Chapter 2

"Shit!"

She sat up beside him in the narrow cot as he opened his eyes. For a moment, Jughead was unsure if last night had been a dream or had been real, but here was Betty Cooper, in the flesh, and in his bed. God, it was surreal sleeping beside her. He had wanted to stay awake the entire night, hoping to remember everything-what she smelled like, felt like, breathed like beside him. The writer inside him wanted to take notes so that he could record it all when he woke up so that he could never forget this moment, just in case it never came again. But he'd been so at peace to have her there with him that he had fallen asleep minutes after they'd settled in together.

"I don't think I've ever heard you cuss before," he said, sitting up, too.

She giggled as she rubbed her hands over her face. "I'm not as perfect as you think, Juggie," she said. "I've got to get home. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"But I'm glad you did," he said. "It was . . . nice." Great use of all the adjectives in your vernacular, Jug. He thought to himself. For a wordsmith, he had a hard time coming up with something that would even come close to how amazing it felt to have her soft, sweet-smelling body snuggled against him all night.

The rising sun streamed through the wooden slats that covered the windows. Causing her fair skin had a glow about it. Her hair was loose, brushing her shoulders, the strands of it golden in the sunlight. God, she was so unreally beautiful.

During the night, her shirt had twisted around her body, coming to rest halfway up her back. Just as always, he longed to touch her, and after reminding himself that he now could, his finger trailed up her slender spine, from the curve in her lower back, all the way up to her shoulder blades. She closed her eyes and sighed as he caressed the nape of her neck, his fingertips pressing lightly against the tense muscles there. She placed her hand over his and turned to look at him. He sat up, too, and drew her closer. Her lips were warm and yielding.

She moved, and he was afraid it was to get up and leave, but no, Betty Cooper surprised him by climbing onto his lap. Her knees straddled his hips, and he was instantly hard. So hard that it hurt. For a brief moment, he was embarrassed, since he always had to hide his desire for her, but Betty was the aggressor here. She wanted him, almost as much as he wanted her. Most people would be shocked, but not Jughead. The town saw Betty as the sweet, innocent girl next door, but not. Jughead. Ever the observer, he was one of the few people in Riverdale that knew who she really was. Betty Cooper never backed down from what she wanted, and miraculously, right now, she wanted him.

Her fingers were in his hair, her tongue in his mouth. His hands moved over her, up her slim waist, to her collarbone, where they hovered, wanting to touch more, but unsure. He wanted to do more than just touch her. He wanted to be inside her. But it was too soon.

At least for now, he wanted to see what she looked like, really looked like. With trembling fingers, he undid the buttons of her top and pushed the loose fabric aside. Wanting to be able to really appreciate the view, he pulled back and let his eyes roam over her. She had on a white tank top beneath her shirt, but the material was thin and almost sheer. He could see the outline of her pink bra, and the tops of her breasts were pressed up, overflowing from the low collar of her tank.

Intently, she watched his hand as it reached out to touch her, but before he could make contact, her cell phone's alarm blared, jarring them both from their lust-filled interaction.

"Shit!" she yelled again. "I should have left already, but you distracted me." She paused to smile, but then turned serious again. "My mom is going to kill me." She pulled away from him and got out of bed. She tore around the small room, looking for her sweater, shoved her arms into the holes, buttoned it all wrong.

"Who's scared of the big, bad Alice Cooper now?" he asked, but she was too preoccupied to really pay any attention.

"If my mom goes into my room to wake me up for church, she'll find out that I'm gone, and if she does, I'll be sent to the Sisters of Quiet Mercy. They'll lock me up in Polly's vacant room."

"How did you get here, by the way?"

"I took my dad's car."

"Sneaking out and grand larceny? All for little ole me?" he asked.

"Yeah, Juggie. I told you I was worried." She gave him a quick peck on the mouth before reaching down for her shoes. He tried to stand, to pull her back into bed with him, but the erection straining against the front of his boxers stopped him. Trying to conceal it, he pooled the blankets over his lap.

"To hell with Alice Cooper," Jughead said. "It's still early. Stay with me." He grabbed her wrist, trying to bring her back down to the cot with him.

"I want to, but I can't, Juggie. I have to be in the front pew for Minister Witter's 8 a.m. sermon, and before that, I have to be at the Cooper breakfast table at seven sharp. My mom will freak out if I'm not there."

For a moment, he was back in the Cooper's dining room. Alice Cooper had given him the side-eye the entire time, but it didn't matter because he was eating the most perfect breakfast he'd ever had. When Betty had told him that she had actually made it, he loved her even more than he thought possible.

He reluctantly released her arm. "Okay. Visit me later? Bring me dinner?" he asked as his stomach growled.

"I think you've always liked my cooking more than me."

"They do say that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." He placed a hand and on her waist, squeezed her hip bone, moved his touch until he felt the softness of her stomach, the button of her jeans. "We can continue our . . ." How did he tactfully say what he wanted? "Our search for Polly."

"Yeah. And we could make out more," she said. "Maybe next time you'll have enough time to actually feel me up." She smiled and gave him another quick kiss on the lips. "I'll try to get away tonight. I'll bring you something from Pop's."

With the blankets still covering the reaction he was having to touching Betty like this, he sat up and pulled her in between his legs. "Something homemade, please." He looked up at her, his bottom lip poking out a little.

"Well, aren't you demanding." She leaned down and and ran her fingers through his dark, wavy hair, messing it up a little more before she kissed him where his knitted crown usually sat.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise." He pulled her closer, moving his arms around her waist. He lifted her shirt a little and nuzzled his mouth against her stomach. Her breath caught and he made a mental note that this was a sensitive spot for her.

"And how are you going to do that, Juggie?" she asked.

"Come back tonight and I'll show you." He squeezed her hip again.

"Why, Jughead Jones, are you tempting me on the Sabbath?"

"I guess I am," he replied.

He chuckled as she rushed out of the projection room. Stacking his arms behind his head, he lay back against his pillow. He couldn't believe his dumb luck. Two days ago, he kissed the girl he'd loved since the first day of kindergarten, and she actually kissed him back. Then she had showed up here, in the middle of the night because she was worried. Betty was worried about him. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had cared about his wellbeing.

He reached over to the small table beside his cot, grabbed his beanie, and placed it on his head, pulling the edges of it over his eyes to block out the sun. Content that he had Betty, at least for now, he decided that he would try to get a little more sleep, but before he even could, his phone chimed with a text.

Made it home. Mama Cooper is none the wiser. Getting into the shower and then off to church. Talk to you later.

He smiled to himself as he lay his phone down. He really should get up. He needed to pack up his stuff and find a new place to stay. He only came back to the drive in because he heard Mr. Andrews say that the demolished was delayed a few days. Tomorrow construction started. Jughead also needed a new job. All the money he'd saved up over the summer was almost gone. Maybe it was a good thing Archie had bailed on their Fourth of July weekend trip. He would have used up his June paychecks on gassing up the car and junk food on the drive. Because of the cancelled trip, he'd been able to afford at least one decent meal a day, but pretty soon, he'd be living off of canned goods and free school lunches. Jughead could and would eat anything, but he at least preferred something appetizing. A few burgers and a thick milkshake sounded like heaven right now. His stomach growled again.

He sighed and pulled his cap back over his eyes. For now he would sleep. Ever since he could remember, he'd been the man of the house. He'd taken care of Jelly Bean, his mom, and F.P. He'd worried about paying bills and rent on time. He'd worried about the empty fridge, about his dad drinking too much, or Jelly Bean getting picked on at school. But right now, for just a couple of hours, he would just be a damn teenager that spent a lazy Sunday morning doing nothing. He dozed on and off, and when he woke fully around noon, he was happy to see three texts from Betty. And one from Archie.

This sermon is so boring. According to the righteous Pastor Witter, what we did this morning was sinful, but I liked it. Should I feel bad? ;)

Betty Cooper was shamelessly flirting with him.

Alice Cooper is crazy! She has no evidence I snuck out last night, but she knows I did something. Can't figure out what, but I'm still grounded for the rest of the day.

Juggie, we're baking a cake for after dinner. I wish you could come lick the bowl.

Jughead got hard again when he pictured something else of Betty's that he wanted to lick.

He opened the text from Archie. His best friend wouldn't like that he had a hard on for Betty Cooper.

Hey, Jug. What are you up to today? Want to come running with me?

Running? Was he crazy? Lately every time he was with Archie, he was wracked with guilt for wanting Betty, and it was worse now that Betty wanted him back. He was about to type no thanks to Archie, when Betty sent him another text.

You okay? I don't like when you go quiet.

He responded to her right away. Sorry, Betts. I took a nap. I promise not to be too quiet. I'll always talk to you. I'm hungry. Where's my dinner, woman?

She sent him a laughing emoji. Lol. Sorry, Jug. I really can't come out to play tonight. :( I'm on lockdown. Mom hid all the car keys, and I think she's set up a booby trap on front porch. Where are you staying tonight? On the way to church, I saw the construction crew had parked all the demolition vehicles at the drive in. They start tomorrow morning.

I'll miss you. See you at school? He avoided answer her question of where he would be tonight. Even he didn't know right now.

It's a date. Betty replied.

His fingers hoovered over the keys. He should text Archie back, but what was there to say? Even though his best friend had rejected Betty, there had always been some unspoken rule that Archie thought she belonged to him. Jughead doubted that his friend would be happy that he and Betty had spent the early morning hours making out. No, he'd just talk to Archie tomorrow morning at school. For now, he needed to find a new place to live.

Speaking of school. No one would be there this afternoon, and he knew of a back door with a faulty lock. He could find a place where he could tuck himself away where no one would know he was staying.

Was this what he had been reduced to? Squatting at Riverdale High? Was he bound to be a loser like his dad? What would Betty think if she ever found out what a loser he was?

Hours later, he found himself in an abandoned janitor's closet underneath the stairs directly across from the empty shop classroom. It was a little dusty and cramped, but no one would find him here. It would get him by until he found a new job and put away enough money to get a place of his own. On the way into the school, he'd stopped off in the cafeteria and borrowed a few things the cafeteria ladies wouldn't miss, not that they would mind if they knew it was Jughead who had swiped the stuff. Those lunch ladies loved it when he'd come through the line. Most people balked at their hamburgers, but Jughead could easily eat ten in one sitting. He appreciated all the cooking they did, which was rare at the high school.

He lay back on his sleeping bag and searched the local help wanted ads. Nothing. As he went onto another website for job openings, a text came from Archie again.

Dude, are you okay?

I'm fine. Turning in early. See you at school.

After eating a dinner of chocolate pudding, an apple, a granola bar, a carton of milk. Jughead zipped himself into his sleeping bag. He pursued Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, stopping briefly at Betty's pages, wanting to see her beautiful smile. The blue glow of his screen was the only light in the closed in closet until the screen went black as he fell asleep.

His alarm went off at 5:45 the next morning. The dream had been so real that it took him a while to orient himself, but he was no longer in the idealistic Riverdale of 1948 in the Cooper's kitchen, Betty by his side with a ring on her finger. He wanted to go back, to be with Betty and her friends and family, but when he closed his eyes, all he could see was the knife sticking out of Archie's back as he walked away from everyone. Here in reality, Archie was surrounded by friends and family, while Jughead was alone with the spiders and the mice.