Chapter 3
Hi PaulaJey – thanks for your reviews! I agree, alcohol in high school can be deemed inappropriate, teens being underaged… That said, the gang as seniors are about 17/18 in my plotline – 18 actually being the legal age for alcohol consumption where I'm from. ;-) I'm not planning on drunken antics in this fic, but am aiming to portray a more mature side of the Archie verse along with the typical teen drama… I appreciate hearing your thoughts though if you feel it's too much!
Jughead feels great, his entire being radiating with contentment.
God bless Betty and her fabulous cooking.
The wine has given him a light, pleasant buzz.
This has to be why his slightly hazy mind keeps refocusing on that brief moment when Betty had bent down to retrieve the roast form the oven. He can still smell the delicious roast, hear its delectable crackle, admire his friend's lovely curves…
I so don't want to go there. He shakes his head in an attempt to clear the treacherous thoughts.
Contrary to popular belief, he doesn't hate women. He simply can't bring himself to bother.
From as early as he can remember, he'd been a witness to the romantic melodrama of his closest friends, Archie, Betty and Veronica's disastrous love triangle being the pinnacle, so to speak.
A witness – and a victim, of sorts.
How many times had the drama sucked him right in? How was it that he was so often reduced to rescuing his pals from the misfires of some ridiculous ploy to win over the attentions of a good looking girl? Or consoling Betts from yet another douchebag move by Arch?
How is it that normally smart people lose all bearings when in love?
It had all simply driven home the point that it really wasn't worth it.
That said, he wasn't completely immune to a woman's charms.
He'd had a few dates here and there. He had genuinely enjoyed spending time with Debbie and his childhood sweetheart Joani Jumpp when they had reconnected the previous year.
Hell, he had even come to tolerate Ethel's attempts to win him over with food.
But Jughead had never fallen for a girl the way his pals Archie, Reggie, Chuck or Moose had. Nor did he particularly enjoy the company of any member of the opposite sex. They were generally needy, demanding, too emotional. Betty being the exception.
She was one of his oldest friends, his closest pal after Archie. Countless times over the years they had hung out, babysitting Jellybean, watching cheesy horror flicks, cooking together or just enjoying each other's company. He could talk to her about anything. He had always seen her as one of the guys, but blessed with a combination of wits, generosity and culinary skills he couldn't easily attribute to many others in his group of buddies.
Yet..
Jughead had caught himself noticing Betty's more feminine attributes on more than a few occasions in recent months – much to his dismay.
He had observed how her big blue eyes sparkled whenever he would make her laugh, at times through glistening tears when she had come over for a distraction from her broken heart.
Her lovely red lips, he had noticed an afternoon at Pop's. He, Archie, Ronnie, Reggie and Betty had stopped by for a snack after a morning out at the beach. She had worn a luscious red lip-gloss, he observed, mesmerized as she daintily snacked on fries. He had barely even touched his double cheeseburger he was so distracted. To the amusement of Reggie; "Hey, needle-nose! You sick or something? The girls are eating more than you…." Snapped out of his reverie, he had quickly proceeded to chow down – ordering two additional burgers, just as a precaution. Thankfully, Reggie's limited attention span had swiftly reverted to flirting with Ron and Betty.
He had never associated eating as a sensual pastime before that moment. While thankfully proven overblown, he had feared at the time that he would never be able to enjoy Pop's cooking in the same, free, careless way ever again.
He still blanches at the memory.
A vision of Betty from earlier in the evening flickers in his mind. She is sitting at the Cooper's dinner table in her oversized t-shirt, heartily laughing at one of his sarcastic comments, her blond locks framing her pretty face like a lioness. She is fiery, beautiful and strong, like a blazing sun.
Realization hits him.
She is my sunshine.
But she is Archie's girl.
