Beloved in the river

"no" 🥺

"I still can't believe he asked me Jug. It still feels like a dream."

"I think nightmare works better Betty."

"Yeah, guess you're right."

Betty Cooper continued to mutter a similar string of words, head in hands as her fingers dug ruthlessly through her frizzled hair. Her periwinkle sweater rising and falling with her ragged shoulders.

He could tell this was the calm before the storm, Betty trying desperately to keep herself at bay. Jughead wished he could pry into her mind, but he had an inkling it was something along the lines of 'conceal don't feel' if he were to be completely honest with himself.

"I hate that I dragged you in this Jug," Betty apologized in between breaths, "I know this is the worst possible way you could be using your time, I'm just so sorry."

Jughead didn't have the heart to tell her that this didn't even come close to the worst possible ways he could be spending his weekend. He could be fourteen again with a starving Jellybean curled on his lap, praying their father had chosen them over one more drink. Or, he could be sitting in a booth at Pops watching with baffled eyes as Archie Andrews kneeled and asked Betty Cooper if she would do the honors of being his lawfully wedded wife. She could have said yes, Betty could have been bawling into the crook of Archie's neck muttering sweet nothings and broken 'yes' again and again.

Instead, she had said no, with curled fists and tear rimmed eyes she spoke voice firm and broken hearted.

She said it front of all the on-goers who had stopped everything to get a look at Riverdale's' sweethearts finally tie the knot. She had denied them the chance to gossip about how young they were to get married, but that their wedding was to be the epitome of perfection. Instead, they had watched sweet girl Betty shatter Archie's heart into pieces, sobbing as she did so, but she went through with it.

(Jughead would be lying if he said a small part of him did a little dance over the remaining shards Betty left him. Leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.)

So now the pair were cramped on Betty's twin sized bed, her girly pink covers and frilly pillows clashing beautifully with the girl who now clutched them for dear life. As his lanky legs spilled over the modest bed, he couldn't deny himself the seductive idea of rest. To close his eyes and let his mind wonder, giving it the much-needed peace.

But Betty had turned to him, although it could have only been simply because he was the closest to her for the time being , but she chose him none the less and if that meant sitting in her girly room that brought him back in time, comforting her (to the best of his abilities) than it was a Friday well spent.

Both ignored Betty's phone that was tucked under her pillow, which kept lighting up with incoming messages and missed calls.

"Look Betty, no offense to Archie I know he doesn't exactly think before acting," He spoke with a slight edge to his voice," But who the hell decides to get married at eighteen?"

"Polly and Jason?" She murmured from her odd position, her voice clear through her hands.

Jughead winced as if Betty had raised a fist to him, daring him to open his mouth again.

She hid it well, but Jughead could tell Betty still resented Polly, as much as she loved her sister.

He could tell, her eyes and fists gave it away.

"Betty I didn't mean Polly, you know I wouldn't."

"Jughead it's fine, really," She insisted, reaching for his hand and squeezing it oh so gently, her eyes sympathetic and her smile thin not quite reaching her eyes. "Jug, I know you so relax. I also get what you mean which I completely concur with by the way."