Chapter 8

Once Jughead had eaten the leftover pizza Fred had brought home for him, he'd also had his hamburger and fries from Pop's. It wasn't the same when it was reheated, but he didn't care. He'd eat cold hamburgers and fries for the rest of his life if it meant that he kept getting to see Betty Cooper naked. God, he couldn't believe his luck. Jughead, who had always been overlooked, mistreated, and abandoned, was the boy that Betty had picked. He'd gotten the girl, and he still couldn't believe it was real.

He sat on the foot of Archie's bed and remembered how it felt to be between her legs, to taste her, to bring her to climax. And she'd gotten him off over and over again, most recently right in this bed. He felt bad for thinking it, but Reggie was right. It was like Betty could detach her jaw, and he was thankful for the genetic trait. He closed his eyes and conjured up Betty's naked, writhing body in his mind. She was his fantasy brought to life, and she was all his.

"Jughead?"

His eyes flew open. "Hey, Arch, what's up?" Jughead stood and stayed at the end of the bed.

"You okay?" Archie asked. "You were just sitting there with your eyes closed. I said your name like five times."

"Yeah, fine. Just tired."

"Any luck on the job hunt?" Archie asked.

"Not yet," Jughead replied. He had always loved Riverdale because of its quaint, small town vibe, but that was also its problem. There weren't many places for a high school sophomore to work, and he was tired of mooching off of Mr. Andrews. He at least wanted to contribute in some way.

Archie came all the way into the room, and they both spotted it at the same time. Betty's pink panties were crumpled on the floor, almost but not, hidden by the edge of Archie's bedspread. Jughead lunged for her underwear, and stuffed them in his pocket.

Archie's thick eyebrows were drawn together, his face tight. "Are those Betty's?" Archie asked, his voice heavy with indignation.

"Would you believe they're mine?" Jughead asked. Archie glared at him. "Okay. Fine. They're Betty's. What do you want me to say?"

"Are you two having sex?" Archie asked.

"That's kind of personal," Jughead said.

"I thought we were brothers. We tell each other stuff like that."

"You didn't tell me when Miss Grundy popped your cherry."

"But that was different."

"And illegal," Jughead added.

"That's why I didn't say anything. It would have gotten her into trouble. And this is Betty we're talking about."

"Exactly. I already feel like a dick for poaching her from you."

Archie shrugged. "You said it yourself. Betty was never mine. Besides, I'll never be good enough for her."

Jughead sat down on the bed again, feeling defeated. "I'm not disillusioned enough to think that I'm good enough for her either. I'm waiting for her to figure it out and dump me."

"Nah, dude," Archie said, sitting next to him on the bed. I know Betty and she's in this deep with you. She's not going anywhere."

"I think I love her," Jughead said. Archie was the last person he should be talking to this about, but who else did he have? Kevin? Veronica? Cheryl? They were fine to hang out with, but he'd never trust them with anything personal. Archie was still his best friend and always would be.

"I know," Archie said. "You've always loved her." Jughead wanted to argue, but Archie was right. "You've loved her since you met her in kindergarten, and it's okay. I get it."

"I'm sorry, Arch," Jughead said. "I really am."

"Why? You didn't steal anything away from me that didn't want to be taken. She wants you, Juggie. I'm happy for you. Really. I'm sorry I was an asshole about it the other day. It's just. . . I was weirded out and a little jealous, but I support it."

"Why weirded out?"

"I always thought Betty would lose her virginity to me," Archie said. "Now she lost it to you."

"We haven't had sex."

"Not yet, but you will." Archie said, his voice even and indifferent. Then he shrugged. "And I used to think that Betty and me would end up together. But things changed. I have other. . . options now."

That rubbed Jughead the wrong way. "Betty's not just an option, man. She's the end and the beginning. She's everything."

Archie nodded. "You're right. She is. For you, at least. She is for you." Archie stood up and looked down at the bed again. "Do I need to change the sheets?"

Jughead chuckled, glad that Archie was finally okay with Betty and him. "Your sheets are safe. . . at least for now."

Archie raised an eyebrow, probably waiting for more information, but Jughead wasn't willing to give it. Yes, Archie was his best friend, but this thing between him and Betty was sacred. Sharing the intimate details lessened that.

"I'm going for a run." Archie pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the floor. "Wanna come?"

Jughead laughed. "When have I ever answered yes to that questions?"

"One day you will," Archie said, and clapped Jughead on the shoulder.

"Why all this running and weightlifting all the sudden?" Jughead asked.

"Football could get me a scholarship. And not all of us are as lucky to be as naturally physically fit as you," Archie said, rustling up Jughead's crown cap. "Later." Archie ran out the door and down the stairs.

Jughead's phone sounded with a text from Betty. Jughead. . . was all it said, but he could read between the lines.

He went over to the window and moved the curtains aside. Betty was in her bedroom, looking out at him. Did you lose something? he typed, and then he pulled her panties out of his pocket and held them up to the window.

Her eyes widened, and then she buried her head in her hands in embarrassment.

I'll bring them to you. He didn't wait for her response. Instead, he jogged down the stairs and out the door. She met him on her front porch. He held up her panties by one finger and she snatched them away.

"Did Archie find them?" Jughead hadn't planned on telling her that Archie had seen her underwear, but his face must have given him away. "Oh, my God. He did! What did you tell him?"

"I told him that they were mine," he said, smirking at her, but she wasn't in any mood to joke around and he could tell. "Sorry. He figured it out on his own."

Her blond eyebrows drew up in concern. "What did he say?"

"That he's surprisingly okay with us." She breathed a deep sigh of relief. "We talked about a lot of things actually," he said.

"Then the two of you are good?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "We've got Archie Andrews blessing."

"Not that I ever needed it," Betty said. She cupped his face in her hands. They were warm against his cool skin. "He's our best friend, so I wanted him to be okay with us, but even if he wasn't. . ." Her thumb brushed across his lower lip. "I'd still choose you, Jug."

"Why?" he asked. He wanted to believe her, but how could anyone pick him over Archie? Even his own family had abandoned him, and he couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Betty wanted him. He might not ever understand it.

"Why did I choose you?" she asked. Jughead nodded. She took his face in her hands again. "Because I know who you are." She'd said this to him once before, when he'd been in police custody. That had resonated with him. Everyone thought he was a trouble maker, trash, but not Betty. "I see the real you, everything that lies beneath the cynicism and snark. I like those things about you, too. But you are smart, kind, and supportive, and you make me happy. You are a good one, Jughead Jones. The best there is." He closed his eyes and pressed his cheek against her palm.

I love you, Betty, Jughead thought, but didn't say it. Yes, it was how he felt, how he'd always felt, but once it was out, it could never be taken back. What if she didn't love him back? What if he said it, and she broke up with him? So for now, he would just enjoy what they had together, and what they had together was perfect.

He pulled her into his arms, and he could feel her her breasts press against his chest. Because of the cold, her nipples were taut. God, he wanted her, right here, right now on the Cooper's front porch. He backed her up into the darkness that concealed the front door. Her hair was still down so he laced his fingers through her soft curls, and went in for a kiss. He was gentle at first, just his lips sampling her, sipping on the softness, but it wasn't tenderness Betty wanted.

She wasted no time and rubbed the front of his jeans, knowing he would already be hard. To the rest of the world, she was shy and demur, but that's not who she really was, at least not with him, and loved that about her. As she spun him around so that his back was against the door, she unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans. He closed his eyes as the cool night air hit him, but a moment later, he was engulfed in the warmth of her mouth.

"Shit," he whispered. He couldn't believe this was happening again in the same night, and this time they were out in the open, on the Cooper's front porch. He had to be the luckiest man alive.

Her mouth worked in accordance with her hand, moving in time together, managing to touch every inch of him. His head fell back, resting against the hard grain of the Cooper's front door as she went faster. His fingers fed through her hair, bringing her a little closer as he came.

He took a long moment to recover, and when he looked down at her, she was still on her knees, wiping the side of her mouth with the back of her hand. It wasn't physically possible, but at the sight of her, he started to stiffen again. Then he realized something that only made it worse.

"You're not wearing any underwear, are you?" he asked.

"No," she said, and he was overcome with desire.

He grabbed her by her elbows, and not so gently, hauled her up to her feet. This time, he positioned her back against the door. He ran his hands over both her breasts and squeezed them gently, her nipples instantly hardening again beneath his touch. He pulled the collar of her top down, exposing her breasts. He nipped at them, drawing the peak between his lips. Her breathing began to labor, but he was nowhere near finished with her.

He reached beneath the elastic band of her shorts and instantly was gratified when his fingers slipped over her naked skin. He took what he wanted, and moved his hand between her legs. He cupped her sex, and she rubbed herself against him. He kissed her, catching her moans on his mouth. Two of his fingers slipped inside her, stroking her, as his thumb circled the tight bud of sensitive nerves. As his one hand stayed where it was, working her into a frenzy, his other hand palmed her breast while he kissed her neck, her shoulders, her mouth, anything his lips could reach.

Jughead could somehow read her mind, always knowing exactly how to move, how much pressure, how much cadence. In a matter of minutes, her core quickened and she tightened around his fingers. Everything in the world brightened.

Once the shockwaves subsided, she looked up at Jughead who was smiling down at her. "Oh, God, Juggie. We should have started doing this a long time ago. I had no idea it could be this good."

Jughead kissed her lips. "And it'll only get better," he said. He hadn't removed his hand from underneath her shorts yet.

"I know," she said, suddenly shy. She wanted to have sex with Jughead, but it was still a little unknown and intimidating. But she knew he would wait until she was ready, and he would make sure she was comfortable. She also knew he would make it good.

She pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him again, but they both froze when they heard someone approaching them from the street. She pulled up her tank top to cover herself.

"Get a room!" Archie yelled as he ran past them and up his driveway. He smiled and waved at them. "Just not mine."

Betty and Jughead both laughed as Jughead pulled his hand out from under Betty's shorts.