Chapter 8

Praying

Jughead sat in the living room of the Cooper house. Jellybean was sitting next to him. He couldn't feel her head on his shoulder. He couldn't hear what his parents were saying. He couldn't register Alice wailing and crying about her daughter. He couldn't hear what Sheriff Keller was saying either.

He was numb. He was out of it. He didn't know what to do. He looked over and Alice was across from him, tears streaming down her face, her arm around Polly as she wept. He looked behind him and saw that FP and Gladys were talking. He looked over by the window and there stood Toni and Cheryl.

Cheryl was crying, her head on Toni's shoulder. FP walked over and put his hand on Jughead's shoulder. He looked up. "Come on, we need to leave for a bit. And you need rest." he said. Jughead stood up and followed his family without a word. Alice and Polly sat in their empty house as everyone left so they could rest.

Sheriff Keller promised that they were going to find Betty. However, he feared what they all did, that she was dead. Jughead was guided into the trailer. FP sat his son down. Jellybean sat next to her brother and she laid her head on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Gladys came out of the bedroom with bags.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked FP. She dropped the bags in the living room. "Jellybean and I are headed back to Toledo. We don't need to stay here." Jellybean looked at her.

"I don't want to leave, I want to stay with Jug and dad. I don't want to go back to Toledo." Gladys sighed. "JB I don't want to get into this right now. You are coming with me and that's that. It's too dangerous to be here right now. Thanks to the ponytail Jug is dating."

Jughead snapped out of it. He turned and glared at his mother. "Don't. Ever. Blame Betty." He seethed. Gladys rolled her eyes. "I am just saying that Jellybean wouldn't have been kidnapped and almost killed if your precious ponytail wasn't with you."

Jughead shot up. "Enough!" He screamed in anger. Jellybean looked at her brother in shock. She never had seen him this angry. "This is in no way Betty's fault! You don't know anything about her! You don't get to be a righteous mother when you haven't been here for anything!"

Gladys scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I was there." He shook his head. "No! You weren't! Where were you when Dad was framed for the murder of Jason Blossom!? Why didn't you let me move to Toledo with you and JB!? You don't get to pretend to be the mother of the year."

"You claim that dad broke this family. But it wasn't him. Yeah, he struggled with his drinking, but he got better. You broke this family. You split this family. And you want to blame the girl that helped this family more than you have!? No!"

He stormed out of the trailer. He went to his bike. "Jug!" yelled his father. He turned. "Jughead, I know that you're upset. But you are in no condition to ride. You need to rest." Jughead shook his head.

"No, I need to find Betty. I need to find her and make sure that she's okay." FP's hand tightened on his son's shoulder. "You need to stay and rest. You need rest boy. Please." Jughead looked at his father.

He sighed, fighting tears and nodded. "Yeah, yeah okay." FP nodded and guided his son back in the house. Jughead looked at his mother. "Gladys, are you still leaving?" asked FP. She looked from them to Jellybean.

"Yeah, I don't want to be in Riverdale. I don't want this life for either of these kids. But I respect that you want to stay with your father JB." Jellybean nodded. She looked at FP and Jughead.

"I hope one day that we can talk about this." Jughead looked at his mom. "No time soon." He spits out. Gladys nodded. "I do love you Jughead." He nodded. He walked over to the cot and sat.

Gladys looked at Jellybean. "Take care of your brother." Jellybean nodded. She looked at FP. "Take care of my children." FP nodded. "Take care of yourself." Gladys nodded. She picked up her bag and left the trailer. FP walked over to them.

"Jellybean you can have the bedroom. Jug and I will stay out here." Jellybean nodded. "Thanks, Dad." He nodded. Jellybean looked at her brother. "Juggie?" He looked at her. He hugged her tightly again.

"I love you Jellybean." She smiled. "I love you too. Please try to get some sleep." Jughead nodded. Jellybean headed back to the bedroom. FP took Jughead's key from the table. Jughead looked at his dad with disbelief.

"I know you. You need rest but at the first chance that you have to look for Betty, you are gonna look for her." Jughead sighed and he laid down on the cot. FP laid down on the sofa and he sighed deeply.

"I'm sorry." Jughead looked up to him. "I'm sorry that you have been through so much these last few years. Dealing with my drinking."

"Your mother and Jellybean leaving." Jughead shook his head. "I'm not. Everything happens for a reason. You're better. You're doing better, and you are staying that way." FP nodded. They both turned over and tried to sleep.

...

Betty woke up in a room. She sat up slowly and she groaned in pain as she felt the wound in her leg. She looked down at it, blood staining the jeans that she was wearing. There was a tourniquet around it to slow the bleeding. Her head hurt too. She touched her head and she felt dried blood on her head.

Her father had bashed her head off a tree. The last gunshot was him shooting in frustration from Jellybean getting free. She looked around where she was. "I know you're there. Show yourself," said Betty. Hal walked into view.

"Where are we?" Hal walked closer to her. "You're away from Riverdale. And you aren't getting out of here. That gunshot wound is proof." Betty rolled her eyes.

"You're crazy if you think that I won't get out of here. Jughead and his dad will come for me anyway. Do you think that Jughead will leave this alone? You don't know him very well then." Hal crouched and grabbed Betty's chin.

"I don't care about Jughead and his dad. You would be dead before they get in the door anyway." He walked away. "Or I could kill them. Leave little Jellybean all alone in the world."

Betty shot up and she glared at her father, groaning in pain as she tried to stand on her leg. "You are going to leave Jughead and the rest of them alone. You have me. That's what you wanted. You won."

Hal smiled. "But you injured me, Betty. You threw a rock at my head. You don't want to be here. You don't want to be here with me." Betty scoffed. "That shouldn't be surprising. I told you I will never be like you dad. I won't kill anyone."

Hal laughed. "You pretend that you are so innocent Betty. But you are just as guilty as I am when it comes to killing people." Betty looked at him. "I only sent Chic to you because he was a threat to mom. I wanted to protect my family. Something that you are supposed to do."

Hal kicked Betty in her injured leg she hit the cold hard ground. "I am protecting this family. At least I was. But it's not my responsibility to protect you anymore." Betty picked up her head and she glared at him.

"It never was your job." Hal reached down and grabbed Betty by her hair. "Keep it up, Betty. And you won't live to see beyond these walls." He smacked her head on the ground. 'Juggie.'

Jughead jumped awake, hearing screams from the bedroom. Jughead and FP rushed into the room. Jellybean was tossing and turning. Jughead sat on the bed and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Jelly! Jellybean wake up!" She shot up straight into her brother's arms. He hugged her, rubbing her back gently.

"Are you okay?" asked FP. She nodded. "I was back in the coffin Jug." She cried. Jughead continued to rub her back. "It's alright. You're safe." He said gently. She began to cry harder. "I am so sorry Jug." she said.

They separated and he looked at her in confusion. "For what?" she sniffled. "I just left Betty there! She went there and she saved me. And all I did was run and leave her there." She sobbed.

Jughead shook his head. "Jelly, you did what she told you to do. You did the right thing. You're 10 years old. Betty knew that you needed to go somewhere safe. And she did. She saved you." She nodded.

"She's so fearless Juggie. So fearless. She looked at her father in the eyes and showed no fear." Jughead chuckled. "Yeah. Betty is very brave. She's one of the bravest people I know." Jellybean nodded.

"Come on you two, you both need more sleep." said FP. They both nodded. Jughead went to leave the room. "Juggie?" he turned to look at her. "You are going to find her. And she is alive. You have to believe that. Please don't give up. She needs you."

Jughead nodded. "Thanks, Jellybean." He walked out of the room and he walked back to the cot. He watched the rain run down the window. Jellybean was right. Betty needed him. He can't give up.