Cliffhanger
Betty was surprised that she still managed to drive back home despite the tears muddling her view of the road. How could he be so cold.
She was mistaken in thinking that he still cared for her. What did she expect to happen anyway. That he would be happy to see her when she swooped into that hellish bar, lock lips with him, and reclaim their lost love? The fairy tales she loved to read as a child have no fucking resemblance in reality at all and this was a stark reminder that the prince and princess don't always end up in a happily ever after.
Fuck, she shouldn't have let him see her cry. Despite all her best efforts, she showed weakness in front of him. The mask that she had been hiding behind for the longest time, transformed like glass in front of him. And she even told him she still cared. I feel so fucking stupid. So much for getting revenge.
She stroked away her tears with trembling fingertips and swallowed her sobs. She didn't even know how she managed to climb back into her bed despite the sadness engulfing her very being. Before she succumbed to the dark, she had one last thought.
This isn't over.
The rest of the day passed by uneventfully. Or perhaps a lot has happened but she barely registered it. She passed by the school hallways with a seemingly blank look on her face, earning her concerned glances from Veronica and Kevin. But they knew better than to push her to open up at this point. Even Vixens' practice seemed more grueling than usual because she couldn't concentrate, especially with Cheryl screaming at her with every misstep, "Get a hold of yourself Cooper and do not come back to practice until you've got your shit sorted out."
Betty just stormed out after that, with Veronica right at her heels, "Ronnie, I'll be fine, I just need some time alone please."
Knowing better than to push her best friend, Veronica gave her a brief hug, hoping she could squeeze out any darkness in Betty that seemed to have been looming over her for the past few days, "I'm here for you B, you know that right?"
Betty's heart felt full at the concern in her best friend's eyes, and with a small smile, "I know, V."
Not bothering to change, Betty walked out of the school in her Vixens' uniform, her short skirt swaying slightly with the breeze. Wrapping her arms around herself, Betty did a double take when she spotted a leather-clad figure by the parking lot, leaning lazily on his bike.
He spotted her the minute she walked out of the school, his legs reflexively walked towards her while his eyes trailed appreciatively down her body, thanking the winds for slightly lifting her skirt, exposing more of her long legs. Betty gulped at the burning intensity of his gaze and she wrapped her arms instinctively closer around herself.
He was closer now, the smell of leather and his subtle cologne engulfing her senses. His stride seemed almost calculated, with a lazy saunter that was seductive enough to ignite an unwelcome warmth in her belly. But she had to be careful. She was clever and quick. But she was already spent enough as it is just dealing with one Serpent, let alone two. Although she knew that she could handle him if anything happens.
"Hey there, Cooper." he drawled. His unfamiliar use of her last name made her heart flip unexpectedly.
"Sweet Pea." she acknowledged, "What exactly are you doing here?"
"I came to see you", he replied nonchalantly, "I believe we have some unfinished business to settle."
"Betty's eyebrows rose in curiosity, "I wasn't aware we even had any business together."
Sweet Pea smirked, "Let's go for a ride, I'll explain on the way."
"You're joking right?" Betty scoffed. "You don't actually expect me to hop on your bike and go on our merry way?"
His dark eyes flashed, almost the same way as Jughead when she challenged him like that, "What I expect…is for you to get on that bike willingly or I can just grab you and put you on it myself."
His eyes trailed suggestively at her short skirt, "Although I do believe I prefer the latter."
Betty made an exasperated sound, while reflexively pulling down at her skirt, her earlier resolve crumbling. "Fine. But only because I'm curious as to how you plan on playing this out."
"You have no idea how well I play Cooper," he winked at her.
"Put this on," Furnishing another helmet from his back, he handed it to her, accidentally brushing her fingers, making Betty nervous.
As he settled himself onto the bike, with Betty sitting right behind him, before revving up the engine, he looked back at her, "You have to hold on tight."
Reluctantly, Betty put her arms around his waist, her hands loosely clasped together. Sweet Pea placed his hands over hers and adjusted them, keeping her hands tight, allowing her to feel the hard ridges of his abdomen. She placed her cheek against the back of his leather jacket, and for a few seconds, it jolted her back to the memory of this same position she was in the other night at the alley behind the bar. Her heart twisted painfully at the memory, and Betty had one last resounding thought right before Sweet Pea sped her away, which held so much meaning for her in more ways than one. Please don't let me go.
They sped through the familiar town of Riverdale, through winding roads that Betty didn't recognize, but they seem to be going uphill somewhere, the wind blasting through her uniform and she clutched Sweet Pea tightly, trying to gain warmth from his body.
After half an hour of their tumultuous ride, Sweet Pea slowed down into a clearing, parking his bike and taking off his helmet, he turned to Betty and gently unclasped the helmet off her head. His dark gaze holding hers, he helped her off the bike, took her hand in his, and led her through a path that led to a clump of beaten trees.
She wasn't sure what confused her more, the comforting feeling of her hand in his, or the fact that she may just be walking towards her own doom with a potential murderer.
Betty's thoughts were racing frantically at the situation. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me.
His silence was deafening, and Betty wasn't sure if anyone could even hear her if she started screaming. But before she could utter a word, they stepped onto an opening through the trees, leading to a wide cliff, and Betty gasped at the sight. From their vantage point, Betty could see the expanse of the city beneath them, Northside and Southside mingling into a sea of twinkling lights, with the last rays of the sunset filtering out slowly throughout the whole city.
"It's beautiful," Betty said in awe.
Sweet Pea smiled at her, "I found this spot a long time ago, when I needed to get away from things that get too complicated", his thoughts drifting. "The sight alone gives me peace." Sweet Pea admitted quietly.
Her gaze snapped back to him in confusion. "I don't understand… why did you take me here?"
Sweet Pea gazed back at her, his dark look faltering, replaced by something else, more gentle, but guarded nonetheless, "I saw you that night, right before you left… You looked like you needed to find some peace yourself."
Betty didn't know if it was the gentle look he gave her, or the fact that she had been dealing with so many emotions all at once for the past few days, that no one ever really noticed what she was going through. To her surprise, she suddenly felt the tears trickling down her cheeks.
Sweet Pea's eyes widened in surprise at her reaction. He hated seeing girls cry, and he felt that overwhelming need to comfort her, even though he was the trigger for her tears. He reluctantly held out his arms to her, afraid that she would just turn away from him, but Betty was too tired of fighting her emotions and instead she gave in to this complete stranger, and she collapsed against him, the tears now streaming down her face. His hand caressed the back of her head while his other arm was wrapped tightly around her back, and he just held her gently as she cried.
"I'm sorry I'm like this," Betty said in between sobs.
"You shouldn't be sorry, Cooper. You seem to be the type of girl who's stronger than this."
"You don't even know me," Betty said quietly.
"You're right, I don't. But I do know that it takes a certain kind of strength to walk into the White Wyrm and do the Serpent dance in front of total strangers."
Betty's head snapped up and looked at him in surprise.
"Yeah, I was there that night," answering her unspoken question. "I knew about you even before we met at the bar," Sweet Pea explained.
Betty's heart dropped. "Get away from me," she snarled, pushing him away and hastily swiping at her tears, "Is this some sort of bet you have with the other Serpents on who can get into my pants first?"
"No!, he protested, "It's not like that!"
"Then what?," she questioned hotly. "You expect me to believe that you have nothing but good intentions towards me? How fucking stupid do you think I am?"
"I'm not trying to do anything to you Cooper"
"Then prove it." Betty replied, recalling their previous encounter, and throwing his own words back at him.
His dark eyes flashed again at her challenge, the same look that reminded her that he could be dangerous too if he wanted to be. He took a step closer.
Betty shuffled backwards in a feeble attempt to distance herself from the snake that looked ready to strike. She didn't think she could get any farther considering the jagged cliff dropped steeply a few feet behind her.
Without warning, Sweet Pea grabbed her hand and pulled her forward, away from the edge of the cliff. He wrapped his other arm around her, pulling her in even closer, "You want proof?"
With that, Sweet Pea leaned down, tilted her chin up, and caught Betty's surprised lips in a crushing kiss.
A/N:
Sorry it took so long! Thank you for all the support and encouraging words. This will definitely shift to Bughead soon. Be patient with me.
Once again, I do not own Riverdale or any of its characters.