Chapter Text
"Veronica?"
The call for her is distant, but frightened. She perks up from where she's snuggled into Archie's side and frowns as it comes again.
"Veronica!"
She's reluctant to get up, being rather comfortable and all, but does anyway. Her seatmate doesn't seem to mind her absence as she stands. He could always just get his boyfriend to replace her, no problem.
He asks a half-hearted, "What does she want?" as he shifts from one side of the couch to the other. Reggie holds a distracted arm out and he wastes no time settling beneath it.
"Who knows? Maybe she's out of toilet paper. Or accusing me of taking her body mist again. Which, let it be known—" She calls from the hallway, waving a finger, "—I only smelled like pumpkin spice cake because we'd been making out a few hours before!"
The boys had long since stopped listening. Now, their attention is turned loosely to the television, pretending to care about whatever terrible movie is playing on the AMC channel at this hour.
So Veronica wanders, albeit slowly, down the hallway. She knocks on the door, expecting perhaps a petty assertion of a misplaced lip gloss or nail polish. Instead, the girl behind the door wrenches it open and quickly grabs her by the wrist. She's swiftly shut up in the bathroom with Betty, who looks only a little worse for wear.
The slamming of the door startles Archie just enough to make him turn his head curiously.
"Hot an' heavy in there," Reggie points out, without looking away from the screen.
Archie sighs and turns back towards him, "Guess so."
"Worried you're missing out?"
He pouts and gives Reggie a soft punch in the side, "No."
Reggie laughs, "Just a question."
Veronica, flustered, shakes free from the girl's grasp. "Good God, woman. Do you work on your grip strength at the gym or what?"
"Are you on your period?" Betty wastes no time. She might not have much time.
"Come again? You screamed at me to come in here to ask if I'm bleeding?"
"Are you, or are you not!?" Sometimes Ron's stubbornness pisses Betty off. If she doesn't answer, this is shaping up to be one of those times.
"Yeah, Betts. Just like every month."
She claws at her face and breaths in a sob, "Shit!" She stands up, pacing the tiled floor. "When did you start?"
"Hm…two days ago, maybe? Three? I don't know, Betty. Why do you care? I feel like I shouldn't be the one on trial here."
She throws herself back onto the floor. Her fingers dig into her palms, which in turn are pressed against her eyes. "I haven't started yet, Ron…"
Veronica's confusion deepens. Since their tenth grade year, it'd been like clockwork. So in tune in every way that even their bodies had begun to follow the same cycle. "What do you mean? Like, you just haven't— Like, at all?"
She's crying now, and hiding it quite poorly. "Close your eyes."
"What?" Won't she just lay it out for her? Christ, this girl and her antics. "Y'know, if Reggie is standing on the other side of that door ready to laugh cause you're gonna throw some cheap fake insect at me—"
"No, no! Just…please?"
She scowls before obeying, expecting perhaps a flow of liquid or a spray of some sort to come at her. Instead, Betty drops a handful of something in her lap. "Eugh, Elizabeth! I thought you knew better than to play along with those idiots!" Her eyes open in a flash, but she doesn't find whatever it is she thinks she's anticipating.
Instead, a cluster of the single worst thing anybody could ever have given her. Maybe not anybody…maybe just Betty, in particular.
The blonde girl stares at her as if she's waiting to get beat. She sobs again as Ronnie sorts through what she's holding.
"Don't make a scene…" Betty pleads, crawling towards Veronica. She grabs her by the arm and her nails sink deep. "…Ron…?"
She holds one of the objects up. She examines, more thoroughly, the lines. And the key, printed right next to them. Seven times, the same result. Veronica sets it down. She stares at the girl clinging to her arm as if begging for mercy from a ruthless queen.
Her eyes soften. She reaches out and cups the girl's head in her hands. "You're…oh, honey…"
"Yeah…" Betty whispers, fearful and breathless, "…I'm pregnant."