"You know what you did!" Only in sixth grade, Jughead gestured at Archie that this conversation was over.
Archie stared back blankly wanting to apologize again, but not knowing how to put his feelings into words. "C'mon, Jug...are you serious right now?" Slamming his locker door shut, Archie knew he was serious.
Five long years passed by with scores unsettled, friendships bungled, and things getting complicated. They were in high school now. These were supposed to be the best years of their young lives.
"Cheryl...can I talk to you?" Elizabeth Cooper shyly got up enough courage to confront the fiery head-cheerleader.
"Listen, Lizzie Borden, you may have all the other poor saps fooled, but not moi. I can see what goes on in that scheming little brain of yours. We are more alike than you know, Betty."
"It's not about Polly or Jason..." Betty was annoyed.
"What then?" Cheryl seemed legitimately interested for a brief moment.
"What do you think about the way Jughead has been acting lately? Pretty weird, right?" Betty began to blush and grind her shoe into the hard girl's locker room floor like she was juicing an orange.
Cheryl, distracted by her phone, looked up at the behest of one of her minions pointing out Betty's demeanor. "O M Gosh...looks like Nancy Drew has a crush on Riverdale's resident Edgar Allan NO! Does he ever take off that stupid hat? I thought you were still wayward pining about Archie Andrews! Speaking of, have you Vixens seen Archie's dad lately?" Cheryl purred.
"Eww, gross!" The River Vixen consensus was met with Cheryl's disapproving stare.
Embarrassed, Betty became defensive, tightening her ponytail. "It's not like that...I mean...uh...What I was saying was...you haven't heard anything, have you?--About Jughead?"
"Mr. Forsythe Pendleton the 3rd?--Why don't you go ask Veronica's 'best gay' Kevin? Or don't you guys hang out as much anymore? Maybe he has the inside skinny on FP3. Or just walk up to the hobo himself?"
"Cheryl..." Betty lost her confidence. "C'mon...you aren't going to TELL Jughead that I've...noticed him, are you?"
"I'll keep your secret, Betty Cooper...but in return you and your detective agency may be asked to do a favor for me one day..."
Betty left the locker room regretting the whole interaction. Cheryl's minion standing near a vending machine texted one Veronica Lodge a single emoji. The message was received.
"I will be expecting you to have read 'Romeo and Juliet' in its entirety by Monday, class. There WILL BE a quiz, so if you skim it, I WILL KNOW." The bell rang, and Jughead Jones breathed a sigh of relief shuffling his disheveled shoes across the floor. Finally he could eat lunch. He was starving. Ethel Muggs and her bookbag obscured his view of the only stimulating thing about this English Literature class--Betty Cooper. Five long years ago, Archie Andrews had stood in his way. Everything had been wrong back then. He wasn't ready like he was now. Archie had been so wrong about so many things in those days. But he was right about one. Betty WAS perfect--and Archie would never be good enough to appreciate all that she was. Closing his literature book and biting into a spare burger, he knew that his 'grand gesture' would have to be BIG. Seeing Archie and Betty making eye-contact in the hallway after lunch, he knew his grand gesture would have to be SOON--very soon. Where could he get a ladder long enough?