A/N: Thanks to everyone who has been supporting this story. It's much appreciated.

Jughead didn't know what to expect when he was told Betty Cooper was going to be working with him from now until the end of the school year.

He hadn't spoken to her since the beginning of high school and even then he knew very little about her. He knew she was smart or, at the very least, book smart. She was going to be valedictorian of their graduating class and he was certain she had sent off applications to the most prestigious universities in the country. He also knew she actually worked hard for those grades unlike some of her friends who had their parents pay teachers off to get them high marks. He noticed she rarely talked to her friends in the classes they all had together and opted to get a large portion of her homework done during the school day. He would see her studying in the cafeteria during her free period and even during lunch if Cheryl was away, which was often, and if Archie was distracted.

She was a cheerleader, on the yearbook committee, the prom committee and she was the head of the model UN, amongst other clubs that looked amazing on college applications.

She was Archie Andrews girlfriend, Jughead's enemy, which made her his enemy by proxy, but out of all the people in the privileged-ginger-asshole squad, she was the only one who he ever saw show some sign of regret after they did something cruel. It was in her eyes when what she had done set in and she couldn't take it back. She did these things because she was in love with Archie, or at least she thought she was and wanted his approval.

Lastly, the one thing Jughead knew about her was that she was beautiful, distractingly so and he hated it. He hated that, at the end of the day, he was still just a body that had needs and wants he couldn't control. He hated how he thought about kissing her when she spoke to him, he hated that he thought about what she might look like naked. He hated how he wanted to hate Betty Cooper but couldn't because he was a seventeen year old boy and his hormones were king.

This didn't stop him from making her life miserable for a while. He knew he couldn't do it for long but if he could make her suffer in any way, it would in some small part make up for all the things she had done to him.

It was also a way for him to adjust to having someone with him all the time. He was used to being alone, he was used to the quiet and he hoped if she was angry with him, she would be less inclined to talk to him.

This was the case for a little while. Her next three shifts she barely spoke to him unless she had to and then the bitterness and annoyance came full force, followed by questions and statements like, "Jughead, why aren't you filling anything in the right place?", "Jughead, did you change the filling system and not tell me?", "Jughead, why does this town even have a library if no one ever comes in?", "Jughead, why are you such an asshole?" and "You're absolutely impossible, Jughead."

They didn't speak to each other at school, they still weren't saying good night at the end of their shifts and they avoided each other as much as possible while Jughead continued to make her community service more difficult than it needed to be and she continued to yell at him for it. It wasn't a comfortable rhythm but it was a rhythm nonetheless.

Betty was in for her first weekend shift and she had really found a groove in her organization process which meant she could pay less attention to what she was doing and more of her attention could be focused on yelling at Jughead.

She threw a stack of books she was sorting onto the counter in a huff. "How come you get to pick the music? Also, why are we listening to music in a library? Isn't it supposed to be silent in here?"

"Is there something wrong with the music I listen to?" Jughead asked.

"No, the grunge/punk sound suits you, I would just like to be able to pick something every once in a while." Betty shrugged.

"Why do you even care? You are over there listening to your music," he motioned to the row she came out of, "and I am over here enjoying myself. The music isn't loud enough to bother anyone. I also don't want to spend hours listening to Ariana Grande or Miley Cyrus or whatever Top 40 bullshit you like."

"Okay, first thing, you know nothing about me or what I listen to and second thing, there is nothing wrong with Ariana Grande or Miley Cyrus." She diverted her eyes away from him as a flush rose up her neck and into her cheeks.

"So you do like Top 40?" He was trying to suppress a grin as he leaned forward and grabbed his water bottle.

Betty felt rage rising in her chest and slammed the next book into it's appropriate pile. "Why are you always reading, huh?" She spat at him. "Explain that to me, it's all I ever see you do."

Jughead slowly turned his head to look at her as he swallowed the water in his mouth. "What?"

"Why are you always reading?"

"Um, this a library," he replied, narrowing his eyes and cocking his head to imply he couldn't possibly understand how she could ask him that.

"Do you actually like reading?" She asked.

"I work at the library." Again, his tone was filled with confusion.

"So, yes?" Betty was becoming annoyed that Jughead wouldn't give her a straight answer.

Jughead rolled his eyes and put his book down. "Yes, I enjoying reading for pleasure."

"Why?" Betty inquired, genuinely curious. She had abandoned the books and walked around the counter to stand in front of him.

"Have you ever read a book before?" Jughead questioned, ignoring what she had asked.

An irked look flashed over her face. "I have a 4.0, asshole."

"Oh, well then, let me alert the mayor. No, I mean have you ever read a book because you wanted to? Not because you needed to get an 'A' on a test or because you had an essay you needed to write? Have you ever read a book because you wanted to get lost?" Jughead stood, tightening the flannel shirt he had tied around his waist, his white T-shirt was just too tight and it strained against the lean chest muscles. His light blue jeans hung off his hips and the beanie, which never left his head, was still there, crowning him the king of the outcasts as he moved towards her.

Betty shrugged. "I read all the Harry Potter books but since high school started I've only done the required readings. With all my classes, extra curricular activities, cheer practice and friends, I don't have time for it and now with this community service stuff, I literally have no time to myself."

"You should really give it a try. If you're interested, I can recommend something." Jughead looked away from her and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, expecting rejection.

Betty was a little put off by the kindness he was exhibiting considering they had just been at each others throats. She shook it off and attributed it up to the fact that they had spent a lot of time together and maybe it was time the two of them started acting civilly considering they had twenty more weeks of this to go. "What did you have in mind?" She asked him following him towards the shelves.

"It's one of my favourites; it's so well written, it's filled with these incredible ideas and points of view on human life and it has one of the best villains I've ever read." She had never heard him sound so excited as he crouched down and handed Betty a book.

"East of Eden?" She flipped it over and read the back. "Isn't this a movie?"

"With James Dean but the book is much better. The movie only focuses on the last 150 pages or so." Jughead put his hands in his back pockets and began rolling back on his heels. "Give it a try and if you hate it I will never recommend anything ever again."

"That doesn't really seem like enough of an incentive." She looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

His head lulled back and forth as he thought of a fair compromise. "How about if you read it and hate it, you get to choose the music for the rest of your time here but if you read it and like it, then I get to recommend something else. You also only have a week to finish it."

"A week? We just went over how I have no time to do anything."

"A week or no deal."

"You're really that confident that I'll like it?"

"I am." He crossed his arms in a self-assured manner. "And I'll quiz you, so you can't just pretend to read it."

She looked up at him with a smile. "Fine, I'll give it a shot." She opened it and let the smell of old books wash over her. "But I hope you like Iggy Azalea because she's my absolute favorite and when I win, I will play her over and over."

His face fell. "Wait, is that a joke? Are you serious? Betty, you have to tell me if you're serious." He grabbed her by the shoulders, his eyes wide and filled with fear.

Betty laughed, a genuine laugh from her belly. Jughead noted it was the first time she had ever laughed in his presence. "Yes, it's a joke. I do have some self respect."

Jughead visibly relaxed. "Thank god," he said with some relief and a smile tugged as his lips. Betty realized how his whole face softened when he wasn't scowling. He looked like an entirely different person, she noticed how pouty his lips were and how green his eyes were when they were alight.

They stood and looked at each other smiling, hoping the other would say something. "You never answered my question though, why do you love reading so much?" Betty gripped the book, cutting the silence.

Jughead rubbed his face and looked away from her not wanting to answer the question because he didn't want to see the pity in her eyes. "Because my life is shit and when I get lost in a book, I can pretend that it isn't." He told her anyway.

Betty's face burned with embarrassment, she didn't expect that answer and didn't know how to respond to it. She knew she was responsible for some of the horribleness he was speaking of but she didn't want to apologize out of pity. She also didn't want to pry into his home life. It was none of her business until Jughead decided to make it her business.

She was thankful when Jughead ended the conversation. "I have to do a few things up front so I should probably get back up there."

"Yeah, I should probably finish what I was doing." Betty headed back to the row she was working on and placed East of Eden on the shelf across from where she was organizing. She put her earbuds in and continued working.

Jughead headed back to the counter where he had absolutely nothing to do and took a seat in his usual spot. He could just see her from where he was sitting and he was having trouble focusing on the book he was reading. Stephen King just wasn't catching him and having her in his line of vision wasn't helping.

She wasn't as flashy as all the girls she hung out with and opted for a more dressed down style, usually jeans and fancy top. It was another thing Jughead liked about her. Today she was wearing jeans rolled up at the ankles, white Keds and a blue and white stripped t-shirt that hugged her body. She had traded her token ponytail for a knot bun on the top of her head.

He watched as she looked at the spine of each book and put it in one of the many piles she had started. She took an alarming about of breaks to look at her phone, check Facebook, text and frequently change the song she was listening to. She would dance when she found something she liked assuming he couldn't see her.

Jughead looked away but he couldn't help but grin at the small moment he had witnessed of her just being herself.

"Are we interrupting something?" Veronica asked with a knowing smile. She was wearing a black sweater dress that was synched at the waist by a large belt that clacked against the aging wood of the counter she was leaning on. A heavy wool coat swallowed her thin frame and a large floppy hat casted shadows over her face. In her extended, manicured hand was a coffee just the way he liked it, three creams and eight sugars.

Jughead placed his book on the counter, took the coffee and walked around the counter to greet her and Kevin. "I'm just making sure she's doing her job correctly." Jughead reasoned brushing off Veronica's accusation the best he could.

"It looks like you were watching her shake her ass." Veronica smirked, turning her head to watch the blonde sway at the other end of the room.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked ignoring her completely.

"We just wanted to come by and say hello. How is it working with her?" Kevin tried to pass Jughead but the boy in the beanie wouldn't let him. "Is she a nightmare? Cheryl Blossom lite?"

"No talking about Cheryl!" Veronica warned as she took a long pull of her half-sweet, no foam, extra hot, soy, caramel macchiato. Riverdale didn't have a Starbucks when the Lodge's came to town, now it had three.

"Its fine. She actually okay when she alone, she's just a dick when she's at school and with her friends." Kevin was still struggling against him to get a glimpse at the dancing cheerleader. "Stop it man, she's not a tourist attraction."

Kevin let up and straightened out his coat and smoothed out his hair.

"Do you love her yet?" Veronica joked with a sly smile on her face.

"She's not really my type, Ron." Jughead lied, taking a sip of his coffee.

"If I'm not your type and she's not your type, then who is your type?" Veronica hopped up on the counter.

"Obviously Eleanor Roosevelt, I like handsome, patriotic women." He joked. "And you know there is no one in this town worth my time. When I go to New York after school, I'll see if anyone catches my eye." He huffed wishing this conversation would end.

Jughead hated talking about relationships and romance while Veronica loved it. The dark exterior she displayed was to hide the bubblegum princess underneath. "People are less inclined to speak to you if they think you might punch them," she would always say when justifying her wardrobe.

"Are you going to be home at your regular time tonight?" Veronica asked admiring her perfect nails. "Rosa is making vegan burritos or something and I'll save you some if you are."

Jughead was currently living with Veronica until graduation. His mother bailed a year ago, taking his sister Jellybean out west to live with his grandmother and his father was too busy drinking himself to death to notice his son never came home. He liked living in Veronica's cavernous house and because he knew it was only temporary and she was insanely rich, he didn't feel much guilt about it. He told himself that after everything he had endured, he deserved a little security.

"Yeah, I'll be in around 9:30. Are we still doing the romantic comedy double feature?"

"You know it, How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Two Weeks Notice." Kevin grinned enthusiastically.

"Do you want to bring Betty to movie night? It might be nice to get to know her on a personal level so your days at work don't feel like work." Veronica suggested, clapping her hands together as an excited smile spread across her face.

"Ronnie, stop." Jughead rubbed his face.

"What? If you don't ask her out I'm going to."

"I thought you were into redheads?" Jughead inquired.

"Apparently everyone in this town is." She noted with annoyance her mood changing on a dime.

Jughead watched her eyes flick up and focus on something past him. "Heads up." She warned and he turned to see Betty emerging from the stacks.

"Was there a classics section at one point? I have no idea where this book is supposed to go." Betty stopped abruptly when she saw Veronica and Kevin. "Oh, hey," she said bewildered.

Veronica gave her a nod of acknowledgement and Kevin gave her a wave.

Jughead took a step towards her. "Yeah we used to have one but that section is being converting over to fiction. Here, give it to me." She handed him the book. "I'll take care of it."

"Thanks." She gave him a curt smile.

"I love your boyfriend jeans, Betty." Veronica interjected, jumping off the counter and walking towards her.

Betty's heart started racing, she had no idea what to expect when it came to the richest girl in town. "Oh, thanks, they're super comfortable." She smoothed her hands over her pants and focused on Veronica who was nearly too glamorous to look at. "You look amazing too, I've always been really jealous of your style to be honest."

"Really? You should come over sometime! You can try on some of my clothes." Veronica beamed. "I'm so sick of hanging out with boys and I need to find a half cool chick to have a girl's night with in this stupid town. Do you think you would want to come over one day?" She asked hopefully.

"Why me?" Betty asked not sure where this bubbly personality came from under the sea of black.

She shrugged. "Jug hasn't complained about you too much yet, so you can't be all bad and I'm running out of options." The dark haired beauty fished her phone out of her purse and handed it to Betty. "Number please."

Betty took the phone and punched in her number and handed it back. A second later Betty's phone buzzed in her pocket.

"That's just me," Veronica's smile was dazzling and it spread wider with every word. "Well, Kevin and I need to run, I hope to see more of you Bets." She winked and turned to meet up with the well groomed boy she came in with. "I'll see you at home, Jugs." And just like that the storm that was Veronica Lodge was gone and the library was plunged into silence again.

"You survived your first interaction with Veronica. Some people aren't so lucky." Jughead finally said.

"She's something else. Is she normally really mean to people?"

"I've seen her put a cigarette out on someone because they accidentally spilt a drink on her." Jughead took a step towards her.

"Really?"

"No," he smiled, "but it's nice to know you believe everything you're told." He stopped so there was a good two feet between them. "You do realize that if Ron has anything to do with this, you and me are going to be friends, right?"

Betty looked over at him, his arms crossed, the same smile still on his lips. "Archie's gonna fucking hate it." He turned to go back to the counter.

Betty's brow furrowed and she sighed. The last thing she wanted was more trouble, she had enough to last her a lifetime.

While organizing the last shelf of the non-fiction section she realized Jughead was right, if she decided to hang out with Veronica there was a chance she and Jughead could become friends and she wasn't sure how she felt about but she was certain a change was coming.

She looked towards the counter and watched him read, his face soft and neutral when he thought no one was watching him and she took the copy of East of Eden in her hands. She sat down and opened the book, she had a bet to win.

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