Red moons ---Beronica (Riverdale's, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge)

Chapter 8: birthday party

You should've known better.

Jughead's writing about Jason's murder, for God's sake - he sees everything in this stupid town.

You can feel his eyes dissecting you as you and his girlfriend make your way towards his spot on the couch in the student lounge. He's still staring as Betty detaches herself from your arm to sit next to him.

This isn't just paranoia; Jughead Jones is the Doctor T.J. Eckleburg of Riverdale - the silent observer, an expert at reading in between the lines. He's nothing like Archie, who can't interpret anything to save his life; Jughead has a knack for just knowing there's more to the story.

He knows.

He knows why you always seem to know which class Betty's in at the end of every day (So you can greet her before he can and offer to walk her to her locker). He knows about the way your eyes light up when Betty's talking about something, anything - another clue to Jason's killer, Vixens practice, a new piece she's writing for the Blue and Gold, a lyrical suggestion for Archie's newest song - and he definitely knows what it means when your hands linger on Betty's waist a few seconds longer than they should every time you part from a hug.

They're subtle clues, but clues nonetheless, and Jughead has all of them sifting around in his beanie-constricted brain. He probably has something similar to his and Betty's murder board propped up in there somewhere - a "Veronica Lodge is in Love with My Girlfriend and She's Trying to Steal Her Away From Me" board.

It's a little hard to tell, but he seems gloomier than usual today. Maybe he's finally accepted it - who knows?

He mutters something about having to be somewhere, and he squeezes Betty's hand before standing up to leave. His eyes dawdle on you, and his stare is so concentrated you're quite sure you're going to catch fire soon.

You're not going to win. He throws one last glare before shuffling away.

Challenge accepted. You scowl at his back before he disappears behind the door.

Archie arrives and takes Jughead's place on the couch. He looks at Betty, and she looks back, but you're still staring at the doorway. You're too caught up in your newly forged rivalry to see that they're dreading what they're about to tell you.

"Veronica." Betty calls, and your head automatically turns and finds her because you're a lovesick fool and anything Betty-related pulls and keeps you like the way gravity holds the Earth.

"There's something we need to talk to you about."

Later on, after you part ways, she's this close to smacking Archie when he tells her that tomorrow is Jughead's birthday.

"What?!" She gasps incredulously, and Archie meekly goes on about how Jughead really doesn't want this to be a big deal, and how he just wants to go to the Bijou.

By the way - while this plays out, you're in class mulling over what they told you earlier.

While you're silently cursing Clifford Blossom and pretending to take notes, she's internally lecturing herself for being so ignorant, so oblivious. How could she not know her own boyfriend's birthday? They've only been together for weeks, but they've been friends for years and not once has she thought about it.

She grips the strap of her purse, because she knows if she isn't holding onto it her nails will find a way to her palms.

It's not her fault for not knowing, but you know Betty Cooper - she's going to take it like it is, anyway. It's funny how much she hates the word perfect, yet every fibre of her being strives to be so. Forgetting Jughead's birthday burns an ugly mark onto her spotless record, and as she separates herself from Archie and ducks into the nearest empty classroom the gears of her brain are whirring at top speed.