Lost (in Your Emerald Eyes)

T W E N T Y - T H R E E

 At some point during the evening, Betty's arms had developed goosebumps, warming herself up by rubbing her hands over her shoulders, and Jughead had given her the flannel that had been tied around his hips and helped her fold the sleeves up. But, of course, the kisses they had shared afterward had distracted her enough not to notice she had left with it as well. And the first person to see it was, obviously with Betty's luck, Alice Cooper.

When the blonde entered her house from the front door, too hazy from the taste of Jughead's lips to remember climbing up her ladder, she was faced with her mother standing there, arms crossed.

The girl froze, eyeing the woman in front of her and gazing over to her father in the kitchen who didn't look pleased either.

"Young lady. Mind to tell us where you were at such late hours?" Alice asked, face and voice cold.

"I was with Kevin," she quickly lied, face neutral and eyes staring right back at her mother.

"Are you sure? Because that boy is from a good family, and his father would never let him wear something as shattered and dirty as this." Her voice outed disgust as she elegantly pointed on the flannel on Betty.

"Shit," the girl said under her breath, causing her mother to arch her eyebrows.

"What was that?"

Betty's eyes landed on the ground as she crossed her arms over her chest, hugging the material and the smell close. Now that she had Jughead's clothing, there was no way she wasn't going to keep it until the smell got out, or until he asked.

"Where were you, honey?" Hal joined the interrogation, stepping next to his wife.

"I was with Archie," she murmured, eyes on the ground.

"Oh yes? And what were you doing?"

"It was me, Archie, and Reggie. We were playing video games. I got cold, so he gave me one of his shirts." Her voice was small, but her parents couldn't make out if she was lying or not. She also sounded like this when she was scared to be told off by Alice.

Considering that her mother never let her be in the same room with a boy alone, especially with a closed door, and never wanted for her daughter to play or watch anything on TV, it could've been the latter though.

"Well, Fred Andrews can keep his family up, but he does lack cleaning skills," Alice said, pondering the question in her head herself.

Betty rolled her eyes at her statement. She hated the fact that her mother despised everyone for everything. Fred Andrews was a nice guy who took good care of Archie and Vegas, and she would have told her mother off if she didn't know who she was facing.

At this point, it was easier to simply stay quiet.

"Well, then. Let's go and take this shirt back to Archie."

Betty stuttered something as an answer, trying to come up with an excuse as of why not to go, but her mom had already pulled her outside by the folded sleeve of the flannel, and so she dragged her feet behind herself, praying Fred and Archie would master the art of lying quicker than ever.

Alice rang the doorbell despite it being almost midnight, and a dog could be heard barking as they waited. The woman's nose wrinkled up as she smelled the clothing on her daughter though. "Does Archie smoke, Elizabeth?"

Betty opened her mouth to come up with another lie, but fortunately, the door was opened by Fred in his pajamas. "It's midnight, Alice. How can I help?"

"Considering if what my daughter just told me was true, she just left your household, and so I don't see the problem if you're awake either way, Fred."