Episode 1x04: Jughead has just left the Twilight Drive In and lived through the awkward encounter with his dad.
Jughead had just left the Twilight Drive-In, the place that he had been calling home for the past few months. As much as he tried to pretend, he couldn't help this feeling of emptiness that enveloped him. He didn't have a home anymore. He lost his family not too long ago and now his home and refuge. Where was he going to go now? What was he going to do?
Before their fight, Jughead would have gone to Archie. Embarrassing as the situation was, he knew that his best friend would be there for him. But now, even though the two of them had reached a point of civility, they were not as close as they use to be. Jughead couldn't imagine having that conversation with him now.
Instead of Archie, Jughead decided to go to the school. It was Saturday so there was no one there. He could crash in the rec room for a day or two before finding something more permanent.
The thing about small towns is, everyone is so trusting. Despite the recent murder and increase in gang activity, the doors of Riverdale High were never locked.
Jughead was able to walk right into the school and into the offices of the Blue and Gold without a single issue.
He had settled at his desk. His Desk. Jughead had started working at the Blue and Gold as a favor to Betty, but he had to admit he loved it. He loved having a desk, reporting, and investigating. And if he was completely honest with himself, he liked having time with Betty that was uninterrupted by his much more vocal and captivating group of friends.
As if he conjured her out of thin air, Betty walked into the office, journal and laptop in hand.
Her immediate appearance caused him to jump up, pushing his backpack containing all of his belongings under the desk out of sight.
"Jughead!" Betty exclaimed, surprise apparent on her face. "I didn't expect to run into you here."
"I feel like this how we always start conversations in this office." Jughead jested "Why don't we just assume from now on when one of us is walking into this office, the other one will either already be there or show up about ten minutes later?"
"Alright." Betty agreed, a smile coming across her face.
"So what are you doing here?" Jughead asked, his curiosity getting the better of him
"Working on layout for the next issue of the Blue and Gold. You?"
"Same." Jughead responded, realizing that didn't really make sense.
Betty looked at him questioningly.
"You are here to work on the layout for the latest issue?" Betty's voice expressing the skepticism he knew she must be feeling.
Jughead sighed.
Betty put her supplies down on her desk and pulled a chair up next to Jughead's desk.
"You can talk to me about it if you want to." Betty explained
And for some reason, he did want to, at least in part. He couldn't quite explain it to himself, but he really wanted to share some of his burden with her.
"I just finished packing up the Drive-In." he began "Taking down all the movie posters, all the final things before handing the keys over to the city."
"Oh Juggie." she said, putting her hand on his shoulder "I am so sorry."
"Thanks." he said, trying to pretend his heart didn't skip a beat when she touched him. "It was a great final showing. It seems like the whole town was there. Although, that could have had more to do with the stellar movie choice."
Betty smiled. "I heard you showed Rebel Without A Cause."
"Definitely an inspired choice." Jughead told her, smiling back at her. He was still in awe of her movie selection. He still couldn't believe he hadn't considered it first.
"Sorry I wasn't there." Betty admitted, guilt ridden. "I know I said I would stop by and see you…"
"It's fine Betts." Jughead told her, getting up out of his desk chair and moving over to the white board on the other side of the room. "It wasn't that big of a deal."
Even Jughead didn't believe that. There had been so many emotions about the closing of the drive in, that he barely registered at first how much Betty not showing up on the final night meant to him. But he did notice. And it surprised him that he noticed.
"It was a big deal." Betty said, standing and pacing in front of his desk. "And I wanted to be there. But my mom found the gun and…"
"Wait, your mom found what gun?" Jughead said, stepping closer to her, suddenly filled with concerned.
"I guess I didn't tell you about that." Betty said, apparently surprised that she hadn't shared this with him. "So Veronica and I broke into Ms. Grundy's car…"
"Whoa!" Jughead said, holding his hands up. "Betty Cooper broke into the car of a teacher?"
"I had to know what was going on with her." Betty justified "Her story didn't make any sense. I checked up on her online and all of his personal info was from a year ago. "
Jughead nodded. It is not as though Jughead needed any actual proof of Ms. Grundy's shadiness; you don't hook up with students because you are an upstanding citizen. But he knew Betty and he knew that she would need more than just her relationship with Archie to justify not trusting her.
"So I broke into her car and found a gun and an ID identifying Ms. Grundy as Jennifer Gibson." Betty continued.
"Jennifer Gibson? So she stole someone's identity?" Jughead asked
"Yes. She fed Archie some story about domestic abuse and he was willing to let it slide." Betty groaned, clearly not believing the story the fake Ms. Grundy had told Archie.
"Archie does tend to believe the best in people." Jughead told her
Even if they don't deserve it.
"And he asked me to let it go." Betty added. "And I was actually considering it that time."
"So why are we publishing a story about the meat casserole in the cafeteria when we can be documenting the adventures of Groping with Grundy?"
"We can't." Betty explained. "I took the gun home, my mom found it and read my diary, discovered Ms. Grundy and Archie's affair and dragged me to the school, along with Mr. Andrews to confront them."
Jughead's eyebrows raised so high he momentarily worried his beanie would fall off.
"Then what happened?" Jughead walked over to her, leaning against his desk.
"A lot of things were thrown around. My mother only wanted to bust them so that she could keep Archie and I from being friends." Betty admitted. "Archie defended his relationship with Ms. Grundy. I threatened to say I made up their relationship if my mother tried to expose them, making it seem like I had gone crazy…like Polly."
Jughead noted her pause between the words 'crazy' and 'like Polly'.
"You were willing to feign insanity to protect Archie's relationship with Grundy?" Jughead questioned, feeling angry towards her. "And you got mad at me for just saying nothing when it came to their relationship."
"It's a completely different situation." Betty justified vehemently. "I would be lying to protect Archie. But you..."
"Were lying to protect you." Jughead said without thinking. Then realizing what he said tacked on "And Archie."
"Me?" Betty asked "Why were you protecting me?"
"Do you really want to hear this?" he asked her, not being sure he wanted to tell her his reasoning.
"I am tired of people keeping things from me and coddling me. I don't need protecting." Betty frustrated
Yes and No. Jughead thought.
"You need someone. It doesn't have to me, but everyone needs someone." Jughead told her.
"Even you?"
"Even me." Jughead told her, smirking in spite of himself. "But not often."
Betty looked at him thoughtfully, as though she were weighing his words in her mind.
"So why were you protecting me?" Betty asked.
Jughead sighed and looked away from her.
"I found out about Grundy and Archie the same day we talked in the staircase about your feelings for Archie." he explained to her. "I know I said I was trying to be objective, but I would be lying if I said your feelings weren't a factor in that decision to be indecisive."
"Juggie." Betty started, blushing "That wasn't your decision to make."
"I know and I am sorry. I didn't have the right to decide for you. Never again. I promise." Jughead explains, hoping that she isn't too angry with him.
"Ok." Betty said, moving over to her desk.
Jughead looked over at her, desperate to change the subject.
"So what happened after your flight of insanity in the name of protecting Archie?" Jughead asked
"Ms. Grundy offered to leave town." Betty continued "My dad and I drove by her house on the way here. She is gone."
"At least something good came out last night." Jughead commented, relief flooding through him. "I wasn't sure how long I was going to be able to keep pretending the thought of Archie and Ms. Grundy together wasn't nightmare inducing."
Betty nodded.
"We all know what a great pretender Jughead Jones can be." Betty said, sarcasm rivaling Jughead's.
Jughead merely smiled and nodded.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Betty spoke up again.
"You never did answer the question of why you are here." Betty responded.
Jughead sighed. He had hoped that he had successfully danced around that topic.
Leave it to Betty Cooper to keep on track. Jughead considered, knowing he would never be able to avoid giving her answers if she really wanted them.
He decided to tell her the truth again. Or at least part of it.
"I normally sleep in, grab a burger, write and then go to work at the Drive-In." Jughead told her "Without the Drive-In, sticking to the rest of the schedule just didn't feel right."
Betty frowned. Jughead wasn't sure what she was expecting him to say, but he had clearly surprised her with his response.
"I am sorry the Drive-In closed Juggie. Is there anything I can do?" Betty asked sincerely.
"No. The damage has been done." Jughead informed her. He was still processing losing the Drive-In, but having someone ask him about it somehow made a difference. Knowing that someone at least was trying to understand what the Drive-In meant to him, he was surprised at the difference it made.
"You know Jughead, everybody needs someone." Betty tells him, throwing his words back him. "If you need to talk about the Drive-In or whatever you can talk to me about it."
"I know Betty, I know." Jughead said, trying to keep the conversation more casual than it seemed to be going.
"You know, but will you?" she asked, curiosity apparent to Jughead
"I will." Jughead promised. "If I need to. Which who's to say if and when that day will ever come."
"I think that day is coming Jug. Just you wait." Betty replied.
Betty opened her laptop to begin working the layout for the paper. Jughead sat back down behind his desk, his leg nudging his pack of supplies. Suddenly remembering why he was here in the first place. He did need someone. He needed someone to realize he was homeless and give him options. But that person couldn't be Betty. He wouldn't let it be Betty.
"So, do you have any input on the layout for tomorrow's issue?" Betty asked, seeming to be as ready to move on as he was.
Jughead nodded, opening his laptop to begin working.
