Party South of Southside

This is a work of fanfiction, no copyright infringement is intended. I own nothing pertaining to the Archie Comics/Riverdale Universe.

…~*~...

Music: Break the Knob Off by Lil Wyte and Jelly Roll

A/N: We will be jumping straight into things, business as usual. Closure of Southside High, the younger Serpents are present at Riverdale, but no insane antics from Reggie or Cheryl. Just some folks hittin' the books, gettin' they learn on! For all intents and purposes, Jughead and Sweet Pea have no beef. They're friends it's sweet and cute and awww... Let's do this shall we? ~S.C.

…~*~...

The halls of Riverdale High School were cramped, elbows and palms pushed at backs and arms. Betty had been waiting for this day all week long, she'd stuffed her Mom's leather jacket in her bag for later. She was currently sporting something completely off the Betty rocker. Black skinny jeans, her mother's long forgotten motorcycle boots, and underneath her pastel pink sweater was the greatest tank top she had ever acquired. Dipping into the ladies room. Betty pulled the cute little cardigan from her arms, shoving into her backpack, the V-line of the tank plunged low over her decolletage, she smiled to herself. Rummaging around for a second, she found what she was looking for, her makeup bag. Channeling Dark Betty, she smudged her black gel liner and a fresh coat of shadow around her eyes, replacing the shadow palette into her bag, she searched for her chapstick. Satisfied with her newly dramatized look, she pulled the hair tie from her signature pony. Running fingers through her blonde hair, she opted for a messy look, leaving strands to fall where they may. Finally done primping, she took out her Mom's leather jacket, appreciating the cool of the satin lining on her nervously heated skin.

She pushed through the restroom door, hoping the halls were cleared of anyone that might notice her. Reaching in her back pocket for her phone, she checked it for any messages from Malachi. A smile lit up her face, he was waiting for her just outside, she damn near ran to the front doors of the school. Her heart hammered wildly in her chest, the sight of Malachi sitting astride the 1993 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail adorned in skulls, made her weak in the knees. When he saw her burst through the school doors, leather on and looking ready for the night, he revved his engine. Unfortunately his engine gained the attention of several Serpents on the side of school. Clearing the side of the building just in time to see Betty hop on the back of Malachi's bike and race away.

"Oh shit! Looks like Betty's playing with the Ghoulies." Fangs was amused, he laughed a little even, clapping Jughead on the back.

"Son of a bitch man. Whaddya do Jughead?" Sweet Pea could feel the rage radiating from Jughead.

"I told her to leave. That we had to stay away from each other until it stuck. I didn't think she'd go straight for the lion's den." Jughead pulled a cigarette from his nearly empty pack. Stuffing it between his lips, he lit it, taking a deep drag from it. "FUCK!"

…~*~...

Somewhere on the Southside, there was a run down looking Mexican restaurant. There was an awning over the front, lined with picnic tables and trash cans, parking spaces on either side of the dining area. A huge weathered sign hung above the aluminum roofing, Huerta's, in neon lit lettering.

Malachi slowed the bike as he entered the parking lot, opting for a space at the end of the row, far from the ordering window. He just had to have his privacy with this particular girl.

"Here we are, the best food you'll ever put in that beautiful mouth." Rising from his seat, Betty noticed his shirt was unbuttoned under his cutte, her mouth went dry at the sight of him. Offering her his hand, she took it, swinging her leg over the seat, coming to stand in front of him. "you can leave your bag here. No one will mess with it." Greedily he watched her remove the straps from her arms, leaning it on the seat back of the bike, he could watch all day if she let him. Returning to stand in front of him, she had to look up into his eyes, despite the boots she was wearing. "Hey there beautiful." His smile was spectacular, butterflies assaulted her stomach. This would be their first kiss if she didn't ruin it.

"Hi." Was all she said, returning his smile with one of her own. Bringing her hands up to the studded collar of his leather sleeveless jacket, she took another step toward him. His hands found the small of her back, having slipped under her well worn leather. Pulling her even closer to him. She could smell the spicy notes of his cologne, it made her insides turn to goo. He was a perfect gentleman when he took her home almost a week ago. He opened her car door, walked her all the way to the door of her house, and politely asked for her phone number. He kept his hands to himself and told her he looked forward to their date. She never would have imagined this was the same guy from the House Of The Dead, the same one who called her a bitch and a skank. Jingle Jangle was not his friend.

She couldn't help it when she looked away, his deep dark eyes engulfed her, causing flames to lick up her spine and into her heart. Things had never been this way with Jughead, she never felt the cosmic pull to touch him or run her fingers over his bare chest like she was doing now, to Malachi.

"You're beautiful, you know that?" It was almost a whisper, but she blushed anyway, averting her eyes from him again. His arms were fully around her now, their leather creaking against each other. "Hey, don't look away baby." Nudging her chin back up with the crook of his finger, he smiled again, rubbing his thumb over the blush on her cheeks. "See? This gets me every time." His thumb smoothed down the side of her face to her lips, his eyes searching hers for any sign of reservation, he found none and his full lips are upon hers. His large hands were on both sides of her face now, holding her to him, almost afraid to let her go. The sweetness of her Chapstick was enticing as his tongue rolled over her pout, begging for entrance. Without hesitation, Betty's lips are part for Malachi, at the same time her fingers thread through the long dark curls of his hair.

Nibbling at her swollen bottom lip, something wanted to do all week, she let's a small moan escape her mouth. The need to show this girl that he wasn't a total creep outweighs his desire to bend her over his bike. So he pulls reluctantly from her, hooded eyes searching hers again, she's breathless and thoroughly flushed from his kisses.

"You hungry?" He asks.

"I am." She says, letting go of his silky hair, smoothing her hands down her jeans.

"Come on, let's get you some grub."

…~*~...

"I'm stuffed. How am I supposed to sit on your bike now?" Betty gathered their trash up on the tray their food came on.

"Do you think you'll make for ten minutes?" Malachi asked, picking up the tray, dumping the wrappers into the trash can. She stood, stretched and shook her head. "Good. Let's get out of here." He returned the tray to the window and jogged to meet her at his bike.

"Should I be concerned?" She asked wearily, slipping the straps of her backpack over her arms.

"Not at all, just droppin' off the bike, gonna roll the cage so you don't get cold." He flashed her a toothy smile and settled into his seat. She sat behind him, holding tightly around his abdomen. Her heartbeat quickened when the engine roared to life, then they were off.

Using his back as a shield from the wind, Betty watched the buildings and random trees whiz by them. She hadn't ever been this far south before, this was almost to the end of their county. They drove into a neighborhood, it was older, quiet. The trees were well established, kids were riding bikes and waving in their general direction. Malachi waved back, smiling wide at the neighborhood kids. At the end of the block they were on, there was a small house with a large garage at the back of it. Malachi went right up the large driveway, pressing a button in his pocket. The garage door opened and they drove inside. It was dark and it smelled of a working garage, something she'd always dreamed of.

Malachi shut the engine off, used his foot to put the stand down and slipped off. He offered his hand again. Something he seemed do with her a lot she noticed. She didn't mind, just made a note of how careful he was with her.

"Welcome to my happy place." He said, switching on the lights. She took in the thousand plus square foot shop space, he had a master technician 's tool box, likely a $15,000.00 set up excluding the tools inside. An air compressor in one corner, a parts washer in the other, a tarp was covering a car near the open garage door. There was another car, the one he'd taken her home in the other night and his bike. He had a legitimate shop, and she thought she might have died and gone to heaven.

"This, is absolutely incredible. I think I'm in love." Her smile was wide as she turned to face him. His eyebrows shot up on his face.

"Is that right?" He asked, hands shoved deep inside of his pockets. His long legs brought him within inches if her, his scent engulfed her and she shivered.

"You know what I mean Malachi." She flustered, waving her hand in the air, desperate to clear her head.

"I mean, I do know what you meant. I just like the possible duality of your words." He winked at her, removing a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. Bringing the filter to his lips, with one hand and a zippo to the tobacco end with the other. Watching his every move, her stomach did little flips, as the flame danced over the edge of the cigarette. Sucking in the smoke, it hollowed Malachi's cheeks. She found it very alluring, unconsciously inching toward him and the smoke billowing from his sensual mouth. "I'd offer you one, but somethin' tells me this isn't your bag. Speaking of, what's your time frame look like? You have cheerleader practice all early in the morning or can I steal you for the night?" She hadn't thought about it, she'd just asked her Mom if she could go out with a friend. She worried her lip as she pulled out her phone. Sending a text to her Mom asking about curfew.

"I'm asking, sorry." Feeling a little embarrassed at how lame she must look to the leader of the freaking Ghoulies, she looked away from him.

"No apologies necessary, I remember having to check in with my Mom too. Now that's a scary woman, Alice Cooper ain't got shit on my Mom, cross my heart." He made an X over his heart, kissed the pads of his fingers and lifted them and his eyes up to the ceiling.

"I find that hard to believe, but I'll take your word for it." She laughed a little, to her phone dinged with a message from her Mother. "Seems she's out with FP. Meaning she won't be home until tomorrow. We have some time." Shooting off a text to her mom letting her know she'd be home late, she turned the phone to silent and shoved in her back pocket.

"You sure? No Bulldogs or River Vixens at seven a.m. sharp? I don't need beef with high school football players or skinny chicks in polyester beatin' down my door." He got her to laugh at that one, a real honest laugh. And he loved it.

"Nope, no cheerleaders, no football players, no Serpents, nothing." She decided she wanted to sneak a peek at the giant tool box, just to see if it was filled with Harbor Freight wrenches, or if there was some genuine Snap-On hidden in the drawers.

"Well then, that changes things. You gonna snoop around my garage Betty?" He inhaled deeply, one of his eyes was half shut as he watched her open one of the drawers of his tool box. Smoke slowly swirling up toward the rafters.

"I like tools, and cars, and AHA!" Pulling a wrench from the drawer, her eyes twinkled with delight. "Snap-On, I knew it. You're garage is way too nice for this to all be Harbor Freight." Shocked, he stubbed out the cigarette in his ashtray, making his way over to her at the open drawer.

"This must be one of those those things I forgot. You a wrench Cooper?" Side glancing him, she straightened her posture a bit before answering.

"I dabble. I fixed the Super Sport for Jughead and Archie. I seen under your hood, you didn't need my help." She smiled at him, sifting through his bowl of random small parts.

"I'm glad I got sober, that I was sitting in Pop's the other night. You're somethin' else." He pushed the hair that was covering her face behind her ear, she shivered at the contact.

"I'm glad too Malachi." Her honesty sent his heart into overdrive.

"You like music?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I like music. Do you?" Closing the drawer, she gave him her undivided attention.

"I do, all kinds, I'm eclectic like that." He winked at her, taking her hand in his own. "If I take you to The House of The Dead, promise you'll stick by me?" She shook her head yes, squeezing his hand.

"The last time I was there, you uh…" Swallowing thickly, she moved closer to him. "... Called me some names. You scared the hell out of me." Her green eyes found his brown, he appreciated her honesty, reminding him of why he chose to leave the drugs behind.

"I was a real piece of work. I'm not that guy anymore though. I want you there with me, but you don't have a patch, some of the guys might think you're fair game," He was so close now, she had to look up at him. "And your anything but." She took a deep breath, not trusting her voice to come out clearly. She liked that he was staking claim to her already, however misogynistic it might sound to Veronica, it had her wondering about about boy, no, man in front of her.

"I'll stay by you, I promise." Lifting herself up on her tiptoes, she gave him small kiss.

He ran his thumb over a scar on her palm, a part of her wanted to jerk away, close down their lines of communication immediately, but she didn't. She let him bring her open palm to his face, let him trace the half moons over the skin there like he was reading pages from a book, he was. He looked at each one, then pulled her other hand up to inspect it as well. She met his imploring stare with a sad look. Bringing her palms up further, he places gentle kisses over each set of scars, the heat of his breath over her cooler skin was luxurious, sending chill bumps up her arms.

"I'll want to know one day." Was all he said, he didn't push it any further, just left the possibility of a future hanging in the air. "Tonight is for fun, no tears. Trust me?" Shaking her head in agreement, he took her hand in his, and tugging toward the car covered in a tarp. Picking up her backpack on his way to the classic car, Betty's eyes grew large when he ripped the cover back.

"Is this a 1974 Cutlass Supreme? Cinnamon in color correct?" She ran a finger over the clear coated original paint. Malachi tilted his head to the side, bit his lip and simply opened the door for her.

"Original interior too. Came with the cream leather, I pulled the color codes and eventually the carpet to make sure it wasn't some lie from the previous owner. I'm only the second owner, if that interests you at all." Her cheeks hurt from how wide she was smiling now.

"It interests me plenty. This car is hot." She said, taking a seat inside. He handed her the backpack, then shut the huge door when she had her feet safely inside. He turned off the lights before returning to the car.

"How are you even real?" He asked, to no one in particular, as he sat inside in the car with her. "Alright, you ready? It's gonna be a wild ass party." She shook her head and smiled, waiting for the roar of the engine she was hoping he had under the hood. "Alright then."

Turning the key in the ignition was agonizingly slow for Betty as waited with great expectations. She watched every movement his hand made, from the way he pinched the key between his thumb and index finger, to the way he bit his lip just before the engine roared to life, exhaust fumes heavy in the air. The loping of the engine was a dream come true, she knew she could fix this car with a blindfold on.

"Mmmmmmmmm." She hummed.

"I take it you approve?" He was yelling over the engine.

"I more than approve." He liked that answer, then put it into gear and backed out of the garage, punching the button in his pocket again, the garage door closed.

…~*~...

From the outside, The House of The Dead looked abandoned, but that was appeal of it, why he'd made it that way in the first place. He didn't want a lot of attention, didn't want his parties getting broke up by police, dragging his safe haven into mayhem and rebellion.

Driving around the back of the building, there was a lone Ghoulie, sitting on a bar stool drinking a beer, smoke billowing from what looked to be a cigar It was innocent enough, until Betty realized there was more to the picture than met the eye. She looked around, there was a parking garage, dimly lit and packed with bikes and cars, and lifted trucks. Malachi pulled into the garage, slowly climbing the floors until they were out in the open, on the top floor of the parking structure, there were no other cars. He parked by what looked like an elevator, turning the riotous engine off and pulling the key from the ignition. "You ready for this?" He asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." She answered him quietly.

"Stick by me, don't take drinks from anyone unless I okay it. What I really want you to do is have fun, let loose. I'm not Jughead, and this ain't the Whyte Wyrm. I want you with me." He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Goosebumps rose over her arms despite the jacket she wore, his hot breath ghosting over her neck had her eyes rolling back in her head. "Let's go." He was out of the car before she had opened her eyes. The car door swung open and his hand was there waiting for her to take it.

"Such a gentleman." She said.

"Only for you Betty." Putting his arm around her shoulder, he hugged her to his side. "You have that effect on me." Lacing his fingers with hers, she followed him toward the elevator, he jabbed a finger into the unlit button, it dinged a moment later and opened for them to get on.

The inside was like any elevator you'd use, a hand rail on three of the four sides, a janky luminescent light above and a series of buttons for various floors. It came to a halt on the first floor. On his never ending key ring, he jiggled a small golden key into the keyhole under the buttons. The elevator went down another floor, he removed the key and the door opened. It was like something out of a movie, something similar to the Matrix when Neo was in the club waiting for Trinity to find him, before he had to choose between the red and blue pills. There were multitudes of people dancing in the strobe lights and the smoke, she had never seen anything quite like it before. Malachi squeezed her hand, she found his dark chocolate eyes and smiled. With a flick of his wrist, the DJ flipped a switch on the board and the song changed, she hadn't heard anything like this before, a lot of firsts happening for her.

On the opposite side of the club was a large half circle booth, it's paint job matched the rest of the bar area. Neon fluorescent paint strokes. Skulls adorning every corner and gothic chandeliers and light fixtures amidst the smoke filled atmosphere. Malachi kept her close to him, when he walked through the crowd, people regarded him and moved out of his way. He was in his element for sure, he gracefully walked to the other side toward his destination, nodding to people in every direction. When they made it to the booth, it was a lot less loud, she could hear him when he asked what her drink choice was. She'd never been asked that question ever.

"I uh, I have no idea." She was lost, this was not her crowd, come to think of it, she never had a crowd. She just floated through parties for the sake of others, drinking piss beer and fireball shots simply because it was expected of her.

"You like vodka?" She wrinkled her nose and shook her head no. "Yeah, me either. I'll order a couple of drinks and we'll see what you like, okay?" She agreed, he waved over a familiar looking Ghoulie who smiled wide at her, recognition plastered on his face.

"Betty, this is Batso, I do believe you've already met." Malachi, winked at Betty, his smile was wicked to say the least.

"Good to meet you Batso, again." Betty shook his hand with a confidence that had the other Ghoulie raising a brow and grinning.

"The pleasures all mine, no beanie baby Serpent tonight I see, good thing too, that whiney ass brat gets on my last nerve. Betty, is that short for anything?" He was sitting with them in the booth now, leaning in her direction waiting for an answer.

"Nope, not tonight or ever. Elizabeth by the way. Incredibly original I know." She smiled at Malachi, who was watching her settle into the vibe of his club.

"I see, things are looking up in the world. We'll have to work on that name. Anyway, what's your poison Princess?" He shot her a wink.

"We're broadening our horizons tonight, let me get an Old Fashioned, a Gin and Juice with the sugary rim and lets have a tequila sunrise just for shits and giggles." He put his arm around her, pulling her into his side.

"Sweet, I'll throw in some beers for the hell of it. Be back in a minute." When the bleach blonde Ghoulie left the table, Malachi turned his attention back to her.

"You seem comfortable." It was an observation.

"I am, I don't have to act a certain way with you. It's nice, you don't expect me to adhere to your rules." She was leaning into him now, looking up at him.

"I don't have rules for you. I just want you to be real with me. Be you, be mine." He kissed her forehead, her eyes slid closed at the contact, her heart skipped a beat. Before she could reference his statement about being his, Batso spoke.

"Isn't this cozy. Alright, get to sippin' and let the boss man know what you like, I'll keep 'em comin' until you tell me to stop." Batso removed several glasses and bottles from the round serving tray then returned to the bar.

"It's all you baby, I already know what I like." He wagged his eyebrows at her as she sat up straight to start sampling. "That's the gin and juice."

"How much is this all going to cost?" She was warry, placing the first straw into her mouth, taking a sip. "That's not bad." She said.

"Next." He said, pushing the glass to the side. "Don't worry about cost, I told you before, I got you." Shaking her head, she sipped from the glass with dark liquid with a cherry and an orange peel.

"The Old Fashioned." Was all he said, he was looking out over the crowd of people.

"Huh, I like that. It's different." He smiled and tucked the glass back toward him, then pushed another glass toward her.

"Tequila sunrise, 'cuz we had to go a little girly." he winked at her, she sipped, she liked, she sipped again. "You like it don't you? I knew it." He laughed to himself.

Before she knew it, she was draining the glass, pushing the sleeves of her leather jacket down over her shoulders. "It's getting warm." She said, fanning herself a little.

"Yeah it is." He raised a brow at her, she shook her head. "You wanna dance, or you want another drink? I have pool tables on the other side of the bar." She noticed that he said, he had pool tables. She shook her head no, reaching for a bottle of beer. One she didn't recognize, it must not be the run of the mill cheap crap her friends always bought for parties.

"Can I try this?" She asked, holding up the bottle. He nodded at her.

"That's my favorite." He stated.

"It's incredible. What is it?" She took another pull from the bottle, closing her eyes, relishing the flavor.

"It's an egg cream stout. Batso gets it from a brewery somewhere in the state. We pay 'em fat for the exclusive bottling." He took his cutte off now too, leaving only his unbuttoned shirt on. She couldn't stop staring, the mouth of the bottle was still pressed to her bottom lip, she hadn't taken another sip, just sat there and stared at him. That devilish grin from the other night was on his face again, she hadn't noticed really, until he leaned forward, his fingers grasping the bottle neck.

"You gonna be a good girl and share?" She lazily lifted her eyes to meet his, giving up the bottle and any attempt at not salivating at how good he looked right now.

"Do you ever button your shirt?" She asked honestly, raking her eyes over his toned abdomen.

"If there's inclement weather, perhaps. Or if I'm rockin' the county issued orange jumpsuit." He took a hefty drink from the bottle. She watched his adam's apple bob as he swallowed, she crossed her legs, he definitely noticed that.

She could feel the buzz settling nicely over her generally anxietal body. She settled into the seat a little, relaxed enough to let her thigh touch Malachi's on the booth seat. She leaned toward him a little, a question forming on the tip of tongue.

"Is this how you seduce all the girls?" Her head was leaning on her palm, the dangerously low V-neck of her tank top was on display for Malachi in this particular position.

"I should be asking you the same question, but to be fair, no. I don't seduce anyone. They either want me or they don't. Usually for a price, Jingle Jangle or blow." Betty felt slightly uncomfortable at his admission. She didn't like how his answer made her feel, almost like jealousy, it clenched her heart. He seen it in the way she sat up straighter and the furrow of her brow, how she reached for the hair tie in her hair and tugged it from the crown of her head. She fumbled with the elastic for a moment, looking away from him in discomfort. He couldn't help the feeling of victory that swelled in his chest. He didn't like to share either.

"So am I the flavor of the month Malachi?" She asked a little salty. He caught on to jealousy real quick now.

"Not even close, I'm not a petulant child like you're used to-" He caught her attention with the jab at Jughead. "I take what I want. You think you're here to entertain me? Look around, I own this shit. I don't need to be distracted, I need your honesty, your loyalty, your company. I asked you to be here, and I told you before, I'm not Jughead." He placed the bottle in front of her on the table. He left half the bottle for her to drink. She felt guilty for acting so childish, but she was compared to him, wasn't she?

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume. I guess I have a lot to learn, I'm new at this. I've only dated high school boys." She offered him a smile, he relaxed, scooted closer to her.

"You have a lot to heal, I spotted those wounds on your heart the moment you stepped inside of Pops. I have scars too Betty. I left high school when I was sixteen. That was six years ago." She accepted what he said, draining the bottle in a few swallows.

"Would it be wrong of me if I wanted to just forget that I'm just seventeen and naive?" Her eyebrows rose in hopes he'd let her off the hook.

"All you had do was ask." He led her the dance floor just in time for a new DJ to take the booth. It felt like only minutes, but she was sweating and it felt good. Things had started off pretty mellow, the typical ballads and dance songs, then something insane exploded through the speakers. Another song she'd never heard before, they spoke of drugs and things she'd never experienced, but something about it made her jump around, taking Malachi's hands in her own. She finally let herself loose, just feeling the beat of the music, and the heat from Malachi's hands on her own, and on her arms. She closed her eyes in ecstasy when his palms cupped her face, her fingers finding the hard ridges of his abdomen.

"Look at me?" He pleaded with her. She obliged, locking eyes with him. "Stay the night with me?" He was shouting and he didn't care, he just couldn't let her leave yet. He didn't want the night end.

"I'll stay with you." She beamed at him, he led her back to the table. Grabbing her jacket and his cutte, he began to push his way through the crowd again, finally making to the elevator, he jammed his index finger into the button at the elevator door. When it opened they stepped inside, the temperature difference was obvious, a shiver ran up Betty's spine as she sought him for warmth.

"This night is crazy." She said, her hot breath fanning over his naked torso.

"Nah, it's perfect."