After a few short hours of blissful quiet at the Veronica and Archie's, Betty and Jughead had returned to her parents for Thanksgiving dinner. She was surprised that there was no judgement from her parents as to where they had been last night, or why Betty looked slightly green in the face. She watched though, as her parents looked at Jughead with the same adoration they had a few days ago, and marveled at how interested they seemed to be in his life in California. He told them stories of his regulars at the bar, how his novel was coming, and even mentioned how him and Betty were hoping to adopt a dog from the shelter when they got back.
Settled in next to her sister Polly on the couch after dinner was finished and the dishes done, Betty leaned her head on her sister's shoulder, watching as the twins played with a Lego City set Hal had bought for them.
"It's nice having you here, Bets. I feel like you miss so much of their lives, of mine, with you being so far away. I know you don't want to, but think about all the possibilities this job would give you. Watching Ella at gymnastics, Jason's baseball games, picking them up from school, sleepovers. These are the things you're missing." She leaned her head back to look up at her sister, seeing the tears that were welling up in her eyes.
"Pol, I think about that all of the time. I feel like I don't know them, and they don't know me, when I come home. I can't believe how tall they are, I swear they grew a foot last year alone. I just don't know. There's so much here, I feel like its suffocating, everyone has this image of who Betty Cooper was in high school, and that's not who I am today." She stirred on the couch, as she realized Jughead had come back into the room from the kitchen, where he'd been talking with Hal.
"Betty, do you want to go for a walk?" He reached down to grab her hand, pulling her from the couch and grabbing her jacket as he headed for the door.
He walked silently for a few minutes, holding her hand as they walked the streets of their youth. It was chilly out, and she nestled closer to his side, linking her arm around his.
"Jug, I don't know how I feel anymore. I thought so much I didn't want to be back here, and now I can't remember why I hate this place so much. Even my parents are different. Sure, my mom's made some backhanded comments, but I feel like she knows how much she's pushed me away, and she's trying to make it up to me. And what in the world is going on with you and my dad?"
"I've always been a Hal Cooper fan, the way he stands up to Alice. He's fiercely protective of you, B. He always has been. Remember when he didn't tell you that his grandfather was a Blossom, or that time he fired your mom from the Register? He's been more of a father figure to me than even my own father over the years. Betty, I know you're toying with the idea of coming back here, of taking that job. I just don't know if I can come back with you. Its one thing hiding out in your bedroom at your parents house, or spending time with Archie and Veronica, but this town is not nice to me, not after what happened with my dad. Do you remember what my junior and senior year was like? Sheriff Keller followed my car home too many nights, and Principal Weatherbee and I had weekly meetings in his office. They were always waiting for me to slip up, for me to make a mistake so they could send me back to Southside High. Being in California, I can forget all of that, I'm not living in the shadow of my father there. But here, here I am, even though he's not here anymore. I don't ever want to hold you back, I don't ever want you to feel like you're missing out on your life by being with me, but I don't know if I can move back here."
"So you're making me choose, Jug? My family or you? That hardly seems fair, you are my family." She pulled back slightly from his arm. She remembered what high school had been like for him, especially after his father had gone to prison for his part in the coverup of Jason Blossom's murder. Jughead had suffered the wrath of judgement that his father deserved, even after his father was released and moved to Toledo one month before graduation.
"Betty, I'm not making you chose. I'm just telling you, I can't live in this town. And you, is this even what you really want? I see the way you flinch when your mother looks at you, before she even opens her mouth- you're expecting the worst. You are so fierce and free-spirited, she stifles you. Is this what you want, who you want to let yourself be, the perfect Riverdale Betty Cooper?" He walked back to the house, leaving her alone in the middle of the street. Tears filled her eyes, as she stood there, momentarily stunned by what had just happened. The kids and Polly had gone to bed by the time she made it back to the house, and she could hear her parents talking in the kitchen, but she snuck upstairs quietly, not wanting to hear their opinions on what she should do. She was thankful to see a Jughead sized lump under her covers, and she slid into the bed next to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder. He reached for her hands, pulling her in closer, and soft tears fell to wet the old t-shirt he was wearing. She couldn't make this decision.
Friday morning came, bright sun shining in through the lace curtains of Betty's old bedroom, and Jughead slid out of the bed, trying hard not to wake her. Her face was puffy, she had cried on his shoulder until she fell asleep. He knew he was wrong to make her choose, her family or him, but he couldn't see himself living back in this town, not after the torture the townspeople of Riverdale had put him through in high school. He had stolen their golden girl and defiled her, the boy whose mother left him and father was tied into a murder. He knew he had said hurtful things last night, he knew he couldn't force her to make the decision to stay in California, but he also knew he wasn't sure he could make a life for himself in Riverdale.
By the time he was done in the shower, she was awake, her hair falling lose around her shoulder, a dark sweater matching her dark jeans, looking like the girl from California that he loved so much. He crossed the room and pulled her into him, she leaned her head against his chest, finding that perfect spot where she fit into him like a puzzle piece. He could feel her body shake against his, soft muffled tears falling on to his t-shirt.
"Bets, you look beautiful." He breathed into her hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo, running his hands down her arms.
"I don't want to go to Archie and Veronica's. I just want to stay here with you." She leaned into him, pushing her body closer against his.
"I know, but its Friendsgiving!" He groaned as he said the words, faking enthusiasm. "Veronica would come over here and pull us out of bed and drag us over there if we don't show." She pulled back from him slightly, and leaned her head back to look at him. His eyes stared down into her beautiful blue eyes that took his breath away, and he reached for her chin, pulling her closer to him, catching her lips on his.
"Happy Friendsgiving!" The beautiful raven-haired Veronica Lodge greeted them at the door to the condo that she shared with Archie Andrews. "Let me take your coats!"
He helped Betty out of her thick coat, and then tugged off his leather jacket, before handing them over to Veronica. He reached down for Betty's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, as they walked into the living room, where Kevin Keller was sitting next to Archie.
"Ugh, finally. Can we eat now that the Jones' are here?" Archie bounded up from the couch, into the kitchen where Veronica was pulling a turkey out of the oven, nudging into Jughead's side as he pushed past.
The friends gathered around the dining room table, five grown adults who had shared a lifetime of stories together.
"Can we all share one thing we're thankful for before we eat?" Archie asked, his eyes glancing around the table, taking in all of his closest friends, catching Jughead's eyes and giving him a small smirk. "I'll start- I'm thankful this semester is almost over, only 3 more weeks!" Veronica squeezed his hand, and he sat back in his chair. Such a typical teacher response.
"I'm most thankful for all of you, and for finally being all under one roof, just the Inner Circle." Veronica turned to Kevin, who was beaming with excitement.
"I'm thankful I've been promoted to co-host of the RiverDaily!" Kevin had gotten a degree in broadcast journalism, and had been working as an executive assistant at the daily morning show in Riverdale for the past few years. His face was made for television, and he was always oddly energetic in the morning.
"That's great, Kev! You'll have to send us links so we can watch your show!" Jughead turned his glance to the blonde next to him, and noticed that the one hand he wasn't holding was curled tight into a fist, no doubt her fingernails cutting into her palms. He reached his other hand out to uncurl her palm, rubbing his fingers across the red marks that covered the old scars. She looked up to meet his eyes, only briefly, before she sighed and looked down at the table.
"I applied for the job at the high school. I sent my application over this morning."
He had barely heard the words come out of her mouth, her voice had been so quiet. But undoubtedly, the others at the table had heard her, because his thoughts were immediately over ran with screams and claps from the others, chairs crunching on wood as they all slid their chairs back, reaching up to pull her in. Her eyes glanced down at his, the welling of tears in her eyes. He felt like she had ripped his heart out and threw it on the table. Her hand reached out to his, but he pulled it away, pushing his chair back and stepping away from the table.
"Glad you finally made your choice, Bets." He said, as he stepped out of the dining room, grabbing his coat from the closet, and stepping out into the brisk fall air as he stepped towards the rental car. He didn't want to turn and look back at the door, he didn't want to see her running down the steps, out into the road, down the street, but he glanced back in the rearview mirror, to see a blob of bright red holding a blob of blonde in the middle of the street.