Blackmailed by Betty (Jughead Jones III)

A Touch of Evil Part 1

It was so early in the morning that when Alex heard the window closing she nearly grabbed her emergency baseball bat from under her pillow. Usually in scary movies this is the part where the unsuspecting girl gets kidnapped or beat up. Sadly, this was real life and Alex Andrews had kicked her older brother Archie in the chest. "What the hell are you doing in here? And what the hell were you doing out there?" She whisper yelled at him as he rubbed his chest and groaned.

"Would you be quiet! Don't worry about it and go to sleep."

"Don't worry? Oh what a thing to say to your sister who thought she was about to be murdered!" Alex stood up and locked the window before looking back at the idiot she had to call her sibling. "What if while you were out someone broke in because you left my window unlocked and you came back to all of us dead?"

"You're alive stop overreacting Al! I just went out to get some air!"

"You know Arch, that same air can be found by going out the front door or maybe out your own window." Alex said sarcastically throwing her hands around.

"My window is too close to Dad's room!" Archie finally spat before all the color drained from his face realizing that he had just admitted to sneaking out. "Listen Alex, I can't tell you where I went or why I went out but I need you to keep this between us."

"You expect me to keep quiet about this whole thing with literally no explanation? Someone give Archie an award because that is actually the most insane thing I've ever heard. And my best friend got accused of some pretty harsh crimes in his time." Alex said walking over to the door and pulling it open. "Until you have some sort of explanation for this whole thing leave me the hell out of it. Use your own window, don't talk to me, just do what you want since that's what you will anyway."

He walked out with his head hanging low looking back wanting so badly to tell his sister everything and get it off his chest, but he couldn't.

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"I can't believe he would use your window." Veronica said with a laugh as the two girls walked together towards the school. "So what are you gonna do then?"

"I'm gonna let his guilt build up so much he's gonna explode and the whole thing will fall right back on him. If my dad finds out I knew anything about this I'll be grounded for aiding the crime." Alex said as she kicked some gravel underneath her heeled boots. "Why am I dressed like this again?"

"You made a first impression at the semi formal, but now that you have their attention you need to keep it. At least the dress is a dark plaid and not bright pink like I wanted." She said adjusting the box in her hands.

"What's in that box anyway?" Alex asked gesturing to the little white cardboard box.

"Its cupcakes. I figured if the two of us work together at making amends with Betty it'll happen faster. Cupcakes, flowers, pedicures."

"Wait, what happened with you two? I left you guys alone at Cheryl's party and of course something happened! I knew I should've found a way in!" Alex said stopping in front of Veronica.

"Well Cheryl had us playing spin the bottle and your brother was in the group and one thing led to another..." She trailed off looking anywhere but the Andrews sister in front of her.

"You kissed my brother? Gross!" Alex knew people found her brother attractive but knowing that one of her friends did took it to a new level of disgust for her.

"Just because he's your brother doesn't mean he isn't attractive, but nothing is going to happen between us because between you and Betty that would be World War three." As the two entered the office they approached a confused Betty and Kevin. "Yellow for friendship. I also had magnolia cupcakes flown in from New York. Because as my Mom likes to say 'there's no wrong the right cupcake can't fix'." As Ronnie explained herself to Betty, Alex and Kevin were mouthing various questions to each other about what had happened. Kevin didn't seem to convinced this was a good idea and neither did Alex.

When the two realized Betty and Veronica were done they stayed with their designated frenemy and moved on. "So I guess I have to sit with you at lunch today? I was gonna find Jughead since we haven't spoken since the assembly but I guess he can wait a while longer."

"What is going on between you two? It seems the only people in this school he can stand have the last name Andrews." Veronica said with a knowing smile.

"Nothing. So far from something I don't know how I call him my best friend."

"So you want it to be something then?" Veronica looked sympathetic towards her newly blossomed friend.

"More than anything."