Betty makes sure that when she "bumps" into Reggie, she slips the note she's carrying into his pocket.
"Damn, Cooper, if you wanted to touch me, all you had to do was ask," Reggie leers at her.
Rolling her eyes she gives him an unimpressed look. "No thanks."
Stopping her from moving forward by putting his arm around her he tells her, "If you want, I can dress like a less angry Donnie Darko if that's what's getting you off these days."
"Gross," Betty says, pushing his arm off of her. "Don't touch me."
"You ran into me if you remember, I'm thinking you're just subconsciously trying to find a real man after settling for a more angsty Wednesday Addams," Reggie states obnoxiously.
She can see Jughead in her periphery looking irritated. Betty knows he's holding back from involving himself, like she asked, so she needs to shut this down. "I think, Reggie, that not only would I rather"find" Jughead, I'd willingly do it in the middle of the football field during a game before I'd ever even let you so much as grab my ass."
Betty turns to leave and she can see Jughead trying to hold in his laughter, leaving Reggie behind her with a shocked face.
"Does this mean I have ass grabbing privileges?" Jughead asks her, taking her hand as they walk down the hallway.
"Only on Tuesdays."
"I'll mark it in my calendar, Betts."
Turning to him to stop him, she leans closer to whisper in his ear, "Do you think he'll show?"
He settles his hand on the curve of her neck, pulling her slightly closer so he can answer while making it look like PDA he tells her, "If he checks his pockets, yeah. Let's hope he's old enough to not have mommy still doing everything for him.
Giggling into his neck, she breathes out, "This better work."
"It's you, how could it possibly fail?"
Meeting his eyes, she thinks about the last few days that brought them to where they are now.
"Do you have the camera ready?" Betty asks Jughead, looking around the corner of the hallway.
Jughead pulls the camera strap from around his neck, taking it in his hands to be ready at a moments notice. "Yeah."
They had spent the last few days finding out if Reggie was showing a routine, especially one that looks suspicious. He is actually sort of obvious about it once you start looking but no one is looking for a popular football player to be dealing drugs. He takes too long to get from class to class, stopping to talk with random people. He spends too much time after football practice in the locker room. Hanging out in the parking lot after school should be a dead giveaway but he's a privileged student from the Northside of Riverdale, drug dealers are supposed to look shady; wearing leather and sounding like GED failures who can only do the math portion of the test because they need to know that they're not being shorted cash while dealing.
"Here he comes, get ready," Betty whispers.
Putting the camera up to his face, Jughead peeks around the corner to see Reggie handing someone something while taking money with the other hand. Taking multiple pictures in a burst, he pulls his head back around to where Betty is standing nervously.
"Did you get it?"
"I think so, come on, let's go see what I got."
They head back to the Blue and Gold office where they load the pictures and compare them with the ones they had gotten over the last week. She owes Jughead big for taking a chance and spying on Reggie while he was in the locker room. Betty is certain that IOU is going to involve either an obscure movie no one but him wants to watch or an orgasm.
She's rooting for the latter honestly. Loving him doesn't have to mean loving his taste in the esoteric movies that she thinks people put into these categories of pretension because admitting you like popular movies is the death knell in their aesthetic.
Betty thinks it's like art. Take any amount of absurd nonsense and tell a group of people it's refined and deep and thought provoking and you'll get a group of people judging you for not liking something they only like because someone else told them too. Never mind that they'll say the same thing to you if you like something popular.
Life imitates art and art is manufactured by the whims of the creators. Sort of a weird circle if you think about it.
Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she stares at the computer screen and the pictures Jughead has pulled up. Making a face at what she sees in Reggie's hand she says, "Are those straws?"
"They look sort of like Pixy Stix, don't you think?"
"Yeah, they do. Weird."
So now they have definitive pictures of exactly what Reggie is selling from multiple locations around the school, they need Reggie to meet with them to hopefully get him to tell them where he's getting it from.
"What do you think? A bump and drop?" she asks him.
"I can do it if you want me to, Betts."
Betty considers it but shakes her head. "With you, he might start a fight. With me, he's just going to be disgusting and he probably won't even realize I've done it on purpose."
Jughead nods at her in agreement. "Tomorrow then?"
"Tomorrow."
Heading to lunch later in the day Jughead can feel the weight of Reggie's stare on them as he walks hand in hand with Betty to the tables outside. "He must have found it already."
"I figured as much. Let's just hope he shows up," Betty tells him as they sit down and she pulls her food out, handing him a bag.
"What's this?"
"Look in it, Jug."
Opening the bag and sneaking a look inside he sighs a happy sound of contentment. "Oh, Betty."
She's laughing at him and he sees Veronica narrowing her eyes in confusion. He see her leaning towards Kevin and ask, "What is happening?"
Kevin shrugs, continuing to eat as he answers, "Foreplay."
Archie coughs over a laugh, trying to control himself while Veronica is amused and Betty's eyes go wide.
Betty's face is pink with a blush as she stares at Kevin. "What?"
Distracted, Jughead has his hand in the bag, pulling out the contents. "He's not wrong."
"Jughead!"
Hearing everyone around him laughing he starts to really pay attention. "What?"
"Do you know what you just said?"
Interested in self-preservation he hedges. "I...sort of? I mean, come on, Betty, you made me brownies. Of the cheesecake variety! I can't be held responsible for anything after that.
Betty, looking unimpressed, just huffs out a breath and pulls out her own sandwich. "You're hopeless."
"Maybe. But now I'm hopeless with brownies. So, I still win," he says, putting one of his hands on her knee under the table and giving it an affectionate squeeze.
She just shakes her head and turns to speak with Veronica. "You still wanted to come over Friday night, right?"
Jughead perks up at that. He meets Archie's eyes as soon as he lifts his head from the food he was putting in his mouth.
Veronica must see both of their reactions as she tells Betty, "Of course, B!" A sly expression overtaking her face she leans towards Archie and puts her chin in the palm of her hand. "You can show me the dress you were talking about. Though I doubt it's too revealing up top, it probably makes you look like some sort of ethereal, mythical goddess." Winking at Jughead she immediately turns to Archie to ask him what he's doing that weekend.
Jughead just lets his head fall to the table with a thump. He's happy Betty has a female friend to talk to about stuff she can't talk about with her sister or her mom or any of her male friends. He is.
He's just also currently thinking of ways to get her back for sharing that of all things.
She puts her hand over his on her knee and squeezes it in what he thinks is a silent apology.
Oh, Betty, it's gonna take more than that.
After school, waiting for Reggie in the Blue and Gold office, Betty is trying to piece together a common thread on their crime board. So far Clifford Blossom is the strongest common denominator, he's the supplier. She knows Jason has some pretty damning evidence, at least enough to make Hiram Lodge help him and Polly. Betty knows why her parents are acting so shady, it's not reason enough to her, but she knows her mother values the Cooper image over everything else.
Hiram Lodge doesn't seem to have a thread connecting him to the drug trafficking, just an old feud with the Blossoms and a plan for real estate that no one seems to know the end game of yet.
The sound of the door opening takes her out of her thoughts and she turns to see Reggie coming through the door with an angry look on his face.
"What's this about, Cooper?" he asks with an irritated tone.
Jughead stands up from the desk he was sitting at to walk over to her side. "Come on, Reggie. I think you know."
"You two want to party?" he questions with an disbelieving look on his face. "You two?"
Betty makes a face of distaste. "Of course not! I want to know where you're getting it. Whatever it is, anyway."
"They call it Jingle Jangle-"
Jughead snorts out a sharp laugh. "Were they high when they named it?"
Reggie shrugs. "Probably, man."
"You know, for someone who hasn't seen proof we know what you're doing, you sure are chatty," Betty tells him with a doubtful stare.
"Really, Coop? If you're harassing me, I know you got the dirt you need to make me talk so why fight?"
She nods at him, lifting her shoulders in an almost amused agreement. "That's true. So here's what I want from you, I want to know where you get it. And if you know where they get it, I want that too."
Reggie laughs. "You think I know that much? Seriously? I get it from a guy on the Southside. I have no idea where he gets it or if he makes it, I don't care, I just want the product."
"A guy on the Southside?" Jughead asks with apprehension in his voice. She knows what he's thinking and she truly hopes it's not the Serpents if for no other reason than his peace of mind.
"Some member of a gang with a stupid name, the Ghoulies," Reggie tells them with a scoff.
"Ghoulies?" she mouths to Jughead.
"Must of been high when they named the gang, too," Jughead interjects with an eye roll.
Reggie eyes him with a smirk. "Really, Jughead?"
"That's enough," Betty states, walking over to where Reggie is standing. "Look, we have pictures of what you're doing, okay? If you don't want to be expelled, I suggest you stop selling here. If I find out you do, everything I have is going to Principal Weatherbee."
"How kinky of you, Cooper, to be watching me like that."
She starts pushing him toward the door. "First of all, gross. And second of all, we never had this conversation." Once he's out of the door and she's closed it behind her she takes in a deep breath and looks over to Jughead.
"So, we have a lead. One I'm not sure we can actually do anything with, but it's information just the same."
Jughead turns, writing on a piece of paper. Standing up he adds it to the crime board before turning around and meeting her eyes.
"It's more than we had yesterday," she says, staring at the paper with The Ghoulies written on it.
He's concentrating on the board when he tells her, "Now to figure out what we're going to do with it."
Jughead is sitting with his head back and arms crossed on the sofa in the Andrews garage halfheartedly listening to Archie playing one of his new songs when he suddenly announces, "You know Veronica kissed Betty, right?"
Archie looks up, startled. "What? When? Why?"
Shrugging, he just says, "Cheerleading tryouts and I don't know why."
"You're thinking about the fact that they're both in Betty's room right now, aren't you?" Archie asks with a laugh.
Ashamed, he nods at him with a sigh. "It doesn't help that I saw Veronica in her room not that long ago and she was just standing there talking to Betty while Betty wasn't wearing a shirt."
Archie's eyebrows climb up his forehead. "Is that normal?"
"I think so, man. And it's not that I want to be some creep peeking in at girls in their rooms or anything. I'm sitting herejealous of Veronica Lodge," he complains.
Laughing, Archie just keeps playing his guitar. "From what I saw in the newspaper office that day, you've crossed a couple of bases with Betty, Jug. Why be jealous of Ronnie?"
"I can't explain it, Arch. I thought I was better than my base instincts but apparently I'm not. I've become the typical stereotype of our gender."
"Or, Jughead, you're human," Archie says. "And you can pretend that you're not a little possessive but you are, man. If something is yours, it's yours-"
"Betty is not a possession," Jughead interrupts.
"No, but she is your girlfriend and no offense, but since you started dating Betty it's been pretty clear you like to have your hands on her."
"What?"
"Dude, come on, you're touching her like, all the time. How did you manage to keep your hands off of her when you weren't dating?"
"Sheer determination," he answers, putting his head back on the sofa cushion again, Jughead closes his eyes, still thinking about Betty in her room. With Veronica. Topless. Thinking about what Archie said because it is true he's a little possessive. He assumes when you don't have much growing up the tendency to aggressively hold on to what you do have increases exponentially.
Hearing footsteps coming towards the garage he assumes it's Fred so he doesn't lift his head up until he hears the voice.
"I hear you like climbing ladders, Romeo."
His head shoots up and his eyes open wide. "Veronica?"
"At your service. To make up for our little...disagreement last week I've arranged for you to spend the evening with my girl while Archiekins takes me to a movie," she announces with a raised eyebrow and a satisfied look.
Archie is confused. "I am?"
"You are. It should be fun, don't you think?" she responds to him. "Now, Jughead, don't you have somewhere to be?"
He's up and off the sofa before she's finished talking. By the time he reaches the door he can hear them laughing at him but he really doesn't care, he's got somewhere to be.
Betty was standing in front of her closet when she felt two arms wrap around her middle. The arms tightened around her when she jerked in surprise.
"Did you leave the window open for me, Betty?" she hears Jughead whisper into her ear.
Trying and failing to suppress a smile, she leans back into him. "It's possible."
She turns around in his hold, sliding her arms around his neck as she starts walking him backwards to the bed. He lets her push him for a few steps before he holds his ground, looking down at her.
"You know, I have a bone to pick with you-"
"Am I supposed to make that into a dirty pun? Because I-"
He cuts her off by sliding one hand up and into her hair to tug on her ponytail until her head is pulled slightly back. "Did you tell Veronica anything about the last time I was in your room?"
Betty looks up at him, knowing that yes, she did tell Veronica about certain aspects of that day but also that it was too funny not to share. "We both know that I did. But only that part, I swear."
"Only that part? Nothing else?" he questions her in a low tone.
"Promise," she tells him as she tries to walk him backwards again. He's become an immovable force as she lightly pushes on him. Scowling at him a little as she tries one last time she tries for distracting him by pushing her hips into his and it makes him take a half step back.
"What are you doing?" he asks her, holding her still and grinning at her.
Betty huffs. "I am trying to push you to the bed." Letting go of him she starts to turn away. "But if you'd rather stand there then-" she starts to say but yelps when he picks her up and walks quickly to her vanity, setting her on it, pulling at the hem of her shirt, pulling it off before pulling off his own, reaching back and taking hold of her face, tilting it to get better access to her neck, biting softly over the expanse of it, pulling the straps of her bra down her arms until it slips and falls around her waist.
She can feel the weight of his stare on her now bare breasts as he leans forward to kiss her while mumbling, "So pretty" into her mouth. Deepening the kiss, she can feel him running his thumbs across her nipples, making them tighten, causing her to break the kiss with a moan. Grabbing the back of his hair with one hand she pushes his head down until he gets the idea and finally he takes a nipple into his mouth, breathing harshly on her skin as his hand comes back up to hold her in place.
His tongue is running across her skin of her breasts as her legs close around him, pulling him closer to her. Hands are moving to the button of her jeans, almost ripping it open before he lowers the zipper so they can tug them off of her hips together. Without much room to move, she can see Jughead get frustrated right before he picks her back up and walks over to drop her onto her bed.
He's got her on her back before she can finish shimmying off her pants and he takes them the rest of the way down, even ripping off her socks, leaving her in the lacy panties Veronica suggested with the matching bra around her waist. She knows she must look like a hot mess but he's looking at her like he's never seen her before. Just as she goes to sit up and reach for him she hears him say, "Don't move."
He says it in a low tone that sends goosebumps across her skin. She stays put and he's taking off his own jeans, pushing them down his hips and pulling off his shoes, leaving him in his boxers as he crawls between her knees.
Sitting there staring at her, he's making her anxious. "Jug," she whimpers out as she pulls her knees up and together in anticipation.
"I said don't move, Betty," he tells her firmly, putting his hands on her knees to pull them back apart. "I want to look at you."
She doesn't know where this Jughead came from but she hopes he sticks around as he runs his fingers up the inside of her thighs until he reaches the damp lace of her panties. She feels him move the fabric to the side, sliding a finger across her, making her close her eyes and moan loudly.
"Always so, so pretty," she hears him whisper as he holds her leg open with one hand while the other is making circles on her clit, causing her to move her hips to increase the friction.
Grabbing the wrist of the hand holding her leg, she's trying to stay still but he's slowly sliding one finger into her for the first time and her breath catches at the sensation and she can hear him groan at the same time.
"Oh, fuck," he murmurs. "Jesus, Betty."
Picking her head up to look at him, she sees him staring at his hand moving back and forth as she tries to stay still and quiet but failing at both. Suddenly his hand lets go of her leg and he presses his palm on her abdomen to hold her in place.
"Jug, come on," she whines at him, trying to move her hips.
His hand still sliding in and out of her while his thumb rubs circles on her clit, his breathing is faster and all she hears is, "Please, Betty."
She's nodding along with whatever he wants when both of his hands move and she's about to sit up and demand he continue when she feels the first swipe of his tongue on her clit. Her back arches and her legs close around his head as she cries out at the sensation.
Reaching down while trying to relax her legs so she doesn't suffocate him, she grabs one of his hands, interlacing their fingers as he keeps his mouth moving against her, causing her to gasp and moan as she rolls her hips up into his face. Running on instinct her other hand goes to his hair, taking a handful of it to keep herself steady.
He slides a finger back into her and she can't help the loud groan that bursts out of her as she tightens the grip on his hand. She can feel the heat and and the pulsing building up low in her stomach as her legs start to shake and she thinks she might be hurting him with how hard she's gripping him but she can't help herself.
Crying out loudly, one last time, she snaps her legs closed and tries to twist them to the side until the shaking subsides when she remembers Jughead is still between them. Letting go of his hand and hair while relaxing her legs she's worried she's hurt him.
"Oh god, Jughead, are you okay? I'm so sorry!" she yelps at him.
She sees him pulling back and sitting up, looking dazed. "Are you okay?" she asks again.
A smug smile crosses his face as he looks down at her.
"What?" she wants to know. He's just staring at her and smiling. "Juggie."
"That, Betty, is my new favorite meal," he says as he runs a hand along his chin to wipe his face off.
Hot with embarrassment, Betty curls up into a ball and covers her face. She cannot believe he just said that.
"Even though you rang my bell there at the end," he tells her, crawling up and over her body, pushing her legs down, and moving her hands away from her face. "It was amazing. And didn't I tell you not to move?"
Still flushed and breathless, she nods at him.
"Do you need to be held still next time?" he asks in a murmur next to her ear as he moves over to kiss her lips, sliding his hands across her jaw as he lays next to her.
"Maybe," she answers him, running her hands over his chest. "I'm a mess," she says thinking about her bra around her waist and he panties pulled to the side with her messy hair and swollen mouth.
"Yeah," he agrees, "you are. It's unbearably sexy, you have no idea."
Glancing at his face before running her eyes down the rest of his body she starts to move her hand down to the band of his boxers. He stops her and she looks up at him questioningly.
"Turns out, you getting off gets me off and please don't tell Veronica I came in my boxers without you touching me. I can only handle so much at once, Betts," he tells her, his face turning a little pink at the admission.
Giggling she rolls further into him and he wraps his arms around her. "I promise."