"I need to talk to you." They said in unison.

Jughead smirked, motioning for her to go first. He hadn't been expecting to find her at Pop's, though he was glad she was there.

He wasn't going to follow Betty into the lion's den without backup. Not this time.

"What's up?" He questioned, gesturing to the space across from him.

Toni dropped down into the booth, looking too nervous to be the girl who bartended three nights a week at the Whyte Wyrm to support herself, and gave each newly initiated Serpent member their honorable tattoo.

"Um... Jug... Listen..."

"You want to join the River Vixen's." Jughead guessed, his tone even.

She nodded slowly. "Yeah... I just... Tell me not to do it, and I won't, I just... I need the opinion of someone I trust."

He offered her a grin. "I say do it."

Toni seemed surprised. "Really?"

"Sure." He replied easily. "Why not?"

"I just... I thought you would be against it." She admitted. "After, well, you know."

His eyes narrowed in understanding.

Cheerleading was not to blame for the rift that had eventually drove himself and Betty apart. He liked seeing her in that blue and gold uniform, waving her pom poms in the air, a bow wrapped around her pony tail. If anything, it was the people she hung around with; he knew Kevin was harmless, maybe Moose was too, but Cheryl, in typical Queen Bee fashion, held a certain level of control over the entire group that Betty either couldn't, or wouldn't, break free from. Reggie ruled the school with a mixture of fear, intimidation, and superiority, Chuck, the prick, his right hand man, leaving the rest of them to follow along with every move he made.

They said jump, Betty asked how high.

He wanted nothing more than to save her from that world, but there was the problem. It wasn't his place to save her.

At least, not really.

Yes, he had made secret promises to look out for her, a vow, he had a need to protect her, and yes, he had beat the shit out of Chuck, he had carried her the night of the accident, but they lived in completely different worlds.

Betty belonged to the Northside, Jughead to the South. Different friends, different places, different alliances.

She had enough defense from the Northside pricks and bitches she hung around with, and yet, his want, his need to protect her, to save her had never waivered even with that knowledge.

She might not have been his to protect, but Jughead wasn't much for rules.

"Jug?"

"Huh?"

"You're really okay with this?"

"Sure." Jughead promised, shooting her a grin. "C'mon, Toni, you know I've got your back."

The girl visibly relaxed, pulling a hand through her long curls.

If she wanted to be a River Vixen, then more power to her.

Toni Topaz was one of the closest people to him, she had been since he transferred to Southside High, he only wanted her to be happy, and if being a cheerleader was going to accomplish that, then she had his full support, and he would defend her to the end, even against his own kind.

"It's a win-win." She offered.

He raised a brown in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well." Toni said. "I get to be a cheerleader, and now, you have someone on the inside, someone who can look after your girl when you're not around."

"She's not my-"

She grinned. "Jughead."

"It's not like that." Jughead defended warily.

"Sure."

"Toni-"

"What did you want to talk to me about?"

He sighed. "I need your help."

"No shit, Sherlock." Toni teased, tossing her hair, a classic Cheryl Blossom move. "What else is new?"

"It's for Betty." He told her.

"Again, what else is new?"

Jughead's lips formed a thin line. "Are you going to help me, or not?"

"Oh Jug." She giggled. "You know you never get anything done without me. I'm in."