Cingulomania

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

Chapter 12

…~*~...

Training budtenders when you're still training your partner in crime isn't a picnic, it isn't a ride through the countryside, and it certainly is not easy as pie. Pie was simple in comparison to these two particular tasks that Sweet Pea was given by his MC President. There was no turning back since he himself had presented the idea to FP Jones almost a year and a half ago now. He'd been a wet behind the ears prospect when the idea first came to him, when he'd told his Mom that he planned to have a sit down with the Man himself and give him the low down about what he'd experienced going on a trip to see his cousins in California. Tanis was pleasantly surprised by her son's decision, welcoming the the kid's effort to further their financial backing.

Sweet Pea had left a child that summer, untouched by the rolling of green flower in different flavored wrapping papers, and most definitely untouched by the world of Recreational Marijuana use. Tanis was no stranger to the med and rec marijuana dispensaries that lined the streets in Washington, Colorado and California. She'd been sent on a mission, using her familial ties to seal the deal between Southside and the West Coast. She'd been far more equipped for the job than anyone, seeing as her own cousins were in the bud tending business. Her Uncles had taken Sweet Pea in for a week while she went on a run up to Seattle to see what the different strains there were like. They'd stop off in Colorado on the way home and check out the Weed Capital of the world just for the experience and see where things went from there.

While with the Uncles, Sweet Pea was shown the world through dank colored glasses, plumes of smoke rising from every direction. His first job was clipping buds, saving seeds and utilizing trimmings for tinctures and cannabutter. He'd had his first bowl the day after he'd arrived in San Jose, his first edible the day after that, and he was thoroughly convinced of the benefits of the fragrant sticky buds. His Aunties had taken to showing him how to cook, and bake and imbrue, he'd caught on quickly. It was truly a family business, truly what he'd hoped to find in the West.

Tanis and Sweet Pea spent almost the entire summer there, learning about the grow process, the business itself and how to keep their little aspiring operation growing without getting noticed by the local PD. Tanis made major headway on her multiple trips to the pacific northwest, and on their tiny detour to the Mile High City, she'd made even more. She picked up several new strains as well as some hydroponic techniques for growth. Sweet Pea almost died when he took his first hit of Sour Diesel, it wasn't any better when he'd inhaled Girl Scout Cookies either. The Colorado strains were grown differently, and there were so very many hybrid strains, he didn't know what to do with himself. Not to mention the altitude alone took your breath away. He'd learned quite a bit from the summer long vacation.

When they returned home, they were stoned as hell and ready to show the Serpents what they'd found. Tanis took to selling the amounts she'd acquired along the way, while Sweet Pea began to grow. When he was equipped with his product, he took it to FP, and FP was in shock. He'd never seen an out from what Penny had got the club into after his Father left him the club. Until Sweet Pea came to him, like a well prepared business man, with a full fledged plan, drawn up with numbers and mock up rates. FP'd never seen such incentive out of any of his crew, except for Alice when she was still around and Tanis, who was still running dime sacks like it was 2002.

So here Sweet Pea was, showing Betty Cooper how to clip, weigh and bag the plants he was growing under the Serpent's Auto Shop in Greendale. She'd really shown an interest in his prospected business plan, in running this whole operation with him. She was a quick learner, and thrived on criticism, and was already doing some things on her own. She was interested in the grow process as well as the edible end of the business. Sweet Pea couldn't help the swell of pride that throbbed in his chest watching his girl weigh out sacks for the customers, taking extra care of the packaging for the ones she'd grown close to over the last few weeks.

"I think we're almost done for the day. Did you want to grab dinner?" Sweet Pea leaned over and kissed Betty's forehead. She smiled at him, sealing the last ziplock sack and setting it aside on the table.

"Sure, what were you thinking?" Sliding back in her chair, she dusted her apron off, then untied it.

"I was thinking Pop's to go, then hang out at my place. My Mom is at work." He was leaning on the the work table next to Betty's perfectly rolled sacks.

"I'm all for some Pop's. Let me just clean up my station and we can head out." She stood, kissed Sweet Pea on the cheek then started to gather her items.

"You're doing a real good job Betty, I never would have thought. You're incredible." He helped her to put stuff in the correct bins, hoping to get out of the basement sooner.

"I've been catching on, I like the process. I hope I can be a help in other ways too. I want this to work." She was serious, wanting for the Serpents to get out from under the reckless antics of Penny and her Jingle Jangle nonsense.

"I think you'll move up in ranks no problem. You're a real asset to us, to me." Sweet Pea's large hands skimmed the back of Betty's arms, heating them up instantly. A shiver ran up her spine.

"Hey! Don't go getting all sappy in here Sweet Pea, we have eyes and ears you know!" Fangs was sitting just behind the couple, sacking his weed without any of the care that Betty had. He hadn't hung out with his friend properly in weeks and he still needed to get to know Betty in a social capacity. With the saddest look on his face, and a lip that pouted almost adorably he looked toward the couple. "I want dinner too, I get hungry. No one ever asks me to go to dinner."

"You can come too. No one said you couldn't Fangs." Betty said, much to Sweet Pea's dismay.

"You're just saying that, don't pity me Betty." Fangs grabbed his work and tossed it into the bins on top of Betty's. He shrugged into his jacket and stood by the steps expectantly.

"It's not pity Fangs, it'll be fun!" She was bright and happy, she shot a toothy grin right at him.

"Okay, but only if Sweet Pea asks me." Fangs arms hung at his sides, waiting for his friend to appease Betty Cooper. It was way too much fun to watch the range of emotions cross Sweet Pea's face.

"Fangs, old buddy old pal, would go to dinner with me and my girl? It'd be such an honor to have you accompany us to Pop's then to my humble abode to partake in tincture and smoke." Sweet Pea tilted his head, waiting for Fangs to answer.

"You don't have to be a smart ass Sweet Pea, you could have just said you didn't want me to come with you." Fangs crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I'm not trying to be a smart ass, I think it'd be cool for us to all hang out. Come on before I change my mind."

…~*~...

"Holy shit dude!" Mouth agape, Fangs stared at Betty in awe.

"What?" She asked, wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"I have literally never seen a girl eat a burger like that. Or at all for that matter. How are you real?" A finger jabbed lightly into Betty's bicep, Fangs almost wanted to hang out with this chick, get to know her. She wasn't anything like the hang arounds or the chicks at school.

"She's great huh?" Sweet Pea waggled his eyebrows at his friend, who concurred. Betty was a one a million type of girl.

"Agreed man, but why the hell is she with you?" Fangs tossed the last of his french fries into his mouth, crumpling up the burger wrapper and shoving it inside of the fry container.

"I am sitting right here, with you, in the same room. I can hear everything you're saying." Betty stood up from her place on the floor in front of the coffee table in Sweet Pea's living room, smoothing her palms down the front of her jeans.

"I know babe. Fangs just understands how fuckin' awesome you are now. I have to admit, I was pretty taken with you the first time I seen you eat a burger too. It's quite the sight." His hand tugged on her arm, he winked at her when she turned to look at him.

"Yes, well, I was hungry. There's nothing wrong with liking food. I'm going to throw all of this away." She gathered all the wrappers and bags, heading to the kitchen.

"You're a lucky man my friend. Can't find chicks like her anywhere." Fangs fist bumped his friend.

"Yeah, I am lucky. I'm not letting her get away either." Fangs noted what his friend had said. He'd never said anything of the sort before.

"Gotcha. So it's the real deal then?" Fangs stretched out on the beige carpet, kicking off his biker boots as he came to rest on his elbow.

"The real deal? Oh yeah, without a doubt. She's different." Sweet Pea felt the heat rise in cheeks, not wanting to look his friend in the eye just yet. He was feeling the weight of his own admission as much as Fangs was now.

"Hmm." Fangs hummed, watching the doorway to the kitchen for Betty to come back to sit with them.

"That's weird isn't it? It's been a month, and I'm tossing around the idea of telling her…" Sweet Pea looked to the kitchen also, hoping like hell she couldn't hear a single word they were saying. He could hear the water running, dishes being shuffled around in the metal sink. "I think I love her Fangs. Like, really love her." The two boys heads lifted in unison, eyes locked from across the living room floor.

"I could tell that's where this was heading. I think she's good for you. She likes the business, she's on her way to being patched, she makes you happy. I'm all for it Sweet Pea. Just watch out for that putz Jughead. He's been lurking around like a creeper. Not to mention his extracurriculars at the Wyrm." Bringing the red and white striped straw of his cup to his mouth, Fangs took another look at the kitchen, then sucked his strawberry shake from the cup.

"Yeah, I heard about that. FP was raging last week about how much time we spend at the Wyrm, told me to take Betty home. We haven't really been back since." Sweet Pea listened for the water and dishes again. He knew more than he wanted to about Jughead, but he didn't want to say anything in earshot of Betty.

"Just keep an eye out." The water stopped, a dish settled against another one in the dish drainer. Then Betty came in to rummage through her purse. The two boys watched her every move, silent and still.

"What?" Betty was hyper aware of the the eyes on her while she looked for her lotion bottle. Her gaze moving from one boy to the other. "Is there something on my face?" The bottle was open, turned upside down, it's contents spilling into her upturned palm. Sweet Pea looked to Fangs then down at his cup.

"We were just discussing whether or not we should try the tincture or the rice krispies treats we made yesterday." Fangs was a master of distraction, so he leapt from his place on the carpet to retrieve the container filled with gooey krispies treats from the dining room table. "Your pick Cooper." He held up the container, shaking it's contents and smiling devilishly at her.

"Why is it my choice?" Betty suddenly felt sheepish, she wasn't very used to the world she'd dove head first into yet, and she still felt awkward moving within it. Fangs and Sweet Pea shared another silent glance at each other. Unspoken thoughts shared between the friends, both smiling now.

"Oh Elizabeth Cooper, you still haven't learned yet? It's your choice until you do. Now which will it be? Sticky sugary goodness, or light and smooth trickles of cannabis?" Fangs wasn't wavering, he was holding her to the decision making.

"I don't know." She wrung her hands, anxiety welling in her chest.

"Come on Betts, even if you don't partake, you still have to decide." Sweet Pea was beside her now, holding the small dropper bottle filled with cherry flavored tincture. She'd helped him add flavoring just last week.

"Okay, the treats." Her nerves had got the best of her, she just let the first thing she thought fall from her lips. Immediately, she sucked her bottom lip in under her top teeth and held it there.

"Good choice Cooper. I like the way you think." Fangs sat on the couch, peeling back the blue lid of the tupperware container. His eyes rolled back in his head as he inhaled deeply, nose almost touching a square of marshmallow and cereal. "This is the only scent that matters now." Large fingers grasped a section, hoisting the dessert to Fangs already open mouth. His bite took half the treat with no problem.

"Sit down Betty, relax, it's not a test." Sweet Pea's warm hand held onto her freshly lotioned one, tugging her back to the couch to sit next to Fangs.

"Oh my gawb, thibs ibs so goob. Try wob Bea." Fangs was chewing with his eyes closed, savoring the mallowy goodness, he could eat these everyday forever.

"You're enjoying that entirely too much. Let me see if you're right." Sweet Pea did the same, grabbing a square, biting into it. He immediately looked at Betty, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. It was her recipe, aside from the copious amounts of marijuana in the treats. "He's right, you did good babe." Popping the last bite into his mouth, he leaned back into the couch, enjoying every last bit in his mouth.

"It can't be that good. You act like it's magic, it's just a rice krispie treat." Betty was looking from one boy to the other, they were lazily leaning back into the couch, eyes closed, smiles on their faces.

"It's that good, give it a try if you don't believe us." Fangs rested his hands on his full belly, thanking God he'd spoke up this afternoon.

Betty wasn't sure about the treat, so she split one in half, opting for the smaller half. Her mouth burst with marshmallow, creamy and sweet, a hint of the potent butter they'd used for the medicinal factor. She wasn't used to the taste yet, but she could honestly admit that it wasn't too bad in this particular form. She might even like it.

"These are good." She placed the lid back on the container then leaned back into Sweet Pea's chest, resting her head on him, his arm immediately coming up around her back.

"This is the best dinner and dessert ever." Fangs was a happy camper.

"I second that." Sweet Pea squeezed Betty to him.

"Just enjoy it boys." Betty settled into Sweet Pea's side. She hoped she'd always feel this way when he held her. Like she was home, like she could really relax, and be herself with him. She didn't mind Fangs here either, it felt normal, like they should always be together. She smiled to herself and waited for the fuzzing her reality to kick in.

Fangs grabbed the television remote from the coffee table, turning the smaller flat screen on, he was looking for something specific to watch, opting to turn on the dvd player as well. He knew the dvd of his choice was still in the player from the last time he and Sweet Pea had smoked and vegged out for hours. The same pointer finger that poked into the firm flesh of Betty's arm pressed the play button on the remote seated in Fangs palm. A man with a shovel piling loads of dirt onto the screen played before the eerie music and faces flashing under the title of the film.

"Not again Fangs. You're obsessed, I think comic con should have you on the banned list. Poor Bruce Campbell might end up living in a hole under your Mom's house." Sweet Pea was just giving Fangs shit, they were both huge Bruce Campbell fans, The Evil Dead was one of those movies that they couldn't get enough of.

"You watch this a lot?" Betty had never seen this movie before, she'd heard of it. Jughead wasn't much for it, but Archie had tried his best to get her partake in the triple feature with him on more than one occasion.

"This is my favorite movie. Have you seen the show? Ash Vs. Evil Dead? The greatest shit I've ever seen. I love Sam Raimi." Fangs settled further into the couch. Betty shook her head at Fangs. She nestled into Sweet Pea's arms, his arm pulling her closer to his side.

"I've never seen this, or the show, but that '73 Delta 88 is sweet. You never really see those anywhere." Betty squirmed a little bit, the two boys looking at her intently. "This again? What?" She put her hands in the air.

"Okay, where the hell did you come from? Are you a deadite?" This chick could eat, fixed up the car Jughead raced against the Ghoulies and now she's spotting cars just by looking at them. He couldn't believe it, she had to be some sort of dream.

"What is a deadite?" She looked to Sweet Pea for more information.

"Just watch the movie, you'll find out."

…~*~...

A/N: Hello there. I have a lot of stuff going on right now. My family is in the midst of moving from Colorado to New Mexico. So if things get a little farther between updates, I do apologize. I'm hoping to get more writing done before the actual move. We leave the 24th of this month. Thanks for being patient. ~S.C.~