Chapter Text
Betty Cooper had been going to Camp Clearwater since she was 5 years old. It was the first big overnighter she did and her mother had told her that if she couldn’t handle it, she’d come pick her up and she’d never have to go back.
Betty was still here, every summer, even 16 years later. She was a junior counselor, then a senior counselor, and now at age 21 she was leading and organizing the writing workshops. This was going to be her last year working at the camp. Next summer, she’d have to apply for journalism jobs back in the city, but for now, she was out here, leading cheers, making lanyards, talking with 11 year olds about the boys and girls that they liked. She had these 2 weeks left at Camp Clearwater and she wasn’t going to waste one more second of them worrying about her future.
“Alright, you’re going to be in the Caterpillar Bunk!” Betty looked down at the small girl who was hanging onto her hand for dear life. She reminded Betty of herself when she was first coming to camp: a messy blonde ponytail, a look of determination, but a little bit of nervous energy sneaking through.
The little girls name was Daisy and she was 5 years old, a first time camper with a backpack that was comically bigger than she was.
“My very best friend in the world, Veronica, is going to be your Bunk Leader. You’re in good hands, trust me.”
Betty loved being with the little ones, and she got her fair share of it during the day, but this year she was bunking with the 5th grade girls, the oldest kids at the camp, and the ones that she’d known since they first arrived at camp what seemed like forever ago. It felt like a fitting way to go out, with the kids who were now moving out of camper age and into potential junior counselor age.
“Betty!” She heard a shout from behind her, and turned to see one of them now. Olivia Johnston, and alongside her, Samantha Carrington. They were attached at the hip from their first day at camp and reminded Betty of her and Veronica. They’d always called them their mini me’s, first as a joke, but now it seemed all too true.
Olivia was a writer, always seeming to burst with sunshine, living in pinks and yellows, her blonde hair growing longer every year. Samantha, on the other hand, was already business savvy and quick witted, and was never caught without a signature black clothing item and a fantastic hairstyle for her dark tresses. Today, she had a fishtail braid and a full black outfit, complete with black nail polish, while Olivia wore a pale yellow Camp Clearwater signature tee shirt, the same one Betty was wearing. It reminded Betty so much of herself and her own best friend that she could almost cry.
Both the girls were in her bunk this year along with 4 other girls who had also been going to the camp since Betty first started as a counselor.
“Hey girls!” She smiled and lifted a hand to wave.
“Hey.” Samantha shot her a cool smile and then looked down at Daisy, who was still holding Bettys hand and biting the nail of her other thumb.
“Whats your name?” Olivia asked her, and Daisy replied in quiet voice.
“Daisy.”
“I’m Olivia and this is Sam. I like your Paw Patrol backpack. Very cool.” the older girl gave the little one a big smile, and Betty felt her hand relax a little bit.
“I bet you’re in Caterpillar Bunk aren’t you?” Olivia continued.
Daisy nodded.
“You’ll love Ms. Ronnie.” Sam said. “Her and Ms. Betty give out the best stickers in the whole camp. Stick with them and you’re golden.”
“Okay.” Daisy smiled.
“We’re actually headed in that direction if you want us to walk you.” Olivia offered.
“Sure.” Daisy let go of Betty’s hand and let her nerves fall away. Betty smiled. They were making the little girl feel like she was one of the big kids. Exactly what she needed to feel safe and ready.
“You’re gonna go with Sam and Olivia?” She confirmed with Daisy, who gave her a quick nod. Olivia nodded at Betty and took Daisy’s hand. As they walked away, Betty heard her asking “So Paw Patrol, huh? Who’s your favorite character?”
Camp was only just beginning and she had already had her first proud moment.
* * *
Before things really kicked into high gear, there was a counselor meeting. Most of the staff were returning, and some of Betty’s closest and oldest friends. Obviously, there was Veronica, but then there was Cheryl, Betty’s next closest friend, and her girlfriend Toni. They made up half of the Senior Counselors on the girls side.
Then there was Archie, who had also been attending the camp since they were 5, and Kevin, who’d joined when they were in second grade and been a fast friend of Betty and Veronica. They’d bonded over their favorite flavor of playdough and the rest had been history.
This year, they were getting two new counselors among the boys to replace the ones who had left after last summer. Betty didn’t know much about them, as apparently the hiring process had been difficult. They hadn’t gotten many applications- being a male camp counselor apparently just wasn’t as appealing as being a female camp counselor.
When Betty entered the meeting, she saw Veronica and Kevin sitting in the front row, the only ones of her friends to always be on time for these meetings. She plopped down beside Veronica, who was giving her side in a debate. Veronica loved to debate with people, never in a harsh manner, always giving time to hear the opposition, but ultimately with the goal of proving herself right and the other person deeply wrong.
“I understand that it’s a classic,” she was saying. “But how can we go through life sticking to what we’ve always known, what’s always been there? We’d never leave our comfort zones and end up missing out on so many things. For example, up until high school, you were on the wrestling team. Then in 9th grade, I seem to remember that you wanted to audition for a little musical called Beauty and the Beast but you were absolutely terrified that you wouldn’t be cast and make a complete fool out of yourself in front of anyone, but you pushed yourself to try something new, and what happened?”
Kevin rolled his eyes. “I played Lumiere.”
“As. A. Freshman. Because instead of sticking to what you’d always known, you tried something new and now you are one year away from having your degree in acting, because that one chance changed the entire trajectory of your life.”
“Touche.” Kevin shrugged.
“What’s the debate?” Betty asked.
“Nacho Cheese versus Cool Ranch Doritos.” Kevin gave Betty a knowing look. Veronica took every debate as a serious matter, no matter how ridiculous, and sometimes her arguments were a stretch, but they always made sense one way or another.
Veronica sighed happily. “Another win for the underdog.”
“You ready for this?” Toni popped up next to Betty, with Cheryl and Archie following behind her.
“Our final year, about to begin.” Cheryl sighed dramatically.
“Oh stop, we have three weeks, lets not start getting sentimental now.” Veronica said as the head of the camp, Ms. Clearwater, an older woman with a cheery disposition and graying hair, appeared in front of them.
“Hello everyone.” She smiled. “For our returning counselors, welcome back to Camp Clearwater! I suppose our first order of business should be to introduce our two new staff members. Stand up boys.”
Betty turned to look, and to her surprise one of the faces was familiar to her.
“Sweet Pea” she vaguely heard Ms. Clearwater say, but that wasn’t the name of the boy who she was locking eyes with. This boy had been in many of her high school classes, always her greatest competitor for top grades in her class, and quite honestly a thorn in her side since she’d laid eyes on him. She hadn’t seen him in 2 years, but there he was standing in front of her, infiltrating her territory. Betty could feel Veronica’s eyes on her and heard an audible gasp from Cheryl’s direction.
Ms. Clearwater was smiling from ear to ear as she unknowingly said the worst pair of words that Betty Cooper had ever heard.
“Jughead Jones.”