Chapter 9: Sweet Sixteen
Note: I just saw the promo pics for episode 11, and WHY IS JUGHEAD CRYING HIS EYES OUT? Someone please protect him. At first, I thought he and Betts were having troubles, but then I read the synopsis. FP has started down the straight and narrow and Jughead gets his poor, fragile hopes up that his family can knit itself back together. You know what happens to hopes when they get up? Someone comes along and smashing them.
It was only seven in the morning on a Saturday, and Betty had been up for two hours baking and party planning . It was Jughead's sixteenth birthday and everything had to be perfect. When they were talking the other day, he let it slip that he'd never had a real birthday party, and Betty couldn't stand for that. He needed a party and she was going to give it to him. Whether he liked it or not.
Jughead wasn't one to make a big deal out of things, especially when it drew unwanted attention to him, but he deserved this. He'd been through so much lately, and needed to see how much his friends loved him, and how much he meant to her. Last night after they'd gone to Pop's with Archie and Veronica, she'd told Jughead she was too tired to watch a movie at the Andrews, and left Jughead to be the third wheel to Archie and Veronica. She didn't go home and sleep. Instead, she had stayed up for hours planning Jughead's sweet sixteen party.
There was a knock on the front door, and for a moment, it sent her into a panic. Jughead had no idea about the party, and she wanted to keep it as a surprise. She threw a dish cloth over the uniced cake and tossed the bags of chips into the pantry and went to the front door.
Veronica was waiting on the threshold, two cups of coffee in her hands and plastic grocery store bag hanging from her arm. "I got your text. Why are we up at this ungodly hour on a Saturday? And why the desperate need for butter?"
Betty had gotten so busy this morning that she'd forgotten she'd asked Veronica for the extra butter for her the icing she was going to make for Jughead's cake.
"I'm baking," Betty said. "Thanks for coming." She ushered Veronica in, and paused when she remembered what she and Jughead had done on that front porch the other night. She'd made the decision last night that Jughead's birthday was the night she'd lose her virginity to him. Every time they were together, she had a harder and harder time not having sex with him. And she didn't know why she was waiting anymore. She loved him and trusted him, and she wanted him.
"How's the party planning coming?" Veronica asked. She sat at the kitchen island and handed over a coffee and butter to Betty.
Betty removed the dishtowel from the cake and went to work rounding off the edges of eight inch cake. "I'm making it into a hamburger," she said. "Too much?"
Veronica's eyes beamed with a smile. "It's just right. Perfect. Adorable." Veronica gazed around the kitchen and looked through the window that looked directly into the Andrews's kitchen. "Oh, dear, looks like the birthday boy is also up bright and early."
Veronica went over to the half cafe curtains and shut them, but not before waving at Jughead. Betty looked over her shoulder. Because of Jughead's height, his head was still visible above the curtain rod, but he wouldn't be able to see inside her kitchen and ruin the surprise. From the Andrews' kitchen, he gave them a questioning look, so Betty have him a little grin and shrugged her shoulders.
Veronica turned back to Betty and asked, "What is it with that hat? He obviously just got up, and yet he has it on. I've never seen him without it."
"Honestly, I've known him my whole life and I don't know the story behind it."
"Have you ever seen him without it? A part of me thinks he has some sort of bald spot. But what I really want to know is does he take it off when you two have sex?"
"He has a great head of dark, wavy hair, and I don't know about the sex. Yet."
Veronica's mouth flew open in surprise. "Really? I just got the vibe. You two seems so connected and in love. So intimate."
Betty sat down across from her. "We've done everything but, and everything that we've done had been so, so amazing."
"I'm blushing!" Veronica said, fanning herself. "Who knew Riverdale's resident bad boy would be so good. And Archie says he's happy for you two also. That makes me happy, too."
Betty started in on the icing and kept quiet while she prepared it. Veronica went on and on about the movie she and Archie had watched last night, but Betty wasn't really listening. Betty was consumed by the decision she'd made to sleep with Jughead. It was what she wanted, but Betty didn't like the unknown. It made her nervous.
"Hello? Earth to Betty." Veronica said, waving her hand in front of Betty's face.
"I'm sorry. What?"
"I asked you if you thought Archie was over his breakup with Val yet. But I really want to know what's on your mind."
"Does it hurt?"
"Does what hurt?" After a moment, she inhaled sharply and grabbed Betty's hand. "Oh. Oh!"
"Well, does it?"
"First off, what kind of protection are you using? That's the most important thing."
"Don't worry. I'm covered. My mom put me on birth control a few months ago. She told me that it was to help clear up my acne, but when I found out that Polly was pregnant, I figured out why. She couldn't have two daughters sully the good Cooper's name. We couldn't both be sixteen and pregnant. Before Juggie, it pissed me off. Now I'm grateful she did it."
"And from what I've seen your mom is surprisingly okay with you and Juggie."
Betty smiled to herself. "Yeah. My mom and his were good friends growing up. She always had a soft spot for him. When we were in elementary school, his mom would be at work, and FP would forget pick him up from school, so we'd take him home with us. No matter what mom fixed-brussel sprouts, asparagus souffle, shepard's pie-Jughead gobbled it up. He spent the whole night praising her cooking. Compliments are the way to Alice Cooper's heart."
"That's sweet. Speaking of Mama Cooper where is she?"
"She went to visit a friend out of town."
"So you have the house to yourself for the day?" Veronica said. "A day in which you and Jughead could spend naked and in your bed together."
"But I don't know what to do," she admitted.
"You'll figure it out, B. The figuring it out is the best part." She patted Betty on the hand. "Really you have nothing to worry about. From what you've told me, Jughead knows what he's doing. He'll take his time and do it right. And honestly once you get that first time out of the way, every other time will only get better."
"Okay," Betty said tightening her ponytail. "I've got to get everything ready for this party."
"And then you've got to get it on." Veronica giggled at herself. "You invite Juggie over here, take him up to your room, and Archiekins and I will get all the food and drinks over to Archie's house to set up for the party while you rashish your boyfriend.."
"Okay, but if you drop this hamburger cake, I'll kill you," Betty said.
"Your adorable cake is safe with me." Veronica said. She stood up and came around to Betty and took her hands. "Don't be stressed out about sex with Jug. Honestly he'll be overjoyed if all you do is show up and are naked. And maybe if you play your cards right you'll get him to take his cap off." Veronica kissed both of Betty's cheeks and started gathering up party supplies.
Come over in thirty minutes Betty texted Jughead. As she ran upstairs to her bathroom, she got a reply back saying that he'd see her soon. She jumped into the shower and shaved and washed up. She wrapped a towel around herself and went into her room to change. But into what? Should she dress like it was a normal day? Wear something fancy? Nothing at all? In the end, she called down the stairs for Veronica to come up.
"What do I wear?" Betty asked. She was still wrapped in her towel.
Veronica came into her room. "Doesn't matter. Jughead is just going to rip it off anyway." Veronica went to the closet and pulled out a simple button up shirt and a blue skirt and. Then she went to Betty's dresser and opened the top drawer. "Wear this black bra, the one you wore when we gave that asshat a stick maple. You looked as sexy as hell. Even I wanted to make out with you."
Betty wanted to ask Veronica a thousand more questions about what was going to happen between her and Jughead, but Betty knew this was something she was going to have to figure out on on her own. She was quiet as she dressed in the clothes Veronica had handed her.
"It's going to be okay, B. Just breathe when it comes down to it, and from what you've told me, Juggie is very good at making you relax. That says a lot about him, the fact that he's a giving and unselfish lover."
The statement might have been true, but it made Betty giggle. "A giving lover?"
"Yes, I know it sounds antiquated, but it's true. So many guys I've been with didn't give a damn about how it was for me, and it actually spoke volumes of who they were as people. Juggie loves you."
"He hasn't said it.
"But he does." Betty started to argue, but Veronica wouldn't let her. "Oh, stop. It's just love. It doesn't have to be scary. The love between you two is pure and mutual and a beautiful thing. Don't let your rational side talk you out of it. People today are so damn scared to say how they really feel or to show they care. I say always give a shit. Tell people you love them. Shout it out loud."
"I'll tell him," Betty said. Veronica was right. Yes, she finally got up the courage to tell Archie how she felt about him, and he rejected her. But that was Archie, not Jughead. She wasn't meant to be with Archie. It was Jughead who she should have wanted all along. Even if Jughead hadn't made the move to kiss her, she would have soon seen him for what he really meant to her.
Veronica pulled Betty into a hug and air kissed next to each of her cheeks. "Good luck, B," she said. "Let me know how it goes."
Downstairs the front door opened and Jughead called out for Betty. "Hello!"
"Up here!" Veronica shouted. "Have fun!" Veronica said and then went out the door. Betty could hear Veronica greeting Jughead as they passed on the stairs.
What should she do? Lay on the bed? Try to act natural? Make it look like she didn't invite him up to her room to have sex? She didn't have time to do anything because a moment later, Jughead was in her doorway.
"Hey, Betts," he said. He looked her over and smiled. "You're so beautiful. Ethereal. It's like you're not even real." He crossed to the room where she stood next to the window, and he took her hands.
Betty blushed. "You're pretty hot yourself," she said. "I mean, I always thought you were handsome, but then . . ." She didn't know how to put it into words.
"Puberty?" he asked, chuckling. She nodded. "It's been a friend to us all."
"Happy Birthday!" she said, realizing that she hadn't said it to him yet.
"Thanks," he said.
She went up on her tiptoes and hugged him. His arms moved around her, his embrace steady and comforting, just like everything else about him. His hand rested at the nape of her neck, tilting her head back to he could kiss her. When his lips brushed hers, all the nervousness and fear of what was about to come next fell away. This was Jughead and there was nothing to worry about.
Her hands slipped underneath the hem of his shirt, her palms cascading over the slope of his stomach and then his chest as she pushed it up and then over his head, knocking off his crown cap. Her hand kept moving over him, only to stop at the center of her chest, over his heart. This heart belonged to her, and hers belonged to him. This was the boy she loved, the one she picked over all overs, everything she had ever wanted, but didn't see before. Jughead wa the sun she had somehow overlooked until now. Forever more, his brightness would eclipse everyone else.
"I love you," she said.
His eyes instantly misted over, and for a moment, she wondered if she'd said something wrong, but he took her face in his hands. "I love you. I have for as long as I can remember." She felt her own eyes well up with tears, too. He loved her back.
She wove her fingers through his hair and kissed him gently on the lips. Then lead him over to her bed. She sat on the edge of it and held her hand out for him. He toed off his shoes and joined her. He knelt in front of her and worked the buttons of her top undone and then helped her out of the garment. She laid back on the pillows, her legs spreading for him as he lay on top of her. They stayed that way for a long time, just kissing and touching, reacquainting themselves with each other's bodies.
His mouth moved away from hers so that he could drag her skirt and panties down her legs. His lips brushed across her sex, but that's not what she wanted this time. She pulled his face up to aline with hers. Their mouths opened at the same times, tongues brushed against each other. The kiss in itself felt like making love , intimate, life changing.
She reached in between them, and pushed his pants and underwear over his hips. This was the first time she'd seen him fully naked and he was beautiful. She pulled him back down to her, and for a moment, just enjoyed the feeling of his skin against hers, hard melding with soft. Her bare legs intertwined with his as he cupped her breasts. She could feel the hard length of him, pressed against her stomach. He moaned every time she rotated her hips upwards. She reached in between them and formed a fist around him, but she didn't stroke him. Instead she guided him between her legs.
Jughead froze. "Are you sure, Betty?" he asked, gritting his teeth as he spoke. He hovered above her, waiting for her consent.
She wouldn't be afraid of this, not of Jughead. "Yes," she said. She pressed her pelvis higher. "Please."
He slipped in slowly, giving her time to adjust to his girth. It stung at first, but he didn't push too hard. He stayed there, not moving, waiting for her. After a moment, she relaxed and let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. And he began to move. It didn't hurt anymore. It felt good.
She could tell he was holding back, and she didn't want him to. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him deeper into her. He began to thrust in and out, and she could feel something building within her. Then his hand snuck between their bodies and he touched her core. She could feel herself about to lose control, but then Jughead stopped.
"I love you, Elizabeth Cooper. I love you." He held her head in his hands and he kissed her.
"I love you, Forthsyth Jones the III." He chuckled. She knew he hated the name he shared with his father, so she rephrased. "I love you, Jughead."
Then he got serious. He began to move again, and this time picked up the tempo. As his hips rose and fell, his fingertips circled the delta between her thighs. She came, and a second later so did he. After a minute, he rolled onto his back and pulled her into his arms, tucking her head under his chin.
Her body we still tingling. The release she experienced was different, better, more intense with him inside of her. As she lay there with him, listening to his heavy breathing, she tried to see if she felt any different now that she wasn't a virgin anymore. To be one with someone she loved, not a changing of her but a consummation of who she should be.
He leaned over the side of the bed, reached for his hat, and pulled it onto his head.
"Can I ask you something?" Betty questioned.
"You can always ask me anything."
"Why do you wear that beanie all the time?"
He sighed, and then said, "So, like I've told you, every birthday I've ever had has been a shit day. My mom always had to work and I was always stuck at home babysitting Jellybean. FP was always drunk off his ass. But when I turned six, FP came home early that morning from an all night card game. The guy he was playing ran out of money, but he had this hat. He told my dad that this hat was special, lucky, belonged to a king. When I reminded FP that it was my birthday, he handed me this dumb hat that he used as collateral. For that entire day, FP payed attention. He took me and JB to the park, to Pops, and to the movies. I was six years old and living in squalor, but for that day, I felt like a prince. It's stupid, I know, but I wear it everyday because . . ." His voice trailed off.
"Because it makes you feel special."
"Exactly," Jughead said.
"See, birthdays are fun. They're special."
Jughead shook his head. "But that's the problem. There's not special. We're all under the illusion that birthdays are magical and all our wishes will come true, but it's just another day."
"But it's your day. We'll do whatever you want," Betty said.
"Thank you." He hugged her tighter and kissed the top of her head. "I just want it to be the two of us. No big fuss. Just a movie and dinner at Pop's, and if your mom's still gone, maybe we could get back in this bed."
Shit. He didn't want a birthday. She already knew that, but now knew the reason behind it. But everything was already planned and in place. She could change his mind. She could make him love his birthday.
"Whatever you want, Juggie," she said. "It's your birthday, after all."
He moved her hand until her fingers came into contact with his erection. He guided her hand up and down, but then he shifted until she was beneath him. "Whatever I want?" he asked, looking down at her and smiling.
She nodded and he moved in between her legs.