Learning To Love You

Chapter 8

Extra warning for this chapter! Contains violent descriptions of abuse.

Betty knew if she didn't run now, she wouldn't survive this. So with quick reflexes, she ducked under him and sprinted up the stairs. Her heart raced as she heard his footsteps behind her, rushing into the bathroom. 

"Betty! You can't hide from me!" he screamed, stumbling past the bathroom to her bedroom. She checked if the hallway was clear before bolting back down the stairs, screaming when she tripped at the very bottom. Her body tumbled down the last 6 steps, landing face down on the floor. 

"Fuck" she cursed under her breath, her foot twisting abnormally. Nathan was right behind her, dragging her body up against the wall before kicking her in the stomach and chest. His hands wrapped around her neck, putting pressure on her skin as she choked and tried to push him off. 

"Na- plea..." she coughed out, kicking him in the crotch in a sudden spurt of determination. He groaned in pain, falling back which gave her enough time to limp away. She grabbed her phone and ran to the living room, picking up the shovel from her fireplace before hiding around the corner. 

She could barely breathe, maybe from the fear or the strangulation. It was as if her minutes were counting down faster than ever, her life hanging onto a balance. This was life or death. 

"Betty? I just want to talk" he tried to convince with a softer voice, slowly stepping around the corner before he instantly fell to the floor. The scared blonde stood over him with her grip on the shovel, eyes blurring with tears as her free hand came to cover her mouth. 

She had finally been the one to press pause, but in the midst of it all, she lost complete control. So with little hesitation, the blonde limped up the oak wood stairs with her phone in hand, pressing the one contact that she knew she could rely on.

"Betty?" the masculine voice rang out through the phone, bringing her a small scrap of relief. 

"Jug I need you to come over, I...I did something" she sniffled as she stumbled down the hallway.

"You did something?" his concern grew, the sounds of shuffling in the background echoing through. 

"He..he tried to hurt me so I tried to fight back. I don't know what to do, he's gonna wake up and find me" she sobbed running a hand over her pale face, her whole body shaking. 

Betty knew she wasn't being clear or telling the proper story but somehow Jughead managed to piece together the little pockets of information. All he knew is he needed to get to her as soon as possible. 

"Okay, okay listen to me carefully. I'm gonna call the police but you need to get out of there" he spoke frantically. 

"I c-can't, I fell down the stairs and hurt my foot" she whimpered in pain, sitting down on her bed. She heard his cursing in the background followed by a bunch of crash sounds from where he was trying to get out of the door quickly. 

"Hide somewhere okay? In your closet, just stay in there until I come get you. I'll be there as soon as I can Betts" he assured. 

"Please hurry" she whispered as his motorcycle engine roared through the phone, the call ending almost immediately after. Betty hauled herself up from the bed, slowly making her way over to her closet where she closed herself in and sat amongst her pile of shoes.   

Jughead's mind had never raced so fast and the same could be said about his motorbike. Breaking the speed limit probably wasn't the smartest idea in hindsight but he could only focus on getting to Betty's house as quick as possible.

He sped through the streets of Riverdale, the wind fighting against him as he neared Elm Street. His anger was boiling and worry was bubbling, not one single thing or person would stop him from reaching her. As he pulled up outside her house, the sound of police sirens eased his nerves slightly.

With a harsh stop to the engine, he jumped off of his bike and ran to the door. He yanked it open as police cars pulled up, running straight upstairs to find the at-risk blonde. 

"Betty? Betts, it's me" he called out as he rushed into her room, knocking on the door of her small closet. In seconds it burst open, his eyes clouded by blonde locks as she practically fell into his arms.

"Hey, hey I've got you. The police are here now Betts. You're safe" he hushed, gently moving her legs to wrap around his waist as he picked her up. She clung onto him tightly, sobbing into the crook of his neck. 

"Can you stand?" he asked quietly, only receiving a shake of the head as she pointed to her twisted ankle. Before he could respond a policewoman entered the room, a soft look painted across her face.

"Hi you must be Jughead?" she asked, approaching them. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry I just had to get to her first" he spoke, sitting down with Betty on her bed. 

"Of course, I'd just like to speak to her for a moment. Is it okay if you wait outside? My partner has the boy downstairs secured and away from her and an ambulance is on its way to check out any injuries for...." 

"Betty" he filled in, the woman nodding in response. 

"For Betty" she finished, kneeling down in front of the girl. 

"I'll be right outside Betts" he whispered, wiping her tears gently. She nodded and closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead, sniffling quietly. 

As soon as Jughead left the woman handed Betty a tissue "Take your time lovely, this isn't a formal questioning. My first priority is to make sure you are safe and calm" 

The shaking girl nodded, wiping her nose and eyes with the tissue before scrunching it between her trembling hands.

"Is the man downstairs your boyfriend?" she asked gently. 

"Y-yeah, Nathan is m-my boyfriend" she nodded, tucking her hair back. 

"And why was he unconscious?" she asked, watching as Betty's face dropped and turned quiet. 

"I-I um...I hit him b-because he was going to h-hurt me" she stumbled over her words, wanting Jughead back in the room almost instantly. 

"He was going to hurt you? Or does he hurt you a lot?" she asked moving to sit next to her on the bed. 

"He um, he gets angry" she avoided the question, something she had trained her brain to do. 

"Okay, your mum has been called and is on her way. Should I get your friend to help you downstairs so we can check out that ankle?" she suggested. 

And so with Betty's agreement, Jughead carried her down the stairs (led by the police officer) and to the back of the ambulance where a paramedic began to assess her wounds. 

Jughead stood biting the rough skin of his thumb, concern coursing through his veins as he watched the paramedic put her foot up on a support. 

"We're going to have to take you to the hospital to put your ankle in a cast and boot, you've got a fractured bone" he explained. Jughead squeezed her hand, kissing her cheek as they then checked out all her old and fresh scars. 

"Where is he?" the blonde asked Jughead, looking up at him with wide eyes. 

"He's woken up, so he's going to the station" the paramedic interrupted, Jughead nodding in response. 

"Betty! Oh, baby what did he do to you?" Alice cried as she ran to her daughter, Jughead involuntarily being pushed out of the way as she hugged her daughter. 

He stood back respectively, letting the two hold each other. He'd never seen Alice Cooper cry, but she seemed to let the tears stream whilst embracing Betty. She soon got permission to go in the ambulance with Betty, though Jughead was denied. 

"I'll see you there Betts" he assured, kissing her cheek. He knew Alice was watching them skeptically, but he didn't care for her reaction in that moment. So as the large doors closed, he walked back to his bike and climbed on. 

Nathan was awake now, hands in cuffs as he was pushed into the back of a police car. Jughead watched as he was driven away from the house, letting out a breath of relief once again. He wasn't stupid though, this was far from over.