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The first time Pop Tate really noticed them together, they were 9-years-old and sitting in a corner booth while the Cooper girl read aloud to the Jones boy from a tattered copy of the Magician’s Nephew. He was so used to seeing them with Archie Andrews that he was beginning to think the 3 of them together was a package deal.
Without Archie, they were an odd pairing, to say the least.
Betty was blonde curls that perfectly pinned back and frothy tulle skirts and princess pinks and sparkly ballet flats. Jughead was messy dark hair and vintage band shirts slightly too big with him with ripped jeans.
But there they were, sitting across from each other, waiting for a sundae for two.
When he placed it in front of them, Betty stopped reading and smiled cheerfully at him. “Thank you, Pop!”
“Enjoy!” he answered, glancing back at them as he walked away.
“Keep on going!” Jughead encouraged her as he leaned forward and scooped up some ice cream with a long spoon.
“Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters,” Betty continued while Jughead observed her, never taking his eyes off of her while he ate their ice cream.
Pop knew one thing from all of his life experience. Jughead Jones was a little boy besotted.
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“Say something,” 12-year-old Betty begged, staring at her best friend anxiously. “Please Juggie just don’t sit there like that. You’re scaring me.”
“I can’t believe my mom and sister are gone just like that,” Jughead finally said, his voice even. “I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye. They were there one day and then they weren’t. I don’t understand why she didn’t take me too.”
“Pop could we have some French fries and two root beers?” Betty requested, tugging at her braid.
“Sure thing sweetheart,” Pop answered. He knew as well as the young girl did that the only thing that could possibly cheer up Jughead was food.
When he came back with their sodas, Betty had moved into the seat beside Jughead. She had her arm around him and was whispering soothing words to him while he was resting his head against her.
It was one of the most heartwarming things that he had ever seen in all his years of working in the restaurant business and he had been at it for a while.
Sometimes, even all Jughead needed was the comfort of a sweet little girl.
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“If I were ever going to like a girl, it would be you!” 13-year-old Jughead told Betty through a mouthful of hamburger.
From what Pop had gathered from Jughead and Betty’s conversation as they’d entered the diner, Archie had been invited to go out with a group of the more ‘popular’ kids in school, somehow leaving his two best friends out. Betty had been a little disappointed that he’d blown them off again, especially because Cheryl Blossom had been included in the outing.
Everybody said Cheryl was the prettiest girl in town. It was no secret that all the boys fell all over themselves to do her bidding.
All the boys except for the one sitting across from Betty, stealing French fries from her plate and gulping down a strawberry milkshake.
Betty blushed and pulled at her newly pierced ears. “You’re just being nice!” she protested.
“No way!” Jughead insisted. “You’re the nicest girl in Riverdale! And the most beautiful too! I’d be lucky to have a crush on you. Anybody would be lucky if they had a crush on you, really.”
“But you don’t have one on me,” Betty reminded him.
“Nah,” Jughead said as Pop put a refill of fries down on their table. “We’re friends, you and me!”
Pop shook his head at just untrue that statement was. Jughead might not have wanted to admit it to himself but he had it bad for Betty,
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“Archie’s pretty stupid,” Pop commented as he poured Jughead another cup of coffee. They were 15 and a devastated Betty had just left his diner after a party gone wrong.
Jughead shrugged. “He’s going through a stage.”
“You’re pretty stupid too,” Pop said, clearing away his empty plate of pie.
Jughead frowned. “Excuse me!?”
“I think we both know you could love that girl like she deserves,” Pop answered.
“Even if that were true, she likes Archie!” Jughead reminded him. “This isn’t old news, Pop!”
“And I’ve got eyes! You’ve liked that girl for as long as I can remember, don’t even try and deny it!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Jughead answered, trying to get back to the novel he was writing about Jason Blossom. “And even if I did like her, it wouldn’t matter. She likes Archie, remember?”
“But she’s always crying because of him,” Pop said. “I swear, she left Riverdale crying over something he did and there she is again. But you, you could always make her smile.”
“That would violate every law of the bro code ever written.”
“Maybe,” Pop agreed. “But since when has Archie followed the bro code? And besides, from where I’m standing, it doesn’t look like he has any claim on her. They’ve never been out on a date and he kissed the new girl. That ship has sailed.”
“Pop!” Jughead looked appalled.
“You never know unless you try!” Pop told him, waving his hand in the air to signal the end of the conversation.
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Somehow, Jughead and Betty started to spend a lot more time together. Suddenly, they were the resident Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson of Riverdale, chasing down clues and following leads and writing articles for a school newspaper.
They’d share a booth at Pop’s and poured over leads while Jughead finished Betty’s milkshake.
It didn’t take long for the proprietor to notice changes between the longtime friends. It started with Jughead walking her home at night under the guise that he was trying to keep her safe from Jason Blossom’s killer.
Pretty soon, they were holding hands on their way out for the night. Jughead would look around to make sure nobody else was looking before sliding his fingers through her’s.
And Pop smiled.
The End
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