Dynasty || Betty Cooper [1] [COMPLETED]

||SIX - STICKY MAPLE||

Tatum's POV

Betty asked me and Jughead to the Blue and Gold room, (the newspaper room), for an unknown reason but I went anyway.

"If print journalism is dead, what are we doing here?" Jughead asked Betty.

"The Blue and Gold isn't dead, Jug. It's just dormant. But, waking up." Betty explained. "You're writing a novel, right? About Jason Blossom's murder?"

"I am." Jughead answered. "Riverdale's very own In Cold Blood."

"Which, started out as a series of articles." Betty pointed out. "I'm hoping you'll come and write for the Blue and Gold."

"I just don't think the school paper's the right fit for my voice." Jughead defended.

"Jug, Jason's death changed Riverdale. People don't want to admit that, but it's true. We all feel it." Betty explained. "Nothing this bad was ever supposed to happen here, but it did. I wanna know why."

"Would I get complete freedom?" Jughead asked her.

"I'll help, and edit, and suggest... but it's your story." Betty replied. "It's your voice."

"Doesn't sound like complete freedom..." Jughead trailed off. "...but, I'm in."

"Okay, great. Um, in that case, I have your first assignment." Betty told him. "There's one person who was at the river on July 4th that no one's talking about."

"Dilton Doiley and his scouts." Jughead continued for her.

"Exactly." Betty responded. Jughead left the room, and I was left alone with Betty.

"So, what am I doing here?" I asked her, and she turned to me.

"Veronica tells me that you wrote some articles at your old school." Betty announced.

"Yeah, I did." I replied.

"So, I was hoping that you'd help me with the investigating, of some sorts." Betty continued.

"I'm good with that." I smiled.

-----

I sat at the table later that night, working on homework, and writing. I noticed Veronica, all dressed up, and about to leave.

"Where are you going?" I asked her. She turned to face me.

"I'm going on a date." She responded, and walked over to me.

"With who?" I asked her. It better not be with Archie.

"Chuck Clayton." She responded. I raised my eyebrows.

"He's a player." I pointed out.

"I know, but it's just a date." Veronica replied, before leaving.

"Have fun." I called out after her. I was happy that my sister was going out on a date, but it kept me thinking about my own love life. And, my feelings for Betty.

And, the only person I'd ever dated, my ex-girlfriend Harper, who cheated on me with my former best friend. I was happy we left for Riverdale, because I would never have to see them again.

The next day, I was with Betty and Veronica at Veronica's locker, when Kevin came running over to us.

"So? How'd it go with Chuck?" Kevin asked.

"Chuck has muscles for days, but his conversation is not the stuff of Oscar Wilde, or even Diablo Cody." Veronica answered, and closed her locker.

"Hey, Veronica. How was the Sticky Maple you had last night?" A girl asked, who I think was one of Cheryl's minions.

"The what, now?" Veronica questioned. Neither of us had any idea what she was talking about.

"The Sticky Maple Chuck gave you. How was it?" The other one asked.

"We had a brownie sundae, if that's what you hyenas mean." Veronica answered. Then, a round of phones buzzing came into the hallway.

"Oh, my God." Kevin said, when he saw what the notification was on his phone, pretty much everyone's phone to be honest.

"What?" Veronica snapped, and took the phone away from him so she could look. We all peered over her shoulder.

"What the hell is a Sticky Maple?" She demanded to know.

"It's kind of what it sounds like. It's a Riverdale thing." Kevin answered.

"No, Kevin. It's a slut-shaming thing. And, I'm neither a slut, nor am I going to be shamed by somebody named-- Excuse me? --Chuck Clayton." Veronica stated. "Does he think he can get away with this? Does he not know who I am? I will cut the brakes on his souped-up phallic symbol."

"Or we can go to Principal Weatherbee." Betty reasoned.

"About the Coach's son?" I scoffed. "Who is captain of the football team, and Riverdale High's resident golden boy?"

"And/or I can expose him in the pages of the Blue and Gold. Yeah, I can do that." Betty argued.

"No. Spoken like a true good girl who always follows the rules. Well, I don't follow rules." Veronica said, and gave Kevin his phone and shoved him into the lockers. "I make them, and when necessary, I break them. You wanna help me get revenge on Chuck, Betty? Awesome. But you better be willing to get full dark, no stars. What do you say, in or out?"

All three of us burst into the boy's locker room. I was fuming at Chuck right now, for shaming my little sister. And, I was ready to beat him up.

"Move." Veronica said, as we pushed through the locker room. Betty was attempting to shield her eyes, whereas Veronica and I were both storming through the room.

"Veronica." Archie said, when we bumped into him. "Tatum, Betty, what are you guys doing here?"

"Don't worry about it." I stated, and tried to walk past him.

"No--" Archie started, and cut in front of us.

"I mean it, Andrews. Hit the showers and stay the hell out of our way." I cut him off, and shoved him into the lockers.

Veronica cleared her throat to get Chuck's attention. He turned around, and smiled smugly.

"B, V and T. Ménage à right on. Ladies." Chuck smiled at us.

"This is disgusting." Veronica stated, and showed him the photo on her phone. "Take it down."

"Whoa. Whoa, why are you so wound up?" Chuck asked. "It's a badge of honor. And, you're not exactly virgin territory, after your closet date with Andrews."

"Okay, that's beyond irrelevant, Chuck." Betty spoke up. "You're not allowed to go around, humiliating girls for any reason under any circumstance, jerk."

"Look, I get that you're not a closet kind of girl, but hey, if you wanna ride the Chuck Wagon that can be arranged." Chuck smirked.

"Let's keep this simple, so that your preppy, murderer, half-brain can grasp it. Take this the hell down." Veronica demanded.

"Okay, that high-toned, bitch attitude may have worked on the betas you dated in New York, but you're in Bulldog territory." Chuck shot back, and the Bulldogs began barking. "But please, fight back. You'll only make it harder on yourself."

"I'm going, to fucking kill you." I stated. And, before he could walk past us, I threw a punch to his eye, and it already started to bruise.

"You bitch." Chuck snapped. He lunged toward me, and Archie stood in the way.

"I suggest you leave her alone." Archie said.

"Why do you care, Andrews?" Chuck snapped. "You going after both of the Lodges?"

"Gross. She's my sister. So, I suggest you leave her alone." Archie responded, and Chuck walked away.