Jughead's POV
I walked through the halls of the school, searching through the faces, looking for one in particular.
Betty never texted me like she promised she would. Not last night, or this morning when I asked if I could walk her to school. Her mom wasn't even home when I dropped by to check on her.
In the back of my mind, I feared the worst. I was internally cursing myself for not taking her to her doorstep. The better half of me was still hoping to see her face here at school. I hadn't yet.
Yeah, it was still early, but she was always early.
Then, I saw two familiar faces that may have been able to help me.
"Hey, Arch!" I call, walking up to where he and Veronica stood at her locker.
"Hey, Jug," he greeted.
"Hi, Jughead." Veronica looked less than interested in my presence.
"Have you guys seen Betty?" I ask.
They both shook their heads.
"I haven't seen her since yesterday," Veronica said. "Why?"
I sigh. "I haven't heard back from her since I left her at Pops last night."
"So, as usual, you're worried over nothing," Archie said. "I'm sure she'll get here. She's probably just running a little late, Jug."
I shrug. "This isn't like Betty," I tell him.
"She's fine, Jug," Veronica chimes in. She places a hand on my arm. "Just relax. You guys don't have to be around one another every second of the day to know that you're okay."
I shrug her off. "Yeah, okay."
They walked off hand in hand to their first class. Betty still hadn't shown up. Now, I was getting worried.
I made my way to the newsroom and when I saw she wasn't there, pulled out my phone.
There was one new message received two minutes ago.
Before I had the chance to open it, Archie burst through the door.
"Jug! Come on, we have to go!"
I furrowed my brow. "What are you talking about?"
He blanched, halting his panic. "Didn't you get the text from Mrs Cooper?"
I looked back down at my phone. In that one second, it seemed as though I was frozen in time. Something in this message was causing Archie to panic. Something in this message would be the reason I may also panic. A text from Mrs Cooper.
I opened it.
And my heart stopped.
Betty's at the hospital.
Veronica's POV
As soon as I got the text from Betty's mom, I rushed out of the classroom to find Jughead. Archie beat me to the news room but I caught them racing out towards the door.
"Wait up!" I called.
Only Archie paused to wait for me. I couldn't believe it. What had happened to Betty? Why was she in the hospital?
"Jughead, wait!" Archie called.
He was already mounting his motorbike.
"I'll meet you guys there."
That was all he said before he sped off and away from the school grounds.
"What did he say when he saw?" I ask, following Archie to the front of the parking lot where I asked Daddy's driver to pick us up.
"Nothing. His eyes just… went blank."
When we reached the road the limo was just about pulling up.
"Let's go," I say.
Jughead's POV
I burst through the doors of the hospital, mind racing. I saw Alice in the corner with her head in her hands. Not good.
"Mrs Cooper," I say, approaching her chair. She didn't look up. "What's going on? Is Betty okay? What happened?"
I could feel the sting of tears in my eyes and a flush in my cheeks. I tried my hardest not to let either sidetrack me.
"She's…" She couldn't finish her sentence before a sob escaped her. This was bad, this was very bad.
Clearly, I wasn't going to get anything out of her. I had to hold back my frustrated moan before skidding to the front desk.
"Can I help you, dear?" the elderly nurse asked.
"Yes. Betty. Betty Cooper. What happened to her? Can I see her?"
I tapped my foot as she checked her notes, willing for her to tell me she broke her toe somehow. Or cut herself shaving. Hoping for anything minor. But the tears that Alice shed told a different story.
"Ah, yes," she finally said. "Poor dear. They found her this morning."
I blinked and leaned forward. "Found her? What the hell do you mean?" She checked her notes again. "Lady, if you don't tell me what the hell is going on-"
"Enough, Jughead," I heard Archie say. He placed a hand on my shoulder and I immediately jerked it off.
Veronica came up to stand beside me. "What happened to her?"
The nurse sighed. "It seems that she was assaulted. I can't say much…"
"Please," Archie chimed in. "She's our friend. We have to know…"
The nurse bit her lip before leaning in towards him. "They found her in an alley-way a few blocks from her home," she whispered. "Someone may have jumped her. Beat her near death, the poor thing. Wasn't even conscious when they found her… covered in blood and bruises. It's a shame."
Near death… Those words made my breath hitch.
"Do you think it was a robbery?" Veronica asked.
"That's what we assumed," the nurse continued. "But she still has her belongings on her. And also…" She paused.
I didn't have time for this shit.
"What?" I snapped, fingers gripping the counter.
She cleared her throat. "She may have been sexually assaulted."
That was all it took. I snapped. I turned away from the counter sharply before my foot collided with the glass coffee table. The shards crashed into the floor. Everything in the room went silent.
The tears that had been welling up finally found release.
"Jug," I heard Veronica whisper. I felt her hand on my back.
"No!' I snap, turning to face her. "Leave me alone."
Whatever she saw in my face, she decided to step back.
I was no longer here, with them. I felt I may break at any moment. Betty… was… assaulted? Sexually assaulted? When? Where?
Who?
Who in their right minds would do this to her? I would find out.
I knew if I stayed in this waiting room I'd break something else. I made my way to the door. I saw my bike, laying on the ground where I'd neglected to even stand it up in my hurry.
I turned away from it. I found solace on the ground beside the entrance to the hospital.
And I broke down.
I could hear the sobs, feel the tears… I couldn't comprehend that they were coming from me.
I don't know how long I sat there, knees against my chest and head in my folded arms, before I felt a large around my shoulders.
"Jug…" Archie whispered. His voice was thick with his own tears.
At that point, I could do nothing more but let him pull me into his arms.
"How could I let this happen?" I choked out.
"You didn't," he said. "Jug, this wasn't your fault."
"Like hell it wasn't!" I tried to pull away, he only held me tighter. "I could have done something! I should have been there! I should have…"
My efforts were in vain. No matter how much I fought against him, no matter how many punches I was throwing, he wouldn't let me go.
For once, I didn't want him too.
So I sat there, half in Archie's embrace and half in my own world.
I didn't feel any better… I didn't feel safe or comforted…
But at least I wasn't alone.
