Lost (in Your Emerald Eyes)

N I N E T E E N

Answer me as soon as possible, please!

Jughead sighed, dragging his hand over his face as he woke up the next morning on his couch. His phone had been blowing up with texts from Toni, Joaquin, a few other Serpents he sometimes communicated with, and, of course, Betty.

Betty, Betty, Betty. Damned be his father for interrupting them the night before. Damned be the Ghoulies for showing up and existing. And damned be the police officers who had doubted him just eight hours ago when he had claimed he had nothing to do with Mantle's death.

The worst part about this was that he, Toni, and Joaquin had all been at Betty's party that night. Which meant they were each other's alibis, lying about being at Jughead's trailer and having a sleepover, while in reality, Jughead had no idea where his friends had been while he spent his night with Betty—something he could never confess to the police. A few other young Serpents hadn't had an alibi at all, and when questioned by his father, wouldn't say anything. Jughead had photoshopped their faces on other Serpents' bodies. And for all he knew, Toni and Joaquin could've been with them... They could have been the ones who did something.

He highly doubted that, but nothing was ever off the cards, living where he did.

Jughead ignored all the messages Betty and others had sent, and instead, decided to visit her to speak face to face. He wasn't going to let this one go. Because even as deep down he knew he would never deserve a girl like Betty, he also understood that he was the only person who wanted to help her. Which meant that for however long, she would need him as well.

After dressing with a minute, the boy grabbed his laptop and placed it into his satchel bag, adding a few dollars, his keys, and phone, and left the trailer.

He reached the Cooper house in fifteen minutes, parking further away as always, and practically jogged toward it. His feet jerked while gluing themselves on the ground when he finally got to the driveway, though. Gulping at the car parking there, he quickly bowed his head and while slouching toward the ground, passed the big windows, stopping under Betty's.

The ladder was still on its place and he prayed not to see the girl naked like this, hoping she was dressed and not too upset with him for climbing into her room without her permission.

(His pants got a bit tighter thinking about her naked, which didn't help with the hauling himself up the old wooden ladder situation.)

As Jughead's face peered through the blonde's window, he found her sitting on her bed, legs crossed, elbows rested on her knees, and head in her hands. The boy sighed silently and raised his fist, only needing one knock on the glass to get her attention.

When Betty's head flew toward the window, he saw the tears running down her cheeks, eyes gigantic and red like every time she wept. Oddly, it brought out the green in them but made his heart hurt.

"Oh my god, Jug," the girl exhaled, jumping off the bed, but not quite reaching him as she grabbed onto the bedside table immediately and pressed her eyes shut, falling back onto her bed.

For the first time, Jughead took the risk to climb into her room without any help and mastered it in a few seconds which gave him the freedom to run to his girl and make sure she was okay.

"Betty?" his anxious-sounding voice asked, planting his hands on her bare knees. "You okay?"

"Mhm," she said, tightly holding her eyes shut as her head gained the sense of gravity and balance. They fluttered open in a minute and stared at his worried expression as she exhaled sharply, bringing her hand to his face.

"Have you eaten something today?"

"Juggie, your eye," Betty whispered, gently fondling her fingers over his bruised cheek, and sliding them over the eyebrows above his damaged eye.