Soon the police, fire department, and a few ambulances showed up. They loaded Betty up so she could get checked out, but they told me I couldn't come with her. I had to stay behind and report what happened to the police. A crowd started gathering behind a line of yellow tape and I could see my father but he looked like a ghost.

There wasn't a lot to say. I left out the part about the Scorpion letter but I did say we were reading through old family letters out of curiousity. They were about to let me leave when another officer arrived and told the guy I had been talking to, Sheriff Keller, that there were matches and gasoline found on the premise. This crossed the threshold, moving it from accident to arson. And I was suspect number one so off into the police car we went even though all I wanted to do was to go see Betty and never let go.

"Why did you do it? For kicks? Were you doing something you weren't supposed to and just burning the evidence? Maybe you got into a little fight with your girlfriend and wanted to scare her."

I squeezed my eyes shut. This was awful knowing someone would even consider that.

"Reports say you've been getting pummelled at school. Maybe you were just angry at the popular kids. She's a cheerleader, right? Were you trying to get even? This isn't some Hinton novel, kid, there's no gang war between you and them." Pffft sure there isn't.

I was trying so hard to wait for a lawyer to be present but they kept pressing all the wrong buttons and I reacted like a cornered dog.

"Shut up. I almost died. I get it, you all think Elizabeth Cooper is too good for a Southside kid like Jughead Jones, but we've been friends our whole lives and nothing is going to change that. If you honestly think I did it, that I would jeopardize Betty's life like that over something so petty, then you must be insane. If you think I'm gonna continue to sit here and listen to your shit, you have another thing coming. I don't even care if I'm currently incriminating myself because as of now I am no longer talking to you."

He was lucky I wasn't the malicious type. I was friends with his son Kevin, who I had a sneaking suspicious was secretly dating a serpent. At least I could say I wasn't one. Of course, doing that would also be throwing Kevin under the bus and he didn't deserve that, even if he was keeping a slithering secret from us.

We were at a stand still for hours until an officer came to inform the sheriff that I had made bail. He sighed and let me out of the interrogation room, albeit reluctantly.

A group of teenagers stood in the lobby, waiting for me. I was shocked, but really, who was I expecting? My dad would magically have the money? If anything, I was glad it wasn't my father because then I'd have to question where he got that kind of cash from.

"You're FP's kid, right? I get that he put in a lot of work to keep your life separate from us, even going so far as to make sure you got into the other school so colleges wouldn't reject your applications outright, but the word underground is that you're in things up to your neck. Here." He passed me a jacket, similar to theirs but identical to the one my dad had. Southside Serpents.

"I'm sorry but in my school, taking this would be literally social suicide." I tried to hand it back but he took a step away.

"You're a legacy child. Wear it, or don't. It's yours to do with as you please, but it comes with protection and a promise. You're our own, like it or not, and we are loyal as we are fierce. We will always have your back."

Okay so you couldn't say I officially joined a gang, at least not yet, but it did feel like I did unofficially. As someone with very few friends, it really meant a lot to me to have others care about me and treat me like family. I sometimes felt like I didn't even get that at home, especially without Jellybean.

One of them gave me a ride to the hospital and I went up to see Betty. It hadn't even been 12 hours since I was the one who was a patient there. She smiled at me as I entered the room and Veronica looked up from her book.

"Don't worry, Jug. They said I'm only here on observation and I can leave tomorrow morning in time for school if I want."

"I'll walk you," I offered way too fast.

"Thanks, Juggie." She reached out and squeezed my hand. "I can always count on you. Thanks for saving my life." I wanted to kiss her but she looked so fragile that I felt she might break under the pressure. To add to that, she was also very vulnerable and I would be a tool to take advantage of that. She patted the side of her bed, like she wanted us to just lay down together, and soon I was out like a light.

Soon enough I was shaken awake.

"Jughead, we have to get up. School starts soon." Oh right, I had forgotten that I said I'd walk Betty to school. Of course, that offer made it hard to avoid skipping as I had earlier been tempted. But if Betty was there, it would be okay.

She was her usual peppy self, if not more happy. Maybe almost dying gave her a new appreciation for life. She held my hand the whole walk and I decided I couldn't keep doing this without coming clean about how I felt. It was tortune, being so close and it meaning practically nothing.

She refused to break away from me so I ended up walking her to class. She pressed her lips to my cheek and I just stood there like an idiot while she went in. I was a few minutes late to my class.

Did I mention people stare at me a lot? I get a lot of negative attention, but on this particular day, I felt like it was more than that. There were whispers and I could make out a few things here and there. Betty. Fire. Snakes. I wanted to pound my head into my desk but I refrained. I didn't need more head trauma.

It was agonizingly slow waiting for lunch. When it finallly came, I went to go find Betty but was stopped by the football team.

"My dad says you're a snake, JUGhead," laughed Reggie Mantle.

"Did you seriously try to burn down your own work just to get back at me because I told you Betty is too good to associate with a freak like you? I bet you even have a jacket." He sneered, but was finding immense amusement in the bullying, I could tell just by looking at him. I almost laughed because while I did have a Serpents jacket now, he had his varcity jacket so really what was the difference?

"Leave him alone, guys!" Betty yelled. She must have seen the whole thing.

"Shut up, skirt. Know your place. You're above him but compared to me you're still just a little girl. I'm not going to listen to you just because you're a cheerleader." They all laughed like thunder through the halls.

"Oh yeah? Well then, I guess we'll just leave. I'm not better than Jughead, none of us are. And you can shove it with your social hierarchies because I'm a gang member legacy child and I'll be damned if I let you talk down to Juggie." She slapped Chuck hard in the face. "He saved my life." She led me away and everyone stood there like they were frozen, but they were just stunned. This was not the Betty Cooper they had become accustomed to. I'm not even sure she was fully aware of what she had just said.

We went to be by ourselves on the edge of the property.

"You didn't have to do that, Betty. Now you'll be a target, too."

"Well I couldn't just stand by while they picked on you. I like you too much to tolerate that." She smiled up at me. And here I was collecting myself to spill my feelings.

So I did the one thing I had been holding myself back from doing for a while now and I just leaned in and kissed her. This girl, Betty Cooper, the imperfectly perfect girl, cared about me and even liked me back. It was like sparklers and old movies at the bijou. I felt electrified. Our moment was cut short when Betty pulled away, eyes wide.

"What, did I misread the situation?" I could be a bit socially awkward sometimes.

"No Juggie, that was amazing, but do you still have the letter?"

I felt around in my pockets, but it wasn't there. Did I pocket it before we escaped the fire? Shit, of course not. My first priority was keeping Betty as safe as possible. I felt like such a dumbass.

"I'm sorry Betty, it must have gotten burned up in the blaze."

"It's that, or whoever lit the fire took it. We need to go talk to my grandma. Now." She took my hand and led me away, but we still didn't know where she was. We just walked towards where I last saw her when I spotted a phonebooth and pointed it out to Betty. Inside it was a telephone directory. We skimmed down until we found Kathlyn Campbell. 34 Penderson, apartment 306.

She took off with a renewed vigour, tugging me along like a rag doll. When we got there, she knocked really loud.

"Go away."

"Kathlyn, just let us in. We both know you want to meet Betty anyways and Alice isn't here."

We could hear her unlocking the deadbolt and turning the latch so we could open the door.

I looked between the two women.

"Kathlyn, this is Betty. Betty, this is your grandmother, Kathlyn."