5 Years On | Bughead

One

The road back to Riverdale.

Betty sat quietly in the backseat of the car wondering what had become of her old hometown. She hadn't been back in years. When she went to NYU for college her annoyingly overbearing family decided to follow her to New York City. She had hoped by moving to the big city she could finally escape them, but alas, that didn't happen. Her mom had blatantly told her they'd follow her anywhere – they had the resources. There was no point in even trying.

She sighed.

It seemed that no one escaped their fate. Archie was immediately handed the reigns to Andrews Construction following his father's murder - a responsibility he had been in no shape to bear at the time. The company had quickly gone under while he raged in grief against the gunman who had left his father bleeding in his arms on the floor of Pop's diner all those years ago. But at some point, Archie had picked himself up and started his life over in the business that had been in his family for generations. He had never left Riverdale.

But Veronica had. Betty had no idea what had happened to her best friend, only that she and her mother had gotten wrapped up in a vicious scandal shortly after her father's release from jail and then they all went into hiding together. Knowing Mr. Lodge, it was posh and luxurious - a gilded cage - but a prison to Ronnie nonetheless. Hiram had abruptly severed all contact between Veronica and Betty and she had worried about her best friend all these years, having no way of knowing if she was okay or not.

Josie and the Pussycats had risen to international fame as expected and lived life on the road, no longer a Riverdale staple. But Josie was still never good enough for her father. Betty suspected that he was actually jealous of his daughter's success and wanted to 'keep her in her place' with his bitter, stinging words of disappointment, trying to rationalize to himself that he was still somehow superior to her even though the world saw it differently. Betty admired Josie for her strength in prevailing despite of all of that.

And then there was Jughead.

"Stop the car," Betty instructed as they approached A. Andrews construction.

"Yes, ma'am," said the driver.

She paid the man and got out and was enveloped in a great big hug before she even reached the door.

"Archie!"

"Betty!"

"Man, it's so good to see you. What's it been? Five years?"

"Something like that."

"How're you doing? You okay? You happy?" Archie asked enthusiastically. He looked quite happy himself. Settled.

Betty cocked her head and really took him in.

"Sure," she said noncommittally. What was happiness anyway?

"Betty –"

"I'm fine, Arch. I'm fine." She gave him a reassuring smile. "It's just you can't be happy one-hundred percent of the time, you know? It waxes and wanes."

Archie furrowed his brow. "Do you plan to see Jughead while you're here?"

Her stomach tensed at the sound of his name. She wasn't expecting that. "Maybe."

"Uh, I should warn you then . . ." He paused.

"What, Archie? Spit it out."

"Just don't expect him to be as you left him."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He's not happy one-hundred percent of the time."

Betty snorted. "Was he ever? This is Jughead we're talking about here."