Betty rolled her eyes. “He does not.” 

Veronica sighed. “You can solve mysteries an entire police force are stumped on but when it comes to what’s right in front of your face you can be so clueless.”

Betty ran her fingers over the lace neckline of a silk teddy. “If that’s the case, and he’s as into me as much as you claim - why hasn’t he made a move? I’ve known him practically my entire life and waited patiently for something, anything, all through high school and... nothing. I thought maybe college would, I don’t know, change things.”

Veronica stopped to look at her friend. “And even in high school I kept telling you that you would have to make the first move. He’s scared to death of you rejecting him.” 

Betty picked up a thong bikini, contemplating on if she could pull it off, before setting it back. “I have made the first move. I’ve asked him out a dozen times but he never realized it was for something more than being study partners or investigating.”

Veronica grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the dressing rooms. “Because that boy is as clueless as you are.” Betty opened her mouth to protest but her friend cut her off. “You have to be bold. You have to put it all out there so there’s no miscommunication.”

"And I'm assuming your idea of being bold is walking up to him, straddling him, and having my way with him?"

Veronica grinned as she started hanging clothes up in her dressing room. "It wouldn't hurt. Might be a bit awkward for the food court though."

Betty chuckled. "You know it's going to take you forever to try all of those on."

"They're not all for me." Veronica exited her dressing room and threw the remainder of the clothes she was holding over Betty's arm, the bikini she had been glancing at staring at her from the top of the pile. "You really didn't think I was just going to let you try on that one dress, did you?" 

Betty opened her mouth to protest but Veronica was already in her dressing room and closing the door. 

"Oh, and if I'm quiet it's because I'm sending pictures of this lingerie to Archie to torture him."

Betty shook her head, taking a deep breath as she stared at the heavy pile in her arms and made her way to the opposite end of the long room where the larger rooms sat. 

Spinning, she took in how the lilac sundress she had picked out fit, the light cotton material falling mid thigh and elongating her legs. 

“Be bold.” Veronica’s words echoed in her head and had her hand reaching for her phone. Taking a quick picture, she opened up her messenger and scrolled to Jughead’s name. After a deep breath, she closed her eyes and hit send. When he didn’t reply for an agonizing thirty seconds, she quickly started typing. 

I’m so sorry. I meant to send that to Polly for advice. 

Polly? Because J and P were so close together in her contact list. Betty cringed and laid her head against the cool mirror. Smooth, Betty, real smooth. 

She began to undress when her phone alerted to a new message and she held her breath as she opened it. 

That’s okay. I don’t mind. For what my advice is worth, I think it looks great.

She couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face. She began to write back thank you but stopped, glancing at herself in the mirror for a moment. Be bold. Put it all out there.

Well if you really don’t mind… want to give me advice on the rest of the stuff I’m trying on?

His reply was nearly instant. 

Definitely.

Betty chuckled when another text popped up. 

I mean, yeah I can. Archie is taking an abnormally long time in the bathroom so I’m not really doing anything else. 

Betty shook her head, knowing why Archie was probably in the bathroom, and reached for a pair of shorts and a sunflower halter top Veronica had grabbed for her and pulled them on, the shirt exposing a bit more of her stomach than what she was used to. 

She took a quick picture but then deleted it, glancing at herself in the mirror before linking her thumb through a belt hook and pulling the shorts down just the slightest bit on one side, exposing even more skin.  

How about this outfit?

It took a moment for him to reply.

The sunflowers are very you.

Betty snorted, tugging the shirt off but leaving the shorts on. “That’s not the kind of answer I’m looking for Jug,” she whispered to herself before pulling on another top, this one somehow showing even more skin and accentuating her chest. 

She took the picture from an angle this time, making it hard to really see anything else but the revealing top. 

His response took even longer this time, and she hoped it was because she was starting to get to him. 

I like it.

Betty raised an eyebrow and quickly responded. 

Yeah? How much?

His reply had her stomach fluttering.  

A lot. 

Glancing back at the rest of the clothes Veronica had given her, she moved them aside until she found the bikini she had glanced at earlier. After a minute of internal struggle, she peeled off her outfit and slid the green bikini on. 

Biting at her lip, she quickly took a picture and sent it before she could talk herself out of it. 

After a few minutes, a few minutes where she completely regretted sending it, her phone finally dinged with a single word response. 

Wow

His reply boosted her confidence, and she turned so her back was facing the mirror and snapped a picture, only a few thin straps of bikini visible. 

Do you like this, too?

You have no idea how much. 

Oh yeah? Well I have one more thing I think you’ll really like then.

Betty…

Betty paused. Do you not want to see?

You’re killing me.

That wasn’t an answer, Juggie. 

Yes. Show me. 

Betty slipped on the silk and lace teddy that, while having more material than the skimpy bikini she had just been wearing, was far sexier and more intimate. 

Bringing one foot up slightly, the long slits in the sides let the material slide away until one bare hip was exposed as she took the picture. 

What store are you in?

Betty furrowed her eyebrows together as she replied to him, disappointed at his response.

The big two-story boutique at the west end of the mall. Why?

When he didn’t reply, she let a strap fall from her shoulder and took another picture to send but after no reply, and realizing he probably asked because they were on their way, she turned to start getting dressed.

When the door behind her opened though, she barely had time to react before a hand was over her mouth. Her elbow paused from hitting whoever had come in in the stomach when her eyes met a dark pair in the mirror. 

Jughead put a finger to his lips, signalling her to be quiet as he slowly dropped his other hand from her mouth. Still standing behind her, his body pressed hard against her scantily clad one, she watched as his eyes moved over her in the mirror, taking in every inch of her. 

When he was finished, her breath caught in her chest as he lowered his mouth to her ear, his eyes finding hers in the mirror. “That was a really cruel thing to do while I was sitting in the middle of a mall, Betts.” 

Her chest rose and fell rapidly with her breathing, but somehow she found herself moving her body to push harder back against his, his response to her evident against the small of her back. 

It wasn’t as if they were strangers. They had actually had several run-ins and conversations since he moved in. A few - that she would admit - had been staged when she had heard him leaving his apartment and had quickly made her way into the hall to accidentally come face to face with him. 

She wasn’t ashamed of it either. He did have quite the face. 

...and body, she thought with a small smile. Though, despite his stellar eyes, panty-dropping smile, and hair that begged a girl to run her fingers through it, that all, surprisingly, came second to his personality. They had both made themselves late to work from getting lost in conversation on a couple of occasions, just standing there between their apartments and losing track of time. Though much to her dismay, he had never offered to continue their conversations over coffee, or dinner, or in bed after they fucked each other senseless. 

Standing from her bed and squaring her shoulders, she marched to her door and opened it, taking a deep breath before crossing the hall and raising her hand to knock on his door. 

It wasn’t as if she was asking him to strip it right of her, she told herself and her stomach flipped when she heard shuffling from in his apartment. She just needed him to unjam it, maybe tug it down an inch or two so she could reach the zipper when she got back to her apartment. That was it. There was nothing sexual about it. In fact, she was going to wipe any kind of sexual thoughts about him from her brain and save them for another day. Totally doable. Platonic thoughts. Just a friend helping out a friend. 

She kept chanting that thought in her head as the door slowly opened to reveal the man in question, and then the thought quickly disappeared from her mind along with everything else other than how good he looked. 

His eyes met hers, his lips starting to form a curious smile before it froze halfway - his eyes widening as they traveled down her body. Slowly, so treacherously slowly, they moved over every inch of her, locking onto her bare legs for a while before making their way back up.

His eyes were fire when they finally locked with hers and sent her body up in flames. Platonic? How was she supposed to keep her thoughts platonic when he nearly undid her with just a look and all she could think about was how she needed his hands and mouth to follow the path his eyes just took? 

“Hey-” he started, his voice slightly off and causing him to clear his throat again. A hand came up to tug at his unruly hair. “You look - I - wow.”

His words and the way his cheeks tinted after he spoke them pierced through her carnal thoughts and brought a small smile to her lips, her heart beginning to thump for an entirely different reason. 

His fumbled compliment that was finished on a whisper was more sincere than any of the expertly delivered pick up lines she’d heard from men that night and had the fluttering in her stomach intensifying.  

Maybe she didn’t completely regret the dress. 

“Thank you.” She bit at her lip and looked down to her heels before bringing her eyes to meet his again. Well, this was it. “I need your help.” 

Jughead - seeming to still be a bit off balance and she loved the idea that it was her that made him that way - blinked a couple of times before focusing on her. “My help?”

Betty nodded. “I’m having a bit of a clothing malfunction.”

His hand found his hair again, tugging at it nervously as his eyes moved down her body. “You look good to me. I mean the dress. The dress looks good. No malfunctions. Not that you don’t look good in the dress-” he stopped with a curse. 

Her stomach fluttered again. “My zipper is stuck.” 

He swallowed again. “Your zipper?”

“My friend had to help me get into it and I thought I would be able to get out fine on my own but I think I jammed the zipper trying. It’s way too tight to pull over my head, so I was hoping rather than cutting it off or driving across the city to ask for her help, that maybe you could help me unjam it? You’re the only person in this building that I know.” She spun and pointed to the zipper that ran from the bottom of the dress to the top of her back. “Just a little and I’ll be able to get the rest.” 

When she spun back to face him, his eyes had grown darker. “I -”

When his words trailed off and silence fell over them, her cheeks began to heat. “You don’t have to. I’m sorry, I know it’s a weird favor,” she managed a nervous chuckle. “I can just drive across town, it’s no big -”

“Betty.”

Betty’s eyes lifted to his when her name fell from his lips. “Yeah?”

“Turn around.” 

She did as he asked, reaching around to pull her hair to the side slowly as she felt him step up behind her. 

“Is there a trick to it?” his voice was low, barely a whisper, the heat from his body surrounding her, his hot breath tickling her bare shoulder. 

She found herself swallowing now, her blood humming beneath her skin. “No trick.” she breathed. “It just needs a good hard tug probably.”

His breath was heavy as he took one more step and slowly raised his hands. His fingers grazed her skin as he gripped material next to the zipper with one hand and attempted to pull on it with the other.

“It’s jammed pretty good.”

Betty chewed her inner cheek as she felt him attempt to pull it again, harder this time, but still, it didn’t budge. 

“Don’t be afraid to just yank it. If it breaks it can be replaced, no problem.” 

Jughead chuckled behind her and the sound sent goosebumps dancing over her skin. “I’m just afraid if I yank it and it breaks free, the force of the pull is going to unzip more than just a few inches.” 

Betty swallowed. “It’s okay if it does.”

He was quiet for a moment before he spoke. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” 

It only took two hard tugs before she heard it pop and her sleeves fell down her arms instantly as the dress parted. 

“Thank god!” Betty grinned, grabbing the material to hold to her chest before spinning around. “Thank you so much.” 

Jughead instantly stepped back, rubbing his palms against his jeans as he looked everywhere but her. “Glad I could help.”

“I appreciate it,” she told him. “Anytime I can return the favor, just let me know.” 

His eyes found hers then, growing slightly, an eyebrow cocking as his lips tipped upwards. “Did you just offer to help me out of my clothes?”

Betty’s lips parted in shock before a laugh slipped out. “Yes, yes I apparently did.” her cheeks heated. “I just meant anytime you need a favor…” 

“-so are you retracting that specific favor?” 

Betty’s eyes narrowed as she watched his expression change. He was flirting with her. She had thought she’d picked up on it before during their run-ins but this time she was sure. So why hadn’t he made a move? “Not at all.” 

His smile was brilliant. “I’ll keep that in mind then.” His hands dove into his pockets as he took a step back into his apartment. “I guess I will let you get changed.” 

Betty nodded, stepping towards her own door. “Thank you again for helping me.” She moved to close her apartment door but turned and called his name before she could overthink the next words coming out of her mouth. “You know you could have been helping me out of my dress in an entirely different scenario if you would’ve just asked me out already.” 

Jughead’s eyes flew to hers. “Is that so?” he asked, leaning a shoulder against his door jam. 

Betty shrugged. “I mean, if you weren’t doing anything tonight and wanted to come over for some pizza and a movie, there’s also a good chance you might be able to cash in that favor I owe you, too.” 

They stood there for a moment, gazes locked, neither moving or saying a word. For a moment, she wondered if she had read him all wrong - that maybe he wasn’t interested after all - but when his tongue slipped out to run over his lips before they tugged up into a grin - she knew she hadn’t at all. 

They had been at Pop’s the day before, and Betty had been sitting at the counter with Kevin sipping their shakes and going over plans for caroling when Archie and Jughead had walked in. They’d all exchanged quick hellos before the two boys had taken residence in a booth behind them and began to talk.  

She hadn’t been eavesdropping on purpose, but when Archie had rattled off his holiday plans of traveling out of town to celebrate with family before asking Jughead what he was doing, her heart had stopped as she waited for his reply.

“Oh you know,” the dark haired boy had begun and she could hear the nervous jitter of his words. “Mom’s cooking, Dad will be watching football all day, just the usual.”

She had glanced over her shoulder then to find him, and saw the dark circles beneath his eyes. Archie had just nodded and grabbed a menu though, not catching the weariness in his friends' face or the sadness that hunched his shoulders. But she had, just as she had heard the scared lie in his voice. 

Though maybe she wouldn’t have picked up on it either if she hadn’t heard her parents talking about it the night before. How Gladys Jones had left town with her daughter, and how FP Jones had lost it, landing himself in jail and looking at up to five years for the probation violation and chaos he had caused in response. They had discussed what they would report as well what would happen to Jughead since he was only fourteen and too young to be on his own in such a flippant way that it had anger coursing through her even as her heart filled with sadness for the boy that was left alone in the mess. 

That sadness was what had compelled her and why she found herself on a bus to the Southside with a basket on her lap filled with baked goods, turkey, and dishes full of warm Thanksgiving sides. While no one else seemed to care that the boy would be spending the holiday alone and hungry, she did, and she was going to make sure that he would at least be going to bed with a full stomach that night. 

When the bus pulled up to a run down, trash covered stop, she slowly stepped off and switched the heavy basket to her other arm as she made her way towards the trailer park. The cold and the light snow that had begun to fall that morning had everyone inside and for that she was thankful. It would be hard to explain what she had been doing there instead of across town dropping off donations to food bank like she’d told her mother if someone saw her and word got back to Alice.  

It only took a few minutes to find the Jones’ trailer, and after a few deep breaths to draw in courage, she ascended the steps and placed the basket in front of the door and knocked once before quickly jogging away to hide behind the trailer next door and wait. 

She didn’t breathe as she watched the door open, or as the beanie clad boy stepped out, holding a styrofoam cup of noodles in his hand as he stared down at the basket. She watched as he looked around the park warily, trying to find who had just knocked, before turning to set his cup down and squatting to the basket. She hated the way he hesitantly opened it, clearly afraid it may be some kind of joke, but when his eyes widened, his face falling in shock at its contents, she was finally able to drag in the cool air. His eyebrows narrowed as he read the small note she’d left, his lips forming a “who?” as he looked around again before his head bowed, his hands sliding down his face, his expression on the verge of tears as a small smile formed on his lips and he lifted it, carrying it into the trailer. 

Betty smiled, tugging her scarf tighter around her neck as the snow started to fall harder. 

“Happy Thanksgiving, Juggie.” she whispered before heading back to the bus stop, a smile on her face that wasn’t sure to fade anytime soon. 

-

Twelve Years Later.

Jughead stepped into the kitchen and accepted the beer Archie handed to him although he had no intention of drinking it. He had made a promise to himself when he was young and bore witness to his old man attempting to drown himself in a bottle every night that he would never let a drop touch his lips and at twenty-six, he’d kept it and didn’t plan on breaking it anytime soon.  

“How’s the guest room? Anything you need?” Veronica asked from over by the stove, glancing over her shoulder to meet his eye as she stirred a pot of sauce. 

Jughead shook his head. “Everything’s great. Thank you both for letting me crash here until my apartment’s ready.”

Archie took a swig of his own beer before grinning. “No problem at all. We’re family,” he said and Jughead’s heart swelled as his redheaded friend patted him on the back. “Just glad to have you back home. Finally. It’s been too long.” 

Jughead nodded in agreeance as he glanced around the luxurious apartment Archie now shared with his fiance. When the two began discussing plans for their Christmas dinner the following week, he quietly walked over to the balcony doors at the far side of the kitchen and looked out over the lit up town of Riverdale. 

Home.

It had been twelve years since a social worker and two police officers had appeared on his doorstep the week after Thanksgiving to inform him that because they could not find his mother and his father would be residing in an eight by eight foot cell for the next thirty six months, that he would need to come with them. He hadn’t even been given time to say goodbye to anyone before he was shipped four counties over to a group home. Fred Andrews had tracked him down a few days later and subsequently tried to get custody of him, but the courts wouldn’t allow it. Though, a week didn’t go by without Fred making the trek to bring Archie to visit, and the weekly visits turned to weekly letters when he turned eighteen and joined the military. Now eight years later and medically retired, somehow his heart had brought him back to the town that was indeed once his home. 

“There’s still about an hour until dinner’s done but if you guys are hungry now, there’s cookies on the table.”

Jughead didn’t have to be told twice and quickly made his way to the fancy platter filled with cookies but stopped when he glanced down at them, his heart stilling for a moment before it began to pound wildly. 

He reached out, hesitantly taking one in his hand before bringing it to his mouth for a bite and instantly, memories flooded him. 

A cold Thanksgiving with no heat, eating expired noodles alone in his trailer. A knock on the door and a basket with a note, filled with enough food to feed a family of four. Leftovers that provided him lunch and dinner for the following three days where he would have otherwise gone hungry. And cookies that tasted like heaven, that spread warmth and comfort over him with every bite.

“Did you make these?” 

His voice was loud, abrupt, and had the blissfully happy couple turning to him surprised. 

“What?”

He swallowed, clearing his throat before speaking again. “These cookies, did you make them?”

Veronica chuckled, shaking her head. “God no. Cooking, I can do, especially if it’s pasta. Baking is definitely not my forte, Archiekins can tell you horror sto-”

He knew it was rude to cut her off, but at the moment didn’t care. “Where did you get them?” 

Veronica quirked an eyebrow but thankfully looked more amused than angry at his interruption. “The bakery in town.”

Jughead shook his head. A bakery left the basket? He didn’t remember any bakeries from back then. Had it been Pop? “What bakery?”

“It just opened a few years back.” Archie told him, grabbing a cookie for himself. “You remember Betty, right? Betty Cooper? She owns it.” 

His heart stilled then as a blonde ponytail and pretty green eyes flashed in his mind. Remember her? The memory of her shy smiles and kind eyes were the only thing that kept him sane during rough times in the group home and one of his biggest regrets had been not acting on the crush he had on her since he first laid eyes on her in Pop’s. 

His mind began to race. How did he never put it together that it was her who left the basket? He’d witnessed her go out of her way to help those around her at every opportunity, of course bringing him a basket would have been something she would do. Especially if she had heard from her parents about the downfall of his family. The puzzle pieces started to fit together and he barely heard Archie’s questioning voice as he grabbed his jacket and began to head towards the door. 

“Is everything okay, Jug?”

He pulled his worn beanie into his head as he turned, one hand on the door handle as he met Archie and Veronica’s bewildered faces. “I might miss dinner - I’m sorry.”

Veronica chuckled, reaching down to run a hand over her very pregnant stomach. “No problem, there’s always tomorrow,” she said before he was smiling in thanks and walking out. Though not before he heard a laugh followed by “I know you said he loved food but that was quite a dramatic reaction to those cookies.”

A quick search on Google had him nearly sprinting towards the center of town as snow began to fall on his shoulders and it only took a few moments before his eyes landed on the small corner shop with the windows covered in lights and Christmas decor. 

Christmas music quietly played from the speakers near the door as he took a breath and stepped in, the bell on the door dinging as his nostrils were instantly assaulted by the sweet smell of sugar and fresh bread. 

“I’m so sorry but we’re about to close-” a voice that sounded so familiar even though he hadn’t heard it in years washed over him as Betty stepped out from the back, wiping her hands on her apron. 

He couldn’t look away - wouldn’t look away - greedily taking in her appearance and realizing she was more beautiful than he had ever remembered - even with her ponytail askew from a long day of work and a smear of white frosting spread over her cheek. 

“Jughead?”

Her voice sounded so surprised and he watched as her eyes widened, taking him in, looking as if she couldn’t quite believe he was standing there before her. 

He almost didn’t believe it either. 

“Hi, Betty.” His voice was hoarse, and he cleared it gently before continuing. “I was - I’m staying at Archie’s…”

He trailed off, not sure what to say, or how to say it. How could he put into words how thankful he was for what she had done? How could he explain that that act of kindness was a shining light in his memory compared to the bleak darkness that consumed most of his memories of Sunnyside? That the food had filled more than just his stomach, but an empty hole in his heart where he felt as if no one cared? How did he tell her that the cookies, that were so much more than just food, had stayed with him all these years to where he instantly knew the taste of them minutes before at Archie’s?

“How are you?” he found himself asking instead, and he wondered if by the way she rubbed her hands together nervously if her heart was acting as frantic as his was.

“I’m - I’m good.” she responded hesitantly as if still not believing he was standing there in her shop. “How are you? It’s been so long.”

He grinned then, surprising them both. “Honestly, I’ve never been better than I am right now.” 

Her own surprised smile lifted her lips before her teeth caught her bottom one to tug at it nervously. “It’s nice to see you, Jug. And I’m really happy to hear that. I am closing but if there’s anything I can do-”

“Want to go to dinner?”

His question may have surprised him more than it had her, but his stomach flipped when her eyes lit up. 

“Dinner?”

“If you didn’t have plans -” he rattled nervously, sticking his hands deep in his pockets only to pull them back out again. “I thought I would pay you back.”

Betty’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she brought a hand up to tuck a hair behind her ear. “Pay me back for what?”

Jughead stepped forward, shrugging his shoulders, his eyes not leaving hers. “It’s been a while, but I believe I owe you a dinner.”

The realization hit then that he knew and her lips parted slightly as she watched him, her cheeks tinging red as she glanced away, only to find his eyes again a moment later. “Jug… I didn’t - It was just - you don’t have to-”

“I would really love it if you would have dinner with me, Betty Cooper.” 

He wondered if she could hear the beating of his heart in the quiet shop as the seconds felt like minutes before a grin lit her face. 

“Jughead Jones, it would be my pleasure.”

Betty spun to face her brunette friend - who was now laughing uncontrollably. “You two are evil. What do I do? I can’t stop thinking about it - or him.” 

“I say you go up to him and tell him,” Veronica shrugged. “In every detail just like you told us. He’d probably lose it.”

Betty rolled her eyes. “Oh yes, I’ll just walk right up to him and say hey Jughead, how did you do on the exam last week? By the way, did I mention I had a dream about you last night? It was super kinky and the things you were doing to me had me waking up and taking a cold shower before school, but that didn’t help so here I am now, still hot and bothered and wishing you would bend me over my desk just like you did in my dream… oh wait, sorry, we’ve never talked before.” 

A throat clearing behind her had Betty freezing and her eyes darting between Veronica and Kevin who were both staring over her shoulder with shocked expressions. Taking a deep breath - and saying a silent prayer - she slowly turned around and her heart stopped when her eyes were met with a leather jacket she knew all too well. Cursing herself, she hesitantly lifted her eyes to meet the dark blue pair that were looking down at her, swirling with amusement and heat. 

Her heart began to pound as he leaned down, his hands resting on either side of her desk and his face coming within inches of hers. 

She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, shifting ever so slightly to hide the vibrator that sat on the counter behind her from his view. She nodded confidently, trying to play off the fact that she was indeed still pantless in their shared kitchen. 

Jughead stepped forward, pulling his bag from his shoulder and setting it on their table with a thud. “Archie came over last night to borrow some for his flashlight. Took the last that we had in there.” 

Betty glared at the wall to her left where their neighbor lived. Flashlight? Sure. More like a fleshlight probably. She was going to throttle him the next time she saw him.  

“My question though-” Jughead interrupted her maniacal thoughts. “Is what would you need batteries for in such a hurry while you’re half-dressed?

She thought her heart had been racing before, but now it threatened to implode completely. She caught his eye and instantly saw the humor in them and knew that he knew. 

Well, she was already caught with her pants down, why not just come clean? 

Hands on her hips, she let her frustration boil over. “Okay, you got me.” She reached behind her back to the counter and held up the vibrator, waving it in the air like a crazy woman. “It was for my vibrator. My other one died a few weeks ago - probably because I’ve been using it more than a person ever should have to - and this one came in the mail today and I wanted to break it in. But it seems our soulless neighbor took the last of our batteries - which is just my luck - because if I do not get off there is a good chance I may spontaneously combust because I am so damn frustrated.”

She could have sworn his eyes somehow turned impossibly darker from her rant. He was silent for a long moment. Too long. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to just go find someone to hook up with?”

Betty glared then. “Don’t think that I didn’t try. I’ve been out with V almost every other night but no one is doing it for me. Well someone is-” without thinking she waved her hands dramatically at him “But he apparently isn’t interested.”

Realizing what she had just confessed, she quickly pressed her lips together, her cheeks heating as she watched him with wide eyes. 

He just stood there, hot eyes watching her and causing her body to nearly go up in flames from the look alone. Then, when she thought she couldn’t take the silence anymore, he moved, walking to the living room and grabbing their remote. 

She watched as he opened the back, popping out the batteries before tossing the plastic onto their couch. Eyes on her again, he walked back into the kitchen and stopped just mere inches from her, his shallow breath fanning her face as he reached behind her and grabbed her new toy, eyes not leaving hers as he popped open the bottom and slid the batteries in. 

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move - could only stare as her chest heaved, her body wanting to move just the few inches that separated them to press against is much larger one. 

“One-” his voice was low, deep, and had goosebumps dancing down her spine “-there were spare batteries in the remote.” he glanced down long enough to find the on button and a moment later a buzzing filled the kitchen. 

Betty gulped as he set it on the counter beside her, the vibration louder as the toy moved against the marble, and then placed both of his hands on either side of her, caging her in. 

“And two-” his voice was barely a whisper now, his head bent so his lips were right above her own. “I never once said I wasn’t interested.”

Before she could fully register what he had said, his hands were moving in, gripping her bare hips and setting her roughly onto the counter. Then he was ripping a drawer open, utensils clattering, and she barely saw the glint of a knife before he was using it to cut the sides of her panties, ripping them from her body before tossing the blade away and grabbing her knees, spreading them and positioning his body between. 

They stayed like that for just a moment, neither moving, his thumbs drawing small circles on her inner thighs and her body responding to the innocent tease with a ferocity she never experienced. 

“You want me to fuck you?”

She nearly came right then and there. 

All she could do was nod, even though the words in every way possible begged to spill out.

Then, eyes still on her, he grabbed the vibrator and placed it in her hand before stepping back and leaning against the table, crossing his arms as he watched her, sitting there on their kitchen counter in nothing but a shirt and her legs spread wide.

“Then be a good girl and show me what you were going to do before I interrupted you.” 

-

Though they probably wouldn’t care anyway.

She’d learned that long ago after transferring to Riverdale that her mother had quite the reputation with the married fathers of her peers… a reputation that Betty, unfortunately, became associated with automatically. She’d barely spoken to anyone, hadn’t even had the chance to make any friends before the word whore was written across her locker that first week. And it had only gone downhill since.

“One more year,” she whispered to herself, grabbing her leather jacket and making her way to the doors that led to the gymnasium. One more year and she could leave this place and the Southside far behind and never ever look back.

The unmistakable squeak of sneakers on the gym floor had her freezing and quietly moving to peer through the gap between the two large doors she was about to burst through.

A flash of dark hair and a long body appeared for a second before disappearing again, the sound of rubber against wood screeching even louder.

She pushed the door open a bit more, just enough to see better but remain hidden, and then jumped as a voice boomed off of the walls.

“Faster! Goddammit, faster!”

Betty’s eyes moved to the other end of the gym where FP Jones stood, watching his son run back and forth across the floor. Jughead, who was already moving faster than she’d seen anyone move in her life, grit his teeth and pounded his feet harder, sweat dripping from his dark hair as he pushed it out of his face.

“You call this effort?!”

Betty glanced over at FP. She’d never met the man, but she’d seen him around. Of course, she’d heard about him from her mother as well; the Southside boy who thought he was too good for his friends and family, and played the role of a jock Northsider until he’d been given a scholarship to play ball at a state college. He’d made it pro until an injury had him coming back to Riverdale and using his fortune to open a string of businesses instead.

Betty watched as Jughead dropped to his knees, his hands fisting against the floor as he fought to breathe. His lifted his head to look at his father, eyes narrowed as the other man let out a string of insults before he slowly stood back up to meet his approach.

“I hold the fastest time in the state.” His voice was defiant, but she heard the pleading note underneath the stone.

FP laughed, and the sound sent chills down Betty’s spine. “I don’t give a fuck. It’s not good enough.”

Jughead’s head bowed, and while his words were barely a whisper, Betty still heard them. “Nothing is ever good enough for you.”

FP must have heard too because in a second, he was chest to chest with his son, his hand gripping the sides of his face roughly. “What’d you say to me boy?”

Betty’s heart pounded. She’d witnessed her share of violence, experienced it first hand, but to see the golden boy of her school on the receiving end, a boy who acted as if his life was perfect, shook her in a way she never expected. He had so many friends, so many people who adored him, and she wondered if anyone knew about this.

“Nothing.”

Her eyes flew back to Jughead as he glared at his father.

FP let go of his sons face roughly, causing the boy the take a step backward from the force. “It better have been nothing.”

“Yes, sir.” Jughead stood straighter, his hands fisted at his sides, his arm muscles taut, looking ready to fight.

FP chuckled as he looked his son over. “You want to hit me, boy?” He took a step close to him, getting right in his face. Jughead was tall, built, but his father was still bigger. Meaner. “Do it, I dare you.”

Jughead stood still, his gaze unwavering on his fathers, refusing to shy away. Betty knew that look - knew the hatred and pain it held and even though his father had him beat in size, she knew that if Jughead really wanted to, with that emotion, he’d lay him out.

“That’s what I thought.”  FP chuckled, his eyes taunting as he stepped away and reached in his pocket for his phone. “Keep running. I don’t want to see you home until nine.”

“I have homework…” Jughead started but then a hand was flying through the air, the back of it connecting with the side of his face and cutting off what he was about to say.

Betty’s knuckles were white on the handle she held, her breathing coming in ragged gasps as she stared at the boy now laying on the gym floor, his hand on the side of his face. Just earlier in the cafeteria, he had stood out so big among the other students, sporting his letterman jacket and cradling a football as he spoke to his friends and made them all laugh at whatever he’d been saying. He always seemed so much bigger than everyone around him. Now he looked so small - and the image had her stomach dropping.

“I said to keep running,” FP repeated before turning and leaving out the side exit of the gym that led to the parking lot.

Several minutes passed as Betty’s heart finally fell back into its normal rhythm as she watched him, still on the floor, knees up and head hanging between them.

When he still didn’t move after another few moments, she glanced over at the doors that led out of the gym and figured if she was quiet enough, she might be able to make it without him detecting her. She knew she couldn’t wait around any longer - that walking home after the sun set was a risk she couldn’t take. Hugging her jacket and bag close, she slowly opened the door and slipped out, tiptoeing across the shiny floor, but the bottoms of her converse connected the wrong way with her next step and sent a high pitched noise echoing off the walls.

“What the hell?”

Betty’s held in a gasp as her wide eyes connected with an angry dark pair. 

Jughead slowly stood from the floor, his eyes dragging over her before looking over to the locker room doors she had just come from.

“How long have you been here?”

His voice was deeper than she’d ever heard it, moving over her and leaving goosebumps dancing across her skin.

They’d gone to the same school for three years now, shared classes and glances that she sometimes thought she’d only imagined, but this was the first time they’d ever spoken to each other. The star quarterback generally never lowered himself to speak to Southside scum.

“I was just leaving,” Betty told him, turning to the door again but a second later a hand on her arm had her spinning. It wasn’t rough, just firm enough to stop her before it fell back to his side.

“What did you see?” His voice was pained. She could sense the worry underneath and it surprised her. She would have expected anger, but not this.

Betty looked away, across the gym to where his father had been, before meeting his eyes. Eyes that knew she had seen it all. “I won’t say anything.”

Jughead chuckled then, though the sound held no amusement. “Yeah, sure you won’t.” Sarcasm laced his words as he paced away from her, running a hand through his hair. He was quiet another moment, facing away as if deciding what to do before turning to her again, his eyes tracing over her slowly before landing on her own damp hair and narrowing. “Were you showering?”

Betty’s gripped her bag and jacket tighter, her heart pounding so loud she was surprised it wasn’t echoing off the walls. “What does it matter?”

Jughead didn’t move his eyes from her, just continued to search her face, staring at her so intently as if he was trying to read her mind. A look of defeat fell over his face as he closed his eyes and turned away. “Fuck it. I don’t even care if you tell. Maybe he’ll get so mad he’ll mess my hand up and I won’t have to do this shit anymore.”

His words were like a knife and shot straight to her chest. She knew what it was like to be in a situation so bad that you wouldn’t mind something even more awful happening as long as it meant you’d be free.  

She never thought for a second anyone in this perfect school had it as bad as her. Now though, she realized at least one did, and he just played a role and used a facade to hide it. 

“Congrats, Betty. You now have something on me that no one else knows. What are you going to do with it?”

He knew her name, was her first thought, even as her anger built with the rest of his words. “Nothing.”

Jughead looked away, dejected. “Yeah, sure,” 

Betty glared, hating that he was doubting her, hating that he thought she was going to use his abusive father as ammunition against him, hating that he thought she was that kind of person and turned to leave. But even as her hand touched the cool metal of the door, knowing she should just push it and go and not look back - she was stilling, her heart forcing her to turn back around. 

“My mom brings a lot of guys home.” She ignored the way her voice sounded so empty as it echoed off the walls and back to her. “A lot of really bad guys who like to walk in on me in the bathroom on accident.” His eyes flew to hers and she had to look away, emotion clogging her throat as the words she'd never spoken aloud to anyone fell from her lips. “So I shower here because I don’t dare do it there anymore. It’s not safe.”

The large room was silent except their labored breathing and a few moments passed before Betty finally found the strength to lift her eyes from her shoes, meeting the darker pair that were still watching her. She expected to find pity filling their depths but was surprised them swirling with understanding instead.

“There you go, Jughead.” Saying his name felt so odd. “Now you have a secret of mine, too.”

She moved to leave but his ragged voice stopped her. “Betty I…” she turned to watch him as he searched for what to say, looking as lost as she felt. “If you talk to the school counselor, maybe they can help.”

It was her turn to chuckle, the sound bitter. “I could say the same to you.”

Jughead took a deep breath and nodded, sticking his hands in the pockets of his sweats as he watched her.

They both knew neither of them ever would.

With one more look, Betty turned the handle and walked out, making her way down the hall, past the display cases featuring pictures of a smiling quarterback holding up a football. A smile she now knew was fake.

She wondered what Monday morning would bring when they’d make eye contact across the room. She wondered if anything would be different? Probably not, she figured, but even now, as the cold hit her face and she made the long trek back to the Southside, something had changed.