Betty walked down the halls, watching teenagers scurrying around, hugging their partners, kissing against the lockers. It didn't hurt as much as it had when the school first started. She was jealous and upset, of course, especially when the couples would hold hands while walking past her, but she had gotten used to the strong feeling in her gut.
The girl didn't know if it was masochistic that she always directed her eyes straight to their laced fingers, but she couldn't help herself. She needed to see the affection between other couples if she herself couldn't have it.
With a sigh, Betty reached the Blue and Gold office, entered without looking up from the ground, and shut the door behind herself. She bit her lower lip while exhaustedly dropping her bag onto the ground and let herself fall into the armchair.
Her eyes stayed closed as she pushed off her shoes and pulled her feet up onto the chair, resting her head against her knees, the tears making their way through the closed lids.
"Before you have a breakdown, you should know I'm in here," she heard a voice that made her jump and almost fall off the armchair, eyes growing wide.
"Cheryl," she cursed and with a huff, turned away, the side of her face now against the back of the armchair. "What are you doing here?"
The redhead silently watched her small form for a moment, frowning at the way she tried to be subtle about wiping away her tears. "Betty, do you need to talk to someone?"
With a chuckle, the blonde shook her head unnoticeably. "Since when have you started worrying about me?"
"Look, Betty, I know I was never the nicest to you. I'm sorry for bullying you in middle school, and for ignoring every word you said in elementary." Betty turned to see her face, momentarily shocked by the genuine worry in her eyes. "But ever since your sister got pregnant with my brother, I've been watching you, and..."
"Not creepy at all," Betty breathed, actually making the other girl smile just a little.
"I'm worried about you, cousin. And I'm sorry for not knowing how to talk about it because last time you clearly got triggered..."
"Just don't then," Betty mumbled, resting her forehead against her knees with a sigh.
"But you need to talk to someone."
"I talk to Jughead about it."
"Do you?" she asked, arching her eyebrows.
"Yes." Betty didn't like the way Cheryl narrowed her eyes, clearly not believing her. "If you're here to talk about a therapist or nutritionist, or promising to kill my mom, I've gotten all that from Jughead, Veronica, and Kevin, so don't bother."
The redhead frowned at the statement, momentarily mumbling a, "What about Archie?" before shaking her head and leaving it there for this time. "Anyway... Did you know Jason had bulimia when he was thirteen?"
Betty tilted her head, eyes big while her eyebrows were furrowed. "Did he?" she silently asked.
"Mhm," Cheryl said. "He had his hormones come earlier than other boys, but instead of pimples and a voice break, he started gaining weight. He was only twelve at that time, not even a teenager yet, and my parents thought he was eating too much. So they started cutting his diet. But we both have a big allowance, as you know."
Betty rolled her eyes at the snobby tone, at which the other girl narrowed hers while continuing.
"So, as he dieted every day, on Saturdays when our parents left to go to business meetings with the suppliers, or family members, he went to the store and bought everything he could. And then, he would sit in his room for hours, watching tv, and binge eating."
"Okay," Betty mumbled. "I don't binge eat though."
With a sigh and her hand rising to squeeze the bridge of her nose, Cheryl lowered her head. "That's not the point, Betty."
"What is the point then?"
"He binged and purged. Every week. And that, by the time he was a freshman in high school, left reflexes. He couldn't eat anything anymore, because it kept coming out involuntarily, Betty."
The girl lowered her head, and Cheryl didn't need any words to know that Betty had had that happen to her already as well. They stayed there in silence until in a few minutes, the door opened and both of their heads turned to see who had walked in.
Jughead stopped on the door, revealing the noisy hallway, and looked between the two girls before frowning. "I can come back later?"
"It's okay," Betty immediately said, feeling safer and warmer if he was there.
Cheryl raised her eyebrows at her but didn't say anything and simply watched the boy take a seat behind one of the tables, taking out his personal laptop.
"How did he recover?" the blonde quietly asked, enough to make Jughead raise his head to look at her and Cheryl freeze on the spot.
The redhead's eyes softened as she watched Betty's glassy ones staring up at her in hope. "He went to the doctor."
"A therapist?" she whispered and blinked, letting the tears drop.
"At first just a doctor. He told her the symptoms and they took different tests. It hadn't been going on for too long, so nothing was really wrong with his body that couldn't be cured. So, he got a nutritionist, and started going to therapy."
"Did he get like anti-depressants or something?" Betty asked and sniffled afterward, wiping her face clean.
"No. They just talked."
Betty chuckled miserably and met her eyes again. "I don't think talking will work with me."
Cheryl sighed and lowered her head, feeling a bit uncomfortable that the boy was sitting there and watching them silently. She knew he had to be a good guy to be Toni's best friend and Betty's boyfriend, but they had never really had a conversation and he was a Jones.
"All I'm saying Betty, is that I think it would do good for you. And I know most of this is happening because your mother's a two-faced dragon, so if your parents can't pay for your sessions, I have money."
Betty's eyes widened at the statement and she shook her head slowly. "Thanks, Cheryl. But I don't think money is the problem here."
"Then what is the problem, cousin?"
The blonde sat there silently for a moment, observing the girl's perfectly fit body and shook her head once again. "You wouldn't understand."
"Then help me, for fuck's sakes, Betty!"
She flinched at the tone and turned away, shaking her head with a sigh. Betty returned to her earlier position, with her head against the armchair and eyes closed, knees pulled close to her chest.
"Cheryl, I think you should leave," Betty heard Jughead say as a chair moved, the boy most likely standing up.
"You leave!" the redhead threw back. "You've been known that she's an anorexic for how long? And you didn't do anything about it?"
"Pressuring someone into therapy will only make shit worse, Blossom."
"Then fucking talk to her!"
"She's right here, stop talking like she isn't!" Jughead threw back with an angry voice. "Just leave, please?" He nudged his head toward Betty whose hands were shaking as she tried to reach for her bag without moving.
Cheryl huffed at him and looked over at the girl. "I care about you, Betty." When their eyes met and she didn't answer anything, the redhead understood why al Betty's friends had offered to kill her mother for her.
She wanted to do the same.
"Okay," Cheryl said and threw her chin up as always, straightening her back as if nothing had happened. "Don't be late to cheer practice!"
"I won't," Betty mumbled but the door had already shut.
She slowly looked over to Jughead who was now standing in front of her and stood from her seat, letting the boy sit down first. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her onto his lap, and she managed to drag her feet up as well, enjoying the cuddle they were sharing.
"She's being too blunt and insensitive about this," Jughead murmured a while later.
"She cares," Bettys stated in a sigh. "And she's Cheryl, so of course."
"If I were her, I'd get you off the cheerleading squad so that you could focus on yourself more, but she's doing the exact opposite," he said.
"I know. But again, she's Cheryl."
"Blossom," he added.
Chuckling, Betty nodded and leaned up to touch his lips with hers. After they shared a brief kiss, she sighed, leaning into him. "I missed you today."
"I did too, Betts."
With the homecoming dance coming up in a few days, Veronica invited Betty shopping for dresses and new shoes for the event. Of course, the blonde had agreed, as she had with almost everything that got her out of the house and away from her parents. But now as they were circling through different small boutiques, Veronica insisting on a brand new and unique dress, Betty wasn't sure if she had the money for that.
Veronica found her dress pretty quickly, looking for a silky black material that was shorter than life and definitely left no room for wondering what's under it. Especially when she was sitting.
Betty, though, wanted something that would be cute but would make her feel pretty at the same time. After hours of search, Veronica finally agreed to run through a much more popular store than many teenagers were getting their dresses from.
That's where she saw it. A maroon skater dress that looked elegant yet sweet. She smiled, grabbing a few different sizes, and with Veronica beaming behind the fitting room, tried them on.
Both ended up sagging on her though, only the boobs part fitting, so Betty quietly, head down, asked for Veronica to bring the smallest size that she had left on the hanger, not believing she was fit enough for it.
Her friend did as asked and handed it to Betty with a small smile, taking the other two from her. Inside the fitting room, the girl tugged the dress over her head and closed the small zipper part with a smile already lingering on her lips.
She turned in front of the mirror more than enough times, twirled around a bit, and with a giggle, opened the curtain to show it to Veronica. The girl's mouth fell agape, staring at Betty up and down, before raising a finger as a sign for her to wait.
The brunette quickly scattered away, and Betty looked after her, sighing with a small smile. She saw the jealous looks she got from other girls that were fitting for dresses, all their boyfriends suddenly staring at Betty.
Flushing, the girl stepped back into the fitting space and shut the curtain in a quick dramatic manner. She squeezed shut her eyes to try and forget the situation she had been in just a moment ago and patted down her dress to sit on the small chair in the fitting room.
"Here you go," she suddenly heard as the curtain slid open and revealed a beaming Veronica with two different pairs of heels in her hands.
Betty reluctantly accepted them with raised eyebrows, observing the way too high heels. "Um..."
"Come on. The red ones first," her friend encouraged, and helped them on her feet.
"No," Betty immediately said as she stepped in them.
"Oh B, they look amazing!" Veronica gushed, making her twirl around.
"They're uncomfortable," the blonde whined and kicked them off her feet, making her friend pout. "No," she said once more and handed them back to Veronica who walked away to put them back, sulking as she did so.
"Okay," Betty whispered to herself as she slid her feet into the black strappy heels. Closing the fastenings quickly, she stood onto her feet and let her eyes widen as she stared at herself in the mirror.
This was the first time in days that she had felt pretty.
The dress was flowing around her thighs, the heels only complimenting her legs, and her stomach didn't look as bloated as it usually did. She turned in front of the mirror, observing every aspect of herself, and without another thought, pulled out the hair ties from her tight ponytail.
Her hair dropped around her shoulders, and taking a shaky breath, she smiled at herself in the mirror.
Her thoughts were fixed on her body just like her eyes, which was why she jolted on the spot when she heard a gasp behind herself. Letting her eyes wander off, she met Veronica's in the mirror, her friend's hands clasped together under her chin.
"You look gorgeous, B," she said.
Betty smiled her thanks and nodded a bit. "Yeah, I feel pretty good in these."
"I can't wait till Saturday," Veronica squealed and swiftly closed the curtain as she kept on gushing about the homecoming dance, and Archie.
Betty sighed, taking off her heels, eyes still fixated on her face in the mirror. "Neither can I," she said.
When the girl got home that evening, carrying two paper bags, one with the dress and the other with the shoes, she was stopped by her mom in the living room. "Elizabeth!"
Betty muffled her groan and dragged her feet into the room, stopping in front of her mother. The woman eyed her slightly ripped jeans and loose hair with a frown but decided to keep her mouth shut—something that Betty had succeeded in making her do the last time.
"Where were you?"
"I went shopping with Veronica, remember?" she asked with a sigh, leaning her body weight on one foot. "For the homecoming."
"Have you done your homework?"
"Yep, finished it at school," she said with a nod.
Alice smiled and sat up better on the couch. "Well, let me see your outfit then."
Smiling, Betty nodded and hurried upstairs. She closed the curtains and quickly got changed into the dress and the heels, removing her bra as she had in the store, brushed her hair in a few seconds, and went back downstairs with a smile on her face.
Alice's head turned the moment Betty entered the room, and the girl smiled at her mother, twirling in the dress for a moment, excited to hear something positive for once.
That didn't happen though. The woman stood up with a frown, eyes sliding over Betty's whole body, before facing her daughter whose smile had now faded as well. "What is this?"
"What do you mean?" Betty quietly asked, eyes widened as she waited for her opinion.
"This," Alice said, wagging her finger as it pointed on her dress.
"I... I like it."
With a sigh, the woman shook her head. "Honey," she said in a tone that definitely didn't match the word of affection. "Why are you not wearing a bra?"
Betty cleared her throat that was starting to glue together and swallowed, keeping her head up. "It doesn't need one." She hoped her mom couldn't notice the quiver in her voice.
"Yes, it does. Your boobs are saggy. With a dress like this, they need to be taped up or a bra needs to be under it. Of course, since you chose this kind of cut, you'd need one without straps. But I don't think it would fit under this dress." Her eyes moved to her legs. "And it's way too short."
"Veronica's is just as short," Betty said, eyes starting to water a bit.
"Veronica is shorter than you, too. I won't allow my daughter to go to the school dance looking like a slut."
The girl stopped breathing for a moment, somehow letting the pain go right into her heart and head. A slut.
"And what are those heels? They're too high for you. You're seventeen. And they are way too common, everyone's going to wear them."
Alice kept talking, going on and on about how her arms look in the dress, how she better not eat anything if she wants to fit in it, how she needs to start working out more to get her legs fitter and ending the whole rebuking session with the fact that she won't let her go at all unless she gets a new outfit, for her own money this time.
"Fine," Betty said, silencing her mother, "I won't be going then."
With that, the girl climbed back up the stairs, the whole house silent, and closed the door behind herself as the first tears made their way out of her eyes.
Her head was empty as she carefully removed the dress and shoes, standing in front of the mirror only in her panties, just watching her body. Suddenly, after all the insults and criticisms she had received downstairs, she looked twice as big as she had before, and as the first sob made its way out of her throat, her hands clenched, causing the nails to sink into her palms.
Betty didn't acknowledge the blood in her hands as she hurried to the bathroom and kneeled in front of the toilet. She lifted the lid and the seat up and let her hands enter her mouth, fingers touching the back of her throat just before all her dinner came out.
She had gone eating with Veronica and ordered a salad and crispy chicken wings, of which she had consumed half, and for the first time in many months, she hadn't felt guilty afterward. Now, all of it was ruined.
After emptying her stomach into the toilet, she muffled the sobs by rinsing her mouth with water and cleaning her hands. Betty didn't bother putting on bandages as Jughead always did, but simply washed her cuts with soap, hissing while doing so, and dried them off gently.
Her knuckles were red and calloused from all the scraping they received day after day from her teeth.
Betty walked back into her room and to her closet. From the very back, she pulled out one of the only hoodies of Jughead's that she had fallen asleep in once and he had let her keep. She tugged it over her head, pulled up the sleeves, and climbed straight into bed.
The girl sunk into her pillows, letting out her sobs, and just lay there, pitying herself.
She hated her life. She hated her mom. And she just wanted to get away and never look back.
The thought of calling Jughead to come through her window and hold her left her mind as quickly as it came. She didn't want him to worry. And she didn't want to face the questions after.
So, instead, Betty just cried on her bed until her mind got blank and eyelids heavy.
The next day at school, she and Jughead met up at lunch. It was chilly outside, and only a few students chose to go out in this weather, so they had agreed on meeting behind the west wing of the school where kids usually only went to when they had to run in gym class or wanted to eat lunch in private.
Betty was already there, squirming in the cold, when Jughead reached the spot, frowning at her lack of clothing. "You okay?" he asked, immediately shrugging off his Serpent jacket and wrapping it around her.
"Thank you," she quietly said and pecked his lips while sliding her arms into it and hugging it close to her body.
"Your mom let you go out without a jacket?" Jughead asked as he fixed the beanie on his head.
"Let's not talk about my mom, please," Betty said. "And no, I had a jacket but it's in my locker."
"Well, why didn't go and get it, baby? It's cold."
With a slight chuckle, the girl wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging the new hoodie she had made him buy while Jughead's arms slipped under the jacket he had given her, holding her close.
"I told Veronica I wouldn't be going to the dance, and she wouldn't stop questioning me, so I just made a run for it and told her I'd be in the Blue and Gold."
Jughead leaned away from the hug, now sliding his hands onto her waist over her sweater. "What do you mean you're not going?" he asked, frowning. "Betts, you were so excited to go with Kevin."
"Yeah, but..."
"But?" Jughead encouraged when she trailed off and rested her forehead against his shoulder with a sigh.
"I got the dress and shoes yesterday. And I really loved them."
"Okay..." Jughead slowly said, urging her to continue after a few moments of silence.
"Then my mom asked me to see them, and I put them on and I was so excited, but then she started criticizing them and me, and... I just... I'm not in the mood to buy a new dress, especially for my own money, but she won't let me go with this one, and..." She let out a shaky breath when he pulled her into a hug again.
Betty leaned into his body, holding him tightly against herself as she blinked back her tears. "I love you," she whispered soon after, and Jughead sighed, pulling away a bit.
"I love you too," he whispered and gave her a soft slow kiss on her mouth.
"So, yeah," the girl murmured after it. "I won't be going."
He kissed her forehead. "Is your mom going to the dance? I mean it's a homecoming, right?"
"Yeah, she's going," Betty mumbled. "With my dad."
"So, in that case, they won't see if you're leaving the house or not."
"No, but they'd see me there and my mom would make a scene and I don't need more attention on me, especially since many Serpents are also going."
"Well," Jughead quietly said. "Why don't you put on the dress and the shoes, and I'll pick you up."
The blonde smiled, biting her lower lip excitedly. "Yeah?" She leaned closer, flirting with her boyfriend a bit. "You know it's not that fun to wear the dress just to take it off."
Jughead chuckled, pressing his lips against hers a couple of times before shaking his head. "Of course it's gonna be fun," he whispered, slowly backing her up against the wall.
"I really like this dress you know," Betty whispered the same way, her nose nudging his as her eyes fell shut.
"Then we're gonna have to be extra careful, don't you think?" His breath hit her mouth and the girl let her lips part a little, feeling the heat of his gaze on them. "And extra slow," he slowly whispered.
Betty's hands slid into his hair under the hat the moment their lips met. They moved against each other, Jughead's leg moving to push hers apart, his knee rising against the wall to press on her most sensitive spot.
Betty's moan rang in his ears as it buzzed in his mouth, and the girl stood up on her toes right as his hands moved to her ass. She jumped the way she had so many times before, and he caught her like a pro, pressing her back against the wall with more pressure, holding her up against it with one of his arms.
"You're so hot in my jacket, you know that?" Jughead whispered in between their kisses as Betty's hands made sure his beanie would fall onto the ground, tugging on his hair.
"No," she cheekily said after another kiss, feeling him smile against her lips right afterward. "You wanna show me sometime?"
He hummed, sounding approving, and made a small note in his head to make her wear it the next time he had her in bed. And then take his time with her and make it worth the wait.
He was pulled out of the thought when his girl bit his lower lip harsher than usual. "Pay attention," she whined when he hummed through the kiss.
Jughead pulled away with a smirk, looking the small teasing pout on her face. "Sorry, baby, I was thinking about you in my bed, in this jacket, and nothing else."
"I'll make that happen," she promised and confidently tugged him back into another heated kiss.
But, as always, they were interrupted. This time by someone that was yet to know about their little secret.
The boy's mouth fell open as he watched them, while the one next to him gazed at his boyfriend before clearing his throat.
Betty and Jughead pulled their lips apart, heads turning to see who had found out about them, both of their brains outing every single curse word they knew. (His selection was bigger than hers.)
"Kev," the girl calmly said, so that her friend wouldn't run off and screech about the 'new couple' to everyone he knew. Jughead gently placed her feet onto the ground, and picked up his beanie, quickly pulling it on.
The two couples spent a few minutes in silence until Kevin's jaw remembered how to move shut, and Betty had gotten over the fact that her friend now knew.
"You owe me, remember?" she asked.
"For what?" Kevin suddenly spoke up.
"For getting you Joaquin's number..."
"So that's how you got it," his boyfriend murmured while watching a smirking Jughead. "And what are you laughing at?"
"You came here to make out during lunch?" Jughead asked his friend with a smirk. "How basic."
"Didn't you do the same?" he hit back the same way.
"We're as basic as it gets," Jughead chuckled, looking over at Betty with a teasing glint in his eyes, and earning a smack against his arm. "Ow."
"You and a Jones?" Kevin asked, ignoring every other word that was shared as he watched Betty intently, eyes still wide. "Betty Cooper, I am shocked."
With a bashful smile, the girl shrugged. "I'll tell you later if you promise not to tell anyone."
"Wait," Kevin mumbled. "Doesn't anyone know?"
"Cheryl does," she said, and as he was about to protest at that, Betty quickly continued. "As does Josie. But I haven't told anyone. We were caught. Like now. And as much as I'd love for this conversation to continue, lunch is ending soon, so you two better find another place, we've only got a few minutes left."
"Fifteen," Joaquin bluntly stated, smirking at the girl.
"Exactly. Don't waste our time."
"Wow," Kevin whisper yelled. "You knew about this?"
"They wouldn't let me tell you." With his eyes sifting to Betty and then back at Kevin, Joaquin smirked. "Apparently you've got a big mouth."
Kevin's jaw dropped again, this time mock offended. "What? Me?"
With a giggle, Betty waved him off. "You owe me Kev. So you better keep your mouth shut. Now, go."
She didn't spare another look at him and the two boys slowly made their way out of there, but right before disappearing around the corner, they turned to look back at the two. "Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones?" Kevin whispered again, still in shock.
"Babe, let's talk about it later," Joaquin chuckled, tugging him away to give the other couple some private time as they were already back to making out. "She's right you know, we've only got about thirteen minutes left. Plus, it's not much of our business anyway."
Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, for now, Kevin's hands found his boyfriend's face, and as they cupped it, their lips met in a hot kiss.
"Okay, dude," Jughead said as he sat down in Toni and Joaquin's table during his shift in the bar. "So, I'm surprising Betty," he said in a hushed tone. "Her mother's a bitch and isn't letting her go to the dance, so I'm making a small place for us in my trailer."
"Oh wow, Jones. A romantic too now?" Toni smirked. "That girl has changed you."
"Wasn't talking to you," Jughead teased back, ignoring the comment. "So, she was supposed to go with Kevin. Her alibi for the night is that she's gonna spend it with Kevin, so why don't you tell your boyfriend you're taking him out or something, and then you come and spend it with us."
"So... Is that like a call for a foursome, or..."
"Oh my god," Toni giggled while Jughead groaned, seeing the sincerity in his friend's eyes. "Can Cheryl and I come, too? We can make it an orgy," the girl teased and laughed loudly right after, finding herself funny.
"Shut up," Joaquin frowned at both of his friends laughing at him.
"I'm making a small dance of our own," Jughead just said. "And I heard Kevin wasn't happy with going alone to the dance, so why don't you take him 'out', and bring him?"
"Seriously guys, though. Can Cheryl and I come?" Toni asked again.
"Wait, really?" Joaquin asked, getting excited. "That'd be so cool, we'd just get to hang out and talk and nobody would have to hold themselves back from kissing like we usually do."
"Yeah," Toni smiled.
Both of their heads turned to look at Jughead who was frowning at the idea, and the girl's face fell, offended. "Seriously?" she asked.
"Betty's kind of trying to keep away from her right now..."
"She just wants to help, Jughead," Toni sighed. "Besides, your Sunflower is like a super kind and caring person, so I'm sure she'd be happy to see Cheryl happy."
"Come on, Jug," Joaquin encouraged. "We can play truth and dare and all shit like that, and just have fun."
The boy sat there silently for a moment until he got called over to fill someone's shots. With a sigh, he pushed himself up from the table. "Fine. But both of you wear something nice and tell your dates to do the same."
"What?" Joaquin whined as Jughead walked away, but Toni just smiled, nodding confidently. She would have gone to the dance with some other Serpents and had a dress already anyway.
On Saturday, Jughead drove up to Betty's house in his dad's truck. The neighbors were all at the dance, the street quiet and empty, so the boy got out of the car and walked up to the door without having to worry about anyone seeing him. He rang the bell to her house, and the door flung open a few seconds later, revealing a blonde beauty.
The boy's mouth fell open quite literally, eyes roaming over her long legs, tiny waist, and breasts that for sure didn't have a bra to cover them, before finding her hair down, eyes fixed on him, and lower lip caught in between the two white rows of perfect teeth.
"Wow," was all that Jughead was able to exhale before taking a step closer and pressing her against the door frame, his hands holding her face as his lips found hers.
When they pulled away, the girl giggled a bit, running her hands over his stomach and chest, smiling at the dark blue button-up shirt he was wearing.
"You are gorgeous," Jughead whispered, kissing her lips once again, unable to hold himself back.
"Not too bad yourself," Betty said and took a step away to observe his black jeans with the tucked-in shirt. Her breath got caught as she observed his suspenders and hand unconsciously reached out for them, toying with them right above his shoulders.
With a smirk, the boy stepped closer and kissed her neck, causing the girl's hand to fall. "Be a good girl and you might get a better feel of them tonight," he whispered.
The girl's eyes went wide as her cheeks flushed, and Jughead smirked as he leaned away. He had noticed many times the way she would toy around with his suspenders while kissing him, especially if he wore them the right way and not just hanging around his hips.
"Uh..." she only said, losing the trail of her thought, but Jughead already grabbed the coat she had set ready for herself earlier.
"Come on," he chuckled and helped it on, the girl obeying and smiling when he kissed her temple. "I love you," he quietly said, making her grin.
"I love you too," she affectionately said and locked the door, taking his hand into hers as they walked toward his truck.
The buzzing feeling in her abdomen only grew when he opened the passenger door for her.
"Jughead," Betty giggled once they stepped into his trailer. Her mouth was ajar, looking around at the room before her. The couch had been pushed into the kitchen and the bookshelf covered with a black bedsheet to make it seem like it wasn't there. She stared at the Christmas lights everywhere, the candles on the only table in the corner, and all the food and drinks on it.
"Juggie," she said again when she felt his arms snake around her waist from the back. "You didn't have to do all that for me..."
The balloons in the ceiling and on the ground caught her attention as Jughead's lips grazed her warm neck. "You wanted to go to the dance with me, and I couldn't give you that, so... I know this kind of sucks, but it was the best I could do."
With a smile, the girl turned around in his arms. "This is perfect, Jug. Thank you."
The sincerity in her voice made his heart beat faster as he nodded, giving her a kiss. "You know, you're almost as tall as I am with these heels," he said.
Betty giggled and nodded, tilting her head to kiss him again. Her hands moved up his back, holding onto the suspenders on his back. "I love you," she said into the kiss.
"I know," he answered and shut up her laugh with another kiss before pulling away as they heard a motorcycle pulling up outside. "I love you too."
Betty smiled and looked around the room once again while Jughead went to connect his phone to the speaker and put on some music. She placed her small bag next to her coat in the mini hallway, only pulling out the polaroid camera she had brought with her.
"Jug?" she asked and when the boy turned around to face her questioningly, Betty quickly took a photo of him. Jughead poked his tongue out from between his lips when the little photo printed out and the girl giggled. "Thank you."
"Betts, you even took one of those after we had sex for the first time—how many do you need?"
The girl flushed at the mention of the photo she has in her drawer of the two of them together, half asleep, and shrugged. "I take photos of my memories. I just wanna capture all of it."
The boy sighed in mock annoyance but smiled a bit as he turned back around to choose the playlist he had made a day ago during the football game that he had only gone to because Betty was cheering during the breaks.
The trailer door opened in a few seconds, and two boys entered, one very confused while the other smirked, gazing at Betty who looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Hello," Joaquin said.
"Um... Hi?" Betty asked, catching all of the boys' attention.
"Betty, wow," Kevin suddenly said, eyes wide as he stared at the girl. "You look immaculate."
With a smile, the girl nodded her thanks and turned to Jughead who was now standing next to her. "You invited them?" she asked.
"Yep. And..."
"And?"
"Toni and Cheryl are coming too."
Her face fell a little but she nodded. "Okay."
"If you want to, I can tell them not to..."
"No," Betty chuckled, "It's fine." She leaned closer to him and murmured a, "As long as she doesn't bring any alcohol."
"She won't," he quietly promised. "Toni knows."
"Okay," she nodded with a small smile and pecked his cheek.
"Truth or dare?"
Joaquin smirked at Toni. "Dare."
"Put an ice cube in your pants and let it melt," the girl said without missing a beat, and for a moment everyone got quiet before laughing loudly.
"Do it," Jughead laughed at his friend's annoyed face.
"Or take off your shirt, either works for me," Kevin added.
They had made up new, original rules for this game, and everyone had agreed to remove a piece of clothing or an accessory if you don't want to do the dare or answer the truth. So far, in the circle between them lay all the girls' heels, Betty's earrings, Jughead's shoes and socks, Kevin's shirt, and Joaquin's belt.
The boy pulled off his socks without even thinking about completing the dare, and everyone giggled in joy. "You know, next time you're gonna have to take your shirt off," Betty teased.
"I've got a better body than Jughead does," Joaquin said.
"I doubt that," Kevin spoke up, making everyone laugh as Joaquin chuckled and kissed his cheek. "I mean, Jughead's hot." He turned to look at the blonde next to him. "B, good choice."
"Thanks," she giggled. "Okay, Joaquin. Your turn."
"Betty," he said, staring right back at her. "Truth or dare?"
The girl groaned at the fact that it was her turn, knowing she only had each stocking to remove before having to take off her dress or panties, and neither of those options seemed good.
"Truth," she said, hoping that was easier to complete.
"What happened with you and Andrews?" Joaquin asked after a brief moment of hesitation.
Betty sighed, giving him a stern look, "You know it's unfair that you guys can remove literally anything, and we're basically just in dresses."
"I'm gonna remove my bra next, cousin. You can too." Cheryl winked at Betty, knowing fairly well the girl wasn't wearing any.
"Shut up," the blonde chuckled and looked back at Joaquin. "Um..." She wondered if there were any hard questions or dares coming up for her in the future, which would leave her having to take off her dress. She didn't want to tell them about Archie and her fight, but she also couldn't not tell them.
So, she did.
"So, we've been friends since we were four. He's special for me and I really care about him, but there are just some things that I can't put aside..."
"Like what?" Cheryl asked, smirking. She loved gossip, and even though they had promised not to tell anything that had happened that night to anyone outside this trailer, she wanted to know all the dirt she could get. She swore it made her live longer.
"Well, first of all, he hates the Southsiders. His dad doesn't, so I don't know where it comes from, but he's just so sure that you guys haven't worked enough to get a better living situation. He keeps saying that privileges don't exist, and when we found out that the Southside high was closed, he got super angry, and we kind of had a fight in the car, and then a few days later it was even worse..."
"Okay, he's a dick, but that can't be all," Toni said.
Betty sighed, gazing at Jughead for a moment whose jaw was already clenched. "Betty had a crush on Archie when she was younger, and he rejected her. Now, he's with Veronica and he keeps flirting with Betty," the boy explained for her.
The blonde nodded as everyone grew silent. "It's making me uncomfortable, so I'm just trying to ignore him as much as possible."
"Someone said his dad is like your dad. You ignore him too?" Joaquin asked.
"No," the girl said with a small smile. "Fred's great. He really cares about me."
"What happened to your parents? Like why does everyone keep saying your mom's a bitch to you?" Toni asked.
"Not my turn," Betty immediately answered. "Cher, truth, or dare?"
"Dare," the girl said and sat up better while smirking.
"Take off your bra," she said, making everyone's eyes widen before bursting out in laughter.
"So now my choices are either to take off a bra or take off a bra?" Cheryl huffed.
"Yep!"
The girl did it, everyone cheering on to her, and then as she sat back down, dropping her bra into the circle, she looked at Toni. "Truth or dare, babe?"
Betty smiled as she focused herself out of the conversation and grabbed her polaroid camera. She took a picture of everyone laughing, and after that turned to face Jughead. He was already looking at her, and while grinning, he poked his tongue out of his mouth, closing his eyes.
Betty giggled and took the photo, smiling when the polaroid printed itself out. She grabbed it, placing her camera back onto the floor, and shook the photograph around for the picture to come earlier.
Jughead's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into his side, and the girl smiled up at him right before his lips met hers. Maybe because they had never knowingly kissed in front of anyone else, he got a boost of confidence from it while she seemed to get a bit shy.
"Jones, stop. Your turn," Toni soon said, stealing the beanie that had rested on his head for the entire night.
Jughead pulled away immediately and glared at her while his hand stroked Betty's hair lovingly, the girl still under his arm and against his side. "Give me my beanie."
"It's not polite to wear hats inside," Cheryl grinned at him, supporting her girlfriend.
Jughead made a face at both of them. "You're both a pain in the ass."
"Yours? Or Betty's?" Cheryl teased, which made the blonde blush, and everyone laugh, including Jughead.
"Mine," he said.
Even though the word had been meant for clarification, after his turn ended, he leaned close to Betty's ear and nuzzled the hair above it with his nose. "Mine," he repeated in a whisper, sending shivers of anticipation down the girl's gut.
The suspenders went to good use that night.
☆☆☆
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