Hey everyone, this is my first time posting on here! Kind of a slow start for a story, but just want to get the first chapter out so I can expand and get comfortable writing everyday. Please review! All is appreciated!
Pulling his hat further over his ears, he shrugged further into his demin coat as the cool fall wind picked up. Trails of leaves crunched beneath his sneakers,
breaking the silence of the day. His heart raced beat a little faster as he turned the corner, the red door of her home in sight. "Home, what a funny thought"
he grimmly let go through his head. To pass the time, as if it wasn't enough to be running the Blue and Gold newspaper with her, Betty and Jughead had started their own local detective agency. It wasn't anything too deep and twisting, mostly lots of high school rumours looking for deeper proof. If anything, they'd done a lot of good exposing true morals within Riverdales teen couples, but he often wished they had something more exciting to follow than just gossip.
His heart was now racing as he faced the door, knocking twice before looking down at his shoes, preparing for the blue eyes that would greet him. And this did not mean Betty would be the one to answer. Sometimes it was her mother, Alices blue eyes, narrowed and hard, searching for answers to questions no one was asking. She would greet him with a forced, but perfect smile, reminding him to take off his shoes before he darted up to Bettys room. Sometimes it was Polly, glowing and smiling, 7 months pregnant and as eager to get him upstairs as he was himself. She had found her love, right here in Riverdale, and with it came the promise of another generation of Coopers. He felt like she could recognize the way he looked at Betty and would guide him inside announcing him loudly up the stairs to her little sister. Her dad had only answered a handful of times, a quick lookover and a simple opening of the door before turning on his heal back towards the study.
However, the door opened and he was graced with the pure presence that was Betty Cooper. A smile, a nod, and she had turned on her heel beginning her expected rant of the daily tasks and thoughts she had most likely been racing through her mind since the moment she woke up. He smiled, her brain was endless, her thoughts expanding to the moon and back. They met every other day for The Betty and Jughead Agencies meetings, reviewing emails and seeing if anything worth their nights had come to their town. If their was nothing that caught their eye, they would spend the afternoon reviewing articles they had for upcoming issues of the school newspaper. Much to Jugheads delight, Betty would flip on an old mystery movie on her laptop, as they sat in a comfortable silence reading over the others words. He knew there was something there, between them. So much time spent together, but Bettys mind could go every which way but towards feelings towards boys.
Her neighbor, and Jugheads best friend, Archie had been lucky to have receieved such attention from her million track mind. Though he hadn't let her down gently, they were all back to normal, spending most Friday nights after games at Pops, eating burgers and sharing tear jerking laughs. That's why Jughead had been happy to start up the agency, to help distract her and keep her smiling.
Betty was perfect. Much to her dismay though, she wished the pressure to be so wasn't there. Jughead recognized this, but she handled it effortlessly it seemed,
from the outside, he often felt guilty for seeing through her rose coloured glasses, seeing it not possible to mentally and emotionally be so...perfect.
Jug? Jughead!? Are you hearing me?
He looked up from his hands, having cupped them tightly, thinking about all the things he wished he would hear from her. Her eyes looked at him intensely, blue eyes wide.
Yeah, my bad Betty, just lost in my walk from earlier.
She pursed her lips, rearing up to start over again.
Well, pay attention this time Jugs, because this next mystery is knocking right next door.
They both looked through her window to the side of the house, which led straight to the view of Archies room, lights off and no movement to be noticed.
"What's going on with our beloved redhead? I know he's been busy, football and starting up that band of his, are you only concerned you haven't had your own private peepshow in awhile?"
He sniggered as she rolled her eyes and turned on her heel.
"My mind is far from the secrets beneath clothes and much more on the secrets hidden in this town Jughead, you should know."
He did know, and he smiled at her commitment to uncovering any and all mysteries, first and foremost.
"Anyways, I was getting home from school the other day, running a little behind talking to Principal Weatherbee about a possible tutouring arrangment.." she scrunched her nose up.
"What's the look for?" Jughead asked.
"We can talk about it later, you're side tracking me pretty hard today mister! Palming his forehead and laughing. "Anyways! I was getting home a little later then usual, and up the street was parked car. Inside sat our own Archie Andrews. Now, granted, I didn't witness anything incriminating, but the closeness of them and whatever conversation they were engaged in was obviously something heated! I mean, it's nothing that I can prove or put my finger straight on, but I do believe there is something intimate happening between those two!" she finished with a huge breath, staring up at the ceiling and he could tell she had gone back to trying to connect a million dots in her beautiful brain. He processed what she said, asking her calmly if she wanted to make this their new MO. "Have you even asked him about it yet, Betty? If we start snooping around, and do find something, I mean...the guy is our friend, he could feel a little offended we're investigating him without knowing, ya know? Plus, it might be considered a little too personal." wondering if the blonde wonder had really moved on.
She sighed, a kind of pout coming to her face. "You're right I suppose..I'll ask him,how his lessons have been going with her, try to look for a sign that anything else could be going on...in the mean time, you got anything good coming up for the paper!? I've been reading through these emails all day and nothings really jumping out at me" she looks down at her hands now, embarrassed she was so ready to jump on Archie and , without first talking to their friend.
"Ah, not too much. Mostly just trying to stir up revenue for the theater..." he trailed off, her eyes widening. "Oh shit, I nearly forgot they're trying to close that place down! That's a real bummer Jug! I know you damn near grew up in that place." They were referencing the local drive in of their town, a monument to cinematic history in their tiny little home. No one, not even his best friend Archie or the girl whom his heart lept for, knew that Jughead had been living in the upper floor of the theater. He wasn't much of a socialite but was hoping by putting out a few strong articles in the paper, he could save his home of the moment. Betty grabbed his hand and damn near slammed him to the floor next to her, hurling her laptop into her lap.
"How old is the theatre exactly? I mean, we could have a meeting with the mayor and see if we could conserve it as a historic landmark! She begin spinning her words away at the million and a half ways they could present themselves for the sake of the threatre."
He watched her in awe, sliding his laptop out on his lap and they begin creating a rough draft of everything from their presentation to the mayor to the artcile they would put in the blue and gold, to the artcile they could present to Bettys very own mother, who wrote for the towns local paper. This is why his heart pounded for this girl. It was beyond the perfection she tried to convince everyone of. It wasn't how her hair fell in perfect ringlets in her tight ponytail. It wasn't the way her lipstick matched her pink cardigan to her pink walls, her pink sheets. It wasn't even the kindness she showed every breathing thing. It was simply her brain, her thoughts and the way she processed the world, he hoped one day tbe apart of her thoughts, more then just the gray dot in her pink world. What a fucking sap I am, he thought to himself, smiling and settling down into the plush, pink carpet.
