Underneath ¤ Jughead Jones [2]

twenty-two

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE, PROTECTION

Lauren and Jughead were seated at Pops once more, the former out of her uniform  for once as they conversed about the boys previous conversation with his dad. It would have been quite strange for the brunette to be working with her boyfriend's father but she had grown to love the time she spent coaching the man on being a polite waiter, especially with impatient customers.

"Yall finished?" FP asked, approaching the couple with a smile. 

"Yeah, thanks dad." Jughead nodded handing the plate to the man. 

Lauren shook her head, feeling strange handing her dirty dished to the man. "No worries i'll just take it when I'm getting ready for my shift."

"Listen Jug, all I know is that F.P. Jones will always play a role in the Serpants, you don't need to worry about that." Lauren tried to persuade him as F.P walked away from them. The door opened abruptly, allowing Mason and Betty to walk in smiling at the pair, cutting Jughead off before he could start.

"Hey guys." Betty greeted as Mason came up behind them.  

Jughead briefly smiled at them before the sound of glass shattering interrupted him, the sound coming from Cheryl's table. The Serpants all stood up with anger, followed by Betty as Cheryl gave the man a cold glance.

"Clean that up, plead. The way you did my brothers blood." 

F.P shared a look with his angered son, stopping him before he could do anything. "Jug, don't.  We'll get you another milkshake right away, on the house." 

Lauren rolled her eyes at Cheryl's behavior, the scene being quite similar to what she did when Hermione was working  at Pop's. "Be a little original, Cher." 

Lauren walked away with a livid Jughead, followed by Betty and Mason who joined the two at their seats. Jughead shook his head in disbelief. "My dad used to be a king, a leader of men. And now he's being demeaned by people like Cheryl Blossom. He deserves to be honored not humiliated." 

"So why don't we just do that." Betty suggested happily making the Serpents look at her in confusion, Mason and Lauren sharing an uncertain look. "Seriously, why not just throw FP a retirement party fit for a king? I can take care of everything." 

Lauren shared an unconvinced look with the beanie boy who didn't respond as Betty grabbed her things and kissed Mason goodbye. Lauren's eyes widened, hiding her smile as she sent the boy a surprised look. "So you guys are kissing goodbye now."

"Shut up, Davis." Mason mumbled as Jughead let out a small chuckle. "I don't make fun of your relationship." 

"So, it's a relationship." Jughead added with a tease making the boy scoff, 

"You guys suck." Mason spoke, punching the boy before leaving with a huff. 

Lauren sighed, collecting her dishes with a frown. "I should get to work and relieve your dad."