Betty opened her locker and started trading books so she had her morning classes all set.
"You were fast in the shower this morning," Archie's voice greeted her.
"Hey, sorry," Betty stated, "I had some things to do at the Blue & Gold."
"No problem," he handed her a coffee, "Stopped to grab some after I took my shower."
"You're the best," Betty accepted the cup after laying a kiss on his cheek.
"Hey guys," Veronica greeted them.
"Hey, V, how are you?" Betty looked to her friend in concern.
"I'm fine," Veronica assured her, "Our girls' night the other night with Kevin really helped me take my mind off things."
"I'm glad," Betty smiled.
"Kevin stopped me this morning," Veronica handed Betty a piece of paper, "It's the sketch the police artist did based off my description."
"I'll put it in the Blue & Gold's next issue," Betty promised, "Did you talk to Weatherbee?"
"He's my next stop," Veronica said, "See you guys later."
"I'm glad you're okay, Ronnie," Archie added before she wandered off. "Man, she's doing a lot better than I would in her place."
"I think it helps that she got some licks in," Betty responded before spotting Cheryl down the hall. The redhead nodded towards the girls' locker room, "I just realized I left my purse in the locker room. Save me a seat at lunch?"
"Definitely," Archie gave her a quick kiss before she rushed off.
Betty slipped in and looked at her partner, "Are we alone?"
"We are," Cheryl nodded.
"So, anything?"
"I tracked one of them as they were running into a Ghoulie hangout," Cheryl told her, "I tied him up and dropped him off at the station...covertly of course. Claims he doesn't know who the other offender was he was working with."
"Well, Veronica managed to get a look at one of them," Betty showed Cheryl the picture, "Is this the one you dropped off?"
Cheryl looked, shaking her head, "No. He must have been the other one."
Betty frowned, "Great. Look, I'll scan this and send it to our email. We can do a run on it after school. In the meantime, it's going in the Blue & Gold as a warning."
"I don't like how the Ghoulies seem to be escalating things," Cheryl admitted.
"Me neither," Betty shook her head, "With any luck, someone will find this guy and get him to flip."
"Is Veronica okay?" Cheryl asked.
"She seems to be," Betty shrugged.
"That's good," Cheryl glanced at the time on her phone, "We should go. The bell will be ringing soon."
Betty nodded as the girls departed for their homerooms.
-d-d-d-d-
"Hey," Betty slid in next to Archie at lunch, "Sorry, I'm late."
"No worries," he replied, "Everything okay?"
"Not really," Betty shook her head, "The principal wants me to publish an emergency edition of the Blue & Gold to warn the student body about the potential danger of walking alone at night."
"That means you're gonna be busy today after school?"
"Yeah, I'll probably be here late," Betty nodded.
"Okay, I'll stop in your office after practice. We can walk home together."
"Archie," Betty gave him a look that said she could take care of herself.
"You're about to tell me I don't have to, right?"
"Pretty much," Betty said.
"And why is it that Weatherbee wants this special issue put out again?" Archie smiled at her.
"Fine," Betty sighed, "You can play my knight in shining armor."
"Thank you," he smiled in victory.
"Do not look so pleased with yourself," Betty pointed at him with a mock stern expression, "Speaking of the paper, I have to talk to Jug. We've been talking about putting something he wrote in, and I think he found something short enough."
"Yeah, okay," Archie bobbed his head, "I'll just double check my bio homework."
"If you want, I'll help you study tonight," Betty offered.
"Yeah, that would be great," Archie nodded, "See you later."
"Bye," Betty smiled and then looked around for Jughead. She didn't see him in the cafeteria, so she decided to venture to the bleachers outside.
"Hey, Jug," Betty climbed the bleachers, "I've been looking for you."
"I haven't moved," Jughead looked up from the notebook he was writing in.
"Funny," Betty smirked, "You said you might have found something we could put into the paper. Do you have it on you?"
"Oh, yeah," Jughead pulled something from his back pocket and handed it to her.
"Thanks," Betty accepted the paper, "Weatherbee wants me to run an emergency edition, so I need all the content I can get."
"Yeah, I heard about Veronica. Is she okay?"
"She says she is," Betty said, "She hung out with Kev and me for most of Saturday night, and then Sheriff Keller drove her home."
"Cool," Jughead bobbed his head, "Did she get a look at the guy?"
"Yeah," Betty stated, "She gave Sheriff Keller a pretty good description. That's why Weatherbee wants me to run the edition. He wants me to include the sketch in case other students have seen him or know who he is."
"You have it with you?"
"Yeah," Betty opened her binder, "I haven't really looked at it yet though."
When she got to the drawing, she paused and stared at it. He looked familiar somehow.
"I know this guy," Jughead looked at the drawing after she handed it to him, "Or I know someone that looks like this guy."
"I was just thinking the same thing," Betty admitted.
Jughead sighed and stared at the drawing, "This is creepy."
"Leave it alone," Betty said, "It'll come to you easier that way."
"Yeah," Jughead nodded, "Can you make me a copy? I want to show it around at the Whyte Wyrm tonight."
"You could just wait until the edition comes out tomorrow," Betty suggested.
Jughead smiled and nodded, "Deal. Do you need any help tonight getting the paper ready?"
"Nah, I got it," Betty assured him, "But thanks for the offer."
"No problem," Jughead nodded as Betty unfolded his story to read.
After a few suggested tweaks, Betty agreed to run what he wrote, "Thanks again, Jug."
"Thank you," Jughead smiled, "My first publication. It's a big deal."
"We'll have to make sure to get you a framed copy," Betty smiled, "How do you want your byline to read?"
"J. Jones," Jughead nodded, "Is that okay?"
"Works for me," Betty wrote it down and smiled, "So, how's living with Arch going?"
"If I could get them to sleep in, life would be grand," Jughead replied.
"Yeah, I think Mary was the only one who knew how to sleep in," Betty laughed.
"It's weekdays, weekends, every day they are up at the crack of dawn," Jughead groaned.
"Feed Arch a sedative," Betty teased.
"Don't tempt me."
"Well, what if you accidentally fell asleep in the garage on Friday and Saturday nights," Betty said, "You write out there, yes?"
"Yes, I do, but Archie sometimes wants to tinker on that darn jalopy first thing in the morning," Jughead sighed, "Maybe I just need to invest in earplugs."
"Not a bad idea," Betty said.
"But speaking of the garage, are you busy tonight?"
"I am, yes. Why?"
"I got some boxes from the Wyrm with my dad or my grandfather's initials on them. I was hoping for some help going through them," Jughead said.
"Can you wait until the weekend? I'll help then."
"Yeah, it can wait," Jughead agreed, "It's certainly waited this long already."
"What are you hoping to find in there?" Betty asked as they made their way back inside as they were nearing the end of their lunch break.
"I'm not sure if I want to find anything. I just want to know what it is they left behind," Jughead said.
"Have you talked to your dad?"
"He came by the other day," Jughead nodded, "He's still sober for the moment, but we've been here before."
"Maybe this time is the one that sticks," Betty offered, "Sometimes a person needs a reason to get sober. You getting yanked out of the home could be that incentive he needed."
"We'll see," Jughead nodded, "See you later?"
"Yeah," Betty nodded and then pulled her cellphone out to text Cheryl.
Stuck doing a special edition of the paper tonight by order of the Bee. Sorry.
It was after the next period that she got a response. I'll let it slide this time. I'll just work you out harder tomorrow.
Betty smiled at Cheryl's response. There was a time many weeks earlier that she would have raked Betty over the coals for having to cancel on training.
Looking forward to it. Say hi to Nana for me.
Betty put her phone away and headed to her next class. Funny how 'heinous bitch' weren't the first words that came to mind to describe Cheryl anymore.
After the final bell, Betty went straight to the Blue & Gold office to get the next edition set for an overnight run.
She was just proofing the last article when Archie came in, hair still wet from his post-practice shower, holding a soda in each hand.
"Tell me one of those is for me. I need a boost. I had to proof a science article that Dr. Curdle Jr. submitted on the autopsy of horses," Betty said.
"Oh man," Archie handed her one of the beverages, "That sounds brutal. Is Weatherbee even going to approve that?"
"He reviewed it before it even got to me," Betty stated.
"How's it going?"
"I just finished proofing the last article," Betty said, "Now, it's time for the layout. If you want, take a nap or do some homework. I don't think this will take me long."
"Yeah, I'll hit the books for a bit," Archie went to the sofa and pulled out a few of his books.
Betty started to lay out the paper and scan articles, deciding what went where. It took her about an hour to finish and after she sent it to print, she all but collapsed into a chair, "Done."
Archie looked up, "Ready to go then?"
Betty shot a look at the clock, "Oh my God. Your father is going to kill me. You should've been home hours ago."
"I called to give him a heads up," Archie reassured her, "He said if we didn't want to walk that he'd come pick us up."
"I could use the fresh air, but if you want him to come get us, that's cool, too," Betty said.
"Do you really feel comfortable walking home after what happened to Veronica a couple of days ago?" Archie asked.
Betty considered a minute and then nodded, "Call your dad. I can open the window in the truck."
Archie dialed his dad to relay the request. They made their way through the halls of the school together hand in hand. "It's a bit creepy here at night with most of the lights off."
"You're not turning into a scaredy cat on me, are you, Andrews?" Betty teased him.
"Funny," Archie said, "I guess with the criminal element rising in Riverdale, I'm a bit jumpy."
"I get it," Betty nodded, "Thanks for sticking around today. I appreciate it."
"I wasn't going to leave my girl to fend for herself," Archie wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her against his side.
"Doesn't that just make you boyfriend of the year," Betty bumped him with her hip.
"At least," Archie smiled at her as they got to the front door of the school and spotted Fred pulling up, "Think we could talk him into Pop's?"
"I think it's worth a shot. Mom and Dad are working late again tonight."
"Hey, Dad," Archie greeted his father as he opened the door and helped Betty climb in.
"Thanks for coming to get us, Mr. Andrews," Betty slid in next to him, "Sorry, I kept Archie so late. Time got away from me a bit."
"It's no problem," Fred greeted her with his trademark smile, "Are you hungry? Did you want me to swing by Pop's on the way home?"
"You're the best, Mr. Andrews," Betty bobbed her head, "We're starving, and my parents are working."
"News never sleeps, right?" Fred smiled, "Pop's it is. What kept you two so late?"
"Mr. Weatherbee insisted on a special edition of the paper because of what happened to V on Saturday."
"And I stayed because of what happened to Veronica, too," Archie said.
"Make sure you bring the paper home with you, Archie. I'd like to see it."
"Will do," Archie bobbed his head.
"Jug is getting his first byline. He's trying to play it cool, like it's just a minor deal, but it's a really big deal," Betty stated.
"We'll make sure to celebrate appropriately," Fred assured her.
"He said that FP came to see him, and he did it sober," Betty stated, "That's a good step, right?"
"Yeah, it is," Fred nodded, "I'm cautiously optimistic that it sticks this time."
"I think Jug is, too," Betty nodded.
"Speaking of Jug," Archie pointed his friend out as Fred parked the car. The beanie clad boy was sitting in a booth hunched over his laptop.
Betty and Archie traded a look and then entered the diner, plopping down next to their friend, "What's going on, Jug?"
Jughead looked up and blinked before he looked out the window, "It's dark out. When did that happen?"
"After the sun went down," Fred said, "I'll be at the counter. You three order what you want for dinner."
"I already ate, but I can eat again," Jughead stated as Pop came over to take Betty and Archie's orders.
"Does your stomach have a bottom?" Betty teased when he ordered a burger and shake.
"Never," Jughead grinned, "How'd the paper turn out?"
"Good, I think," Betty said.
"I heard you get your first byline tomorrow, Jug," Archie smiled, "That's great."
"Yeah, it's no big deal," Jughead shrugged as Pop brought over their shakes.
"It's a big deal," Betty sputtered.
"What if people hate it?" Jughead played with his straw.
"No one is going to hate it," Betty said, "With the possible exception of Reggie, and who cares what he thinks?"
"Fair," Jughead stated.
"Jug, you're a good writer," Archie tried to assure him, "You've gotten 'A's' in English since we were kids."
Betty smiled at her boyfriend's words and then looked at Jughead who was staring at the space between her and Archie's heads. She turned her head and raised an eyebrow before turning back to look at Jughead, "Still?"
Jughead sighed and nodded, "Not that she's ever noticed."
"Not that who has ever noticed?" Archie looked a bit confused.
"Jughead still has a thing for our resident songbird," Betty whispered to Archie.
"Josie? Really?" Archie responded in surprise.
"Keep your voice down," Jughead hissed.
"Yeah, the last thing he needs is for Josie to get wise. Then he might have to make a move," Betty snickered.
"I hate you both," Jughead grumbled, "I'm only staying for the food."
Betty giggled at Jughead's grumpy expression and leaned her head on Archie's shoulder, "Sorry, Juggie. We'll be good."
Jughead continued to grumble as they waited for their food.
"You guys coming to the game on Friday?" Archie asked.
"I'll try," Betty said, "But for some reason, on Fridays my mom chooses to stay home and bug me."
"And she's not all that keen on allowing you to go to my game since I'm not exactly her favorite person," Archie grumbled.
"It's not just you," Betty stated, "It's all boys. She's so paranoid that I might get pregnant."
"I'll sign a piece of paper attesting to the fact that I am a virgin if she wants," Archie said.
"She'd only accept that if the paper also said you had no interest in helping me lose my v-card," Betty said.
"Bet you can't sign that one, Andrews," Jughead snorted.
"Jug, don't help," Archie said.
"Turnabout is fair play," Jughead chuckled.
"I hate you," Archie frowned at him.
"Play nice, boys," Betty warned, "If I can't make the game on Friday, we can all hang out on Saturday. I promised Jug I'd help him go through some boxes from the Wyrm."
"Yeah, I'll definitely help," Archie bobbed his head, "Where are you telling your mother that you're going, so I'm prepared?"
"Oh, I'm gonna tell her the truth," Betty said, "I'm helping a friend go through some boxes. At least that's what the note will say."
"Betty Cooper, walking on the wild side," Jughead laughed, "I think I'm having a bad influence on you."
Betty smiled as she sipped her shake.
-d-d-d-d-
Betty was standing with Archie, Jughead, and Veronica the next morning before school going over the paper that had just come out.
"Jug, how did I not know you were this talented?" Veronica asked.
"I'm alright," Jug shrugged just as Archie's dad emerged from the principal's office, looking all kinds of annoyed.
"Mr. Andrews, is everything alright?" Betty pounced on him instantly.
"No," Fred shook his head, "Can you point this Grundy woman out to me? I think I'm going to have to track her down myself."
"I haven't seen her yet this morning," Betty shook her head, "Did she cancel again?"
"Yet again," he huffed in annoyance, "She's put me off for almost two months now. I've made it clear that this is unacceptable."
"I'm sorry she's wasting your time," Betty frowned.
"I've got to get to the job site," Fred replied, "We'll talk about it more later."
"Okay," Archie bobbed his head as he handed his father a copy of the Blue & Gold, "Check out Jug's story when you've got a few minutes. It's really good."
"Of course," Fred gave Jug's back an affectionate tap, "You should give a copy to your father. I'm sure he wants to read it as well."
"I'll get some extras," Betty smiled, "In addition to the story, you'll also have some extra copies of the sketch to pass around the Wyrm."
"Good point," Jughead nodded, "Thanks, Spaghetti."
"Spaghetti?" Veronica asked as they walked, "That's new."
"It's actually old," Betty frowned a little, "Mr. Andrews likes baseball. He played in high school, and he will watch every movie or show having to do with the sport there is. One of his favorites is A League of Their Own."
"Betty Spaghetti," Veronica nodded.
"Yeah, these two," Betty pointed at the boys, "Took to calling me Spaghetti after we watched it."
"I see," Veronica replied, "I take it you're not much of a fan."
"It doesn't bother me as much as they think it does," Betty shrugged.
"It just bugged her when Reggie started doing it," Archie said.
"He stopped after I nearly dislocated his finger," Betty smiled.
"Good for you," Veronica laughed.
"I'd better head out," Fred gave his son a pat on the back, "I'll see both at home later."
"Bye, Dad," Archie said as the rest of the gang waved before they turned to go down the hall.
"Are you okay?" Betty asked Archie, "This can't be easy for you either."
"It just feels like I'm being picked on all over again," Archie frowned, "I still have to deal with her in class. I'm passing, but only barely."
Betty looked down the hall and spotted some teachers going into the lounge and suddenly had an idea, "You know what? I want to make sure the teachers' lounge got their copies this morning. There was a glitch with the last issue and we got complaints. I'll see you guys in class later?"
"See you later," Archie gave her a kiss on her cheek.
Betty walked down the hall and poked her head into the room. She spotted Grundy in the corner, drinking out of a water bottle. She took note of the brand and then pulled back to lean against the wall outside of the lounge.
She knew the bell was about to ring and the teachers would be reporting to their classrooms. She'd risk the tardy if she could finally get some answers on this wayward teacher.
The warning bell rang and the teachers cleared out. Betty took note of Grundy's empty hands and slipped into the room once it was empty. She went over to the recycling bin and found the bottle she was looking for. She opened a drawer and luckily found a ziploc storage bag. Picking up the bottle by the top, she sealed it into the bag and put it all into her book bag before she ran to homeroom.
"You almost missed homeroom," Cheryl leaned over and whispered.
"I have a good reason," Betty told her, "I'll tell you later."
"I look forward to hearing all about it," Cheryl nodded.
-d-d-d-d-d-
Betty pushed open the door of the Sheriff's Station and looked around.
"Hi, Betty," the clerk said, "What are you doing here? Skipping school? We still lock people up for truancy, you know."
"I was wondering if Mr. Keller was around."
"He's in his office," the clerk thumbed down the hall.
"Is he free? I've got something kind of important," Betty stated.
"Yeah, he's probably just eating his lunch at his desk, like always," the clerk replied, "Go ahead."
"Thanks," Betty headed down the hall and knocked on the door.
"Come in," Tom yelled.
Betty opened the door, "Hey, Mr. Keller. Sorry to interrupt your lunch."
Tom looked at his watch, "Shouldn't you be at school?"
"It's my lunch break," Betty stated, "I wanted to talk to you about something, and we really need a swift response."
"You have me curious," he pushed aside his meal.
"I don't know if Kev's told you, but Archie's having some trouble with a teacher," Betty started.
"The music teacher, right? He mentioned something."
"Well, Mr. Andrews keeps trying to have a meeting with her and Mr. Weatherbee, but she keeps flaking. I'm just wondering if there's a reason for it."
"You want me to look into her?"
"Actually, I can do you one better," Betty pulled out the plastic bag holding the water bottle, "It was in the garbage so you don't need a warrant to run it for prints, right?"
"How did you know that?"
"Polly liked cop shows," Betty said.
"And you want me to run these prints because?" Sheriff Keller prompted her.
"I think there is something fishy going on," Betty replied, "She's refused any attempt I've made to interview her for the Blue & Gold. It's almost mandatory for new teachers to be profiled. I've tried to do some internet searches on her but nothing turns up. In this day and age, it's not possible for someone her age to not have some sort of internet presence."
"I need some sort of probable cause," he told her.
"When Archie started to do badly in her class, she offered to tutor him...in her home," Betty said.
"Okay," he sighed heavily, "I'll fudge it, but if I don't get anything suspicious, we never had this talk."
"My lips are sealed," Betty made a show of zipping her lips.
"Get back to school," Tom told her, "I'll contact you when I have results."
"Thanks, Mr. Keller," Betty smiled as she took her leave.
-d-d-d-d-
Betty was sitting in the Blue & Gold during her study hall, doing a search, when Cheryl walked in, closing the door behind her.
"Talk," the redhead demanded.
"I'm tired of sitting on my hands where Grundy is concerned," Betty sighed heavily, "She blew off another meeting with Archie's dad this morning, so I swiped a water bottle she threw in the trash in the teacher's lounge and brought it to Sheriff Keller during lunch."
"And he agreed to run it?" Cheryl perched on the desk.
"He said if nothing popped we never had our conversation," Betty said, "Right now, I'm doing a search. The thing is, the only teaching license I can find for a Geraldine Grundy is suspended due to death."
"Does it say what school she last taught in?" Cheryl asked.
Betty clicked a few keys, "Centerville High."
"Search out the last year she taught," Cheryl suggested, "Maybe there is someone who looks like the woman we know as Geraldine Grundy."
"Worth a shot," Betty typed in Centerville High and found their yearbook for the year she needed, "Huh. Well, here's a tribute to Geraldine Grundy who died soon after her retirement. It's got a bunch of testimonials and - oh my God."
"What?"
"She dyed her hair, but it's her," Betty moved the laptop to face Cheryl, "See anyone familiar?"
"Jennifer Gibson," Cheryl read off, "Yeah, that's definitely her."
"I'll call Sheriff Keller after the final bell, let him know what I found," Betty replied as the warning bell for their next class went off.
Cheryl was looking at her phone and typing as they walked down the hall, "Well, if it is her, I know why she's using a dead woman's license. Hers was suspended, too."
"What for?" Betty asked as they walked.
"It doesn't say," Cheryl replied, "But you've got to do something pretty bad to be suspended at her young age."
"We'll find out later. If Keller can't find anything on her, we'll start with her known schools. There has to be something there."
"I really hope it's not as bad as what I'm thinking, but given what she was trying with Archie, it might be," Cheryl frowned.
Betty nodded as the two parted ways for their respective classes.
-d-d-d-
Betty sat in her last period biology class watching a filmstrip when the sound of screeching tires broke her concentration. She looked outside and saw Mr. Keller's cruiser in the lot.
"Isn't that Kev's dad?" Veronica asked quietly from next to her.
"Yeah," Betty bobbed her head as she went to the teacher's desk, "Ms. Wilson, I need to use the restroom. May I have a pass?"
The teacher quickly wrote out the excuse, and then Betty rushed for the door. Sheriff Keller was emerging from Principal Weatherbee's office, with the principal directing him which way to go.
"You were right, Betty," Sheriff Keller told her as he passed her by, "She's been impersonating a deceased teacher. She's being charged with identity theft...for starters. She also has an arrest warrant out for her in Centerville."
Betty nodded, "I thought it might be something like that. Thanks for listening to me."
"Thanks for coming to me," Sheriff Keller smiled kindly.
"Miss Cooper, head back to class," Mr. Weatherbee said.
"Yes, sir," Betty nodded.
Betty returned to her class, but rather than keeping her focus on the film, she kept waiting to see Sheriff Keller escorted the imposter to his squad car.
"Whoa," she heard Reggie say from the back of the room, "Isn't that the music teacher?"
Betty looked up and out the window to see Sheriff Keller escorting Miss Grundy to the cruiser in handcuffs.
The entire class was up and out of their desks, their faces plastered to the window glass. Betty used the inattention of her teacher to send a text message to Cheryl to deliver the good news of Grundy's arrest. She suddenly felt like she could breathe again, likely because her boyfriend was no longer going to have to deal with this miserable woman.
"No wonder she kept dodging meetings with Mr. Weatherbee and Mr. Andrews," Veronica said quietly.
"Tell me about it," Betty said, "I wonder if Archie's watching this."
"If he's not, I'm giving him a blow by blow," Veronica pointed towards her phone where she was recording the scene.
"Be prepared," Betty said, "Weatherbee will be sending letters out to our parents. Mine will want the gory details for the front page."
"Whatever he's arrested her for, it's got to be big if he's interrupting the school day," Veronica stated.
"No kidding," Betty shook her head, "What do you think it is?"
"Not a clue," Veronica shrugged, "I've never really liked her though. She always gave off icky vibes."
"We'll track Kevin down later," Betty said as the teacher got class back under control, "He'll probably know."
"If he doesn't know, he can certainly find out quicker than the rest of us," Veronica whispered.
Betty nodded in agreement as she went back to her notes.
-d-d-d-
Kevin peeked out into the hall and sighed in relief. Coast was clear.
Just as he stepped out the door, someone put their hand on his shoulder, "Kev, what's going on?"
He breathed a sigh of relief, "Hey, Jug."
"Why are you sneaking around like you stole something?" Jughead asked his friend.
"Betty and Veronica are looking for me," Kevin whispered, "My dad arrested Grundy today."
"If he arrested Grundy, why are you the one hiding?" Jughead laughed.
"Because they want to know what she got dragged in for and since my dad did the dragging, they think I'll know," Kevin gave a furtive look around them.
"And you don't," Jughead concluded.
"And truthfully, I'm not sure I want to know," Kevin admitted, "How do I tell my best friend that I want to stay out of the juiciest gossip this school may have ever seen?"
"Quickly and with running shoes on," Jughead advised.
"You never saw me," Kevin told Jughead as he darted off
"Was that Kev?" Archie appeared next to his friend.
"Yeah, he had to get home quickly to start his homework," Jughead replied.
"Oh, yeah?" Archie nodded, "I thought he was ducking Betts and Ronnie."
"That's not the cover story. Stick to the facts, Andrews," Jughead snorted.
"C'mon, let's get home. I need to study for the history test tomorrow."
"Is that your cover story too, or are you serious?" Jughead laughed.
"I'm serious," Archie nodded, "I sit at my desk and Betty sits in her window. We quiz each other."
"That almost sounds romantic," Jughead teased.
"It has its moments," Archie grinned as they walked.
-p-p-p-p-p-
Betty spotted Archie in his window and waved before holding up her history book and mouthing 'Ready?' to him.
Archie shook his head and held up his phone to her. Waiting until she picked it up, he dialed her number.
"What's up?" Betty asked.
"Let's meet up in the treehouse to study," he suggested.
"It's a bit chilly," Betty pointed out.
"I promise to keep you warm," he gave her his most charming smile.
"History, not sex education, remember that, Andrews," Betty told him, "See you in ten."
"I'll be there," he smiled.
After quickly gathering her books and dressing as warmly as she could, she climbed into the treehouse. He'd already turned on the Christmas lights and had even hauled up a space heater that was kept in the garage.
"You've been busy," she greeted him with a kiss.
"I did promise to keep you warm," he grinned as he kissed her again.
Betty settled against one wall and stretched out her legs, her feet on Archie's lap, as she opened her notebook to the practice questions. She looked at him.
"You want to go first, or should I?"
"You go," Archie told her.
Betty began asking questions, smiling widely each time he answered correctly.
"I guess we don't need to use positive reinforcement anymore to get you to study," she teased.
"A little positive reinforcement never hurt," Archie's hands were on Betty's shins as he leaned towards her.
"I'll remember that," she grinned.
"Big day at school today, huh?" he commented.
"Yeah," Betty fiddled with her pen and looked at him, biting her lip, "Okay, confession time."
Archie looked more than a bit perplexed as Betty fidgeted a bit. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong exactly, but you heard about Grundy's arrest, right?"
"Yeah, of course," Archie nodded, "Ronnie found me after the final period to show me the video."
"Right," Betty nodded, "I kind of made it happen."
"You made what happen?" Archie asked, "You made Veronica record Grundy's arrest?"
"No," Betty shook her head, "I'm sort of the reason she got arrested."
"What?" Archie looked all kinds of confused, "How?"
"Today, when I went to the teachers' lounge to distribute papers for the faculty I saw her there. I waited until the warning bell, and I swiped her empty water bottle. At lunch I took it to Mr. Keller and told him my suspicions about her and about how she kept ducking a meeting with your dad and Mr. Weatherbee. I sort of conned him into running the bottle for prints."
"That sounds really dangerous considering we don't know anything about this woman," Archie replied.
"I actually learned a bit about her this afternoon," Betty replied, "I found out that the only Geraldine Grundy licensed to teach in the state had her license suspended because she's dead."
"Is that why she was arrested? Identity theft?" Archie asked.
"Probably," Betty bobbed her head, "I think there is more going on. I looked to see where this deceased teacher worked and it was in Centerville. I looked up their yearbook around the year she died and found a picture of a woman that looks a lot like the teacher arrested. Her name apparently is Jennifer Gibson. She was a teacher, but her license has been suspended for disciplinary reasons."
"Disciplinary reasons?" Archie repeated.
"Yeah, that's all there was," Betty said, "I guess if you want more information, I could look to see if anything she did made the paper since Kevin has been very elusive since school let out. I think he's avoiding me."
Archie smirked and then shook his head, "It doesn't matter. Whatever she did or didn't do, I don't care. She's gone and, with any luck, not coming back."
"I think it's pretty bad, whatever it is," Betty replied, "My parents seemed unusually excited about the news tonight at dinner."
"Betts, I know they're your parents and reporting the news is their job, but sometimes they're a bit," Archie fumbled for a word that wouldn't be insulting.
"Ghoulish?" Betty finished.
"Sure," Archie agreed.
"How are you feeling about the news?" Betty asked.
"Honestly, really relieved," he replied, "Hopefully they hire someone who actually knows something about music and is impartial this time around."
"Here's hoping," Betty nodded, "Are you mad I didn't tell you right off?"
"No," he shook his head, "Not even a little bit."
"Good," Betty sighed in relief.
"I have something for you," Archie reached up to the rafters of the treehouse and found what he was looking for. When his hand came back down it was holding a box.
"What's this?" Betty accepted it eagerly, "Christmas isn't for another couple of weeks."
"You did something really great for me today when you chased this faux-Grundy away," Archie stated, "I want to return the favor."
"Archie," Betty leaned forward and kissed him, "Thank you."
"Open it," he encouraged.
Betty nodded her head as she popped open the box. Inside was a silver necklace with a compass charm dangling from it.
"Flip it over," Archie encouraged her.
Engraved on the back was the phrase, I'd be lost without you.
"Arch, this is beautiful," Betty pulled the necklace from the box.
"It really works, too," Archie said, "I found it in a secondhand shop in Greendale. The owner said it came from some estate by the river."
"Really? I guess it's a good thing your dad taught us how to use these things," Betty smiled.
"That was a brutal day in the woods," Archie chuckled as he helped her put on the necklace, "Just a compass and a jug of water."
"We figured it out," Betty smiled.
"Yes, we did," Archie nodded, "But I think that was the beginning of Jug's forest fear. We had to camp on the very edge of the woods last summer when we went."
"I don't think your dad will let us go camping this summer," Betty snickered.
"Your mom definitely won't," Archie laughed, "I'm amazed she let you out of the house tonight."
"They left for the paper as soon as the dinner dishes were cleared," Betty stated.
"Sneaking out, Cooper? Bad girl," Archie teased.
"What can I say? My boyfriend is a bad influence," Betty smirked at him.
"I'm not the bad influence," he leaned in for a kiss.
"I think you are," Betty murmured, "In the interest of being a good influence, I'm going to say we should pack up and go home."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Archie frowned.
"What's the frown about?" she touched his chin.
"I just like spending time with you," Archie replied.
"I like it too," Betty agreed.
"We should find a way to do it more often," Archie said.
"Agreed," Betty nodded, "But if we want that to happen, I need to get into my house and bed before my parents get home."
"Yeah, I'll walk you home," Archie offered.
"Will you carry my books, too?" Betty teased.
"You're on your own there, Cooper," he grinned as she began climbing down.
"Well, at least hold them while I climb down," Betty lowered her bag so that he could take it.
"So demanding," he teased as he took her bag.
Betty climbed down and took her bag, "Thank you."
"You're welcome," he smiled as their hands joined and they walked to her backdoor, "See you in the morning?"
"Bright and early," she nodded.
"Good night, Betty," Archie leaned in for a kiss before she turned and headed inside.