She would look at Betty but she couldn't meet her eyes. She was too ashamed. Maybe of what she had done to make Alice so mad or maybe because she never had the courage to reach out before. Betty embraced her tight and she started to cry.

"It's nice to meet you, grandma."

Kathlyn smiled and held on a little tighter.

"It's nice to meet you too, Betty. Thank you so much, Jughead, I had no idea how much I needed this." She looked so happy, they both did, and it filled me with a knotted dread because there was a skeleton in the closet that needed to be shaken out.

Her apartment was really small and she couldn't afford much in the way of things. We sat on her makeshift couch, holding hands, as we waiting for her to come back with tea and coffee.

"I'll bring up the letter, Betty." I didn't want her grandmother to associate this mess with her. She looked at me with pleading eyes, as if to say Do we really have to? I'm happy like this. And I'm not one to deny her happiness, but I didn't know when we would get the chance to be here again and I knew deep down that Betty really needed answers.

To my surprise, Betty spoke up when Kathlyn reentered the room.

"Grandma, who is Cooper?" She dropped the trey with tea cups, tea, and coffee. It all shattered and spilled everywhere. People in Betty's family were a lot less tactful than they thought they were.

She was shakey and she gulped. She didn't start talking again until she leaned down to clean up the mess before anyone got seriously hurt.

"So you found the letter. You don't have to believe me, but I didn't murder Cooper Blossom. My dad just ordered me to clean up the mess. Maybe he did it, I don't know, but either way I was in charge of clean up. I'm squeamish, Betty, and not particularly strong, not even when I was younger. This was before the war, and before Forsythe got married and died a war hero. He said he would do anything for me so I asked him to help me. We dragged the body to Sweetwater River, figuring it would end up in the Atlantic before anyone even thought to look in it. We were wrong, but there was nothing that could pin it to us anyways. I lived in extreme paranoia for years. It's been an unsolved murder case ever since, abandoned due to lack of evidence. I always knew someday it would come back to haunt me, again, like it did when Alice found out."

Betty rubbed her grandmothers back, trying so hard to comfort the family she had only just met. Kathlyn sobbed into her arms. It was haunting to watch and I felt like this moment was too personal and intimate for me to be watching, like I was a voyeur.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with us. We found out through the letter you wrote my grandfather, but I'm pretty sure it's a collection of ash now. This isn't your fault. Neither of us asked to be children of gang leaders." Her eyes softened and she seemed genuinely grateful. She has probably been holding onto this guilt for decades.

We helped clean up the mess and she provided glasses of water now that her tea set was broken. I snacked on a few cookies she put out while her and Betty got to know each other better. It was heartwarming seeing Betty like this. Things were tense at her home and her mom was very pushy with her. I stayed in solidarity for her.

When we finally left, she told me she didn't want to go home. She wasn't ready to face her mother who would probably be livid about the fact that we skipped school- maybe even more than that if she knew Betty admitted to being gang legacy. We decided to go to Pop's. I guess technically this would have been our first date so it felt like a really big deal even though we always went there together.

We could have shared a milkshake but I felt that was too sappy so I bought her a vanilla and I got myself a strawberry to go with my burger and fries. I ordered an extra plate of fries to share, since I had no intention of sharing her main meal. I casually slung my arm over her shoulder and she leaned in to me.

For a short while, we could live in bliss, in the one safe place we had in Riverdale, and pretend like none of this crap from the past week or so had even happened. I said something, don't remember what but it made her laugh and I cherished that sound. We could be normal. A word that haunted me like the word perfect haunted Betty. I wanted it ever so desperately but it just was not in the cards for me.

I kissed her and sighed in contentment. If there could be more burger dates, I knew all the stuff I went through in life would be worth it. I just needed my partner by my side.

We heard a ring chime and in stepped a very pissed off Alice Cooper.

"Let's go Betty." She pulled onto her daughter's arm with a grip of steel. Betty quietly said no and tried to pull away, but it was no use. She looked at me apologetic.

"Don't worry, Jughead will pick up the tab," Alice said to Pop Tate, owner of the fine eatery.

A/N: I released the first chapter a week ago. I have a few chapters building up so I don't have to worry about falling behind, but I might release a second chapter tonight if I can finish the chapter after, to celebrate. Also noticed a few continuity errors- the big one being a mention of Riverdale High being the only high school. Obviously that was not the case, I just didn't know it yet.

Edit: errors have been fixed more or less. Let me know if you spot any more!