Hello everyone!

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And with this, I bring you another snippet from the Riverdale TV series.

All hail BUGHEAD!

Riverdale.

Once a town known for nothing more than Pop's delicious burgers, it was now infamous as the site of a gruesome crime.

The murder of Jason Blossom.

In the weeks after the tragic discovery of the teenager's body, an uncomfortable silence had befallen the town and it's very afraid people.

Was there a killer among us?

But as all the residents bolted their doors shut, wrapped themselves in their quilts and drifted off to dreamland at night, only one person sat up investigating a case with lesser clues than alphabets in his name.

Me.

Biting into the burger, I stretched my arms in exhaustion having been sitting in the same damn position for god knows how long. I gulped down my fortieth (give or take a few zeroes) cup of coffee in the span of two hours, opening the case file and beginning to reread the key points.

Drowning. Gunshot. 11th July.

Underneath them, I scanned the notes I had created for easy access. It was the most efficient way to work in my opinion; a freedom I had been promised.

Handling evidence from a murder case would probably be terrifying to most, but it ignited a thirst for knowledge in my heart.

Was that sane ? Maybe not, but after being made blatantly aware of my abnormal interests, I had stopped questioning them.

Running a quick glance over everything on the screen, I was supposed to end for the day.

That was till my eyes fell on one of the words.

Archie.

This one keypoint - and its importance was unarguable - was something I didn't want to remember.

My best friend's mistake.

It's hilarious how it hardly takes a summer for so much to change, just a single folly for everything to fall apart.

And fall apart it did, at the price of the Riverdalians' peace.

The current situation had given way for the most tragic incidents and there was so much worse in store that I couldn't even fathom.

But Archie's situation scared me. How much more stupid could he get because of his feelings for a woman he barely knew?

People romanticized love so much, that it made me gag most of the times. To depend on someone, to talk to them at least once a day, to cherish them in their entirety.

Yeah, I'd rather just stuff myself with burgers.

Yet, even through the painful atmosphere in this one horse town, people stepped out of the comfort of their houses just one more time.

Because tonight was an exception.

The majority of residents had planned picnics and reserved spots to watch the night sky, for after a decade of waiting, the shooting star would set the sky ablaze with it's vibrant colours.

Was it a symbol of a better future, or that we would - like the comet - come crashing down and disappear into the dark?

Well, I for one, couldn't care any less about a bunch of blinding objects dancing in my vision.

I had work to do.

Already distracted by my thoughts, I failed to notice the chimes hitting against the glass of the opened door.

And I definitely didn't notice the woman standing behind me.

"Juggie.."

I jerked back, hitting my head against the back of the seat and groaned in pain. The evening was dark and all I could see was the silhouette of a person.

When I cautiously glanced at my company, it was a face I knew all too well.

The tiny streek of light coming from the street bounced off her blonde curls and her azure eyes looked anything but alive, unlike her usual self.

"Betty..."

She rushed to my side, worry masking her beautiful features.

Don't, I thought to myself, watching her hand reach for the back of my head, massaging tiny circles with her slim fingers.

Don't give me hope where there is none.

Yet, for some reason, I could not shrug her hand off. It felt nice to be cared about for once in my life.

After what seemed like an eternity of bliss, she walked ahead and slipped into the seat across me with a glum expression.

I resisted the urge to question her, seeing as she definitely wasn't ready to talk about whatever was on her mind which I had an inkling involved a certain redhead.

I glanced at her from across the table, tracing every part of her with my eyes.

Golden locks fluttered softly in the wind, her cyan orbs drowning in tears. She pursed her lips to hold back a sob and rested her chin on her hand to support it over the table.

I unconsciously clenched my fists, digging my nails into the hollows of my palm to bite back a growl of annoyance.

Why her tears had me so riled up, I couldn't explain.

But hadn't it always been like this?

Betty cried because of Archie and I would soothe her pain. I was her best friend and Archie was the one she loved. For quite a while, I was happy with it like that.

But not anymore.

Her lips began to quiver and as a tear escaped her eye, I could barely control the urge to reach out to her.

"Betty?"

Her gaze drifted from the flickering street light to my barely illuminated face without a hint of emotion.

Was I slowly becoming an idiot?

She looked hurt, but at the same time emotionless and this was not the Betty I knew.

And loved.

Sighing, I shut my laptop, hoisting myself off the seat.

I looked over my shoulder at her quizzical expression.

"Let's go somewhere."

After a few seconds of silence where she contemplated my offer, the blonde slid out the booth and followed me out of the restaurant.

I walked down the winding road with her not far behind, possibly sticking close out of fear of the dark.

Or the killer on the loose.

"It's quite silent, huh?"

I simply nodded and taking that gesture as an invitation to talk (which it was) she stepped closer, now right by my side.

"So, how's the investigation proceeding?"

I side glanced at her, watching as she puffed out tiny clouds with every breath and rubbed her shoulders to keep warm in the frigid cold.

"It's... proceeding."

I had nothing else to say, given that there really wasn't much to investigate yet. All we knew was that Jason Blossom had tried to run away from his prison of a home on the 4th of July and had ended up shot and in the waters of the lake on the 11th of July.

God alone knows what the ginger had gotten himself into.

The rest of the walk was silent with an occasional shiver dragging my attention to her tiny frame.

All my senses were heightened, reacting to even a single movement from her. God, why?

As we slipped quietly into the woods, she began to slow down probably realising where we were headed.

As the trees cleared out - the mixing fragrances of various flowers filling the air and the rustling of the leaves accompanying our footsteps - she gasped.

"Juggie, this..."

The water sparkled in the moonlight, tiny ripples forming on its surface.

We strode down the rocky terrain, watching our step for twigs that we might trip on.

I stopped at about a feet's distance from the lake and smiled.

"Our hangout."

She bent down, feeling the water with her hand, a nostalgic smile finding its place on her visage, mirroring my own.

"We would come here all the time as kids!"

The gloom completely vanishing, she jumped around in sheer excitement, talking incesently about everything she could remember.

"And this is where Archie hit his head and then cried for four hours straight!"

I smiled at the glint in her eyes. She looked so happy and I could feel my heart soar.

"And..And... This is where I first met you, Juggie!"

She caressed the trunk of the old tree whose leaves rustled in joy.

"You remember?"

'The little girl who always spent time with my best friend.' That's what I had always thought of her as, until she came to me one day and sat down.

She had fired annoying questions one after the other.

'What are you doing?'

'What is 'internet'?'

'Why are you always alone?'

Back then I had wanted nothing more than for her to shut up and now, I didn't want to see her quiet for even a second.

I wanted her to fill my dark void of a life with her beautiful words and paint it in her vibrant colours.

Jesus, what had I become?

"So many things have changed..."

I broke out of my trance to notice the smile slip off her face and her grip on the tree tighten.

Perhaps it was the calming atmosphere or the fact that it was none but the two of us, I spoke my heart out after decades of silence.

"People change, Betty. Lots of things are no longer as we remember them. But that's why we have these places, these memories."

I walked up to where she stood, sitting down under the tree, the same way I had all those years ago.

"They stand as a reminder for us that no matter who we become, our friendship will pass the test of time."

After a moment of complete silence, she sat down next to me, resting her back on the trunk and looking up at the dark sky.

"I was supposed to go with Archie and V today."

I bit my lip. She had finally decided to talk about what was bothering her.

"But I felt like a third wheel, you know? I felt like my presence was a disturbance.."

She paused, gulping down the lump that had formed in her throat.

"Archie... For some reason, seems to be chasing a life he can't have. It almost feels like he's running away from his past self. Almost as if..."

"He's going Jason's way?" I completed her sentence.

Our train of thoughts were on the same track and I felt at peace that it wasn't just me over thinking the situation.

The quiet of the night was comforting to the two of us, whose hearts had been in turmoil since last summer.

"Were you...lonely, Juggie?"

I raised an eyebrow at the seemingly irrelevant question. She straightened up, looking me in the eyes.

"Me and Archie...When we played, you always sat alone. Were you lonely?"

She had a point. While the duo always stayed together, laughing, jumping, playing, I sat under the shade of a tree mostly reading books all by myself. It wasn't that I didn't want to join them, just that I didn't know how to.

She looked more grievous and guilty by the minute, so I quickly formulated my answer.

"I had my favorite novels with me. There's no way I could be lonely."

Her shoulders relaxed and she heaved a sigh of relief.

"But,"

Since I was in a mood to empty my heart, I decided to give the whole truth to her.

"I wouldn't have minded some attention either."

She giggled, wrinkles forming near her eyes.

"Your message has been received."

A fake salute and thousands of words later, a light shine across the sky.

"Ah! We missed it!"

I smiled at her and looked at my watch.

"Three.."

She glanced at me in confusion.

"Two..."

I grinned at her.

"One."

The minute the hand struck twelve, a thousand tiny specks flit across the night sky like paint thrown on a canvas.

Awe stricken and excited, Betty jumped in her position, slinging her arm into mine and tugging on it like a little child who had just found a treasure.

Well, I had mine sitting by my side.

We sat till the end,crossing legs with each other, talking and occasionally laughing, making up for all the time together that we had lost, forgetting Archie and the rest of our worries for one glorious moment in our whole lives.

Humans are creatures born of hope.

If all will end as fate has written it, why then do we wish on a star ?

Why then do we put our faith in entities that have no proven existence?

We hang onto the last string of hope that binds us to life.

We crave the desires that sweet sin provides.

When clouds of disaster loom overhead, we beg for mercy.

Humans are creatures born of hope, but darkness overpowers all.

Yet, sometimes, maybe once in a million years, when the breeze brushes by and the black of the night is interrupted by a shining light, hope materialises.

The shower we saw that night was more beautiful than most, not because of its exclusive majesty, but the calm it brought to our screaming hearts.

But I know for a fact, that the budding feeling at the core of my soul wasn't thanks to the marvellous light show, but the soft whispers of the girl leaning on my shoulder, holding me close to her in the cold, dark night.

And I knew in that one moment, that I - although being the woman hater I was - could never ever in this entire lifetime, save myself from her.

And maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to either.

I hope you liked it! Thank you for reading and I looking forward to your reviews. Love y'all and hope you have a good day!