Day Twelve
"Hey man, leave him alone," Jughead says to Reggie Mantle as he's looming over Dilton Doiley, crowding him up against his locker.
Spinning around while holding Dilton in place with a hand on his shoulder Reggie smirks at him. "You gonna make me?"
Rolling his eyes at him he opens his own locker to grab his books. "You do know that being an asshole doesn't actually make up for having a small dick, right? That's just genetics, Mantle. Which, if we think about your personality, sucks to be you I guess."
Reggie slams the locker shut in front of Jughead. "What did you just say, Jones?"
"He said that he's incredibly sorry that your inadequacies keep you in a constant state of anger with the need to take it out on people who, while definitely having a bigger brain, also probably have a bigger-"
"Shut it, Cooper," Reggie says, cutting Betty off as she stands behind Jughead. "It's cute that you try and defend your new little Southside boy toy but-"
"Oh Reggie, you do know I was there at the River in ninth grade, right? When Moose pantsed you? But I wouldn't worry, Reg, that special girl will accept you just the way you are," Betty says to him with a sweet smile, walking between the boys, grabbing Jughead's arm and tugging on Dilton's sweater with the other to get him moving.
"Dilton," she says, "are you okay?"
Nodding at her, he adjusts his bag. "Thanks, Betty."
Watching Dilton walk off down the hallway Jughead turns to look at her. "Remind me not to piss you off, Betty Cooper."
"I have no patience for bullies, Jug."
Jughead is walking past the cafeteria when he feels a hand land on his arm. Startled he looks down and sees Veronica holding onto his arm and leading him in a new direction. "What are you doing?"
"You want help? You're getting help, Jones," Veronica tells him simply. "We're going to lunch."
Jughead fights the urge to pull his arm out from under her hand. "We're going to lunch?"
"Does that hat impede your hearing? Yes, we're going to lunch. Now, listen to me, burger boy, Betty is probably the nicest person you'll ever meet so being a dick to Jason? Not gonna work. She's going to just keep thinking you're the asshole you pretended to be-"
"Did she tell you?"
"Yes, she did and so help me god, Jones, you are the luckiest son of a bitch I know right now," she says, her nails digging into his arm through the jacket he's wearing. "What were you thinking?"
"That keeping Betty safe was-"
"Has it occured to you that, perhaps, Betty might be able to handle herself?"
He slows down, lowering his head to whisper to her. "Ghoulies aren't your run of the mill scooby villains, okay? They're messed up and violent. I don't want Betty anywhere near that."
"I'm very aware, thank you," Veronica responds brusquely. "But you went about it in the dumbest way possible. It's like you threw every bad idea you've ever had at the wall to see what sticks before you picked up the very worst ones and thenlost your damn mind."
Jughead huffs out a frustrated breath. "Yes, I am aware I messed up."
"Oh no, messing up is not replying fast enough when she asks you how she looks," Veronica informs him, pulling him again towards the tables outside. "What you did was only slightly better than, say, kissing another girl and then blaming her because she was sick and therefore it shouldn't matter."
"That is oddly specific."
Veronica tosses her hair over her shoulder and tightens her grip on him. "I don't want to talk about it."
Letting it go, Jughead sticks his hands in his pockets and stays quiet for the rest of their walk.
Getting nervous as they approach the table, he can see Archie and Kevin on one side with Betty and Jason on the other, everyone already eating.
"Look who I found!" Veronica exclaims, pushing him slightly to the open spot next to Betty as she sits down next to Archie. "He was just wandering like a lost puppy. I couldn't leave him to starve."
Rolling his eyes at her, he settles in next to Betty with a grin and nudging her knee with his under the table. Smiling back at him she asks, "Haven't you eaten yet?"
"Veronica ambushed me before I had the chance."
Looking concerned she bites her lip in thought for a moment before handing him the bigger half of her sandwich.
"You don't have to do that, Betty," he tells her. "I'll be fine."
"No, it's okay, you need to eat lunch and I still have half of mine," she insists, pushing it further into his hand.
"Betty-"
"Eat it, Jughead."
Giving in, he takes it and thanks her before taking a bite of it. As he's chewing he hears Jason trying to give Betty part of his food but she keeps politely telling him it's okay. Looking over he sees what's on Jason's lunch tray and before he can stop himself he cuts off Jason mid-sentence. "She hates mustard, man."
"What?" Jason asks, confused.
"Mustard," Jughead answers. "She hates the stuff."
Betty shrugs apologetically at Jason. "I do, it's weird and yellow and tastes like vinegar made a baby with evil and tainted our burgers and sandwiches with it forever."
"That's a strong stance on a condiment, Betty," Veronica interjects as Jason deflates and settles for picking at his own food.
"It's gross, V," Betty says. "Not even street signs are that offensively yellow."
As he's finishing his food Jughead looks up at the feeling of being watched. He can see Jason glaring at him over Betty's head so he does what he thinks is the best thing he'll do all day and gives him a sly wink and grin before returning his gaze to the people in front of him.
Catching Kevin's eye he smiles at him innocently as Kevin's eyes go back and forth between him and Jason before landing on Betty. An expression of realization crosses his face as he looks over at Veronica who gives him a slight nod without pausing her conversation with Betty and Archie.
"Don't you need Betty's opinion on the edits for your article, Jughead?" Veronica asks him, eyebrows arched to make her point.
Catching on immediately he nods, turning to Betty. "Yeah, I do. Can you look at it?"
"Sure," she says to him. "Now?"
"That'd be great. Thanks, Betty," he responds, getting up and grabbing her trash for her. Waiting for her to say goodbye to everyone he refuses to make any more eye contact with Jason.
As she walks next to him, he takes the bag out of her hand and carries it the whole way to the newspaper office. And if she gives him a sweet smile as her cheeks turn pink, he pretends not to notice.
"This Friday will be your first football game," Betty informs him Wednesday morning as he brings her another coffee before school. "I'll be there with you to show you what I expect but then you'll be on your own after that."
"Football games, really?" Jughead whines at her, throwing himself back into his chair, sliding until his shoulders are hunched close to his ears. "Betty-"
"If I recall, your exact words about this situation were 'I'll do anything'. So, Jughead, this? It's part of anything," she interrupts. Her amused expression belies her tone and he makes a dramatic sound with the biggest sigh he can manage.
"Also, have you gotten a handle on the cafeteria menu article for me?" she asks. Going through a pile of papers on her desk he takes a moment to watch her profile and he gets distracted by the soft slope of her neck that moves into her jawline when she looks up at him for an answer.
"What?"
"The cafeteria article? Have you got a good start on it?"
He groans at that. "Do you know they made me try some of the food? And you know how I feel about food, Betty. Food is magical but...is meatloaf supposed to be both dry and grossly wet at the same time? Is that possible?"
"Were your tastebuds offended, Jug?"
"Betty. I don't know what the meatloaf was made of but I'm almost certain it never came from a farm. There's your real story, 'Mystery Meatloaf, Is It Beef Or Straight Off The Racetrack?'" he announces to her with a disgusted face.
She's laughing at him as she throws a pencil at him. "Just make it work. And try not to insult the lunch staff, let's not push any of those ladies over the edge."
He's laughing with her as Jason Blossom walks in and his good mood drops as the smile on Betty's face turns towards him and tells him good morning.
"Hey, Betty, how are you?" Jason asks her, ignoring Jughead's presence.
Before Betty can answer Jughead interjects a cheery, "Morning, Jason!" in what he knows sounds false to everyone but Betty. Grinning at Jason, he asks, "So, do you want me to pick you up Friday, Betts?"
Scowling at Jughead, Jason turns to her with a strained smile. "Friday?"
"Yeah, Jughead and I are going to the football game together," Betty tells him.
He throws Jughead a dirty look before looking back at Betty. "If you're going to the football game, I can pick you up before I have to be in the locker room."
It's Jughead's turn to give him a dirty look when Betty just shrugs and says, "It's okay, we're going to the same place and I wouldn't want to make you late." Turning to look at Jughead she tells him, "But I can pick you up if you want, you only have your motorcycle, right?'
"Motorcycle?" Jason interjects, looking irritated.
"That's right," he states. "My motorcycle. And it's fine, Betty, I can pick you up."
"See?" Betty gestures to Jughead. "No need for you to go out of your way when you need to get ready to play the game. Thank you for the offer, though."
"Sure," he responds, looking at Jughead warily. "Let me walk you to class?"
Jughead can't wait for Friday as he watches Jason lead Betty out of the office and into the hallway as he throws a grin over his shoulder at him.
I really hate that guy, he thinks as he kicks the wheel of the chair he had been sitting in.
Thursday night sees him sitting in the Whyte Wyrm, texting back and forth with Betty for what started as something to do with the Blue and Gold and devolved into mostly nonsense.
"So, who's the girl, Jones?" Sweet Pea asks, pulling out a chair and sitting at the table next to him.
Putting his phone face down on the table he gives him a blank face. "What makes you think there's a girl?"
"You're looking at your phone like an idiot. I've only ever seen Fangs with that face so I took a guess."
Scoffing at him, Jughead leans back in his chair. "Don't worry about what I'm doing."
"You still on probation?" he asks him, leaning forward on the table with his elbows.
"Yeah," he answers as his phone vibrates. Trying not to be too eager to pick it up, he reaches for it and casually turns it over and hears a snort from Sweet Pea.
Can you give me a ride home after the game? I was supposed to get a ride with Veronica but she had something come up.
Thank god for Veronica Lodge, he tells himself with a smile as he replies that it's no problem.
"Looks like good news," he hears Sweet Pea say while he's still focusing on his phone.
"It is, man."
"Listen, Jones, things aren't any better, you know that," Sweet Pea says to him, leaning closer to him to keep the conversation private.
"I don't know what you want me to do, my dad put me on probation and I already tried to take care of it."
"Yeah, I know," he responds with a hard stare. "And what you did was stupid, trying to fix it all alone."
"I've been made aware, thanks," Jughead says sarcastically. "Very aware."
"Right, but here's the thing, Jones, I've been talking some others and I think we might have a plan, it won't work permanently but it might give us some breathing room until we can figure out a better option."
"What's the plan?"
He's trying to calm his nerves as he pulls up outside Betty's house on his motorcycle. It feels an awful lot like he's picking her up on a date and as much as he wishes that were true, it's not and he needs to keep reminding himself of that fact.
Taking a breathe before jogging up the stairs to her front he knocks with confidence he's pretending to have. When the door swings open and he meets the passive stare of Alice Cooper he swallows the lump in his throat and stands a little straight as he asks for Betty.
"She'll be down in a minute," she informs him. "And you, Forsythe, better get her there and back in one piece, is that clear?"
Before he thinks better of it he blurts out, "How do you know my name?"
"You think I don't know what FP Jones the second was going to name his son?" she asks him in what he thinks is a fairly belittling tone.
"You know my dad?"
"I did. Now, what does Betty call you again-"
Hearing the sound of shoes running down the stairs he sags just slightly in relief.
"Jughead, Mom. I already told you," Betty interrupts.
Alice twists her mouth at that. "Why Jughead?"
He starts to shrug at her when Betty tells her, "I never asked, I just assumed he had a very juggy head." Jughead thinks she's pleased with herself for that one. "Where do you think Juggie came from, Jug?"
"I had no idea how you came up with that, Betty," he replies easily, grinning at her enjoyment of messing with him. Ready to be long gone and alone with her as soon as possible, he starts to usher to the door reminding her they're going to be late if they don't leave soon.
With one final threat from Alice and an eye roll from Betty they head out the door and to the motorcycle sitting on the street.
Standing next to it she asks him, "Is your name really Forsythe?"
Cringing he groans and admits defeat. "Yeah."
"I kind of like it," she tells him simply, walking closer to the motorcycle getting ready to get on it.
"No one except my father likes it," he says disbelievingly. "And truthfully, I don't even think he likes it."
Lifting her shoulders at him as she's looking his bike over she replies, "Sure, it's a little odd, but I still like it. Archie's real name is Archibald if that makes you feel any better."
"Oddly enough, it sort of does," he says, getting on the motorcycle and gesturing for her to sit behind him.
"What about-"
He hands her the helmet before she can even complete the thought.
Waiting until she straps it on and adjusts it before starting the bike Jughead feels her arms wrap tightly around his middle and he's glad no one can see what he knows is an idiotic grin crossing his face.
By the time she's done telling him what she expects for an article about the football games he's thinking about getting on his knees and weeping with relief. Reporting on these games should be enough of a penance in his opinion, the only interesting thing about the entire night has been Betty. And possibly the fact that they sell junk food which included a corn dog that was both cold and the temperature of lava at the same time.
An impressive feat in his mind. The lunch ladies could learn something from the concession stand workers as far as he's concerned.
Waiting for Betty to return from taking her final pictures as he leans against the side of the bleachers after the game he's a little surprised to see Jason in front of him in his game uniform, sweating and looking irritated.
"What are you doing man?"
Standing up straight with a grimace at the words he just stares at him. "I'm learning how to report the football games to Betty's satisfaction."
Jason glares at him in return. "And you're worrying about Betty's satisfaction all of the sudden?"
Crossing his arms as he leans back against the bleachers again he smirks at him. "Do you not think Betty's satisfaction should be a priority?"
"Don't get cute, Jones. You fucked up, you acted like an idiot and lost her and I got her and I want you to back off."
Narrowing his eyes at that, Jughead's eyes harden. "You still know nothing about it, you know that right? You-"
"Oh, I have an idea," Jason interrupts. "I know that you got Veronica Lodge on your side, pushing you two together."
Jughead stays silent, eyes looking around Jason to see if anyone is listening in.
"Are you giving it to Lodge?" he questions, anger coloring his tone. "I know she's decent to look at but how can you handle how annoying she is-"
"Hey, don't talk about Veronica like that, man. You're taking it too far," Jughead tells him, squaring his shoulders as he stands straight again. There is nothing he'd like more than to punch him in the face but he knows if he does the only one getting consequences will be him.
Stepping closer to him as Jughead stands his ground he sneers at him, "I get it, you know. What it's like to want Betty Cooper. And if that means I have to put up with her irritating friends and deal with my bitchy sister that's what I'll do. But you? After watching her cry over you then watching as you crawl back into her life like the Southside trash you are-"
"What did you just say?"
Walking the back way around the bleachers to where she left Jughead she can hear angry voices going back and forth. Hurrying she ends up being confused by the sight of Jason leaning aggressively toward Jughead as he stands there with an angry expression on his face.
She thinks she hears something insulting about Veronica before she can get close enough to fully hear what's being said.
The words 'like the Southside trash you are' stop her in her tracks. Horrified that anyone would talk that way to someone else, she can't help herself as she says, "What did you just say?"
Jason spins around quickly, looking shocked to see her. "Betty, I-"
"Did you just call Jughead 'Southside trash'?" Betty asks, anger flaring at the insult. "Why would you say that to him? To anyone?!"
"Betty, why are you ignoring that he is going to use you? Just like the first time, he's going to get what he wants and then drop you all over again," Jason implores to her, walking closer to her.
She can see the controlled fury on Jughead's face as he stands there watching their interaction. "Jughead is my friend. He's apologized and told me his reasons and I accepted them, anything after that is-"
"Do you really thinks he wants to be your friend, Betty? Really? Did you never ask yourself why he was hanging around Pop's after he treated you like you were nothing?" he asks her. "You're not that naive."
Betty is staring at him in disbelief. "He can go to Pop's any time he pleases, Jason, it's for anyone who wants to eat there. Do you really think his only goal is to sleep with me?"
"What else would it be?" he questions and she can't believe he's talking this way to her.
Stung by his words she can feel the anger and hurt building as her eyes start to burn and she fights the tears that want to escape. "Is that my worth then?"
Looking stricken, Jason takes another step towards her. "You know that's not what I mean. You know I don't think of you like that, Betty."
Taking a step back she shakes her head. "You do realize that implies that you think of other girls like that, right? So, if Jughead was trying to use some other girl that you didn't care about would you be here, calling him trash and trying to warn her?"
His silence is answer enough for her.
"I really thought better of you, Jason. I ignored everything everyone said about you because I never saw it," she tells him quietly. "How will I ever know if you weren't the one wanting to use me?"
"Betty-"
"No, Jason. I don't want to talk to you right now." Holding her jacket closed tightly she looks over at Jughead. "Can you take me home?"
He nods at her, walking past a visibly upset Jason without sparing him a glance as he puts an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side. "Are you okay?"
She shrugs and looks down at the ground as they walk. "I'll be fine."
Holding onto Jughead as the wind hits her in the face only does a little to improve her mood on the ride back to her house. She's a little nervous at what she wants to ask him as he follows her up the stairs to her front door but she thinks she needs to know.
Before she loses her nerve she turns quickly and asks, "Was he right? About why you were at Pop's?"
She can hear his sharp intake of air at her question.
"I don't know how to answer that," he tells her, looking uncomfortable.
Wishing she never asked but still needing the answer, she replies, "How about honestly?"
"Honestly? Yes. And no. And everything in between," he says to her, rubbing a hand across the back of his neck. "Come on, Betty, you know why I was at Pop's."
"Do I?" she asks, looking up and holding eye contact with him.
He's staring at her intently, his eyes flicking between her mouth and eyes and she can tell he's struggling with whatever decision he's trying to make.
So she makes it for him when she surges up on her toes to press her lips to his, catching his lower lip between hers. He reacts immediately, following her down as she sinks back on her feet, putting his hands on either side of her face, brushing his thumbs along her jawline and across the sides of her cheeks.
His lips are warm and soft as they move against hers, her hands coming up to grab onto the collar of his jacket to keep him in place. Letting him walk her backwards to press her against the wall next to the door she moves her arms until she's wrapped them around his neck, bringing his body closer to hers. As she teases his lips with the tip of her tongue, one of his hands moves to her lower back to pull her closer to him as the other gently grips her neck, his long fingers holding her jaw back slightly as he meets her tongue with his, the soft slide of them against each other making her want to moan into his mouth.
When she finally breaks the kiss to take a deep breath he rests his forehead against hers and the feel of his warm breath on her skin in the cold air of the night gives her goosebumps. He's rubbing a thumb across the apple of her cheek and she can hear her heartbeat in her ears when he whispers, "Wow."
Wow indeed, she thinks as she tightens her grip on his neck and pulls his mouth back against hers.
Day Seventeen
They're sitting together in class trying to control their laughter to keep from getting in trouble as they whisper back and forth about their terrible first kisses.
"She bit me, Betty!" he exclaims quietly. "The only thing I got out of it is the knowledge that Spin the Bottle is hell and no parties after fifth grade have good food."
"That is not why you showed up!" Betty declares through her quiet giggles.
"It was," Jughead sighs out. "And not a single piece of pizza was there to help heal the wounds of my poor lip."
"If it makes you feel better, mine was horrible too."
"Oh yeah?"
"I asked Kevin to do it so I'd know what I was doing when the time came and it would actually mean something," she tells him, leaning closer to talk even more quietly. "It was weird and wet and when it was over he looked at me and said, 'I was right, kissing girls is awful'. That did not build my confidence at all, Jug."
He's laughing so hard at that he lays his head down on his arms to try and muffle the sound of it.
"It's not funny! When he came out, I spent a week thinking I turned him off girls for life until he told me differently."
"Betty, it's hilarious," he says, putting his hand over hers as he gets control of his laughter. "I think first kisses only count when you can't wait to have them."
She nods in agreement with him as she pretends to go back to reading her book when the teacher walks by.
Staring at her, he thinks if he ever gets the chance to kiss Betty Cooper it'll be the best last first kiss he ever has.
A/N: Random fun fact- I picked Jason for his part because of his crush on Betty in the comics.