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She’s sifting through her locker when she hears the sound that never fails to spread a warmth through her chest.
Silence.
Jughead Jones is making his way through Riverdale High’s entrance doors with the blasé attitude of someone who simply can’t be bothered. The large Serpent emblem stitched across the back of his jacket serves as a warning to those students brave enough to steal a glance in his direction.
But Betty can’t help herself and his newly established Serpent status has done nothing but intrigue her further.
He’s beautiful.
But not in the conventional way that Veronica gushes about those men from the magazines she pours over when she hangs out in Betty’s bedroom.
He’s beautiful in the way that makes Betty’s breath catch in her throat when he genuinely laughs at something his friends say.
He’s beautiful in the way that makes the tips of Betty’s ears redden when he catches her eye from across the hall, a playful smirk on his face.
And he’s beautiful now as he runs his fingers through his dark waves before tugging his worn, crown beanie on in an attempt to tame them.
She feels as though she’s in a bit of a daze, her hand still reaching absentmindedly into her locker as she takes him in.
Until his gaze suddenly shifts to meet hers.
She immediately turns, cursing herself for getting caught up in such an obvious moment of complete infatuation and begins shoving her books around in an attempt to look busy.
It’s only when chatter erupts in the hallways once again that she knows he’s gone and she takes a moment to close her locker and press her forehead against the cool metal.
“Be more obvious next time, Betty, really,” she breathes to herself as she calms her pounding heart.
“Am I interrupting something, Cooper?”
His voice has her wondering if walking into traffic would be a good enough reason for her to never show her face at Riverdale High again? In fact, perhaps she should just board a flight and leave the country.
“Of course not,” she says quickly, turning to face him while pressing her pastel pink binder tightly to her chest. “It’s just usually quiet when you get here...you’re like all anyone sees.”
He tilts his head at that, his eyes searching her face, and she nervously tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Was it really necessary for him to be standing this close to her?
“Anyways. Can I help you with something, Jones?”
He shoves his hands into his jacket pockets and casually leans against her closed locker door as if the Serpent Prince talking to Betty Cooper is something that occurs all the time.
It doesn’t.
“No, actually,” he finally responds, glancing around the emptying hallway before turning back to her. “I just wanted to tell you thanks for that article you wrote for the Blue and Gold. It was written well and with an interesting perspective.”
A heat crawls up the column of her neck as she works through the fact that he’s complimenting her. About her writing. The one thing she cares about.
“Oh, no, it was my - I mean, thank you for, you know, that’s so sweet of you to say,” she’s stumbling over her words again and he looks down, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth to keep from smiling.
“Alright, well-” he stops and his eyes narrow ever so slightly and Betty prays she doesn’t have smeared lipstick across her face or something in her teeth. Why did she have to eat that spinach omelette this morning?!
He reaches out, gently pulling off a small leaf that had fallen atop her head, his face inches from hers. She feels her breath catch as his gaze lingers on her lips for more than a brief second.
But then the school bell pierces the air, signaling that they are officially late to class and Betty motions past him. “I better get to class-”
“Yeah, me too. I guess I’ll see you around?”
She smiles coyly, her ponytail swinging lightly behind her as she moves past him. Her cheeks are burning and she can only hope it looks like she overdid it with the blush today and not like she can’t even be two feet from him without needing an ice bath.
“Oh, and Cooper,” he calls out and she turns around so quickly the ends of her ponytail smack her cheek.
“Happy Halloween.”
“Betty dearest, you have not sent a Jack-O-Gram since the Reggie Mantle Fiasco of freshman year.”
“We’ve nicknamed the first and only time I’ve sent a Jack-O-Gram a ‘fiasco’ and you’re really expecting me to send another?”
Cheryl purses her cherry red lips before sharing a look with Veronica. They are standing behind the Jack-O-Gram booth Cheryl had spared no expense in having built and set up in the main hallway of Riverdale High. It costs one dollar to send a Jack-O-Gram, or a pumpkin shaped piece of paper with a king sized candy bar tied together with dark green ribbon, and all proceeds go to the prom budget, of course.
The booth had become a wild success their freshman year and Cheryl had quickly taken over management, having already been part of the prom committee though she wasn’t old enough to attend.
What had started under the guise of a friendly Halloween-themed gram had quickly become a way for one to express his or her feelings for someone before the Banshee Bash dance at the end of the week.
Betty has always received one from their other best friend, Kevin Keller, but with it being their senior year they had come to the mutual decision that they should pursue actual Banshee Bash dates.
Or, Kevin had wanted desperately to send one to Fangs Fogarty and Betty couldn’t bear to stand in his way.
Even if the only person who had ever sparked her interest wouldn’t touch a Northsider with a 10 foot pole.
“B, this is the perfect year to send one to Jughead! You even said he complimented your writing this morning!” Veronica is writing the longest Jack-O-Gram Betty has ever seen to her long-time boyfriend, Archie.
As if they aren’t already planning to attend the Bash together.
“If you don’t write one to him, I will.”
Betty’s eyes widen as Cheryl uncaps her pen and pulls the orange scrap of pumpkin shaped paper to herself.
“No, Cher, seriously-“
“‘Dear Jones’ see, this is already convincing since you two refuse to acknowledge you have first names-“
Veronica snorts into her latte and Betty frantically reaches for the pen Cheryl’s using to continue her note.
“‘If you’ve been wondering why I take extraaaa long at my locker in the morning, it’s so I can stare at your slim yet proportionately toned ass-‘“
“Cheryl, I swear, give me-“
Cheryl jumps up, twirling out of Betty’s reach as Veronica giggles. She’s tying her little green bow around her orange pumpkin cut out, clearly amused.
“Did I miss something?” Toni Topaz asks through a giggle, putting her hands up to catch Cheryl who is still currently avoiding Betty’s reach.
Cheryl immediately rights herself, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she puts down the pen and scrap of paper so she can focus her full attention on Toni.
But Betty’s eyes widen as she sees Toni lean over to read the scrap of paper, her smile widening. “Someone’s going to send Jughead a Jack-O-Gram?”
“No!”
“Yes.”
Betty shoots Veronica a glare so intense she’s surprised lasers aren’t shooting out of her eyes. Veronica flashes her an innocent smile as she reaches for Archie’s favorite candy bar.
“He did mention something about sending one this year,” she says with a shrug as if Betty isn’t suddenly hanging on to her every word.
“Are you planning to send one this year?” Cheryl asks softly, reorganizing the markers and candy bars.
“I might be.” Toni twirls one of her pastel pink waves around her finger as she watches Cheryl work.
Veronica catches Betty’s eye, arching an eyebrow suggestively and Betty can’t help but laugh quietly to herself.
“If you do decide to send one to a Banshee Bash prospect...the cost is one dollar,” Cheryl says, as if there isn’t huge signs staple gunned to the booth with that exact information.
“Sounds like a worthy expenditure,” Toni says, offering Cheryl a sweet smile before she turns on her heel and makes her way down the hallway. Cheryl remains fixated on Toni’s retreating back and Betty takes the opportunity to lean across the booth and grab the orange piece of paper she’d been writing to Jughead on.
She tears it up and tosses the pieces in the trash as Cheryl mumbles something about her need to “catch a dick.”
On Tuesday, she remains undecided about whether or not she’d like to send Jughead the Jack-O-Gram. She could play if off. Write something simple. Or anonymous! That way, if he shows up at the dance and looks disappointed when he sees her, she can pretend she didn’t write him one at all.
Seems simple enough! And yet...
Kevin sends Fangs his gram in their AP Calculus class and Betty doesn’t miss the way Kevin’s entire face lights up when Fangs grins and nods in excitement.
Wednesday has Betty standing near the booth, still deciding on exactly what she would say to him if she sent anything at all, when Jughead appears next to her.
His fingers run along one of the pumpkin papers and Betty pretends not to notice, though she’s hyper aware of his every movement.
“Would you like to buy one, Jughead?” Veronica asks brightly, pushing one of the markers in his direction in a not so subtle hint.
Jughead taps his finger along the tabletop before he glances at Betty. “Are you buying one, Cooper?”
“Oh, um, I might.”
“What? Who’s the lucky guy, Betty?” Kevin asks excitedly, hopping up to sit on the booth table top next to Betty.
Jughead’s gaze has not left hers and the intensity of it is only making her wish she hadn’t worn such a dense sweater today.
“Are you going to send one?” she finally asks, ignoring Kevin’s disappointed sigh.
Jughead glances down at the pumpkin papers one more time before shaking his head. “I don’t know, this isn’t really my thing.”
His friends call him over in that moment and he gives Betty and Veronica a half-hearted wave before heading over to them.
Kevin and Cheryl are already chatting amongst themselves about what they’re planning to wear to the Bash and Betty excuses herself, her heart having dropped to her stomach.
Thursday morning, Veronica receives 10 Jack-O-Grams at once and she’s positively glowing as she tries to manage them all on her tiny school desk. Archie has written sweet compliments on each one and Betty couldn’t be happier for her best friend.
Couldn’t. Be. Happier. She thinks to herself as she stares down at her empty, gramless desk.
In fourth period, the grams are delivered again and Cheryl receives one that has her smiling more genuinely than Betty’s ever seen. She clutches the orange piece of paper to her chest and giggles happily in Betty’s direction.
“Toni Topaz is taking me to the Banshee Bash. Can you believe?” she whispers, channeling her inner Jonathan Van Ness, and Betty laughs because yes, she can definitely believe.
She’s heading to her locker to drop her books off before lunch when she sees him making his way down the hallway. He has his headphones on, lost in his own world, and she can’t help but admire the way the headphones rest against his worn crown beanie. As though they belong there.
His fingers brush hers as they pass each other.
Her heart slams against her chest and she turns her head, attempting to see if he’d noticed the touch as much as she had. If he’d felt that.
His hands are now shoved in his jacket pockets.
On Friday, Betty has officially decided she will not be sending anyone a Jack-O-Gram. She’d rather bury her feelings for Jughead so deeply she can’t remember they exist and attend the Banshee Bash with her friends. Who all have dates. Wonderful.
But as each class passes and as the last of the grams are handed out, she can’t pretend she isn’t a little disappointed. She knows, deep down, she had hoped he’d send her one. Even just as a friend.
Okay, maybe not as a friend.
During her last class, the gram deliverer arrives, a freshman student wearing cat ears and an excited smile. Betty sits forward, stealing a glance at Veronica who flashes her a hopeful smile.
“Reggie Mantle?”
“Another one?” he grins cockily, reaching out to accept his gram and immediately ripping open the Snickers bar.
“Ethel Muggs?”
Ethel accepts her gram, a shy smile on her face as she reads the note.
“And…” The freshman is now squinting her eyes to make out the name. “Oh...another one for Reggie.”
Reggie laughs, high fiving a few Bulldogs next to him before getting up once again to receive his gram. Betty sits back, tears pricking the corners of her eyes and she realizes she could not feel more pathetic. Veronica reaches over, squeezing her forearm in a supportive and affectionate gesture. Betty blinks rapidly before flashing her a bright, Betty Cooper smile, accepting that that was that.
She would not be receiving a Jack-O-Gram from anyone, but especially not from Jughead Jones.
Class ends and Betty couldn’t be more relieved. Forget the Banshee Bash. Forget Halloween. She’s going to head home, draw a hot bath, and binge watch Anne with an E. At least Gilbert and Anne will give her some kind of reassurance that romance isn’t completely dead.
She reassures Veronica a dozen times that she’s fine before Veronica finally leaves her to assist Cheryl with the packing up of the booth.
Opening her locker, she wipes the wetness from under her eyes and reaches into her backpack to tug out the books she won’t be needing this weekend.
It’s when she finally brings herself to look into her locker that her mouth falls open.
Inside lies a beautiful orange origami flower taped atop a dark green piece of paper. Betty’s fingers shake as she reaches inside to pull it out, her eyes wide as she looks at how intricately it was made.
“Like I said, Jack-O-Grams aren’t really my thing.”
She shakes her head, the smile on her face one of genuine happiness and awe. “It’s so beautiful, Jughead, you made this?”
He shrugs as if it’s no big deal, but she notices the way his fingers pinch one of the tips of his worn crown beanie and she can tell he’s nervous. Nervous to be around her. Betty Cooper.
“My little sister, Jellybean, helped me make it,” he says softly, watching her gaze at the flower as though she’s never received anything so beautiful in her entire life. “She said something about me needing to make a bigger gesture than the gram since I-”
He stops short and she finally tears her gaze away from the flower to find that his cheeks are now flushed and he’s still rolling a crown tip between his fingers.
“Since you what?”
He looks at her, searching her face the same way he had earlier that week, before his hand drops to his side and a small smile tugs at the corners of his lips.
“Since it’s always been you, Cooper. For me, it’s always been you.”
She doesn’t hesitate, standing on her tip-toes to throw her arms around his neck and press her lips against his. He’s surprised at first, but then she feels his hand cup her cheek as he deepens their kiss. She’s tasting the spearmint on his tongue for just a second before -
“Ah, but I didn’t send you anything, Jughead!” She immediately steps out of his arms, cursing herself for being so indecisive about the gram all week.
He chuckles, interweaving his fingers with hers before, much to her horror, he says, “Actually, I think your friend Cheryl sent me quite an explicit one on your behalf...”