Mine (a Riverdale fanfiction)

The Case of the Decapitated Statue

The webcam became Betty's lifeline. She thought about it all day at school; she spent as much of her time on it when she got home as she could. Allowing herself to embrace her darkness gave her power over it.

And it was hers. Her mother didn't control it; Jughead couldn't deny her the chance to do it. On the webcam, Betty could be anything, anyone, she wanted to be.

Holding that secret to her heart, sharing it only with Chic, who understood that darkness, was the best thing that had happened to Betty in a long time.

*****

Jughead sat with Betty in front of Principal Wetherbee, listening to the principal list off all the ways The Blue and Gold's current editorial policy disturbed the peace of Riverdale.

He was hard put not to laugh in Wetherbee's face. There was no peace in Riverdale, and wouldn't be, as long as the Serpents and every one from the South Side were constantly hounded by the law every time something bad happened, constantly pushed aside so that the face of Riverdale could remain conveniently Northsided. Besides, wasn't journalism supposed to disturb the peace? That was what the press was for.

"Most recently, Hiram Lodge's lawyer, a Mr. Sowerberry, has called, saying that his client is considering legal action against The Blue and Gold."

"On what grounds?" Jughead snapped.

"Defamation of character, Mr. Jones. Effective immediately, you are both suspended from the newspaper's staff. You have the day to clean out your personal things."

Jughead was startled—he hadn't expected such decisive action—and angry. Betty took it better than he would have expected, silent and calm.

He followed her to the newspaper offices, wracked with guilt over the way his crusade had affected her life. Apparently they were toxic to one another as coworkers as well as in a relationship. "I'm so sorry, Betty," he told her, standing there helplessly while she began to pack up her things. "I don't care if they harass me at home or school, but you ... You don't deserve this heat."

She looked at him, still not having said a word since Wetherbee's pronouncement, and Jughead thought how beautiful she was, how amazing, how she deserved better than this school, this town, and its least favorite son. "Who's harassing you at home?" Betty asked, which was not at all what he would have thought she'd be most upset by.

"Sheriff Keller. He has no proof, but he suspects one or more of the Serpents, probably me, decapitated the statue of General Pickens."

"And ... did you?"

"Betty. How— Why would I decapitate a bronze statue?"

"Maybe the same reason you wrote that article: to avenge Toni's grandfather."

She looked away as she said it, and Jughead realized with a flash of excitement that she was jealous. He shouldn't find that exciting, but apparently loving Betty Cooper wasn't something you got over.

"You and Toni are ... close," Betty added softly, still not looking at him.

"Sure. We're pals."

"Close pals." Now she did look at him, her blue eyes direct and fearless. "I saw you guys at Pop's, early one morning, in the middle of the Black Hood attacks. You were having breakfast, and you seemed like more than pals. And I know it's not my place to ask, but did anything ever happen between you two?"

It was her place to ask; it was always going to be. So Jughead admitted honestly, "Yeah. The night of the Gauntlet, after you sent Archie to break up with me, Toni stayed over." Anyone who didn't know Betty as well as he did might not have noticed the way she flinched at that, so he told the rest, because he wanted her to know. "She gave me a tattoo ... and we did some stuff, but ... not everything." In Jughead's mind, 'everything' still belonged to Betty, even if that was a dream that was dead.