Lost in Temptation

Chapter 26

Narrator POV:

What are words that people would use to describe Betty Cooper? Loyal, caring, loving, trust worthy and always chose to see the best in people. Ultimately, Betty feels like those same exact characteristics are what almost ended her life. She trusted the wrong people, she cared for the wrong people and worst of all she loved the wrong people. 

Betty had never felt so lost, she wonders everyday while she's in the hospital exactly where she went wrong in life. What did she do that made her deserve all of this? Why did her mother beat her? Why didn't her mother love her? Why didn't Jughead? Why did he break her when she was never really whole to begin with. It hurts to see him everyday but she bottles it up for the sake of their baby, a baby that's growing within her. He always asks how she's doing or if she needs anything but Betty decides to ignore him. 

Everyday since the day she woke up, Jughead was there. He would bring her Lilies everyday and would bring her whatever she was craving wondering how he even knew if she wouldn't tell him. Betty though she would love to still be his girl has decided to let him go. It was and is hard for her but she doesn't have the strength to keep fighting. She's tired of fighting for people who don't love her back. 

Despite all the bad, she knew she had three people who would love her unconditionally. Her dad, Polly, and her little nugget. Betty smiles as she reaches for her belly, something she does constantly when she wants to feel loved, when she needs to be loved. Her thoughts get interrupted by her dad who is slowly walking in with a smile formed on his lips "Hey sweetie, how are you feeling today?" He asks placing his jacket on the chair "Where's Jughead?" He asks soon after. 

"I'm fine and he went to take a shower and change" She replies and returns to stare up at the ceiling. 

Hal had noticed the change in his daughter and though he doesn't like it, he understands it. He understands her, or at least tries his best. "I have a surprise for you" He says to her catching her attention immediately but she still doesn't give him a smile or a change of expression and he hopes this will brighten up her day at least a little. 

"What is it?" She asks 

Hal walks out of the room again and when he walks back in, he walks in with someone else. Betty sits up and smiles widely "CHARLES!!" She yells out and for the first time since she woke up, she tries her best to stand but fails, Charles, her cousin walks over to her in a flash and pulls her in for a hug, a hug that she desperately needed. Charles had been oversee's on tour for the past 3 years and this is the first time she lays eyes on him but she thanks whatever it is that brought him back to her. 

"I heard everything. How are you?" He asks as he pulls away. 

"I've been better" She says honestly. He helps her back onto the bed and sits at the edge just staring at her as he waits for her to speak but she doesn't, it's not because she doesn't want too but because she still doesn't know what to say. 

"Are you here to stay?" She asks out of the blew. 

"I'm here for a while, yes" He tells her with a small smile. She nods her head and smiles back at him but he notices that the smile she gave him isn't a genuine one, it's fake but he decides not to push it. Not right now. 

"I'm happy you're here" She tells him "Though it doesn't seem like it, I really am." 

"I know Betty, you've been through a lot. I don't expect you to be all smiles right now" he says to her. It breaks his heart to know that his little cousin has been through so much in such a short time, it makes his heart ache to know she had to go through it alone. 

Meanwhile Jughead finishes getting ready and places a couple clothes and other items into his bag as his dad walks in and sits on the side of his bed. 

"How is Betty?" F.P asks his son. 

"She's doing better dad" Jughead replies as he zips up the bag, placing it over his shoulders. 

F.P just looks at his son and though he wants to tell him off so bad he doesn't, he knows Jughead is hurting right now but he also knows that he brought it all upon himself, it's no one's fault but his. 

"Dad..."Jughead starts but quickly pauses as he begins to get lost in thought again. 

"Yeah?" F.P asks as he continues to stare at his son. 

"While you were in prison and Betty would go to visit you, wha....what woo wwould she ssay?" Jughead stutters out as he fears to hear what his fathers knows. F.P sighs loudly and rubs his eyes "You really want to know?" He asks his son. Jughead simply nods and shrugs "I need to know dad, I need to know if I want to fix what I've broken" 

F.P recalls all the visits Betty paid him and smiled lightly as he thinks back to those days. "Those were one of the worst days of my life son, I thought I was done. Gone for good, I'd lost hope but then one Saturday morning, the guard comes up to me and tells me I have a visitor" F.P tells Jughead with a smile and tears beginning to prick at the edge of his eyes "I thought it was you at first" F.P says with a cracked voice "But when I walked into the visiting area and scanned the room and I didn't see you, it broke my heart Jug but then she waves happily. A wide smile placed on her lips as she watched me walk over to her. I was shocked Jughead. Shocked because I never thought she'd care enough to see me" 

Jughead smiles since he knows exactly the type of person is but it also hurts him, it hurts him as he hears his father speak about those days where he was to far gone, he was too selfish to realize that he wasn't the only one hurting, he had failed both his dad and Betty and he wishes he could take it back but he can't. All he can do now is try his best to fix thins. 

"She'd ask me how I was doing, how I was doing and even gave me money so I can buy myself soups and hygiene items, even provided me a lawyer. A lawyer she paid for, sat through all my courts and everything. And I was wondered, where the were you? and you know what she told me" He says with a slight chuckle, a humorless dry chuckle "She said you had just worked your ass off the day before so you could be able to pay for the lawyer and my needs which I knew was bullshit because I noticed her black circles underneath her eyes, I seen the smile she would give me but she'd rather make you look good than to face the truth and that's when I told myself, I told myself "God, I hope this boy isn't doing anything to fuck this up because she's a keeper" but here we are" F.P finishes, standing up from the bed and placing his hands onto his sons shoulder "I know I fucked up and I know I wasn't always around but now that I'm here I want to implore you to keep on fighting for her" 

"I am dad, I always will" Jughead responds and walks out, heading towards the hospital. He now knew that just buying her things won't make her want to take him back so now he has to step up, be there and show her with actions that he isn't going anywhere. 

The sad part about everything though is that Jughead and Betty love each other so much but can't seem to be together, one is going to fight while the other has already given up.