Young-Bughead

Chapter Four: Hey Betts, what's up?

After a long week walking the halls of hell, the weekend had finally made its presence and a certain Jughead Jones couldn't be more thrilled. School was over for the time being and he had two whole days to befriend the infamous Elizabeth Cooper once again. Walking home usually was an activity Jughead dreaded, he had quickly learned that he seemed to live the same way as Reggie Mantle, one of Riverdale Highs idiotic football jocks. Reggie was co-captain of the varsity football team along with none other than Archie Andrews, Betty's "friend". Jughead figured that trying to talk to Betty in school would be nothing less of a suicide mission, so instead, he decided waiting for the weekend would be the best option. 

"Hey Jones!" he quickly spun on his heel to see Reggie Mantle calling his surname to get his attention. "Heard you used to be tight with Betty Cooper?" Jughead thought of the best ways to get out of the conversation but as soon as he heard Betty's name, a protective nature grew quickly over him, one he hadn't felt in a long time. 

"Yeah, I was, what's it to you?" Jughead snapped back, despite how much he wished it wasn't true, he still cared about Betty like he did when he left, he was unsure if he ever stopped or if he had just forgotten how much she meant to him. 

"Just that my friend Andrews is trying to get with her, mind putting in a good word or two, much appreciated," he laughed, spinning back around to talk amongst his jock friends once more. Jughead fastened his pace, him and Betty weren't close enough for him to be "putting in good words" for people like Archie Andrews. Especially because they seemed closer than him and Betty were at the moment. That and he didn't exactly like that Archie kid, he seemed really stuck up and full of himself. There had been rumors of him going round and although they hadn't been confirmed to be true, they hadn't been declined either. And these rumors, not exactly the nicest things that could have been said about him. 

"Not happening," Jughead muttered to himself when he was a safe distance away from Reggie, he soon got home, way earlier than usual but his house wasn't exactly far from Riverdale High, one of the main reasons he went there and not Southside High, where his dad went when he was Jughead's age. 

"Jughead! How was school?" F.P Jones sprung up from his alcohol stained armchair to greet his son as he walked in the door. Just out of prison, getting over being an alcoholic and trying to make it so your wife comes home along with your youngest child is kind of a struggle but when your F.P Jones, it seems to be even harder because apart from the "out of prison" part, Jughead hadn't seen his dad even attempt to get over any of the rest.

"It was fine... I guess..." Jughead muttered fiddling with his coat to get it off and trying to avoid further questioning because lord knows when F.P Jones starts talking, you cannot get him to shut up. Jughead quickly rushed upstairs to his room, closed his door behind him and raced to his laptop, flying it open and immediately searching up Betty's name on Facebook. His hands raced around on the keyboard typing out "Elizabeth Cooper" before deciding it was much more logical that she went as "Betty". 

And then it popped up, her profile picture was a selfie of her and that raven-haired girl that she was always with, with a couple of simple clicks he learned that girls name was Veronica. He then found himself glancing at her likes: milkshakes, classic literature and Taylor Swift, very Betty Cooper. 

He quickly clicked to request her as a friend, this was the easiest way to befriend somebody in this generation right. Talking to them was supposedly completely off the table. He didn't usually use Facebook, he only used it to keep in contact with the few friends he had made whilst his mom dragged him through half the country. He didn't even have a profile picture but that was fine because you don't come across many Jughead's in day to day life anyway. He didn't know really how to make friends with someone over the internet but figured messaging her would be a good way to start, so he clicked on the message icon and quickly typed out a message. 

"Hey Betts, what's up?" 

Generic. Boring. But it will do, after all, they had years of friendship prior to this, it wasn't like she thought of him as Shakespeare now was it. 

And all the way across down a certain Betty Cooper was on her computer with Veronica Lodge sitting reading the latest teen magazine next to her.

"Ok, so according to this all trending quiz, the two of us are destined best friends for life!" Veronica exclaimed, pretending to be excited as she threw the magazine across the room. The two girls had just got back from River Vixen practice and were exhausted. Betty was just about to shut her laptop and ask if Veronica wanted to go to Pops when a message icon popped up on her screen with the name Jughead Jones attached to it. 

"Hey Betts, what's up?" 

It was basic. It probably meant nothing. Betty quickly clicked to accept the friend request he had sent her and then clicked to reply to the message. 

"Jug! Not much, just exhausted after River Vixen practice..." 

She sent and not soon after she did got a reply back that read. 

"Ahh, sounds tough, wanna meet? Pops? I'm really craving a burger!" 

Before thinking of what she was going to tell Veronica, Betty quickly said "Yes! Meet me there in ten!" before slamming her laptop shut and grabbing her purse. 

"Where are you going?" Veronica raised an eyebrow at the blonde as she rushed to her mirror checking her hair and applying more lipgloss. 

"Out, Pops, sorry!" Betty exclaimed, before ushering Veronica out of her room and quickly following her. Time to get her questions answered on why Jughead Jones never gave Betty Cooper a goodbye.