"Jack, I know you want to save everyone. I of all people understand taking on things that are too big for you despite it all. But you can't help anyone if you shatter."
"I'm not going to break."
"No, you're not," she said. "You're going to go to that soup kitchen and get some light back in you. You're going to sleep six hours a night at a minimum. You're going to have three meals a day and at least one will have a vegetable. You're going to do something for you, just you, everyday, even if all it is is a moment to yourself. Agreed?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"If you don't want to agree, I'm happy to conscript reinforcements. Laney's eavesdropping from the kitchen, I'm sure she'd be happy to help."
Bidi snickered.
"Why not eight hours?" called Laney, unabashed.
"I try not to demand miracles," said Bea...
Remember the Dust by E. Jade Lomax
Love that Bea's telling him, not asking. Love that Laney's listening. Love that Laney isn't hiding it. Love that Bea's being at least a little realistic.
I have no idea how I feel about this update, but here it is anyways!
_Sweet Pea’s POV: _
“You’re on”, Bea practically snarled, hand flying out to shake my own. I chuckled internally at the sight of her; face flushed red, neck tilted back slightly in order to clearly see my face, and her green eyes narrowed to the point that I wasn’t even certain she could even see anymore. If I was being perfectly honest, I had to admit that I found the sight terrifying and adorable in equal parts. To my extreme annoyance, no matter how irritating I found her at times-- especially when she defended assholes like Andrews-- I still found her somehow intriguing. Bea wasn’t like any other girl I’d met; she was tall, confident, funny, tough, and stubborn as all get out. Fuck, she may be even more stubborn than me. Regardless, I was the master of evading my feelings, and I would be damned if I was going to get involved with another Jones kid.
I grasped her hand tightly, ignoring the way my mind noted how soft it was and how, though it was relatively smaller than my own, I wasn’t nervous about breaking it like I was with most girls. Breaking away from her and my thoughts, I strode over to my favorite table and began racking up the balls. After a few moments I felt the small hairs prick up on the back of my neck and I knew that she'd arrived for the game. Without turning to look, I asked,
“So princess, you want to break or do you want to just give up now?”.
She rolled her eyes in irritation, and I couldn't help the rush of pride I felt in the reaction my short quip caused in her.
“You go ahead and break”, she stated firmly, grabbing a nearby cue and leaning on the table. Her face was still pink-tinged from our previous interaction, but the expression on her face had smoothed into an unreadable mask. If I didn't know any better I would say that she was bored with our game already. I shrugged as I stepped up to the table.
“Your funeral”, I muttered before expertly breaking the set, the solid orange ball sinking into a pocket almost immediately.
“You're stripes”, I dead panned as I lined up my next shot.
“You don't say”, Bea replied dryly. She was leaned up against her cue, arms still crossed on her chest, but her face had softened some. She no longer held a look like she was plotting to stab me in my sleep, so I took that as a positive sign.
“You know you can back out any time, I won't judge you”, I mentioned lightly as I sunk two more of my solids. Bea chuckled lightly and shook her head.
“Ditto to you Jolly Green Giant”, she quipped good naturedly as I missed an easy shot.
I scoffed as she inched her leather jacket off her shoulders and took a spot across the table to line up her first shot. I couldn't help but allow my eyes to freely roam over the new expanse of her arms and shoulders, now visible in her small black tank top. Though she'd been around here long enough now, I realized suddenly that I'd never seen her bare arms until this moment. Her skin was as pale as Jughead's, and looked smooth and soft as it practically glowed under the cheap bulbs that hung overhead. To my slight surprise, the majority of her right arm was covered in an intricate tattoo. Blood red roses and nautical stars weaved artfully around her bicep, ending near the crook of her elbow. Over her left shoulder I saw the petals of a more realistic looking flower peeking up from under the thin straps of her shirt.
“You know I, take it back”, Bea's voice broke me out of my thoughts.Shaking my head, I cleared my thoughts and cleared my throat uncomfortably. “I will absolutely judge you if you back out now”.
I laughed genuinely, but the sound was caught in my throat as I watched her effortlessly sink the blue and red balls one after the other. She noted my shock, and the look of barely contained glee that overtook her features only fueled the gaping look I'm sure was on my face. She swiftly made her way around the table and sidled up near me to line up her next shot.
“Where'd you learn to play like that?”, I demanded, tone a little more harsh than I intended. Bea chuckled as she leaned over the table.
“Shocking isn't it?”, she quipped. Her voice was even, but I could practically feel the way her words dripped with sarcasm and contempt.
“It's almost as if you aren't the only one who grew up in dingy bars learning to play”, she continued, eyes trained on the game in front of us. “Seems for all your big talk you never even considered the fact that you don't actually know the first thing about me”.
I stood dumbfounded as I watched her masterfully sink yet another shot; she now had five of her stripes to my three. I crossed my arms petulantly across my chest as I watched her stand up to her full height and cast me a smile that could only be described as a smirk. I’d honestly hadn’t worried about the possibility of losing a game in years; it was time to start playing dirty. Shaking my head, I walked slowly over to stand just behind the blonde girl, vehemently ignoring the way my heart rate increased at the sight of her plump ass bent over in such close proximity to my body.
“Oh and I suppose you know all about me, huh doll?”, I replied quietly, voice bordering on a whisper and lips so close to the shell of her ear that I was certain she could feel the heat of my breath on her. To my extreme satisfaction, I felt a shiver run through every inch of Bea’s body as I spoke, and I couldn’t prevent the devious smirk that overtook my face in response. She over-shot her next move, sending the green ball flying wide from it’s intended pocket. A feeling I could only describe as pride coursed through my body like a crashing river as I watched the Jones girl straighten up and felt the way her strong form tensed even more after she realised her shot. The feeling dissipated as quickly as it’d come once she turned an about face and was suddenly toe to toe with me. Blood rushed to my neck and face as I realized with a start just how close we currently were. Round face mere inches from my own, I could feel every breath she took and I was immediately drawn into her gaze. Her eyes were like two deep, emerald pools of emotion boring into my own dark hues; her expression was placid, unreadable, but the way her chest rose and fell with each breath betrayed her irritation and interest in our encounter.
“So that’s how we’re gonna play this, huh?”, she practically purred, lips mere centimeters from my own. As palpable electricity coursed between us like a current, a part of me was overcome with the urge to slam her body further into the table behind her and close the gap between our lips. Another, more rational part of me was practically screaming to ignore this urge at all costs and to turn tail and run.
Thankfully, the majority of my brain was currently in too much of a state of shock to act upon either impulse, and I merely ended up frozen in place. Mind racing in overdrive, I attempted to short through the virtual tornado of feelings and thoughts that ran through my brain in order to figure out a response that I wouldn’t end up regretting later. Hoping, somewhat futilely, that Bea couldn’t sense my internal struggle I wound up simply smirking not-so-innocently at the girl in front of me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about sweetheart”, I responded as casually as I could manage, face never backing away any further from hers. “But I do believe it’s my shot”.
Still mere inches from my own, I watched and held my breath as two of the most intriguing almond shaped eyes I’d ever seen narrowed slightly before Bea’s face broke out into a look of such pure sin that I felt a shiver of electricity pulse through my entire body. She slunk out of the cage created by the edge of the table and my own body lightly and moved to stand on the other side.
“Big mistake Sweets”, I vaguely heard her retreating form mutter as I fought to return my pounding heart rate back to some semblance of a normal rate.
I seriously needed to get a grip. I never let girls get to me like this, or anyone really for that matter. Typically I was totally in control in these types of situations; understanding how to push just the right buttons to get the reactions I wanted while remaining wholly disinterested myself was a skill I’d perfected over the years, but it was a skill that it seemed I'd completely lost today. To my endless frustration, ever since I’d met Bea that day at school any semblance of control or dominance I had over a situation or even my own thoughts had been completely absent. More and more as I interacted with Bea my mind had only been able to draw one coherent thought.
I was fucked.
In a last ditch effort to conceal my inner struggle, I simply bent over the table and I lined up a relatively easy shot and sunk another ball.
“Really though, where did you learn to play like that?”, I asked casually, hoping my obvious curiosity was at least somewhat masked. My eyes were trained on the game in front of me, hoping it seemed like I was absentmindedly looking for my next play.
“When Johnny moved me away he was even less of a father than he was here if you can believe it”, she answered, voice practically dripping with poorly concealed contempt. “I ditched him pretty early on, and I needed to find some way to make money. So, after years spent in places like this, I figured using my age and cute little innocent face to my advantage was the quickest way to get some cash”.
“So you hustled people for money?”, I concluded, gaze finally locking back with hers. She smiled deviously once more before shrugging. I couldn’t help the rush of emotions that flooded me with just this one simple admission; anger at the insinuation of the realities of her childhood, amusement at the obvious way she’d come to be so good at pool, and strangest of all a sense of pride in her skills and the way she'd come about them.
“ As I'm sure you can imagine the necessity of winning certainly helped me learn quickly” she finished. Her tone was nonchalant, but I could almost feel the desperation that laced her words. Underneath her tough attitude still lay a frightened little girl who didn't know where her next meal was coming from. I was a little taken aback at the fierce urge to protect the blonde girl in front of me. Clearly she could take care of herself, but I couldn't help the surge of possessiveness I felt after the small glimpse into her upbringing.
“Makes sense”, I muttered as I leaned back over the table to line up another shot. Confidence swelling as it normally did when I played, I readied a snarky remark as I prepared to tie our scores. The comment never came; the words died in my throat as my eyes met the most jarring thing I'd ever seen and my shot missed its target by inches.
Bea was casually leaning forward on the table, elbows resting comfortably on the edge. The thin fabric of her tank top was noticeably lower than when we'd started, revealing more of her soft flesh than my eyes had ever been fortunate enough to see before. Her chest was pressed up against her arms, and the resulting attention drawn to her ample cleavage left me unable to look anywhere else. Any option of my expression remaining even close to impassive immediately flew out the window. Her strong features were practically oozing sex; green eyes sparkling with amusement and an emotion I couldn't quite place, and her cheeks were flushed with a delicious pink tint that only enhanced her already rosy complexion. In that brief moment as I was taken aback the small part of me that had been urging me to whisk her away and claim her as mine overcame me, and it nearly overpowered the rational part of my brain that'd succeeded thus far at keeping the Jones girl at arms length. My palms became clammy, and heat rushed to every inch of my body.
With great effort, I managed to tear my gaze away from the girl and straighten up to my full height. Bea smirked once more, eyes locked with mine as she gauged my reaction.
“Problem Sweets?”, she grinned. Her body oozed amusement and pride as she snickered, but my mind couldn't help but note that she was still bent over the table.
Still dazed, the realization of the obvious way she was manipulating me slowly entered my consciousness. I was certain I was going to be annoyed later, but currently I couldn't be bothered with any thoughts that didn't involve the girl in front if me or my desperate attempts to bring myself back to reality. To my vague embarrassment, I was sure it was evident just how much I was at a complete loss.
“What the fuck”, I muttered, shaking my head in another attempt to clear the fog that had invaded my brain.
“Sure you don’t want to back out Pea?”, Bea’s voice broke through the lingering jumble of thoughts running through my mind. Evidently Bea had taken full advantage of my momentary lack of attention and had already sunk another shot. Just as I’d predicted, a wave of irritation coursed through me as the realization of just how effortlessly she’d played me hit me like a truck. If her smug expression was any indication, Bea knew it too. What had I gotten myself into?
Choosing to stay silent, I simply crossed my arms and glared at her. Bea snickered lightly as she sunk her final stripe and poised herself to shoot the 8-ball in for her win. I rolled my eyes and mentally prepared myself for the vicious taunts and jabs that I was sure she was formulating for her victory.
Never one to do what I expected, Bea surprised me by standing up slowly from her stance and circling the table as she moved closer to me. Her face was marginally softer than previously, and she finally stopped when she was only an arm’s length from me.
“Just so we’re clear, when I win”, she began only to be cut off by my scoff. She raised an eyebrow at my obvious irritation, but paused only momentarily before continuing.
“When I win, you are going to stop with the whole ‘Northside vs. Southside’ bullshit yeah?”, she finished, long arms coming to cross in front of her chest and eyebrow still quirked with curiosity. I rolled my eyes once more, annoyance radiating from my every pore.
“Games not over yet doll”, I practically growled. Now it was Bea’s turn to roll her eyes. Her mouth opened slightly, no doubt about to speak a snappy retort, so I quickly finished. “But that was the deal yeah. I won’t bring it up anymore. While you’re around anyways”.
Seemingly satisfied, the blonde beauty nodded curtly once.
“Okay. So if a game of pool gets me out of that, then what do I have to do to get you to drop the whole brooding, ‘I don’t trust anyone’ facade?”, she breathed lightly, emerald eyes locking with mine once more. Gone were the sparks of amusement and smug pride; all that remained was a look of such hopeful sincerity that it stole whatever smartass comment I had prepared.
“Cause I don’t know if you got the message or not, but I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. So I think it’d make both of our lives easier if we could just be friends”, she finished.
“You really want to be around me that bad, huh sweetheart?”, I smirked, chuckling at the flash of annoyance that crossed her soft features momentarily before her face returned to it’s previous gentle expression.
“You wish”, she giggled. “But seriously Pea, what’s it gonna take to get you to relax around me?”.
I exhaled tensely through my nose as my mind raced with a number of possible replies. I could always go with my usual sarcastic deflection like my rational brain wanted. Or, I could man up and tell Bea the reality of how I felt about getting to know her better like the ever growing part of me wanted to do. Truthfully, when Bea had first barged her way into my life it’d been relatively easy to keep my distance, but with each passing day it became harder for me to remind myself of all the reasons I was trying to keep her out of my life. She’d wormed her way into Toni and Fangs’ trust, and each time she’d made an appearance my rationale for disliking her seemed more and more flimsy. Certainly she fit in better than with us than her poser of a cousin. Admittedly, I thought Bea was pretty okay to be around; she’d proven herself to be funny, sarcastic, laid back, and more down to earth than I’d originally predicted, and even I had to admit that I genuinely enjoyed having her around. More so than I’d ever willingly admit out loud.
Not really ready to tell Bea any of that and unsure of what to say, I opened my mouth to respond and was abruptly (and mercifully) cut off by the sudden entrance of a certain beanie-clad asshole. I scoffed loudly in contempt.
“Looks like this Northsider is lost”, I spat. Bea’s head snapped to mine and I shrugged as I sent a smirk in her direction.
“Sorry doll, old habits die hard”, I drawled, amused.
Bea rolled her eyes at me, but the way the corners of her plump lips quirked upwards clued me in that she was more amused than she let on. I chuckled at her reaction in such a fond way that I was a little annoyed at myself for letting my guard down.
“Jug, what’re you doing here?”, she questioned. His eyebrows furrowed deeper and I had to stop another scoff threatening to escape.
“I could ask you the same thing”, he shot back, clearly displeased with his cousin’s presence in the Wyrm. This time I couldn’t help but grunt with irritation. Bea belonged here more than he did. Evidently, she felt the same; her face twisted into an adorable scowl and her arms came to rest across her chest once more.
“I literally hang out here everyday Jug”, she snapped. “You on the other hand avoid this place like the plague, so again I ask, what’re you doing here?”.
“I’m over being half a serpent”, he replied more calmly than before.
“Wow”, I snapped, interrupting the two. “You will do anything to protect your Northside buddies”.
“What the fuck does that even mean Jug?”, Bea questioned, ignoring me and staring her cousin down with a look of such anger that I was almost feeling bad for Jones. In the past weeks I'd been on the receiving end of one of Bea's furious stares on more than one occasion, and I'd learned quickly that it was not a safe place to be.
“It means I wanna stand with you guys “, Jughead replied, locking eyes with Bea briefly before looking around to the other members who’d gathered by now to watch their interaction. “My father was a Serpent. He led you”.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes in irritation. So just because his dad was a Serpent he thought he could just become one himself? He didn’t care about becoming a Serpent, he just wanted to make his life and his Bulldog friends’ lives easier. Finding that the crowd of fellow serpents were not in agreement with his sentiment, I watched as Jughead internally shifted his argument before speaking up once more.
“Tall boy is the one who gave me this jacket”, he continued, pointing out the older man in defiance. “It’s time I finally start wearing it”.
“You stupid fuck”, Bea muttered, shaking her head in disgust. I couldn’t help but find myself feeling slightly proud and pleased that she seemed to be on the same page as me. Bea wasn’t a serpent, but she was miles fucking closer than Jughead.
“So”, Tall Boy drawled, finally entering the conversation from where he stood at a nearby pool table. “Now you wanna be a Serpent ,huh? Let’s see if you survive the initiation first”.
To his credit, Jughead stood his ground as the older man approached, and his expression remained stoic at his insinuation. At some point, Bea had ended up much closer to me than before, and I could feel the way her body shook with what I assumed was anger. A glance over to her round face only confirmed this assessment; her previously gentle features were now stoney and cold, cheeks flushed with a red color that was different than that during our game, and her hands were balled up across her chest so tightly I was borderline concerned for her circulation. I reached a hand before my brain could even catch up with the action, and rested my palm against her bare shoulder in silent support in an effort to calm the angry girl. Bea’s face snapped up, wild green eyes meeting mine before softening marginally.
“He’s a god-damned moron. He has no interest in you guys, I don’t know what his game is”, she muttered echoing my earlier thoughts. The spots where the pads of my fingers and palms met the impossibly smooth skin of her shoulder tingled with almost painful sparks of electricity. Her skin had looked soft from afar, but I could've never imagined it to feel like this. To my unexpected delight, Bea didn't draw back from my touch, but rather leaned backwards so her back was more solidly attached to my front. A wave of heat rushed through me as my brain finally registered the actions my body had taken and my face flushed with what I was certain was an embarrassing flush of color.
“Bea…”, I murmured, racking my brain to think of something, anything to say that would lessen the beautiful girl's obvious annoyance.
“It's fine Pea. But I'd better go talk to him. Or rather go smack some sense into that beanie holder he calls a brain”, she quipped lightly, turning to face me fully. My hand fell from her body lamely and returned to my side, small ghosts of electricity still stinging here or there as it did so. I cleared my throat and rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly.
“And you don't have to worry about it”, I blurted out, mouth seconds faster than my brain was processing. Bea's thick brows furrowed slightly before raising one in confusion.
“Worry about Jughead?”, she snorted. “Please, he won't make it past the threshold without getting an earful from me, you can count on that”.
I barked out a chuckle at the mental image of the spitfire in front of me squaring up with her comparatively taller cousin, sure that she would intimidate the living hell out of him regardless. I'd pay to see Jones taken down a peg, and having Bea be the one to do it would be hilariously satisfying.
“Uhm yeah no, I mean about me”, I cleared my throat again uneasy feeling returning to me with full force. Bea's brows remained furrowed as she waited patiently, clearly wanting me to continue.
“I just...you're alright Jones. I'll try not to give you so much shit”, I finished lamely, pulse racing for reasons unknown. Expression morphing from confusion to something I couldn't quite place, Bea's face eventually broke out into an ear splitting grin.
“Alright?”, she giggled, eyebrow squirming up once more, this time in accusation. Ignoring the way my stomach flipped at her adorable look of happiness, I rolled my eyes.
“Don't make me regret this Bea”, came my sarcastic reply. Bea chuckled.
“Oh I'm absolutely going to make you regret it Sweetest Pea”, she murmured lowly. Stomach dropping low in my body, I felt my entire body tense at her words, though not in fear, but rather in some kind of anticipation. There was some kind of undercurrent to her simple statement that was sending my nerves into a tailspin, and fuck if the way she was looking right now didn't do things to me. Her eyes had somehow darkened from an emerald to a deep mossy green, and she peered up at my face through her fan of dark lashes. I felt my mind immediately go blank as she peered upwards and our eyes locked.
She was the first to break our staring contest after what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few seconds in reality. She turned and began to walk away before stopping abruptly. She smirked deviously before leaning back over the table just in front of me, ass sticking out more inches from me, and sinking her final ball, effectively finishing our game.
“Almost forgot”, she whispered lowly, smirking in my face, clearly amused by my dumbfounded expression. She wiggled her fingers as if to say goodbye before finally walking away, presumably to go find Jughead.
I let out a breath I hadn't even known I was holding, and unconsciously leaned against the pool table for support. I wasn't entirely sure what'd just happened, but I knew without a doubt that something had fundamentally changed. I found myself shaking my head to myself once more as I wondered silently what the fuck I'd just gotten myself into.
"I liked the kid, and you know what they say about idle hands."
"They start organizing efforts to collect coal, wood, or oil for families who lost their power lines recently? Sending out consultants from one village to another, and relocating the people who need it?"
"Yes, I think that's how the old adage goes," Laney agreed, grinning.
Hello lovely people! I have been staring at this chapter for over a week now, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it but here we are! Please feel free to leave a like or a comment if you enjoyed it!
_Chapter 2: _
Bea's POV:
As we exited Southside high I couldn't help but find myself super amused and proud at the annoyance radiating from Jughead. It'd been way too long since I was able to get under his skin, and honestly it was one of the things I'd missed most about my beanie-clad counterpart. Growing up we were something closer to twins than cousins, and even though we had a hell of a lot of catching up to do, it was safe to say I was pleased to discover that some things never change. I hoped as he found out more and more about my life away from Riverdale that we could somehow maintain this bond we shared.
I smiled at him lightly, wiggling my eyebrows. His frown faltered for a second as he chuckled at the stupid face I pulled before he rolled his eyes and frowned once more.
“You know I don't know why it was so important that we go see dad now”, he grumbled as we reached our bikes.
“Oh please, as if any normal high school kid wouldn't love an excuse to skip classes”, I retorted while grabbing my helmet. “Never knew you'd turn out to be such a goody-goody Juggie”.
If it was even possible, his glare deepened as he placed his own helmet on his head. I sighed, hesitating before placing my own on my head.
“Okay you want the truth Jug?”, I asked, tone softer than before. He raised his eyebrows, bobbing his head silently and shrugging his shoulders in irritation, as if to say “duh”. I exhaled through my nose noisily, weight shifting slightly between my feet as a feeling of anxiety overwhelmed me.
“I spent the whole morning thinking about what I can even say to him. About how I'm going to have to answer questions I don't have good answers for, and tell stories I'd rather never bring up. Right after you and Betty left I tossed and turned in the bed that smelled just like his old cologne, coming up with excuses not to see him. I swear, if I wouldn't have come and gotten you now I would've given in and bolted”, I babbled, hands shaking slightly with my admission. Watching how Jughead’s face smoothed and how his eyes turned soft I suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable. I was extremely uncomfortable with the amount of information that I'd just blurted out, and I internally panicked as I realized how much I'd actually let slip. I shifted my weight again, eyes cast anywhere but Jug's pitying look.
“Bea…”, he started as he inched closer to my bike.
“It's okay Juggie”, I pacified while sending a small smile his way. His brows furrowed slightly in concern, and he continued to inch closer to me until he was next to me. He placed his hand on my arm gently, fingers giving a small squeeze of reassurance.
“You know we aren't going to make you tell us anything you aren't ready for right?”, he asked. His green eyes, a mirror to my own, were looking directly at me, full of sincerity without a trace of amusement or deceit. It was in that moment, when I stared my cousin in the face and truly looked at him after so many years apart, that I felt something tight within my chest loosen. It relaxed something in me, just a little bit. The knot of doubt and uncertainty didn't leave me completely, as I assumed it never would, but I found myself feeling more comfortable than I'd felt in a long while. I exhaled deeply through my nose, a smile creasing my features that was more genuine than I think I'd managed in a long time.
“Thank you Juggie”, I murmured, pulling the beanie clad boy in for a firm hug. He wrapped his arms around me protectively like he used to when we were kids, holding me just as tightly. We stood like that for a few moments before pulling away. I smiled at my cousin once more before we silently hopped on our bikes, heading off in the direction of the jail.
As I sat in the wildly uncomfortable plastic chairs the sheriff's office provided for visitors I felt the familiar restriction circle around in my chest like a fat cat looking for a spot to lay. My knee bounced uncomfortably, and I felt my palms begin to sweat as I waited for my uncle to come out. Jughead sat next to me, and though I wasn't looking at him I could tell that he was staring at me. He could look all he wanted, but my face would remain an impassive mask. My ability to hide my true feelings had always served me well, and now was no exception. After a few minutes of this charade I turned to look my cousin in the face, rolling my eyes as I did so.
“I’m fine Jug. Just hoping I don’t shock Jonesy into an early grave; he has no idea I’m even still alive, let alone here”, I chuckled, only half kidding. Now it was Jughead’s turn to roll his eyes.
“Relax. Can’t be worse than being caught in your underwear by an intruding long lost relative”, he said sarcastically. I grinned at him, clapping a hand on his shoulder.
“Oh please, you should be so lucky. I keep your life interesting”, I giggled. Jughead opened his mouth to respond, but before he could FP walked out and took his seat across the plated glass. I felt my heart jump into my throat at the sight of him. Largely he looked exactly as I remembered him, although maybe a bit more tired and grey. His face showed an array of emotions, but the most prominent was ultimately confusion. I felt a small tug on my heart when I realized he didn't recognize me. It was probably fair though; of the three of us I had definitely changed the most.
“Jug, who's this?”, he asked immediately, head cocking towards me for emphasis.
“Dad--”, Jughead started.
“Hi Jonesy. Been a while”, I interrupted, smiling lightly. I watched with amusement and a slight bit of nervous energy as I took in his reaction. I knew as soon as I called him that he'd figure out who I was; I was the one who come up with the nickname when I was 3, and I was pretty certain I was the only one to call him by it. I could practically see the wheels turning in his mind as he tried to wrap his brain around what he was seeing and hearing. I watched in interest as it clicked for him, his charcoal eyes sparking with recognition.
“Baby Bea?”, he practically whispered. I smiled in reassurance.
“It's me Jonesy. I'm back”, I murmured through the cheap plastic phone. FP looked as if he were going to cry, and opened and shut his mouth several times without ever really saying anything. I chuckled, ignoring the wetness I felt pricking at my eyes.
“Oh come on old man, you're not going soft on me are you? Even Juggie didn't cry when he figured it out!”, I joked. FP snorted, hastily wiping his face and shaking his head.
“Soft? What are you kidding? You do see where I'm sitting right?”, he shot back teasingly. I laughed as a feeling of contentment ran through me. This was the uncle I remembered; quick, sarcastic, and never taking anything too seriously.
“What are you doing here Bea?”, he asked, expression becoming solemn once more. The contentment I felt dissipated quickly and fear took its place. I knew this was coming, but for all my preparation I still hadn’t come up with a good answer for him. I sighed, turning to Jughead for support.
“I heard through the grapevine that you were in trouble, and I wanted to come and see what I could do”, I answered softly. FP shook his head slightly and scoffed.
“Is that right?”, he asked, tone somewhat cold. “So it takes me getting locked up for you to decide to waltz back into Riverdale? Don’t be doing me any favors kid”.
I looked down to my lap briefly in a futile attempt to hide the way my eyes filled with tears at his response. Although I’d expected this kind of reaction, and though it was fair for him to feel this way it didn’t make the knot in my chest any less suffocating at the moment. I was filled with self-loathing with the knowledge that I’d hurt one of the only people I could actually call my family. I took a steadying breath before looking back at my uncle and speaking.
“Well I haven’t exactly had the easiest go of things either Jonesy”, I muttered. “You and Jug would actually be doing me a favor by giving me a place to crash for a while”. His eyes softened, and he blew a breath out of his nose noisily before leaning back in his chair.
“Bea, you know you’re always welcome with us, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just...where have you been kid?”, he asked, voice decidedly less icy than before. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could reply Jughead’s hand came to rest on my shoulder in a show of support.
“Dad, Bea isn’t ready to tell us everything just yet. Maybe we can give her time to adjust? Ya know, process?”, he questioned firmly. I turned to send him a grateful look, and he nodded once at me in recognition. FP looked between the two of us for a few seconds before running a hand through his long, dark locks.
“Of course kid. I’m never gonna make you tell me something you aren’t comfortable with, you know that. But you’ve gotta give me something Bea; I’ve been going crazy trying to figure out where you were”, he answered finally. In that moment I swear he looked about 80 years older than he was; his eyes had deep wrinkles surrounding them and dark bags underneath them that made him look more tired than I could fathom. His beard was laced with grey and white, and I felt my heart drop to my stomach with the realization that I was probably part of the reason that he looked so exhausted. I sighed once more, steadying myself.
“Well, you know how Johnny is. He found out that you and Gladys were trying to take me away from him, and he was having none of that. So he snatched me up in the middle of the night and packed me into the truck. I was so confused, I was half asleep and he didn’t even let me pack anything. I had no clothes, no toys, nothing. He drove me around for days and days; it was so long I started to believe we were going to live out of his truck forever. And we pretty much did, until it finally broke down in St. Paul, Minnesota. We drifted around, couch hopping and staying in some meth addled fuck or another's house for a while”, I explained calmly, though my fists began clenching unconsciously at the memory. “I really wasn't too keen on that whole life, so I ditched him when I was 13. After that I was just roaming around and trying to learn how to survive on my own. Which, I gotta say I think I do pretty well, considering. That was my whole life up until yesterday, when I found an old Serpent by chance; he mentioned that you were in trouble, so I hopped on my bike right away and came”, I explained calmly.
I looked FP right in the eyes as I spoke, hoping that neither he nor Jug noticed the way my hands were slightly trembling from the tense way I'd been clenching them. Jughead still had his hand on my shoulder comfortingly; I could feel his eyes boring into me, but I kept mine focused on Jonesy. He, much like me, had an expression of cool indifference; but I could tell on the inside he was seething. His already dark brown eyes turned nearly black as he listened, and I knew he was thinking if all the ways he could hurt my father for what he did. All the ways he could make him suffer, make sure he was sorry for taking me away from the only family I really had. I knew that look because it was one I used to wear often.
“Bea…”, Jughead asked softly, pulling my attention away from my dissection of FP's expression. When I turned to look I was met with the polar opposite emotions radiating from my normally brooding cousin. His green eyes were flush with unshed tears, and he looked so sorrowful I instantly regretted giving up as much information as I had. If I could, I would kick myself for causing him to feel this way.
“Why didn't you ever try to come back before now?”, he questioned in a tone so quiet I almost had to crane my neck closer to hear it. I inhaled slowly, thinking carefully on how to word my response.
“It's because of him isn't it?”, FP spat practically through his teeth. “Johnny sold you some bullshit about us, didn't he?”.
I swallowed thickly and nodded.
“Yeah. He told me you guys wanted me out. That you were sick of having me around and that I was a burden to him and to you. Only according to him at the time, he was ‘legally obligated’ to stick with me”, I chuckled coldly, eyes rolling. It was true, Johnny was a piece of shit. Lucky for me he was also a shit liar, so I'd always known the truth. Though it wasn't really the reason I hadn't been back, agreeing with Jonesy was easier than explaining the truth, and technically not a lie on my part. The Jones boys weren't ready for the full tragic backstory from me anyways.
“That fucking trash. I should've taken you when I had the chance”, FP growled, hand slamming down on the table roughly.
“Dad”, Jughead warned as the officer standing nearby eyed the three of us suspiciously. FP glanced at the guard before running a hand through his hair once more and taking a steadying breath.
“Jonesy, I’m okay. Really”, I soothed. He looked up at me; his eyes were still slightly wild with anger, but the look was slowly fading in favor of a much stronger emotion. Guilt.
“Bea, you know that was never true, right?”, he asked quietly. I smiled lightly.
“I know that, I do”, I replied genuinely. FP’s dark eyes bored into my own, searching for any indication that what I said wasn’t true. I stared back and tried to convey my sincerity through my eyes. After what felt like forever, FP leaned back in his chair, seemingly satisfied with my response. I let out a breath of relief and turned to look at Jughead for a moment, smiling.
“So. What’s new with you guys?”, I joked lightly.
“Hey girl, what’s up?.
“Hey chiquita linda”.
Familiar voices greeting me from their places inside the Wyrm were the first thing I heard as I walked into the dingy bar. Topaz was positioned behind the bar and Fangs lounged on a stool near to his pink-haired friend. Large smile plastered on my face, I immediately strode up to the stool next to his and took a seat.
“What’s up guys?”, I questioned as I settled in, already comfortable around the pair of young serpents. In the last week or two I’d quickly developed friendships with both Fangs and Toni. Since I didn’t go to school and I hadn’t yet found a job, I had little else to do but hang out at the Wyrm with them. Additionally, I really had missed the dingy bar I fondly recalled from my childhood. The Wrym hadn't changed much; same old stools, same pool tables with patches of felt missing here or there, and the same old serpents milling around comfortably in one of the only places they had to themselves. I couldn’t help the wave of nostalgia that overtook me each time I entered, and I was loving the fact that Topaz worked here enough that I had ample excuses to stop by.
“I get off work soon, which cannot come quick enough. It's dead as fuck in here”, Toni complained as she wiped the greasy countertop with an equally greasy-looking rag before leaning an elbow on it.
“Hey, I'm here”, Fangs pouted, lower lip sticking out playfully. Toni rolled her eyes as I chuckled.
“We should be so blessed”, I teased. Fangs placed a hand over his chest dramatically feigning hurt.
“You guys wound me”, he replied, eyes full of mirth.
“Anyways, you want a drink Bea? It's on the house”, Toni interjected, attention turning back to me. I shrugged nonchalantly.
“Well I would hope water's on the house”, I joked, semi seriously.
“Seriously, get whatever you want girl. Hog Eye just assumes I give people free shit anyways so you might as well take advantage”, she said, tone more serious than before. Her perfectly sculpted brows were raised in concern, and underneath her fan of dark lashes her eyes were sparkling with sincerity. I waved a hand in dismissal. It was the same fight we'd had many times since I'd barreled my way into her life, and I always got my way. Topaz thought I was refusing drinks because I didn't have the money, but the truth was I just chose not to drink alcohol. It's not like I hadn't before, I just didn't like the way it made me feel. The few times I had gotten well and truly loaded I was always faced with the gut-wrenching feeling like I was turning into my father-- a thought which never failed to make me sick to my stomach and shame spiral for days on end. It was a rough lesson to learn, but boy did I learn fast. No it was better to just avoid alcohol all together. Lucky for me, it seemed like Toni assumed if she offered me free drinks long enough that I would one day accept. Fine by me, as I knew I never would, and was thankful for the excuse not to get into all my business with my new friends just yet.
“Seriously TT, I just came to sit and shoot shit with you two and maybe play some pool. Water is fine”, I replied firmly. My tone wasn't unkind, but I knew the way I'd said it had left no room for further discussion. Toni sighed and went to grab me my glass. Fangs shrugged lightly, hand tapping his own glass in indication.
“If she won't take you up Topaz I will”, he said hopefully. His brown eyes were alight with mischief as he gave Toni what I could only describe as a puppy-dog face.
“In your dreams Fogarty”, Toni sassed as she passed me my water. His face fell slightly and he leaned back in his seat and grumbled inaudible gripes.
I laughed and stirred the straw in my glass absentmindedly; it made me giggle whenever I watched the pair in front of me interact. I hadn't known either of them for long, but I already felt as if I fit into their dynamic pretty well. Topaz was a fiery, sarcastic badass and I loved her for it. She and I got along instantly when I'd met her at Southside High that day last week, and I'd already declared her my best friend. Fangs and I clicked pretty quickly as well, although it took me a bit longer to warm up to him. His shameless attempts at flirting had made me weary at first, but it didn't take me long to figure out that it was just who he was. Underneath his badass, womanizing facade Fangs was actually a secret sweetheart. He was caring, loyal, and funny; I had learned to love the goofy serpent at face value and not take his awkward attempts at flirting too seriously.
“Seriously though Bea, you sure you're good?”, Toni asked seriously once more from behind the bar.
“Give it up Topaz, you know Badass Bea doesn't drink”, I heard a deep sarcastic voice from behind me interject before I could reply. I rolled my eyes, instantly recognizing the now familiar voice.
“Well with the way you do, I figure I should try and help conserve some. You know, so Riverdale doesn't experience a shortage”, I quipped, not even turning around before I did. Just as expected, a certain tall, brooding serpent approached the three of us, empty bottle in hand. Sweet Pea sat down on Fangs’ other side and tipped the bottle lightly, indicating to Toni that he needed another beer. I smiled lightly in greeting and winked at him, causing the dark haired boy to roll his eyes in exasperation.
Sweet Pea was the one serpent that I hadn’t really connected to yet. He wasn’t outwardly aggressive or anything, I just got the feeling that he was holding me at arms length. While Toni and Fangs joked around with me easily, Pea’s comments always had an undercurrent of some emotion I couldn’t quite place, and his deep brown eyes seemed to swirl with indecision each time we spoke. Toni mentioned that Sweets was more closed off than she or Fangs, but I was determined to become friends with the tall serpent. Each day I felt myself breaking down more and more of his tense exterior, and we’d even progressed to the point that he would actually smile or laugh around me.
“No offense, just don’t get why you even come to the bar if you aren’t going to drink”, he shrugged after a while, seemingly unaffected by my comment. I chuckled lightly but sent daggers his way with my eyes.
“For the pleasure of your cheerful company of course Sweetest Pea”, I replied daintily. He rolled his eyes, but smirked nonetheless.
I smiled widely as I took in his reaction, a smile that quickly faded as he turned my way and I was able to fully see his face. I hadn’t been able to see his entire face before because of how we were seated and the way that one black curl of his always seemed to be strewn lazily across his forehead. Now that the entirety of his profile was visible I noted with horror the large black and blue bruises that decorated his strong features. The tall boy’s chiseled jaw was littered with small purple patches here or there-- which I had learned was not exactly out of the ordinary for him given his temper--but the most concerning mark was over his left eye. His entire socket was covered in a yellowish purple bruise that looked as if it was a few days healed at least. I’d seen more than my fair share of black eyes, and been the proud owner of enough myself to know when they were fresh, and his most certainly was not. My eyebrows knitted together with concern, and I quickly hopped up from my seat to take the one next to Sweet Pea. He quirked an eyebrow at my odd reaction, but didn’t say anything. I grabbed his chin in my hands--my brain not missing how strange it was to see how tiny his giant face made my hands seem-- and turned his face so I could appraise his injury more closely.
“What the hell Bea”, he snapped, head ducking out of my hold and giant hand striking out, grabbing both my wrists easily with just one of his own.
“What the hell is right”, I retaliated. “What the fuck happened to your face?”.
“Girl don’t be mean, you know he was just born that way”, Toni chuckled from behind the bar, causing Fangs to howl with laughter and Sweet Pea to use his free hand to flip her off. Not even turning to acknowledge her comment, I shot Sweets an expectant look. He grumbled lowly, and I raised an eyebrow once more to indicate my lack of understanding.
“I said, don't worry about it. Just a rumble with some asshole northsiders”, he growled lowly, dark eyes boring into mine.
“Northsiders?”, I questioned softly, eyes never leaving his. His brown eyes darkened even more if it were possible, and he turned his attention away from me and rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, that insane redhead and his Bulldog militia came over this way and waved a gun in our faces. So we went looking for him, and ended up squaring off with him and his dumbass buddies”, Fangs explained.
“And got their asses kicked”, Toni snickered from behind a bar.
“Screw you Topaz we did not”, Pea barked, grip tightening on my wrists unconsciously. I looked down at my hands that were encased in his large tanned grip, unable to help but notice how light his touch had been up until now. Just by looking at him I would've bet money that his hands were hard and calloused, but surprisingly they were soft and gentle. He too looked down at our hands before releasing me and bringing his own hands to his sides quickly. I noted with slight confusion that his neck tinted red as he did so, and my attention was momentarily torn from the current conversation. Did I embarrass him by bringing up his black eye? He didn't seem the type to worry about his battle scars, but maybe he really did get his ass kicked and was salty about it.
“We would've destroyed those mangy Bulldogs if Andrew's girlfriend wouldn't have brought her gun”, he continued, pulling me back from my mental musings. Though I was sure the comment was directed at me, he refused to meet my gaze, and chose to glare harshly at TT as he spoke instead.
“Wait, Andrews?”, I asked confused. “As in Archie Andrews?”.
Sweet Pea's eyes snapped up to my face, eyes swirling with unreadable emotion and lips curled into what I could only describe as a snarl.
“Yeah Andrews”, he seethed through his teeth. My brows furrowed deeper in confusion and doubt.
“Okay there's gotta be some kind of mix up, because there is no way that doofy little Archie fucking Andrews is the guy you've been bitching about since literally the day I got here”, I drawled. My eyes darted from one member of the young serpent trio to the next, brows lifted in suspicion. Sweet Pea scoffed, leaning back in his seat and shaking his head.
“I knew it. I knew you were just as much a Northside poser as your pathetic cousin”, he spat, chuckling humorlessly. I felt my body puff up indignantly, and I crossed my arms tersely and stood up to stand next to Sweet Pea’s stool; even my full height to his sitting form, Pea was still significantly taller than me. If I weren’t so pissed I might have laughed at the idea of my relatively shorter frame squared up with the giant boy in front of me.
“All I meant was that I grew up with Archie and that I don’t think that it’s possible for that sweet little moron to have done any of those things. I mean I know I haven’t seen him in a while, but let's be honest, Archie was never the sharpest crayon in the box so I’m just surprised he could mastermind any of that”, I snapped harshly. “But now that you mention it, I’m getting real tired of the whole ‘Northside vs. Southside’ bullshit. I haven’t even been here a month and I’m already sick of hearing you bitch about it. I haven’t ever even lived on the Northside, nor would it matter if I had. So I suggest you drop the whole marginalized rebel act around me Pea because I promise you I’m not the one”.
Sweet Pea’s expression went from one near amusement as I stepped up to him to one of utter annoyance and anger as I spoke. He stood as well, large frame towering over mine and face leaning in close to mine. As he got closer I couldn’t help but mentally appraise his features; his eyes were dark as I’d ever seen with anger, his neck flushed a bit with a rosy color, and his lips curled into the most devilish smirk I’d ever witnessed. Thank God I was pissed at the moment, because if not I might have internally swooned over his handsome features.
“Sorry if it bothers you sweetheart”, he sneered. “I just call it like I see it, and as I see it you are just as much of a Northside asshole as your precious Andrews. Who gave me this shiner by the way”, he sneered, pointing up to his eye. I narrowed my eyes into what I’m certain were nearly slits, and I stepped closer to him, practically daring him to do something.
“Well, sweetheart--”, I spat. “I call it like I see it too, and as far as I can see Topaz was right. You did get your ass kicked by a bunch of Northsiders, and on top of it all by Archie motherfucking Andrews. I mean come on, I once made the kid cry because I shoved mud in his face and he ran and tattled to FP about it”.
Sweet Pea’s face flushed even more at my comment, brows furrowing even deeper if it were possible. I never let my furious gaze waver from his dark stare; backing down from confrontation had never been my strong suit, and though it was widely known that Pea had a temper I could promise these Serpents hadn’t seen anything yet. I wasn’t as physically intimidating as the dark-haired boy, but nonetheless he was about to learn exactly how stubborn I was. If their facial expressions were any indication, Fangs and Toni were evidently catching on. Momentarily breaking my staring contest with Sweets, I glanced at my two new friends. Though TT leaned her face lightly on her arm that rested on the bartop in boredom, the way her eyes tracked our movements and widened at my harsh words betrayed her interest. And Fangs, well. Poor boy was sitting and bouncing his eyes back and forth between his best friend and I like he was watching a tennis match, eyes wide with surprise and a hint of fear. His deer in the headlights expression was almost enough to make me laugh despite the anger that still coursed through my body.
“So I guess the only question left to ask, is what do I have to do to get you to hop off my dick?”, I finished, eyebrow raising in silent question. “Cause I have no plans of going anyplace anytime soon, and as I said before this whole discussion is getting real old”.
The handsome boy’s eyes flashed with a sudden spark of emotion; to my utter shock, he smiled deviously and chuckled in my face rather than berate me as I expected.
“How about this sweetheart; if you can beat me in a game of pool, I’ll never bring it up to you again. But if I win, actually when I win, you have to deal with whatever I have to say about it, no complaints”, he proposed. His dark eyes danced and gleamed almost playfully as he spoke, causing my brows to furrow in surprise. If I wasn’t careful this guy was going to give me whiplash with his sudden mood swings.
“You’re on”, I growled, hand flying out to shake his. He grasped my hand harshly, pumping it up and down just once before he abruptly turned and made his way to one of the empty pool tables. It was only once he left that I realized just how close we’d gotten in the midst of our argument; as soon as his body left my space the air around me suddenly got cooler, and I shivered unintentionally. Shaking off this strange reaction, I took a deep breath and walked swiftly over to where he was setting up our game.
“So that’s how we’re gonna play this, huh?”, she practically purred, lips mere centimeters from my own. As palpable electricity coursed between us like a current, a part of me was overcome with the urge to slam her body further into the table behind her and close the gap between our lips. Another, more rational part of me was practically screaming to ignore this urge at all costs and to turn tail and run.
