thejulietnextdoor

[thejulietnextdoor]

[thejulietnextdoor]

❝ 𝖨𝗍'𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐 𝗁𝗈𝗐 𝗂𝗇 𝖺 𝗍𝗂𝗆𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝖼𝗋𝗂𝗌𝗂𝗌, 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝖾𝗂𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗀𝖾𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗈𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗅𝗅 𝖺𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍? 𝖨𝗍 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗌 𝗅𝗂𝗄𝖾 𝗐𝖾'𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝖺𝗅𝗅𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖺𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍. ❞

                 Iɴᴅᴇᴘᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴛ Bᴇᴛᴛʏ Cᴏᴏᴘᴇʀ ғʀᴏᴍ TʜᴇCW·s Rɪᴠᴇʀᴅᴀʟᴇ                          ᴼᶜ/ᶜʳᵒˢˢᵒᵛᵉʳ ᶠʳᶤᵉᶰᵈˡʸ || ᴹᵃᵗᵘʳᵉ ¹⁸⁺ || ˢᵉᵐᶤ⁻ˢᵉˡᵉᶜᵗᶤᵛᵉ || ©

[thejulietnextdoor]

Betty Cooper in Chapter One: The River’s Edge

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex was still visibly distressed and was finding it hard to sit still, but he had managed to not flip every piece of furniture upside down which has definitely a major improvement on what had happened the last time he got upset, but that was something he spent a lot of time working on. “Jug was always a good kid…I can’t say I’m glad it turned out this way, but if anybody was going to hold the crown instead of me…I’m glad it’s him” he said with a reassuring grin, letting her know that his grudge wasn’t against her boyfriend, and he wasn’t a total monster who had no love for any of his relatives.

Alex nodded slowly, inhaling sharply before answering her last question, “Well, FP is my uncle, but to me he was more than that, he was my leader, my only family, he was like a father to me…” he spoke through intermittent sighs, trying not to let himself get down about the past. “That of course makes Jughead my cousin, we were close as kids but I guess FP must have poisoned his brain or something, because I know if this was Jughead, I would have broken the walls down to get him out of here…unfortunately the feeling doesn’t seem to be mutual” he says in a more playful tone, knocking softly on the glass.

“Keep this as our little secret though, huh?”, he didn’t want anybody springing to action all of a sudden and coming to his rescue, not when he had gotten this far by himself already. “I don’t want pity, I don’t want FP or even Jughead to use me as a way to boost their reputation, I’m doing just fine…”

A light bulb went off in her head. So that’s why he looked so much like Jughead! They were cousins. She was worried for a moment Jughead had a long lost brother he hadn’t ever told her about. But, now knowing they weren’t siblings, it did still make her wonder why Jughead never told her about Alex. If they were as close as she says they were, why hadn’t she heard about him before? Why didn’t she see him in any pictures? It was like Alex had never existed. It made her heart hurt that they would just erase someone’s existence from their lives so easily. She could have sworn she knew everything about Jughead, but she was starting to rethink that hearing everything from Alex. 

She watches him knock on the glass, bringing her own hand up to knock back. She wished it wasn’t there. She wished she could at least hug him hello or goodbye. It was weird, she could see him, but she couldn’t really see him. It was through a pane of glass, which wasn’t fair at all. She has this soft smile on her face, eyes meeting his as she takes in everything he’s saying. They’ve connected on so many levels already, it was difficult not to comb over all of his features and really take all of him in. 

“I pinky promise.” she says, “Our little secret.” She holds up her pinky to the glass, a playful grin coming over her face. She knew they couldn’t actually pinky swear, but it was the closest they got so she figured she might as well give it a try. “And as long as you keep doing just fine, you’ll be out of here in no time, I promise. I’ll set up a meeting with Mrs. McCoy as soon as I can to talk about getting you out of here.” 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex chuckled for a moment as she not so subtly introduced her boyfriend into the conversation, before pausing for a brief moment, did she just say Jughead? As in, his baby cousin Jughead? “Wait, Betty did you just say that you’re dating Jughead? As in Jughead Jones?” he asked with a more serious look on his face than he had displayed in their previous conversations. “So when you said that you were running with the serpents…does that mean that Jughead actually joined the serpents? And if I know FP…that means that Jug is the serpent king..” it all made sense now, FP threw him aside and pretended he didn’t exist, just so he could groom his own son to be serpent king, that was all that Alex could think about, the wheels visibly turning inside of his mind.

He pulled himself up from the seat, he could feel himself becoming irritated, but somehow found the strength to bring himself back down to the seat and once again make strong eye contact with his blonde visitor, he knew she was there to help and he didn’t want to rage out and ruin his only chance at friendship. “Betty…I’m sorry, about that” he sighed with a disappointed, forced grin. “I just wasn’t expecting to hear that, I mean, I have nothing against Jug, but FP…he has more responsibility for me being here than anybody, we were supposed to be family” he spoke, the sadness was evident in his voice as memories broke through like water breaking through a dam. 

“How’s he doing? Jug, I mean…is he holding up okay?” he asked, his tone slightly picking up as he spoke about his baby cousin, he didn’t blame him for what happened, and he didn’t want to falsely convince himself that Jug was in anyway responsible for the way he had been treated by his so called Serpent family.

Betty barely said anything as Alex worked through everything, as she could see the wheels turning in his head. She felt bad, she hadn’t meant to drop news like that so suddenly, but Alex was smart and he would have figured it out eventually. She supposed it was better that it was sooner rather than later. She didn’t want to keep secrets from him, since he didn’t seem to be keeping any from her. It just didn’t seem fair, and Alex deserved the truth. 

She moves her chair a bit closer to the glass, just wanting to reassure him that it was okay to be upset. It was okay to show emotions to her. He didn’t scare her away. At this point nothing would. She just wished she was able to hold him in some way, provide a physical touch that he could ground himself to. She knew that always helped Jughead when he got stressed. She takes a deep breath, a small smile on her face as he calms down. He was already trying to be better, and that meant a lot to her. 

“To answer the first question” she says softly, “Yes, Jughead is the Serpent King.” She looks him in the eyes, knowing that was tough to hear. She knew that serpents were blood, they were family, and considering everything that had happened to Alex she didn’t blame him for being mad. “It only just recently happened, though. And to answer your second question he’s.. he’s doing alright. I actually.. I actually haven’t seen him in a while so I’m not sure how to answer that completely.” she admits. “Do you mind if I ask.. how exactly are you related to FP? And Jughead?” 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alexander definitely found himself enjoying the blondes company more than he ever expected to, it was almost like he had found a safe place within this new person in his life, someone that wouldn’t judge him prematurely without getting to know his story first, he was overjoyed that she seemed to feel the same way about him. A rush of red overran his cheeks as she assured him that he would always have a place on her couch should everything go downhill when he is released. “Don’t tease me with that…after sleeping on that thing, sleeping on your couch would be almost impossible to leave” he says with a playful chuckle. 

Alex’s eyes locked onto hers as she asked him to refrain from fighting, to give him a better chance at being released. For a brief moment he couldn’t bring himself to reply, he was almost completely lost in her eyes, the only person who had cared about him in years, what had he done to deserve this. “Fine, no more fights…but on one condition, when I do finally get out, you let my pretty face, take your pretty face for a milkshake at Pops?” he said with a smirk, before shooting her a playful wink. Pops was one of the few places he remembered from his childhood, and if he knew Pop Tate, that place would be waiting for him when he got out.

“I hope me getting out won’t make things weird for you though?” he asked with a sincere look, after all, running around with an ex convict surely couldn’t be good for her image. “Won’t people talk? If they see you with somebody like me?” he made sure to offer a half smile to lighten the mood, but the question was entirely sincere.

Betty couldn’t help but smile and laugh, nodding to his proposal at Pop’s. Conversation seemed so easy with him. Easier with him than it had been in a long time. She was able to be herself without any judgement and it just felt... nice. It was exciting for her, and it was beginning to make her rethink about a lot of relationships she had. Why wasn’t she able to do this with Ronnie, or Archie, or Jughead? It was something for her to ponder later when she was along, because for now all of her focus was on Alex. 

“It’s a deal. Maybe then I could introduce you to my boyfriend, Jughead. The burgers there are still to die for and it would be all my treat.” she says, her voice still light-hearted trying to hide the fact that she just dropped the knowledge that she had a boyfriend. She just didn’t want Alex to get his hopes up for anything too high, since she was taken. She knew she was probably being rather flirtatious, but being with him brought it out of her. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything at all, but then she feels as though she would be lying to him, and she doesn’t want to do that. He’s telling her the truth and so she should honor that by doing the same. It was only fair. It was only right. 

She takes a breath, looking down towards her lap, where her hands were sort of fiddling with each other. She lets the breath out slowly, looking back up at him with soft eyes. It was heartwarming to hear his concern. “Let them talk.” she says softly, sweetly. “You’re a really great guy, Alex.” A really really great guy, she thinks, “And if they can’t see that then screw them, they don’t know you. Plus, I’ve probably been seen around much worse.” 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex’s smile had turned from something natural and uncontrollable, to something that he forced in to fill pauses in his speech, or simply just to make himself seem like he wasn’t hurting while talking about such sensitive subjects. He thought to himself for a moment, he knew the answer, but did it make him seem weak? Should he even tell her? Eventually he decided to tell her, against his better judgement. “I guess I was just scared of getting out…I mean, I have no family, and I knew if I went back to FP that he’d have just sent me back to my old man, and I couldn’t go back to that place, not while the wounds were so fresh.”

It took a lot of strength for Alex to reveal this information to Betty. It did make him feel weak when he thought back on it, maybe if he did try all those years ago he would have gotten released, but instead he chose to cause stupid, avoidable fights and continuously get his sentence extended. But at least now that some light was being shed on his cloudy past, maybe it would help her see that he was in there for the wrong reasons, and he was much more than just a convict. 

“It’s not so bad in here, though” he sighed, he wasn’t telling the whole truth, but he wasn’t totally lying either, it might sound strange for someone that’s so young, but Alex almost felt institutionalized, considering he had spent his entire teenage life so far behind bars, he had matured behind bars and to a certain extent, he didn’t know who he would be without them. 

Betty knew instantly when his smile stopped being natural and real. It was a shift in the way he was sitting, something behind his eyes and she could just tell he didn’t want to answer her. She knew that feeling all too well. Hiding behind walls that were either too high to break down or too new to want to disassemble them. She had done that her whole life. Only recently had she decided to be more open. Although, she supposed she was still keeping some secrets. Alex was her secret. She just wanted something for herself. Someone who didn’t know all about her past. Someone who would actually care about her. 

She didn’t want to pressure him into answering anything, and she hoped he knew that. She hoped he realized that all she wanted to do was help. She wanted to be his friend. She wanted to be friends and she knew that could only happen if they fully trusted each other. He had no reason to trust her and so when he finally does say something, a wave of relief washes over her, but that was also met with a rush of empathy for him. She couldn’t wait for the day that he would be able to walk free. 

“Well, I promise that when you do get out,” she says, making sure to put emphases on the word ‘when’, because it was definitely a ‘when’ and not an ‘if’, “I promise that I’ll be waiting right on the other side and if you ever need a place to stay, the couch at my house is always open.” She wants to reassure him that she wasn’t just messing around about any of this, she really did want to get him out. That was her end goal. “Just.. no more fights, okay? We can’t have anything holding you back, plus it would be a shame to bruise that pretty face of yours.” she just lightly teases. 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex didn’t particularly care that she had forgotten her questions, after all, he was looking forward to speaking to her, not an interview. He gave a reassuring smile before pulling a nearby chair in front of the glass and lowering himself onto it. “Don’t worry about it…now you can ask me what you really want to know, whatever comes to your head” he spoke with a grin, he did want to get a chance to have a natural conversation with her, not a prepared conversation.

“But I can make things a little easier and give you a little more background to go off..” he wasn’t a huge story teller but it would be nice for someone to actually hear his story, and she definitely didn’t seem like the type that would judge him over it. “I’m Riverdale born and raised, my mom passed away when I was 3 and it was just me and my old man from then, he had a pretty severe drinking problem, one that seems to plague the Jones family” a quick eye roll the only thing separating his words, however his energy noticeably lowers as he speaks about his father, but something makes him continue, he’s not sure exactly what, but something convinces him to let her in.

“When I was 11, I moved in with FP and that’s when I started running with the Serpents, they were my real family” he said with a nostalgic smile on his lips as he remembered his freedom. “I was arrested for petty theft, I didn’t steal anything but a couple of the guys did…I was a pretty dumb kid and I got in a couple of fights in my early days here, enough to keep me here for seven years..”. Alex had never revealed any of that to another person before, so naturally it was a pretty big deal for him, he quickly brings his brave face front and center, almost in regret of what he had just revealed, “Anything else you want to know..?”.

In a way, she supposed she was glad she forgot her questions. This way the conversation could happen naturally, and they could both be a little more relaxed about it all. After all, she did genuinely just want to get to know him and that was rather difficult if it was just a prepared list of interview questions. Perhaps she would remember a few as they continued talking, but for now she told herself not to worry about it. It was difficult, being the perfectionist that she is, but she tried her best to just let it go and listen. She listened to his story, making sure to take note of all the little details in his voice and the way he looked while he was speaking. It was the little things that told the bigger picture, rather than just the words. She can see the way that talking about the Serpents made him nostalgic, and talking about his dad made him go quiet and soft. She could tell by the way he avoided eye contact just slightly that this was deeply personal to him, or that he hadn’t told many people this story. It made her heart skip slightly to know that he trusted her enough to tell her something like this. 

She ponders for a moment after he finishes talking, looking at him with gentle and caring eyes. She wished she could reach out, just to assure him that it was going to be okay, that he wasn’t staying in there much longer, not if she had anything to do with it. She supposed that could be her first question. “Alex..” she says sort of softly, “Why did you never try to get released? You didn’t do anything wrong in the first place, why cause fights and get into trouble when you’re in for something you didn’t do?” 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

No more than ten minutes later, a familiar voice pierces the silence of his cell and Alexanders eyes dart open, he wasn’t sure if it was too good to be true and quickly pulls himself of of the bed to face the glass pane that separated his cell from the hallways. To his surprise, and overwhelming joy, the only person he wanted to see was now standing directly in front of him. Alexander couldn’t help but laugh for a brief moment before pushing his hair out of his eyes and making a move for the glass.

Truth be told, Alexander was devastated when visiting hours had come and his new companion was nowhere to be seen, he was used to rejection and definitely used to being alone, but something did feel different about her. Obviously it is a mans nature to hold back all sensitivity and put on a concrete exterior, but his joy at seeing the blonde was far too overwhelming to hide, his teeth were on permanent show as he stepped up to the glass. 

“Look who finally showed…remind me to buy you a watch when I get out of this place okay?” he said jokingly before bringing his eyes up to meet hers. “I’m really glad you came, I wasn’t sure if you were going to show” he spoke in a much more serious and sensitive town before quickly bringing his energy back up as he leaned against the barrier between the two. “So, have you gotten your list of questions that you promised me”. 

She playfully shook her head, smiling softly as she pulled up the chair to sit outside of the glass. She was going to be here for a while, she might as well get comfortable. She sets down her bag and looks back up at him. “Hey,” she says to his first comment, “We never set a specific time. I just said I was going to come by ‘sometime tomorrow’. You had no idea when I would show up.” She does admit to herself, though, that she is the type of person to show up on time when visiting hours begin. 

Her smile widens when he says he’s glad she came back. She’s glad she came back too. She wanted to get to know him more, get to know his story. Hopefully she could come up with enough evidence to get him released, since it didn’t entirely seem like he belonged there. At least, not in a high security prison. 

She takes a deep breath and looks to her bag, where the list of questions should have been. Her heart dropping as she realizes they aren’t there. She didn’t want to disappoint him, she didn’t want to seem like she wasn’t prepared. She had agonized hours over those questions, and now they just.. weren’t there. And it seems like everything she wrote down just wasn’t in her brain anymore. She couldn’t remember a single thing. She ends up putting her head in her hands closing her eyes. “God.. I forgot them.” she says softly. 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Now it was time to wait, Alex was still obsessively thinking about the interaction he had with a certain Riverdale teen the previous day. But would she return? That was the only thing on his mind, every single possible outcome raced through his head but as visiting hours edged closer and closer, he found himself getting nervous to the point where he returned early from the yard and chose to remain alone in his cell. He couldn’t bear the anticipation, what if she didn’t come? What if she was just messing with his head? But then again, what if she wasn’t, the suspense was all too much for the young Serpent.

Visiting hours had begun, various people strolled in through the large double doors to make their visits. Lovers, siblings, parents, every kind of possible relationship could be seen inside those prison walls during those hours, but none quite as unique as the one shared by the two teens the day before.

Half an hour in and there was no sign of his visitor, he wasn’t all too surprised that someone had made a promise to him and not kept it. After all, he was nothing more than a convict, through the eyes of most anyway. He had thought she was different, he truly thought a connection was made between the two, but apparently not. He takes one last look through the glass of his cell before retiring to his bed.

Betty’s mind raced the entire night. She couldn’t stop thinking about him, thinking about everything she needed and wanted to know. She had to come up with a decent list to make it seem like she was prepared, and with every question she added another one didn’t seem good enough. She had always been a perfectionist, and this was no different. She needed this to go well for some reason, her heart beating faster every time she thought about his smile, the way he looked in his cell. She could barely sleep. 

That might be way she slept through her alarm, waking up later than she had planned. She rushed about in the morning, trying to get ready as soon as possible with everything she needed. She tied her hair back in the slick ponytail she was known for, grabbed her bag and she was out the door. She wouldn’t realize this until later, but she was in such a rush that she left her perfect list of questions sitting on her bed. 

She walks into the prison, signing in, telling the guards she was there specifically to see Alexander this time, and not her father. They let her in without a problem, after all, everyone knew her there by now. She nods and says thank you, walking back towards his cell. She had memorized the route. After all, he was right next to her father. She rounds the corner and sees that he’s laying on the bed, looking up to the ceiling. She shakes her head, letting out a small laugh. “Hope you’re not too tired, we have a lot to talk about today.” she says, hoping to get his attention. 

[thejulietnextdoor]

pinkxperfectionisms‌:

Finding out she’d had an estranged brother was one thing, but a long lost twin? Could life get any crueler? Could her parents keep any more mysteries? Betty could feel her soul being weighed down by the burden of a thousand untold secrets, new ones appearing at every corner. But this one? The case of her missing bloodline, it would go unsolved no more.  It had taken a bit of digging and hard work (two things Betty Cooper never shied away from) but she was able to hunt down her sister. The girl had been living in Greendale for most of her life and as luck fate would have it, suddenly found her way to Riverdale. And that’s when destiny came into the play. Reaching out to the girl via the ancient art of Post, Betty explained the situation in great detail, hoping not to startle or disturb the girl before requesting that they meet in hopes of shedding light on their peculiar situation.  And though the ponytailed blonde should have been prepared for the walking mirror image of herself, nothing could have equipped her for the shock of actually laying eyes on the other. Betty could feel her chest tightening, her stomach twisting with the threat of ridding her of her strawberry shake. Awkwardly lifting a trembling hand, the blonde waves the moment she hears the signature bell jingling as the door to Pop’s Chock’Lit Shoppe swung open and she was vis-à-vis with- “Eliza…” //- @thejulietnextdoor

It was a fairly normal day when Eliza received a letter in the mail from a ‘Betty Cooper’. Well, as normal as being a witch in Riverdale can get. She thought she had done a pretty good job hiding the fact that she was there, but apparently not. As she read through the letter, there were some questions that ran through her mind. Why would anyone shorten their name to ‘Betty’? Holy shit, I have a twin sister? And also: How did this girl find my address? Eliza thought she had been pretty clear when talking to her aunts that no one was supposed to know she was in Riverdale. 

She was impressed, she was intrigued. She figured the worst thing that could happen was that this was all just a huge prank and she could spell whoever it was to be mildly inconvenienced like she was. She folds up the letter and takes a deep breath, knowing that the proposition of having a twin sister was too enticing not to go. 

A few days later, the day of the proposed meeting, she makes sure her hair falls around her face in curls, packing her bag with everything she might need before setting out. She makes her way through the town to the little diner called Pops. She opens the door and the little bell sounds. How cute, she thinks, turning to be face to face with none other than the girl behind the writing. Her eyes grow wide, breath caught in her throat as the only thing that comes out is “Holy shit.” 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex remained still, facing the blonde through the glass, keeping eye contact as the blonde cracked a joke about him gossiping to the other inmates. “Don’t worry, I’m not much of a gossiper, secrets safe with me” he said while playfully pretending to zip his mouth shut.

The two had struck up an almost immediate connection, and according to Alex at least, it almost felt like the two were supposed to meet, there was just something very familiar about the girl that he didn’t understand, but whatever it was made him feel comfortable with her almost instantly, which was surprising for him. 

Alex took one last scan of the blonde before letting out a soft sigh, “I guess this is goodbye for today?” he spoke in a monotone voice, the smile had now well and truly left the young serpents face, back to being a convict for now, until tomorrow at least, when hopefully the blonde would return.

She could see the moment when he transformed from what seemed like a really fun and goofy and normal guy back into the prisoner he had to pretend to be in here. If she wasn’t determined before, something snapped inside of her in that moment, fixating her mind on one goal and one goal only: to get him out of here. 

Could he be lying to her? Sure. Could he be manipulating her? Of course. Could he just be trying to pull on her heart strings to get her to pay attention to him? Probably. All of these questions and more kept running through her head, and maybe she should listen to them, but there’s something in her heart that says she can trust Alex. There’s just something so familiar about him, and not just the fact that he looked like Jug. Besides that, there was just something more, something real. 

She nods, giving him a small sad smile. “Not goodbye.” she says softly, taking a deep breath. “It’s just a ‘see ya later’. So.. see ya tomorrow.” She takes a few steps back, turning around and walking toward the door before she ended up staying with him until the end of visiting hours, because she believed that she could. She could sit and talk for hours, just learning about him, but she supposed that would be for tomorrow. 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

By now, the small grin on Alex’s face had turned to a wide smile, the thought of her coming back solely to see him was something he couldn’t help but smile at, especially since it had been so long since he had gotten this kind of attention, he welcomed it all with open arms. At this point, the rough convict act had quickly been stripped and he was now letting himself shine through. 

Alex walked closer to the center of the glass, directly in front of where Betty was standing and propped his forearms against the glass so that he was as face to face with the blonde as the two could get at this moment. “That sounds like a deal, I’ll free up my schedule” he said with a playful chuckle. 

He didn’t want her to go, but he was excited by the fact that she was going to come back tomorrow for a more purposeful visit did make it a little easier to say goodbye. “Now remember…this is our little secret, okay?”.

Betty adjusts the strap on her bag once more, taking a final step toward the glass that separated him. She could tell that the rough convict act had stripped, but he was definitely still trying to play the cool guy. She would break through that somehow, she knows she will. Betty isn’t the type of girl to give up, and so she decided that she wasn’t going to give up on him. She was too invested now, he had sucked her in. What was it about Serpent men that intrigued her? She had to admit, though, Alexander seemed a lot more interesting than Jughead. Then again, she had known Jug for her whole life and had only met Alex. 

She lets out a small sigh, shaking her head. “Of course.” she says with a soft laugh. “Our secret, I promise. Just as long as you don’t go blabbing about it to your cell mates.” she says with a small smirk of her own. She didn’t want to go, but she knew that their conversation was coming to an end. 

It made it a lot easier to say goodbye knowing that she was going to be coming back and seeing him again tomorrow. It was an unorthodox friendship, but there had been stranger things in Betty’s life than going to see a Serpent in prison. 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex couldn’t help but laugh at her knight in shining armor comment. But to be fair, her idea didn’t sound all that bad, I mean, after all, it did give her a reason to come back, and there was definitely a connection between the two that Alex wasn’t keen on letting go of so fast.

He furrowed his brow for a moment before bringing his attention back to the blonde, “Fine…but it stays between me and you, if you promise that it won’t get back to my darling uncle, then I’m in”. He wasn’t sure what made him put all that trust into a girl that he had just met, but for some reason, he just did. Then again, he didn’t have all that much to lose, it was either accept the help or continue to rot in prison.

“So what do you need from me? Do I gotta answer questions, is there anything you need to know before we do this?”. Truth be told, Alex really didn’t think she needed all that much information from him, this was just his attempt at getting her to stick around, even if just for a little longer.

Hearing his laugh made her heart skip a beat, and it took Betty a second to shake the feeling off. She wasn’t sure why that happened, but she was sure that she would probably spend the rest of the night thinking about it, thinking about him. She wondered, is this wrong? Should she not be doing this? She doesn’t spend much time on it though, because helping a fellow serpent was always the right thing to do, right?

Seeing a genuine smile form on his lips made her smile in return, for the first time since they started speaking. She liked when people were genuine. She knew he was probably trying to put up a “tough guy” act, but she didn’t fall for that. She liked to see what lied underneath, who people really were. All of the smirking and chuckling she didn’t care for, it was the genuine smile and laugh that made her want to stick around. 

“I’ll tell you what, I’m gonna go home and think up a whole list of questions for you and things I need to know before we do this, and I’ll come back tomorrow and we can have a real and proper chat about it all.” she says. It was a promise to return, to come back for him. She wasn’t going to let him be alone anymore. 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex wasn’t a bad guy and he certainly wasn’t deserving of a place in a maximum security prison, if he was being completely honest, he didn’t think it would be much of a challenge to get him released, but there was nobody that cared enough to attempt it.

He laughed softly and shook his head at the idea of FP suddenly deciding it was time to come to his rescue. “Listen, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, I honestly do, but I don’t need anybody to come rescue me…I’ve been in here since I was a kid, my entire childhood was robbed from me and by the looks of it, my teen years will be spent here too” he shakes his head before bringing his gaze back to Betty. 

He paced around the cell a little, understandably, this was a touchy subject for him and the thought of his uncle coming out of the shadows to rescue him now was making him quite irritated. “FP was the only family I had, and he just left me to rot here…he told me when I was a kid, that I was going to be the next serpent kind and he was priming me for the position, but look at me now…thrown in prison next to killers, for reasons that I don’t know…seems fishy to me” he says before once again allowing a smile to creep onto his lips, after all, it wasn’t her fault.

Betty took another step closer to the cell, tilting her head and furrowing her brows once more. Everything finally clicked in her head, and her heart broke for the boy behind the glass. She felt like she understood him, she knew what it felt like having a pain lying so close underneath the surface. She could tell there was a lot to Alex she didn’t know, and she had a feeling that she would be coming back not only to visit her father now, but Alex as well. She wasn’t going to let him rot away for the rest of his life for no reason. 

He was related to FP, of course. But how? How was he related to FP? A long lost son? A nephew? She thinks all the possibilities over in her head. Is it possible Jughead had a brother he didn’t even know about? In all honesty, it wouldn’t be that surprising. After all, Betty had a secret older brother as well. She wanted to find out more about him, he intrigued her. He made her want to stay. 

“I can tell you don’t need a knight in shining armor, but what about a blonde girl with a ponytail?” she asks, squaring her shoulders again, looking him in the eyes. “I don’t have to tell FP, I don’t have to tell anyone.” she says softly, “I can just work on it by myself, figuring it all out, figuring how to get you out.”  

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex let out a forced laugh before looking down to the floor, I mean, he had been in here for around six years already, he was well aware that there was nobody fighting in his corner. But that didn’t mean that it didn’t sting to hear. “That’s a simple answer…you’ve never heard of me because you’ve never asked about me? You think they’re going to mention out of the blue, some young serpent, locked up in Shankshaw that nobodies trying to help?” he spoke in a more serious tone, he still loves his serpent family, but how can he pretend to not be disappointed. 

He wasn’t totally sure who was even running the serpents at the moment, his king was FP. Everybody knew that FP was priming Alex to take over as serpent king, but I guess that never panned out. “You know, you don’t need to look at me like I’m one of these people…I was locked up as a kid, and I’ve been pretty much held up in here since for fighting or giving attitude to guards, but nothing else…I guess the fact that there’s nobody fighting to help me get out, is probably the main reason I’m still here”.

He had already made the connection that the girl sitting in front of him either was a serpent or at least a serpent ally, from the way her expression changed when he mentioned them, but her words definitely confirmed his suspicions. “But, if you want to know about me…assuming ol’ FP is still around, just tell him Alexander said hello” he said with a grin.

Betty takes a deep breath, folding her arms over her chest once more. She just couldn’t believe she’d never heard of him, the Serpents were the most loyal group of people she knew, it wasn’t like them to just leave one of their kind to be locked up for so long. That is ... unless the serpents had no idea he was still even in here. She knew immediately she had to talk to FP, to someone about this. If what he said was true, then they had to get him out of here. He didn’t seem to have done anything wrong. There was no way a guy like Alex deserved to be in the same place as her father, of all people. 

“How could I have asked about you when no one mentioned you in the first place?” she asks in return, looking him in the eyes. She took a step closer to the glass just then, really trying to get a good look at him. His features were too eerily similar to Jugheads for it to not be a coincidence. And at the mention of FP she raises her eyebrows. There must be a relation there somehow, now she’s convinced of it. 

She shakes her head. “Look,” she says softly, “I don’t know why you’re here or why they haven’t been trying to get you out, but I’ll talk to FP. I’ll see what I can do.” She lets out a soft sigh. She wasn’t sure if she should let him know that FP wasn’t the Serpent King anymore, and that it was actually Jughead which technically made her the Serpent Queen, but she decided against that. They still barely knew each other. 

[thejulietnextdoor]

trueserpent‌:

Alex chuckled as she made quite the effort to prove to him that she didn’t need to be there, even though she was definitely a break from the usual interactions he was accustomed to, but he wasn’t desperate enough to beg her to stay. “If you’ve got somewhere better to be…the door’s right over there” he gestured before raising an eyebrow.

He wasn’t one to share much about himself to pretty much anyone, but there was something about this particular girl that he liked, he didn’t know exactly what just yet, but he was definitely enjoying her company. “Well, I’ve been in and out of “prison” for about 7 years now, and because I already know you’re going to ask, it was gang related and yes I’m a southside serpent.” he said confidently before moving closer to the glass and leaning against it.

Strangely, the fact that he was a Southside Serpent didn’t seem to bother the blonde all too much, in fact, it almost seems like she was glad to hear it or something.

Betty glanced toward the door, and on her next breath she was about to make her exit, but then he kept talking. Her eyes didn’t move back to him just yet, but her ears were trained to his voice. She listened to the small details of his vocal pattern, the small nuances that were so close to Jughead that if she didn’t know better she would think he was the one standing behind the glass wall. 

What got her attention was the very last thing he said. Southside Serpent. Her head snapped back to look at him, eyes narrowing, but features filled with a sort of relief. Her shoulders relaxed, her body posture shifting. She studies him again, eyes going up and down. How had she never heard of him? She had heard of all the Southside Serpents. 

“A Southside Serpent?” she asks, voice laced with confusion, intrigue, “Really? Then how come I’ve never heard of you? I hate to break it to you but I’m not sure they know you’re in here. And if they do, they aren’t really doing much about it.” She may have let him in on a bit too much, but she couldn’t help it.