"You know, this is rude of you." Betty whispered into the phone and Cheryl laughed.

"I invited you, but you weren't interested in sleeping with two very hot, very attractive, very flexible women. Really," Cheryl said, setting the lighter she had on her dresser. "You're totally missing out."

"Cher," she huffed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Are they done?"

"Oh, no," Cheryl said and Betty groaned. "They haven't even started yet. That whole threesome thing was a joke, Toni isn't here. They're all there getting ready like they're supposed to be."

Betty huffed, rolling her eyes. "You're mean," Betty commented, turning up the steps to the bar. "Like, really mean."

"Ha, ha," Cheryl said and Betty chuckled. "Funny, funny. Go say hi to your boyfriend."

"He is not my boyfriend," she whispered under her breath. "He's... I'm not sure what he is."

"Your boyfriend," Cheryl responded. "He's this guy who you text 24/7 and who you go out of your way to see. You two plan these little dates and you flush like tomatoes when the other smiles or laughs. He's your boyfriend, you just won't admit it. I don't get why you won't admit it either. He's cute, he's nice, he pays on dates. He's literally, like, the perfect boyfriend. If I liked guys, I'd date him."

"You say that about every guy I date then change your mind as soon as they're gone," Betty chuckled as she walked into the bar.

"That's what you're supposed to do!" Cheryl laughed. "I have to say I really like them in the beginning so you won't regret dating them. Then in the end I'm supposed to hate them and want to rip them to shreds for hurting you."

Betty grinned, taking her drink from the bartender. "Thanks, Cher," she laughed and Cheryl did the same. "I have to go back there now all alone because you wouldn't come."

"You'll be fine," Cheryl groaned. "Goodluck, love you."

"Love you too," Betty muttered. She ended the call and tucked her phone into her bag. She chewed her cheek as she stared at the door, her thumb tracing over the rim of her glass.

With a deep inhale she knocked on the door, stepping back with squinted eyes. She really didn't want him to answer the door.

The tallest guy, the lead singer, opened the door. "Jones," he shouted without moving his eyes away from her. "You're girlfriends here."

Betty scoffed, rolling her eyes. "She's not my girlfriend," Jughead whispered as he took the guy's place. "Sorry about Pea. I know you don't-"

"I don't, not yet, but he's fine. Cheryl does the same thing," she giggled, tucking hair behind her ear.

"So, uh, you came to watch the show?" he asked, stepping out of the room and closing the door behind himself.

She nodded, her thumb rubbing over the rim of her glass quicker. "And to, uh, see-see you... I keep doing that. I swear, I'm not a stalker, I just have nothing better to do."

He laughed, placing his hand on the small of her back and pointing out towards the bar. "Do you want to go somewhere to sit?" he asked as they walked out of the hall.

"We don't have to stay in your dressing room thing?" she asked with furrowed brows when she looked at him.

He glanced down at her thumb, noting that it had calmed. He looked back at her with a smile, shaking his head. "As long as I'm there in 20 minutes," he said, pulling out a chair for her to sit in. "I'll be okay."

He sat down next to her and she sighed. "I don't want to pull you away from your friends, Jug," she whispered and he shrugged.

"They may be my friends," he muttered, folding his hands on the table and giving her a grin. "But I'm not interested in them like I am in you."

"Sexual," she commented, sipping from her drink. He laughed and she did the same.

"Maybe in the long run," he uttered under his breath and she swallowed thickly, setting her drink down on the table. "Although, right now I'm more interested in getting to know you. I don't like the... I don't know. I mean, one-night stands, everyone has them. But this, um, it's different. You're different—it's-it's a good kind of different."

She moved her eyes away from his, starting to stir her drink as she asked, "You're not with me just to sleep with me?"

He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest. "No," he said, his voice promising. She rested her cheek on her fist, looking over at him. "But something in the way you said that tells me that you've had that happen to you." She scoffed, drinking from her glass. "That's not my way of forcing you to tell me-"

"No, it's a dumb story. You can probably guess it," she joked and he chuckled. "I liked him and I pursued him and I did anything to get him to-to see me. We went on a few dates—by a few, I mean, like, two—I put out, and then he just left me alone. He wouldn't... look at me, talk to me, work with me. Everyone in his friend group laughed at me. He took pictures of me that I didn't know he took. I was the person everyone laughed at from sophomore year of high school until I graduated."

"Well, they're worthless people," he told her and she laughed.

"I know that now," she giggled. "But he still... he still took a lot. I'm tired of... letting him have that control. He was my first kiss, first guy I held hands with, first time. It's hard not to... I don't know." She sighed, groaning. "Sorry. But, uh, is it weird that I'm jealous of people who had really awkward and really embarrassing first times?"

He laughed, wincing as he sat up straight. "You don't want that," he chuckled.

"What?" she laughed, resting her cheek back on her fist. "Did you have a very awkward and embarrassing first time?"

"I don't even think those words..." He cringed and she laughed, biting her lip. "I was 15... 14... 14 or 15, I had no idea what I was supposed to do, I wasn't even over the fact that a girl was interested in me that way. I was pimply and greasy and looked like - uncooked turkey—that's not an exaggeration." She laughed and he laughed too. "I don't even think I had been to a sex ed or health class yet—terrible mistake. I didn't know how to put on a condom, I had no idea what female anatomy was like, I had no idea about positions... it was messy and disgusting and truly humiliating."

"Well, you finished, that's always important to the guy."

"No," he laughed, shaking his head. "No, it's not important and no... well, I did but..." He winced, cringing again. "I don't want to talk about that part."

She laughed again, grinning ear-to-ear. "That makes me feel a little better," she mumbled and he chuckled.

"Hopefully your first time was better than that," he whispered and she shrugged.

"I just really remember it hurting. And-And it wasn't... like so painful that it wasn't good, but it wasn't good." She shrugged, sighing. "I was more focused on him, I always am. I've never really... are girls supposed to get anything out of sex? I've always seen it as something for the guy, that's it." He looked at her with furrowed brows and she avoided his gaze. "You're looking at me like I'm nuts," she uttered.

"I..." He cut himself off with a sigh, looking down at the rings on his hands. "You know, you shouldn't have sex with people if you don't want to."

"It's not that I didn't want to, I did..." She sighed, tucking hair behind her ear. "I just... nobody has ever taken time to worry about what I want and over time... I don't think they're supposed to."

"No," he muttered with a shake of his head and she looked back over at him. "Sex isn't just supposed to be for the guy. You're supposed to get something out of it too. And I think you know that, but you're choosing to ignore it."

She huffed, stirring her drink again. "I'm not ignoring it," she grumbled. "I'm not used to it."

"If that's what you want to say," he murmured and she looked at him with a snarl. He laughed and she groaned. "I really don't know how we started talking about your sex life-" She let out a bubbly laugh then and she dropped her head into her hands. "That's funny?" he chuckled.

"No," she said through her laugh. "I don't know why I'm laughing, it's just so dumb. I really thought that sex was for men! I really, really did! Men. Assholes. Dicks. They're supposed to be the ones who get to feel pleasure but women don't. Oh, I sound like a psychopath. You're never going to talk to me again, are you?"

"Nope," he said with a grin. "We are assholes. And dicks. Hence to why you thought you shouldn't get anything out of sex."

"As of right now," Betty began. "You don't fit in in the categories of asshole or dick."

"What category do I fit in?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair like he had earlier.

She shrugged, biting her lip as she looked away.

"What?" he chuckled, pulling out his pack of cigarettes. She looked back at him and he smirked. "I'm waiting," he mumbled, lighting his cigarette and tucking the lighter back in his pocket.

She moved her line of sight to her glass, mixing it. "Drummer boy," she whispered and he burst into laughter. "How is that funny?" she giggled and he chuckled as he took a drag from his cigarette.

"I'm thinking about drummer boy, like the Christmas song."

"Oh," she huffed, dropping her head into her hands. "That isn't what I meant," she laughed and he only laughed harder.

Sweet Pea gave him a look from the stage and he jumped up quickly. "Fuck," he breathed, grabbing his cigarettes off of the table.

"What?" she asked, her brows furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"I-I... they're going to beat my ass if I'm not up there," he said, looking back at the stage. Betty nodded, deflating. "I'll see you later?"

"I'm going to have to head out as soon as you guys are done," she muttered and it was his turn to deflate. "I still have a lot of planning—and cleaning—to do and if I want to finish before Monday, I'll have to start early tomorrow."

"Okay," he sighed. "Let-Let me walk you home then."

"Oh, Jug, I... don't you have to put your stuff away?" she asked.

"It'll take me five minutes," he mumbled. "Ten at most," he added.

She sighed, shaking her head. "I'm going to have to head home, Jug. I'll be okay, I can... I can walk home by myself."

"It's not that I think you can't-" he said quickly but she cut him off.

"Jug, I know. You want to walk me home," she said with a small smile. "It's flattering and I'm glad that you care like that because most people don't. But I had a really long day today, and I have to get this done tomorrow. If I don't, I'm screwed."

He sighed, taking a drag from his cigarette. "Text me when you're home," he stated and she bit her lip.

"I will text you when I'm home," she promised. "As long as I get a picture of Jinx when you're home."

He chuckled, saying, "I can do that." She giggled, nodding. "See you later."

She nodded, sipping from her drink as he jogged away. He appeared on the stage in seconds, waving off Sweet Pea and Toni as they cursed at him. He had his cigarette hanging from his mouth and she let out a deep breath, biting her lip as she leaned forward.

~

Betty stopped jogging when her phone rang, answering Jughead's call. "Hi," she giggled, going back to running. "You've never called me before."

"Yeah, I just realized that," he chuckled gruffly and she let out a deep breath, eyeing her apartment building.

"It's almost eleven," she pointed out, just so she could have something to say. "Are you just waking up?"

"Eh, maybe," he answered and she laughed. "Oh, I know. It's against your wake-up-at-seven-am rule."

"I do not have a wake-up-at-seven-am rule," she giggled, smoothing her hair back as she walked up the steps of the building. "I just prefer to wake up early and get things done."

"'Cause you're all done with your planning now?" he teased and she huffed, walking up the steps. "Why don't you just plan that morning?"

"Because," she answered, unlocking her door. "I would be a mess if I did. I would have no idea what to do." She heard his lighter flicker and she chewed her lip. "Don't burn your bed," she joked and he scoffed.

"I'm out of bed now," he chuckled and she giggled. "So you're just going to sit at home planning all day?"

"And cleaning, that's just as important."

"Mm," he hummed, wincing as he looked around his apartment. "I should do that."

"Did you just admit to me that you're a slob?" she taunted, taking out her earbuds and changing the phone to speaker.

"I am not a slob," he said when his voice cut back in. "I'm just lazy. Cleaning is not my strong suit, I was never taught the correct way to do it."

"There technically isn't a correct way to clean," she said, eating a blueberry. "But some things make it faster."

"Very ture," he whispered, tapping his cigarette ashes into an ashtray. "I, uh, don't know why I called. I could have texted, but for some reason, I called instead."

"I think calling is very personal," she muttered, walking into the bathroom. "Were you thinking about me, Jughead?"

He was silent before he mumbled, "Maybe."

Her breath hitched and she cleared her throat. "I-I have to..." She swallowed thickly, smoothing her hand over her thigh. "To shower. Um, can we... I, um..."

"I'll let you go," he chuckled and she let out a breath. "Wait, I have to be every asshole real quick." He cleared his throat, forcing his voice deeper as he asked, "Without me?"

A laugh bubbled out of her and he chuckled. "You play the perfect asshole," she joked and he smirked. "I'll text you later."

"I'll send a picture of Jinx later," he stated and she giggled.

"If someone didn't know that was your cat, it could be taken out of context and could be very dirty." He laughed and she grinned. "Okay, I actually do have to shower, I'm disgusting."

"Then I will seriously let you go this time." She nodded, pacing the small room. "Bye, Betts."

"Bye, Jug," she muttered sheepishly, Jughead ending the call.

~

Betty laughed at the text, sitting down on the couch.

She scoffed, giggling.

She let out a laugh, grinning at the screen.

She sucked her teeth, shaking her head.

She laughed, eyeing the call button.

There was no answer and anxiety burrowed in her stomach.

She let out a breath of relief, inhaling deeply.

She rolled her eyes, her phone ringing. She answered it, bringing it up to her ear. "Did I make you nervous, Cooper?" he asked and she scoffed.

"No," she muttered, her tone unconvincing.

"Sure," he responded around a mouthful of something. She heard the phone get set down and he cleared his throat. "You don't have to ask before you call. The only time I'm not available is from 8 am until about 5 pm."

"That's how long you work?" she asked, laying down on the couch. "8 to 5 every day?"

"Monday through Thursday most weeks," he answered. "I work 8 to 2 on Fridays then I'm off Saturday and Sunday Sometimes Wednesday's, too."

"That seems like so much work," Betty whispered and he laughed.

"Really?" he chuckled and she furrowed her brows. "You work from... what? 8 to 4 Monday through Friday? That's... an hour difference from what I work."

She whined, huffing. "What are you doing now?" she asked, tucking her hand behind her head.

"Making a sandwich," he answered, placing the knife he used in his dishwasher.

"I thought you were supposed to be practicing," she teased, grinning.

He hummed, sitting down on his couch. "I was," he mumbled. "But then this very pretty blonde—her name isn't coming to me at the moment—started texting me and the idea completely left my mind." She started to smile hard and he was smiling himself. "Then she called and yeah, I would blow off practicing a set I already know to talk to her any day."

She felt her cheeks go red and they started to burn. "I see you've worked on your flirting," she joked and he chuckled. "You know how to make a woman feel wanted."

He smirked, setting his phone on his thigh. "You really chose talking to me over Cheryl?" he said after a moment and she giggled.

"Cher is with Toni," she said, sighing. "And when Cher is with Toni-"

"You don't call," they finished in unison, causing them both to laugh.

"Yeah," he chuckled, pulling a corner of the ham off and giving it to Jinx who took it away. "Toni's told the three of us that many times. She's very insistent on that. How long have they been together?"