Goodbye, good life | Bughead

18: Down by the river

On Saturday morning Fp took Jughead to the Pops for a breakfast. Jughead was more than pleased to that kind of food and they got a chance to talk about Jb too. Jughead had their notebook with him, so he wrote everything there what he got. It wasn't much, but some places Fp had heard and few names.

They had a good talk with a good food, they were going back to the state where they were last time in Riverdale. "I'm so happy you are here Jug. You have no idea. I maybe not the guy with a words and I apparently misjudged your roadtrip, which I'm sorry. But I'm happy and proud how you are and what you are doing," Fp opened up just when they got back to Elm Street.

Betty talked with her mom on that morning and they decided it really was time to renovate Betty's room for office slash other guestroom. Betty started to pack with the help of huge amount of candy. She played her favourite playlist, cried and laughed for those memories she packed away. They drove to the hardware store to buy some grey paint, and Fp promised to start painting on Sunday after they'd leave.

"You are doing this now? Are you serious Betty?" Jughead walked into Betty's room when he got back from Pops and saw all the boxes. He felt little disappointed and he wasn't sure why. They were Betty's stuff. Maybe there was something he was touched too? He wasn't sure. But somehow, he felt little betrayed he wasn't part of the packing process.

"I couldn't sleep last night and this is hard, especially now when you are here too and it's not easy for me to breathe here. In a room which have so much memories inside of it," she sighed.

"Don't throw the pictures away. You will regret that. All those people, they were and they are your friends. And Betts, I don't wanna end up in trash or in the box," he said and left her again.

Picture of Betty and Archie. They were friends. But she didn't know where he was today. She heard from Veronica who heard from Reggie that he could be still in the army, possibly abroad somewhere. She missed him too. He was a good friend. Her best friend for so many years. They broke that friendship too with that stupid kiss and it hurt her.

In the end she did what Jughead told. She left those pictures around the mirrow, maybe her mother won't mind. She wanted to leave them in Riverdale, not taking with her. Their place were here. Where friendships and relationships were made back then.

Dinner was okay, well, at first. It got easier to be with Alice and Fp for those two kids. They talked about Jughead's and Betty's studies, work and their friends from Riverdale.

Betty was little overwhelmed still - it had been a hard and emotional day for her, and it didn't help when some occasions brought up from their past. They were nice ones, but still. She felt her heart racing, her nails digging into her palms. Betty got up quickly, grabbed her coat and rushed to the back yard mumbling the apologies. "I got her, I go," Jughead followed her after he got his jacket too.

"Betts. You are okay? Tell me," he asked as he sat beside her on the porch. She nodded and wiped one tear which fell on her cheek.

"Let's go to the river. Yeah?" he said gently giving his hand to her to grab on.

First half hour was silent, it was for breathing.

"I guess it is someday and we need to start. Am I right?"Jughead asked.

"It was little too much. My room. And cleaning the stuff. The pictures. Yours. His. We had so many good memories here, Jug. I hate the fact how only tiny fraction of something so stupid ruined everything! I want tho cherish the good ones, I really really want that," she was angry, for herself, but she kept it quite quiet, her voice. Like she was talking to herself.