AN: Me again, comin' at ya live with the second chapter of JJ and the Bets! These author's note things are kinda fun to write lol. Something that was not fun, though, was when I forgot to save what I had of Chapter 2 a few months ago, so it got deleted and I had to start over from scratch... lost some of my enthusiasm because of that, but I've gotten it back now.

Originally, I had meant to upload this chapter almost directly after the first one, but I got sidetracked (aka gaming and reading books) after I lost my progress, and then class began at the beginning of September so this had to take a back seat for a while. But hitches aside, progress has gone smoothly and so here is Chapter 2!

In other news, I'm still getting used to this site's layout. Kinda clunky, but I know the more I familiarize myself with it the more I'll come to like it. I've also gone back edited Chapter 1. Nothing major, just polished it up, kind of.

Oh, and thanks much to Wonder Girl and Alba05 for reviewing! Feels cool to have gotten some feedback and even a couple follows in such a short span of time.

Also, not too sure if I'll be doing more Betty perspectives after this chapter. But we'll see. I'd just like to focus on Jug's take on everything, mainly. This chapter's shorter than the previous, but nevertheless I hope you guys enjoy! Before break ends I hope to get out the third chapter, maybe the fourth.

Chapter 2: The Plan

"And you're sure about this? What if it all gets stolen?"

"Don't worry, it won't! No one goes to the park at night, so you don't have anything to worry about. Please?"

Pop Tate sighed, taking Jughead's money reluctantly. "Never in all my years of working here... the things I do for a best customer."

As the Chocklit Shoppe owner made his way into the kitchen, Jughead twirled round on his stool and smiled. It wasn't much, but he hoped it would be make Betty feel a bit better. And then he'd rant about how stupid he'd been, how stupid Arch had been, and she'd go back to her normal old self again. Right?

Right...?

Jughead looked outside. The sun had already begun to set.

"Alright, Pop, I'm off! Do your thing!"

All she had to do was make one snip. Then more snips. And then call him up and break it off for good. It was simple, really.

Betty flung Archie's picture across her room and let the scissors fall from her hand, holding back the tears as she clenched her fists.

"But how?!" she wailed. "How could he forget?!"

She dove into her pillows and let loose for the umpteenth time that afternoon, sobbing madly. Archie had never done this to her before! Normal dates, yes. Anniversaries, no! Was she really only the third wheel, then? Was Ronnie Lodge going to be the true victor in the end...?

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Betty, dear, you've been up here for a while! Is everything alright? Are you hungry, I can make—"

"GET OUT!" exclaimed Betty, chucking her pillow at the door. "Leave me alone!"

Seeing the load of Archie photos scattered on Betty's bed, and the scissors, Mrs. Cooper put two and two together quite easily, sighing and leaving her daughter in peace.

"Honey, I think everyone in kingdom come heard that," Mr. Cooper commented as his wife entered the kitchen. "Will Betty be alright?"

"I'm not sure, Hal..." sighed Mrs. Cooper. "She had a pretty huge date with Archie today, from what I recall."

Mr. Cooper let out a dry laugh. "That boy couldn't hold a date with our daughter to save his life. I don't understand what Betty sees in a forgetful clod like that."

"We were all young once, Hal. We made some poor choices. I just hope Betty will be all right..."

"Cooper, Cooper... Ah, there she is. One of the first people."

After much rummaging through an old box in his room, Jughead finally found it: the 8th grade yearbook. Currently, his finger moved across the lines of what Betty had written him four years prior under her picture.

"You're really weird, Jug, but really funny and cool at the same time." Jughead grinned. "Soon we'll be in Riverdale High, can you believe it? Let's hang out over the summer, here's my new number..."

"Bingo!" Jughead exclaimed. He had forgotten to back then, but now he took out his phone and added "The Bets" to contacts. While everyone else had upgraded their phones over the years, he knew Betty's had stayed the same for years. A cherry red flip phone, just like his favorite gum.

Gum...

Jughead winced at the fresh memory of his gum hitting the floor and Betty storming out of the laundromat. Hitting "call", Jughead sprang up from his bed and tensed. All of a sudden he felt really nervous. What would he say when she picked up? Oh crap, he hadn't even thought of what he was going to say!

*Click*

"H-hello...?"

Jughead felt that stab of guilt all over again when he heard Betty's voice. She had definitely been crying. A lot. Clearing his throat, Jughead began.

"No, Miss Cooper, this is not Archie," he said in a deeper and (hopefully) disguised tone, "but a certain someone told me they couldn't bear to see you down. He would like very much to see you and apologize for—"

"Jug."

Jughead made a noise that sounded like both a cough and a gasp at the same time. Betty sighed on the other end. Now what?

"Y-yeah, Betty, it's me..." he finally said, voice cracking. "I'm calling because—"

"You did something terrible to me. You, Archie and Ronnie are all on thin ice right now."

"Betty, I know, I did something stupid and hurtful to you! And I'm calling because I want to—"

"Take another bribe for another coward?" Betty interjected angrily, sounding on the verge of tears again. "Boy, do I have awesome friends, or what?" *Click*

"Dammit!" Jug yelled, tossing his phone down and kicking his bed. "Just let me talk to you, Betty!"

Jughead glanced at his watch. Great, almost 7:30 and he had told Pop Tate 8:00 PM sharp. He tried to call Betty again, but she wasn't picking up. He'd have to come up with another plan. A Plan C to reach her.

"Jughead, dinner time!" shouted Mrs. Jones.

"Crap! Uh, I mean, I have a really bad headache, mom! I think I just need to rest in my room!"

"Oh... well, alright, dear. Do you need me to fetch the pain killers?"

"No mom, I'll be fine! I just need to sleep this off!"

Closing the door to his room and locking it, Jughead grinned. With his mother off his back, he was free! Grabbing a hoodie from his closet, he zipped up and threw open his window. He knew exactly what his Plan C would be.

"Hopefully the branches are still strong..." he mumbled. For the past few years, the giant tree outside the Jones' house had served as a means of escape for Jughead, usually to sneak out at midnight to someone's house for the homework he forgot to do. Or for a trip to Pop's just before closing time. Shimmying out carefully onto the closest, thickest branch, and grabbing a thinner one above him, Jughead slowly began shuffling towards the trunk. Once there, he hugged it and used the branches below him as steps. Too bad for him, Hot Dog noticed him just before he touched the ground and began to bark at what he thought was a hooded intruder.

"Shhh! Calm down, boy! It's only me!"

Unconvinced, Hot Dog jetted from his doghouse and made a beeline for Jughead.

"For Pete's sake!" cried Jughead, sprinting away from the mutt.

"Hey, what's going on out there?!"

Just in time, Jughead vaulted over his fence and accelerated, the adrenaline giving him an extra burst of speed. Jughead's mother opened the door, but thanks to the darkness all she saw was the now distant outline of Jughead running down the block.

"That's right, and don't you ever come back!" she shouted, huffing. "Good work, Hot Dog. I'll bring you a treat for that."

Peeking out from behind a mailbox, Jughead breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the door to his house close.

As he walked, took deep breaths to calm himself. It was a rather chilly night for summer, he was glad he brought a hoodie. Caught up in gazing at the stars and enjoying the cool breeze, Jughead almost didn't realize that he was about to pass up Betty's house. Backpedaling, he opened the gate quietly and walked stiffly up to the front door. He knocked twice, and glanced up in the hope that Betty would stick her head out the window. It was a quiet neighborhood, so she had most likely heard.

"Oh! Hello, Jughead. Why are you here?"

"Hello, Mrs. Cooper," Jughead replied, offering a smile. "I'm here, because... well... it's about Betty."

Betty's mother raised an eyebrow. "Go on."

"Uh, w-well," he stammered, removing his hood and ruffling his hair as he fished for his beanie. "I screwed up. Big time. And I need to talk to Betty. About Archie, but mainly about... us."

He hoped that had sounded convincing enough. Mrs. Cooper's expression turned to one of mild shock.

"By 'us', do you mean that you've become... involved with Betty?"

Jughead's eyes widened. Involved? Did she mean romantically?! "No, no, nothing like that! I meant our friendship, that's all..." Jughead's face flushed again.

"Well, what would you like to tell Betty, then? I'll relay the message to her when she comes down."

"Oh, but can't I come in?" asked Jughead, attempting to walk into the house. Mrs. Cooper moved to block his way.

"Sorry, Jughead, not right now. She's a wreck. I'll let her know you'd like to talk, though, okay?"

"But I even have a surprise planned!" Jughead cried, panicking. "Like an anniversary gift, but not really since it doesn't have to do with Arch, especially since she hates him now, their anniversary was today, this surprise is from me, but I wanted to cheer Betty up and—!"

"Jughead, slow down. You've got good intentions, I'm sure, but now's not the time. Come back tomorrow, okay?"

The door shut, leaving Jughead to stand there defeated. He hung his head and walked away, but collapsed halfway down the yard onto his back. "WHY?!" he shouted skyward. If he couldn't talk to her, how could he solve the problem?

Taking out his phone, Jughead glanced at the time. 8:05. Sighing, he sat up and went to his contacts, calling Archie. All he got was the prerecorded message, but Jughead didn't care.

"Hey, Arch, buddy!" he practically yelled. "It's me, the pal you sent to break off your anniversary date! Nice one, man. Do you ever think, Andrews? Did Betty's feelings ever cross your mind?! Why do you even bother with if you let her down all the damn time?"

After letting Archie have it, Jughead hung up and went back to lying down on the grass. It was cloudless night, with a crescent moon overheard and bright stars that speckled the sky. Jughead made a mental note to do this again sometime. When his social life wasn't all screwy. It was very calming for him after blowing his stack a bit.

Man, this entire summer I've just been selfishly ignoring Betty. I used to hang with the gang every summer, but now everyone feels so distant...

Before Jughead knew it, he was dozing off. At first, he caught himself, but then...

"ZZZzzzz..."

"Ju...hea... wak...up."

"Zzzz... hmm...?"

"Jughead, wake up."

"Hnnng? No mom, don't wanna do chores today..."

"Jug, I'm not your mother. Up and at 'em, c'mon."

Jughead's eyes fluttered open and he beheld the face of Betty Cooper, who knelt over him with her arms crossed.

"Oh. Oh! Betty. Um, hey."

"So, there's some sort of surprise for me?"

Jughead sat up, still blinking the sleepiness away. "Er, yeah. I do. W-what made you change your mind?"

Betty didn't give an answer. "Come, Forsythe. Let's walk for a while." She held out a hand to him to help him up.

Jughead's mind slowly caught up to what was happening. His heart raced as Betty's body came closer to his as she pulled him to his feet. It should have been the furthest thing from Jughead's thoughts because of the situation, but he just couldn't help himself. Betty's face was like a magnet to him right now, and he began to stare intently without meaning to. Catching his eye, Betty looked up at him, raising an eyebrow as a quizzical little smile played at the edge of her lips, something that Jughead found overwhelmingly cute. He could feel his entire face become searing hot, and he began to sweat all over.

Betty waved in front of his face. "I'm giving you a second chance here, Jug, and you're blowing it. Don't just stand there, march."

Jughead cleared his throat, snapping out of it. "Right, Bets. Sorry, I think the heat's still getting to me. From this afternoon."

Betty winced at the mention of it, and Jughead groaned at his mistake.

"Sorry..." he said. "So, wanna... go to the park? That's where my surprise is."

"Lead the way, then," Betty said, zipping up her purple jacket. "And when we get there, we'll talk."

They set off down the block, Jughead in front. Each time they passed under a street light he'd look back and become transfixed on her eyes. Even now during the night, they were so bright and blue. "Um, Bets, I think..."

"Yes?" She turned to him, her blonde hair blowing in the wind.

"I... think... nevermind," Jughead finished, looking away in embarrassment. I think I'm falling in love...