Author's Note:

After falling three episodes behind with Riverdale (sickness, then holiday busyness), I finally used yesterday to catch up. I have a lot of (mostly annoyed) thoughts about those episodes, but the idea that was pushing to be written didn't involve breakups, mistletoe, or those three little words. I don't know yet how many chapters this will be, but I hope you enjoy my little deviation from Bughead.

Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me during my first year of writing! Happy New Year!

XO ForASecondThereWe'dWon

I

Veronica had made an emotional exit. Archie hadn't been far behind her, though without the benefit of a chauffeur he'd had to drive himself home. Betty was too ashamed to go back inside to ask her mom for a ride, or to borrow the keys if Alice was planning on turning her Serpent reunion into an all-nighter. She wasn't close enough with Toni to request a lift, and was frankly a little nervous about the future implications of asking a gang member for a favour. Jughead, her perpetual first choice, was no longer even an option. Betty scuffed her shoe across the tarmac of the parking lot. She guessed most breakups didn't end in a complimentary ride home to cry one's eyes out in private, but it would've been considerate of Jughead to at least offer.

The result was her standing alone and indecisive, the number of motorcycles parked around her dwindling as Serpents went home to their families (families they managed to maintain and protect despite their shady affiliations, Betty thought, spitefully remembering Jughead's reasons for their split). Her tears dried up, though the night air kept her flushed cheeks from paling. Her bare legs began to tingle as the temperature fell. Unclenching the arms she'd folded across her chest, Betty scrolled through her phone, wondering who she could persuade to come pick her up. Her dad? No. If he saw Alice dressed in a leather jacket at the bar of the Worm throwing back shots, it would just cause more problems. Archie? No. Judging by the way he'd chased Veronica offstage and then they'd left separately, Archie was as much in need of time to lick his wounds as Betty was. She scrolled some more. Cheryl? Not exactly tempting, but the options were getting thin. Betty had just about touched her hesitantly hovering thumb to the screen when she heard footsteps and glanced up.

"I know your mom's name from the paper. Alice Cooper," the dark-haired boy said thoughtfully, shaking his head as he approached at a casual stride. "She's always trying to pin shit on the Serpents."

Betty straightened out of her sad slump, clutching her fingers tightly around her freezing cold phone. Was she being threatened? The Black Hood was constantly on her mind and maybe that was finally having consequences (besides paralyzing stress and inescapable paranoia). She should've known better than to hang around the parking lot of a gang-operated bar, especially after being dumped by the only member who justified her being there. She could run, but one of these bikes was probably the boy's…

"But now," he smirked a little, stopping in front of Betty, "I'm impressed."

There was a certain glint in his dark eyes, yet months of sleuthing and interrogations told Betty it wasn't dangerous. She thought.

"By what?" she asked cautiously. She shifted subtly on her feet to angle herself away from him. "Her journalistic integrity?" Betty couldn't help sarcastically tacking on.

Her companion smiled a little more.

"Her drinking. I'm not surprised she used to be a Serpent. Being able to hold your liquor like that should mean automatic membership."

So, watching her daughter pole dance had driven Alice to drink. That seemed fair. Betty glanced up at the night sky, grinning to herself at her mother's escapades. What had she unleashed bringing Alice here tonight?

"I had to get out of there when she tried to challenge me," he said, still smiling. He had nice eyes, Betty thought. Their intensity had frightened her, but the smile softened it.

"Well, congratulations for escaping?" Betty offered uncertainly, her forehead scrunching as she tried to figure out the conversation she was having. She now knew why he'd left, but why had he come over to her? Unprompted gregariousness wasn't exactly a classic Serpent trait.

"Sweet Pea," Sweet Pea declared, holding out his hand to shake. Obviously, he'd taken her tentative tone to mean she was looking for an introduction. She clasped his hand, feeling his warm fingers tuck around her cold ones.

"Betty," she replied, letting his hand go slowly and mourning the loss of heat. She scooped a strand of her loose, kinked hair behind her ear. For an awkward minute, they stared at each other, strained smiles slipping from their faces. It was hard to exit a conversation when you had nowhere to go. Betty rocked forward on the balls of her feet, feeling strangely restless.

"I'm guessing you don't want to go back inside?" Sweet Pea asked, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder towards the Worm. God, Betty thought, embarrassed, did Jughead tell people we broke up or were we really making that big of a scene out here?

"Not particularly." She smiled uncomfortably. This was definitely getting weird. Maybe if she implied a ride was coming, he would leave of his own volition? "I'm actually just waiting for―"

"Then you need this. It's winter, if you hadn't noticed." Sweet Pea unzipped and shrugged out of his leather Serpents jacket, holding it out to her bunched in his fist like the handle of a grocery bag. It seemed like awfully casual treatment for something with so much revered symbolism. Sure, F.P. had slung his over her earlier, but that had just been to cover her up after the badly-received strip show. Betty took a step back, waving Sweet Pea off.

"Oh no, I'll be fine. I'm just―"

"Take it before I put it over your shoulders myself," he insisted, shaking the jacket at her. "And I really don't want to have to do that because Jughead'll give me a black eye if he sees." The corner of his mouth turned up. Betty grabbed it from him, biting the inside of her lip to temper her own smile.

"You don't seem that worried." She tunneled her arms into the sleeves and zipped it up. Pretty loose, but pre-warmed. It felt nice until Betty caught the smell of leather and thought about being with Jughead when he was wearing his.

"I'm not," he said, a little cocky. "I could take him."

"Then how would he give you the black eye?" Betty eyed Sweet Pea dubiously, curling her fingers up into the sleeves of his jacket.

"I'd let him. It'd be the trade-off for getting my arms around his girl," he joked.

Betty laughed, but it was humourless.

"I think you're safe there, actually."

"No," Sweet Pea countered disbelievingly, eyebrows rising in evident comprehension. Betty felt a little relief that the guy was smart and she wouldn't have to provide a painful, drawn-out explanation. "After that?" Again, he pointed back at the Worm and Betty knew he was referring to her dance.

"Especially after that, apparently." Things were taking a turn for the weird again and she stared down at her feet.

"Was he watching what was happening?" Betty glanced back up at him. The incredulity was so strong in Sweet Pea's tone now that her smile became more amused than bitter.

"Trust me, his eyes were open, otherwise he couldn't have given me a look worse than the one I got from my mom." She realized she'd started talking to him the way she would to Veronica or Kevin. Betty was usually a private person, but Sweet Pea's serious eyes encouraged her to confide in him.

"I didn't see that."

"Maybe you can ask him to replicate it sometime," she suggested sarcastically.

Sweet Pea shrugged and crossed his arms. Betty realized he was probably getting pretty cold standing around, but he made no attempt to cut their conversation short.

"He doesn't get it yet. Alice is old blood here. She respects our traditions. Jughead has yet to shed his first Serpent skin."

"You don't need to make excuses for him." Great, she thought, I'm giving this guy the opportunity to gain favour with Jughead by saying how he came to his defense when I complained about him.

"My mistake. I was trying to insult him," he clarified, cocking an eyebrow. "What kind of a fucking idiot looks at his girlfriend with disapproval while she's giving him a show like that?"

Sweet Pea was the one who sounded insulted, but rather than cheered, Betty felt more self-conscious than ever. She didn't know quite what to say and couldn't have been happier when her mother came strutting from the bar (as only Alice Cooper could) and, wobbling only slightly, tossed Betty the keys.

"I see your ride's here," Sweet Pea said with a smile as Alice headed for the car.

"Hmm," Betty hummed, less than thrilled, but smiling for some reason. "Lucky me."

They stared at each other for a second before Betty snapped herself out of it and stepped around him.

"Nice to meet you, Sweet Pea," she said over her shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you around or―"

He frowned, walking after her.

"You're not leaving here with my jacket. Jeeze, you North Siders are so entitled." He gave her a stern look and Betty was mortified, but he smirked at the last second. She unzipped it and went to turn to face him, but Sweet Pea stepped up close behind her, gently grabbing the leather at her shoulders and sliding the jacket slowly off.

"Since you didn't ask," he said low near her ear, "I never saw the look on Jughead's face because I was too busy staring at you myself." Sweet Pea whisked the jacket away from her and flung it back over his own shoulders, stuffing his arms in roughly; Betty watched him over her shoulder―confused, a little thrilled. "Have a nice night, Betty. Good luck with your mom."

Betty's head whipped forward. Through the windshield, she could see Alice struggling to figure out her seatbelt.

"Goodni―" she started, turning back to Sweet Pea, but he was already at the door of the White Worm.

Betty took a confused last look at the place, shivered, and ran to the car.

To be continued...