England Part 3: To Heathrow

A thumbs up from not just one, but two death metal musicians, one of them being a world famous one? Check.

Autographed drum sticks from the drummer of Children Of Bodom? Check.

A personal invitation to a future show the next time the band shows up in the States? Check.

Gorgeous, in a cute way, girlfriend who is possibly bisexual? Check.

Increased motivation to find Betty Cooper? Oh heck, yes.

The trip back to London gave me quite a lot to think about. Meeting Nathalie was definitely one of the best things that could have happened to me. It wasn't just the courage to play a drum set in a restricted area backstage, and it was not the resolve to curb my previous habits as all-eating, all-sleeping machine.

It was simply the fact that I met her. There was something about her that just seemed right, about as right as being around Betty.

According to what the Coopers told me, the blonde would head to Paris after London. I only hope that I would not be too late.

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"So, what time is your flight to Paris?"

"Just shortly after lunch." I paused to take a bite of the crepe I was holding in my hands. After returning to London, both Nat and myself made our way to Hampstead Heath for a nice breakfast before making our next move. "We've got about a couple of hours to kill before we take the Tube to Heathrow. Remember, you still need to get a ticket, and last-minute tickets can sell out quite quickly."

"Awww, don't worry too much, Forsythe, we've got plenty of time to spare. That said," Nat purred, "you look quite cute when you're being serious." Leaning forward and catching me by surprise, the redhead gave me a lingering kiss that would make Archie jealous of me before pulling back. "Mmmm... Lemon and sugar. Simple, but effective."

"I..." How the heck will I survive another one of her kisses? "Want to head to the nearby flea market?" That was completely random, but it'd do for now.

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Two hours later, we were taking the Northern Line back towards the city, where we would switch over to the Picadilly Line and head west towards Heathrow Airport. I could not help but take the occasional peak at the neckless that Nat had bought and was now wearing. While it simply looked like a stylised Cross, it complemented her very well, and made her look even more innocent, something I thought was impossible. Not to mention that the neckless had found a really good home in the middle of her chest.

The fact that Nat had caught me staring at her chest did not help at all. Given that the Tube tends to get crowded at times, right now being one of those times, the redhead knew how to tease me.

"Like what you see?" As I blinked at her in surprise, the doors opened to let in more passengers, forcing Nat to press her body against mine. While I might not have shown much interest in dating in the past, I did hear enough of Reggie's off-hand comments to know if a girl is excited in the , ah, non-traditional sense and, as of now, I could tell that Nat was really excited. Needless to say, not even the UN could disarm my own natural reaction to this.

Embarrassing as it was, I took delight in Nat's attempts to flirt with me. It was not the self-satisfaction that I get whenever I eat; it was the thrill of being exposed to her advances in the public that I appreciated.

"Say, aren't the two of you a bit too young to be backpacking around the world?" There goes my train of thought.

"Fuck off, loser," Nat muttered to herself under her breath. Turning around, I saw the guilty party, a fat, 20-something no-life, slink off to the other side of the carriage. You've got to love that redhead's openness.

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Yes, you've really got to love Nat's openness, I thought to myself as we were making out in an out-of-the-way corner after getting her ticket. Life is looking pretty grand now, and will probably turn out to be greater once I've found Betty.

England Part 2: Download Festival '08

The coach ride from London to Donington was a pretty long ride, but relaxing nonetheless.

Of course, having spent the entire day making my way from Heathrow to the city, followed by a delicious lunch and some sight-seeing, it was perfectly normal for me to simply fall asleep as the bus made its way through the congested highways and country roads at night. I suppose this Festival was probably really popular, but the people who were on the coach with me had me a bit worried. What was up with all the dark clothing, belt chains, and pierced lips? The fact that some people had some rather anti-Christian tattoos and shirts was definitely a mood-killer for me.

Ignoring the thought that the Festival might actually be some sort of occult gathering, I tried to focus my thoughts on Betty. The truth was that I really was concerned about Betty; the outside world is not a safe place to be for a 17-year-old pissed-off blonde to be. I did not know who I should be angry with: Veronica and Archie for making her go on the warpath, or myself for putting my personal need for entertainment ahead of her.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" So much for my rather peaceful slumber.

"Sure," I started replying as I opened my eyes, "go knock yourself out..."

"Ummm... Are you okay?"

"I..." Right, I'm definitely not okay. At some point, someone would need to give up one of their defining traits in order to grow up. Suddenly, dating doesn't look so bad right now.

She had the voice of an angel. Not that I know what an angel sounds like, but her voice was perfect to me, like Betty's. A somewhat long nose, blue eys brimming with energy, her face framed by shoulder-length, messy red hair. There was something about her that seemed right.

"I'm Nathalie Davies," the girl started, "and for the love of God, please don't tell me you have never seen a girl before!"

"Oh." She sounded quite cute when she's angry. Was she angry at me? "Oh, I've got quite a few female friends back from where I come from. It's just that you're..."

That's it. It's time to say goodbye to my old self.

"I'm Forsythe. It's a pleasure to meet you." Taking hold of her right hand, I brought it closer so that I could kiss the back of it.

Despite the huge blush on her face, it was obvious that Nathalie took some pleasure from that act as there was a sheepish grin on her face as she sat down next to me. "You're quite a chamer, aren't you, Forsythe," she teased, "your parents named you well. Why, if you had some sort of crown on you, you'd look like a king!"

I really did regret leaving my trademark hat behind. Nathalie seemed to be into oddities like that. "So, Nathalie," I started up in an attempt to start a conversation, "what brings you here? What type of music will I expect to listen to over at this festival?"

"Oh, this is actually my first time visiting England, and I've always wanted to go attend the Download Festival. Don't tell me you've never even heard of this festival before!" My silence confirmed everything. "Oh, don't worry," Nathalie giggled, "you'll actually enjoy it. It's a gathering of major hard rock acts, ranging from post hardcore punk to the most brutal death metal out there." The redhead then proceeded to frown. She's a definite rival to Betty for the cutest frown I've ever seen. "I'm not really keen on those uber-satanic black metal bands, though, and someone needs to shoot the organisers for giving Simple Plan top billing! They're not even hard rock at all! Fucking pussies!"

My poor ears. Somehow, though, my heart did not seem to mind. Having Nathalie around felt like a welcome change. Not wanting the conversation to lose any momentum, I decided to bring up my own music background.

"I haven't really listened to much hard rock before but, as a drummer, I thought it would be an interesting experience for me."

"Oh?" That got Nathalie's interest. "What type of music do you play?"

"Mostly low-fi, garage-type surf rock." I might have officially screwed up over here, but I just kept going. "Mostly simple stuff, but the town that I'm from likes my band's music."

Nathalie's reaction was unexpected. "That's so cool! Must be fun having your own band and having lots of people loving your music. I suppose you did end up juggling your band and your schoolwork, though."

"And both eating and sleeping too."

"Boys..." Nathalie snorted. I think I definitely need to start cutting back on my sleeping now. Before I could comment, the redhead had resumed her cheerful self. "Well, I'm sure you'll enjoy the Download Festival. Judging from the heavy metal acts, you'll be able to learn quite a lot."

"That's good to know." Looking at my watch, I noticed that we still had quite a while to go, especially with the traffic jams heading towards Donington. Resisting the urge to yawn, I heard Nathalie yawn in a rather cute manner next to me. She's called me a charmer, so I'll have to live up to that. "Feel free to rest your head on my shoulder."

"Sure, I'd like that," Nathalie purred, as she fell asleep. I could not resist the opportunity to just gently stroke her hair before I too fell asleep. It simply felt right.

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When the bus finally arrived at the festival, Nathalie and I went our separate ways, but not before agreeing to meet up later that day at the main stage. Losing track of where I was heading, I inadvertently found myself in a small rehearsal room, complete with a guitar, a 5-string bass, a few amps, and a drum set with two bass drums.

As it was my first time seeing a set with two bass drums, I took a quick look around before making like George W. Bush and taking my place behind the kit. Picking up the drum sticks, I started off with some simple beats, something similar to what I usually do with The Archies. Picking up speed, I started incorporating the second bass drum, and also proceeded to throw in plenty of rolls and fills.

It was liberating. I had no idea where the energy was coming from, but it was appealing to me, and I proceeded to beat the living daylights out of the drum set.

It did not take long for me to be discovered. A few minutes after I started going all out, I heard a bass rumbling. Looking up, I saw a tall but stocky man with long hair and a short beard thumping away on the bass. Before I could even comment, I heard the electric guitar start up with a crunching power chord. Shifting my eyes, I saw a lanky male with long blond hair and a bit of a goatee riffing away.

While I was tempted to ask what was with the long hair, I had a gut feeling that whoever these guys were, they are bloody excellent at what they do, so I doubled up all my effort into pounding away at the drums. Noticing the guitarist give a brief nod to the bassist, I started building myself up for a rather explosive climax, with each drum beat getting louder and louder. I did not disappoint.

"That, my friend," the guitarist roared as he put away the guitar, " was beautiful in a fan-fucking-tastic way! That was fucking metal! Do you agree with that, Pete?"

"Indeed." The bassist was more reserved in the way he talked, but you could not miss the twinkle in his eye. "That, by itself, will be more than enough reason for Alexi and myself to cover for your presence in a restricted area. Don't worry, we'll invite you back here next year as our special guest."

Well! Reggie Mantle, eat your heart out! I've just been given the green light by two heavy metal heavyweights!

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Sneaking out under Peter Iwers' guidance, I made my way to the Tuborg stage, where Alexi and his band were getting ready to perform.

"Listen up, you fucking hate crew, we're Children Of Bodom from Finland, and I've got something to say to you all! ARE YOU DEAD YET?"

The next thirty to sixty minutes came as a complete aural assault, but I could definitely appreciate the energy. Everything about the band was completely melodic, even the way that Alexi was death-growling the lyrics to the various songs while performing all those lead licks on his own guitar. I was also completely floored by the percussion attack; marathon sessions on the double bass drums, blast beats, countless rolls and fills... With the memory of this band's performance now implanted into my mind, I made a note to myself to buy their CDs before returning to Riverdale.

As soon as the band finished their final song, which I believe was "Downfall", I started making my way towards the main stage. Having wondered around the place prior to the impromptu jam session, I had taken note of the various landmarks in this area, so I had a good idea of where the stage would be.

Besides, it was the biggest stage in the area, so there was no way I could miss it.

When I arrived, Peter Iwers' band, In Flames, had just finished their set with a rousing rendition of "Embody The Invisible" (I found out the name of the song from one of the fans nearby). As I stood there, applauding away, I was tackled from the side by a human rocket.

"Enjoying the show so far, Forsythe?" There was mischief in Nathalie's eyes as she lifted herself off my body, allowing me to see down her shirt. My body's natural reaction did not help at all. After a few seconds, the redhead picked herself up from the ground, allowing me to stand up.

"Yeah, it's really great. I'm going to hunt down all of Children Of Bodom's CDs before I head back to Riverdale."

"You're from Riverdale? That's so cool!" There was no denying the fact that Nathalie was oh-so cute when she starts getting a bit hyper. "I'm currently travelling around while my stuff is being moved to Riverdale! I'm sure we can meet up there some time soon!"

Before I could comment, the next band was already up on the main stage. "We're Coheed & Cambria from New York, and we're proud to be here, performing for you guys!" Making sure that his guitar was in tune, the lead singer announced the starting song. "This song is 'The Suffering'."

As the song went on with its stop-start palm-muted riffs and the improvised solos, I could not help but feel some sort of weight being lifted from my chest. It was as though as I was being liberated from my anti-dating attitude. As I turned to face Nathalie, she pulled my head down and gave me a lingering kiss. The kiss was mind-blowing, but I felt a little disturbed. I was already falling in love with Betty, and Nathalie kissing me was starting to throw a wrench into things.

The redhead noticed my hesitation. "What's her name, Forsythe?"

"Her name's Betty. I was actually planning on travelling around to look for her because she's really angry with couple of our friends. She's the first true female friend I've ever had, and I would have given up my anti-dating attitude to go out with her if it was not for my friend, on whom she has a terrible crush on."

"How long?"

"For a couple of years."

"I'll be truthful here, Forsythe, when I first saw you on the bus, I fell for you almost straight away. At first, I thought that it was the combination of your oddities and your almost-regal behavior. It's the fact that you care so much for this girl who's crushing on one of your friends that sealed the deal for me."

That was the first time a girl has ever said anything nice about me. I was torn between my feelings for both Nathalie and Betty.

"Don't worry, I'll stick with you while you search for your friend. If anything, chances are that I might probably fall for her as well." With that Nathalie gave me another smouldering kiss. As she pulled back, I leaned forward to continue what she started.

As the chorus started playing, I realised that change is not too bad at all.

Listen well, will you marry me?
(Not now, boy...)

England: Part 1 - London

Archie would have felt cheated by Veronica. There was no doubt about it.

The so-called world tour that he claimed he would've gone if it weren't for the brunette's illness merely consisted of a three-day stay in merry old England, a day-long stopover at Paris, yet another day-long stopover at Hong Kong, two days in Singapore, one last day-long stopover in Sydney, and a final three-day stay in Melbourne.

I'm guessing that Veronica boasted about a world tour to throw off my lovely blonde friend. Betty is indeed the anti-blonde by doing her own research. Just don't ask me how she did it.

After checking with the Coopers, I'm guessing my redhead pal was the only one in the triangle who's left out of the loop. Betty-01, Veronica-01, Archie-00

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So, here I was at Heathrow Airport, just outside of London, about twenty-four hours after Archie showed up on my doorstep.

Getting a taxi out in the outer suburbs can be a bit of a chore, so I had decided to travel by the Tube. Sure, people have been edgy about using London's equivalent of the subway ever since the incident back in 2005 but, in a country that's known for ridiculously high prices, it sure beats the hell out of successfully hailing a London Cab. Besides, I was not carrying much with me anyway.

London was still the same as the last time I visited during the class trip earlier in the school year. I could still remember the look on Midge's face when Moose told her that he was serious about passing the assignment on his own accord. Moose might indeed be a trap short of a mousetrap, but he could actually do well if he just applied himself; I think he might've gotten a B- for it.

I got off at Covent Garden. While it was a somewhat more run-down area in the posh part of London north of the Thames, there were a few good places to eat around the area. It was also close to Chinatown at Picadilly Circus, so I was guaranteed to find some good grub.

Of course, travelling on a budget is somewhat tricky for a person with my appetite. I was tempted to go for a meal at the nearby Anglo-Japanese restaurant, but the prices on the menu forced me to settle on a brisk walk to Chinatown. Unlike the majority of the Chinese take-out places back home in Riverdale, you can still get plenty of bang for the pound in a Chinese restaurant in London's Chinatown.

Unfortunately, London's alleyways are also known for its flyers, regardless of whether they're put up on walls and posts, or strewn on the ground. This time, though, it was a boon to me. Taking the flyer that had randomly floated onto my face would prove to be another one of those life-changing moments. Making a mental note to see this "Download Festival" before I fly off to Paris in case Betty might be there, I continued my way to Chinatown, taking extra care to avoid all the teenage prostitutes who were starting to come out of the woodwork.

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If the Chinese have their own way of spelling Anglicised oriental terms, it shows. I swear they meant to call the restaurant "ZEN", not "JEN". Before I could go on with my internal debate as to what to call the restaurant, my stomach grumbled.

The menu left me spoiled for choice. I was really hungry, but my wallet was telling me to go easy if I did not want to starve to death in Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Australia.

"Not too sure on what to eat, mate?"

While only the English and the Australians (really not too sure about the Kiwis) would use the word 'mate' in an attempt to start a conversation, I could tell by the laid-back drawl that the guy sitting on the table next to mine was Australian himself.

"Any recommendations from this menu?"

"Tough luck with that one, mate. That one's good only when you're with a crowd. Judging from that camping bag, you're by yourself, right?" Duh. "Take the smaller menu and choose a default dish from there."

My wallet could breathe easy, but I was still spoilt for choice.

"What would you suggest?"

"The roast duck rice is mighty good but, judging from your stomach, I'd say you should go for the braised pork belly with rice."

One free bowl of soup and one large single-plate meal later, I was content. "How do you know about this place anyway," I asked while chowing down the complimentary post-meal oranges. "Besides, you're from Australia, right?"

"Well, mate, I'm half Canadian and half English, but I spent most of my life in Melbourne," the stranger drawled. "Finished high school a year and a half ago, and taking a break from my studies to catch up with my English roots. I'm also here to play cricket." In a weird way, it made sense. "My friend, Tanner, mentioned that he's lived in London before, so I asked him for any good restaurants for me to check out if I ever visited the city."

"Right." I looked at my watch. If I wanted to check out a bit more of London before taking the bus to Donnington for the Download Festival, I had to bail out now. The bill was already paid, and my brain was telling the rest of my body to wake up. "Listen, I've got to head off now. I'm looking for a..." I did not know what to say, so I had to say the one thing that you'd never expect me to say. "I'm looking for my girlfriend, who's flown off from the States after one of my friends insulted her. I really care for her, and I would not be able to forgive myself, let alone my friend, if something happened to her."

"Right. I won't keep you back then." The Australian got up to shake my hand. "The name's Matt, but my friends call me Shima. All the best to you, mate."

"Cheers to you, Matt." I shook his hand. "Call me Jughead." The guy who just called his best female friend his girlfriend, I wanted to add.

Note from the author

G'day, it's Zach T. This is an attempt by me to write a credible Jughead/Betty fanfiction from Jughead's point of view. While I'll try to remain true to the characters of the Archie characters (I know, that was lame), there will be some OOC-ness within.

This story is somewhat influenced by Stephen Clarke, known for the Paul West triology (A Year In The Merde, Merde Actually, and Merde Happens). For those who don't know what "merde" means, it's the French word for 'crap'.

I'll be drawing on my own experiences as a basis for this story. I'll also have a self-insert towards the end of the story, and will reveal a bit about my occupation as well.

As for when I'll update this story, I'm working on it alongside "Bye Bye Beautiful". I'm aiming to have an update at least once every two weeks.

Now that that's out of the way, it's time for the disclaimer, which will be used throughout the story. I do not own the Archies; they are owned by Archie Comics Publications. The stories here will be rated for themes, innuendo, and the occasional language. While the innuendo will be slightly sexual in nature, there is no explicit hanky-panky going on in this story.

Hope you guys will enjoy this story.

Reeeeelaaaax...

Everyone knows that summer is meant for a high school kid to sit back, relax, and unwind from school, homework, examinations, and just about almost anything to do with school. Except for food, if you're me, that is.



Summer is simply not meant for school. Period. Forget summer vacation and holiday classes. You do them at the start of the break, you'll forget whatever you've learnt by the time the next academic year starts. You do them towards the start of the school year, you'll end up receiving a verbal lashing out from your teachers, and the verbal lashings will be more than enough to make you twitch at any loud sounds, courtesy of THAT particular theory that Dilton used me to demonstrate during science class a few months back.



Oh, and what about girls? You've already seen 'em all at school. You can find all kinds of reasons to hang out with them during spring, fall, and winter. They should just leave us alone for the summer, and allow us to enjoy our summer in peace. No disturbances whatsoever. No distractions. An opportunity to enjoy barbeques, ice-cold lemonades, sleeping-in, a good day at the beach... No, scratch that, plenty of girls there. More sleeping-in, a nice cone of ice cream...



Of course, if you can play your cards right, you can mooch off food from some girls. Both Ethel Muggs and the lovely Elizabeth Cooper can cook like there is no tomorrow; each and every single dish they make tastes oh so divine.



Then again, you'd have to be careful not to get sucked in. I'm still trying to get over the time when Ethel got part-time jobs at two food chains to get me to fall for her - I believe I'm still in for another few months of nightmares of what might've been.

Hmmm? You were really expecting me to badmouth Betty? Oh, no. This is the story of how I fell in love with Elizabeth Cooper for who she was, and not what she can cook.



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It's one of those days where you feel something will come up that will change your life forever. You can't describe it, but you just feel it.


I was not surprised when my good pal, Arch, showed up at my doorstep with a letter in his hand. After all, he could've received a love letter from any one of the female population of Riverdale High. Those witches are still falling for that Photoshopped picture of himself left, right, and centre.


What surprised me, though, was that the look on his face was not one of joy, but one of someone who just received not just one, not two, but three kicks to the 'nads. OK, I was exaggerating on that, but you get what I mean.

"Jug, you've got to help me." Was that desperation that I heard in there? "Betty's gonna kill me when she founds out that I sent her on a wild goose chase!"

It took me a lot of energy to keep myself from yawning. "What did you do this time?" After so many times I've said it, there was no possible way to ask that question in a non-bored manner. I wouldn't be surprised if Archie is already used to that.

"I, eh..." Arch was at loss for words. "I kinda promised Betty that I'd spent summer backpacking around the world." Well, no surprise there. "Then Ronnie asked me if I'd like to spend summer going to even more exotic areas than what Betty suggested, and I agreed." Should I bother being surprised? "I got an email warning from Betty saying that she will track me down regardless of where I am, and..." Yeesh, that's a new one. "Ron had to cancel the trip in the end because she's down with a nasty flu, and I need someone to bring Betty back so that I can apologise to her."

Apologise? I really do pity Archie, y'know? Besides, given the unspoken threat, you'd have to wonder whether Betty's really a blonde or a redhead who's dyed her hair blonde. I can think of many guys who'd like to check if I'd ask them if Betty's a real blonde, but... I digress.

"Tell me, Arch, who do YOU really care for?" I had to ask the question. I mean, everyone I know of has yet to receive a clear answer on that topic. "Do you like Veronica for her cash and beauty, or do you like Betty for her practicality, her food, her helping you out with your schoolwork, and her beauty?" Even I can recognise female beauty. "Or perhaps you just like feeling bad for one of them to get brownie points?"

Before my redheaded friend could respond, a brilliant idea hit me.

"Pal, fortunately for you, I have been working quite a fair bit when school was in session, and was able to save some cash. Using my cash, I'll travel to some of these exotic places on a student budget thingy, and will look for Betty." He doesn't need to know that I'll also be sampling the cuisines in those countries as well.

So, after seeing Arch off, all I needed to do was to call the Coopers to found out where Betty would be heading to, convince my parents that it'd be an educational experience for me, get all my cash out, and book a few flights. How simple could it be?

Not very. Guess I probably gave the title the worst possible name.