It was the second time today she had him pinned. She took a second to toss her blonde hair over her shoulder, throwing off her hat in the process.

"Dammit, Jughead, I TOLD you to stop it!" she screamed. He would have cringed at the intensity of her voice, had she not been grinning widely as she yelled it out. Instead, he wiggled a little under her, pretending to try and get out. She held his arms and he pouted.

"Sorry?" he tried. She smirked. All he had done was toss a few snowballs...he had even tried deliberately not to hit her. He pondered this a moment before acknowledging their position.

His eyes widened, just slightly, as she continued breathing in ragged gasps, still tired from having to chase, wrestle, and beat him to the ground. Her scarf was still around his neck and she had unzipped her jacket after a few minutes' chase. She had a leg on either side of him, her face inches away from his, her arms pinning his to the ground. Breathing. Hard. He looked down for a second-only a second-but it was enough.

He threw her off of himself and jumped up, silently screaming at himself to calm down. Shit, shit, shit! Why me?! And why now?!

"What?" Betty asked innocently, rolling over in the snow.

Jughead didn't turn to face her."Uhh-" he stalled. "Uh...uhh..." Quick, Jug. Think. THINK! She had gotten up and was walking over. He watched her bend to pick up her hat. Her shirt...was thin...it was cold...This wasn't helping.

"Um," he thought, facing away, his mouth suddenly dry.

"YOU'RE IT!" he screamed, running away. He heard her laugh. Quickly, he zoomed down the street to his house. She was hot on his heels.

Mom in a bikini. Dad in a bikini, he thought. Grandma in a bikini! He looked down inconspicuously and was relieved to see that he had, in fact, managed to calm himself.

He sighed in relief and slowed to a halt, stopping in front of his door.

Betty tackled him again. When she sat up she was giggling madly. Jughead grinned goofily and retrieved his key from his inside pocket. His mom and dad wouldn't be home until Sunday night. Betty untangled herself from his arms and lay in the snow, eyes closed. It was so deep that it reached his ankles, even on his doorstoop, four steps up.

School would be out for a while.He bowed, allowing Betty to walk in before himself. She curtsied and obliged, throwing herself down on his couch.

"It's so cold in here!" she told him as she began to take off her coat.

"The heater isn't on. Come on up to my room: the thermostat is right outside the door and it always warms up the fastest," he grinned. Betty followed him up the stairs. He opened the door for her and turned the heater onto seventy-two degrees. It read twenty-six. He shivered.

Moments later, when he walked into his room, he shivered again. But not from the cold. Betty had stripped down-well, maybe 'stripped down' is a little dramatic, but she HAD taken off her jacket, mittens, boots, shoes, hat, and a pair of pants (she had apparently worn two...how strange.) These articles of clothing were now neatly folded and littered about his room, with Betty on his bed, lying on his pillow, folding up a sweater and tossing it onto the floor.

Had he been an anime character, his nose would have been gushing blood.

"Betty," he said quietly. She smiled at him from the bed before patting the spot next to her.

"It's so warm," she informed him, snuggling up to his favorite pillow. He grinned, realizing that it would carry her scent for days.

She realized he was staring at her and tossed the pillow at him.

"Your hair smells good," he replied, feigning surprise. She giggled.

"Cherry almond," she said, flipping her hair dramatically.

He rolled his eyes and lay back against the pillows, closing his eyes. Betty followed suit, and they lay still for a long while.

"Betty," Jughead started, breaking the silence. She hummed in response.

"Do you-" The phone rang. Damn. Betty sat up and leaned on one elbow.

"Should I get it?" he asked after a moment, opening one eye and smirking. Betty laughed and got up, walking over to his banana-shaped phone.

"Jughead Jones' room, Betty speaking," she said professionally. Jughead snorted and turned over to watch her.

"Archie?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting together.Jughead's stomach exploded.

"Yeah. What?" she said coldly. He found himself grinning. "What do you mean, what am I doing here?!" There was a pause. "Yes, I said I was in his room." (Pause.) "Yes, I am!" (Pause.) "What am I doing withJughead? What am I doing with JUGHEAD?! Well, YOU weren't complaining earlier, tongue-wrestling with Ron-Ron on the couch, now were you?" This time, there was an unusually long pause. Jughead was sure neither one of them was speaking. It was tense and silent in the room. "I'll do what I damned well please, Andrews," she hissed before slamming the receiver onto the base.

Jughead stayed quiet as Betty wiped at her eyes, facing away from him. He ignored her shallow breaths, not knowing quite what to say.

Immediately, the phone rang again. Betty turned around, huffed angrily, and picked up the receiver before dropping it again. Jughead grinned."C'mon, Jug," she smirked, putting her clothes back on. "I did promise you hot chocolate, no?" He laughed.

"I almost thought you had forgotten."

---------------------------------------------

Betty sipped thoughtfully at her drink, watching Jug. He turned and looked at her, removing his lips from his straw for the first time in minutes.

"Hmm?" he inquired, swallowing. She smiled and hit him lightly. "What was that for?" he grinned.

"Because you're my best friend," Betty answered, turning back to her drink. They were seated on spinning stools at the counter at Pop Tate's. Surprisingly, the small diner was full of teenagers, apparently seeking shelter from the cold. Pop was in the kitchen. Betty smiled at her hot chocolate, and Jughead noticed, smiling at his own.Seconds later Archie Andrews walked in the door, with a swooning Veronica attached to his right arm. They headed for a booth in the back and Betty scoffed. Jughead watched her for a moment before grinning and hitting her softly.

"Hey!" she called. "What was that?"

"You're my best friend, too."After a moment, Betty laughed. "Delayed reaction!" she taunted. He crossed his eyes in mock indignation.

"I just wish Archie wasn't such an ass," Betty sighed, fingering her glass lightly. Jughead's eyes followed her index finger, up and down, circles and squiggled lines...

"Betty," he began. She looked at him. "Archie is an ass. He won't change."

Betty stared at him almost angrily.

"He won't!" Jughead repeated. "He's just an asshole with no feelings at all for anyone with a whole brain."

Betty opened her mouth to reply angrily, but closed it and sighed. Then she laughed.

"You're right. And, plus, I can't be mad at you," she added, grinning and hitting Jug again. "You're my best friend." He smirked and pointed at Archie and Ron's booth.

"They're such teenagers."

"We're teenagers, too," Betty grinned, batting her eyelashes at him. Jughead felt his stomach explode. It took forever for him to react, but when he did, he ran his fingers up her sides lightly. She was ticklish, and he knew it.

She yelped and smacked his arm before collapsing into a fit of laughter that surely got Archie's attention.

"You're horrible!" she giggled, making Jughead scoff, feigning hurt.

"You're just as bad, you lil' teenager," he replied, waggling his eyebrows and pulling more laughter from her.

"You're so cute, Jug," she laughed, putting her elbow on the counter and sticking her tongue out at him. Jughead's grin dropped immediately."So are you," he said, all joking gone from his voice. Betty opened her eyes and met his.

"Hi," Archie said, forcing the two to look away from each other. Veronica was still hanging off of him, looking thoroughly unhappy to be there.

"Hello," Betty replied brightly, causing him to raise an eyebrow. Jughead hastily turned away, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Betty," Archie smirked, looking at her. Her face was stoic.

"Andrews," she answered. His smile faltered and Reggie walked in, as if on cue.

"Hey, Bets!" he called, as if all he had noticed was her. She waved and smiled, turning away from Archie.

Reggie walked up to Veronica and planted a kiss smartly on her cheek before taking hold of Betty's hand and meeting her lips with his and plopping down next to her.

Jughead felt sick. He turned away, spinning his stool to face Veronica, who was now standing with her arms crossed below her chest, glaring at the ceiling as if she was too important to be in the vicinity of the middle class.

Reggie, he thought angrily, spitting the word in his mind.Jughead, about to puke, stole a peek at Betty before getting up, downing his hot chocolate, and simply leaving.

To his surprise, he heard feet pounding on the snow only moments later, following him. He turned to acknowledge whoever it was.

Betty.

He didn't know if he even wanted to speak to her right now. His stomach was in knots. He merely smiled and continued walking, quickening his pace ever so slightly.

"HEY!" Betty called, running now.

Shit.

"Hey," she repeated, beaming at him and taking his arm. "Let's go get a pizza." He looked at her.

"We were just at Pop's," he informed her incredulously. She smirked.

"We only had hot chocolate. And I never would have thought you one to pass on food." He grinned and slid his arm down so that she let go and their hands were touching. He tinted red-men don't blush-and wondered if she was feeling the same way he was.

He didn't have much time to ponder that question, seeing as she grabbed his hand after a few seconds, seizing it and bringing it closer to herself.

"Pizza sounds great," he whispered.

Betty swung the plastic bag back and forth, skipping happily. She was holding his hand again. Finally they reached her house and she pushed the door open.

"My parents aren't home," she explained. "My mom is visiting grandma, she's sick, and dad is out on business again."

Jughead watched her for a few minutes as she put the leftover pizza carefully on the top shelf of her neat refrigerator, grabbed some popcorn from the cupboard and stuffed it into the microwave, flopped down on the couch and beamed at him. He contemplated for a moment before taking a deep breath and asking..

"So...what's up with you and Reggie?"

She choked.

"What?" she asked. He knew she had heard. She was stalling. He simply touched the back of his neck in anxiety, refusing to repeat the question. "Right. Well. Nothing, really."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Okay. So he flirts with me." He rolled his eyes.

"Okay! We flirt!" He raised an eyebrow.

"That's all! Really." Jughead sighed skeptically and she smirked. "Jealous?" she asked, grinning.

Jughead put on a scandalized expression.

"Well, do you like him?" he asked.

"...No," Betty replied after a moment. At Jughead's face she quickly added, "I used to. But now I don't."

"Well, good. Because he's an even bigger ass than Archie."

"Not to me," Betty said quietly, smiling to herself. It was true, though. Never once had Reggie pulled any kind of prank on Betty.

"Any more questions, Mr. Good-cop, Bad-cop?" she asked, raising one eyebrow with a smirk.

Jughead faltered, not having enough courage to ask the final question that was on his mind, beating at his brain and threatening to explode out his nose if he didn't open his mouth soon.

You think I'm cute? Really?