Revelations

A Betty Cooper and Jughead Fanfiction

Riverdale Verse

"There is an ancient tribal proverb I once heard in India. It says that before we can see properly we must first shed our tears to clear the way."

Liba Bray

His eyebrow was raised when he felt the bottle in his hand. He knew the feel of medicine bottles. It reminded him of the large variety of these prescriptive drugs his mother used to keep on the shelf in the bathroom. Every time his father left, one would promptly be popped into her mouth.

"I'm fine Forsythe. Go and look after Jellybean for me, would you?" she answered when he innocently asked her for what she was taking the medicine.

"Betty, what is this.." He removed the bottle and read the name on the bottle. Performance enhancement pills? Betty, the sweet Betty he knew was taking pills to get good grades?

Betty was too busy typing out her newspaper report to notice Jughead rummaging through her bag. He had simply put in his hand in her bag in the first place to find a pen.

He walked towards the desk where she was working. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration and the pencil she held in her hand was being twirled around. How could this hardworking girl who never cheated be a fraud? He was too shocked and the hand which held the evidence was shaking with fear of having to confront her about her about it. But Jughead was not a cheater. He liked to play fair. If Betty was doping herself to the top then he needed to stop her.

"Betts, what is this?" he barely whispered placing the bottle on her desk.

Her eyes widened and Jughead swallowed the dry lump which was forming in his throat. He had been right. Betty Cooper, the gold daughter was a, a, a, fraud.

"Juggie, I can explain." she said grabbing the bottle and quickly shoving the bottle into her jean pocket.

"Betts, I thought you knew better than this." He mumbled.

"It's not what it looks like Jug. I swear to you. It isn't." she was practically begging him but for some reason he had shut his ears to any form of reason from her.

"I know that it is tough for you at home with your family but I never thought you of all the people would stoop so low. For what? Just to see that A+ on your paper?" He spat at her venomously. "I'm giving you a week to clean up your act Betts. If I see that damned bottle with you again or hear that you are still taking those pills, we go to Weatherbee."

"Jug, please!"

But he had already walked out. Betty crumbled to the floor with the bottle in her hands. Tears burning her eyes. Jug, please.

"Betty Cooper no means no. You are not stopping your prescription." Her mother said standing at the doorway of her room with her hands on her hips.

"But mom. It's cheating." Betty pleaded.

"It's not honey. Even if the teachers notice, your dad and I can just tell them that you have difficultly performing after what happened to Polly. Now isn't that the truth though? You saw how your grades fell when we took Polly away. You needed this Betty darling. Especially with college applications just a year away."

"It's still wrong Mom." Betty said choking from keeping back her sobs.

"Betty dear, don't question your father and my decisions. We have taken these decisions just to protect you and Polly."

A week's time was up and the bottle was still in her bag. She couldn't throw it away. If her mother found out that she had disposed the bottle, all hell would be let lose at home. She had been sleeping and eating erratically. Betty avoided Jughead as much as possible. She longer sat with him for lunch. When it came to work at the Blue and Gold, Betty would quickly finish off whatever work she had and run off home to escape his judgemental looks.

Today when she was about to get up from finishing her assignment, Jughead got up at the same time, ready to confront her.

"Did you get rid of it?" he asked coldly. His grey eyes were steel frigid and not the warm eyes she had gotten use over the past few weeks.

She avoided eye contact with him and began to walk out. His hand grabbing her wrist stopped her in her tracks. He was pretty strong Betty discovered when she tried to wring her hand out of his grasp.

"I might not be a jock like Archie but I grew up as the son of a gangster, Betty. I know a trick or two." His tone was suddenly threatening and Betty felt the fear running through her veins.

That's when the cold suddenly melted into concern. "Betts, what's wrong. Why are you taking that medicine?" He asked. "I didn't mean to threaten you. It's just you taking medicine reminded me of my mother and how she used to overdose herself. It was so scary. She would threaten me to get her new bottles of medicine since none of the medicine she took was prescribed to her. I stole Betts. I stole. Bottle after bottle from the store. It was the only way I could keep Jellybean safe. If I did not get her medicine, she would get into these rages where she would ... try to hit us."

Betty felt like crying. And she thought her family was bad. Sure, Alice and Hal Cooper were far from winning the best parents award but they never had to struggle for money or shelter. They were well fed and sure their parents were strict but Alice Cooper, however evil and cold she may be, had never struck her daughters.

"My mom makes me take the medicine. I have tried telling her so many times that I don't need it but she always armed with the Polly blackmail. Says I'll end up like Polly or that I need the medicine to help me get over Polly. I wanted to tell you this that day Juggie but you were so.."

"I was cruel Betty. I was such a fool. I doubted your character without giving you any room to explain yourself." He let go of her wrist and took a few steps back.

He picked up his bag.

"See you tomorrow Betts."

Betty collapsed into the chair. She was relieved that Jughead had been honest with her and allowed her to explain. But she felt bitter and incomplete. She had been expecting him to hug her and stroke her hair. Murmur a quick, "It' going to be okay."

Veronica's seventeenth birthday party was taking place in full splendour. Though Hermione Lodge's flat was comparatively small, she had all out by decorating the entire place up and ordering the loveliest of food. Veronica had only called a small group of friend: Betty, Jughead, Archie, Josie, Valerie, Mel and Kevin.

Betty was the only one not drinking in the group and she kept shooting nervous glances towards Jughead who was looking down and occasionally taking a swig of his beer.

Jughead had gotten up to take some food. The buffet had been placed in another room. Hermione was expecting her daughter to have invited many more guests and both the liquor and food was flowing in excess. Betty decided to follow Jughead into the buffet room. No one would even notice. Archie and Valerie were busy snogging in a corner wile Josie, Mel, Veronica and Kevin were gossiping and breaking out into song.

Betty walked into the buffet room, ready to set things set between her and Juggie. She saw Jughead with something that looked like a large garbage bag, quickly placing food into it. Betty had had an inkling for a long time that Jughead's home address did not exist but him shovelling food away was confirmation. It was the little things at first: how they only met up at her place to talk, how when he and Archie were friends, he would spend the night at Archie's sometimes for entire weeks and how always seemed to be eating at Pop's.

"Juggie.."

Jughead looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

"This is not what it looks like Betts. I swear." He lied.

"Juggie, you could have told me. I don't mind cooking extra." She had to close the gap between them before it became wider and wider.

"It's so utterly shameless. Taking showers in the gym lockers before anyone arrives, eating at Pop's and sleeping at the Blue and Gold office." He was on the verge of tears, Betty could see it. She walked towards him.

"Juggie, it not shameless. You could have told me. You don't have to go through this pain alone. I'm here for you. Whenever you need me." She said hugging him and pressing her body against his.

In that moment, Jughead felt guilty. Felt guilty about abandoning Betty during the medicine fiasco. She was too kind for him.

"Betts.." He sobbed into her honey hair.

"I'm here Juggie. I'm not going anywhere."

And at that moment, Jughead Jones after a very long time felt at home finally.