Chapter Fifteen

Jughead

"Great, Bets. You're going on the stand looking like that. People are going to think I beat you up or something," I tell her as we stand outside of the courtroom. I bounce on my heels as people wisp around us. I try as hard as I can to remember how to breathe but I am terrified of going back in there.

"Jug, no one is going to think that. The bruises aren't even that visible," she says. I look down at her body. The blue dress is tight around her waist but stops at least two inches above her knee, revealing the bottom of her tattoo. I put my hand on hers, interlocking our fingers together.

"If they don't notice the bruise, they are sure as hell going to notice the tattoo," I say with a sigh.

"Jug," she says with a small smile. She takes a step closer and puts her arm around my waist. She looks into my eyes without a hint of hate or uneasiness. It bewilders me because I am terrified about this whole thing. All she can do is smile at me when I nervously run my tongue over my lips.

"I am fine," she says. "I am proud of being your queen and being a serpent. Juggie, there is nothing wrong with being a serpent. I am not at all ashamed of it and you shouldn't be either. When they question me, I am going to be honest. That is all I have to do anyway. He is my best friend. Anything they ask me is going to be easy for me to answer."

"What if they try to use it against you?" I ask her, holding her close to my body. I don't want her too far away.

"They won't."

"What if they do?" I insist.

"Then I will defend myself and you and the rest of the serpents, Jug. I am not some push over."

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. I am trying to calm back down. I rest my head on her shoulder for a long second. We stand there holding each other for a while. I hear them call us into the court room so I am forced to stand up. I hold onto her hand. It is obvious I am shaking with worry.

"Jug, I am going to be fine," she insists as we enter. I lean down to whisper in her ear.

"You know I hate court rooms, especially when I am talking. But having someone I love do it…it's so much worse," I admit.

I try so hard not think about Jellybean. I miss her.

"I'm okay," she whispers as we take our seats.

I squeeze her hand as they begin talking. I am not able to listen. I don't want to hear their opening remarks. It is some of the same stuff I have already heart. Archie is shaking his leg in his chair as the lawyers speak one then the other. I wait for all of that to stop. Finally, Betty is called to the stand.

"The defense calls Elizabeth Cooper to the stand," Mrs. Andrews says. I turn to her, realizing that I am going to be sitting here alone now. She squeezes my hand before standing up and walking toward the stand. She turns and there are a few gasps from the jury when they see her tattoo. They all saw it as she walked by them. They all got a glimpse of the fact that my girlfriend, Elizabeth Cooper is not a reliable witness because she too is a South Side Serpent. The two witnesses that the defense has are delinquent gang members in the eyes of the jury and everyone watching.

Archie is so screwed.

After she is sworn in, she looks to me with a small smile and then back to Archie. She sits up straight. Her blonde hair falls in curls around her face and shoulders. I like it when she wears her hair out but I like it even more when I see it out because I pulled her ponytail. It ends in a flailed mess with curls around her face and sweat on her brow. That is what really makes me smile.

I try to think about all of those beautiful things when Mrs. Andrews starts asking her questions.

"How do you know the defendant?" Mrs. Andrews asks.

Betty gives a soft smile, as if she is trying to make the jury like her again. She wants to show them that she is an innocent teenager.

"I'm his best friend. We have been best friends since we were very young," she says. At least the first questions are easy.

"Where did you stay in the Lodge residence that evening?" she asks.

"In my room with Jughead," she says, nodding.

"What did you do that day?" she asks.

"When we woke up, Veronica and Archie were already awake. Veronica told me that we were going out. I went out with her to the store where we saw Cassidy."

"Did you notice anything about him?" she asks.

"No. He was flirting. I told Ronnie to stop flirting with him. When I came back, Jug and I hung out. At the end of the evening we were all playing monopoly. I got a call from my mom. She said that my dad sold the register to Mr. Lodge. Jug and I were really upset so we were arguing with Archie and Veronica. That's when we heard something break."

"How many men came into the home?" she asks.

"Three."

"Could you tell who they were?"

"I knew right away that the first one was Cassidy. He was the angriest one."

"What did you do as Veronica went upstairs with him?" she asks. Betty takes a deep breath and looks to me. Our eyes lock and I nod to her. I just want her to tell the truth so that she can come back off of that stand.

"The others didn't really say anything. They just told us not to move and that was it. Jughead put me behind him. I could barely see around his shoulder. I waited until Veronica came back down. It wasn't long."

"Then what did they have you do?" she asks.

"They had us get on our knees. Veronica said that there was a silent alarm. They started running. Archie went after them. Jug ran after Archie and I grabbed his arm to hold him back. I didn't want him to get hurt too."

She nods and smiles at Betty.

"Do you have anything to say about Archie?" she asks. Betty looks right to Archie. I can see her lower lip trembling. She is making that face that I fear. Her eyebrows come in and I can see her lean down a little.

"He is my best friend. Archie and I have been loyal to each other since the day we met. We have been inseparable because every time I need him, no matter where he is or what he is doing, he is there for me. He walks me to school. He makes sure I get home safely. He talks to me when I'm sad. Our bedroom windows literally face each other. Archie is the kind of friend that will fight for you. He is loyal and kind. I was there that night. When he came back in, he didn't have blood on him. He looked confused but not scared or freaked out. He was just Archie."

A tear falls down her face. I lean forward, knowing that I can't help her. She is up there and I am back here. But I need to. I have to get to her. She wipes her face off and then leans back in her chair, forgetting her posture. I sniffle and stare at her, trying to catch her eyes but she won't look at me.

"That concludes our questions. Thank you, Ms. Cooper," Mrs. Andrews says.

"The state has a few questions," the other lawyer says. The judge nods and gestures for her to walk to the front.

"Elizabeth, is it true that you have recently joined the South Side Serpents?" she asks.

Oh god. No.

"Yes," she says, straightening her back and raising her eyebrows just a little, as she always does when she is trying to look as if she is above someone else. I appreciate that. She might take it better than me.

"Is it true that you are named their Serpent Queen with your boyfriend Jughead Jones being their other leader?" she asks.

"Yes."

"Is it also true that the South Side Serpents are known for being delinquents and thugs?" she asks.

"Not under my rule," Betty says.

She looks right at me when she says that and I smile back at her.

The woman nods and then steps in front of Betty.

"That's all," she says and then steps back toward her desk. I look to Betty with a smile and a nod, proud of my queen.

It seemed as if she tamed the beast, at least for one interview.