Being with Betty Cooper is the most natural thing in the world, Jughead thinks as he walks her to school. Well, they weren't really "together" yet, but he did kiss her yesterday and she did smile and seem enjoy it, and she hasn't told him he's a disgusting creep that needs to go crawl back into whatever cave he came from, so really, its all positive so far, he thinks.

He's walking next to her, eyes boring into the side of her head, but can see she's not really there. Her mind is filled with concern for Polly, guilt for her escape, blaming herself for everything, like the way Betty Cooper always does.

She's so preoccupied with her thoughts that she doesn't feel Jughead's hand slip into hers, his thumb stroking hers lightly. Jughead knows he needs to get through to her and stops abruptly in the street, as Betty keeps walking, which for the first time, makes Betty aware that they were indeed holding hands. She lurches out of her thoughts and looks down at their linked hands and then up at Jughead.

"Betty—" he starts, unsure of what to really say. I mean, what could he say? I'm sorry your sister is missing, I'm sure she's ok, don't worry. The jump really didn't look that high and I'm sure that blood wasn't hers?

Even he didn't believe it. But there was one thing he believed in, and that was Betty Cooper.

Instead of offering words, he simply opened his arms and said the only thing he could think of in that moment, "C'mere".

Betty sank into his arms. She didn't cry, no, Betty had cried far too much throughout the night to have any tears left. She just stood in Jug's arms, feeling slightly less numb with his hand running down her back, whispering lightly in her ear.

Betty and Jughead held hands all the way to school and separated once they were within view of anyone. They weren't quite ready to address the prying eyes of people like Reggie, especially Betty, as she was feeling far too fragile at the moment. The rest of the day was a blur for Betty. Most of their classes that day were apart from one another, but that didn't stop Jughead from sending her messages during every break to check up on her. And he made sure to send every funny GIF he could find, just to make her smile.

People always thought of Betty as pink, beyond girly, and shy, that "the girl getting saved by the prince" was her favourite style Disney movie. But people were wrong. No one really "saw" Betty, other than the perfect facade she presented…except him. He was the same in a sense, no one ever really took the time to look beneath the first layer. But Betty had. They had a sort of understanding of each other that they hadn't had with anyone else, and that it was something to be cherished, especially now with feelings bubbling to the surface. He knew that Betty secretly had a Nirvana CD stashed under her bed that her parents didn't know about, he knew that she had dark black eyeliner that she hid from her mother and had worn one time when the group snuck out, and he wasn't ready to admit it at the time, but man did she look good. He knew Mulan was secretly Betty's favourite Disney movie. Probably something to do with Mulan sneaking away from her family to become one of the Nation's best warriors. He knew that there were more layers to Betty than onions, and that each layer was more beautiful than the next.

He looked down at his phone and sent her a Mulan quote, knowing it would cheer her up.

JUG: DISHONOUR ON YOU. DISHONOUR ON YOUR COW!

She sent a flurry of emoji's, clearly enjoying his messages.

BETS: Oh Jug, you're the best. Thanks for constantly checking on me. I love what a great friend you are."

Friend.

That word would normally scare any guy away, but not Jughead. Because truth be told, they've been friends for literally their entire lives, and more than just See ya in school tomorrow, friends. They've been joined at the hip for as long as he can remember, seen each other through ups and downs, seen Jughead through a tremendously awkward stage in which every week he'd go to school with pants too short because he was growing so fast, she was there the first time his voice cracked. He remembers swimming in the river with Betty and Archie as children and her top flew off and he didn't even care. So if their relationship was going to evolve into something more, they would always be friends first, lovers second. And plus, don't the best relationships start with friendship? He thought.

JUG: Of course Bets, I'm here for you. Anything you need.

BETS: Walk me home?

JUG: Of course

BETS: Thanks :) There's something I want to talk about.

And that would be the kiss, he thought. He wasn't worried about losing her. Oh no, they were far too close to lose each other as friends over a single kiss, however, he was hoping her feelings would be mutual. He'd just have to wait and see.

The final bell couldn't come soon enough.

That's all so far! I'll be updating fairly regularly I'd say. I've turned into Bughead trash pretty quickly :P

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