#serpent jughead

[shai-thai]

What's the worst dialogue line from Riverdale?

Don't be shy.

You can tell me.

[summerlovingbaby]

A Serpent Never Betrays Their Own PART 1

 “ I told you, she was a no good, dirty liar.” Betty yelled, pointing a finger at Y/N.

“ If you’d just let me explain.” Y/N begged, her voice was quiet and meek. It sounded scratchy, like she had fallen ill recently. Her eyes were sunken in and she had a slight limp, she just looked so sad.

“ WHAT IS THE FIFTH LAW?” FP’s voice boomed and echoed within the room.

“ A SERPENT NEVER BETRAYS THEIR OWN.” A room of voices yell as loud as possible.

“ I’ll see myself out.” She muttered, shedding her leather jacket and setting it down on a nearby barstool. She started to leave, when FP stopped her. Her heart skipped a beat, hoping that someone would finally let her explain.

“I’ll drive you home.” He muttered, and following her out the door.

The car ride on the winding dirt road, through the forest was surprisingly calm and sweet, at least for Y/N, who looked slightly lethargic. FP who looked angry and upset and slightly disappointed, but Y/N seemed not to mind. She looked oddly at piece, her head was leaning back on the headrest and her eyes were starring out of the window. She was watching the trees float by, it made her feel happy. To be honest, it was the first time in a while that she felt calm, and she was enjoying it. It was quiet, that calm sort of quiet, like the sound of a heartbeat.

“ When I die, don’t put me in a box. I get claustrophobic.” She said breaking the quiet.

“ What, I’m not planning to kill you. I’m just gonna take you home, thats all.”

“ I mean it, don’t put me in a casket. Y’know what just cremate me, but don’t put me in a urn, that’s still a box.”

“ Y/N, what are you talking about?”

“ Sprinkle my ashes somewhere outside, I like the outdoors. Put me in the river, I like water.”

“ Y/N-.”

“ Scratch that, I can’t swim, though that wouldn’t matter that much anyways. You know what, put me next to a tree, I like trees. Put me next to one, that smells nice, one with flowers next to the river. It would be a nice view. Who am I kidding, you’ll never find a body to burry anyway.”

“ Y/N, what is going on?”

“ Nothing.” She said snapping out of her daze. The car ride fell silent once again, until Y/N spoke. “ I’m sorry. Please tell them I’m sorry.” Her voice and breathing sounded less calm and more erratic. “ I didn’t mean for it to happen this way, and I thought I had it under control. I’m sorry.” Y/N whispered, she was holding back tears.

“ Y/N what is going on?”

“ Well, this is my stop. Tell Jughead I’m sorry.” Y/N said, her voice was quivering, and she was shaking, and before FP could grab her, she opened the door of the truck and rolled out. She rolled out of the car, and into the woods. FP stopped the car and got out of the car as fast as he could, but by the time he went around the car to look for Y/N, she had already scampered far into the woods, and was out of sight.

It was the next day, and despite the fact that Jughead was supposed to be shunning Y/N he couldn’t get her out of his head. He couldn’t stop thinking about the last time he saw her, how small she looked, and how big the bags were under her eyes, and how she had a slight limp. He couldn’t sop thinking about the phone call that he got from his dad. All he had to do was lay eyes on Y/N, just look at her to see that she was okay, and then he could stop thinking about her. But he didn’t see her. She wasn’t at school which was rare, because she prided herself on perfect attendance. He decided to bring up his concern at the serpent meeting.

“ I’m worried about Y/N.” He stated at the front of the room.

“ Why?” Sweet Pea asked.

“ She betrayed us.” Fangs repeated.

“ My dad called me, said she never made it home.”

“ What? He drove her.” Toni said glancing up.

“ Said she jumped out of the car, and ran into the forest.”

“ That’s odd.” Toni said, growing concerned.

“ He told me, before that she was going on about somebody killing her, and us not being to find her body.” Jughead said, his hands shaking from the stress of it all.

“ Why should we care, she’s been working with the Lodge’s, she betrayed us.” Fangs said growing annoyed at the constant mention of Y/N’s name.

“ I don’t think that’s the whole story. Come on think about it. I’ve known Y/N sense I was three, she’s only started lying to me about a month ago.” Jughead began, he started pacing about the front of the classroom.

“ So?” Toni asked.

“ So, don’t tell me you haven’t noticed, the bruises, the skipping classes, the dazed look, the constant zoning out . She flinches when people make sudden  movements. That’s odd. Something is wrong, and we need to find out why. This may be nothing, and if it is I will eat my words. But if it’s not, and we’re not there to protect her, and figure out what is going on, and help her. Then whatever happens to her is on us.” Jughead said, he grabbed his bag and began to leave. “ If you don’t want to help, I completely understand, but I’m not going to stand here, and wait for something bad to happen to her.” He was almost out of the door, when he stopped dead in his tracks.

 “ WHAT IS THE FIFTH LAW?” Sweet Pea yelled.

“ A SERPENT NEVER BETRAYS THEIR OWN.”  The room echoed in unison.

“ Lets go get our girl.” Sweet Pea said. 

TAGLIST INFO

[jiara4ever]

I stopped watching Riverdale as soon as Bughead broke up and thank god I did what's actually happened to that show ?

[jugheads-beani]

You lived in Riverdale for a while, untill your family decided to move. Your mom got a really good job, that she couldn't pass up. You didn't want to move because that meant you would have had to leave your friends Betty, Archie, Veronica and so on. You gave them your number before you moved, so you could still talk to them. After about a year, your mom got really sick. She had ended up in the hospital, and was slowly dieing. You of course told your friends, but told them not to tell anybody, so they didn't. Sadly about three months of your mother being in the hospital, she has passed, painlessly. You're dad became and alcoholic, and an aggressive one at that. Any little thing you did wrong, your father would hit you, over and over again. At first it made you cry, but eventually you gust got used to it. You told your friends everything. But again, you told them not to tell anyone, so they didn't. Since your father was spend so much money on alcohol, without a job, you guys didn't have enough money to keep living where you currently were. So you moved back to Riverdale, but in a junky trailer park. Your friends were so happy you were back. Betty asked if you all could meet at pops. You all agreed.

*time skip to pops*

Bee, vee and Archie were all waiting for you outside of pops. You ran up and hugged them, you had a huge smile on your face. Untill you walked in. You saw your enemy Jughead. You never knew why he hated you so much. And because you are an overthinker, you always thought you have done something wrong. But you never wanted to ask him because you didn't want him to be rude to you.

"come on Y/N let's go sit down" Betty said.

"ok" you said not smile but not frowning either.

"Y/N? Is that really you?" Pop said, as he came to take your order.

"yeah, it's me! It's good to see you pop!" You say happily.

Jughead heard pop say your name, so he looked up to see you sitting with everyone. He stared for a minute before scuffing to himself, and rolling his eyes.

*time skip to your first day of school*

You weren't exited for today, because you have anxiety, and hate being in big crowds of people. Bee and vee were waiting for you by the doors, to walk you to your locker. You got to your locker, and started to put your things in it. Not long after jughead came to his locker to grab something.

"oh hell no" he said under his breath.

You turn around to see jughead looking at you with anger in his eyes. You knew very clearly what it looked like to have someone have anger in their eyes, because of your dad. In a way having jughead look at you angrily scared you, because you didn't want to get hurt.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, I'm in your way aren't I" you ask with a lump in your throat because you're afraid one, he'll humiliate you infront of everybody, or two he'll hurt you.

"Yeah, you are, now move before I move you myself. Hell, just leave the school no one wants you here anyways" he said moving slightly closer to you.

You now had water in your eyes, because when he said 'move before I move you myself' it scared you, you were so sure he was going to hurt you. He looked into your eyes noticing them water, and he could tell you were genuinely scared.

"i-I'm sorry..." You said moving out of the way. You go to the library to try to breathe and calm yourself down. As you left jughead had a bit of confusion and concern on his face.

"hey, why did y/n get so scared of me when I was just messing around... You know, like we always did..?" Jughead went to ask Archie.

"What exactly did you say to her...?" Archie asked cautiously.

"all I said was 'move before I move you myself'..."

Archies eyes got all wide, and ran to find you, because he knew about what happened to you and you're father. Jughead was left standing there wondering what he could have done. He didn't know exactly what he did, but at this point he knew he did something wrong.

Jughead went to follow Archie, as he went to go look for you. Archie eventually found you pacing around the library trying to control your breathing.

"Y/N I'm so sorry, it's ok, your going to be ok" Archie says. As he goes to put his hands on your shoulder to stop you from pacing, you flinch.

"slow down, I'm not going to hurt you, it's ok, just breath" he says pulling you in for a tight hug.

Jughead just stands there watching as you break down in Archie arms. *I did this to her. I am such a bad person* jughead keeps telling himself. He didn't like seeing anyone upset, let alone caused by him. Jughead hits the door frame and storms down the hall. He can't stop repeating bad things in his head.

You hear that jughead hit the door frame. You panic knowing your enemy just saw you in this bad of a state. You can only assume what kind of rumors he's going to spread. You begin to cry harder now, because you think you are going to get humiliated because of jughead.

Jughead's POV

I can't stop thinking about what I've don't to y/n I mean yeah I don't like her, but I didn't mean to upset her. I was only really just trying to mess around. We used to do that to each other before she left.

"hey... Uh Betty.... Is there something I don't know about y/n..." I ask Betty because I'm really concerned now.

"wh-what do you mean..." She asked as if she's trying to hide something.

" I was only trying to mess around with y/n, and then she got like a fear in her eyes, and they started to water. She stuttered and walked away with hitched breathing. I told Archie and he immediately ran to go check on y/n. I followed him and saw her crying, and she couldn't breathe. I left because I couldn't stand to see her that upset... because of me" jughead said with a really concerned voice.

"what exactly did you say to her...?"

"move before I move you myself..."

Betty's eyes shot up to look at me, in kind of a disappointed/worried look.

"she's going to hate me for telling you but-"

She was cut off by the school bell.

"I'm sorry I have to get to class, I'll tell you later..." She said walking off.

Back to 3rd person POV

While jughead was in class, he couldn't stop thinking about what happened. You arrive to the class jughead was in. The only seat that was available was one that was right next to jughead. You let out a sigh and go sit down. You begin to bounce your leg because you are anxious. Jughead noticed and he feels bad. He doesn't want to touch you because he doesn't want to scare you.

"we have a new student today, why don't you come up here and tells us about yourself?" The teacher says to you.

Everyone turns to look at you. This sends you straight back to a panic. You are now breathing heavily. The only thing you could think about is what your father has done to you. and you hated talking in front of people. You see people whispering, and you know it's about you. You begin to get shaky. You look around the room with water in your eyes. Jughead sees. You get up and leave the classroom trying to make it to the bathroom to calm down. But your panic attack has gotten too bad. You end up falling on the floor because you are too shaky to walk. Back with jughead he sees you leave, and he knew you were having a panic attack. He knows how to help someone calm down, so without thinking, he goes and follows you.

Since you fell in the floor you kicked yourself up against the locker, your knees to your chest crying, shaking, unable to breathe. You feel a hand on your shoulder.

Jughead finds you and places a hand on your shoulder.

"hey, hey, hey, shhhh, it's going to be ok. I got you, I won't hurt you. Listen to my breathing" he says pulling you into a very tight hug.

It was surprisingly comforting. You forgot about what happened earlier. So you just stayed in his grasp. You finally begin to calm down. Your breathing is back to normal but you are still shaking, and crying.

"wh- why are y- you helping m-me...?" You ask as you remember what happened earlier.

"y/n listen, I'm sorry about what happened earlier, I didn't mean to upset you. I was just messing around with you. I didn't mean it... Can you tell me what's going on please...?" He asked genuinely concerned.

"I- I just have social anxiety, I hate talking in front of people" you say trying to avoid his real question.

"y/n you know what I mean... Why did what I said effect you so strongly...?"

You get a flash back.

If you ever tell anyone what is done to you, I will kill you. Better yet, I'll tie you up, stop feeding you, and watch you suffer, a slow agonizing death.

Out of flash back

"i- I can't, I'm sorry. But... How do you know how to deal with panic attacks so we'll...?" You say trying to get to a new subject.

He just stairs at you for a second. "... Well, my mom and dad would get in huge fights. And my little sister Hates yelling, so she would come to me having panic attacks. So I would help her, I'd put in music on headphones, as high as it could go, lock the door, and rub her back, letting her know everything was going to be ok... That's if I wasn't involved in the argument"

You just look at him, now feeling bad for him and his sister. "How- how often is this...?" You as now worried for him and his sister.

"... usually on a daily basis... But don't worry about that, it's ok, I know how to deal with it. I promise. But should we get back to class? Are you ok to go back?" He asked in a soft tone.

You sniffle "I'm sorry that happens to you, but yes let's get to class"

You guys both head back to class. (You aren't crying or shaking anymore)

TIME SKIP TO AFTER SCHOOL

You were sitting on the bleachers outside crying looking at a necklace your mom gave you before she passed away. Jughead come up slowly once he saw you crying.

"hey... Y/n..." Jughead asked cautiously.

You quickly wipe your tears, hide the necklace and look over at jughead.

"y- yeah, I'm in your way again I'm sorry, I'll leave" you say grabbing your stuff to leave.

"hey, woah, no, stay your ok. What was that, that you were holding?" he asked with a slight smile.

"oh uhm, its- it's a necklace my mom gave me..." You said tearing up again.

"oh that's cool! Uhm I know we didn't have the best of time meeting again earlier, but, if you want to, you can come back to my place...?" Jughead asked. You would have expected his offer, but just then you remember you are supposed to be home by a certain time. If you weren't, your dad was going to beat the shit out of you.

"I'm so sorry jughead, I would, but I seriously have to get going!" You say nearly running after grabbing your stuff.

Leaving jughead just watching you leave. He knew this time he didn't say anything wrong, so he didn't know why you just ran off like that. So he decided to just go home.

Time Skip To When You Get Home

You are walking up the stairs of the run down trailer you live in. You hesitate to open the door, because you know what's going to happen. You open the door, and immediately see at least 5 bottles of alcohol just sitting around. You knew it was going to be a long night.

"HEY, YOUR LATE, AGAIN, YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS YOU BRAT! GET OVER HERE!" he screams slurring over his words because he is drunk out of his mind. You walk over there looking down.

"HEY LOOK AT ME WHEN IM SPEAKING TO YOU, YOU FUCKER!" he yelled grabbing you by the hair so you look up at him. You wince in pain while looking at him.

"I'm sorry" you said softly.

"I didn't hear you say sir after that! REPEAT YOURSELF! he screams, his grip tightening in your hair.

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again sir" you said, on the verge of tears.

"now for your punishment. You are not going to eat anything here, or at school for a week and a half!" He yelled, nearly throwing you across the room. You trip and hit your back on the wall, knocking a picture down, and it shattered.

You look up in fear. You see him coming at you. He grabbed you by your arm and threw you down on the floor. "YOU FUCKING ASS HOLE! YOU MAKE A MESS IN HOUSE AGAIN AND ILL KILL YOU!" he screams. You now crying in pain on the floor.

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!" he yells.

"yes sir" you said struggling to speak.

"I didn't hear you!" He said in an angrier tone, but a bit quieter.

" YES SIR! IM SORRY SIR, IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN SIR" you yell crying, because you are scared and in pain.

He throws a bottle of alcohol at you, and it shattered. A piece of glass ricocheted off the wall, and slammed into your arm, making you wince in pain, once again. Now crying harder.

Suddenly you hear the door open, and see your dad being held up against the wall by someone. That "someone" had a knife at your dad's throat.

Jughead's POV

When i was on my way home. I heard yelling and things breaking in a trailer right by mine. First thing that came to my mind was that it might have been construction...? No it couldn't be, why would there be yelling. I then realized that it was a scream crying. So i went to go see if everything ok, because I didn't want anyone to get hurt. Iay be rude verbally, but I'm not going to let anyone get hurt.

I went to the trailer where the yelling was coming from. I looked through the window, and saw y/n on the floor, crying, blood dripping from her arm, and her dad hovering above her, yelling at her. I had enough of seeing this. I kicked down the door, and pushed Y/n's dad against the wall, holding my knife at his throat.

"Did you tell him what I've been doing to you?!" Her dad said looking at her. I put my knife closer to his throat.

"n-no i- I didn't t-tell any- anyone" she said studdering over her words because she was having a panic attack, and couldn't breathe.

"What have you been doing to her!" I yelled in her dad's face.

"haha, I knew she was a slut all along, your probably her boyfriend aren't you" he said. Which really pissed me off.

"ANSWER MY GOD DAMN QUESTION! WHAT. THE. HELL. HAVE. YOU. BEEN. DOING!" I yelled applying more pressure to his throat.

"isn't it obvious, I've been punishing her. She got home late, broke a picture, and then didn't obey what I have told her to say" he said with a devilish look on his face.

I dragged her dad outside, and tied him to a chair so he couldn't get away.

Third person, pov after everything that just happened

Jughead ran back inside, and dropped to his knees to care for y/n.

Y/n was having a really bad panic attack, and in severe pain. She was shaking, so unbelievably much. And she literally couldn't breathe. And the crying she was doing, wasn't help the situation.

Jughead pulled her into his lap, and hugged her tight. And eventually it did help calm her down. Once she was able to breath a little better, jughead picked her up, taking her over to jughead's trailer, to get the glass out of her arm, and so she would hopefully feel safer.

Y/N'S POV

I was still crying and shaky, but I could breath a little bit better after getting the comfort of jughead. Once he carried me to his trailer he placed me on the counter. He put on gloves and put some numbing lotion on my arm were the glas was.

I was surprised he knew how to do all of this. But I was glad he did know. He pulled the glass out of my arm, and bandage's it up.

At this point, I wasn't crying, but I was still shaking.

He carried me to the couch and places me down gently. He went to the kitchen, and came back with a snack, water, and a few selections of movies.

This made me smile. I accepted the water, and the movies, but I didn't feel like eating. He helped me put the movie in, and he was about to leave.

"w- wait, jughead, where are you going? I can't just stay in your house..." You say

"it's fine y/n, you can stay here. I have to take care of something, but make yourself at home, please!" He said with a faint smile. So I felt warm inside, and a little happy.

I had a feeling I knew where he was going, I think he was going to go deal with my dad. I know it's wrong to think, but at this point, I didn't give a shit what happens to him.

While watching the movie, I drifted off to sleep by accident.

The next thing I knew, I was in a bed, all tucked in. I realized it wasn't my house. I slowly got up, and looked to see what was going on, because I had forgotten what happens last night.

I walked out in the living room to see jughead sleeping on the couch. I felt bad because I had technically just taken his bed. But I didn't necessarily want to leave, because I knew he would have been worried, if he went to go check on me and I wasn't there. But I also didn't want to wake him up, so my only option was to go back to sleep.

The next morning, you woke up, late for school. So in a panic you shot out of bed. But not long after I was stoped.

"woah, you aren't going to school today, and neither am I, just go lay back down, you need rest" jughead says.

"but jughead, I can't just keep you from going to school, I don't want to be the reason that you are behind, and possibly in trouble-" you were cut off

"this was my choice y/n not yours, I want to stay home, and watch over you. And there is no getting out of staying here" he said getting up and walking you back to the bathroom.

"ok, I suppose I could stay hom- here today, I am quite exhausted, but I'm not going to take your bed again, it's your not mine" you say leaving the bedroom.

"ok, of that's the only way I can get you to stay, then I'll agree to that. By the way, you don't have to worry about your father anymore, he's taken care of, and you are staying with me and FP" he said

Knowing that I didn't have to deal with my father anymore, gave me a smile, and I was kind of happy to live with jughead, and I don't know why. But I have no idea who "FP" is.

"are you sure I can live here? I'll get a job and everything to help pay for rent! Also who's "FP"" you ask.

"first of all, you don't have to do anything to live here, you just have to be safe. And we already paid the trailer off, so there is no need for that. FP is my dad. Don't worry, he doesn't drink anymore, and if he decides to come home one day drunk, I'll take you to the whyte whyrm (I don't know if I spelled that right) where all my buddies will look after you. I have this all under control, you don't have to worry about a thing" he said

Him saying that made me really happy. I smiled a big genuine smile, I don't think jughead has seen my actual smile before.

"thank you jughead, this means a lot to me, a lot more than words could ever say" I told him.

He just smiled back at me, and went back to whatever he was doing, and I fell back asleep.

Y/N'S POV

After I woke up, I rethought about what happened again last night. It made me genuinely happy, so I smiled to myself.

"Someone woke up in a good mood this morning, how'd you sleep?" Jughead asked.

"I slept good, I felt... Safer..." I say

"I'm glad you feel safe here" jughead says with a smile.

For a while I just lied in bed, really just thinking. About all sorts of things. I finally decided to get up. I go down stairs and get some breakfast. I just made a bowl of cereal.

"hey... Uhm... Y/n... Can I ask you something...?" Jughead asked, almost scared.

"yeah, of course, anything" I say with concern on my face.

"So, uhm- I- I know we started off on the wrong foot... I apologize for that. I never should have just assumed, and made fun of you. I don't want you to think I'm taking "pitty" on you, because I'm not, I know you don't like people who do that. I guess what I'm trying to say... Y/n... Will you be my girlfriend...? Jughead asks, fidgeting with his fingers.

I stand there trying to process everything he just said.

"Jughead i- I don't know what to say... I don't like commitment... But- I trust you" I say

There is a long pause

" yes, I'll be your girlfriend jughead" you say finally

He smiles, runs up, and kisses you. A long hard kiss. It was just as much your kiss as it was his. He held my face after the kiss, looking deep in my eyes. And I lean back in to kiss him. This time, it was a lot more lustful, and passionate.

This is you taking pictures of him after you guys got together.

[crazymisscarly]

Remember in Season 1 when Jughead joining the Serpents in his final scene was like an “ohhhh shit” moment??

[drowsyhades]

coming soon...

An Anchor Empty In Your Absence

An anchor can truly be defined as something, or someone, that physically, or metaphorically, holds another thing in place. It can be many different things, a heavy ball and chain or a delicate necklace. The thing about anchors is while you are given room to breathe, to move in life or in water, no matter what you are always, constantly, tethered to that anchor.

OR childhood enemies, straight edge Betty Cooper and Serpent king Jughead Jones, are thrown into a night alone in a run down motel with nothing but their hatred and burdening memories to keep them warm.

coming soon to AO3

UPDATE: it’s here!

——————————-

sooooo i wrote a one shot! believe it or not it’s actually finished i’m just trying to decide when the best time is to publish it since i’ve been gone for so long. bughead ain’t dead :)))

[srainebuggie]

First Taste of Love

Summary: 

Betty Cooper had it all in Phoenix, but after her parents send her to spend the summer in Riverdale with her grandparents and she meets Jughead Jones, she learns that maybe her life hadn't been as perfect as she thought. 

--

"Hi, boys." Her voice was soft as she leaned against the pool table. 

One of the boys was wearing a leather vest and a cocky smirk, "Who might you be?" 

"Elizabeth, but you can call me Betty." 

"We're not going to call you anything." The one who had been playing pool looked up after clearing the table. "Don't know if you got lost, but this is the Southside and a bar. You're a minor on the wrong side of the tracks." 

Scoffing, Betty pulled her ID out of her purse. "Not a minor." 

The man chuckled, "That's a fake. And horribly done, by the way." 

"You always this much of a buzz kill?" 

"No, I'm not interested in making me or any of my guys your boy toy to piss off Mommy and Daddy. Now, excuse yourself back to the other side of town."

"Excuse me? What the hell does that even mean?" 

"It means you're a Northsider rebelling against your parents for reasons I don't care to know, and none of us are going to help you do so."  

"You got a big mouth for a guy who has no idea what he's talking about." She took a step closer to him, her eyes burning with anger. 

"And you have no concept of personal space. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do with my time. I'm sure you can find your own way home." 

Read the full story on AO3!

[mrsren]

Chapter One;  bughead

I’m only posting here for a while because I don’t want to upload to AO3 until it’s done. This is really AU. You can basically disregard the entire show actually, lol. This is my first attempt at this ship, so opinions are welcome. 

Beta’d by @bugggghead and @lilibug--xx reassured me it was not garbage. I definitely wouldn’t be attempting this without them. 

Hope it’s enjoyable!

Good girl meets bad boy. She wants to change him—to fix him. In the end, it turns out that he’s actually good, too, but only for her. 

At least, that’s how those stories go. The teen melodramas that leave you staring at the screen muttering “what the fuck was that?”  High school cliches never turn out to be worthwhile in the end. 

That cliche is what crosses Jughead Jones' mind when a pretty blonde with a too tight ponytail walks into the White Wyrm. Her cardigan is knit, a pale pink that compliments the blush of her lips, and she shoulders her purse as if she’s expecting some big bad biker to snatch it. 

It takes him a second too long to rake his eyes all the way down the length of her body—pausing at her hips and then pulling back to her face. 

Her lips press together as she notices him, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She looks wildly out of place, and she probably knows it, but still, she doesn’t budge. 

“Northsiders,” Sweet Pea growls under his breath. “We’re beneath them until they need something.” 

It’s true, so Jughead can’t deny it. It’s a running thing, but this one—this one seems different. Even when there’s no way for him to know that for sure  because he hasn't actually spoken to her. 

“How long do you think it’ll take her to leave if we ignore her?” Sweet Pea drawls. “What—”

Jughead pushes away from the table, his teeth digging into his lower lip. “Call me curious.” 

“Sure,” he laughs. “It has nothing to do with the fact that she’s—” 

He doesn’t stick around to hear the end of the sentence. It only takes a few short steps to close the distance, and leather creaks at his shoulders as he tucks his hands into his pockets. “Lost?” 

Her lips part as she lifts a brow. “I'm curious, is that your standard greeting?” The corner of her mouth twitches and it looks like she’s fighting off a smile. 

Tragically, it induces one of his own. “One of them.”

Her fingers loosen on her bag, a weighted motion. Will she trust him enough to let go of it? To let her guard down? The answer is no, he thinks, because her eyes still drink in the entire bar, narrowing in a direction he doesn’t bother to look. 

It’s impossible to pull his eyes off of her. Jughead’s not particularly sure what that means, but it’s probably not a good thing. 

“What’s the other standard response then?” 

Tallboy’s looking at her, a crude leer spreading across his face, and Jughead’s stomach sinks. He slings an arm around her shoulders, yanking her flush against him. 

“Don’t,” he whispers into her ear, his voice a rasp that curls around her. “Don’t fight me. Don’t say a fucking word, got it?” 

She’s either a good actress or stupid because her shoulders fall in feigned comfort as she allows him to guide her out of the bar. The parking lot isn't ideal, so he leads her out back. It’s empty, the only other guests are the squashed cigarette butts littering the gravel. 

Righting herself, she glares at him, foot tapping and arms crossed. “Planning on telling me what that was all about?” 

“You don’t belong in a place like this. You stand out and people want to take advantage of that.” His back meets the wall. “What are you doing here anyway?” 

She huffs. “My name is Betty Cooper.” Fidgeting with her purse, Betty rips the zipper open. “Look, this is—coming here is out of character, even for me, but I’m not sure who else to talk to.” 

It’s the kind of thing he’s heard before, never directly, but it's always something like this that leads pretty, good girls into the Southside. “Protection isn’t really—” 

Her nostrils flare, and for a split second, he thinks she might punch him. “I don’t want your protection, alright?” Betty growls, taking a sharp step toward him as she presses a finger into his sternum. “But I need it.” 

Silence stretches between them. 

“That’s the shittiest plea for help I’ve ever heard.” 

She looks like she’s going to hit him, but she only glares at him. Instead, she looks over her shoulder, and he notices her fingers shake before she threads them tightly together.  “If you’re done, I can offer a little incentive. In fact, it’s the whole reason I’m in this mess in the first place.” She drags her fingers through her hair, pulling the elastic from her ponytail, creating a not completely relaxed look, but— “The Southside Serpents and the Ghoulies don’t get along, right?” 

He snorts. No, they don’t get along. Because that’s what it’s called when one of them carves into your skin and dumps you in a forest. “That’s putting it mildly, but no. We don’t,” tossing up air quotes, he continues, “‘get along’.” 

“I think one of them might have followed me, so I don’t have a lot of time before Archie comes to look for me. If there’s trouble, it’ll find one of us. Look, there was a murder on the Northside about a month ago, and police haven’t discovered anything—” Her voice drops, and the hushed tone is cute, except for the fact that it sounds like an accusal is forming on her tongue.  

Bristling, he straightens his spine, taking every inch of his near foot height advantage. “If you’re going to imply that the Serpents—” 

She clamps her hand over his mouth and he wants to bite it—just a nip, if only to see her reaction, but her words stop him before he acts. 

“It was the Ghoulies.” Betty’s hand falls. 

His eyes widen, just a fraction, just a fraction, and he hopes it’s dark enough to mask his surprise.

She notices though. 

“Why would you know anything about a murder?” 

Glancing over her shoulder, he can see the subtle way her fingers shake, and as she turns, he can make out small, crescent-shaped scars in her palms. “The police aren’t doing anything. They’re looking for a fast way to close the case, which is coming up with a scapegoat like the Serpents. To them, you’re just a catch-all. My mother is a reporter and I found the case file in her briefcase.” Right on time, she pulls a folder from her purse, pushing it against his chest. 

“You’re just giving this to me?” Grabbing the file, he watches Betty lick her lips. 

“I’m hoping you’ll help me, but if you don’t, I still think you deserve to know what’s in it. In unity there is strength, right? Well, as the leader of that particular charger, I figured you would be the one to talk to. There’s a Serpent named Joaquin and it looks like they’re going to arrest him for it. From what I’ve gathered, it looks like the Ghoulies planted the evidence.” 

Mind reeling, he flips it open, and finds a glimpse of Santos’ name. “You still haven’t told me how you know all of this. Do you have any concrete proof?” 

“No.” It means something that she seems to  answer honestly instead of lying, instead of saying she’ll hold out on answers until she gets what she needs or making up some story he could easily poke holes in. “Not of the murder anyway, but everything you need to keep yours safe. If you do decide to help me, I know where a stash of Jingle Jangle is and I can lead you to the lab. Not sure that will mean anything to you, but… maybe it does.” She shrugs. 

“How exactly did you…?” 

Betty’s lips twitch again. “I didn’t know he was a Ghoulie when I followed him, honestly. He wasn’t wearing anything to give it away, but I did follow him, and I saw him dumping things that belonged to Jason into the river.” 

“Jason Blossom?” Jughead breathes. “Did you know him?” 

“Enough to think he deserves more than what he got. Anyway, the Ghoulie saw my face. He was outside my house a few nights ago in the middle of the night. It’s probably only a matter of time before—” She breaks off, and takes a deep breath. “I can’t go to the police. They’re looking in all the wrong places, like I said.” 

His fingers curl around the file. 

She turns away before he can get a word out, and rounds the corner, leaving the alley before he can say anything at all. 

                                                    oOoOoOo

Her information checks out. 

All of it. 

The first thing he does is lock himself in his room in the trailer so he can flip through the file more thoroughly. She hadn’t been kidding. Everything about the murder of Jason Blosoom—which admittedly isn’t much—and everything that loops into the Southside Serpents taking the fall is there. 

He wonders who knows she has this, and then he wonders if it’s going to get her into even more trouble than she’s already in. 

The problem is, Betty Cooper’s definitely in way over her head. He thinks back to what she’d said earlier: “Coming here is out of character, even for me” 

He wonders just what she’d meant by that, and Jughead decides he’ll have to ask her the next time he sees her. It’s not a question of if he’ll see her again, rather a question of when—and where. 

She’s interesting, and that’s how it all starts.

                                                   oOoOoOo

Riverdale High is— 

“Betty?” Archie interupts her quiet, albeit panicked, train of thought. “When we went to the Southside, I thought you said on the way back that he wasn’t going to help you.” 

Her bag slips down her shoulder and her locker shuts with an audible snap. “What of it, Arch? I’ll figure it out. You know I always do.” 

He scratches the back of his head, red hair dropping into his face, and shakes his head. “Yeah, I don’t think you’re gonna have to do that anymore because...” 

The stickiness of her lipgloss irritates her as he still doesn’t offer anything beyond vague answers. “You’re not making much sense. So unless you’re planning to explain anytime soon, I’ll just be—” 

He catches her shoulder and shakes his head. “There’s some Southside Serpents outside, on the front steps. Seems like they might be looking for something—or someone.” 

Air rushes from her lungs, and the tiniest bit of hope blossoms in her chest. She shouldn’t get her hopes up, but it’s impossible. “Does one of them have a hat? A beanie?” 

He nods, and the hallways fill with chaos as students rush to their classes. “If you’re going, you should do it fast. The second Weatherbee sees—” 

She nods. “Right. I’ll text you later.” 

“Do you need me to come?” 

It takes less than a second for her to think of what a terrible idea that is. “No, I think I’ll be fine on my own. I don’t need you to protect me.” Her shoes squeak against the floor as she passes a wet floor sign, and she nearly shoves Cheryl out of her way. 

“Watch—” Whatever snide remark she makes is swallowed up by the crowd as Betty shoves the door open. 

Just like Archie said, there are three Serpents out front, all leaning against their bikes, dressed in leather, and ragged jeans that somehow complete a certain look. 

“Hello,” Betty says awkwardly. “I was only expecting to see one of you, if any.” Her steps slow as she approaches them, and the one she’s familiar with pushes away from his bike. 

“For this run, we’re gonna need more than just me. Nice school.” His eyes flick up to the top of the two-story building. 

Betty shakes her head. “Maybe on the outside, but the inside is just as rotten as the rest of this town.” 

“She’s not wrong,” one of the other two calls. He has broad shoulders, but there’s a sour look on his face, and she thinks she remembers him from the bar. “You know where it’s at then? Or were you bullshitting us so you could save your skin.” 

Lifting her chin, she rolls her eyes. “I do, but you’re not going alone.” 

“Not gonna offer to just tell us then? Impolite, don’t you think?” He stands a full head taller than her, maybe an inch more than the one she’d rather talk to, and there’s smug look on his face that she wants to knock off. 

Betty cocks her head to the side, taking that bait that feels like a dare. “Now tell me why I would just give up my ace if I’m not promised anything in return.” Glancing at Jughead, she asks, “So, are you going to help me then?”