Betty Cooper was drowning. Sinking into the depths of her mind and body and no one noticed. No one except one beanie-clad boy by the name of Jughead Jones. Ever since the Southside had transferred high schools, he noticed her. The way she held herself around her friends. She seemed like the glue holding them altogether, the problem solver. The question he had was: who was her problem solver? He watched as she painted smile after smile on her face, always accepting the challenge placed on her shoulders.

"Betty, could you tutor Mr. Mantle in English?"

"Betty, could you be a dear and bake two dozen cupcakes for the bake sale this weekend?"

Betty, Betty, Betty.

Jughead watched as each time another responsibility was placed on her shoulders, she would diminish a bit; shrink in on herself slightly. He couldn't be the only one who noticed the way her smile would falter when asked to do another task, before hitching back in place, but apparently he was. He wasn't quite ready to talk to her, yet. She didn't know him from Adam. And, he was the leader of gang. That certainly didn't fit in with her cookie cutter life, he had no doubt. But, he did keep an eye on her, wondering if she would eventually just stop the act altogether.

XXX

The first sign of alarm he saw was when she came to school one morning and there was a bruise on her face. It was pretty covered by makeup but Jughead had had enough bruises of his own in his life to know the signs. He studied her, wondering if now was when he needed to speak up but before he got the chance, her best friend, Veronica Lodge (how he hated that he even knew her name), came up to her.

"Missed you at Pop's this weekend, B," Veronica said, voice trilling like bells.

This was news to Jughead. He didn't know she went to Pop's. Then again, he didn't go until way late at night, practically when it was deserted. It was easiest that way. Betty forced a laugh and Jughead found himself wondering how Veronica didn't notice it wasn't genuine.

"Yeah, I was helping Polly with the twins," Betty chirped. Veronica nodded, satisfied, and hooked her arm with the golden-haired goddess.

"Well, let's go, shall we?" Veronica asked.

They were off the next moment, leaving Jughead alone to his thoughts.

XXX

The first time he noticed her…habit, he wasn't sure what to do.

She was staring at her redhead friend, Archie Andrews, who was yapping on about the upcoming football game and how he really needed her support for it. Watching her closely, Jughead noticed the way her fists clenched, turning white, as she stared at Archie with that fake smile painted onto her lips. Eventually, she loosened her fists and laid her palms flat against her thighs before nodding.

"Of course, I'll be there Arch. I'll just finish the assignment on Sunday," she replied brightly.

Archie beamed. "Ah, Betty, thank you."

With that, he ducked away from her and Betty took a moment to take a breathe before walking away. That wasn't before Jughead noticed the slight blood smears on her jeans from where her palms had been resting against her legs.

XXX

The first time he actually spoke to her, it shocked them both to their core. She was one of the last to leave school, as was he, and he noticed her at her locker, pulling things out slowly. He bit his lip, debating his options, before hesitantly making his way towards her.

"Betty, right?" Jughead asked softly, and she jumped, having been startled. He frowned as he watched her hand fly to her side, cupping it, before attempting a smile that came off as grimace.

"Hi, yes. I'm Betty," she said, and he frowned.

"Uh, you okay?" Jughead asked, nodding his head at the side she was still clutching. She smiled tightly, but there was a look in her eyes that told him he needed to be careful about pressing her.

"I'm fine. Banged into a door this morning. Now, what can I help you with, Jughead?" Betty asked.

That caught him by surprise. "You know my name?"

She chuckled. "You know mine."

That was fair. He looked around as she waited for him to speak up.

"Uh, I was just wondering if there was anything you, uh…wanted to talk about?" He finished lamely. God, he was bad at this. He had never been the supporting shoulder to anyone, not even the gang, but with Betty, something compelled him to be. Something told him she wasn't getting it elsewhere. She stared at him curiously, before giving her head a slight shake, painting on the same well-practiced smile she gave everyone else. Somehow it felt like swallowing nails when she gave it to him.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm good. But, uh, if you ever need to talk or anything, the door to the Blue and Gold is always open," she replied, shifting from one foot to the other. It took him a moment for him to understand. Oh. She was nervous. He understood that. He nodded his head, not wanting to make her even more uncomfortable.

"See you around, Coop," he replied, and walked away.

XXX

He made more of an effort to go to Pop's earlier every night after that. Sometimes he caught her there with friends, chatting animatedly; others, he caught her staring off into space, mind elsewhere. He was about ready to punch the group of people surrounded by her. How did no one notice her light was dimming with each passing day? Sighing, he just kept watching her as he typed away on his laptop. He knew whatever was going on with her was none of his business, something Toni had reinforced more than once. The problem with Jughead, however, was he sure as shit didn't like to be told what to do, least of all by his best friend, so he continued to watch her from a distance.

XXX

The day he noticed her weight loss was like a slap in the face. She showed up to school in a sweater swallowing her thin frame and he noticed how her cheeks seemed more sunken in than normal. He was at his lunch table, watching as she sat at hers' with friends. There was Kevin Keller, the only one who seemed to be paying attention to her, too. He pushed his plate of fries towards her, causing Betty to look at him sharply. She shook her head, but Kevin gave her a pointed look and she sighed, picking up a fry and nibbling on it. Kevin Keller might be the best thing for Betty Cooper.

XXX

He eventually watched as she pulled away from all of her friends. Cutting them out. To their credit, they tried to reach out to her, but Jughead knew it was a lost cause. She wasn't willing to share with anyone about what was going on with her. Well, he'd have to suck up his fear and find out himself. He left school early, after being stopped by Kevin who gave him her address, mumbling something about the way he noticed his concern. Not sure what to think of that, Jughead gruffly thanked the other guy, and hurried into his truck. As he drove, he spotted a sight of blonde hair and immediately knew it was Betty walking. She apparently didn't care anymore about getting caught skipping school. He followed her at a slow place, wondering where she was going. When she stopped right by Sweetwater River, he slowly pulled to a stop, too. Following her own foot, he wove his way between the trees in the forest, trying to keep her in sight. Naturally, he lost her.

"Fuck." He cursed, speeding up as he began to run through the forest. He found her. And. Oh god.

"Betty, what the hell are you doing?" Jughead shouted, quickly shedding his jacket and beanie and wading out into the water to where she was, letting the current tug her along gently. She didn't seem to hear him and that scared him, but not as much as the look of serenity on her face. Like she had accepted her fate. Fuck that. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into him. Eyes snapping open, she immediately fought him.

"Let go of me!" Betty screamed, pounding and pulling against his chest.

"No," he said simply, holding onto her tighter.

"Let go of me!" Betty continued to scream, but Jughead was able to use this to his advantage; as she screamed, he swung her up in his arms, noting the true discoloration of her face for the first time. There was not an inch of skin that wasn't black or purple and a growl escaped him as he carried her to the bank. Setting her down, he picked up his jacket and covered her with it.

They sat there for a long time, just staring at the river. It was Betty who spoke up eventually.

"Why did you stop me?" Betty asked quietly. "I didn't need you to do that."

"Someone needed to do that and since none of your friends seem to notice that you're fucking drowning, I thought I should," he shrugged. He looked at her face, licking his lips nervously. "What happened?"

"Why do you care?" Betty asked in a hard voice, clenching her fists. He gently uncurled them, watching as she looked up at him in surprise.

"I care because I know you're hurting. I also know what it's like to have help," he replied, hesitantly tracing his thumb across her bloodied palm. She looked down at their hands, then back at him.

"How long have you known?" Betty whispered.

"For a while," he admitted honestly. She shuddered, and he tightened his jacket around her, even he doubted it had much to do with the cold. "I was hoping maybe you'd talk to someone about it?" Me.

Betty looked at him, angry, before she deflated.

"It's a fucked-up story," she warned.

"Good thing I like chaos," he said, lilt in his voice, and she smiled slightly.

She started talking, letting the story come out of her slowly. At first, things were fine. She was doing good in school; her family was as good as to be expected. Then, one night her dad came home and asked for a divorce. Just like that. Her mom didn't take kindly to it and began drinking. One drink at dinner. Then two. Then a six pack before bed. Betty was doing her best to take care of her mom and maintain her life at school, making sure that no one noticed what was going on. The first time her mom hit her, she cried and begged her to not tell anyone, that she'd get help.

"And, she didn't," Jughead said quietly.

"No," Betty whispered.

"And, today?" Jughead asked, dreading the answer.

"My mom found out I am on birth control. Before I could tell her it was just to regulate my cycle, she was screaming at me, calling me a good for nothing whore, which, surprisingly, hurt more than the punches," Betty laughed bitterly.

"Emotional scars," Jughead whispered. She went to go clench her fists again, but he laced their fingers together and held them in his lap, shaking his head slightly. "Please, continue."

Betty inhaled shakily. "After she did what she did, she cried per usual, hugged me, and begged me to never leave her. The way my dad did. But, I-," she closed her eyes.

"Couldn't take it anymore?" Jughead supplied quietly, and she nodded, swallowing. It looked painful.

"You can't go back there, you know that, right?" Jughead asked quietly.

"I know," she whispered. "But she's my mom. I love her."

"And, she's hurting you. What she is doing to you isn't love. She needs help," he said softly.

She nodded again but remained quiet.

"I know a place that helps alcoholics. I could have my dad make a couple of calls and they could help her," he said.

"She'd never forgive me," Betty muttered, looking down. He placed his fingertips underneath her chin, studying her busted and swollen lip.

"And, I'd never forgive her if she killed you," he said firmly.

"Is there something in it for you or are you just a naturally good guy?" Betty asked, no judgement in her tone.

"I'm a leader of a gang, I don't think I can be a good guy," he snorted.

"Yet, here you are, pulling a girl you don't even know from the river before something stupid could have happened and telling her you've paid attention. No one else has. So, try again," she whispered.

He didn't hesitate as he brushed his lips across hers', mindful of her split lip, before pulling back.

"Was that okay?" Jughead asked softly, and she just nodded.

"More than," she whispered. He pulled her into his chest, dusting a kiss to her temple.

"I'll have my dad make the call tonight. In the meantime, you can stay with me," he said.

She just hummed and he knew they'd be alright.

Author's note: Reviews make me so happy.