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Betty and Archie were sitting in their favorite booth at Pop's. It was pouring outside, but thankfully they managed to find shelter in the diner before it got intense. Archie was sitting beside her instead of in front of her. His hand somewhat near her leg while all of his attention was drawn to her. His face facing hers completely, beaming at every word she said. It made Betty feel just like how they were before all the river crazy happened. That was the thing. It was exactly like how they were before even if it wasn't supposed to be.
It was the fairytale ending Betty always wanted. The one people always thought she deserved. The star football player in the letterman jacket with the prim and proper cheerleader. The catch was that wasn't who Betty was, and she wasn't sure if Archie knew that.
My mom says sometimes a friend is better than a boyfriend.
Veronica's voice rang inside her head and as if on cue, Veronica Lodge burst into Pop's laughing, hair drenched in the rain, but she wasn't alone. Holding her hand behind her was another girl, her red locks soaking just as Veronica's were. Their Vixens uniforms weren't as wet as the coats they just hung on rack beside the front door. The sound of the rain was loud enough to drown out their voices especially with Archie leaning into her other ear.
Sometimes the people we like don't like us back.
She still remembers it. The three times she and Veronica Lodge kissed.
The first was during tryouts which apparently spread throughout school and even her boyfriend admitted he found it hot.
The second time happened when she finally cracked the Jason Blossom case, but wasn't at all ready for what she found out. She was crying outside her house where Veronica snuck out to meet her. The Lodge took her to their apartment at The Pembrooke and took care of her for the rest of the night. It was when they were snuggled up beside each other, watching Netflix with Ben & Jerry's when Betty decided to lean in and give Veronica a kiss on the cheek as a way of thanking her. It was a cliche when Veronica unknowingly turned her head at the same time. Although they didn't exactly meet each others', Betty felt her lips graze the side of Veronica's and felt her heart beat faster than normal. To Betty Cooper, it still counted.
Their third kiss was in Betty's room when it seems like the tables have turned. Veronica had to leave her house for a while. The river drama may have been over, but the life of a Lodge never runs out of surprises. She found herself in drunk a bar, rebelling against her parents when Betty Cooper came out of nowhere. Apparently a friend of Kevin texted him and he told Betty. She brought the drunk girl to her house where she cried, and although it wasn't the first time she has seen her break down, it never fails to break her heart. It was then when Veronica Lodge kissed her for the third time. She leaned in out of nowhere, eyes closed shut and breath still reeking of alcohol. It was intense, passionate, and unreciprocated. Betty was too shocked to move that she found herself mumbling apologies as she made her way out of the room. She returned about thirty minutes later and found the smaller girl asleep. The next day, she claimed to have forgotten everything and blamed it on the alcohol. It wasn't like Veronica to not own up what it is she has done. Maybe she wasn't lying. Maybe it was just the alcohol and she really couldn't remember a thing anymore, but Betty always believed that Veronica took the coward's way out. Even so, she didn't have the guts to confront her either. After that, their friendship just slowly faded out with both of them letting go of the handles.
Veronica Lodge is a very brave girl. She's the type who would stand up for a girl she met just a few days ago. She's the type who would yell at a bike gang just so she and her friends could enjoy a good movie together. She's the type who would risk a lot not just for herself but for other people, too. She's the type who would run after the scariest girl in school just so she could hold her, because she knew exactly how she felt, and sometimes Betty wished Veronica wasn't as brave as she was.
She saw Veronica place a soft kiss on the redhead's cheek as they sat down on the bar stools. The other girl who was usually seen as vindictive and evil, showed a smile that looked so happy that even Betty was convinced she had nothing but good intentions as she leaned forward and kissed Veronica Lodge.
It was in public, but it wasn't for show like their first kiss.
It happened slowly, but there wasn't any hesitation like their second kiss.
It was passionate like their third, but only this time, Veronica wasn't drunk and she was sure of what she was doing. Betty has heard other people mention that her best friend was dating someone else, but she never really saw them together aside from their shared time during rehearsals. Maybe it was done on purpose, but deep inside, Betty was thankful. She didn't know how she would to feel about seeing her friend date another person who made her smile the way she did before. The last thing she wanted to see was her lips kissing someone else's.
It was everything their kisses weren't and as Betty Cooper saw her ex best friend kiss Cheryl Blossom, she turned her head and kissed Archie Andrews, hoping he wouldn't notice how her lips quivered and her fists curled into a ball.
Romeo and Juliet are the exception, not the rule.