The exception -- A bughead story

Chapter 6: Jughead - "How about I show you."

I swing my arm around Betty as I walk her home. "Juggie, I never realised Archie was using me like that. It's kind of scary." Betty tells me.
"It's okay. I'll always be there for you. I hadn't seen Archie's true colours before tonight either." I admit. She looks up at me as if she wants to tell me something, but then we reach her house and she looks down at the floor. I want to ask her if she's ok, but judging from her behaviour, she might suffer from telling me. For the meantime, I trust she'll tell me eventually and kiss her on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok Betty? I can walk you to school if you want." I offer. She searches her pocket for her keys. "Hmm? Uh, yeah. That would be really nice." She nods.
"Ok then. I'll leave you to it." I wave goodbye. "Bye!" I hear her shout as I walk off, then she covers her mouth and genuinely looks scared. The front door opens, Betty is yanked inside. I start to run back, but realise now is not the time. I decide I'll come back later, and climb up to her window.

My temporary home at the drive-in isn't the biggest, but it's enough. I grab my drawing pad from the shelf. No one knows I draw. Everyone knows I write, but I'm not known for my art skills. I'm actually pretty good at drawing. Most of the time I draw people. Sometimes fake people, sometimes real people. Often enough, I've found myself drawing my sister, Jellybean, or my mum, or my dad, or all of us together, happy. However, tonight I end up drawing Betty. I expected it to be more difficult, as I have to remember what people look like, but for some reason, I can remember every single tiny little detail. When it's completely pitch black, I grab the torch I've been keeping and head out.

I stand outside Betty's house, calculating the best route up to her window. There's a ladder not too far away, I assume they're having their windows cleaned tomorrow. I move the ladder along until it's directly underneath Betty's window. Then I start to climb. After a few seconds, I'm at the top. Her window's closed. Damn! I tap on the window, hoping she's awake. Luckily, she is. I see her come over, then she lifts the window up. "Jughead, what are you doing here?" She whispers, trying to warn me. I clamber into her room. "I'm here to try and figure out what's wrong." I explain, sitting down on the floor. "I am your boyfriend after all."
"Yes, but my mom will kill me if she finds out you're here." Betty stares at me intensely. "So that's it." I state.
"What?" She cocks her head at me, confused. "Your mom." I say. She bites her lip. "Juggie, you don't know what she'll do..."
"Well, that's what I intend to find out." I laugh quietly. "This isn't funny, Jug. I'm serious." She scratches her neck.
"Then tell me..." I grab her hands and place them in between mine. "How about I show you."Betty picks up my torch and shines it on her face. There's a massive red mark on her cheek. My jaw hangs open. I stroke her gently, trying not to hurt her. "What happened?" I try. Betty swallows.
"She slapped me because I was out past curfew." Betty tries to explain. I can feel anger burning inside of me. She must be able to tell, as she then says, "Jughead, if you do something, she will hurt you in the same way she hurts me, or worse..." The last part is quieter.
"No, Betty. I don't care what she does to me. This isn't right. All I care about is you, and if you're hurting, it hurts me more." I storm in the direction of her parents' bedroom. Betty grabs my arm. "She may be responsible for the death of Jason Blossom." I stop in my tracks. Now I know just how far her mum will go, I realise I need to be protecting Betty, not provoking her mom. I pull my girlfriend into a hug. "I'm so sorry, Bets." I mumble in her ear. She tightens her arms around me. Slowly, we walk back towards Betty's bed. She lays down, curling up into a ball. I lie next to her, both my arms wrapped firmly around her. "Don't you have to go home?" Betty asks quietly.
"No, I don't have a home." I state. She looks at me over her shoulder. "If you'd told me before, I would have offered for you to stay here." Betty whispers slowly. "What are you trying to say?" I smirk. She slaps my arm playfully. "Stopp." I smile, closing my eyes. This is happiest I've been in a long time.