Plan 'Bet Together' - A Riverdale Fanfiction

That Thing Called Love

A week had passed since Jughead had gone on a date and moved in with Archie, and less time had passed since he had fallen from a window like a klutzy prince and mended his friends heart whilst having his own physical wounds tended to. He was sitting at his favourite booth in Pop's once again, the place where it all started.

His beloved computer was upon the table in front of him as he typed on it, telling the story of what had happened, adding another chapter to his novel. The sound of clicking keys was soothing, like the sound of rain as it hits the roof. Jughead was skilled and unwavering as he typed, the rhythm steady as his words filled the page.

Love. An emotion we all feel, in many ways. A child's love towards their parent, and that's child's love for their siblings, their friends, their significant other. It's love that causes people to fight in wars, to scream out to the world for acceptance, and to take a bullet for another.
It's strange how it is such a persistent part of our lives, seeing as it is merely the chemical reactions of dopamine, serotonin, vasopressin and norepinephrine. But like all chemical reactions, too much or too little of a certain substance can lead to catastrophe.

It is also a blinding thing, love. It's what led Jason to run away on the 4th of July, and straight into the arms of death. It's what led Archie to hide his secret about him and Ms. Grundy, and spiral into guilt. It's what led Betty to fall for the boy who couldn't do so himself. So, the question remains, is love a good thing? Love is only one side of a troublesome coin that is always on the verge of being flipped by a single moment. In this story, that single moment was Jason Blossom's death.

The coin flipped the moment Cheryl was found on the shore of Sweetwater River. The people of Riverdale had lost their love for each other after that, letting distrust to twist it into hate. The bullet in the red headed boy's head was shot, but for what reason. For if hate is just love gone wrong, did the killer feel anything when that shot was fatal? Or nothing at all?

Love is not meant to be a callous thing, but it is controlling and stubborn. To question its morality is to question human nature. But this story is all about human nature, and about what would lead someone to kill Jason Blossom. Therefore, we must question it, and see if the answers yield anything. So, what is worse? Too much love or too little?

Was it an overabundance of love, or a lack of it, that sent Jason to his watery grave?

Jughead paused in his typing when he heard footsteps. He smiled before looking up, knowing it to be Betty from the delicate sound of her tread. She sat across from him and gave a little wave.
"Is it okay if we join you?"

Jughead quirked an eyebrow.
"Since when did you use the royal we?"

"Don't be silly. The others are coming. I texted them to meet here."

"What for?"

"You know Jughead, no everything happens for a reason. Sometimes the world just, I don't know, decides that maybe something can happen because it just can, and not because it should."

Jughead smiled proudly.
"Betty, you have the makings of a writer in you."

"One day, maybe. For now, you can write all about it."

"Of course. It'd be a sin not to write about you Betty. A character like you needs their tale told."

"If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were flirting with me."

Jughead gave her an amused look.
"Betts, you forget that I may not love you like that, but I do love you. Why do you think I smile when you're around? It's because never have I met anyone who could make me do so, whatever the circumstance. And you're there for me, always.

"So, my love may not be that kind that invokes me to shower you with affection and other silly romantic gestures, but it's definitely that kind that allows me to know how awesome you are. Love shows itself in many ways, and our friendship is one of them."

Betty nodded, her lips twitching at the sides into her gentle smile.
"It definitely does. I love you too, Jughead."

"Oh-em-gee. Did you guys just pronounce you undying love for another or what?"

It was Veronica, who obviously had snuck up whilst they were talking. Her smirk showed she meant her words only as a joke. Jughead scowled nevertheless.
"If we were, you would have just ruined it."

She placed her hand on her chest, a look of dramatic hurt.
"I would of done no such thing. I am a master at making any moment marvellously and magically romantic."

"Say that five times fast and maybe I'll believe you," Jughead quipped.

Veronica pursed her lips, her eyes crinkling in annoyed amusement.
"You win this time."

"Hey guys!"

Veronica, Betty and Jughead all turned their heads to Archie, who had just entered the diner with Kevin and Joaquin. They made their way up to the booth. Jughead and Betty simultaneously shuffled over to allow the others to sit down. Veronica and Archie sat beside Jughead, whilst Kevin and Joaquin went to sit beside Betty. The two snuggled close together, giving each other adoring looks, causing the rest of the group to smile at the exchange.

Jughead naturally ordered burgers when the waiter arrived, and as the others were ordering their meals and laughing with each other, he typed a few more sentences onto his laptop.

Love is a powerful thing. It can both raise and ruin a person. But, without love, what would we be? What would be the point? We'd been just lonely strings unable to make a melody. Jason may have run to his death due to love, but that love was born from the idea of his chance to have a family with Polly and his unborn child. To lack love is to welcome hate.

So when six kids sat at a booth laughing despite the catastrophe, it wasn't from lack of love towards Jason, but an abundance of it towards each other. When love is lost, hate should not take its place, for it spills out and destroys those all around. The kids in that booth knew hate, all too well. But they also knew love, and how beautiful it is in its many forms.

And that's all the matters.

He pressed save. He went to check if it had done so properly, seeing the other documents on his computer. The file 'Plan Bet Together' grabbed his attention, a small smile flickering on his face. He hovered his mouse over of it, thinking of deleting it.

He hesitated, before deciding not to. Maybe one day when he was older he would want to see a piece of his youth. Some things he would never see again, like the Twilight Drive-In, or the innocence of his young world, but this he could save, to keep and to cherish.

He knew no one would read his story for some time, and therefore the chapter's context would probably be lost to time, a story forgotten by those who made it. Jughead didn't care if no one ever read it. The words were his own, and nobody had to read them to validate their beauty. He had the piece of this moment to keep forever. Besides, some stories are made to be written, but not to be told.