"So how are you and Veronica?" Jughead mumbled, mouth still filled with the delicious cheeseburger he was eating.
Archie Andrews sat across from Jughead Jones at their booth at Pop's, both boys' mouths filled with food and smiles lining their faces. This was a rare sight to see, especially for Jughead. With Jughead's father long gone in jail, the boy had been lonelier than ever. The Serpents attempted to create a comfortable environment for him, but it didn't really matter when Jughead realized he hadn't been spending time with his friends. But tonight was different.
"Me and Ronnie. . . honestly. . . we're great," Archie smiled, wiping cheese sauce from his grin, "She's amazing, Jug. She walks into a room and she owns it, like a freaking Goddess or something. I mean, her smile. . . God, her smile. She likes that Greek Goddess. What's her name? The pretty one?"
"Aphrodite?" Jughead laughed, as Archie nodded his head, "Goddess of love, beauty, and pleasure?"
"Yeah! That one," Archie declared, "Ronnie reminds me of Aphrodite."
"And you're Apollo," Jughead took another bite of his burger, his bottomless pit of a stomach slightly less bottomless now.
"Who's that guy the god of?" Archie asked, making a slurping noise with his cherry cola.
"God of music, healing, the sun, and light," Jughead answered.
"Awe. Thanks, Jug," Archie smiled, "I'm a big ball of singing sunshine. Then what are you and Betty?"
"Well, I'm Hades," Jughead smirked, "God of the Underworld."
"I wouldn't expect anything less, Jug," Archie rolled his eyes, something he picked up from a certain raven-haired princess, "And Betty?"
"She's Persephone," Jughead looked out the window with a sad smile, "The beautiful goddess of spring. All things wild and full of life and love. She is also the Queen of the Underworld."
"Didn't she have a weird past with Hades?" Archie asked, "I know they were in love, but didn't he kidnap her and stuff."
"Well he was King," Jughead finished his burger, "And what's a King without a Queen at his side?"
"You and Betty aren't rulers of the Underworld," Archie declared, confusion evident in his warm eyes, "Maybe the South-side, but Betty chooses to visit you there. You know that, Jug? You didn't destroy her like Hades did for Persephone."
"All in the name of love," Jughead thought to himself, but all he told Archie was, "Of course. I was just saying how Betty loves spring too, and she is my Queen."
Archie Smiled, "And Ronnie is my Goddess."
"Speak of the Devil," Jughead said, as he noticed Betty and Veronica outside in the parking lot of Pops.
"What are they doing?" Archie laughed as he and Jughead raced outside to meet their girlfriends. Betty was running to the door, giving a squealing Veronica a piggyback ride as she did so.
"Archikins!" Veronica giggled as Betty carried her towards the door, "How convenient to meet you here."
"Yeah," Archie said helping Veronica off Betty's back, "We were wondering where you guys were all day."
"Well, how about we all go inside, and B and I will recount the adventures of our day," Veronica smiled, turning to Jughead, "And I'd be careful if I were you. Your girlfriend is remarkably strong."
"I can see that," Jughead smiled, as he watched Betty flatten her skirt from carrying Veronica for however long, "Remarkable."
The gang headed inside Pop's, all smiles and giggles as they did so. Jughead couldn't help but think, for a single moment, that he was dreaming. That this moment was some sort of lie created by his subconscious, tempting him with his desires of friendship and peace. But as Betty relaxed against Jughead's shoulder, he knew his minded couldn't create a moment as truly beautiful as this one.
"A traditional vanilla milkshake for Miss Betty," Pop's set the milkshake down in front of Betty, "And a traditional chocolate milkshake for Miss Veronica," He set the milkshake down in front of Veronica, "And a huge pile of fries to share."
"Thank you, Pops" Betty smiled, "If it wasn't for and your milkshakes we would have all gone insane, a long time ago."
"Anytime, Miss Betty," Pops left the booth, setting down a few straws, "You kids are my best customers."
"So what did you two do today?" Archie asked as Pops left.
"Betty and I celebrated the anniversary of our immortal friendship," Veronica smiled, lifting her glass and hitting it against Betty's, "May B and V last forever."
"And it shall," declared Betty, "All the secrets we share, after today, one of us would kill the other first before B and V broke."
"That doesn't sound terrifying at all," Jughead gave a small huff of amusement, "Care to enlighten Arch and I on your dangerous activities today?"
"It's a long story," Veronica and Betty shared a mischievous look, "And we don't want to bore you with the details."
"Oh, no," said Archie, "Jug here and I would love to be bored by these details. Right Jug?"
"Of course," Jughead smiled, "We have plenty of time to waste, too."
"Fine," Betty laughed, "Veronica? It was your idea to have this day, to begin with."
Veronica agreed to tell the gruesome tales of her and Betty's adventures, leaving out small details like how he was unarmed or that it was, in fact, private property or that the zoo worker was 32 and not 16, but those details didn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Before the gang knew anytime had passed, it was already midnight. Even after Veronica finished with her and Betty's infamous tales of courage, the gang was still enraptured in their small bubble of peace in Riverdale. That was until the bubble broke.
With a crash the window beside the booth was smashed, a large rock flying through. The rock soared across the table, barely missing Veronica. Her chocolate milkshake was not so lucky, having broken across the floor. Chocolate syrup and glass decorated the shiny tile floor of Pop's, an obvious omen of the never-ending war in Riverdale against the poor teenagers.
The group looked out the window, searching for their attacker in unison. Archie instead was not bothered by who attacked the group, but if Veronica was all right. He checked her over twice, and once satisfied with her state did he finally look outside.
"Is that your Mom?" Archie asked Betty.
Betty flew out of her seat, not even bothering to look at Archie after his question. She raced outside and met her mother a few feet from the window and her best friends.
"What the hell, Mom?" Betty shouted, "Are you trying to kill my friends?"
"Do not use that tone with me, Elizabeth," Mrs. Cooper snapped, picking up another rock from the parking lot.
"What are you doing here?" Betty snapped back, "And what is with you and throwing rocks through windows? And at your family?"
"I don't have a family," Mrs. Cooper glared at Betty, picking up the second rock from the ground, "Polly is good for nothing incest slut. Your father is a liar and cheat. He would sell us out for a free parking spot."
"And me?" Betty stepped closer, fingernails already digging in her palm, "We're family."
"You?" Mrs. Cooper scoffed, "You are the worst of all. You are lying and manipulative. A weak failure. Honey, you can't even cheer-lead correctly. I mean even the Jones is tired of you and your constant nagging, little serpent slut. I mean for God's sake! Your best friend is the town's bimbo, related to the reason half of its unemployed. And Archie? Did you honestly think you had a shot? I mean I get it, he is a mediocre singer who can barely spell his own name, so I guess you thought on some level you had a small chance. And your current boyfriend is-"
"STOP!" Betty screamed at her mother, "These are my friends. My family. You can insult me all day, because god knows you do, but don't you ever- ever - mention them again."
"Are you telling me what to do, Elizabeth?" Mrs. Cooper stepped forward, eyes blazing at the worried group of friends behind Betty, "It would serve you right to remember that I am your mother, Elizabeth Cooper. I tell you what to do, not the other way around."
"No," Betty said, eyes cold and indifferent like she was stating a simple fact, "You are not. My mother died a long time ago, some may say I never even had one. You are just the controlling maniac who thinks she has the right to dictate the whole town because she used to be prom queen. News Flash: you're not in high school anymore. These mean girls crap you pull ends today, now. You keep threatening people, thinking nothing is going to happen. You push, and someone is going to push back. Harder. And after what you just did, I am more than willing to be the one who pushes back. I am more than willing to be your new enemy, instead of your publicity stunt daughter."
No expected what happened next.
Mrs. Cooper raised her fist, not hand, fist in the air. She sent her daughter tumbling to the ground. None of the friends could react, everyone was in shock. Betty raised herself up, only to be sent back to the ground when her mother began to through the rocks at her- a step up from windows.
The friends ran outside of Pops faster than lightning. Archie grabbed Mrs. Cooper, holding her arms behind her back. Veronica, always the level-headed, whipped out her cell phone and began to shout orders at the Riverdale emergency line. Jughead took off his flannel and formed a pillow to put beneath Betty's head, held her hand tightly, and mumbled words to try to keep her conscious.
The ambulance arrived quicker than expected, benefits of small towns, and police cars trailing behind. Sheriff Keller was all too happy to escort Mrs. Cooper to the back of his police car, quickly taking her to the station for questioning with a poorly hidden look of triumph.
Nurses rushed to Betty's side, assisting her into the ambulance while checking her condition. The friends raced to the car only to be turned down by a sympathetic male nurse, "I'm sorry, but family only."
"We are her family!" Shouted Veronica, pointing to Mrs. Cooper in the already leaving police car, "Because her 'real' family, as you can see, sucks."
"Rules are rules," The man jogged to the passenger's side, "You can meet her at the hospital. It's only fourteen minutes away."
Without sparing him another moment the gang ran to Archie's dad's truck, determined to be reunited with Betty as soon as possible. Archie made remarkable time, due to speeding and running several red lights, he made it in less than ten minutes. The gang ran inside, adrenaline quickly becoming their best friend. Archie, the athlete, was the first to make it to the information desk. As usual, the nurse told them to wait in the lobby until Betty was cleared for visiting hours.
After nearly an hour of silence, Veronica asked, "Are we going to talk about this?"
Jughead looked away as he continued to spend the hour examining the empty bottle of his lemonade, that Archie bought him. Lemonade was Betty's favorite.
"Talk about what?" Archie looked down, tracing his knuckles, "There is nothing to talk about, Ronnie."
"Nothing? Archie Andrews!" Veronica looked personally insulted as she leaped out of her chair in front of the two solemn boys, "Betty's mother just attacked her. Attacked. Betty was just hit and assaulted by her mother. What is there not to talk about, Andrews?"
"What do you want me to say?" Archie looked up, cheeks decorated with tears, "Her mother is a horrible person. Is that it? It's not going to change anything, Ronnie. Nothing that we do will change anything."
Jughead left.
Jughead could hear Veronica's sobs as he was sure Archie was holding her tightly in the lobby, as they were holding each other. Veronica's sobs sounded oddly familiar, like his little sister Jellybean's. He remembered it clearly. It was the last night of them all under one roof. His dad, drunk and angry, had stormed in the living room wanting to pick a fight for no reason at all. While Jughead's mother rolled her eyes and left the children to fend for themselves, Jughead received his father's attention. No, he never hit him. But he used to say nasty things, that night being the worst. He remembered Jellybean sitting at his feet, her quiet sobs filling the empty spaces between insults. Jughead would never forget that sound, and now it seems that Archie wouldn't either.