She hasn't meant to end up on the south-side of Riverdale. Betty had had yet another argument with her mother and ran out in the rain, not even thinking of the direction she was heading. All she knew was that she had to get away before she violently dug her nails into her palms and said something she'd later come to regret. She was sick of her mother comparing her to her older sister Polly, constantly waiting for her to mess up somehow. It felt like daily, her mother was just waiting for her to be told that she is pregnant with Archie's child, not that Archie would even touch her. She felt so stupid, thinking about how she had convinced herself that she loved Archie for the first 18 years of her life. But now, she realizes that she just wanted an escape, and the boy next door was the only thing she had to cling on to, the only piece of normality in her life. She was such a god damn clique, maybe next she should go for the bad boy, just for the sake of completing the perfect image everyone else had placed upon her.

She sighed and sat down on the bus stop bench, not caring that the wet bench quickly socked her jeans. Betty took out her phone and checked the time.

11 pm

"Shit" Betty muttered under her breath, almost shocking herself with her language. Everybody who thought they knew her would be shocked, they assumed that she didn't use that kind of language.

Maybe her running away, without thinking about the direction she was going in was a bad idea. She suddenly realized how cold and wet she was, and more importantly how far away from home, in the bad area of town she appeared to be. She had never been to the southside, other than for her tutoring session when she was in high school. She opted to text Veronica.

Hey V, I'm in Southside, can you come pick me up? Don't ask how I got here, it's a long story and it begins with the word M. I'll tell you over a milkshake.

Betty hit send, feeling stupid over how many times she must fall back on her friends, and how many times they must sort out her feelings over milkshakes at Pops.

I'll be there in 20 minutes. Mine is a double chocolate. Is your Mother being a massive bitch again?

She put her phone back into her pocket. When is her Mother not being an overbearing bitch she thought? Why doesn't she just leave? She was 18 now, she could just leave home, make a new life in a different town. She knew her mother was sick and she couldn't just leave her like Polly had, perhaps that would be the final straw for her. She was jealous of Polly, she was in a town that she loved, far away from her mother with her twins and her husband Jason. She got to live the life that she wanted, a life that she was happy with, while Betty was stuck. Stuck in Riverdale, stuck working at the Riverdale Register, stuck with her mother. Stuck. Stuck. Stuck.

Her head fell, her soaked blonde hair fell down the side of her face. Water dripped from her hair, hiding the frustrated tears that were rolling down her face. This wasn't how she imagined her life once she had turned 18.

Betty heard a motorbike loudly coming up the road, she didn't think much of it. But as soon as she heard the roaring of the engine, it stopped as abruptly as it started.

"It looks like Cinderella is very far away from home and on the wrong side of town." Stated a deep male voice Betty couldn't place.

She looked up slowly, tears slowly rolling down her face and looked at the man before her. A tall man slowly got off his motorbike, taking off his helmet as he moved with purpose. Under his helmet, he wore a dark grey woolen crown that hid a mass of dark curls. He had eye bags that made it look like he hadn't slept in days, but Betty liked it. He looked at her and registered the tears in her eyes, as quickly as sympathy registered in his eyes, it disappeared.

"You do realize this is Serpent Territory right and I may be wrong, but you don't look like a Serpent." He smirked.

"I'm sorry, I got lost and now I'm waiting for a friend to come pick me up." Normally better would offer more fight to this over-confident pompous arsehole, but tonight she was tired. Her throat hurt from a mix of running too much and crying too much. Just for one night, she didn't need more conflict in her life. She let her head hang low again, willing him just to move on and her friend to come get her.

She felt a coat being wrapped around her shoulders and smelt the sweet smell of leather being wrapped around her, almost like having a safety blanket. A firm arm went around her shoulder, normally she would hate being touched by a stranger, but for just once, she welcomed it in the cold night.

"I'll wait with you. I do like my girls wet but not in this way. Call it a Serpent favor, keeping you safe and warm until your friend gets here. Just so you know, I won't be so kind to you the next time you're in Serpent territory." He said softly, she could feel his breath on her ear and could smell the scent of cigarettes. She closed her eyes and signed involuntarily. She heard him chuckle at her reaction and before she could respond and defend herself, she heard a car roll up beside them.

"What are you doing with a snake Betty? Get in the car quick." Shouted V over the heavy rain and the sound of her engine.

Betty jumped up and quickly handed the jacket back to the Serpent. She quickly mumbled her thanks and jumped into the car, hoping to never place her eyes on him again.

"The names Jughead, in case you were wondering." He smiled as he watched the car disappear. He looked down at the bench, where the mysterious crying blond once sat and spotted she had left her phone. His smile grew wider as he realized he had no choice but to see her again.