Feelin' Good

….~~...

"Before you get in the car, I need you to know, I never stopped loving you Jug."

"I think I might hurl. You hear this sappy shit boys? Looks like the rumors are true though, trouble in paradise. If you get tired of pining after that peanut, swing by my garage, take a look under my hood for me." Pushing himself from the front fender to stand a little closer to the, obviously taken aback, blonde and her beanie clad ex. "I could use a good mechanic, Dollface." A business card came up in the air between them, Malachi's long index and middle fingers holding the small bit of cardstock still, a smirk of assuredness plastered over his face.

"Yeah, sure okay. Snowball's chance in hell that happens, Malachi. See ya Betty." Jughead pushed past the Ghoulie and the card, ignoring the doe eyed look plastered over Betty's face. Instead he swatted at nothing in the air while walking to the driver side door of Reggie's Super Sport.

"I can see why you're so smitten, the picture of grace that one. He needs a good spankin' if you ask me. Anyhow, Betty, is it?" His eyes were hungry, devouring every dip and curve of Betty's body, licking his lips as his eyes returned to her face.

"It is but, you'd probably remember me better as one of Jughead's skanks." No longer slack jawed, Betty took the card from between Malachi's fingers, careful not to touch him in her haste to examine it further.

"Was that you? I thought you seemed familiar, not a skank at all. You have to forgive my abrasiveness, you did try to infiltrate my clubhouse after all. You're smart though, and I like that. So what do ya say? Come by my shop, fix a few things, earn a few bucks? It's an honest living, nothing crazy. Unless you're up for that too." His eyebrow ticked up, as he grasped the studded lapels of his cutte.

"Let's see how the race goes and I'll think about it. Flashing a bright smile at me and being flirtatious won't make my panties drop for you." Slipping the business card into the back pocket of her jeans, Betty took in the Ghoulie's face, which was full of amusement. He nodded his head at her, the tip of his tongue darting out over his brilliant white teeth.

"Sure thing Dollface. See ya at the finish line." With a wink of a deep dark eye he tipped his head to her and half jogged back to his 1940 Ford Tudor. Betty felt a flush of heat rush over her.

"Sweet baby Jesus Betty, am I jealous of you." Kevin whispered in her ear. "So, who are you rooting for now?"

"There is nothing to be jealous of, my life is a nightmare right now. And, I'm not really sure anymore." Releasing a deep breath, Betty turned and walked back to her friends.

...…

Just like Malachi said, he did see Betty at the finish line, after Jughead did. However, instead of Betty running to the bratty little tool, she slowly made her way to the studded and humble Ghoulie. They had business to discuss after all, and engaging Jughead would only make her feel worse. So, with every eye on her slow swaying hips, Betty came to a stop before Malachi, a smirk playing over her pink glossy lips.

"What time should I meet you then?" Nervously, she looked up, meeting his eyes fully now.

"Are you free tonight? Say around six?" He leaned against the firetruck red sedan, careful not to scratch the pristine paint.

"Yeah, I think I can get there by six. I just have to tell my mom… something." Slipping her hands in her back pockets, Betty felt the rectangular shape of the cardstock resting in her pocket.

"If you need a ride just let me know, my numbers on the card." He crossed his arms, watching her friends behind her with amusement.

"I don't want to be a bother, I can make it by six, I think." She was nervous now, worrying on her bottom lip.

"You're not a bother Betty, I can get you if you need me to. Just say the words, and it's done." The smile slid from his face as he abruptly pushed off the side of the car, brows furrowed. He wasn't looking at her anymore, he was looking behind her.

Betty whipped around just in time to see Jughead pushing forward through Archie and Reggie, marching indignantly toward her and Malachi, anger written over his sharp features.

"Just what do you think you're doing, trying to pick up my girl Malachi?!" Jughead moved past her, to stand nose to nose with Malachi. He was visibly shaking and she could see the way his jaw muscles flexed in his obvious anger.

"I'm not your girlfriend anymore Jughead, remember? You said to make it stick. Who my employer is, that's none of your business, not anymore." With her own arms crossed now, Betty stood next to Malachi.

Jughead's astonishment was clear over his face, his mouth hung slightly agape with the shock of what Betty had just said. He started to back away, looking from Betty to Malachi and then to the ground between them. He shook his head before whipping around and jogging to his bike.

"Jeez Dollface, you sure did dodge a bullet with that one. Anyway, see ya at six kid." With his hand already on the door handle, ready to leave the race.

"Wait!" Betty reached for his arm, in hopes of stopping him before he could get into the car. Malachi turned to look at the worried blonde with her hand tugging on his forearm.

"What's up?" Was all he asked, hand still on the car door handle, an eyebrow arched in questioning.

"You don't know where I live. How will you get me if you don't know where I live?" Betty knew she was grasping for straws. She was drawn to him and she couldn't help it. They lived in a small town, of course he would be able to find her house. Her small hand was receding from his arm now, but he took it in his own, allowing his large calloused thumb to brush over her knuckles.

"I had my boys, Ratso and Batso, check into your situation a bit. Background checks Dollface, I have to be careful." He winked at her and shot that sunny smile in her direction.

"Oh! A background check, really? You don't even know my last name." Shock was written all over her face, but Malachi could see the wheels turning in her head from where he stood.

"Look, my shop is a legit business, I can't have just anyone working there. It's my livelihood, especially now that I lost the race to the baby serpent prince." The wink of an eye confirmed what Betty had suspected. "Don't worry, we won't tell anyone your details. Your secrets are safe with me. Besides, being Alice Cooper's kid can't be that low key. Former serpent queen and all." Raising her hand to his full lips, he kept eye contact with her as he kissed the back of her hand. Her cheeks blazed crimson as her mouth fell open.

"See ya Dollface."

…*...

Frantically, Betty raced around her room, worried about wearing the wrong thing, or making a bad impression. Pffft! Like she needed to worry about that. She was working for the Ghoulie King, outside of regular business hours. Then it hit her, was she really working tonight or was this a ploy to get back at Jughead? Shaking those thoughts from her head, she decided on jeans, a t-shirt and her well worn converse shoes. Deciding that it didn't matter what she looked like, she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, smoothing the hair with a finishing comb. Standing there looking at her reflection in the mirror, Betty decided that she was as ready as she'd ever be. So she brushed her teeth, put on another coat of deodorant and sprayed herself with her favorite perfume. Who says you can't smell nice when working with your hands?

With her nerves calmed almost completely, Betty gathered her things and started down the stairs. She would wait out front for her new employer instead of getting grilled by her mother, who would most definitely have questions.

She knew he was coming around the corner before she actually saw him. The pur of the engine was enough to give her goosebumps. Standing from her cross-legged position on the concrete steps, she bounded down the walkway to wait and watch at the curb. Her heart rate began to rise when she saw the cinnamon color of the paint. She'd only ever seen one of these cars, especially in original condition, and it was a long time ago.

"What's got you so excited Dollface?" Malachi yelled out the open window, once he'd put the car in park. With his tanned forearm resting on the steering wheel, he swung his door open and got out. His smile gave it all away, he knew exactly what she was excited about. Rounding the front of the car, Malachi tugged on the metal door handle. The heavy steel door opened for her and she felt the corners of her mouth being tugged up into a smile.

"Your chariot my lady." He bowed as she whipped her head around to look at him.

"I am working for you right? This isn't just payback for the race, and breaking into The House of the Dead?" She had one foot inside of the car on the floor board and the other firmly planted on the asphalt below.

"Dollface, if I have ill intentions, may I be smote where I stand." Raising his hands in the air, they both waited for a brief moment and then she tucked herself inside the car, satisfied that the heavens hadn't broken open to allow for great bolts of lightning to barbecue him in front of her house. When the door closed, she released a breath. Her lungs burned and her head spun, she had a sneaking suspicion this wasn't average employer behavior.

Malachai was inside of the car, shutting the heavy door and starting the engine in no time. Turning to look at Betty in the passenger seat, he half smiled at her. "Alright, here we go."

….~~...

"That's about it. We don't really have a lot of bays inside, but we have one open, and I need a tech I can rely on. Before you even say anything Dollface, I know you have school and that pesky detail about being a River Vixen. We can work around it and you won't be past nine thirty on weekdays. You can come in on weekends if you so wish." Clapping his hands together, Malachi looked intently at Betty, waiting for her response.

"I don't know Malachi, this is a lot to take in. I wasn't expecting, well, any of this." Betty raised a hand in the air and spun on her heel. Long strides taking her to the parts washer near the shelving unit with various bottles of fluids for every part imaginable.

"What exactly were you expecting? A chop shop buried in the woods on the way to Greendale?" Malachi shook his head a bit, a look of disbelief on his handsome face. Betty wanted to touch that face.

"I mean, yeah. That's exactly what I thought. You don't have a squeaky clean reputation." Turning back to the Ghoulie, she rested her hands on her hips.

"You're not exactly an angel Dollface. I heard about that sticky maple debacle. You're a hard ass in pigtails and lace." In three long strides he was in front of her, the sweet smokey scent of his skin wafting in the air between them.

"For your information, I haven't worn pigtales since the 6th grade. As far as the sticky maple, he deserved it. What happened after is his own fault. You shouldn't lie about people, and I was defending my sister." She stated indignantly, not meeting his eye.

"That right there? The defiance and self assurance, makes me think you knew exactly what was going on here. You had hopes in seeing the dirty underbelly of the Ghoulies. Those Serpents must be into some seedy shit if thats what you thought the interview process was gonna be like." Crossing his arms over his exposed chest, Malachi finally caught Betty's eye and winked.

"Dealing jingle jangle at high schools isn't seedy?" She too had crossed her arms, head held high.

"Yeah Dollface, and Juggy and his minions smuggle it in shipping containers for Penny Peabody. Your best boy Red helps him." He was so close, the heat of his skin seeped past Betty's skin, deep to her bones.

"I- I didn't know. Jughead never- He kept me away from- his dealings." She was hugging herself now as the realization that Jughead wasn't at all innocent like she had once hoped he was had dawned on her. "He told me to make it stick. Way to drive the nail home."

"Yeah, well, he's a little shit anyhow. Look," He rubbed his large palms over the backs of her arms. The heat of his skin on her own yanked her out of her musings. "you have an opportunity that I would never extend to someone outside of the Ghoulies. You can make money and learn while you're at it. The way you suped up that engine at the races, supremo babe. That is why I let the little prince win. I wanted your hands fixin' my vehicles. Nights and weekends if you want 'em. Who knows, maybe we could actually be friends one day."

She didn't realize when she had made it fully into his arms. The sick sinking feeling she had when he was telling her about Jughead and Archie was a distant memory now. She was looking up at him and all she could think about was the scent of his skin and the greasy garage bombarding her senses. Before she knew it, she was resting her forehead on his heated chest. She'd come to her conclusion.

"Yes. I'll do it." There was a squeeze of his arms around her body, and then she was being lifted and spun around before being set back on her feet.

"Hell yeah Dollface! That's what I wanted to hear! You almost had me there. I thought for sure you were gonna leave me hangin'. Run with your tail tucked between your legs to that serpent brat." His arms were still wrapped around her, a brilliant toothy grin splitting his face.

"I can't go back to him." Her loam green eyes darted between his deep almost black eyes, back and forth.

"Who am I kidding Dollface, I probably wouldn't let ya go."