A Bughead story

Chapter 22

"Alice... would it be okay if I borrow your car?" I ask quietly and she nods. "Jughead I can go with you and we can take my car?" Betty suggested but I shake my head no.

I think this is something I need to do on my own. "Jug, you can't do this alone. Please just let me go." Her tone was begging of me so I say "okay fine!" I accidentally yelled and regret it. She doesn't seem to affected by it but I still apologize. "I'm sorry I just-" I take my beanie off and run my fingers through my hair and Betty comes up to hug me and I hug her back. "Betty you should drive and I'll sit in the back with fp." I tell her and she nods.

We hear Fp come down the stairs and Alice says she should be with jellybean. Moments later fp, Betty and I are walking out to her car. Once we are all seated I say "dad, I tried. I tried to help you but I couldn't and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I had it under my bed. I'm sorry that you won't get to see Jellybean grow up for a while. When you get back we'll all be different but so will you. It will be for the better." I tell him and I see his eyes tearing up. "I know Jellybean had the bottle and you took it from her." He says ignoring everything else I said. I quickly decide to lie for jellybean again. "What? Why would she say that? I got it in Montreal to keep my mind off of you and Betty." I say continuing the lie. Fp raised an eyebrow. Betty keeps quiet and I'm grateful. I need these last few moments with him. "I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing this so jellybean doesn't have to grow up the same way I did. She hates it. She thinks everything is her fault. Of course you wouldn't know this but she does." I say not caring if I'm being rude or not. Betty knows where we are going so I'm not concerned about that. It's a rehab center. I will have to drop off monthly payments and crap but I don't care about that. "I need moms number and I hope you will try to get better as quickly as possible because we a father and a home. Where will I find money to pay for this? A good question but I have no idea." I tell him and he tells me my moms cell number so I'll call her and see what she can do later. "She didn't want to come live with us? The American dream?" I joke through the pain knowing my mom never wanted me. Fp laughs. "No son. She's out in Toledo now. She couldn't stay around after- when you were in jail." Fp brushes it off like it was nothing. I can not believe him. "When I was in jail?! Your fucking kidding me?! You put me in there! My parents threw me away like nothing!" I yell then look out the window and see that we are pulling in now. Betty drops us off at the curb and Fp and I walk in together. Immediately a woman with her hair pinned up and in a yellow flowery dress comes to assist us. She has a name tag on that says 'Janice'. "This is my father, Forsythe Pendleton Jones Jr. He has a serious drinking problem. He doesn't have anything with him but I can drop things off if you need anything..." I proceeded to tell her my number as she writes things down and makes me sign papers. I'm glad he's not fighting this anymore. There was no point in fighting it. He was going to end up here one way or another. "We will keep you in contact. We have everything he needs" she says turning away with my dad. "Wait" my voice betrays me and I cry. Fp turns around and he hugs me forcefully. "Soon. Son I'll see you soon" he promised and I sniffle. I watch him and the woman disappear into the hallway.

Bettys POV

I look up and I see a distressed jughead. His eyes bloodshot and cheeks stained with tears. His eyes and lips are puffy. His lips are quivering. I start the car and he basically throws himself in the car and his jello like body falls on mine. "Jug" I breathe out taking in his sight. I wrap my arms around him tightly and his breathing seems to calm.

I hate seeing him like this so emotional and upset.

"It will be okay jughead I promise" I say shushing him trying to comfort him in his most vulnerable moment. He shakes his head. "I always knew. I just didn't know it'd be today" he sobs into my shoulder. "jughead. It was nothing that you did. He needed help for a long time he just couldn't do it on his own." I said knowing it's true. Jugheads crying seems to stop. "I'm so stupid. I thought that he could actually change but the night of your birthday dinner. When we came home he started his old behavior again. It was so scary" he breaths out. Here jughead is breaking down and he trusts me enough to be here with him. "Your not stupid, you have a big heart and that is one of the things I love most about you. I would have been scared too jug, but now that he's here- he can get the help he needs so you don't have to be scared anymore" I tell him in a soft voice trying to be gentle and make him feel better. "He was so angry. And I don't want to be like him." He says in a shaky voice and surprises me. "You could never be like him" I state and jughead looks up and his puffy blood shot eyes meet mine. "I cannot be the man I should be for you." He says and I know where his mind is going.