*I wrote most of this story last year, I'm posting it a little after the beginning so hopefully I can make a prequel chapter soon to fill everyone in! I'm just posting now so I can force myself to have the motivation to keep writing it!*
She texted Kevin quickly looking out her window checking for the millionth time if he had pulled up. Still nothing. Her phone vibrated in her hand.
Be there in 2.
Kevin finally texted back, and she jumped up checking the mirror one more time surveying herself. She had a black wig that convincingly covered her blonde locks and made her blue eyes noticeably stand out. Her makeup was a dark smokey eye and bold red lip making her flood with confidence, but her makeup was nothing compared to the skin tight black lace dress she had on ending well above her knee, she had paired it with thigh high black socks and black ankle boots, finishing the look with an old worn leather jacket that she had found in Polly's closet. She quietly climbed out her window finding her footing on the ladder before scrambling down to the floor her small black clutch whipping against her hip she hurriedly moved the ladder back to the far side of the house and turned on her heel right as Kevin's car pulled up with the lights turned off, she sauntered sexily to his car giving him a quick turn before plopping down in his passenger seat. His eyes were wide and glued to her.
"Holy hell." He stared audibly gulping. But she ignored him as she surveyed her house and Archie's making sure he hadn't seen her leave looking like that. "Betty are you sure we should be doing this?" Kevin asked interrupting her thoughts she shot him a look that melted into a flirtatious smile.
"Positive and don't call me Betty," she held onto the closed door as Kevin sped away turning down the first street he could, so they were out of eyeshot.
"So, what do I call you?" He asked seriously, as the streets flew past them his normal funny and flirty bravado not there tonight. Instead he seemed on edge and scared. Betty thought for a minute realizing she could be whoever she wanted for that night. Her thumb nail instinctively going between her teeth and she chewed it.
"Call me Veronica," she side-eyed him challenging him to question her, and he did.
"Veronica? Couldn't that possibly put our new friend with equally as black hair and equally as red lips who happens to have that same name in danger?" He asked pursing his lips as he slowed the car at the red light right before crossing the railroad tracks. She shrugged nonchalantly but he didn't see as the light turned green and he sped forward.
"A lot of girls are named Veronica, it's super common, no one would even connect it," she huffed, and he gave her a warning look, "fine what about Stevie?" She pondered.
"Like Stevie nicks?" He asked not changing his look "it's too obviously fake," he grimaced
"Okay call me Sadie," she finally decided. The name was gentle enough to be believed but odd enough to not be able to connect with any real person. Kevin nodded in agreement finally smiling a little. "so, we go in, flirt, mingle, act like totally normal and just listen," she instructed as the car pulled onto the street of the Whyte Warm, one of the most infamous bars that belonged to the serpents.
"I'm gonna ask one more time," he tried but Betty looked at him with her famous puppy dog eyes and stuck out her bottom lip. As adrenaline started to spike through her body he pulled over parking in a lot a that was far enough away.
"We have to do this Kev, I have this feeling that they know something, and I have to try," she pleaded. "Besides I would just go alone but I know you would kill me if you missed any of this action," she motioned down her body back up to her face.
"I do love me some Dark Betty," he nodded in agreement, and she looked at him raising her eyebrow exasperatedly. "Sorry! Sadie!" He threw his hand up in mock innocence. "Sadie." He nodded saying it one more time. Her pulse was pounding in her ear making her visibly shake, but she took a deep breath holding it in as she climbed out of the car letting the cold air wash away her fear. She brushed her fingers through her shoulder length black hair and waited for Kevin to come around.
"We need an abort signal, something the other person will recognize," she started as she fell in rhythm with his walking.
"I'm assuming just screaming isn't going to be an option," he waved his hand eccentrically only adding to his sarcastic tone. She just rolled her eyes.
"We will send each other a snapchat." She finally decided. "If our names pop up on each other's phone with that notification we know to book it," he nodded at her words both falling silent as they approached the bar.
Men and women were littering the entrance as they all swigged their beers and inhaled their cigarettes. Betty made her way through finally squeezing past someone and in through the front door. Kevin followed suit visibly uncomfortable with how many men were watching Betty walk by. He went to grab her waist, but she shot him a warning look. And he sunk back into himself before turning around clearly remembering the plan. He was to hang out at the pool tables and listen and she would watch over the bar. She swayed her hips confidently as she approached a stool perching herself on it and looking for a bartender who was all the way on the other end, she glanced around the room as she waited for his attention. She could feel something burning inside of her as if everyone around her saw straight through her, and she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, she surveyed the room a bit before a young man interrupted her quickly approaching her and leaning against the bar next to her grinning widely. He wreaked of heavy cologne and weed, and Betty's nostrils burned feeling grossed out, but she smiled back remembering her mission. Blend in.
"He is gonna take forever," the guy hooked his finger at the bartender. "What are you ordering gorgeous?" He asked cockily.
She didn't miss a beat she raised an eyebrow and licked her bottom lip already having decided her drink before the left.
"Whiskey sour," she responded playfully. She could have sworn she heard a low chuckle close by in perfect time with her answer, but she brushed it off realizing it was so noisy that it could have been towards anything. She settled her eyes on the 20 something year old in front of her, he was actually quite handsome, his dirty blond hair was greased back and slightly wavy, he had light brown eyes that reminded her of coffee that already had creamer mixed in, freckles littered his nose and the top of his cheeks giving him an odd boyish charm but the hard line of his jaw and chiseled collarbone gave away that he was clearly not that young and Betty sat there watching and almost admiring as he leaned over the bar grabbing a clean tumbler glass and flipping it on the bar top, he teasingly stuck his tongue out as he reached back over fiddling with the bottles under the wood top he pulled out a bottle of vodka and shook his head putting it back, he finally retrieved a bottle of jack Daniels and poured a hearty amount into her glass. He went to reach for the spray nozzle to get the drink mix but his arm fell short by quite a bit, he laughed just filling the rest of her glass with the whiskey.
"Can you take it straight?" He asked playfully. She gulped knowing that she couldn't back down, so she nodded before pressing the glass to her lips and taking a light sip. Her throat burned as the liquid made its way down and she grimaced at the taste letting out a strong breath he smiled and laughed at her watching like a hawk as she tried it again almost coughing this time but held herself back. "Impressive," he complimented "and sexy."
She blushed feeling her cheeks get hot from the liquid and from the compliment. "So, what's your name?" He inquired tilting his head back as he swigged his beer.
"Sadie," she smiled seductively " and yours?" He leaned in closer to her face looking at her intently.
"Call me sweet pea," he laughed swigging his beer again. She looked at him eyebrows raised
"Nickname?" She asked trying desperately to still listen to the conversations around her. But as she took another small sip of her whiskey her mind seemed to cloud up. He simply motioned to the leather jacket he wore, and she took another stronger sip, the large S was clearly visible on the sleeve and she knew the back probably donned the green snake that all the serpents wore. She closed her eyes feeling the sting of alcohol become much less intense as she took another one.
"Slow down tiger," He chuckled grabbing her cup and putting it back on the bar "I'm gonna go find us a pool table to play, that sound good Sadie?" She looked at him through heavy eyes and nodded only after realizing Kevin was already at that side of the bar, but she couldn't bring herself to get up to stop her new friend. She turned back to the glass in front of her and took a much more courageous swig, exhaling loudly through barely open lips she put her head in her hands immediately regretting that she never drank like normal teenagers and had absolutely no tolerance to it. She heard a loud plop next to her ear as liquid sloshed up next to her head, she looked at her glass that now had three large ice cubes in it.
"It's better with ice Sadie," He hissed too close to her ear and she flinched feeling violated by the intruder. Her mind was fogged, and she was suddenly extremely tired. But she turned her head to meet the gaze of this new stranger only to find a face that was oddly familiar. His jet-black hair fell into his dark green eyes, that could have easily been mistaken for black if she hadn't been so close, his face searched her slightly intoxicated one and she frowned suddenly feeling judged as if he were her parent. She leaned closer to him squinting her eyes a little to focus better and try to place where she knew him, she wasn't sure, but she was fully aware that he made her cheeks hot as she blushed when he leaned even closer to her face meeting her eyes. She turned her head embarrassed that his lips had been so close to hers and she grabbed her new cold drink gulping down what was left in her cup and coughing. "Betty slow down," He warned his voice a barely there whisper. Her mind tried desperately to grasp what he just said. And she looked at him again a horrible cold feeling washing over her body. He sighed rolling his eyes before pulling a small piece of grey fabric from his back pocket that she had mistaken for a bandana, but he scrunched the loose-fitting beanie on his head the crown like points finally jogging her memory.
"Jughead?!" She yelled a little too loud her eyes wide. People turned and looked as she grabbed him in a drunken hug. She pulled away gently kissing his cheek as she went. She hadn't truly seen him since they were in 4th grade, of course he was in the upper grades at the time, but he had saved Archie from Sweetwater river during a field trip. And Betty had kissed him that day, her first kiss ever in her life to say thank you. She knew Jughead had transferred shortly after that and had grown up far away from her and Archie. And boy did he grow up, she smiled to herself raising a flirty eyebrow in his direction, his jaw clenched noticeably but he placed a gentle hand on her back steadying her before she could even realize she was swaying. His eyes watched her before shooting up beyond her and glaring she turned around fighting the dizziness it caused and saw Sweet Pea, who was on his way back to her, stop in his tracks nodding knowingly and turning back the way, he came. Jughead refocused his attention on her glancing to the empty glass and back to her shaking his head slightly. "What are you doing here?" She finally asked leaning back into his hand.
"What are you doing here?" He countered keeping his hand steady his biceps flexing under his light grey T-shirt as he held her upright. Without thinking she brazenly grabbed his arm with her hand feeling the muscles tense under her touch, he watched her his eyes turning an even darker shade as his hair covered one eye almost completely, his lips were pressed together tightly awaiting her answer. With his other hand he pulled the cigarette from behind his ear flipping it in-between his fingers. She leaned in extremely close to his ear and unless she was mistaken a shiver visibly rippled across his skin. Her lips barely skimming his warm neck as she spoke.
"Jug you shouldn't be here, it's not safe," she started in a low warning voice "The serpents…" His body stiffened against her "I think they have something to do with Jason's disappearance.'
And before she could explain that she meant Jason Blossom, Jughead was already standing grabbing her wrist so hard she actually yelped, and pulling her forcefully through the crowd towards the back of the bar. Once they had made it out of the more packed part of the bar he slowed only slightly loosening his grip on her wrist and rubbing the sore part with his thumb in slow circles and it sent goosebumps up her arm. She looked at his back muscles showing obviously through the light-colored fabric as the hard lines moved with his steps and sighed audibly. He led her through a door in the back and through a short hallway, to what looked like a cigar lounge.
