Loving you - Jughead x Betty //Breakup
Words: 2501
Warnings: ANGSTY ANGST MY FRIENDS (I tried my best) and like I swear!
2 hours. I had spent the better half of two hours circling the block that encased my boyfriend’s temporary two story home, knowing full well that he was inside probably munching on a pizza with his best bud Archie.
Thoughts tumbled around inside my head like a washing machine, wild and unruly. I had so many questions whirling around that I just couldn’t answer, not yet.
You see, I was in love. I was hopelessly, unimaginably, definitely in love and I had absolutely no clue how to tell Jughead. You would think it would be easy, telling my boyfriend I was in love but honestly, it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do.
Jughead and I tell each other everything and when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. Juggie told me how his dad came home every night wasted beyond belief balling his eyes out about how his wife and daughter left him and I told him about the darkness I feel inside of me that’s overwhelming at times and makes me do scary things. We have no secrets between us.
We are Jughead and Betty, Romeo and Juliet, so why is it so hard to tell my boyfriend, my little Juggie that I’m in love.
Pacing outside the picked white fence I began to psych myself up and told myself to quit delaying the inevitable and just do it. Just do it Betty, it won’t be that bad! Will it?
Smoothing out my pastel pink dress and tightening my signature ponytail, I take a deep breath and begin my way towards the front door of Archie Andrews house.
Each step closer felt like I was walking on rusty nails. My breathing became rough and uneven and I was sweating profusely but I couldn’t stop myself. My mind had lost all control and my body was taking me where I need to go.
At least someone knows that this needs to be done I thought to myself as I took the final step towards my inevitable doom.
Raising my hand, I balled my fingers into a tight fist and paused. Taking a slow breath, I knocked ever so quietly and waited for an answer. I unbaled my fist to reveal crescent shaped indents in the palms of my milky hands, blood beginning to spill from the moon shaped wounds.
Before I had time to even register what was happening, the door swung open to reveal Jughead clad in his signature crown beanie and ‘S’ t-shirt laughing at whatever his masculine redheaded friend had said moments before.
“Hey Betty, I didn’t expect to see you tonight!” Jughead smiled, wrapping his arms around my tiny frame. I breathed in his rich scent and gripped him as tight as I could as if I was afraid to let go. In a way, I kinda was.
Letting go, my eyes found themselves trailing the ground below, too scared to look up and face the scene in front of me.
“Betty, what’s wrong?” Jughead asked, his voice laced in genuine concern. God why is this so hard!? Just tell him already! I looked up to see that Jughead was staring straight at me with a look that could kill. I could tell he was stressed about my sudden quietness but I couldn’t help it, this whole situation was new to me!
“Look,” He started, placing two fingers under my chin and slowly lifting it to look at him. “How about we go inside and we can talk this out okay?” He offered sweetly.
I turned my head away and looked down at the floor. “No, no we can’t. Archie’s inside and I couldn’t bare for him to hear this!” I whispered suddenly aware that Archie could hear everything being said between Jughead and I.
“Okay, I’ll shut the door and then we can talk!” Jughead offered, giving Archie a sombre look and shutting the door softly.
Suddenly the air between Jughead and I felt too thin and we were too close together, I had to step back, I needed space!
Taking a few steps back I finally felt like I could breathe again. It’s time Betty. Just tell him how you feel and deal with the repercussions later. You can do this!
Giving myself the pep talk I needed, I was ready to tell Jughead just how I’m feeling. “Betty, you know you can tell me anything, yeah? I am always here for you, you know that!” Jughead says kindly as he takes off his jumper and places it over my quivering shoulders.
I had been so focused on rehearsing every little detail of this conversation in my mind that I hadn’t even realised I was freezing. He’s so considerate, bless his little soul. Wrapping my arms around myself, I take a deep breath to steady my nerves and begin.
“I know Jug, I know. I do have something to tell you though.” I looked up at him and saw a miniscule smile plastered on his usually brooding face, it was nice.
“God why is this so hard!” I cried! He was just staring into my soul with this innocent look that normally drives me crazy in a good way but tonight it just drives me crazy! Jughead could tell that I was struggling so he didn’t push and just waited until I was ready.
“We have been through so much Juggie. Jason’s death, the register, your family, my family, just everything has been so intense recently and I guess we just needed something, anything to keep us grounded. And that happened to be each other,” I started tears brimming in my eyes as my mind is flooded with memories of everything we have been through together. The good, the bad and the ugly.
“I’ve spent the last few days mulling over just exactly how I should start this conversation and I’ve come to the conclusion that I just need to say it because it’s been eating away at me for weeks!” I laugh as Jugheads eyes light up at the mention of eating.
“Betty, what is it? You’re really starting to scare me know!” Jughead pleaded. God this must be killing him, just do it Betty! Put the poor guy out of his misery!
“I’m in love, okay!” I yelled, covering my mouth at the sheer loudness of my voice. “I’m in love.”
Blinking away the tears in my eyes, I look up at Jughead who has the biggest grin on his face. It’s so big that I’m afraid his face may crack!
“Oh Betty,” He starts taking a few paces towards me and takes my hands in his, “Is that all that’s been bothering you? Oh you are just too funny Betty Cooper! You have nothing to be afraid off because I lo-“
“No you don’t get it!” I cry, ripping my hands away from his. “I’m in love…
…with Archie.” I whisper, so quiet that I am afraid I may have to say it again.
As if on cue, thunder rolled through the dreary sky and flashes of lightning lit up night as the skies opened up from above and began pelting down buckets of rain onto us.
“You-you’re what?” He says, voice cracking half way through.
“With everything that’s been happening recently with you and your dad and me with my family, I’ve realised that I’m still in love with Archie, I’ve always been in love with Archie.” I cry, tears running down my face, blending in with the rain.
I look up at Jughead who looks absolutely broken. A twang of guilt overcomes me as I begin to sob.
“Say something, anything Juggie! Whatever pent up feeling you’ve held in all these months unleash it! Destroy me, tear me a new one, rip me to shreds, annihilate me I don’t care just say something!” I yell over the harsh rain.
Suddenly Jughead mumbled something but the austerity of the rain refrained me from hearing it.
“What? Juggie I can’t he-“ I began but was suddenly interrupted by Jughead ripping off his beanie and throwing it on the waterlogged ground.
“Don’t call me that!” He yelled. “Do not call me that name, only people who care about me get to call me that!”
“I care about you Juggie- Jughead, sorry. I like so much about you it’s insane! I like that you’re smart, funny, talented but…” I stopped, not knowing exactly how to finish the sentence.
“You see but that’s the problem isn’t it, you like me… but I love you!” He cried, voice void of any emotion. “And I wanna be somebody who thinks about me the first thing in the morning and the last thing at night! (A/N: Props for anyone who can tell me what TV show this comes from!!) I thought that that person was you Betty but… You and Archie deserve each other!” He yelled ready to storm off but I grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards me.
“Don’t say that Jug!” I tried to reason with him. “What? What do you expect me to say? Thank you? Oh thanks heaps Betty for telling me that you are IN LOVE WITH MY BEST FRIEND!! THANKS HEAPS, REALLY, BEST NEWS I’VE HEARD ALL DAY!” He screamed sarcastically, his dry sense of humour would normally have made me laugh but in this instance, it wasn’t the least bit funny.
“It doesn’t have to end like this Jughead! We can still be-““Don’t you dare say friends Elizabeth because that is the last thing I want to be, your friend. I would much rather have a fate worse than Jason’s then be your friend. I thought I knew you but it turns out, you and Archie are just like the rest of them, pathetic, conceded and dead to me” He finished with a whisper, like all of the energy had been sucked out of him.
“Don’t blame Archie Jug, okay? He has nothing to do with this, this is all me!” I say gesturing between myself and Jughead as I finish.
“What do you want me to do Betty? Thank him for taking my girlfriend from right under my nose?”
“No just… just don’t do anything okay? And don’t tell anyone please! I’d hate for this to get out!” I said, instantly regretting my choice of words.
“Oh sorry Princess, I’d hate for word to get out that little miss prissy over here had feelings for ass hat Archie Andrews. No, we wouldn’t want that would we!” Again with the sarcasm, a Jughead specialty.
A silence had filled the air, both of us too exhausted to continue fighting yet not wanting to stop. I took this time to examine just how badly I had treated Jughead. There in front of me, stood a boy with puffy red eyes, running his hands through his hair which I know was in hopes that the ground would just swallow him whole. I am sure I wouldn’t mind the same thing happening to me right about now.
Jughead suddenly began walking towards you. As he began to get closer, you noticed his teary eyes and blotchy face, something you didn’t notice before. Oh my god I’m the worst human being in the world. I wasn’t sure if Jughead was coming over to hit me or hug me so I just stood still and waited.
Jughead was so close I could feel his warm breath on my cool skin. Suddenly, Jug reached into the pocket of his jacket which I completely forgot I was still wearing. Emerging from the jacket pocket was a beautiful silver charm bracelet which carried various charms upon it. I am the devil, the actual devil oh god!
“You know, I was going to give you this tomorrow for our anniversary but I guess I won’t be doing that anymore. Who knows, maybe Archie can give it to you instead?” He sighed, dropping the bracelet onto the floor beneath him.
Taking his jacket off of my fragile frame, Jughead sighed and looked as though he was about to walk inside. As he turned to leave me out in the pouring rain, the front door opened to reveal the red headed wonder which was Archie Andrews.
“Everything all good out here Jug? Betts? Woah! It’s pouring rain out here, you guys are gonna get sick, come inside!” Archie offered, concern plastered all over his beautiful face. I couldn’t help the small smile that found its way onto my face at the sound of his worry for my health.
Jughead looked at Archie and then back at me and then back to Archie again. It was like he was having a war within himself on what to do next.
“I thought was had something special Betty, something powerful and real… But it turns out that feeling was completely one sided. I’m sorry that you wasted time on me with this sucky relationship but hey, you’re free now. Go run off with Archie and do whatever soul mates do, I hope it was worth it.” Jughead finished, tucking his hands in his pockets and pushing past me to get as far away from me as he possibly could.
Before he could go I realised something, “Juggie, wait!” I called out and chased after him although he hadn’t gotten very far. He turned around, a glimmer of optimism shone from his eyes in the hopes that this was all a joke and I was going to take him back.
“You um, you forgot your beanie.” I said shyly, extending my arms out for my former lover to grab. This beanie meant the world to Jughead. It was his safety net, his life line, his everything.
“Keep it. It’ll be a constant reminder of what we could’ve been. Goodbye Betty.” Jughead said as he turned away and made the long journey home, where ever that was now.
Looking down at the beanie in my hands I now realised the damage I have caused. Jughead gave me his beanie, the kid never leaves home without it.
A sob escaped my lips as my knees buckled causing me to fall to the ground, hugging the beanie ever so tightly as I balled my eyes out.
What have I done? I may have just lost the best thing that has ever happened to me and for what, some crush on a guy who has blatantly told me he doesn’t like me?
I stayed there for ages, crying, screaming, regretting everything that went down between Jughead and I but it was too late. The deed has been done, I have to live with the consequences of knowing that I have just lost the one constant in my life, the one person who loved me for me.
We were Jughead and Betty, Romeo and Juliet but now, I was just Betty, the girl who sacrificed everything for love, even if it meant hurting the one who loved her.
I am so sorry Jughead, what have I done?
