TW// mentions of Betty's self harm
Third POV
As Betty walks down the halls of Riverdale High, an overwhelming sense of anxiety rushes through her body.
Betty has always been socially anxious and the fact that she doesn't have any friends only encourages this. She'd never really gone out of her way to meet new people. The thought of her studies being the most important thing in her life was drilled into her head by her mother. The one and only Alice Cooper. To say Betty didn't have a good home life would be an understatement due to all of the mental abuse she's tormented with, daily. School is like an escape for her, an escape from her hellhole of a house.
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Betty's walking through the school hall when she sees a certain group of people standing in the space between herself and her locker. The books in her arms start to feel impossibly heavy and the glasses upon her face seem to keep sliding down her nose due to sweat. If her hands were free her nails would without a doubt be piercing their way through her skin, showing no mercy. Betty tries to keep her anxious thoughts in check and makes her way down the hall. She quietly runs on her toes past where the group is conversing, breathing a sigh of relief when she makes it to her locker unharmed or seen. The group has been targeting Betty for bullying ever since she could remember and Betty always kicks herself for not being able to stand up for herself. However, no matter how many pep talks she gives herself into the mirror, she's too shy to talk to anyone.
"Morning beautiful," a deep, tired voice comes from behind her.
Betty nearly jumped out of her skin when he put his arm around her waist, thinking that it was someone from the group she'd sneaked past just a minutes ago. However, to her contentment, it was her loving boyfriend, Jughead Jones.
"Woah," he chuckles, "You okay?"
"Yeah I'm good, you just scared me." She softly tells him, laughing slightly at herself.
Jughead smiles at her and presses her fallen glasses back up her nose. Continuing onto grabbing her waist and pulling her towards himself.
"I've missed you, baby. What were you doing last night?" She blushes and tilts her head down at the nickname and his possessiveness, still not used to being loved by someone even after 5 months.
"I was catching up on homework and just work in general," she whispers, laying her left cheek on his chest and wrapping her arms around his torso.
Jughead smiles ~unknowingly~ at her cuteness and wraps her up in his arms. She is so shy and he thinks it's adorable.
"I see you wore your hair down today," he teases, "I wonder who might of told you he loved it down and in your natural wavy curls." He chuckles at himself and starts to twirl the ends of her hair between his fingers.
She smacks his chest lightly but then cuddles into it more while blushing, "I didn't- I mean... I thought emm- eh a change," she stumbles, "would be nice." She finishes in a quick pace.
"I'm just teasing. Don't worry," he mutters into her hair and leaves a few kisses there too.
Betty loves his affections. All of his kisses and hugs or even just when he keeps his touch on her; holding hands, putting his arms around her waist or shoulder, his foot nudging hers whenever he wanted to make sure she was okay, etc. Betty could stay in Jughead's arms forever. He's so warm and soft and the way he squeezes and holds her is so comforting. She always feels safe in his embrace, all her anxieties leave her brain leaving her in a rare peaceful silence for once.
"You have football practice now, love." She whispers a few minutes later, not wanting to be pulled away from his comforting arms but knowing it has to happen soon anyway.
