Give You The Moon

If You Find Me, Will You Know Me?

The bus jerked as it slowed to a stop. Newport, North Carolina a sign read on the outside of the bus station. Betty exhaled deeply and clambered down the flimsy steps, smoothing her hands over her thighs as she stepped onto the sidewalk. It was her fourth bus since the one from home. Well, from Riverdale. This was home now.

Her hand instinctively reached for her phone that typically sat in her back pocket, until she remembered she had left it in New Jersey. It was now somewhere in the trash, probably compacted and crushed. She didn't really need it anyway, and her family would only continue to call and call and call until she lost her mind.

A few mornings ago she had made a fleeting decision—she needed to leave. She had been in Riverdale her whole life. Never once had she left except for a few trips to the city. She was grateful for what she had, but she needed to leave.

So she bought the first bus ticket that she decided was far enough away. She had no idea what was in Newport, North Carolina. She didn't even know it existed until now. But it was enough for her.

The wind blew, hot and muggy, bringing the light scent of salt water with it. Betty walked down the street towards a gas station with a sign that read DELI in big, red, flashing letters. The AC was blaring and the cold compared to the heat made her skin buzz.

She purchased a sub and water, leaving the place and almost wishing she hadn't. Once outside, she had to force herself to adjust back to the blistering sun. Just from being inside for a few moments, it knocked the breath out of her. She managed to find a park and sat down under a tree there, sunbathing as she ate.

Twenty minutes passed, then fourty, and soon it was an hour. She had fallen asleep, though she couldn't remember doing so, and was woken up by a dog nuzzling her. She opened one eye to squint and see what it was before sitting up and smiling.

"Fuck. I'm so sorry," a man said, clipping a leash on the dog. "He doesn't normally get that far away from me. God, I am so sorry."

"No, it's all good," she assured kindly, scratching behind the dog's ears. "It's probably a good thing he got loose. If he hadn't woken me up, who knows who would have."

"I guess you're right," the guy chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. He had dark hair, wavy, of course, and he was tan and muscular, but not in an obnoxious or disgusting way. He seemed tall, but that very well could be because she was sitting and he was standing, hovering over her. "I'm Jughead."

"Oh. Betty," she grinned, shaking his hand. They were rough and calloused against hers, his ring cool against her fingers which lingered in his palm for a second.

"Are you from here?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

Her face warmed in his presence. She wasn't sure what she looked or smelled like and the thought plagued her. "No, I'm from New Jersey. Riverdale specifically. I just got here today, I'm moving."

"Oh, well, welcome," he said with a smirk. "Not much to do here, honestly. You know, you don't seem like you would be from New Jersey."

"No accent," she pointed out, and he nodded. "I taught myself how to get rid of it. My parents on the other hand... I've always found it annoying."

"Hope you don't feel that way about southern accents," he winced, and it was the first time she registered that his voice had a subtle tinge to it. "It's not the same as some peoples, but it's there."

"No, no. I find it charming," she teased, chuckling.

"You didn't come out this way for school, did you?" he questioned, pulling out cigarettes from his pocket when his dog laid down in the grass.