Crossing Paths- Chapter 3: First Day

It was the morning of the first day of classes and Betty was up early, taking precautions to prevent her anxiety from flaring up too much. She quickly got dressed in her favorite high waisted blue jeans and a floral button up tied in the front and tied her hair in a curly ponytail. She was trying to distract her mind instead of worrying about what would happen at school so she took to deep cleaning her kitchen until it was time to head out the door. Her first class was at 9 so she decided to leave her apartment at 8:25 to make sure she was not late.

It was a foggy morning but beautiful nonetheless. She practiced taking deep constant breaths in and out as she walked towards campus. As the school came into view Betty checked her watch, 8:45 ok perfect. Where will I sit, I probably won’t know anyone, uhhhgg why is socializing so hard? She thought as she approached the front door.

She wandered some of the halls before going to class just to avoid being the first person to class when she came to the library. Peeking in she saw Jughead sitting at a table by himself reading a book and sipping coffee in a to go cup. She approached him slowly with a slight grin spreading across her face.

“Hey”, she said quietly before taking the seat opposite him

He looked up slightly choking on his coffee before swallowing and saying “Hey” back to her

“What are you doing?”, she asked

“Just killing some time before my first class, you?”

“Same actually… I was so worried about being late but I got here so early today. I suppose I’ll get my schedule down eventually”, she said

“Ya it took me a while but I’ve got it down now”

“When do you usually leave in the morning?”, she asked hoping it didn’t sound creepy

“Around 8:20, so I have time to grab some coffee to go then I come here and usually read in the library before its time for class”

She nods, “When does your class start?” she asked

“9” he said checking the time

“Me too”

“We should probably get going then” he said sighing

“Yeah...what class do you have?”, she asked

“It’s some basic, required english class down this hall”

“Looks like we have the same class”, she said smiling as they both gathered their things

His heart fluttered a little thinking about how he hoped this would happen.

“Wanna walk together?”, he asked

“Sure”, she said as they headed for the door to the library

Once they entered the classroom she followed him to the second farthest row back and sat next to him. They both smiled at each other a moment before the professor started introducing the class.

When class was over, they started picking up their bags, and before Betty could leave their seats, Jughead tapped her shoulder.

“Hey, I uh was wondering if you wanted to go get coffee later today?”, he asked slightly nervous

“That sounds great Jug”, she said with a smile, “Where?”

“The coffee shop across from Commonwealth. I get off work there at 2:30 today. See you at 3?”

“Sure Jug, see you then”, she turned and walked towards the door throwing him a sweet smile over her shoulder before she ducked out and headed to her next class.

The rest of the day Betty was all smiles at the thought of her plans for the day. She felt at ease and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of her day at school.

She got home at 2. She checked her phone and saw that she had a message about the job she had applied for. She listened to it and then called them back.

“Hello, this is Greg”

“Hi, this is Betty Cooper, I’m calling about the job I applied for”

“Ah yes Betty, I was calling to schedule an interview, we could do something as early as this afternoon”

“Ok, I’m actually meeting someone there for coffee at 3, could we do it after that?”

“Sounds good Betty, I look forward to meeting you”

“You as well”

“Alright, see you soon, Bye”

“Thank you, bye”

She hung up with a deep exhale. She went into the bathroom to wash her hands and redo her ponytail. She hung around her apartment, kind of mentally exhausted from the first day, until it was time to go meet Jughead. When she arrived he was waiting outside leaning one side against the building.

He looked up with a great big smile spreading across his face.

“Hey”, he said opening the door for her and gesturing for her to enter

They sat at a small table near the window

“How are you?”, she asked

“I’m good, how was your first day of school?”

“It was pretty good… I especially enjoyed my first class”, she said looking from him to the table, then back up again

He smiled at her and said “Me too”

“So..what brought you out of Riverdale?”, he asked

“Well I was working for my parents for a couple years after highschool, and I didn’t get the chance to go to school until now...they were kind of hoping I would stay in Riverdale forever I guess, so they could keep an eye on me or something...my mother was always kind of controlling”, he nodded, “what about you?”

“I came out here last year after deciding I needed to get my head out of Riverdale, it wasn’t always full of the fondest of memories for me… with my dad and the serpents stuff, but I’m really happy now that I’m on my own and I get to pursue my passion.”

“Which is what exactly?” she asked slowly

“Writing, journalism, words, It was always my passion but there wasn’t much I could do with it in Riverdale”

“Yeah I feel ya, working for my parents wasn’t exactly my passion”

Were so similar, she thought as they continued talking and ordered some coffee.

As it was getting later and they were finishing their coffees, you could tell neither of them wanted to leave.

“By the way, thanks for checking up on me last night, that was really sweet..”

“No problem, I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable” he said smiling

She paused before saying, “Are you only being so nice to me because Archie told you to?” She asked raising an eyebrow and smiling playfully

“No” he said slowly, “I just..think we could be great friends”

“Me too” she said nodding her head in agreement “We should do this again soon” she said as they both stood up.

“Yes we should...See you later Betts”, he said, standing in front of her.

They stared at each other for a moment and before he could leave, she kissed his cheek before he turned blushing and walked out the door.

Betty turned and walked up to the counter.

“Hi, I’m Betty, I’m here for an interview” she said as Lex turned around to her

“Hey Betty, nice to see you, I’ll go get the manager, you can have seat at that table right there”

“Ok thanks” she said with a smile, turning to sit at the table.

When Greg came out, she stood up and shook his hand.

The interview went very well and he told her she could start on Wednesday afternoon. Betty thanked him, then went up to the counter again to order a drink to go.

“Hey how’d that go?” Lex asked

“Very well, he said I can start work on Wednesday”

“Awesome, I can’t wait to work together, by the way who was that guy you were with, I saw you guys at school together too” she asked

“Oh, he’s.. My friend Jughead, we haven’t seen each other in a while and were catching up”, she said not wanting to explain the whole story.

“He’s pretty cute”, said Lex with a grin

Betty blushed as Lex handed her her drink

“See you Wednesday” Betty said smiling as she left

It was now almost 5pm and Betty was in a great mood on her walk home, she was beaming from within, and couldn’t stop thinking about when she would see Jughead next.

When she got home she turned on some loud music and started cooking some chicken for dinner. She heard her phone buzz and she went to check it. It was Jughead, her face lit up.

J: I had a nice time this afternoon :)

She couldn’t stop smiling as she replied

B: So did I ;)

J: I hope we can get to know each other, we never really got the chance in high school

B: Me too Jug :).  See u in class tomorrow

J: Yup, can’t wait Betts

B: Me neither Juggie

She smiled harder at the nickname she had used and set her phone down to continue cooking.

What did all this mean? Did he like her more than she thought. She was unsure of exactly what her own feelings meant but she knew that there were feelings forming and she was ok with it, they seemed compatible, he was so sweet and they shared the same passion. How perfect, she thought.

Crossing Paths- Chapter 2: Taking a Walk

It was the day before classes began for Betty and she was feeling her nerves turn with excitement and anxiety. It was 10 am and she was running around her apartment gathering her school supplies and chucking them in her bag to make sure she had everything she needed for tomorrow before she headed out for the day.

“Damn it” Betty muttered under her breath, as she realized that she left all the books she was currently reading in Riverdale.

She decided she would try to find a book store while she was out today. She was planning on finding her way to campus and having a walk around before starting school, to help herself feel more comfortable, and running any last minute errands she needed to before she was drowning in homework.

She pulled on some denim shorts and a button down then pulled the top half of her hair back before grabbing her purse and heading out the door. The hall was burning hot. The air conditioning must have broke, why is everything breaking here, she thought. When she proceeded to walk down the stairs she noticed that all the other floors had air conditioning. She sighed and continued out the front door.

Her walk to school would be two right turns, then a left, then 3 blocks forward. Pretty straightforward, she thought and set off towards school. Once she got there and started walking around she realized just how big the campus was. She decided to find where her first class would be so she wouldn’t be completely lost tomorrow. This specific writing class was at the very end of the hall, better be early tomorrow, she thought. Once she looked around for a while longer, she decided it was time to go find a bookstore.

She pulled up google maps on her phone and found a used book store just a couple blocks past her apartment the other way. It was called Commonwealth Books. On her walk over she was admiring the city scenery and thinking about starting school. Will I make any friends? Will anyone even want to talk to me? She sighed and decided to just let tomorrow unfold without worrying and risk surfacing her anxiety.

Once she came to Commonwealth, she stopped and gazed in the window at all the beautiful old books. When she walked in, she immediately turned into one of the many rows of books and started grabbing anything that caught her eye. She was in her element, reading, writing, words, they were her favorite things in this world, besides mugs of course. She was accumulating quite the stack of books in her arms when she took a step towards the next row and ran straight into someone, knocking the books out of her hand. She scrambled for her books and was apologizing before she heard her name.

“Betty?”

“Y-Ya… Jughead?” she said surprised

She gazed at him, noticing a single raven curl falling in front of his eyes out of his crown shaped beanie that she remembered he wore even when they were 15, as he started slowly picking up her fallen books and putting them back into her arms.

“Thank you Jug” she managed, “Oh, do you work here?” she asked

“Ya.. 6 days a week” he said with a smile

“Wow I’d love to work here, you have no idea how much I love old books” she said

“Um.. actually I think I have a pretty good idea” he said with a shy smile, “So what are you up to today?” he asked

“Oh, I actually just came from campus, I was just familiarizing myself before tomorrow, and then I came on a hunt for a good book store and found this place, It’s so cool in here” she gazed around at all the books with a grin spreading across her face.

“Ya I love it...Do you need any help finding anything?” he asked

“Actually I was looking for The Great Gatsby because I started it when I was still at home, and then forgot to bring it.” she said

“Uhh.. actually I think I just put a copy away” he turned to start looking in the next row over, Betty followed close behind.

“Here it is” he said with a grin handing it to her. “Can I ring this stuff up for you?” he asked

“Sure that’d be great, thanks” she said

She followed him to the register and got her wallet out as he started putting all her books in a big bag.

He handed her the bag and said “Well maybe we’ll run into each other on campus tomorrow”

“Hopefully we don’t actually run into each other again” she said with a laugh

“Haha ya.. See ya later Betty”

“Later Jug” she said with a smile as she headed out the door

He’s so nice, and he loves old books! She hadn’t really noticed until now but he seemed really sweet, not to mention those big blue eyes and soft raven curls.

It was now 2pm and Betty decided she needed some iced tea and headed towards a coffee shop she had noticed near Commonwealth. Once she ordered her drink, she was looking around and noticed a small table with a stack of papers that said Now Hiring, she considered for a second then grabbed one. It’s not like she had enough money saved up to pay rent indefinitely, she knew she would have to get a job eventually and this place was really close. She filled out the application and handed it to the worker when she handed her her drink.

“Looking for a job I see” the lady at the counter said after taking the paper.

“Ya, actually, and this place is really close to where I live and go to school.”

“Oh do you go to Boston University?” she asked

“Ya, I start tomorrow”

“I am taking some classes there right now too, just to finish up my degree this year. Maybe I’ll see you around? Oh by the way my name’s Lex.”

“I’m Betty, nice to meet you… and see you around” She turned to the door with her tea and left with a smile.

Betty took her time on her walk home, it was a beautiful day. She stopped by a park and sat to write in her journal and drink her tea. She watched the ducks in the pond and felt the slight breeze in her hair. This is exactly what I needed, she thought. She felt so at peace, which was a special and rare moment for Betty, as she constantly felt worried, and she definitely didn’t think she would feel this calm the day before starting college classes, It must have been the trip to the bookstore, she thought.

When she finally got up to walk the rest of the way home it was 4pm. She walked into her building feeling pretty tired from walking around all day, then as she made her way up the stairs she paused and remembered that the airconditioning in her hall was broken and decided to take a break in the still air conditioned halls before walking the rest of the way up the stairs with a hot death trap awaiting her at the top. She pulled out the Great Gatsby and started where she had left off at home. After about a minute Jughead walked up the stairs.

“Hey Betty, whats up?”

She quickly looked up from her book and smiled at who it was before saying, “Well actually the air conditioning in my hall is broken and I was taking a break before walking up there” she smiled and blushed when she realized she had been waiting right in front of his apartment.

“Oh that sucks, they really need to get a maintenance guy over here soon, is it still ok in your room though?” he asked

“Ya it was this morning, so it should be all good”

“Ok well just let me know if it gets too hot in your room… you could always chill in mine…” He trailed off not really knowing what he just said or offered.

Betty looked up at his blushing face and said “Oh, that's very nice of you, thanks Jug..”

They stared at eachother for a moment longer before Betty said “Well I better continue my trek up these stairs, Maybe see you tomorrow?”

“Ya, see ya later Betts.” he clenched his teeth at the old nickname he had just used, then smiled and turned towards his door.

“Bye” Betty managed with a smile before climbing up the stairs to her apartment.

Jughead entered his apartment still blushing as he reached to feel his burning cheeks. He sunk into his couch and pulled out his phone. After scrolling through Twitter for a while he opened a message to Archie.

J: Hey Arch, I was wondering If you could send me Betty’s Number

A: Uh ya, here’s her contact  [Betty Cooper]  why.. Do u like her?! ;)

J: No, I mean I guess, Idk. You're the one who told me to be nice to her and offer to help if she ever needed anything man.

A: Alright alright whatever man, talk to you later :)

Jughead continued blushing after that conversation and pulled open a new message to Betty.

J: Hey, Betty, Archie sent me ur number… you can text me if you ever need anything… by the way, is your apartment still cool?

He waited a couple of agonizing minutes before she texted back. He just felt so awkward texting her when he had got her number from Archie, but I guess it’s worth it he thought.

B: Oh, hey Jughead, ya my apartment seems to be cool, but damn that hallway is like hell. Thanks for checking on me btw, ur really sweet ;)

J: Well that’s good haha… see you later.

B: Alright Jug ;)

Betty spent the rest of her night chilling before her big day and went to sleep early with a smile on her face.

Jughead was starting to feel excited about starting school and he found himself hoping he would have a class with Betty. He wasn’t sure what his feelings meant, but he knew that he couldn’t stop thinking about Betty, she was so sweet and had the cutest smile he thought, but he wasn’t ready to admit anything to himself yet.

Crossing Paths- Chapter 1: Moving in

Notes: Betty is 21 years old and is finally leaving Riverdale to go to school on a scholarship to Boston University for creative writing. Jughead lives in the same building as Betty and are introduced to each other by Archie. This fic will be mostly fluff but I’m not saying anything for sure yet. Please leave any suggestions.

_____

Betty reluctantly got onto the train from Riverdale to Boston, after an emotional goodbye from her parents. She was finally moving out and going to school, which she had been looking forward to for a long time. The only person she knew who was going to be even remotely close to her was Archie, but he was still a 2 hour drive away from where she would be living.

Once she was on the train, she pulled out her headphones to listened to music as she wrote in her journal, she had after all always dreamed about being a journalist and this was finally her chance to prove herself by working away from her parents and away from their control.

Betty had been friends with Archie for as long as she could remember. She even used to have feelings for him, but she had long moved on from those feelings once he started dating her high school bestie, Veronica. What kind of friend would she have been if she wasn't supportive of their relationship, and was just jealous and sad all the time, she thought.

Once she finally stepped off the train, Archie was standing there waiting to greet her. He had volunteered to help her move in, so he drove 2 hours up from Springfield, Massachusetts where he currently lived with Veronica, the pair had been dating since high school, and decided they needed to get away from Riverdale. This move had made Betty feel especially alone in Riverdale for the past couple of months; besides the fact of not having a boyfriend, and working full time for her parents at the register, 2 of her best friends had moved away. She was ready to escape.

She stepped off the train, while almost tripping down the stairs from the weight of her bags.

“Hey!” Archie yelled over to her.

She wobbled over, trying not to fall and gave him a hug.

“Here let me help you with those” Archie gestured towards her bags.

“My car’s parked right over here”.

Once they got in the car they started towards Boston University.

“Thanks for picking me up Arch. I would have had no idea where I was going if I was alone”

“No problem, besides Veronica practically forced me to come help you move in, she just wants to make sure you are comfortable” Archie thought for a minute, “You should come stay with us sometime, like maybe on a weekend. It would be fun!”

“Yeah, that sounds great I’d love to spend some time with you guys!”

They pulled up towards Betty’s new apartment complex, as Betty’s stomach began to turn. She had never lived on her own and Boston was far away from her family and friends. Archie parked the car and as they walked through the door and towards the elevator, they saw it was out of order. What an inconvenient time for an elevator to stop working on move in week, Betty thought. They turned towards each other and shrugged then headed toward the stairs with a sigh and began to ascend the flights of stairs to the 6th floor where Betty’s room was. On the second flight of stairs they ran into someone that Betty swore she recognized.

“Hey Jughead!” Archie said when they turned the corner, as Jughead and Betty almost ran into each other, both gasping at the scare.

Surprised, Jughead replied “Oh.. Hey Archie, how are you?”

“Good, good.. Oh hey um..this is Betty, remember her from Riverdale?” “Betty, this is Jughead my friend from Riverdale, we ate at Pop’s together a couple times remember?”

Betty gazed at Jughead for a second before saying anything. “Oh, hi Jughead it’s nice to see you again” Where his eyes always that blue, she remembered thinking to herself. “Do you go to Boston University?”

“Yeah… I’m majoring in creative writing..you?” he stuttered.

“Thats cool, that’s what I plan on majoring in too, maybe we will have a class together?”

“Yeah, maybe” he said, “Um.. it was nice to see you guys, by the way I live on the fourth floor if you ever need anything, Archie said you would be coming...” But he failed to mention how she had grown up since he saw her last, he thought.

Jughead looked down to see all the bags they were carrying. “Uh, is the elevator broken again or something?” he asked

“Yeah, there was a big sign on the door, great timing…” Betty trailed off, not sure what to say next.

“Uh, I can help you guys carry some stuff if you want”

“That’d be great, thanks man” said Archie as he handed Jughead a bag. Jughead then proceeded to pick up a bag in Betty’s hands, and smiled shyly” Once he turned to start up the stairs, she returned his shy smile.

Once they reached her door, they opened it and set her bags near the front door. Jughead stood awkwardly for a second when Betty turned towards him.

“Thanks Jughead” She said with a smile.

“No problem” he said with an exhale. “Well I better get back home, but if you ever need anything, I’ll be on the fourth floor, he turned to leave when Archie piped up.

“Nice to see you man”

“You too” he yelled back as he walked out of the door.

Betty started unpacking some of her mugs, into a cabinet in the kitchen.

“Wow Betty you really have a lot of mugs” said Archie in astonishment.

“Yeah well, you know how I like my tea” she replied, “By the way, Jughead said you told him that I would be coming, but why didn’t you tell me that he lived here too?” she inquired.

Archie couldn’t tell her the real reason was because Jughead used to have a little crush on her when they were 15, and got a kick out of teasing Jughead about stuff like that, so he just said, “Oh, well I just wanted to make sure that if you ever needed anything that somebody would be there to like help you if you ever needed it, and since you guys have met, I thought it would be a good option, plus Veronica was kind of worried about you being alone..”

“..Well thanks.. That’s very thoughtful of you two”

The two of them spent the remainder of the afternoon, unpacking things, putting sheets on her bed, hanging clothes, and putting away the rest of her mugs. Living alone was going to be a hard transition for Betty but she was ready to leave her parents, and had enough money saved up to get an apartment near campus, plus she was excited to get some much needed alone time.

A couple of hours later Archie decided it was time to start his drive home before it got too late.

“You gonna be ok here?” he asked

“I think I’ll be just fine, thanks again Archie for your help.”

“Sure, anytime” He said with a smile as he headed out the door.

Betty was feeling a lot better after unpacking her things, and now that she was alone with her thoughts, she turned on some music and started to cook herself some pasta for dinner. The thought of starting school in a couple of days was starting to sound more and more exciting and she fell asleep that night with an optimistic feeling.