Underneath ¤ Jughead Jones [2]

fourteen

CHAPTER FOURTEEN, COLLISION OF TWO SIDES

"I'm mad but I'm starting to see her side of it, I guess." Kevin admitted, slinging his bag over his shoulder, shrugging his shoulder as Lauren nodded in agreement.

"I know that Betty can be a little extreme sometimes," Lauren starts, her walking next to the boy. "But she has good intentions, she's always had."

"Yeah." Kevin agreed, glancing at her briefly, trying to leave the topic just as they entered the Blue and Gold office, where Betty was seated, motionlessly, Lauren and Kevin share a worried glance before Lauren set her bag on the floor and made her way to Betty, who hadn't acknowledged her presence yet.

"Bets?"

"I was going through the Blue and Gold's mail... And I got a letter from the Black Hood killer." Betty stated, facing the boy as, she stared off into the distance, looking traumatized. Lauren looked up in shock, her hand rested on the blonde's shoulder, she glanced at Kevin who looked just as shocked as the girl. Betty handed the letter to Kevin, who read over it and ended it with reading aloud.

"Betty, your words inspired me, the town's sinner must show their contrition. If not, there will be more suffering and bloodshed. Enclosed is a cipher. It details where I will punish the next sinner. It's a test only you may solve it, Betty." Kevin read from the letter, Lauren glanced at the boy before sitting on the stool beside her desk, bringing her hand to squeeze the blonde's.

Betty let out an exhausted sigh, gulping thickly. "My speech... Inspired him. The stupid speech I wrote."

"So the Black Hood was at the Jubilee." Kevin affirmed, speaking quietly after making sure nobody was listening.

"The entire town was there." Betty added.

Kevin sighed in agreement, getting closer. "We have to give this to my dad."

"The cipher, yeah, but not the letter." Betty stated, snatching the letter from the boy's grasp. "This is just for me, We can't tell anyone about this."

"It's evidence." Kevin tried to persuade the girl but the blonde shook her head in displeasure.

"Kevin, if we give this to your dad, he will tell my mom and she will make damn sure that I'm nowhere near this." Betty angrily said, hands shaking.

"Good." Kevin argued.

"No." Betty declared, "This is a test. He said to himself. What if the start of the test is to see what I do with the letter? Do I share it? Or not?"

"Betty," Lauren sighed with a disapproving look, she closed her eyes briefly before shaking her head. "You can't get wrapped up in this dance with the Black Hood, he's a psychopath, for all we know, he likes seeing you stressed or depressed, it's not worth it, please don't get too involved in his game."