Guilt riddled through her when she caught Archie's eye through her closed window.

He was shirtless, his fingers curled around the weight in his right hand, staring back at her, his expression unreadable.

Betty reached for her phone.

I'm sorry. She typed.

His response was almost immediate.

I know.

Their gazes reconnected, his lips forming a thin line. She wasn't sorry for getting rid of Grundy, or rather, having Jughead get rid of the cougar teacher, but she was sorry for hurting him, and she hoped that one day, he would truly be able to see that.

Can we talk? Please?

Archie's frowned deepened.

I need some space, B.

I'm sorry.

And then, he closed his curtains without another glance in her direction. Unconsciously, her nails dug into the palm of her hand.

What was happening to them?

They were best friends, they were supposed to be inevitable, inseparable, but instead, they were slowly being ripped apart at the seam.

Despite the ever-growing distance between the pair, she wouldn't have taken anything back, not the plot to drive Grundy from Riverdale, not Archie's anger, and definitely not all the moments she'd had with a certain beanie wearing boy.

If anything, she hoped to have more instances with him, their past slowly dissolving into a future where they were an unstoppable duo again.

That was, if he ever forgave her for going against his wishes, and stealing Jason's phone from his pocket.

Instinctively, she glanced at the device, currently plugged into her charger. It had been three hours, it had to be at full percentage by now. It turned on easily, the brightness illuminating from the screen almost blinding her.

She didn't have to think about what his passcode was, her thumbs quickly hovering over each number. 101200.

October 12th, 2000, the Blossom twins birthday.

Cheryl used the exact same password.

The background photo was a group shot from the previous summer, though she could not recall the exact circumstance.

She wasn't sure she had ever even seen the picture before. Two things stood out the most; the first, that Chuck was nowhere to be seen, and the second, Jason's arm was tossed around her shoulders, anchoring her to him.
She stared at his face, trying to memorize his features.

It felt like so long since she had seen his face, his mop of red hair, his kind blue eyes, his infectious smile.

The picture had been taken at Sweet Water River, she realized, though why Chuck was not there, she had no idea.

Betty.

Betty was hit with a flash of a memory, the night she and Jason had escaped to that very same place after their attempt to break into the school on her dare had failed. She was drunk, stumbling as they ran away to avoid the sounds of the sirens, Jason gripping her arm so tightly, his fingers had indented into her skin.

I know what happened.

She mimicked her exact reaction, falling to her knees, pressing her hands over her ears to try and block out his words.

Betty.

No!

Betty, it's okay-

"No!" She cried.

Nothing happened.

Nothing happened.

Someone had stopped the horrible events before they could transpire. Someone had burst into the room, unannounced, uninvited, but certainty not unwanted, shoving that wretched son of a bitch away from her before wrapping their protective arms around her and carrying her away.

Someone had saved her.

"Juggie." Betty whispered.

I need you, Juggie.