9 Years Ago'
Betty screamed in shock as her raven- haired best friend disappeared over the edge of the small cliff the two 8 year olds were playing on!
"Juggie! Are you okay?" She yelled , only to be replied with a reassuring laugh as Jughead bobbed above the surface.
" C'mon Betts I promise it's fun!"
After a few minutes of Jughead convincing Betty that the monsters Alice Cooper said lived at the bottom of Sweetwater River were fakes, she took a few steps towards the edge. Taking a short, shallow breath, Betty plunged into the water, gasping at the chill that immersed her! Flailing her arms around in an attempt to reach the surface, she started to panic as she ran out of oxygen. Then, a pair of small but surprisingly strong arms wrapped around her body , pulling her upwards.
Sighing in relief, Betty spun around to face her hero. He may not have been wearing a cape or a mask, but with his crown beanie discarded and black locks plastered against his forehead, Betty gazed into his azure eyes and knew she would never need anyone else. Out of nowhere, a pair of cold lips pressed against hers. The kiss may have only lasted one second at most- but for the two children it was so pure that time froze.
"What on earth was that Juggie?" Betty questioned, a look of pure curiosity crossing her face.
"Well Betts," Jughead replied, " My mommy says that you kiss people that you love and your my best friend so I love you!" The two shared a small smile before disappearing under the water to play a game of tig.
Later that night, when Betty returned to the Cooper household, she told her mother all about her adventures with Juggie at Sweetwater. She also told her the one thing that should have never left her little lips that night...
"Juggie kisses me today Mommy! He said that we were best friends so he loved me and then he kissed he! " Betty explained, a look of pure bliss passing across her face. Alice Cooper didn't share her daughter's happiness. She was askance that her perfect blonde girl was even spending time with a Jones no matter kissing him. Alice had moved into the house next to her closest friends Molly and Fred in the hope that her little girl would fall for their son Archie! However, it seemed that the little rascal Jughead Jones has gotten in the way of that and it wasn't going to do! She decided she would move her family away; she would start afresh in New York and Betty would forget all about her little friend!
And with that Alice Cooper tore the only thing away from Jughead and Betty that was keeping them sane...
9 Years Later (Present Day)
Betty was a wreck. The first two years apart from Jughead she had spent crying and crying, but Alice payed no attention. She believed that Betty would get over it and forget about him. She was wrong. Over the last nine years, Betty had struggled with anxiety, depression and self-harming. However, not once did Alice Cooper think about taking her back to Jughead. She did however send her to a therapist that worked for a while- until her appointments ended.
That was the last straw. Betty knew all she needed was her raven-haired, blue-eyed best friend but when the therapy ended she began to blame Jughead for her situation. If he hadn't kissed her then she would still be in Riverdale! It was all his fault- she thought. But Betty hated how the anger consumed her, so she fell back on the only thing that could make her forget- alcohol!
Her whole wardrobe changed- her once pastel sweaters and knee length skirts were replaced with ripped skinny jeans, tiny black crop tops and six-inch heels. Every night she would go out, get drunk and wake up in some strangers bed naked while her mom thought she was studying with her school friends.
However, one night Betty came back home with a boy instead. Drunkenly kissing him as she dragged him to her bedroom, she was unaware of her mother sitting in the kitchen at 2am worrying about the lost cause that was her daughter. Alice heard the moans coming from the hallway, only to see her daughter topless and exposed with a half naked man.
Alice Cooper lost it then and there. She chased the young boy out of her house,screaming vulgar threats at him before facing her daughter.
"You are such a disappointment Betty! I've worked so hard to make your life perfect and you go and do this!" Alice yelled.
"Fuck you Mom!" Betty fought back, " Not even once have you cared at all what I might want or what I need. This is what makes me forget-let me have this!"
Alice turned around quickly, as to not let Betty see the tear roll down he face. She knew what she had to do. If she wanted her daughter back then they would have to go home...
Jughead Jones had faired no better. He was no longer Betty's Juggie; he was Jughead Jones, Serpent King. The day Betty left, he had woken up as usual and ran straight over the the Cooper's house, only to find it empty.
Over the years, he had told himself that Betty had realised that he was just Southside Scum- not the boy worthy of the Northside Princess' heart. At the age of 14, he joined the Serpents, and for the next few years got in hundreds of bar fights, ending up in jail a good few times. Jughead Jones earner himself a reputation as a player, sleeping with any girl who met his standards. But his standards made it clear that he was not at all over Betty- any girl who ever made it to his bed had blonde hair and green eyes..
That was why it came as a shock when he settled for dark hair and eyed Toni Topaz, one of the serpents. But to Jughead it was obvious: she was sexy, alluring and helped him forget about the loss of his best friend. The two were the power couple of Southside High and, when it shut and they started at Riverdale High, they dominated even Cheryl Blossom with fear.
Jughead was beginning to move - his heart starting to mend. He would never truly love Toni like he loved Betty, but she treat him well and they would soon be the king and queen of the Southside.
However, everything was about to change and it all began when Reggie Mantle spotted the blue Cooper family car roll into Riverdale- the town with pep!