Chapter Five
Betty moaned softly as she rolled over onto her back, grimacing as a spring pushed into her back, the rough sheets scratching against her soft skin. With her eyes still shut to block the light filtering through the curtains she stretched her body out, feeling a loose t shirt riding up her flat stomach.
"What in the?" she asked herself and sat up, looking down at the faded green t-shirt with an S printed across the front. She moved the covers off of her legs to see her pants were missing; she only had her pair of white satin panties. She pulled the collar of the shirt out and looked down, noticing her bra was missing too.
"What in the world?" she muttered to herself and swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet landing in a pile of discarded clothing and she gasped when she saw Jughead's clothes from the previous night. In a panic she snatched her capris up and slid them on, rushing to open the door and let out a startled cry when she found Jughead standing on the other side, his hand frozen where he was reaching for the door handle. She looked him up and down, his well toned torso bare and a pair of black sweat pants resting on his hips and just barely hanging on.
"You okay, Betts?" he asked, her attention snapping back up to eyes and swallowing hard.
"Jug, what did we do last night?"
"Easy there, Betts, you're gonna break an ankle." Jughead said as he wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her as they walked, her arm resting around his back.
"Juggy I had so much fun tonight, thank you for this." she said with a giggle before stumbling again, her giggle turning into a laugh as she managed to stand upright, "You still live here, Juggy?"
"I still live here." Jughead said as they made their way into Sunnyside Trailer Park, Betty stumbling on the gravel and nearly taking him with her to the ground, "Alright, Grace, no more walking for you."
"You are such a gentleman." she said with a grin as he literally swept her off her feet, heading towards his trailer as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Do you remember, Juggy, when I used to sneak down here all the time as a kid? Man, my mom was a total witch about me playing with you."
"I remember, Betts. We had a lot of fun back then." he said and saw her smile out of the corner of his eye, feeling her tuck her head into the crook of his neck. When he reached his trailer he sat her down gently on her feet on his porch, digging his keys out of his pocket to unlock his door.
"Oh...why is everything spinning?" she asked, Jughead turning in alarm just in time to grab her before she tumbled off the top step of his porch.
"Come on, you." he said and picked her back up, carrying her into the trailer like a new bride on her wedding night. He kicked the door closed, taking her into his kitchen and setting her down gently on one of the dining table chairs.
"Juggy, I don't feel good. Everything is spinning so fast." she whimpered and Jughead rushed to grab an empty bucket out from under the sink, hurrying to Betty just in time to catch her stomach contents. He ran his fingers through her hair and gathered it up, keeping it pulled back out of her face so she wouldn't get puke in it.
"It's okay, I'm here." he said softly, fighting off a gag as the smell hit him. When she was done he set the bucket aside and got her a warm cloth to clean up, "Come on, Betts, let's get you to the bathroom and I'll get you a change of clothes."
He slid her ankle high boots off for her, standing and helping her to her feet. She moved on two unsteady legs down the hallway with him, thanking him when he opened the door.
"I'll be right back, okay?" he reassured her, stepping into his room and tossing his leather jacket onto the bed. He slid out of his clothes, leaving them in a crumpled mess in front of his nightstand. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, sliding them on again just as he heard Betty coughing and gagging from the bathroom.
"I'm coming, Betts!" he called, reaching blindly in his drawer and grabbing whatever he could get a hold of before hurrying back to her.
"You puked your brains out until you fell asleep. I put you to bed but I admit, I slept next to you so I could make sure you didn't aspirate if you vomited in your sleep." Betty hung her head in shame and embarrassment, covering her face with her hand as she groaned.
"Oh God, Jug, I'm so so sorry. That's not like me, I swear. Jesus, my head is killing me."
"I'll make you some breakfast and get you some aspirin." he offered softly, placing his hands on her shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze, "Hey, it's okay, it's not the first time anyone's puked on me, probably won't be the last."
"Oh God I puked on you?!" she cried out in horror as her head shot up, wincing in pain and fighting back the wave of nausea that followed.
"Well, it was more splash back that got me but I was trying to hold your hair back." Betty felt her heart strings tug a bit at Jughead's statement and he gave her a crooked grin, "No more tequila shots for you, Cooper. I have never seen someone as miserable as you were. Though it was impressive, for someone as small as you being able to keep pace with Sweet Pea on shots. By the way, you completely won him and Fangs over last night. I'm pretty sure they fell in love with you."
"They like me?" she asked with a smile that quickly faded to a frown and Jughead tilted her head up to look up at him.
"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he asked and crouched down a little when she avoided his eyes, "Betty?"
"I never really had friends after I moved, and I come back here and it's almost like I never left. You and Archie took me back as if I had just left for a vacation for a week instead of sixteen years, and then I became friends with Ronnie and now Sweet Pea and Fangs. And that's all going to go away after I sell the house and go back to New York. I'll have to leave, and you guys will be here, and I'll go back to...to business associates instead of friends, fancy and uncomfortable restaurants instead of a cozy booth at Pop's, and...and Michael." Tears that were brimming in her big green eyes were now slowly sliding down her cheeks.
"Betty..."
"I'm sorry, Jughead, that was careless of me. Sometimes it's just hard trying to maintain the perfection that is expected of me." Betty was surprised when Jughead pulled her into a hug, her arms moving to press her hands against his well toned back, thanking the good Lord that he couldn't see the blush that had spread across her cheeks.
Jughead held her close, his strong arms enveloping her as her sad expression burned into his brain. She was slowly coming undone and falling apart and he was trying everything he could to help hold her together. He hated to see her sad, to see her upset, but maybe, if she had to put up the picture of perfection every day of her life she needed to come undone. He felt her hot tears fall onto his bare skin, his embrace tightening briefly before stepping back and holding her at arm's length.
"Betty, it's okay to not be perfect." he said softly and she shook her head.
"No, no Jug you don't understand, it's not okay." She said softly, reaching up and wiping her tears off of her cheek.
"But it is, Betty, it is okay."
"No, Jughead, I have to be perfect. I have to. From the time the sun rises until it sets, and the hours I'm asleep in between I have to."
"Betty, what are you talking about?" She bit her bottom lip, shaking her head and stepping back out of Jughead's grasp.
"I need to head home so I can finish getting some pictures. Thank you for letting me crash here so I could sleep. I'm uh, I'm still sorry I puked on you."
"No, Betty, you're not going anywhere until you eat and take some medicine. I can guarantee that headache just got worse." he said and she nodded, her brain finally registering the throbbing and aching, "Go get comfortable on the couch, I'm gonna get a shirt. Bacon grease hurts pretty bad on bare skin."
"Can I ask you a question?" Betty asked after they dismounted the motorcycle, Jughead walking with her up the stone steps.
"Yeah, go for it."
"When we ran into each other in town, you seemed to be in a hurry, was everything okay?"
"Oh, yeah, I was meeting Archie at the police station. He works with his dad for the family business now and apparently someone came out there last night and worked over some of their equipment with a crowbar so he was filing a police report."
"That's awful! Why would they do that?" she asked and Jughead shrugged, stopping at her front door and turning to look at her.
"I'm not sure, everyone loves Fred and Archie, they're like, the golden boys of Riverdale and a representation of all things good. Whoever it was left a note nailed to their door."
"What did it say?"
"I'm watching."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked as she shifted her weight to one foot and crossed her arms.
"I'm not sure, and they busted up the security cameras before they went on their rampage."
Lollipop started blaring from her purse, Betty sighing and digging it out quickly, Jughead seeing Michael's name on the screen, catching a glimpse of his picture too. He just exuded douchiness from his picture alone.
"Crap." Betty muttered, quieting the phone and looking up at Jughead with a silent apology.
"I'm here, I'm here." Jughead soothed as he placed a hand on her back, pulling her hair back with the other and rubbing her back as she vomited again. Betty coughed and sputtered into the toilet, reaching blindly for the toilet paper and grabbing a wad as she sat back on her heels, wiping her mouth and flushing the toilet. Jughead grabbed a new wash cloth and ran it under the cool water, sitting on the side of the bathtub and wiping Betty's face for her.
"I'm never drinking Tequila again, I swear on my whole collection of mint condition Nancy Drew books." she moaned, leaning against his knee. Jughead moved his leg and pulled her close, Betty sitting in the floor between his legs as he sat on the edge of the bathtub, her head laying against his thigh. He ran his fingers slowly through her hair, trying to help her relax before the next wave of nausea sent her flying for the toilet and vomiting again. Jughead was by her side again, rubbing her back and holding her hair back. He stood too close though, vomit splattering the bottom of his shirt and he held back a gag. When she was done he handed her the wash cloth again, pulling his shirt off and sitting back down on the edge of the tub. She was quick to scoot back between his legs and rest her head on his thigh again.
"I feel like I'm dying, Juggy."
"No, not dying, at least not today." he reassured her and she groaned, her hand coming up and resting on his thigh.
"I'm so sorry I drank so much, I didn't embarrass you, did I?" she asked, her voice shaky as she sniffled, Jughead feeling his heart break.
"No, Betty, we had a blast, and you had so much fun. You didn't embarrass anyone, I promise." he said and she turned her head to look back up at him.
"Juggy?"
"Yes, Betts?"
"Thank you." she said softly and closed her eyes as he continued to run his fingers through her hair. They sat in the bathroom a while longer until Betty finally quit vomiting and dozed off, tucked between his legs with her head on his thigh. He moved slowly and stood up, gathering her in his arms and walking her to his bedroom. He laid her down on her side, tucking his comforter around her and placing her barf bucket next to the bed. He climbed in next to her, determined not to let her choke on her own vomit so he could keep his promise of her not dying.
"Juggy?" he heard her whisper softly, her voice heavy with fatigue.
"What's wrong, Betty?" he asked and reached over, placing a hand on her back and feeling her whole body tense. He rubbed it gently, Betty relaxing under his touch.
"Thank you...for not hurting me..." Her voice was slurring as she slipped further into sleep, Jughead turning to look at her and propping himself up on his elbow.
"Why would I hurt you?"
She was already fast asleep.
"Thank you for taking me home, I'll call Archie today and set up a time to move this furniture out."
"You're welcome, just let me know when." he said, Betty giving him a hug and a quick peck on the cheek before unlocking her door. As she stepped through the threshold 'Lollipop' started playing again, this time Betty placing the phone to her ear.
"Elizabeth? Where were you?" Jughead heard the stern voice ask as she turned and gave him a small, sad smile before waving goodbye. Jug waved back, turning and heading towards his bike as he shook his head.
"Fucking asshole." he seethed as Michael's picture flashed through his mind. He decided he was going to go home, grab his laptop, and head to Pop's for some coffee and research on just who this Michael was.
A/N: As always, thank you so much for reading and all of the wonderful feedback, you guys are the best. I hope you are enjoying the story so far, stay tuned for more to come!