"Hello…" Kevin smiled blowing out a large puff of smoke like the caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland. "I don't mean to alarm you, but someone seems to have stolen your pants," He chuckled slurring already slightly a large Mike's hard lemonade on the table in front of him. Betty glared at him.
"I tried to tell her that!" Jughead agreed laughing at her best friend "Have I ever told you I like him," Jughead turned to her taking a drag of his cigarette and tilting his head up to blow the smoke away from her, She rolled her eyes ignoring both of them.
"Happiest Birthday Jonesy," Kevin smiled at him "I like you too," He grinned cheekily.
"Thanks Keller, means a lot coming from her maid of honor," Jughead said dryly nodding his head and holding his cigarette between his fingers as he gulped down whiskey.
"Oh my god, do not tempt me. I love weddings," He cried drunkenly passing the hookah hose to Joaquin. Betty sipped her own drink watching them tease each other and smiling to herself. Joaquin took a few hits before holding the hose out to Betty and raising his eyebrows. She gulped nervously and took it from him, looking up at Jughead questioningly. He chewed his lip in thought.
"Is it laced?" He asked Joaquin looking at him sideways, the serpent shook his head.
"Not this one," Joaquin laughed. Betty scrunched her nose looking between them.
"Laced?" She asked looking down at the hose "I thought drugs were like a big no-no."
"Eh, we have a blurred line with party drugs," Jughead answered "Weed doesn't count," He laughed "And sometimes coke flies under the radar."
"Coke? Like Cocaine?" Betty stared at him with wide eyes and he just nodded. "Have you.. Do you?" She stuttered out feeling oddly put off by this new information.
"I have," He looked at her taking another drag of his cigarette "I don't smoke anymore, It makes me too fucking paranoid. And I stay away from coke most of the time, some people handle it better. I don't," He shrugged.
"Most of the time?" Betty knitted her eyebrows together staring at him in shock.
"Basically all the time now," He shook his head as if it wasn't a big deal.
"Jug can get addicted to things easily," Joaquin chimed in resting his hand on Betty's arm "But at least he is smart enough to know he does... one time he got addicted to energy drinks and had to do a legitimate detox because it was eating at his stomach lining," Joaquin laughed.
"Hey that reminds me Prospect... Shut the fuck up," Jughead yelled rolling his eyes. "You wanna be a real Serpent you are gonna have to learn to keep your mouth shut," He growled.
"It's just Betty…" Joaquin defended himself crossing his arms over his chest "She is basically a prospect too."
"You keep this shit up and she is gonna be a member before you are," Jughead gave him a pointed look and the boy shut up, looking down at the floor.
"You gonna babysit that all night or hit it?" Kevin whined changing the subject and reaching for the hookah hose in Betty's hand. She looked back up at Jughead and chewed on her bottom lip searching for his approval.
"Go ahead," He shrugged nonchalantly "If you want to, but you're not going to like it" He gave her an oddly parental look and she glared feeling challenged. She looked at the hose and pulled it to her lips, sucking in the air and immediately coughing out a small bit of smoke. "You're inhaling too fast," He nodded, setting down his whiskey and grabbing the hose from her, taking a slow inhale that lasted an impossibly long time before tilting his head back and exhaling, letting the large cloud of smoke pour from his mouth and his nose making him look like a dragon. He took another hit holding the smoke in his mouth opening it slightly and popping his jaw as large rings fell from his lips circling in the air around them. Before she could stop herself she reached up grabbing at one of the rings watching as it broke apart swirling around her fingers.
"Do that again," She giggled happily and he smiled at her.
"You try," He handed her back the hose, and she took it shyly. She pulled a hit slowly and managed not to cough blowing out the smoke but not even attempting to make the rings. He was wrong she actually enjoyed the fruity flavor, she pulled another hit tilting her head back like he did and blowing out the smoke slowly hoping she looked as cool as he had. He watched her his lips twitching up as she sank her lips around the hose again, sucking in air and meeting his eyes as she let the smoke pour from her lips. She handed the hose back to Kevin as Jughead wrapped his arm around her waist, his cigarette carefully between his fingers and dipped his head down kissing her and opening his mouth slightly.
"You taste like cigarettes," She whispered against his lips.
"And you taste like Froot Loops," He laughed, pulling away and taking a drag before leaning over and putting out his cigarette in an ashtray on the table. "So you wanna play?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her.
"Are you okay losing?" She chuckled. He smiled at her softly and nodded.
"I'll teach you," He turned and looked at the table "So who are we playing?" He asked the group of guys, who all stood around talking and drinking, but no one stepped forward.
"I'll play your ass," Sweet Pea yelled over the music walking over to them "And beat your ass," He laughed.
"In your dreams, Pea," Jug glared "Who is your partner?" He crossed his arms over his chest raising his chin confidently.
"I'll play," Betty turned to see Effie sauntering to the pool cue's and grabbing one. Her body went rigid as she eyed the girl carefully, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Shit," Jughead muttered tiredly.
"Happy Birthday JJ," Effie smiled walking over to them and giving Betty a fake smile.
"Thanks Eff," He said carefully as she went to hug him, wrapping her arms around his shoulder, he reached one arm around her gently, pulling back quickly and giving Betty an apologetic look. She squared her shoulders just shrugging at him knowing she couldn't exactly get mad, it was his birthday. Betty looked over the girl's appearance her hair now a jet black and pulled into pigtails, a tight body suit that was black and red clinging tightly down her legs to her strappy black heels.
"Harley quinn, cute," Betty tried to smile even though her ears were burning.
"Thanks and what are you? Hooker Barbie?" The girl chided rolling her eyes and Betty tried not to glare or give any reaction.
"It must be so exhausting being so rotten. It's such a shame… being pretty is nothing with such an ugly heart," Betty sighed calmly looking at the girl making sure her eyes were filled with pity.
"Actually we are Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance," Jughead clarified giving Effie a pointed look. "You know the best gift either of you could give me is to just get along for one night," He looked between them hopefully.
"Oh really? Upstairs wasn't the best gift?" Betty answered loudly, her lips pulling into a smirk as she stepped closer to Jughead blinking up at him seductively.
"Shit," He laughed loudly, placing his finger under her chin and lifting her head up higher "To-fucking-che baby," He smiled pressing his lips to hers. She closed her eyes reveling in the feeling knowing they had an audience. She felt an odd tinge of guilt at how happy it made her and pulled away making sure she changed her face to look genuinely at Effie.
"You look great Effie, and I would love if you could stay and play pool with us," Betty nodded at the girl.
"Fine," The girl huffed "And you don't look like a hooker," She sighed.
"Yes I do, it's okay," Betty laughed honestly leaning towards the girl and smiling.
"That's my girl," Jughead mused smacking her butt playfully before going to get the pool cue's. He handed one to Betty and held his leaning against it and watching as Sweet Pea racked the pool balls. Jug walked over to the other end of the table leaning over it and angling the cue at the white ball. In one swift motion he shot his cue forward hitting the white ball which flew forward in a loud crack as it hit the triangle of balls. They scattered everywhere and he sank a ball already "Stripes," He smiled at Betty, stepping around and finding his position with the white ball and going for a striped ball hitting it off the wall and sinking it. She watched him smirk cockily, the white ball set up for an easy corner shot and he sank that too.
"Do we even get to play?" Betty asked giggling and stepping next to Sweet Pea who was glaring.
"He has his good days," The boy growled trying to shrug nonchalantly. Jug walked around the table, and Betty looked over the balls realizing he didn't have any shots, she watched him aim at a solid instead, hitting it against the wall and pushing it further away from a pocket, taking away an easy shot for the other team. Sweet Pea walked around the table effortlessly hitting the ball Jughead had moved into a different pocket and looked up grinning proudly and looking to Effie letting her take his second shot, she got super close but the solid ball bounced off the corner of the pocket and instead the white ball fell in. Jughead looked at Betty expectantly and she just shook her head not sure what to do, she at least knew that it was a scratch meaning they got to place the white ball where they wanted. Jug grabbed it out of the pocket and set up a shot for her, beckoning her over with one finger flirtatiously, he pulled her in front of him leaning her over the table and helping her place her hand.
"Squeeze your thumb to your index finger and just let the cue rest in that little crease," He instructed his lips grazing her ear and making her shiver. "Square your hips," he said using his own hips to push himself against her. "Now hold the it here, and trust momentum, you don't have to hit it super hard, just fast, the cue ball will do the rest," She let him hold her hand pushing the cue a few quick times making sure it was gliding easily before striking it forward quickly, she held her breath watching as it flew forward smacking a striped ball into a pocket. She squealed in delight spinning and throwing her arm around him happily.