Cingulomania

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

CHAPTER 2

…

"Take you like a drug

I taste you on my tongue

You ask what I'm thinking about

I tell you that I'm thinking about

Whatever you're thinking about

Tell me something that I'll forget

But you might have to tell me again

It's crazy what you do for a friend…"

-Daddy Issues by THE NEIGHBORHOOD

…

Wind whipped around Sweet Pea's face, a cold stark contrast to that of the heat radiating from the slender body wrapped around him on his motorcycle. He couldn't stop smiling. He never really gave much thought to the goodie-two-shoes Northsider Betty Cooper. Sure, he'd checked her out when he seen her around town, when Jughead had her at his trailer. She was good looking enough, she just wasn't his type, at the time anyhow. She had shown her real self in the weeks since Jughead's initiation. Betty was ballsy to say the least. She took initiative and controlled the uncontrollable. Something Sweet Pea was keen to find more out about. He knew underneath all that pink and frill that Betty was a wild girl waiting to break free. He just recently began to realize that he wanted to be with her when she did let loose. He kept his thoughts to himself, his longing glances toward the blonde to a minimum, and he never let Jones see him adjust his belt when Betty walked into the room. Sweet Pea wasn't into getting his jaw broken and wired shut, not that Jughead would have the upper hand, he just didn't want to tussle with his friend.

While fully submerged in his musings, Sweet Pea made great time in getting to his apartment; where he had his stash of cannabis waiting to be sold. Pulling into his usual parking space near the stairs, he found himself reaching for Betty's hands again. He liked her smaller palms pressed into his midsection, it was like they belonged there.

Turning off the engine, he managed to shake the thoughts of his ward becoming more. They rested there for a moment in silence, his hand still on hers. Betty wanted to hold onto Sweet Pea for a while longer, but found herself pulling away from his back as the engine cut. The vibrations from the bike had ceased, but she could still feel the power it had produced throughout her body. She felt exhilarated, she'd never felt such power in all her days.

"That was incredible Sweet Pea!" Her smile was wide and genuine, Sweet Pea had never seen her look so content.

"I thought you'd ridden before Cooper. You should already know how it feels to ride free." Slipping from the bike, and from the heat of the girl he'd been relishing in, he watched her face fall a little.

"Well, it was only a handful of times, and Juggie never really went as fast you did. We were just driving around town, so…" Her sentence hanging in the air, she looked around at where they had stopped. She didn't recognize any of her surroundings. "Where are we?" She asked.

"This? It's just my place, nothing special. My mom's out for the night, working at the hospital. She's a surgical tech, probably won't be home 'til morning." Winking yet again at her, she felt a jolt run through her at his admission. Sweet Pea was a bad boy, and she liked it.

"Right, so you're going to teach me about selling?" She didn't know how to word it, didn't know anything about marijuana. She slid off the bike to follow Sweet Pea up the stairs to his apartment.

"Yeah, more or less. It's not like there's a lot to know. You've smoked before right?" His key was in the lock when she came to a halt next to him, looking like she was caught cheating on a test or something.

"No, I've never…" She swallowed thickly. "...I've never done anything. I haven't even sipped on a beer." She felt so out of place with Sweet Pea staring at her in shock. She wasn't ever invited to high school parties and Archie always kept her in his sights when they went out in groups. She had been around people who were high and drunk, yet never indulged in it herself.

"I think we are going to have some fun tonight Betty. If you're up for it." The door swung open into the darkness. He stepped in first, fumbling with the keys and the light. He flipped the switch and motioned for her to enter. She was a little guarded, she hadn't answered yet. Everything inside of her was telling her to leave, call FP and tell him she was out, but that was the old Betty talking. The Betty who would abide by what her mom demanded of her and what Jughead expected of her. She wanted to shed her old persona, be who she longed to be, with someone who didn't know her personally yet. She stood in the middle of the living room area, staring at Sweet Pea.

"I'm up for it. I said I was in, I'm ready for whatever Sweet Pea." She was barely audible, but he heard every word she spoke. He was relieved that she was going for broke, even though he could tell she was scared.

"Alright Betty, give me a minute. Make yourself at home." He motioned toward the couch, then disappeared down the unlit hallway.

Betty sat down, feeling a bit uncomfortable, not knowing what to with herself. She looked around the living room, taking in the various pictures of Sweet Pea through his life. Baby pictures and school Pictures. Group pictures at the Whyte Wyrm, him and what she took to be his mom in jackets, both with serpents on them. He looked like his mom, and she looked proud of her boy. Something Betty herself had never seen from her own mother. Yet, tonight, when she was dancing, she could see the pride on some of the faces of the Serpents she knew. FP, Tall Boy, Toni, and Sweet Pea, they were all proud of her, proud to call her a prospect. Her Mom's face and Jughead's mirroring each other with their disgust. It was good enough for the two of them, but not for her. The story of her life, do as I say not as I do. She was sick of living according to other's standards and rules.

"Okay, it's going to look like a lot to go through right now, because we have some drops to make, but then we can come back and I'll show you some stuff." He set down a wooden box, the size of a half sheet cake.

Her eyes were like saucers when he opened the lid, exposing it's contents to her. The smell alone was intoxicating, she didn't know what to compare it to. Sweet Pea was rummaged through the box, picking up folded over bags with green leafy contents, lifting them to his nostrils. He looked totally in his element, pulling out empty sacks, a metal ring with a clasp on the end. He began telling her the contents of each baggy, having her smell the differences between the strains. He was incredibly knowledgeable, passionate about what he knew.

They separated pieces from the whole bunches, he called them nugs. They weighed them with the finger scale. They had several bags of pre weighed marijuana that Sweet Pea rolled again into brown paper bags, and tossed them into a black saddle bag for his bike. He tucked the boxes contents back into their assigned slots, and closed the lid.

"We have three stops, two bags for the first and third, three for the second. Follow my lead on the first one. Just look bored, like you're really uninterested in the deal. Don't say anything, let me do the talking. I won't let anyone touch you, act like we're together, no one will look at you twice. Some of these places will have a lot of people there. We only deal with the buyers, no one else. We'll check in with FP at the last drop, then the night is ours. Sound good?" Standing up, he grabbed the saddle bag and held out his hand.

"Yeah, sounds alright." She accepted his hand and stood also.

"Don't overthink it. You have to be calm or they'll think shit is going sideways. Just let me take the reins for tonight, then you can try it out yourself." He grabbed his keys from the hook next to the light then turned it off. Betty exited first, breathing in the cool night air. She was nervous.

"Hey, think of it as a high school theatre, you have a part to play. That's how I think of it." Having already locked the door, he nearly drug her down the stairs. She had to take the steps two at a time to keep up with his large stride.

Securing the saddle bag to the back of the seat, he turned to look at her. She was worrying her lip, looking at him like she might cry. It almost broke his heart. She really was a good girl. He knew that she was warring with herself, that her truest parts of herself would win out and and she'd put on a brilliant show.

"Come on now babe. You can do this. I seen you tonight, at the Wyrm." He suddenly was very close to her, invading her space, making heat spring up on the back of her neck. She had conflicting emotions about the proximity of his hands to her backside. His fingertips ghosting across the jean covered swell of her hips, then the pockets on the pants she'd borrowed. Stuffing his large hands into the small openings of the pockets on either ass cheek, she squealed just a bit. "I seen how you took control of that shitty song, after the football star and his girlfriend booked it. You stole the show, and you know it." His head dipping whispering the last in her ear, eliciting goosebumps on her flesh. She felt like she might explode. His hands left the spaces of the pockets, and squeezed her ass, bringing her closer to his growing arousal. She could feel the hardening in his pants against her flat stomach. Her eyes darting from his mouth to the lack space between them.

"Sweet Pea?" She didn't know what she was asking. She had taken purchase of his jacket sleeves, holding onto them for dear life. She had no idea how to act in this situation or if it was real or part of the game they'd be playing tonight.

"Just go with it Betts." He used Jughead's nickname for her, he didn't care. He would steal his name and his girl all in one fell swoop. Then his lips were on hers, his hands moving from her bottom to her back, pulling her into him further. She was tangling her fingers in his silky hair, making herself taller by standing on her tiptoes. She had been kissed before, but never like this. There was the time in the trailer before her and Jughead were interrupted by the Serpents, when she thought they were a sure thing. When she would have gladly surrendered her body to the boy, the two of them giving each other their virginity. Here and now? She was on fire, from the tips of her toes to the crown of her head. She felt like she might die if she didn't taste more of Sweet Pea's skin, or feel his hands tangle in the hem of her shirt. He said go with it, and go with it she did.

Sweet Pea didn't anticipate the urgency he felt with Betty, to be reciprocated. He thought he might give the boundaries of their newfound dynamic a test, but he never thought he would have Betty grinding into his erection outside of his apartment. He never thought in a million years she would ever be this close. If they didn't stop, he was liable to bend her sweet her ass over his bike and take right here in the parking lot. So he pulled away from her, looked at her flushed cheeks in the warm glow of the street light. She was perfectly rosey, lips full from being kissed good and proper. Her chest heaving from gaining breathe again.

"Jesus you're beautiful Betty." She opened her green eyes to look back at him. A smile playing on her plump lips. "If I don't stop right now, we won't be making drops, and FP will find me and skin me. Can I get a rain check for those lips sweetness?" He was trying to tone down the intense feelings that were pulsing through his body. She seemed to understand and shook her head in acceptance. He smiled at her and loosened his grip on her body.

"Did I play along alright Sweet Pea?" She fluffled her hair a bit, giving her nervous hands something to do.

"Oh yeah babe, you did real good. I hope it wasn't all a show, I was liking where things were going." His long legs straddling the bike now.

"It wasn't all a show, I promise." She came to rest on the bike seat behind him. Settling into the same posture as before, she was holding herself to his back.

"Alright darlin', let's do this." The engine roared to life, Betty's eyes closed in delight. She held onto Sweet Pea tighter, allowing herself to get lost in the sound of the bike and the feel of the boy in front of her.

The places that Sweet Pea had taken her were unlike any places she'd ever been before. There was a smaller trailer park on the farthest edge of Southside, that was their first stop. There was large bonfire illuminating the dimly lit mobile home community. People were throwing rickety chairs and flat pallets from stores into the flames, allowing it grow bigger, warming more people as they gathered around it. It reminded her of 'Meet Me In St. Louis', when the kids gathered around the bonfire on Halloween. It was fitting, given the night she was having.

Sweet Pea got down off the bike, once again holding a hand out to her, Betty obliging him. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him. He seen how the others looked at her when she got off of his bike, he had to let them know she was off limits. Especially if she was going to be selling with Toni, or God forbid by herself. He guided her through the crowd, looking for his buyer. The man lifted his finger in the air, tilting his head back to look Sweet Pea in the face. A bill was held between the man's middle and index fingers after Sweet Pea slipped him his two baggies. The two males nodded at each other, and silently, Sweet Pea lead Betty back to the bike.

They continued on to a seedy apartment building, low lit, and ran down. Sweet Pea waited under the streetlight near his bike. He was holding onto Betty again, a little more possessive this time. She felt safe with him, until she seen the shifty woman come from the back end of the apartment building they stood in front of. The woman wore a baggy tattered shirt and jeans, her hair was a mess, and she held a bottle of something in a brown paper bag. She stumbled into the light, never lifting her head, she handed Sweet Pea several crumpled bills and small sack filled white powder, Betty felt incredibly uncomfortable now.

"Hey, Serpents don't deal in blow, and we don't take it as partial payment either. Where's your bank?" The woman shook her head and pulled out a few more bills from her front pants pocket. She handed them to him, then left her outstretched hand in the air, expectantly. "Next time don't try to dick me around. Get yourself some help Gina, this shit is gonna kill you." He tossed the powder into his saddle bag, then handed her what he came here to deliver.

"I know Pea, I'm in some shit right now. You gonna keep it?" She kept her head down, never looking at the pair. She shifted from one foot to the other.

"Fuck. No, here." Retrieving the powder from where he threw it, he reluctantly handed it back to the woman, her shaky fingers grasping it.

"Thanks kid, see ya around. Tell your mom I said hi." She almost ran from under the streetlamp, back around the building from where she came.

"Don't ever accept shit from anyone as payment. We don't deal Jingle Jangle and we certainly don't deal blow or crank. Some of these buyers have it twisted. They buy from us and then they buy from the Ghoulies. The Ghoulies have a death wish running crystal, coke and jingle through Southside, Riverdale and Greendale. They have no reputable business to speak of, so they push bullshit. Typical ghostin' ass mother fuckers. Last stop, let's go babe."

The last drop of the night was in a familiar place, Sunnyside Trailer Park. They came to a stop in front of the Jones' place. FP's bike and Truck were here, but no sign of Jughead, Betty was relieved.

They made their way up the steps to the door, Sweet Pea rapping on it, looking around them before the door swung open.

"Sweet Pea, Betty. Come on in." FP limped to the old couch and sunk into it, a groan escaping his lips as he did so.

"Hey, I brought you the good shit tonight. Cbd, and thc combo is equal. You'll get a good body and head high. Should help with the back boss." Sweet Pea sat in the armchair adjacent to the couch, setting the rolled paper bag on the coffee table. He motioned for Betty to sit with him. FP caught the motion from Sweet Pea to Betty, and he raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Betty, you can sit if you want to, you look incredible by the way. Would have given your mom a run for her money, let me tell you. Jughead caught you two leaving the Wyrm earlier. Said you were pretty cozy." He glanced from Sweet Pea to Betty. A range of emotions between the two of them.

Betty looked at her hands in her lap where she sat next FP on the couch, she felt like she'd betrayed the man. Sweet Pea just lounged in the chair, his long legs sprawled out in front of him, a smug look on his face.

"Oh come on FP, he cuts her loose then gets ass hurt 'cuz I take her on a few runs? Yeah, I walked her out of the Wyrm, she rode on the back of my bike. I couldn't roll her mom's wagon to deliver in Southside, talk about sticking out man. She's my friend, okay? I give a shit about her, she's been through some shit tonight. Did you see how her mom reacted? How Jughead reacted? It's a fucken shame they don't have any pride in Betty. Look at her FP, she cleans up real nice, she didn't chicken out, and she even stayed chill when we sold to my Aunt Gina." Betty's eyes were wide now, looking directly at Sweet Pea. His Aunt was the woman at the apartments. He didn't tell her anything about who they were selling to. She had no clue.

"I know Sweet Pea, I can see that she's in one piece. You just have to be careful who sees you around the Whyte Wyrm. This is all fresh, it's only been a few hours. I sent my boy on some errands with Toni and Fangs , he should be out of your hair for the night. How does the jacket fit Betty? Did I get the size right?" FP lit a cigarette, letting it rest between his lips waiting for her to respond.

"It fits perfectly Mr. Jones, like it was meant for me." She absently ran her right hand down the left sleeve, savoring the feel of the well cared for leather. "Thank you. I do love it, you know." She smiled at the older man now. She always did like FP Jones. He held her gaze as he inhaled deeply, ashing in an ancient ashtray on the table. He was real with her, never treated her like a porcelain doll. That almost seductive smirk found its way onto FP's face again. He was strikingly handsome, and Betty blushed at how it affected her. He took another drag from his cigarette, stubbing out in the ashtray, exhaling slowly.

"To be honest Betty, it was meant for you. I have an eye for these things." He winked at her, she felt flustered. Not like when Sweet Pea had slipped his tongue into her mouth earlier. It was different.

Sweet Pea watched the exchange with interest. He knew how his President handled the lady Serpents. With his charm and devilish good looks, Betty was no exception. She handled FP's flirtatious banter with poise and grace, like a real Lady Serpent. The only other female in the gang that could hold their own in the charming ways of FP Jones was Toni. That's why she held the ranks she did at such a young age. Not many women were able to hold out when it came to their flirty President and his advances. Sweet Pea was impressed.

"Mr. Jones, I really appreciate it. I'll pay you back. I don't have a job yet, but I will, I'll pay you for the jacket. I'm just happy that you let me go on the drops, that you're letting Sweet Pea teach me. My mom treats me like an idiot, like I'll just spaz out for no reason because I'm a naive girl." Her nerves had the best of her and she said more than she wanted to.

"Hey, you're not just some naive girl Betty, you're an asset. We could use a brain like yours, you're smart as a whip. You got me out of jail Elizabeth, that takes guts. You're something else. I want you in my ranks, my crew, in my family." He was all man, looking into her eyes with honesty and intensity. She knew that she belonged here, with FP and Sweet Pea guiding her.

"Thank you Mr. Jones." Leaning forward, Betty kissed FP's cheek and gave him a hug. She let herself radiate love through that hug. Love she was sure FP hadn't felt in a long time. He hugged her back, holding onto the sincerity of the simple touch between the two of them.

Sweet Pea, felt like a third wheel in the room now, he didn't expect for Betty to get emotional over the jacket, he should have seen it coming though. He just sat back in the chair and waited for the feels to wash over them all. He wasn't used to all these feelings he'd felt tonight. It was exhausting.

FP pulled away from Betty's embrace, a smile on his face. She returned the gesture.

"Okay, enough sap Betty. It's time to celebrate. Shots?" FP looked from Betty to Sweet Pea, pushing himself off of the sofa and hobbling into the kitchen.

Betty looked to Sweet Pea, she was scared to have a shot. He knew it. "Don't be scared Betts, I've got you." Standing up in front of Betty, he pulled her up to stand with him. The sound of glass clinking coming from the kitchen indicated that FP was in fact not kidding about the shots.

There were three shot glasses, two filled nearly to the top, and one that was half full. Betty silently thanked FP with a smile, then took her shot glass in her fingers. She watched the guys take hold of their glasses as well.

"To the newest Serpent Prospect." They held their glasses up and clinked them together. The guys downing the golden liquid with their heads thrown back. Betty tilted her own head back and let the harsh liquid slide down her gullet. It burned in the most delicious way, her mouth watered as she set her glass down on the small kitchen table.

"Impressive babe." Sweet Pea was half expecting her to choke on the whiskey. It wasn't sour mash, but it was still hard for a first timer to stomach.

"Most impressive Betty, another? Or should I let you two sample the goods that Sweet Pea's growing?" FP asked, filling up his shot glass again, opting to sip on it this time around.

Betty was unsure, she wanted to try both, to experiment. Get lost in her new found friendship with Sweet Pea and her fascination with FP. She didn't want to return to her humdrum life on the Northside with her uptight mother and seemingly absent father. She wished this night would last forever.

"I want both. Can we do both?" She eagerly questioned, almost bouncing with excitement.

"Sure thing darlin', but only half a shot and one bowl okay? You only have tonight, then the carriage turns back into a pumpkin." FP poured her half a glass then went back into the living room.

Sweet Pea poured his own shot, clinking the small glass into hers, then tilted his head back. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he smiled wide at her, waiting for her to down her whiskey. She tilted head back, curls falling behind her shoulders, exposing her neck. Sweet Pea's tongue darted out to moisten his lips. He wanted so badly to take her out on the town after this, show her a good time.

In the living room, FP had already started loading his glass pipe. Betty was intrigued by the swirling colors of the glass piece. FP noticed her taking interest in it.

"It's pretty cool. Sweet Pea here bought it for me last year, when his first crop sprung up. I'm pretty proud of this one here." FP pointed to Sweet Pea. "Can't wait for legalization around here, we''ll be earning straight in no time. I'm hittin greens tonight, don't want Betty to keel over." FP's lighter flared to life over the buds in the bowl. He inhaled from the end opposite the blaze, His index finger springing up from a tiny hole on the side of the bowl. He held the smoke in for awhile, and passed the pipe to Sweet Pea.

He mimicked the actions of FP, then came to sit on the floor next to Betty. She leaned into his side, his right arm coming around her back. He held the pipe with his left hand, the lighter with his right. Placing the pipe to her lips, he talked her through the actions. Told her to inhale just a tiny bit, told her it would burn her lungs, but it was alright, he had her. She did as she was told, inhaled daintily. She held the fire in her lungs until Sweet Pea told her to release her breath. She tried hard not to sputter and cough, but she did it anyway. It hurt, but she had done it. It didn't kill her and no one was there to demean her or tell her they were disappointed in her.

"You okay Betty?" FP was concerned for her, but in a way that wouldn't hold her back. She had to live, make mistakes, be a kid. He liked Betty, she reminded him of Alice in a lot of ways. He found the girl to be dignified in a way that Alice never could be. He played into the fact that she didn't have much of an old man. He was around sure, but he wasn't really in it. Hal was verbose about his fathering skills, yet he had one daughter who'd gotten pregnant and ran away, and another left to drown in the misery that was her parents marriage, not to mention the boy that was given up when they had just been kids themselves. FP knew how to wrangle the kids in. Keep them from running amuck, and causing trouble. Yes, they sold weed, and drank and smoked and swore, but his crew was fierce and loyal and had good heads on their shoulders. He was proud of the up and coming Serpents, he'd turn this MC around yet.

"I'm okay. Thank you. It just burned. I'm alright now. A little dizzy I think." She swayed where she sat in Sweet Pea's arms. He watched her intently.

"Good, good. I'm gonna head to bed Sweet Pea. Lock up before you leave? Get her home safe and sound. Key is under the rock on the back porch. You won't wake Alice, and Hal wasn't there when I left." Betty looked up at the man now, a sadness in her green eyes. His heart hurt for the girl. She deserved better. He'd try his damndest to give her better. "Have fun, good night Betty."

"Good-night Mr. Jones. Sweet dreams." She watched him as he walked away, he winked at her. She smiled at him, biting her bottom lip.

"I think you have Daddy issues Betty Cooper." She turned to look at Sweet Pea, shock on her face. "It's okay, I do too."