heartbeats ; bughead

04

elizabeth;

I heard a gun shot, and my eyes shot open (no pun intended :P).

I sat up. What was that? Reluctantly, I climbed out of bed, and changed into long shorts and an old t-shirt from some random summer camp I went to when I was 12. I put on running shoes, and decided to take an early morning walk, to clear my head.

Something was off. I had a strange feeling. 

I jammed my earpods into my ears, loud music shutting out the world.

I ran and ran for as long as I knew. 

When I stopped running to take a sip of water, Sweetwater River was gushing in front of me. 

I sighed. I loved Sweetwater River. It's where Archie and I met for the first time, where Polly and I played when we were younger. It's where I can be truly happy. I was about to go sit on a nearby stump and stare at the river, when I saw a boy already sitting on it.

When I walked closer, I heard sniffling.

The boy was crying. I walked towards the stump.

"Um, Hi!" I said, pulling out my earpods. The boy slowly turned around. He had striking features. Messy black hair covered most of his forehead, and a gray cap covered his hair, similar to a crown. He had a small, thin nose, which was upturned at the end. He scowled.

"What do you want? Come to send me to a social worker?"

I frowned at him. "Yeah, no. Social workers and I don't really have that good of a relationship, especially since my Grandpa was a social worker. That man hated me like you wouldn't believe!"

There was a flicker of a smile on his fair face, but it disappeared as quick as it came. I sat on a stump next to him. "Look, I don't even know you, but do you want to talk about anything?"

"What's the point? It's not like my dad's going to get out of jail because of this 'talk'. Or my mom and sister are going to come back because of our 'talk'. And like you said, I don't even know you."

I was silent for sometime, and then I got up. "I'm sorry..." The boy's eyes welled with tears.

"Nice meeting you, I guess. My name's Betty. I'm assuming you don't want to tell me your name, so I'll just leave..." I was about to put my earpods back in, when he walked towards me.

"It's Jughead, by the way. Jughead Jones."

I was about to talk to him, when something about him dawned upon me.

"Jones? As in FP Jones?" I frowned.

His neutral expression turned into a glower. "Is that a problem?"

I blushed, heat filling my cheeks. "No, I'm sorry, I--" There was a buzzing. I reached into my pocket for my phone. It was Polly.

"Hey Polls, what's up?" I said, smiling. 

I missed Polly. We hadn't talked in a long time. Ever since she left with Jason Blossom, her fiancee, to a barn on the outskirts of Riverdale, to get married and lead a simple life, we had lost touch. 

I heard sniffling on the other side. "Polly? Is everything all right?"

She finally whispered, so soft I could barely hear, "Jason..." My head throbbed. This wasn't happening. 

"Polly, I...Do you want me to come?"

"No, Betty. Please no. I can't...It's...too much." She hung up. I just stood there, looking at my phone with horror and sadness and confusion, all at once. My heart pounded. Polly....

I was snapped out of my reverie by the boy, Jughead. "Hello?" Jughead cocked his head.

Suddenly, the situation really dawned upon me. Blinking back tears, I murmured, "SorryIhavetogosorry," and I ran back home, tears falling down my face onto the concrete. 

jughead;

That was awkward. That girl...Betty, was it? She just walked away. Out of nowhere. What a strange person. 

I plopped down onto the stump. My thoughts drifted from Betty walking away to yesterday night. Why did you give in, Jughead? That guilt...it's going to stay with you forever. His words will be engrained in your mind forever.

God, Dad would be so mad. He's going to find out. 

Why did I leave the cabin, mad and furious at Mom that day? I could've left with Jellybean if I stayed. Idiot. 

Away from this cursed town. 

Away from the guilt.

Right there and then, I knew that I had done something that everyone would remember. 

And not in a good way. 

so how are you guys liking it? :P thanks for reading this far, and I promise I'll update as much as I can! 

-mo :3