Jughead's POV
I reached my bike just as I was sharply pulled back by Archie.
"Jug, you can't ride that thing in your condition," he scolded. "You'd kill yourself."
"Maybe I should!" I snap back, turning to face him.
There was no sadness left. Only rage.
"Do you have any idea what that would do to Betty?" At the mention of her name, I unclenched the fists I didn't realize I was making with my hands. "Or your father? Or us?"
"What do you care?" I gripe. "This is my fault, anyway."
His brow furrowed in confusion and he took a step towards me.
"I already told you-"
"I know who did this!" I interrupt sharply. "And it's someone I know."
"That doesn't mean it's your fault!" he shouts.
I close the gap between us and grab him by the collar.
"It was revenge! On me!" He doesn't say anything, and now that the floodgates are open, I can't stop. "The person who did this wanted to hurt me!" I was gripping his collar as if it was the only thing keeping me standing as I came to the realization. "This happened… because of ME!"
Archie didn't fight back. Didn't yell at me as I did him. Didn't try to push me away. Instead, he places both hands on my shoulders and looks me in the eye.
"No matter what connection you have to this mess…" he started. "This was not your fault. You have to believe that."
I couldn't say anything. The grief in his earnest eyes threatened to choke me. So I let go. And walked back to my bike.
"Where are you going, Jug?" he pressed.
I didn't turn. "To see my father. There's something I need to figure out."
Betty's POV
"Hey," Veronica whispered, taking my hand in hers. "Don't worry about Jughead. I think he just needs some time."
I shake my head. "I know why he's angry, Ronnie."
"Yeah," she said. "Someone raped you. Hurt you. We're all angry." She pauses. "But we're not yelling at you because of it."
"No, Vee," I say, squeezing her hand. "I know who did this…"
She leans in closer, narrowing her eyes. "Who?"
I stared into her brown orbs, unable to fathom the pain present.
"It was someone connected to Juggie," I finally admit. Before she has the chance to ask, I'm already explaining. "Someone who wanted revenge on him. On the Serpents."
She raises her brows in shock. "No wonder he's so upset."
"This wasn't his fault," I sigh. "I didn't want to tell him… I knew he's only blame himself…"
She settles back into her chair. "Maybe… in a way… he should… I mean, if the person who did this was a Serpent-"
"Don't say that, Veronica," I reprimand. "Can we just… change the topic or something?"
She nods understandingly and lets go of my hand. "Alright… How do you feel? Really?"
I try to shrug but the pain stops me short. "Everything hurts."
It was true. Physically, the pain was excruciating. Threatening to paralyze me with each breath I took. I could remember the pain of the cold blade slicing me open. The pain of hard knuckles colliding with my face and body. The feet that kicked me broken.
But emotionally, I felt numb. I couldn't bring myself to cry or feel anything other than the pain on my body.
"I'm so sorry this happened, Bee," she whispers sadly. "Don't worry. You'll be out of here in no time. And I personally won't rest until the fiend who dared to do this is brought down."
I shake my head. "Please, don't try to catch them."
"Them?" she blanched. "So it was more than one?"
I realized my fatal error and winced. "It doesn't matter now," I insist. "What's done is done. And," I lower my voice slightly. "I don't want Jughead to get involved."
"He only wants to protect you," she reminds me.
"The time for protection is over," I tell her, lowering my eyes. "I don't want him to get caught up in this. He'd get hurt."
"Not as hurt as you are right now," she countered. "Look at you, Betty. You're bruised and cut up on every piece of available skin. He's not going to let this slide. And neither are we."
Just then, Archie walked into the room. The first thing I thought about was Jughead. Archie must have seen him.
I peer at him. "Jughead?" I ask softly.
He sighs and shrugs. "He's… not good. He just left."
I bite my lip. "Where's he going?"
He came over and put a hand on Veronica's shoulder. "He said he needs to talk to his dad."
At this, I shivered. Knowing Jughead, he wouldn't take this lying down. That's the whole reason I didn't want him to know. I was foolish to think that he wouldn't be able to put the pieces together.
Ignoring the pain, I sat up in the bed, wincing ever inch I moved.
"Betty!" Veronica scolds. "Stop moving!"
I shake my head, finally reaching an upright sitting position. "I have to get to Jug before he does something stupid…"
Archie and Veronica's hands flail about, trying to find a way to coax me back down without actually touching my battered skin.
"Betty," Archie says, "please, just relax. Lay back down, you don't need to be moving right now."
I sigh. "I can't let Jughead be out there in that state. He'd…"
I knew what he'd do. He'd try to find them. And I couldn't even finish that sentence without my blood running cold at the thought.
"Okay!" Archie says. "Look, I'll go over there. I'll borrow my dad's car and make sure Jughead's alright. Please, just lay down."
I gaze into his eyes softly before finally relenting.
"Thank you, Archie," I whisper, trying to get comfortable and realizing that was an impossible feat.
He nods and bents down to kiss my forehead before exiting the room hurriedly.
"Well," Veronica sighs, "I suppose I should let Kevin come in since Archie is leaving."
Oh, boy. I could only imagine what state Kevin was in.
Jughead's POV
I burst through the trailer door and slammed it behind me.
"Jug?" FP called from the small kitchen.
I didn't answer. Instead, I picked up the lamp that stood next to the sofa and flung it into the wall beside me. It splintered into shards that made a loud crash.
"What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled, walking up to me.
I ignored him. I was unable to see through the red mist over my eyes. It clouded my brain, clouded my judgment.
I made a move for the TV next but a pair of strong arms wrapped around mine from behind.
"Jughead, you need to calm down! Now!" he ordered.
I struggled against him, but I was no match for his firm grip.
"Let go of me!" I yell through the haze.
"Not until you tell me what the hell is going on!" he yelled back.
My muscles faltered. I was nowhere near as strong as he was. He could sense I was tiring and took the opportunity to slam me into the wall.
"You better stop this boy!" he threatened.
"You don't understand!" I could feel the angst coming back, the fog of sadness that I'd thought I'd run out of.
"What don't I understand, Jughead? Explain it to me, then!"
I gave up. I stopped resisting and let the weight of his muscles push me further into the trailer wall.
And I felt like I had just heard the news all over again. I couldn't withhold the sobs that escaped me.
My father, taken aback fully by my sudden change in mood, removed his arms and took a step back.
I felt suddenly remorseful. Here I was, destroying my father's home when he didn't cause my pain.
"I'm sorry," I moan out, dropping to my knees. "I'm sorry."
Through my tears, I see him kneel down in front of me. He grips my shoulders with firm fists and waits until I let my eyes meet his.
"What happened, son?"
His eyes were gently searching my own for answers.
I sucked in a shaky, tear-filled breath. "Betty…" I found myself gripping onto his shoulders as well, willing them to hold me up as I rested all my weight on them. "She was… attacked. She was raped, Dad, and I can't…"
I was cut off by a loud sobbing cough.
"Shit," he spat out.
Suddenly, I was in his arms and he held onto me firmly.
"It was Penny," I say into his chest. "This was my fault."
I can feel him shaking his head. "If it was Penny-"
"She's missing a piece of flesh, I'm pretty sure it would be hard to mistake that!" I spit out scornfully, trying to pull away. "I'm going to find her!"
He only tightened his grip. "No, don't do that, Jug."
"I'll kill her! I'll fucking kill her!"
I tried harder to separate our bodies, but his grip becomes painfully tight.
"Think about your girl!" he says softly, his voice in direct opposition to his pain-inducing grip on my body. "Don't do this!"
"So what?" I counter. "Let them get away with this?!"
"The Serpents will deal with this," he says into my ear.
I shake my head violently. "No, that's not enough. I want to do it! I have to do it!"
"No, son. Betty would not want that."
After that sentence, the air became tense. The silence was deafening and only the frantic beating of our hearts kept me from drowning. Finally, I realized I couldn't fight this anymore.
I went limp in his arms. He loosened his grip ever so slightly, and just let me hang onto him as I cried.
I'm not sure how much time passed as we knelt down together and I wept loudly into his neck.
He didn't say anything more; just let me feel what I needed to feel.
It was like I was a kid again, crying into my father's shoulder after scraping my knee. Only this time, the pain was not visible and yet was so much worse.
At that moment in time, it was only the smell of hair gel and his cotton shirt that kept my head above the water. For once in my life, I never wanted to let my father go.
