The Many Sides Of Betty Cooper {Bughead}

Friday

Southside High

POV Jughead

Toni, Sweet Pea and I drove our motorcycles into the parking lot of the Southside High. Late as usual, serves them right. Who decides that the first day of school should start on a Friday, anyway? I do feel a bit guilty though, I am the next leader of the Serpents, I should be a better role model. When we walk up to the entrance, I can tell something is wrong.

No one is going inside and all the kids are listening to our worthless principal. "Just be sure to check the lists and remember that both schools begin on Monday morning at 9 am. If you don't show up, you will be truant."

Toni looked at me with her eyebrows raised. She's my second and I trust her completely. Some times new members joke that we are dating until someone explains that Toni is into girls. She's my sister. Fangs came running up to us. He's got jet black hair like me and Sweet Pea but a puppy dog face that's almost too sweet. He just recently came out of the closet and was worried that the Serpents would kick him out. Nothing could be further from the truth though, and we were all happy that he felt comfortable to be himself with us.

"What's going on?" Sweet Pea asked.

Fangs shook his head, "Southside High is closing. We are all getting transferred to Greendale or Riverdale High."

He looked at me and said, "The good news is all the Serpents are going to be together."

"What's the bad news?" I asked.

"We are all going to Riverdale High"

I closed my eyes. Great. How could I face them? When I got transferred to the Southside at the start of middle school, I was careful to cut all my old friends out of my life. Archie, Cheryl, Kevin, even Betty, especially Betty. Most of them stopped calling after a few weeks, but not Betty. She tried for years. I just couldn't stay friends with any of them. They wouldn't accept who I had to become to survive and I didn't want to bring my darkness and danger into their world. It hurt though, especially with Betty and Archie. We were all best friends.

I shook my head and Toni said "Well, since we have the day free, we should check out that club in Greendale that Fangs told us about."

I looked at her and she nodded towards Fangs who suddenly looked overjoyed. He was still nervous about his status with us and going to this club would prove that we trusted and supported him.

"Sure" I said but Sweet Pea jumped in, "I don't know if that's the best idea" he said.

He was an ok guy but eternally looking at the security of a situation which was great if we were in a war with a rival gang but not in the your day to day life.

I looked at him and said, "Don't worry. We will go early and leave before 11, ok?" He agreed.

Riverdale Veronica's House

POV Betty

Trigger warning: mention of abuse

We were just hanging out, the three of us as usual. It was the Friday before school began for our Junior year and we had the weekend free.

I had taken the week off from the auto shop that I worked at as a mechanic. Only Cheryl and Veronica knew that I worked there. I usually worked there 7 days a week during the summer to earn money for my secret account. During the school year, I had to cut back to only Saturday mornings so it wouldn't interfere with school, the school paper or cheerleading. The shop was on the edge of the southside so none of my friends went there. It was run by an old Serpent named Bear who was an old friend of my dads. He was protective of me and very few people knew that I worked there. He made sure that I stayed in the back and away from his Serpent friends and family.

Besides Bear, only V and C truly know me. Everyone else just sees what they want to see. A "perfect" girl next door. I don't try to hide who I am, just no one else seems to want to look any deeper. No one wants to see how broken I was after my dad died when I was in 7th grade. No one noticed the bruises my mom's new boyfriend left on me all through 8th grade. My mother finally kicked him out and hasn't had another boyfriend since but I know that I can never truly trust her again, hence why I need a secret account. Just in case.

It's the same with Cheryl and Veronica. Everyone sees C as a HBIC. They expect her to yell and rule and be a bitch. What only V and I see is how sweet and scared she can be. How brokenhearted she was when her mom ridiculed her for being attracted to girls. How much it hurts her to hide who she is and who she loves.

When Veronica moved here in 8th grade, everyone believed the reputation she brought with her from New York. "Spoiled little rich girl" is all they bothered to see. C and I know better though. We know that she is loyal to a fault and would do anything for her friends. She is kind and loves to take care of anyone who needs it. She was also hurt by her father who can't seem to find any time with her. She only sees him a few times a year and he never seems happy to see her. It hurts her deeply.

Cheryl and I grew close in 6th grade after Jughead left. I needed someone other than self involved Archie. She and I became like sisters after my dad died and her mom rejected her and when V came along in 8th, we adopted her too. We've been together ever since. We have other friends like Kevin and Archie but we are closest to each other.

Since freshman year, whenever we have a free Friday, we dress up and head over to the club in Greendale. No one from school goes there and we can be free for a few hours. I can make out with random guys and not care. Cheryl can date as many girls as she wants and Veronica can mother everyone she meets. It's amazing and we would have all gone insane without it. The workers all know us by now and watch over us so it's a safe release.

"What time do you want to head to the club, tonight?" I asked.

"Let's head over around 10" C said.

"Sounds good" V agreed and I nodded.

We started getting ready a few hours later. I wore and low cut and short black dress and C wore something similar in red. V decided to wear a short plum colored skirt and a matching bra top. We got in the car at 10 and headed over.