Misfits (Jughead Jones)

Chapter 9

It was lunchtime and Blake decided to go and find Archie. She'd been avoiding Jughead since biology. She hated lying to him and knew he was just going to ask more questions. She found Archie sat on a picnic bench with his guitar and a wad of paper. She slid onto the seat across from him.

"Hey."

He looked up and shot her a smile. "Hey. Look, thanks for earlier."

"I promised didn't I." She smiled.

"Jughead said something this morning..." Archie didn't know how to propose what he was going to say. "He told me to look out for you, because he thinks you're at breaking point."

"Arch, I assure you I'm fine. He's just paranoid." She lied with the perfect smile plastered on her face.

"Anyway, it's terrible to say, but part of me wishes he would just stay in the darn closet." Kevin voice said as he approached with Betty and Veronica. "Obviously, I didn't mean literal closet." Kevin quickly covered when he saw three of the five people present's faces drop.

"Archie!" Veronica said as she sat next to Blake. "Any new material you wanna try out on a very forgiving audience?"

"I..." He stammered as Kevin walked round to sit next to him and Betty sat on Blake's other side.

"Please?" Veronica begged.

"Would you?" Betty asked sweetly. "I'd love to hear it." She may have been trying to conceal her feelings but Blake had known Betty long enough to know that she was falling apart.

"I'm still working on the lyrics, so... Okay." Archie glanced at all the people who were looking at him expectantly.

"Come on, turn the radio on,

And, honey we'll dance, dance, dance,

For the rest of the night,

I'm not ready to go." Archie finished singing to three of them clapping but Betty faltered and looked as though she was going to fall into pieces. "Betty? You okay?"

Betty chuckled but there were tears beginning to fall down her face. "I'm supposed to say, "Yes." That's what the nice girl always says, but... No, I'm not. I want to be. I thought I could be. But it's too much, too fast. Archie." Betty got up and left the table; Archie quick on her heels.

"Betty." He called but she just continued walking. "Betty, wait. Betty, wait. Come on. Listen to me."

"No. No, when... When I think, Archie, of where I feel safest and most myself, I think of us, in a booth, at Pop's..." Betty started before Archie cut in.

"Me, too."

"But that's not true anymore. I thought I could pretend this weekend didn't happen, but "I can't give you the answer you want." That's what you said to me. And that's how I feel right now, I'm sorry." Betty continued to walk off.

"Betty." Archie went to follow.

"Mr. Andrews. If we could have a word in private." Weatherbee almost demanded.

Blake shot Archie a look as she walked after Betty. Blake followed her into the girl's locker room and found her sat on the bench in the centre crying. "Hey." Blake muttered as she pulled Betty in for a hug. "It's all going to work out."

"How do you know that?" Betty cried into her shoulder.

"Because I was in the same position Saturday night but with Archie being the one who was crying." Blake shared.

"What?"

"You and my brother have been friends forever, whatever is going on you can work through it. I promise." Blake smiled.

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Jughead stormed down the empty hallway; his mind still in overdrive over his and Blake's earlier conversation. She hadn't spoken to him since. His headphones were secured over his ears and he walked past the music classroom and did a double take. He pulled his headphones from his ears as he looked through the window. His eyes locked onto Archie and Miss Grundy standing far too close for a teacher and student.

Jughead took off down the hall and rounded the corner to see Blake walk out of the girl's locker room with Betty. Without a word, he grabbed her arm and shot Betty an apologetic look as he dragged her away.

"What the hell, Jug?" She whisper-screamed at him as he pulled her into the nearest empty classroom.

"Anything you want to tell me, Bee?" He questioned in his usual cocky tone. "Anything about how maybe Archie and Miss Grundy are a little too close for comfort."

"What the hell, keep your voice down." She scolded him.

"So, you knew?" He scoffed and turned around before turning back to face her. "I thought we were being honest, Blake."

"I promised Archie I wouldn't tell anyone, Jughead. And how the hell did you find out?" Her voice got louder before she remembered that they were still in school. Her phone buzzed behind her where she'd dumped her stuff.

"I just walked past the music classroom and I think they were studying something else." Jughead said.

"You cannot tell anyone, Jug." She said but he looked at the floor. "I mean it! This could ruin Archie's life. I need you to promise me that you won't tell anyone."

He sighed and looked up to meet her eyes. "I promise."

"Thank you." She murmured as she picked up her phone and looked at a text from betty.

'Jughead looked pretty pissed. Everything ok? Xxx'

She quickly typed a reply. 'Fine. He's just pissed I've been avoiding him xxx'

"Who is it?" Jughead questioned.

"Betty wondering if you'd been possessed." Blake smiled and he copied her as the bell rang.