before. Their eyes locked, sighing in unison. "None of this is your fault. Archie's just a jerk."
"But you love him, don't you?" Betty mumbled.
"Do you?"
The blonde sighed and shrugged. "I thought I loved him like a brother, but... I don't know, he's spent so much time with the other jocks this summer, and he seems... different."
"Yeah, I know what you mean," the brunette said. "And I agree. The friendship between you two was always brotherly-sisterly. You always bickered and teased each other, but I would've never called it flirting..."
"That's because I wasn't. But what if he was? What if he didn't realize it deep down?" Betty's voice was a whisper as she suggested that, her eyes sad and slightly widened.
They sat in silence for a while, looking anywhere but at each other. Until Veronica broke the silence with another sigh. "Maybe he's a player like you said. You warned me when I first came here."
"Yeah, but... I think I was just jealous. Cause he had turned me away, and you got his attention and I didn't."
"Oh?"
"Yeah..."
"You know what, Betty Cooper?"
"What?" the blonde chuckled, finding it amusing how she used her family name as well.
"You've changed a lot during this summer, too. Wish I was there to witness it."
"I know," she said, a small smile lingering on her lips. The problem was, she wasn't sure if it was for better or for worse.
The next day when Betty woke up, it was almost noon. She smiled contently while yawning and stretching herself out like a cat on the soft, warm bed. Veronica was already sitting behind her vanity, doing her makeup, and smiled at the blonde.
"Morning, B."
"Morning," Betty yawned and smiled at her friend once she was done, snuggling herself further into the warmness of the duvet. "What're you doing?"
"Makeup."
"For a pool party?" she chuckled.
"Waterproof," the Latina said. "Besides, if Archie continues to be a dick, maybe a few other people will perk my interest."
"The Southsiders?" Betty asked as she sat up on the bed, sighing while doing so.
Her stomach rolled at the sudden idea of her flirting with Jughead. She loved Veronica and she loved her, but some part of her would always be anxious and jealous of the girl. Betty loved the way her best friend looked, and that she knew how to flirt. But Archie had chosen Veronica after rejecting her. Her insecurities and strange feelings always surfaced, and her heart felt heavy when she had to think about having to compete with her.
"No," the raven-haired girl scoffed. "None of those losers can be hot enough to get me to bed."
Oh, how she was wrong about that, Betty thought. In fact, most Southsiders were far more attractive than the boys at their school running around in their Varsity jackets. "What about Southside girls? You said To—Topaz looked hot," she said, quickly catching herself before calling Toni by her first name.
"Yeah," Veronica shrugged with a smirk. "But seems like she's busy."
Betty froze on the spot, eyeing her best friend. She had spent some time yesterday with Toni and Joaquin, and the girl had surprised her a lot. She was nice, good looking, and had a very sharp tongue, but she had opened up about her relationship with Cheryl. Betty had appreciated that.
"What do you mean?" she reluctantly asked.
"Have you seen the way she looks at that Jones guy?" Veronica chuckled and snorted when she saw Betty sitting there in utter shock. "Do you think they've done it?"
"Done what?"
Rolling her eyes, the girl spoke up again, "Oh come on, Betty, you're not that vanilla."
Clinking her teeth together and glaring her friend down, the blonde stood from the bed, rushing toward the en-suite. "I gotta use the bathroom," she quickly said and practically ran away.
Not that vanilla? Jughead and Toni doing it?
Betty wondered that if Veronica had known about her thoughts and desires, would she still have called her vanilla, or anything with flavors included.
When Jughead arrived at the party an hour later than indicated, he did so with all the other Serpents that were seniors. He was in the front of the group when all of them got off their bikes, Toni on one side of him, Sweet Pea on the other. They scowled at everyone who such as much as dared to whisper something about them to their friends.
Jughead, though, managed a small smile when he stopped in front of smirking Cheryl who was strictly focused on her girlfriend (or sex buddy, he wasn't sure), eating her with her eyes.
The boy cleared his throat, earning her attention, and a small scowl. "Thanks for inviting us," he said.
The redhead nodded. "Of course! We need to get to know each other to work together all year, don't you think?"
"Sure," Jughead muttered, turning slightly around to see Sweet Pea spiking a drink (which no one minded), Toni talking with him while smirking. "Stop eye-fucking her," he sighed at Cheryl and made his way by the pool, to the area with least girls in it.
He noticed the ginger girl watching him with mouth agape and wondered she probably hadn't known he knew. Shrugging it off, he had the time to push off his sneakers and socks before some golden blond hair caught his attention.
Betty came out of the house along with Veronica and another girl who looked fairly familiar to him, all three of them carrying snacks. Cheryl instructed them to his side of the pool, pointing at the still empty tables, and while the two other girls started moving, Betty's eyes locked with his.
He watched her silently, trailing his eyes down her body, taking in the shorts and the bikini bra she was sporting, before moving back to her face. Her cheeks and ears were slightly red, and Jughead grinned to himself when she finally made her way over.
"Hi," he greeted her with the softest tone, and Betty quickly flashed him a smile before running back into the house.
"Hey there," the girl that had been standing next to her said instead.
"Hi," he said, sounding a bit surprised that any of those Northsiders was approaching him.
The girl eyed his face for a moment before frowning. "What? You can start talking with Betty but not with me?"
"No, no." His tone was a bit caught off guard as he shook his head rapidly. "Just, it came as a surprise that you'd talk to me. Or any of us."
"Oh," the girl said and shrugged as she at a grape. "What's your name?"
"Jughead."
"Jughead," she sniggered. "Alright. I'm Josie."
"Right," he breathed. "Josie and the Pussycats?"
"Yep," the girl nodded, and he mirrored her actions. They both picked up a few snacks, eating them in silence until she sparked up the conversation again. "So, why did I catch you off guard but you greeted my girl Betty without so much as a smile?"
"Oh, um..." He took a deep breath, quickly thinking of the best lie he could manage. "She worked at Pop's at the beginning of the summer, and we talked a bit."
"Oh?" The girl seemed surprised by that. "You know she's a Cooper?"
"Yeah... And?"
"You're a Jones, no?"
He scoffed. "Our parents hate each other, that doesn't mean we should."
Josie smirked, looking amused for a moment. "Yeah... And vice versa, as well. You two suck each other's faces behind Pop's every night, that doesn't mean your parents should."
Jughead froze on the spot, staring after her wide-eyed as she walked away. "Fuck," he finally breathed and ran after her. "Wait!"
Josie chuckled, crossing her arms on her chest as she turned around to face the guy who she had always seen wearing scowls. Now, of course, his face was full of worry, eyes slightly widened.
"You can't tell anyone," he pled.
"I won't," she said, not planning to play around and tease him or Betty with it. "Take good care of her, though. I was friends with her sister and I'm friends with her, and if you do something—"
"Got it," he said, "thank you." And quickly stormed away.
"What was that about?" Betty suddenly appeared out of nowhere, carrying another tray with different snacks for high school students, looking after Jughead who seemed uncomfortable in the crowd.
"Uh, you know. Just making conversation." Josie smiled and placed her hand onto Betty's shoulder for a moment. It was almost funny, the contrast between their skin colors. The blonde had thought she was tan, but of course, Josie's skin was dark, and subconsciously, she wished hers would be too. The girl always had such a good style, and whenever she wore yellow like right now... Damn.
"You look good," Betty blurted out, keeping her eyes off the girl's chest.
Josie smiled brightly. "Thanks. So do you. Now go get your man." She wasn't about to wait around for her as she made her way away from Betty, leaving the blonde standing there.
Betty slowly turned to look at Jughead who looked at her a bit concerned and made her way over to the table he was at. She placed the snacks down quietly before looking up at him and quirking her eyebrows momentarily.
"You think anyone else knows?" he asked in a hushed tone.
"Maybe," she whispered. "I mean, I guess we haven't been too good at hiding it..."
"We're doing the best we can," he insisted, his hand placing itself onto her hip.
Betty took a step back with an amused face. "Oh yeah? Stop touching and looking, then."
Jughead groaned quietly, throwing his head back. "You're beautiful," he murmured. "I like this color on you." Just as Josie, Betty was wearing a yellow bikini bra. She wasn't sure about looking good, though.
"I need to get some more snacks," she quietly said, brushing the compliment off (something very odd for her), and Jughead nodded, looking after her as she disappeared back inside again.
The boy took it as an opportunity to look around. He watched the way some jocks were having a volleyball match in the pool, how everyone was holding different cups, flirty smiles on both girls' and guys' faces. He watched the way couples made out with one another, how his fellow Serpents had already found people to flirt or simply talk with, and then... Then Betty came out of the house with cut up burgers on the snack tray.
"Hey Cooper!" someone suddenly shouted, and Betty looked over at him, slowing down her steps.
"Cooper?" Jughead heard Sweet Pea asking, standing behind him.
"Why are you wearing a bikini looking like this?" the Northsider continued, his buddies laughing around him.
Betty watched them in shock for a moment before clearing her throat and lowering her head, continuing her road to the table.
"Fuck off, Chuck!" Veronica yelled somewhere.
Jughead's hands were clenched, knuckles white as he glared at the boys. Veronica arrived at the table at the same time as Betty, fuming as he was.
"I'm going to fucking murder him," she growled.
"It's okay," the blonde whispered, making Jughead want to yell at her as well.
"No, Betty. Not okay. Those guys are the worst. I swear I'm going to give all of them a piece of my mind."
"Now, she is hot," Sweet Pea whispered behind Jughead, the usually beanie-wearing boy running his hand through the black hair of his with a roll of his eyes.
"You okay?" someone suddenly asked, and Jughead recognized the redhead immediately, his scowl deepening.
"I'm fine," the girl mumbled. "I'll get the last snacks out here."
"Betty, we can do it," Reggie swore, his eyes moving onto Jughead for a second, giving his head a slight shake. Even he could see the rage in the boy's eyes.
"No, I'll get it." With a fake smile, she was about to walk off when Archie grabbed her arm, gently, but strong enough to make her wince and stop. "What?" Betty whispered, glaring up at him.
"I don't wanna be mean, Betty, but maybe you should eat one of those burgers..."
"Archie, what the fuck?" Reggie fumed.
"What the fuck," Jughead muttered, earning all of their attention, even Betty's who looked like she was going to cry. "Leave her the fuck alone, man," he said, louder and sterner this time.
The redhead snorted. "Why do you care?"
At that point, Veronica scoffed loud enough to be choking and gripped her boyfriend's upper arm, talking to him for the first time in a few weeks. "What the fuck, Archie!?" She dragged him away.
Reggie needed to share one look with Jughead to get the message and scrambled away, with a worried look toward Betty who was plainly staring at the ground, and Jughead found himself alone with his girl, Sweet Pea having disappeared after some girl.
"Baby," he whispered and reached for her hand behind the table, away from everyone's view.
"I'm fine," she insisted and hurried away.
Before she was inside, the same boy that had insulted her in the first place blew her a whistle. "Be careful or you'll get blown away!"
With a growl, Jughead was about to go and approach them when his girl abruptly stopped and everyone at the party got quiet, only the music left playing, giving away some summer vibes.
"What did you just say?" Betty slowly said, eyes full of rage as she turned to face the five guys from the football team.
"Said you better eat something to fill you up," the guy sneered.
With an utterly confused look in her green eyes, she shook her head slowly. Jughead's heart clenched at the hurt emotion on her face. "First I was too fat and now I'm too skinny?"
Her voice outed all the emotion, and suddenly tears were streaming down her face as everyone watched, holding their breaths. The guy just kept grinning. "I mean..." Jughead could clearly tell he was drunk by the motion he made with his shoulders and hands at the same time. "Your ribs are showing."
"Shut the fuck up!" Reggie's scream came out of nowhere, and suddenly he was standing in front of the boy, his fist throwing a punch.
The whole crowd of teenagers gasped, watching the boy falling onto the ground, and the same reaction came once he stood in a few moments, flinging one right back at Reggie.
"Fight!" someone suddenly slowly started, and soon, all the people were chanting it in unison, having circled the boys. Jughead ran into the scene, pressing himself through the people, and jumped for Reggie's rescue, and soon a few others joined, including the boy he remembered as Trev.
That was until the fight had become one between jocks and the Serpents, and he managed to slip away, remembering about his girl and the pained reaction that he had witnessed.
With everyone outside, it wasn't hard to find her in the locked bathroom, crying. He gently knocked on the door, pressing his forehead against the door. "Go away, Ethel!" Betty's voice sounded, a sniffle after it, and Jughead sighed in relief.
She was in there.
"It's me," he quietly spoke, the door unlocking for him in a few seconds. He found Betty sitting on the toilet lid, staring down at her bloody hands, and sighed. "Oh, baby," he mumbled and made his way to her, slowly not to scare her.
"I'm fine," she cried.
"Don't say that," he whispered and kneeled in front of her, carefully taking her hands into his and fisting them, making sure no nails would be able to sink into her flesh. He pressed his lips onto her fists, gently massaging them with his thumbs, and with a sigh, rested his forehead against her knees.
"Juggie?" she whispered with a broken voice a few moments after.
"Yeah?" he asked and tilted his head back, meeting her miserable emerald green eyes.
"Am I ugly?" Her voice broke during the last word, and his heart did the same, tightening for a moment and then shattering to pieces.
"No," he exhaled, bringing his hands up to her face to cup it and make her stare at him. "You, Betty Cooper, are the most beautiful girl in the world."
"Then why... Why do they have to say that? Why do I have to feel it?"
She sniffled waiting for an answer as she turned her head away slightly, one of his hands dropping from her cheek. "It doesn't matter what those assholes say or think."
"But—"
"Shh," he whispered, leaning up and silencing her words with a gentle kiss on her lips, unaware of the person standing on the doorway, the bathroom door slightly pushed ajar. "You know how you felt when you figured out you loved me?"
Betty silently shook her head, sniffling right after to keep her tears at bay. "I just feel like I love you, I don't really know what it is that tells it to me..."
"Exactly," Jughead said. "And the line between love and hate is practically unnoticeable. You don't have to know why you don't like yourself, Betts. But I know and truly hope that one day you'll be able to see and love yourself the way I love you."
The door closed silently, the redhead smiling as she did so. It was a private moment between two people she hadn't known had feelings for one another. But at that moment, she didn't care. She just wanted to get out of there and let them experience it the way it was meant to be done—in private.
Betty chuckled, looking at Jughead in an endearing kind of miserable way. "I love you," she whispered.
The boy nodded and let her run her bloody hands through his thick black hair, not caring at that given moment. "And I love you."
The party continued after the fight, all the boys keeping away from each other, keeping ice packages on their faces, and before anyone knew it, the sun had fallen behind the tree line, and the lights outside turned on. When that happened, a whistle could be heard, and bottles of alcohol were served.
Jughead sighed as he watched everyone grabbing some, smiling slightly when he noticed Betty was keeping her distance from it. He wasn't sure why but was glad she didn't think a drink was needed to make life better, even as the whole house and backyard filled with the smell of alcohol.
He sat under a tree with Toni and Joaquin, all three of them sharing a quiet meaningless conversation while undressing their partners with their eyes. Jughead was the first one to get up and disappear inside though, Betty following a few minutes after.
They met up the stairs, on the highest floor, hands linking together as they chose a guest room, locking it behind themselves.
Jughead's arms made it around the girl from the back, one of his hands pushing the hair off her neck, bunching it up over one of her shoulders, leaving the other bare.
"Couldn't help but notice you practically drooling over me the entire night," he whispered, lips latching onto the skin in the crook of her neck.
The girl moaned through the music sounding from downstairs, pressing herself closer to his front.
"Can we do it tonight?" she whispered back in a shaky voice, knees getting weak when he nodded. "Finally," she breathed and was about to turn around in his arms to catch his mouth on hers when his strong fingers gripped onto her hips.
"Be patient," he growled against her skin, sending shivers all through her body and making her abruptly freeze on the spot.
"Jug," she finally exhaled. "I don't know if I can—"
"Shh," he cut her off, his hand coming up to linger on her mouth. "Can you be a good girl and go lie down on the bed for me?"
Betty's stomach caught on fire and she desired to clench her thighs together, but her head bobbed up and down as he gently let go of her. She walked to the bed, almost moaning when she saw him watching, and lay back in the soft fluffy pillows.
The smile Jughead sent him was full of proudness and when he walked over, pushing off his shoes, he leaned down to her mouth, rewarding her with a slow and deep kiss.
After a minute or so, his mouth left hers, and hands parted her thighs, settling himself on his knees between her legs.
"Juggie," Betty moaned when his mouth latched onto her ear nibbling it from the exact place he knew she liked as his hands made their way under her shirt.
"May I?" he whispered, grinning like an idiot when goosebumps appeared both under his mouth and his hands, the girl eagerly nodding. "So good for me, aren't you?" His hands trailed up and down her sides, knowing her nipples got hard and her panties wet when he did that.
He knew what his girl liked.
Betty couldn't help but moan at that, bucking her hips up against his.
"Yet so inpatient," he suddenly murmured, pulling away with a slight chuckle.
The girl squirmed under him and sent him a glare which only made him smirk. "Jughead," she demanded. "Take your pants off."
"Bossy girl," he whispered and leaned down to kiss her while his hands worked on his belt. Yet as that happened, someone pushed down the door handle, trying to open the door by pushing and pulling for a few seconds before a sound of throwing up could be heard.
"Fuck," Betty cursed under her breath, understanding the outer doorway was now full of the vomit of whoever stood there. And suddenly, even though she was still wet and aching for his touch, she wasn't so in the mood anymore.
And from the looks of it, neither was Jughead.
He seemed to be focused on something far away, his eyes staring into the darkness of the room as the smell made its way through the door.
Jughead's mind was full of memories suddenly. The way her parents would scream at one another behind his closed door. The sound of the bottles falling onto the ground like just now outside the window. The voice their mouths used to create when they tried to make up with sex. And the smell of vomit and alcohol his father had brought home with him every day.
And then, it was all over. He jerked off the bed, shutting the buckle as his breathing got shuddery, leaning onto the ground to pull on his old sneakers.
"Jughead?" he heard an angel's voice and looked up to find one sitting on the bed, her emerald eyes noticeable even in the black darkness of the room. "Juggie, are you alright?"
"I—I," he stammered, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. "I gotta go. I'm sorry."
Just like that, he unlocked the door and ran out, jumping right over the puddle of vomit on the ground.
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