Archive of Our Own

1.

"I don't know why you bother helping him," Ronnie said as she walked with Betty towards their lockers after their last class.

Betty shifted her eyes down, rubbing her arm. "I know he's not always nice to everyone, but everyone deserves to have help sometimes. I'd do the same for anyone."

"Bets, you're just too nice sometimes. I hate to see you getting taken advantage of."

Just as they approached their lockers, Archie came up behind them. "Who's taking advantage of Betty?"

Blushing, Betty replied, "No one is taking advantage of me. I'm doing a small favour for Reggie and Ron thinks that I shouldn't bother."

"Please," said Ronnie, "it is not a small favour." Turning to look at Archie, she continued, "She's helping him write his college application essays. You know, people pay tutors to do that. He should be paying you."

Betty rolled her eyes. Veronica could be so dramatic sometimes. "It's not that big a deal. I really don't mind helping him out with this."

"You have your own essays to write though! He had no right to think that you would be willing to help him on his, especially when he barely even admitted he needed help. All he said was that he needed to take some time to perfect his essays and asked if you'd want to read them--as if he was doing you the favour."

"Ha!" said Archie. "Mantle the Magnificent" --this title was said with a sneer-- "would never admit that he needs help from one of us peons."

"Look, you guys," Betty finally snapped, slamming her locker, "Reggie may be a little stuck-up, but he's still my friend and I want to help him out. This isn't something I'm debating with you because it's the right thing to do. We all need help sometimes."

Betty turned to walk away towards the library where she was meeting Reggie. Ron called after her, "Don't be mad at us, Betty! We're just worried about you."

Betty snorted quietly. She wanted to respond with something sarcastic about how Ron never complained when it was her that was receiving the undeserved favours, but she knew that Ronnie really did mean well. Sighing, she turned and replied, "It's fine. Thanks for worrying about me, but this isn't that big a deal. I'll see you guys tomorrow, okay?"

Ron's face was pulled in a worried frown, but she said, "Okay, phone me later if you want to talk more!"

Not likely, Betty thought as she walked away.

Entering the library, Betty saw Reggie was seated at a table in a corner. He was staring at the laptop in front of him, seeming deep in thought and didn't seem to notice her until she pulled out the seat across from him.

"Hey, Bets! You came!"

Betty's eyebrows scrunched in confusion, "I told you that I would. What, did you think I'd bail on you?"

Looking a little uncomfortable, Reggie admitted, "Well, uh, I kind of heard Veronica say something to you when class let out about how you shouldn't help me."

"What, and you thought I'd listen to her?" Betty said in a teasing voice. "I promised you I'd be here. Besides, didn't you promise me some good essays to read?"

Reggie chuckled and they got to work. Betty's reputation as a good editor was well-founded and it didn't take long for her to set him on a better track with his essays. As they were getting up to leave, Reggie grabbed her arm to stop her.

"I know I haven't always been the nicest to you, but I wanted to say that I really appreciated getting this help. If you ever need anything from me, just let me know."

Betty smiled, feeling satisfied that she'd been right. Sometimes all it takes to make someone a better person is to give them some kindness.

"No need to thank me. Just glad I could help out."

2.

"I've got a scoop!" Dilton yelled as he came into the newspaper office.

The office was fairly quiet that afternoon. It was two days before the paper went to press, so the only ones there were a few very eager freshmen, some older students in charge of certain sections and, of course, Betty. You don't become Editor-in-Chief of the school paper without putting in some extra hours and old habits died hard. Even after she got the title, Betty continued to put in more time than even the most eager of freshmen.

Betty looked up from the layout she was working on. "A scoop?"

Dilton was practically vibrating with the excitement. "Yes! I was in Riverdale Park with my scout group when I overheard someone talking in the bushes. I sent the troop up ahead and got closer to hear what was going on. When I got up close I saw that it was Reggie with Midge"

There were gasps from around the room. One freshman, Nicole, was confused though. "And…?"

Kevin, the news editor, looked at her in disbelief. "What school have you been going to? Midge is Big Moose's girlfriend."

Seeing Nicole's continued confusion, Kevin continued, "Moose is jealous. Like jealous to a level that's hard to explain. He actually beat up a guy for accidentally touching Midge's ass during cheerleading practice. That guy quit the squad and transferred schools. If Reggie and Midge were alone together, that's big news."

Dilton was smiling, not in a happy way, but in an almost maniacal way. "Oh, they were more than just alone together."

"What do you mean?" Betty asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Reggie was making plans with her. He wanted to meet her at a coffee shop the next town over but she was saying that she was still worried Moose would hear about it. And he said, 'I don't care what Moose thinks, we have to do this sometime.'"

The room was silent.

"So, Betty," Dilton looked at her, "what do you think? Is that a scoop or what?"

"What? You want me to report that Reggie and Midge made plans? So that, what? Moose beats up Reggie? That doesn't seem like responsible news reporting to me."

"I'm not saying we should blast it on the front page, but if we followed them to their date and got photos, we could definitely run it as a personal interest story! The school deserves to know the truth."

Betty's eyes hardened. "No, I'm not going to run a story that is only going to end up with Reggie getting hurt. There's no journalistic value in it."

Dilton was getting angry now. "Who cares about journalistic value if no one is reading the paper anyway? We run this story, people might actually care about what we write! So what if Reggie might get a little hurt? It's his own fault for fooling around with someone else's girlfriend."

The staff looked nervous. No one on the staff had ever yelled at Betty and they were unsure how she'd react. Even Dilton looked a little unsure of himself, like the words had just slipped out.

"We don't know for sure what Reggie is doing and even if he is fooling around with Midge, that's his business. I won't run a story that might ruin someone's life even if we'd get more reader interest. I'm killing the story."

Dilton huffed. "I heard you were sweet on Reggie, but I didn't believe it. Guess I was wrong."

"This isn't because it's Reggie. I'd do the same for anyone." Betty looked around the room. "I don't want to hear that any of you have been spreading rumours about this. Keep it to yourself or you're kicked off the paper."

It wasn't until hours later when the office was empty that Betty called Reggie. She didn't have his cell number, so she phoned his house.

"Hey Mrs. Mantle, it's Betty Cooper. Can I talk to Reggie?"

"Of course! So nice to hear from you, Betty. Let me just go grab him."

After a moment, Reggie picked up the phone. "Bets. Hey. You needed Mantle the Magnificent?"

Betty groaned. His use of the epitaph almost made her regret pulling the story.

"I'm just phoning to give you a head's up. Dilton came into the newspaper office today talking about how he saw you with Midge. I told him I wouldn't run the story and told everyone to not spread it around, but I wanted you to know so that you're more careful next time."

"Worried about my beautiful face getting smashed?" Reggie said wryly.

"Yeah, this was a mistake. I just thought I should tell you but clearly you're too caught up in yourself to take the warning. Try not to get yourself killed over some girl who won't even break up with her boyfriend for you."

Before Betty could hang up, Reggie interjected, "Wait, thank you. Seriously. And for what it's worth, I'm not trying to get with Midge. We were just assigned to work on a presentation for history together and were trying to figure out how to meet up."

Betty released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Oh, that's good to hear."

"Yep. Not to worry, Bets. I'm still available for your feminine intentions."

"Gross. Stop. I'm hanging up now."

Betty could still hear the laughter as she did so.

3.

"I can't believe she agreed to a date with him," Archie was venting to Betty as they drove to the movie theatre in Centreville together.

"I know you're upset, but it's hardly even a date. I mean, I'm going to the same movie with you to check up on them. Does that mean that we're on a date?" Betty hated how hopeful her voice sounded.

"Okay, first, we're going to surveil the situation. That's not the same as me asking you to go to a movie in the nice theatre the next town over for no reason. If this didn't mean anything, we'd just go to the one in Riverdale. Second, you know I'd never want to ruin our friendship by dating you. You're way too important to me."

Betty sighed. Of course he wouldn't. Never mind that he was friends with Veronica too and that wasn't stopping him from enlisting Betty to go spy on her date with Reggie. The worst part of the situation is that Betty knew that Ronnie didn't really like Reggie but had agreed to go because she was trying to get information out of him about the new transfer student.

Graham, the new student, had been given Reggie as a student guide. Despite Veronica's best attempts to get him to pay attention to her, Graham had stuck with Reggie for the day. Unfortunately for Graham, not giving Veronica attention was the easiest way to make her even more determined. Betty was sure that once the challenge was over, Ronnie would get over Graham pretty fast. But until then? There's nothing he can do to stop her.

Pumping Reggie for information was step one of her plan, but Betty didn't doubt that Ronnie had mapped out the entire plan already. When she'd flirted with Reggie to try to get information, he'd suggested they go to a movie. Not wanting to offend her intelligence source, she agreed to a movie but insisted on going all the way out to Centreville so that she'd have a chance to get information out of him. Or, as she informed Reggie, because the theatre seats were better.

When Archie had heard about the date, he'd been incensed. Betty had to work hard not to roll her eyes at his overreaction, especially since she knew the date wasn't real. She'd promised not to tell anyone about the plan, though, so she just listened along. Then, Archie had the brilliant idea that he should follow them to the movies and make sure Reggie "didn't take advantage of her."

Betty was very proud of herself for not snorting at that.

When she pointed out to him that Veronica could look after herself and besides, how would he explain his presence all the way in Centreville, Archie was momentarily stalled. Then, he came up with a solution. Betty would go with him and if they were seen, they could just say that Betty had insisted on Centreville since the theatre really did have better seats.

Honestly, the seats weren't that much better. But Betty wasn't going to say anything if it meant that she got to go on a date with Archie, even if it was a fake date.

"I just hate thinking about her alone in a theatre with that creep. You know how he is with girls."

Betty's eyebrow quirked. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, he's always chasing after the nearest girl and then he dumps them the moment that he sees a new one. He sees them as conquests."

She couldn't keep in her snort this time. Did he really not see the irony of his words? Archie didn't notice thankfully and kept up his ranting as they drove down the highway.

They were more than half way to Centreville when they noticed a car pulled off the road up ahead.

"Archie, we should check to make sure that person is okay."

Archie looked unsure for a second, then said, "I guess. But let's keep it quick. We need to be at the theatre in half an hour."

"Relax, if we're late, we'll just sneak in the back. I'm sure Veronica will survive sitting through the trailers without a chaperone."

As they got closer to the car, however, it became clear that Archie's concerns were unnecessary - it was Reggie and Veronica that were pulled over. It looked like they were arguing.

Archie pulled over and Veronica, recognizing the car, immediately got out and rushed over to him. "Oh, Archiekins! Thank god you're here! Reggie's car got a flat tire and his mechanic isn't answering the phone. Can you take me home?"

Archie looked stunned by his good fortune. "Yeah, of course. Bets, if you'll move to the back seat…"

Betty couldn't believe him. Well, actually, she believed him given how insensitive he'd been lately, but she was still angry. She wasn't going to sit in the back so that she got a front row seat to Archie and Ron's canoodling.

Getting out of the car, she walked towards Reggie's vehicle. "Relax, guys. Do you have a spare tire, Reggie?"

"You know how to change a tire?"

"Of course! I take auto shop at school. I think I can do something as simple as change a tire. Were you really going to phone a mechanic?"

Reggie looked a little ashamed, but grateful for the help.

"Oh, well if you're going to do that, I can take Ronnie home and you can ride with Reggie?" Archie was clearly back to focusing on his priorities.

"That sounds great, Archiekins," Veronica said before Betty could reply.

Archie didn't even seem to notice that Betty hadn't answered and was driving off with Veronica before she could do anything. Sighing, she went ahead and started to change the tire.

Reggie made a snorting noise, which made Betty look up. "What?"

"Nothing, just thinking that some people don't even realize what they have until it's gone. I always knew Archie was an idiot." Making eye contact, he continued, "Thank you, Betty. Seriously, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come along. Can I at least pay you for your services?

Betty smiled. "No way. You know I'd do the same for anyone. Besides, you can repay me by taking me to that movie. I've been meaning to see it and it looks like both our dates have abandoned us."

Reggie grinned. "You're on, Bets."

And if Betty felt a little thrill at the thought of going out with Reggie? That was no one's business but her own.

4.

Betty was alone in the home ec classroom over lunch one day when Reggie ran into the room.

"Reggie? What are you doing here?"

He startled. It was clear he thought the room would be empty.

In fact, the room normally was empty when there was no class and virtually empty even when there was class. The teacher, Miss Greene, was basically retired on the job and didn't care if her students came out of the class with any skills. That meant that skipping class was all but actively encouraged and the people that took the class were basically just trying to get an easy credit.

Betty, however, was determined to get the most out of home economics. Her mother had taught her the basics of cooking, sewing and budgeting, but as a working mother, didn't have that much time to teach her more than the basics. Betty had taken the class without hearing about the teacher and now that she knew what a waste of time the "lessons" were, she took it upon herself to learn those skills, with or without Miss Greene's help.

That meant that Betty came early to school or stayed during lunch so that she could have the time to use the sewing machines and kitchen. She didn't like practicing at home because her mother started making noises about how she should be studying since in this day and age, it's more important to get into a good university and then get a job than to have homemaking skills.

Betty didn't want to be a homemaker, but she did like cooking and sewing. She genuinely thought they were interesting skills to learn. She found it hard to explain to her mother, though, so she kept her self-taught lessons to herself.

So when Reggie barged into the classroom, Betty was shocked to see someone else there, let alone Reggie Mantle, a boy with a reputation of being a spoiled rich kid. It hardly seemed likely that he decided it was time to learn how to iron a pair of pants.

"Betty! I thought this room would be empty! I didn't think even you were such a goody two-shoes that you'd actually put effort into a bird course."

Annoyed, Betty sniffily replied, "I'm not here to get a better mark. I just want to learn things. Besides, it's none of your business why I - a student of home economics - is here - in a home economics classroom. The better question is why you would be here."

Reggie turned his head down, looking abashed. "Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped like that. I'm just not having a great day and really needed a moment alone."

"An apology from Reggie Mantle? There must be something wrong with you."

Reggie's mouth quirked up at that.

"Wanna talk about it? I just put my muffins in the oven so I have some time."

To Betty's complete shock, Reggie seemed to be blushing. "I - I don't know if I can say. It's a little embarrassing."

"What, and you think I'm going to tell someone? Didn't you just say I'm a goody two-shoes?" Betty smiled and pointed at herself with her thumb, "You can count on me, Miss Reliable."

Unable to hold it in, Reggie barked a laugh. "Did you just call yourself 'Miss Reliable'? That's a terrible nickname."

"Whatever you say, Mantle the Magnificent."

"Hey, it's not my fault that caught on! I said it as a joke, but clearly everyone realized just how accurate it was and kept using it."

"Yeeeah, there's never any sarcasm in that nickname."

"It's okay, Bets. I know that you have to tell yourself that to keep yourself from jumping me. It would probably be more fun if you'd give in though…"

Betty lightly punched his shoulder. "Enough. Tell me what's going on. Why were you looking to be alone?"

After taking a moment to consider it, Reggie let out a deep breath. "Promise you won't laugh."

"Scout's honour."

"I was in the cafeteria, talking to Cheryl about upcoming parties we're planning on hosting so we don't end up throwing them on the same night when she dropped her purse. I reached for it and…well, my pants ripped."

Betty's eyes bugged out. "Oh my god, that's horrible." She couldn't help it though, and let out a little giggle.

"You said you wouldn't laugh!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it! So what happened? Did people see?"

"No, I managed to slip out before anyone realized. But I don't know what to do about my pants."

Betty smiled, "Well, you came to the right place. Give me your pants."

"What? I know you're hot for me, but you could at least buy me dinner first."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Take off your pants and I'll stitch them up for you. There's like ten sewing machines in this room, I'm sure I can handle sewing a seam that will at least get you through the rest of the day."

Reggie's mouth fell open. "Have I told you lately that you're my favourite person at this school?"

"Not lately, no."

"Well you are." He took off his pants and handed them to her. "Try not to be too seduced by the sight of me in boxer briefs. I know that it's attractive, but you have a job here!"

"Like that's going to be a problem. Do you really think you're the first person who's come to me with a problem like this? I've seen plenty of boys in their underwear."

She didn't say out loud that Reggie was probably the most attractive of them, but he really didn't need the ego boost. If there was one person who had enough self-confidence as it is, it's Reggie.

"Oh, you do this often then."

"Not that often, but in a situation like this, I'd do the same for anyone. I'd hate for someone to have to walk through the high school with ripped pants."

"You know, I always thought home ec was kind of pointless, but I'm really glad at least someone took it seriously. Thanks Betty."

"You're welcome, Reggie. Now stop fidgeting so I can focus on getting this done."

5.

Something changed after the pants incident. Whereas before then, Betty would only see Reggie on occasion, generally at a distance or in a group of their mutual friends, he now seemed to be seeking her out specifically. She admits to herself that she's a little suspicious of his intentions, but as the days go on and Reggie hasn't tried to pull a prank on her, she begins to relax. Reggie seemed to like being around her and there was no reason to doubt his sincerity. Everyone needed friends and it's not like he surrounded himself with people he could trust. Betty was probably a welcome relief since he knew that she wouldn't betray him.

Betty's other friends weren't as convinced. Archie, predictably, was the worst. He'd been rivals with Reggie since they were kids and refused to consider that his perspective was flawed. Veronica's reaction was probably worse: she just kept watching Betty with worried eyes, like she was scared that at any moment, Betty would transform into a horrible monster. Most of the rest of her friends were wary of it, but didn't say anything.

One reaction that shocked her, however, was Jughead's.

"No. That snake is taking advantage of you." This proclamation came after lunch one day once Reggie had left the table.

"What?" Betty was shocked. Jughead's personality was laidback and she didn't think she'd ever seen him react that strongly to anything that she could do. I mean, sure, he might get excited about food, but a strong negative reaction? She'd never seen one from him and they'd been friends since childhood.

It was strange, too, that this reaction had been so delayed. Reggie had been joining Betty for lunch off and on for the past few weeks and generally Juggie was at their table too. Depending on what they were talking about, he sometimes even joined in. He'd never said anything about it, but Betty had gotten the sense that he'd approved of the friendship. Jughead might be Archie's friend, but he'd always been clear to Betty that she was too good for Archie. Her budding friendship with Reggie showed that she was moving on from always needing Archie's approval.

The sudden turn had seemed to happen in an instant. One moment, they were all discussing the newest menu items at Pop's and the next, Jughead seemed pissed off.

"You can't be that naïve, Betty."

My blood turned to ice. "I am so sick of my so-called friends deciding they know what's best for me. 'Oh, poor Betty is just too trusting, we have to protect her.' Well, no more. I choose my own friends."

Jughead seemed shocked by her outburst. "What? I wasn't saying you couldn't be friends with him."

"Huh?" Betty's body released the tension she hadn't realized she was holding in her shoulders.

"No, you said you were making a cake with him this weekend. How many times have I begged you to bake with me and every time you said no. Now what did he do to you to make you go against a stance you've held for as long as I've known you?"

Betty chuckled. "Oh, Jughead. I don't have anything against baking with people, just you. No one else would ever get to taste my baked goods since you can't seem to hold yourself back from eating everything in sight."

"Hey! I resent that!" She levelled him with a glare and he looked down, in some sort of shame. "Okay, maybe I like food, but yours is the only one I can't seem to stop myself from eating."

"That's exactly my point. I'm baking with Reggie because he wants to make a birthday cake for his mom and I can trust him not to eat it before she sees it. You know I'd do the same for anyone. Well, besides you. But I'd still make a cake for your mom. I just wouldn't let you see it."

Jughead looked thoughtful. "Hmm, I guess you would. You know, you're way too nice for all the boys at this school, Betty. You should save yourself for college."

Betty just laughed in response.

Later, when Betty was in the kitchen with Reggie, she mentioned the conversation she'd had with Jughead. Reggie just shook his head. "Figures needle-nose would be more concerned about you giving away baked goods than your taste in friends."

"Are you complaining about my taste in friends, Reggie? Because I could leave right now and leave you to try to ice this cake."

Reggie actually looked concerned. "You know I'd want to be around you even if you didn't do nice things for me, right?"

Betty's heart warmed a little. "Yeah, I know, Reggie. It's nice to hear that though. Now let's get this cake out of the oven."

+1

"How much do you love me?"

This audacious question was said with a cheesy grin. Reggie had showed up at Betty's house one Saturday and immediately said this when she'd opened up the door.

Betty rolled her eyes but opened the door wider for him to come in. "For someone with a reputation for being so selfish, you certainly seem to need a lot of outside affirmation."

"Mmm, maybe," Reggie said as he walked into the foyer. "Or maybe, I just like hearing you tell me that I matter to you."

Betty blushed. "You know I care about you. I mean, think of all the nice things I've done for you."

"Nuh uh, you've told me you'd do those things for anyone. Wait, was Miss Betty Cooper lying?"

Betty just shook her head and huffed out a laugh. She'd grown used to his teasing, but she still found that he knew how to get under her skin. And by under her skin, she didn't mean in an irritated way. She meant in a "make her blush and wish they were more than friends" way.

"Are you coming to your point, Reggie?"

"Tsk, tsk. So impatient." He strode into her living room without looking back, expecting Betty to follow him. "You know how you were telling me about your favourite reporter? That Miriam Strathroy person?"

"Yes?"

"Well, I may have gotten you an internship with her."

Betty's eyes flew wide open. "You're joking."

"I think I have a better sense of humour than that. No, you know how my parents own the Riverdale Gazette? Well they have lots of reporter friends and I sort of told them about your hero worship thing with Miriam. They were able to use their connections to talk to her about you. It's not a sure thing. She wants to talk to you first and make sure you're serious, but knowing your commitment, it's as good as done."

Betty jumped into his arms, surprising him with a hug. "Oh my god, you have no idea what this means to me."

Reggie's arms settled around her comfortably. "I kind of do though, Bets. You wouldn't shut up about her. Damn, that's probably going to get worse, isn't it?"

"Stop trying to ruin this moment," Betty said through the tears that had embarrassingly sprung up. "You did something so perfect, I refuse to let you ruin it. How did you get your parents to do it?"

"Oh, you know, once they met you, they were happy to do a favour for you."

Betty moved out of the hug to get a better look at Reggie's face. "You're lying."

Reggie shifted under her gaze. "Okay, I may have agreed to go to that pre-law camp they want me to go to."

"But you said that place sounded awful! 'Full of conceited upper-class fools' is what I think you said. A little ironic, but you were pretty sure of your decision."

He looked embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I figured since you'd be gone for the summer, I may as well do something."

Betty reached out and pulled him back into the hug. "I know you're lying, but I also want you to know that I appreciate it."

Hesitating a moment, Reggie said, "I just want to be really clear with you. You might be nice to everyone, but I sure wouldn't do this for anyone. I'm doing this for you, because I think you're amazing and deserve more than I can give you. I'm not always good at asking for help. I don't like to show that I'm vulnerable. You have always been willing to help me out even when I couldn't even have the humility to ask. Just think of this as a thank you."

Shyly, Betty looked him in the eye, "What if I want to think of it as more than a thank you?"

"More?" Reggie looked confused, eyebrows drawing together.

"It seems to me like this might be a declaration of love."

Without waiting for an answer, too terrified of what that answer might be, Betty leaned in and kissed Reggie. His shock melted away under her lips and he kissed her back.

When they came up for air, Reggie seemed almost dazed. "I wanted this to be a declaration and I was going to tell you all of it, but I couldn't be sure if you liked me. You do nice things for everyone."

"Well let me be clear then: I sure wouldn't kiss just anyone like that."

And in case he wasn't sure of that, Betty went back to kissing him, showing him exactly what she meant.