Flash of Red

Chapter 8

The whole day after Betty had explained everything, it was easy. Jughead was able to work without over thinking anything, his head was empty and clear, something it hadn't been in years.

Betty was telling Kevin all about it for most of the day before she made lunch for Jughead, going outside to find him. He was sitting on the ground by the horse stalls smoking a cigarette and she couldn't help but smile at the image.

"Hi," she said tinily, Jughead smiling up at her.

"You know, you don't have to make me food, Betts." She shrugged, moving to sit next to him when he stopped her. "You're going to get your dress all dirty."

"Okay, well," she sat down in his lap and he chuckled. "Is that better?"

"I'd say so." He placed a chaste kiss to her lips, taking the sandwich from her hands. "Thank you." She hummed with a smile, Jughead putting his cigarette out.

They had talked while he ate, both laughing over small things. When he had finished she had gone back to the house, finding a book and sitting on the balcony to read. He had come inside later to find her still on her spot on the balcony, the book still in her hands but she was staring off into the fields.

He walked over to her, sitting down in a chair next to her. "What are you looking at?"

"I'm not sure." He furrowed his brows and she looked over at him, a tiny smile on her face. "You need flowers."

"Oh, that's what you're paying attention to?" He chuckled, shaking his head. "What, my house isn't girly enough for you?"

She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "No, you just... it'd make it look nice."

"You want to know who sees this house?" She furrowed her brows and he adjusted himself in his seat. "You, me, Archie, Veronica; that's it. And you and Veronica are one in the same because she constantly yells at me for having no flowers."

"Because you need some. It'd be cute."

"Now you want my house to look cute?" She laughed, nodding.

"Yes!" He smiled and leaned over to kiss her. It started slow but grew needy in minutes, Jughead moving to pick her up out of her chair. Her legs wrapped around his waist as he walked them inside and to his bedroom, closing the door with his foot.

~

Jughead flashed the cigarette to Betty and she nodded, watching him light it. "How long have you been smoking?" He glanced down at her, Betty pulling the sheet higher over her chest. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No, no. It's fine." He tapped it into an ashtray beside his bed, taking a drag before talking again. "I think the first time I, like, tried one I was 11-years-old and my dad had left the room with one going. I was dumb so I wanted to try it and when I did I got my ass handed to me. I swore up and down I would never do it again, but about... four years later I snuck a pack of his cigarettes to school and started showing them off to be cocky. But, that showing off turned into an expensive addiction and got us here."

She turned his chin so he looked at her, her eyes running over his face. "So, technically, you've been smoking since you were 11, but you didn't actually start until you were 15?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She raised her eyebrows and he narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going to listen to you tell me it's bad because I know it is, and believe it or not, I tried to stop at one point in time but failed miserably."

"I wasn't going to yell at you." He raised his eyebrows, snuffing his cigarette out in his ashtray. "I was just going to say wow and then I was also going to tell you my friend is coming."