In was an unseasonably warm and calm night in an uncharacteristically exciting year for Riverdale. Jughead's best friend, Archie Andrews, had also decided that tonight would be the night they'd head out into the woods. He'd been collecting beers from his dad, one or two at a time, and Archie had amassed quite the superabundance of intoxicants. For some reason, the redhead had decided that tonight was the night he and his friends would drink them. Clearly, a midnight fire in the woods was the perfect companion to teen drinking.
Jughead, perpetually uncomfortable with intimate and illicit gatherings afterhours, drank his bottles very slowly. When they were all a few beers in, Veronica suddenly decided that mere conversation bored her.
"We should play a game," she pronounced.
"Like what?" Archie asked, eager to hear what the brunette had to suggest.
"Like Porky Pig."
"What's that?" Betty asked.
She began to explain. "It's this game we played all the time at my old school. One person is the subject, and everyone else has to give one word to describe them. When you run out of people from the group, you can start over or just substitute someone the whole group would be familiar with, like the principal or Tom Hiddleston or whoever. Or you can keep it within the group and give each round categories, like one word that pertains to person x and school. Only that would be boring. The real fun comes with scandalous categories. It's kind of like a poor man's Apples to Apples."
"Okay," Archie said. He smiled.
Betty gave Veronica a worried smile. "It kind of sounds–"
"Don't worry about it, Betty. No one is going to say anything bad about you." Veronica read the uncertainty in Betty's face and dismissed with a turn of her head.
Jughead could tell she knew it was never really a good idea to hear what people truly thought of you. He respected her more every time he was forced into their shared atmospheric orbit around Archie.
"Who should go first?" Archie asked.
"Ooh, Juggy first," Veronica decided happily. "Everyone has to think of one word to describe him."
So I'm out of the way.
Betty looked at him thoughtfully.
He looked away uncomfortably. He was sure she could see him blushing.
"Quiet," she pronounced happily.
If you only you could hear all the stuff I can't say.
"No, no, stupid," Veronica laughs. "You can't say it out loud. Guessing is part of the game."
"Oh." Betty's whole face had already been pink from the beer, but it turned redder when Veronica poked fun at her inexperience with the game.
"It's fine. We'll come back to Jughead. Think of a new word in the meantime, Betty. Now, let's start with," her mouth drew out her last word, "how about me?"
"How are they going to guess the words if we don't say them?" Betty asked.
Veronica produced her phone and opened it to a blank 'notes' page. "You'll each type your word on here. I'll close my eyes so I can't see who is typing." She placed her unlocked phone in the middle of the circle but away from the fire and closed her eyes.
When everyone finished imputing their words, Veronica opened her eyes and took her phone. "Let's see, 'conspicuous'–"
It had taken every ounce of Jughead's will power not to write ostentatious.
"Not even sure I know what that means. Must be our resident author," she looked at him and he spread his hands as if to say 'guilty.'
"Next is 'exciting' – must have been you, Arch. And, why Betty, 'glamorous?' Thank you."
"You got every word right," Archie said, clearly impressed with her deductive reasoning skills. "Do you win anything?"
"No," she said as she flirtatiously picked up his bottle, "but everyone else has to drink."
He took it from her with a big grin and downed the rest of it. Jughead noticed Betty look away and take a small sip of her drink. He could see why she wouldn't want to watch their interactions. Archie's eyes practically sparkled when he gazed at Veronica.
"You next, Archie. Close your eyes."
He did as Veronica bid and soon it was his turn to read from the phone.
"Staunch," Archie's eyebrows drew down comically. "Was the first one you, Jughead?"
Jughead watched the way Betty's eyes drew down. Archie really didn't know her very well. "Nope, sorry," he said glibly.
"The next two are 'basic' and 'macho.'" This made Archie chuckle. "Did you just call me 'basic,' Jughead?"
"It's the lifestyle you've been living, buddy," Jughead consoled his friend.
"That must mean – did you choose 'macho,' Veronica?"
She nodded. "Yes, but you still have to drink for getting the first one wrong."
He downed the rest of his beer and popped the top off another bottle against the trunk of a tree next to the log circle they'd constructed.
"Betty, it's your turn," Veronica said.
She closed her eyes obediently.
Jughead saw Betty's face fall a little as she read from the list. "'Consistent,' 'invariable,' and –" her brow furrowed.
Gorgeous, fun, sweet – how could I choose just one?
"I think the third word got accidentally autocorrected. It doesn't make any sense," she said about the jumble of letters on the third line.
"I have to get going," Jughead announced. "Sorry, guys. You know the drill."
They were used to his abrupt departures and didn't question it too much, but Veronica did boo him as he got up. "Don't forget to put out the fire. Seriously, the last thing this town needs is an arsonist."
He took off through the woods. It wasn't a terribly long walk back to the safety of the Pop's Diner lights, but before he'd gone halfway, he heard steps behind him. With a murderer still at large, he couldn't deny the fear that pounded in his chest.
"Wait! Jughead?"
His heart started pounding for a different reason. "Betty?" he called out.
"Hey." She was a little out of breath when she caught up to him. "You forgot your hat. Archie told me to give it to you tomorrow, but I thought you might like it back tonight."
She was right. He'd have traveled back there hours later alone in the dark to look for it if he'd realized he'd forgotten it. Murderer or no murderer.
"Extemporaneous," she said as he took the hat from her.
"What?"
"My new word for you. Not so much in the common sense, but from–"
" –the latin ex tempore–" he continued.
"–meaning "out of the time," they finished together.
They had Latin together. He smiled at her. She'd found the perfect word.
"I thought it kind of implied spontaneity and cleverness and–"
"Perfect," he said finally. At her confused look, he explained, "My word for you. I mean, it's not the perfect word for you, but it's everything, which is what you are."
"Sure you're not talking about Veronica?" Betty asked with a laugh.
"I am. Sure, I mean." Jughead assured her.
"Well, thank you, Jughead. Still, it's not like 'invariable' competes with 'macho' or 'exciting.'"
"You shouldn't –" Jughead stopped himself, not knowing what to say. "I mean, I'm a writer and I still can't name all the ways I–"I love you"–I appreciate you, Betty. Archie and Veronica are probably the same way."
She smiled at him and it lit up his soul. "Speaking of," she punched his shoulder, "when are you going to let me read what you're working on?"
And her eyes are so sweet, so sincere. There's no way she didn't mean what she said. It made Jughead love her more. Never with a side of when hell freezes over. "Maybe when it's finished," he said.
"Seriously, I'd love to read it someday, Jug."
"Okay," he said and placed his hat on its rightful place atop his head.
She gave a worried look back the way she came.
"You should get back to the group." Jughead understood perfectly what she was feeling. It was the same thing he felt whenever he saw her and Archie sitting alone in a booth or walking to school.
"Okay, see you later, Jug!"
"Bye Betty."
He watched her go.
A/N: I don't know if there really is a game like this, because I made it up, but I'd love to know if there is!