Mrs. Jones

She's Important.

Notes:

Italics are a flashback. Flashback is from JB's POV and she doesn't tell Jughead everything that is written.

Bold is a phone conversation.

Jughead sat stunned after Bethany left. He wasn't sure how to handle her. He hadn't meant to be mean necessarily, and he had definitely not mean to hurt her physically. But he could see that it hurt her feelings to be accused of using JB and all he could see running through his mind was the etching of his fingers blooming dark against her fair skin. And that really bothered him.

He stood and wandered over to the note that she had left on the fridge. He read it over and then took a look at the other papers covering the door. There was an emergency contacts list, a copy of Bethany's semester school schedule, Jelly Bean's school schedule for the coming year, and even Jelly Bean's last report card from the spring. Their family had never put things on the fridge when he was in high school. Hell, he didn't even remember a time when his drawings were put on display as a child.
He was pulled from his inspection by JB stumbling out of her room.

"Jay, what was going on out here." He listened to his sister grumble, as she made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a slice of bacon with her eyes still barely open.

He leaned against the sink to just look at her. His baby sister was so grown up. "Your friend, who apparently lives with us, and I had a disagreement. She left you a note on the fridge."

Jellybean scanned it before leaning her elbows onto the counter and dropping her head into her hands groaning. "I forgot to tell you about Beth and now she is going to give me her disappointed face."

Jughead just raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing, just watching as she hopped up onto the counter with a plate in her hands.

"What did you say to her?"

Jughead rubbed the back of his neck and looked away from his sisters calculating eyes.

"That bad Jughead. Damn. It's not like it's the first time you've met her. She had dinner with us last night. In fact, she brought you dinner and you judged her eating habits while trying not to stare at her. I saw you. And if my hazy memory is correct she probably put you to bed."

Jughead glared at her. He hated when she was right.

"I asked her if she was just using you for my money. And I may have grabbed her arms a bit too hard. She bruises easily." Jughead mumbled, not looking at her.
JellyBean threw the soap bottle at him. "You did WHAT? Damn it, no wonder she got kind of loud. You are the reason we have rules against hurting women and you just grab a girl you barely know hard enough to bruise, Forsythe? Did prison give you brain damage, asshole? Also, really a golddigger? I bet Beth loved that one. Did she give you the icy glare that makes you rethink everything you have ever done to disappoint her?"

Jughead gaped at his sister in confusion. "What?"

"You would know if she was doing it. Believe me. She uses it on the guys all the time. She doesn't yell. I actually wish she would sometimes, but she makes you rethink your whole life until you practically beg for forgiveness. You should have seen Fangs practically crumble under her stare when he tried to lie to her once about forgetting to order the alcohol for the weekend. Or that one time with Tall boy. She is fierce." Jellybean just laughed and popped grapes in her mouth as she spoke. Like it was nothing for that tiny outsider to boss his guys around.

Jellybean seemed to read his clenched jaw perfectly and went on speaking. "She's the reason we even still have the bar. You should really talk to Murphy, but she revamped the business in just a few weeks and we have been making a ton of money ever since. Plus, she got the Sheriff and the Feds off our backs. Half the guys would be in jail if it wasn't for her."