Chapter Two

September 24th

Jughead POV

A few weeks had passed since we began the torture of attending Northside High and it hasn't been a smooth transition. Every other day I was in Weatherbee's office getting one of my Serpents out of trouble and negotiating punishment to avoid expulsion. One of my biggest demands from them was that they finish highschool.

I might seem like a hardened gang member but I didn't want my gang to be dealing forever…I wanted to switch to more legal activities…but without an education they would have no hope. Some of them have straightened themselves out since we started here…others keep pushing the limit. They didn't seem to understand that there was only so much I could do before Weatherbee followed through and kicked them out.

I stalked down the hall angrily from Weatherbee's office, having been told Collins was on his last leg. I stormed into the Blue and Gold and dropped my bag, sitting at my desk. I glared at my folded hands, lost in thought, until someone cleared their throat, startling me.

"Hey…um…are you alright?" she asked and I looked up to her, fixing her with my glare. She looked uneasy, clearly assessing my bad mood.

Lately we had gotten along…well as much as I can get along with a Northsider. When I was in a good mood, I'd fuck with her like I did the first day. Standing too close to make her uncomfortable, calling her out on her nervousness. Some days we didn't speak at all and I was in and out during our spare period.

"What do you care." I snarled at her harshly. Her eyes went slightly wide and I looked back down to my hands. I heard her take a deep breath.

"I just…um…I-"

"Would you just fucking spit it out?" I snapped, looking back up to her. She only watched me with wide eyes. I stood up and stormed over to her desk angrily.

"Well? Something to say Princess? Or are you just trying to waste my fucking time." She opened and closed her mouth a few times, looking up at me leaning over her desk.

"Are you always this annoying?" I asked angrily and saw her eyes turn glassy with tears. I watched her demeanor change from nervous to submissive and she looked down to her laptop, not saying another word. I stalked back to my desk, grabbing my bag and stormed out.

I spent the rest of my spare outside in the late September sun and sighed as I looked to my phone seeing that it was almost time for class and slung my bag over my arm. As I walked back up to the school I felt a bit bad about being so hard on Ponytail. She was only trying to help I guess. It was just so annoying that she could never just say what she wanted to say. She's always so timid and nervous…it was getting really frustrating and the icing on the cake of having to work with a Northsider.

As I walked up the empty hall I could hear a sniffle. I came around the corner to see Ponytail at her locker, brushing away tears. I rolled my eyes at her antics and swapped my things in my locker. I gave her a glare as I walked past her to class and ignored the sadness on her face. This chick was too sensitive for her own good.

Betty POV

He had me backed into my locker door and was down to eye level, speaking harshly.

"I told you. I'm too busy for your bullshit, Betty. I have actual important things to focus on right now." I looked at him sadly and sniffled, trying not to cry. He hates when I cry.

"But…but we are important, Arch. Aren't we?" I asked and he huffed.

"I have my first game Friday night. You think this shit is more important than everything I've been working towards? Do you?!" He seethed, keeping his tone low as to not draw attention from the closed classroom doors. I dropped my head and sniffled again. He grabbed my arms aggressively and I couldn't help the quiet groan that escaped my throat.

"Stop. Crying."

I fought the tears desperately wanting to fall and forced myself to straighten up.

"I…I'm sorry." I told him quietly and he let me go. I kept my gaze down as he spoke to me with disgust.

"Besides. You need to stop going to Pop's anyways. You're a cheerleader. You should at least have the body of one." I nodded quietly and I felt my arms tightening around my waist self consciously.

"What. Nothing to say?" he egged and I took a deep breath.

"I…I-I'm sor…sorry." I stuttered.

"I-I-I. God. Are you always this annoying?" he told me harshly and I sank back into my locker. I felt my heart being strangled with pain at those words. Archie said this to me all the time.

He glared at me for a few moments before storming off in the other direction, leaving me alone in the quiet hallway. I rubbed my arms, sniffling and turned to my locker. I slowly opened it and began rummaging through my things, trying to calm myself down. I took a deep breath as Jughead came around the corner and approached his locker, a deep set glare on his face. I glanced to him as he stalked passed and felt a chill at his cold demeanor.

Working with Jughead the last few weeks has been a challenge to say the least. Not only has he been difficult to speak to but Archie has this weird obsession with Jughead since finding me outside the Wyrm months ago…which is why I still haven't told him that Jughead works at the Blue and Gold. There is zero reason for us to be speaking in Archie's eyes…I needed to keep up that appearance.

Tonight was the one night Cheryl didn't have us practicing and I was supposed to have plans to go to Pop's with Archie but…he got so angry when I asked him if we were still on. He had come to the Blue and Gold not long after Jughead left and I was thankful he hadn't discovered my secret.

I'd been so nervous for the day he wouldn't go to his boxing session after lunch and come looking for me in the Blue and Gold…and find Jughead there.

He almost caught him one day…it was terrifying.

"This is really good, Jughead. Thank you." I told him as I looked over the article he'd written on Southside High closing and introducing the new students. I was leaning over his shoulder reading on his laptop and he sighed.

"Do you mind?" I gave him a weird look and he shrugged.

"I know I get under your skin Ponytail, but keep it professional." He told me and I rolled my eyes, standing upright and moving away from him.

" Har. Har." I told him and sat at my own desk. He shrugged again.

"I mean, what would Red think?" He asked me and I felt immediately nervous. I took a deep breath and shook my head. I put my laptop into my backpack and stood up to leave.

"It's. Betty." I told him through grit teeth and left the office. I closed the door behind me and ran right into Archie.

"A-Archie! Hi…what…what are you doing here?" I asked, startled. He gave me a suspicious look and I took a breath and gave him a smile.

"I'm glad you're here." I told him and he nodded and began following me to my locker.

"I still don't get why you sit in that dusty office. Why don't you just quit?" he asked me and I shook my head and smiled.

"I love the Blue and Gold…I love the quiet and the way-"

"Yea yea…it's a loser den. You should really quit." He interrupted and I sighed.

"Well…I mean Weatherbee would never let me just-"

"*Sigh*. Ok whatever. I have practice after school so I'm not driving you home." I nodded and saw him look past me and noticed Jughead at his locker.

"Straight home." Archie ordered quietly.

I had wanted to be able to tell Archie about Jughead working at the Blue and Gold but knew he'd force me to quit and be furious.

I was lost in thought walking through the hall and found myself in biology. I had just sat down in my seat when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, Betty!" I turned to see Toni and smiled politely.

"Hi, Toni…what's up?" I asked and she smiled.

"I was wondering if you wanted to be lab partners today?" I looked past her to Jughead who was lingering behind her and cleared my throat, looking back to Toni.

"I…I mean…sure. Yea, we can do that." I agreed and she sat beside me and Jughead moved to the back of the room and sat beside another Serpent. I turned back to her and forced a smile. I liked Toni, she recently joined the Vixens and is really easy to get along with.

"Have you formally met Jug yet?" She asked, noticing I'd watched him walk away. I cleared my throat and nodded.

"Yea…um…sort of. He works with me at the Blue and Gold." She nodded and gave me a surprised look.

"Oh he didn't mention that you were the one that ran it." She told me and I nodded.

"No surprise there." I commented with a sigh and she gave me a look.

"Uh oh…is he behaving himself?" I saw the concern in her eyes and exhaled slowly.

"It's been rough…but I think he's probably just unhappy about having to spend time with me. We are a bit like oil and water." I told her and she smiled.

"He's not that bad once you crack the surface." I laughed and shook my head.

"What is that surface made of…two feet of cement?" She laughed and shrugged.

"Yea basically." We sobered and looked to the front as class started and we received our lab instructions. After about ten minutes we got ourselves set up and began following the steps laid out in our notes.

Toni POV

"So Betty, how long have you been a Vixen for?" I asked, attempting conversation. She looked up from her notes and smiled. Her eyes seemed a bit red…like she had been crying.

"Um…this is my second year." She told me and I nodded.

"Oh so you joined as a junior." I commented and she nodded again.

"Have you always been part of the exclusive 'Inner Circle Vixens'?" I asked with a laugh and she cracked a genuine smile. I looked to Jughead and caught him watching her from across the room.

"Pretty much…Cheryl is very selective. But she's my cousin so we have been close for a long time." I nodded, surprised.

"I feel like she keeps sizing me up." I told her and Betty laughed.

"Yea…um…" she laughed a bit more and trailed off, turning to me with a thoughtful look.

"Are you interested in becoming Inner Circle?" She asked and I gave her a surprised look.

"I know it sounds dumb and cliquey…but we are really tight knit. It's nice to feel like you have a group of women you can always turn to…you know?" she explained and I took a deep breath.

"I mean…yea. That sounds really nice." She smiled to me and nodded.

"Noted." She told me with a coy smile and turned to her notes. It really did sound nice in theory. I loved the Serpents…they were my family. But I wasn't close with the few girls in the gang and had always felt I was lacking female friends. I looked at Jughead who had to have heard us and was holding in his laughter. He knew the last thing I wanted was a bunch of preppy friends but…I guess if they were all like Betty it wouldn't be that bad.

Except Cheryl seemed like the farthest thing from kind and down to earth. I don't know how her and Betty were related.

"I'm a bit nervous for the game Friday…" I confessed and Betty smiled to me.

"I understand. You're really good though. Cheryl is impressed with you. You're going to do great." She told me and I smiled to her. She was so kind and considerate of other's feelings…I don't see how she was with that asshole of a boyfriend.

I've been concerned about her since she turned up outside the Wyrm a few months back…and when I saw her the first day of school I was so relieved to see she was ok. But after seeing the way he treated her…I knew I needed to get closer to her. I knew something wasn't right there… I wanted to help her. The way I wish someone would have helped me.

I chatted with Jug as we walked to his truck after school. We had passed Betty beginning her walk home and I had wanted to offer her a ride but Jughead refused.

"Toni, no. I'm not about to start dishing out charity to Northsiders." I sighed as we climbed into his truck and we made our way across town to Pop's.

"You know, she's not that bad." I told him and he scoffed.

"Yea…sure she isn't." I rolled my eyes.

"You are going to have to warm up to her eventually…now that you are working with her." I told him and he sighed, but stayed silent.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Is it important?" he asked and I shook my head.

"I know you think she's just some preppy cheerleader-"

"Toni…I know what you're about to say. She's so nice. She'sso funny. She's not stuck up at all."

"But Jug she-"

"Can we not talk about her?" he asked. I could tell by his tone that the conversation was over and nodded, admitting defeat.

We chatted until he pulled into the Pop's parking lot. We went in and grabbed a booth, passing a certain redheaded quarterback and some other football players. They were laughing in a booth and eating burgers, a few girls that I knew to be Vixens leaning into their booth, flirty smiles on their faces. I looked to Jughead as we sat and he sighed.

"Toni, it's none of our business." He told me and I looked at my menu.

"Hey Andrew's, I thought Betty was coming tonight?" I heard one of the guys ask him. I glanced up to see him shrug.

"Nah she's on a diet. Besides…a man needs his space." He said with a smirk and the guy who had asked about Betty grinned and glanced to one of the Vixens currently leaning over Archie's shoulder. They both laughed and I glared at them.

"Toni…look. I get that you are worried about your new friend but I'm telling you. Stay out of it. She choses to be with a douche, that's her choice." He told me and I took a breath. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was in trouble.

And I wouldn't stop until I knew she was safe.

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