Destined

Chapter Seven

{Jugheads POV} 

"Why would you choose her!?" Joaquin yells at me.

   We're currently in the top room, my room. Joaquin is our newest recruit, and tonight is his last trial before he officially becomes a Serpent.

   "Jones! You can't do that to her! She's not the right one!" He yells, gradually getting closer to me. Not a good idea.

   "I am the king! I get to choose who I want!! She's the perfect choice!!" I yell back.

   "And what makes you say that!?"

   "To become the official Serpent King, it is my duty to corrupt a Northsider! She's the perfect girl next door. To make her do something like the dance is the best way to corrupt her! She's probably never even worn lingerie a day in her life, to make her perform in front of all these men will show how great I am!" I explain.

   Per tradition, the new Serpent King must choose someone from the Northside to perform a dance, in front of every Serpent member. It must be an impressionable woman, one who you can trick into doing the dance. Once it's done, you drop her. Simple as that.

   "Betty doesn't deserve this Jones. She has a good heart" he pleaded.

   "That's the point. She'll never see it coming" I smile. As I'm explaining to him, I can't help but feel a churn in my stomach. I know what I'm doing is wrong, but I have to. I have to make my father proud. "I'll be gentle Joaquin. But she's my choice"

   "You're going to regret this Jughead. Just wait" he says before walking down the stairs.

   Of course I can see where he's coming from. He's known Betty since he was a kid from what I've gathered, they're very close. But I have to disagree with him. She the perfect choice! She's the perfect girl next door, never done anything remotely bad in her life. To make her do a dance like that, I'll get more respect from these men and woman than even my father. You see, the woman my father choose, he ended up falling in love with. And she ended up being my mother. He was the first to fall in love with a Northsider, causing great amounts of trouble here.

   I won't do that.

   As I head downstairs I notice Betty, Joaquin and Toni chatting at the bar. Betty seems uneasy as she looks at Joaquin with concern.

   "Everything okay over here?" I ask as I step up behind her. I snake my hands around her petite waist. Her pale skin soft against my hands as I snake them under her shirt slightly. I feel her tense at my touch but quickly loosen up.

   "She's just worried about the boy" Toni says.

   "He'll be in good hands Betty, we're all family here. We'd die for one another" I state. Though she still seems uneasy, she nods.

   "If you or anyone here hurts him, you'll have to deal with me Jug" she warns. I look at her, her eyes boring into mine. Those beautiful green eyes filled with concern for her friend.

   Snap out of it Jug!

   "You have my word. He's safe with us" I smile, squeezing her lower waist. "You get to witness his final trial tonight" her eyes widen with fear. "Fair warning, he'll get slightly hurt in this trial. But it's necessary to become a Serpent" she sighs.

   "Betty, I'll be okay" Joaquin says, placing his hand on her shoulder. I know he's gay, but touching Betty is not something I'm okay with. He notices my annoyance and quickly removes his hand.

   "Okay, come with me, Juliet" I whisper in her ear, using the nickname I used when she first climbed onto my motorcycle. I lace my fingers with hers and guide her up to my room. Just up the stairs, is off limits to everyone unless I say otherwise.

   "It's nice up here" she smile looking around. Watching her. She makes her way over to my desk. "You write?" She asks noticing the type writer and the many unfinished papers. As she picks one up I quickly make my way towards her and snatch the paper from her hands. "Hey!" She exclaimed reaching for it. I'm taller so as she reaches to her tip toes, she stumbles forward into my chest.

   "No reading these" I state, still holding up the paper with my right hand. My left is placed on the small of her back, slightly pulling her towards me. Her eyes catch mine before she jumps up and snatches the paper from my grasp. "Betty!" I yell, a smile forming on my face. She breaks away from me and prances away from me.

   "Let me read it Jug!" She exclaims.

   "Betty, I'm warning you" I smirk.

   "If you think I'm scared of you Jug, you're sorely wrong" she smiles before running past me. Sadly for her, I'm able to snake my arm around her waist and throw her into the bed. Before she can move, I pin her hands down, our faces inches apart. Her green eyes locked on mine, boring into mine. It's as if she was able to read everything about me just by looking into my eyes. "What?" She smiles. That's when I notice, I'm smiling. I can't help but glance at her plump pink lips, wishing I could press mine against them.

   But I can't.

   I can't give in.

   I have to continue with the plan.

   "Nothing..." I trail off letting go of her wrist and standing up straight. "Umm, I brought you up here to give you a change of clothes. I'm guessing you'd like to get out of those overalls" I smile.

   "Yes please" As I rummage through an old trunk I pull out a pair of girl black skinny jeans and a baggy grey shirt of mine. "Thank you" she trails off. Holding the clothes, she just stares at me. "Turn around!"

   "Oh! Right.. sorry" I say quickly turning on my heels. I hear her shimmying out of the overalls, the metal buttons hitting the floor.

   "No peeking!" She says, causing me to laugh. The burning sensation in my stomach is telling me to turn, see all of her beauty in raw form. But I can't.

   How am I able to go along with this plan when I feel so awful about wanting to see her now?

   What the hell is wrong with me?

   "Okay, you're good" she says. Quickly, probably too quickly, I turn. She's astonishing. The overalls don't do her justice, she has curves in all the right places. She's just..... breath taking. "What? Do I look weird?"

   "What? No! No you look.... you look amazing" I trail off. "Come on, let's get to Joaquin's last trial." I say, holding my hand out. Accepting it, she follows me back down the stairs where everyone is standing around a cage. Joaquin is standing there, bouncing his foot nervously. "SERPENTS!!" I scream. "ARE WE READY TO ACCEPT THIS NEW COMER!?"

   "YES" they all respond.

   "WILL WE BE READY TO DIE FOR HIM!?"

   "YES!"

   "JOAQUIN, ARE YOU READY TO DIE FOR US!?"

   "YES!"

   "Grab the knife" I say. Next to him stands a snake cage. A rattlesnake, its tail shaking vigorously. In the middle sits a knife. To become a Serpent, he must grab the knife. While showing no fear. If he does. He gets his jacket.

   "Jug..." Betty whispers. Her hand is trembling in mine.

   "Grab the knife Joaquin!" I yell once more. Within seconds he has the knife in his hand, two drops of blood falling to the ground. Letting go of Betty, I walk to him. His breathing was heavy, but he showed no fear in his eyes. "EVERYONE!" I scream. "WELCOME OUR NEWEST BROTHER!!" The bar erupts in cheers as Toni helps him put on his jacket. People are crowding him, congratulating their new brother. I turn to see Betty smiling, her eyes filled with pure joy.

   That's when I knew.

   I made a huge mistake.

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Long-ish chapter!!! I hope it's okay...

-Danii LeeAnn