Love And Leather

Chapter 8

“Baby, get dressed,” mom says, coming into my room. I ignore her and my curious feelings and keep writing the article about a jock who slapped a girl. I got a picture of it and blurred the girl's face out. “Betty.” I look up at her. She sighs. “They’re having a party, get dressed.”
“Who they?” I ask.
“The Serpents. They forced me to bring you, now come on, you have 10 minutes.”
I get up rapidly with a smile and hug her. I feel her relaxing, liking the fact that after five days I'm not mad at her anymore. She kisses my cheek softly. “Honey, I didn't want to feel left out again. I just can't break my own rules or you'll do the same and even more.”
“Yeah, I know,” I sigh and peck her cheek. I walk to my closet and open it. “Who’s coming?”
“The triplets,” she says, just to annoy me.
“And Polly?” I ask.
“Her new boyfriend is coming over and she'll watch Millie,” mom says. I hear from her voice that she doesn't like the idea.
“And what's wrong with that?” I ask.
“He’s a Blossom.”
I nod. “Jason Blossom. His twin sister is the meanest girl in the school, making my life hell most of the time. But he is actually cool. I mean he's not really cool, but he cares about Polls, so…” I explain to her as I pull my oversized shirt off over my head, leaving me only in a bra.
“I sill don't like it, his parents are… bad,” she says.
I roll my eyes. “If you've ever seen your own children that should tell you that the kids are never exactly like their parents.”
“You’re pretty similar to what I was when I was younger,” she says as I tie a flannel around my waist now.
“You smoked weed, mom,” I say and look at her, now in my full outfit; jeans, tights, crop top and a flannel around my waist because it's probably cold and I'll need it.
“Where do you get that?” she asks me with a little shocked face.
“FP,” I say.
She raises her eyebrows and clinks her teeth together as I start brushing my hair. I chuckle. “He’s in trouble now.”
“Betty,” she says with a warning tone. “We're not-“
“I didn't say anything like that, mom,” I smirk, teasing her.

We enter the bar. I feel eyes on me as I hit Kevin's head softly after he just told me that he's gonna film me kissing Jughead and I told him it's not gonna happen. The bar is dark, loud music playing, people drinking, playing pool and talking, but still manages to get quiet as we walk in.
We walk to some kind of bar counter, behind what there is an older man, who is already smiling at us. FP and Jug are sitting next to the counter with some others.
Jug's smile grows big as he sees me and he leans over the counter to take something from behind it. We reach them.
“Hey,” we all say.
“You actually let her come, wow,” FP says to my mom, making me chuckle quietly.
Mom gives him the look. “I can parent my children, FP, unlike some.” I smirk at her words what she has obviously gotten from me.
Jug stands up from the stool, stops in front of me and hands me a white rose with a small paper. “For my girl,” he smiles and that sends butterflies up my throat more than anything he has ever done. I take the rose with a shy smile and open the small note. He has answered me in the same symbols what he has obviously figured out now. I wrote: You really want to know what I like? Roses. I love white roses. Good luck figuring that out, asshole… Also, I don't like guys who measure their own dicks, dick.
I know all the symbols from the top of my head so I read his letter without any problems. Too bad, I guess you don’t like guys then…
I giggle quietly and feel many eyes on me, but the only eyes I can actually see are his. His deep but soft greenish blue eyes. I love them. I step in front of him and he wraps his arms around my waist as I cup his face carefully, still holding the white rose he gave me.
He melts into my kiss, just as I melt into his body and his arms tighten around me even more. It feels as if the world stopped. No one else matters to me on that moment except for his arms, body and lips. Gosh, these lips.
When we pull away, our foreheads rest together and I lower myself back down onto my feet, not on my tiptoes anymore. He keeps his arms around me and my hands fall onto his neck, not wanting to go anywhere away from him, feeling the need to pull him only closer to me.
He rests up normally, his lips on my forehead, because that's how tall he is. And then suddenly he starts chuckling, the hot air from his nose in my hair. I look up at him little with a confused smirk, but he keeps chuckling and pulls me even more closer to him if that would be possible.
“I ask for a kiss and I get that?” he asks quietly and I smash his chest, but let him hold me.
“It wasn't that bad,” I joke. He chuckles and brushes kisses against my hairline.
“That was hot,” Kevin says to someone and I hear a fist bump since everyone has gotten quiet for some reason. Us. That's the reason. I don't care.
“Better than the first one,” Kelly says.
“The first one?” I hear my mom sighing. I look up at Jug with a smirk and he looks down at me the exact same way.
“Come on, I'll introduce you to my friends,” Jug tells me quietly and drops his arms around me, but takes my hand into his.
“About time,” I say.
“Wait wait wait,” FP says and we sigh and turn around again. He and my mom look shocked. “Since when is that happening?”
“It’s not,” I say.
“Betty, don't start with that again. You're obviously in love with him,” Kev says, making many Serpents chuckle and me roll my eyes.
“Start with what?” Jug chuckles.
“Saying that she doesn't want a relationship,” Kelly says.
“She doesn't,” Jug states. I look up at him with raised eyebrows. He knows that but usually he tries to get me to date him.
“So what's going on?” my mom asks in confusion.
“Nothing, I'm grounded, remember?” I ask her. She gives me a look, which only makes me smirk. “Seriously mom, you think I'm dating someone who hasn't been able to take me out yet?”
“Yet,” Jug says with a grin and I hit him for that. “Stop hitting me, baby, it hurts.” I hit him for the nickname again and pull him away from our parents who are looking like really confused. He takes me to his friends who I see in school all the time and who right now are laughing like idiots.
“This is like real life comedy,” the girls giggles and they all try to shut up as we reach them, even though I'm still smirking.
“Betts, these are Sweet Pea, Fangs and Toni,” he says pointing at the long black haired guy, a shorter one looking kinda similar but really different, and then the girl with brown hair and pink ends. “You all know her already,” he says and kisses the top of my head, making me smile now.
“So am I allowed to talk to you guys now?” I ask.
“You're allowed to talk to us, just we are not allowed to hang out with you,” Sweet Pea says.
“Why?” I ask in confusion.
“Because Serpents are dangerous to everyone who isn't one,” the other guy –Fangs– explains.
“Isn't she like royal blood?” Toni asks the boys. “Princess if you talk movie terms…”
“Yeah, but-“
“Excuse me, what?” I ask.
“I don't call you a princess without a reason y'know. Your mom’s the queen,” Jug says.
I look at him with a shocked face. “I… I need to go and talk to my mom for a second,” I say. They grin at me and I kiss Jug's cheek rapidly and try to look around for my mom. I only see Kelly talking with some guy and then Kev who just gets to us.
Suddenly I feel Jug's arms around my thighs and he stands up, lifting me up with him. I giggle and look around. I see mom next to a pool table, playing with some guys. I point my finger at her and Jug places me down.
“Thanks Juggie,” I say and wanna walk away, but he grabs my hand and pulls mw back to him, making me chuckle. He pouts his lips a little and closes his eyes. I smile and lean up and peck his lips. “Satisfied?” I ask, pulling away.
“Not quite yet,” he says and lets me go as I start blushing. I make my way through all the people, towards my mom, and when I reach her, I tap her shoulder with my index finger. She looks at me with a smile and seeing the mad look on my face, she sighs, obviously understanding that I know now.
“Seriously?” I ask.
“Betty, I can explai-“
“Explain what? Why you won't let me be one when you're the leader?” I ask.
“You won't let her be one?” a guy asks. “That’s a little harsh, don't you think? She is our princess after all,” the man grins.
“I hate that name,” I say, pointing my finger at him. He raises his hands up like he'd be innocent and laughs. I look back at my mom.
“Baby, I don't want you… around…” she struggles with her words.
“Thugs,” another guy finishes.
“No not that,” my mom says and hits his head. “You’re not thugs, but you do have to do things like drug dealing once in a while and there are other gangs who want to kill you and-“
“Mom, come on, I know that. You're one, why can't I?” I ask. She sighs and drops her head onto her nape, a thing she does when she's thinking. “Come on, I'd actually be allowed around the only people in my school who actually want to be my friends. And I wouldn't be grounded on Mondays when they have meetings,” I smile, making the guys around us laugh and my mom smirk at me.
“No,” she says.
“I unarmed a guy holding a knife in my face and you won't let me join a fucking gang,” I say, getting annoyed again.
“What?” I hear FP asking and see her next to mom now. “When did you do that? Who did that to you?”
“A few months ago,” I say, ignoring the second question.
“Who was it?” he asks again and looks at my mom now.
“The point is, I'm able to protect myself. Plus you know the best thing about it? I get to wear this fucking awesome leather jacket,” I say, touching the sleeve of mom's.
The guys laugh at that and one of them ruffles my hair before I push his hand away. Mom is chuckling quietly and she looks at FP. “That would be possible?”
My eyes light up and I look at FP. “Uh, yeah, of course, just… She has to do the dance.”
“That's still one of the rules?” my mom sighs. “Maybe you could change it?”
“Alice, guys get beaten up, girls do the dance,” FP says. “That’s the rule.”
I now see a girl on the stage, dancing around a pole in her lingerie. Without a second thought, I say, “Yeah, I'll do it, when?”
“Betty,” both of them say in unison and I look at them and hum for an answer. “How about Friday. In two weeks?” FP asks, but mom hits his arm.
“What? No. You're not doing this,” mom says to me and gives FP a mad look.
I giggle and smile at FP. “Sounds great, Mr. Jones.”
My mom glares at both of us before I kiss her cheek quickly and thank FP and make my way back to Jughead. But when I get there, I see a completely different sight than what I was waiting for. My brother is making out with Fangs. It's hot and too heavy. Sweet Pea, Jug and Toni are all staring at them with smirks.
“Way to go, Kev,” I mumble, getting there. They all chuckle, but the two boys keep making out. I put my hand out for Jug to give me his phone and he does it. I type my number in and save it as his contact. He smiles so big and seems genuinely happy.
I look around for a place to sit, but the four chairs are full, my brother sitting on Fangs' lap. My eyes flicker between Jug's lap and his face. He probably notices that, because his hands go onto my waist and he pulls me to sit on his lap after what he wraps his arms around me.
“Are you two like a thing now? Officially?” Toni asks.
I shake my head. “I don't do boyfriends. He knows that.”
“He just pulled you onto his lap and is cuddling with you. Isn't that what boyfriends do?” Sweet Pea smirks.
“Shut up, Pea,” I say, making them laugh. He obviously doesn't like the nickname from the look he gives me.
“Wait, but seriously, baby?” Jug asks softly, making me look at him. “You don't want a boyfriend? You don't like to cuddle? You don't like to make out? You don't like to have someone to talk to? You don't like to have-“
My eyes grow really sad, making him shut up. “I don't do boyfriends, Jug,” I say really quietly and can feel the tension between me and everyone else. Jug kisses my forehead softly, basically saying that he wants to talk later.