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Betty Cooper slammed her locker shut with one hand, the other was clutched tightly around yet another pink, heart shaped piece of paper.
Determinedly, she made her way towards the room serving as the home of the Blue and Gold, a crease forming between her eyebrows from the pretty intense frown she’d been wearing all day.
She ended up towering over Jughead, who was sitting at an empty desk, his nose buried in his laptop and - god knows how - both hands wrapped protectively around what looked like a burger from Pop’s (half eaten).
She stared at him accusatorially for a solid minute before he looked up,
“What?” He said, around a mouthful.
She deposited the piece of paper she’d been holding onto the desk and raised an eyebrow.
His brow furrowed as he scanned the page.
You’re pretty cute for a blond girl
- J xoxo
He snorted out a laugh before looking at Betty incredulously,
“Was I seriously your primary suspect for this?”
Betty stared at him for a few more seconds before huffing and running a hand over her face,
“It’s been a long day, okay? Who else could it have been?”
He raised his eyebrows,
“Betty the paper literally has cat ears on it, if you’re supposed to be the future of journalism then we really have no hope.”
She scrunched up her face in confusion, “Josie’s gay?”
“I’m clearing not presenting myself right if you find it so difficult to come to that conclusion but ‘ah yes, Jughead’ was the first thing you thought when you looked at that thing.” He shrugged, “It’s really not surprising when you actually think about it.”
“Oh and you’ve thought about it?” She looked over at him, eyebrow-raised.
He looked back to his laptop. “I’m observant, it’s what I do.”
She sighed again, frowning down at the floor.
“I’m trying to work on america’s next great novel here,” He looked at her expectantly. When this didn’t work he tried plan B,
Startled, betty snapped out of her trance when a burger was waved wildly in front of her face,
“Can we get a little privacy here?” Jughead was looking up at her, eyes wide.
She rolled her eyes at him, but turned to leave, gathering up the note in the process.
* * * *
Kevin looked across the table at Betty, watching her play with her food, an adorable little scowl etched on her features. Occasionally she would look over at her bag - crumpled rose sticking out of the top, practically overflowing with valentines messages, and then turn back to the table with a huff. She’d been repeating this for the last five minutes, he was getting bored.
He decided to break the silence,
“This isn’t about Archie is it?”
She looks up at him, exasperated, “No, it isn’t about Archie. I just-“
“Hey guys, what’re we talking about?” Veronica interrupts, taking the seat next to Betty, who visibly relaxes.
Kevin watches as Veronica places a hand on Betty’s shoulder and a lopsided smile makes its way across her face, the bag of valentines all but forgotten.
He raises an eyebrow, interesting…
Veronica leans over, about to whisper something in Betty’s ear when a chord rings out over the table.
The three look up to see Archie Andrews, standing on a chair, guitar in hand. Apparently he’d gathered quite the crowd while they weren’t looking. He turns to Betty, who looks so bright red that Kevin’s afraid she might combust, and not in a good way.
Archie clears his throat,
“Betty Cooper, I’ve been an idiot. And, uh, I was hoping you’d give me another chance.”
He reached behind his back and brought out a small stuffed bear, presenting it and looking rather proud of himself. He stepped down and put in on the table in front of Betty.
She blanched, it was holding a love heart.
Veronica was staring him down in full ice queen character.
He cleared his throat again, “So, uh, here goes.”
Looking ever so slightly self conscious, he starts to play the opening chords to ‘I want you to want me’.
He manages to get about halfway through the first line before Betty stands up abruptly, fists clenched at her sides.
Her face is scrunched up in some weird cross between embarrassment and pity as she looks up at his expectant face. She opens and closes her mouth a few times before sighing and landing and awkward fist bump on his shoulder,
“Thank you ? That was- I just… Thanks.” She stuttered out, managing to work finger guns into the sentence.
She glanced once more at the teddy bear on the table before gesturing in the direction of the school
“I’m going to, just…”
She headed off, stiff as a board, leaving a confused looking Archie in her wake.
Veronica stood up next with a sigh, grabbing Betty’s bag and going after her, Pausing briefly in front of Archie,
“Archiekins, I love you, but you are not Heath Ledger and that is definitely not your song to sing.”
Kevin watches her leave with a bemused expression on his face.
Very interesting indeed.
* * * *
As the final bell rings Betty stops for a minute and feels the relief wash over her. All that was left now was cheerleading practice, then she could leave and escape this mess of a day.
“Hey, Bets, You coming or not?”
She looks up at Veronica, standing a few paces ahead and looking back at her with a smile on her face, and feels her mouth twitch into a smile in return.
She doesn’t bother giving an answer, just follows after her, contented smile fixed in place.
* * * *
Two hours later, she’s standing in the locker room, towelling the sweat off of her face. She stretched, moving her head slowly from side to side and letting out a small groan at the sensation before moving a hand up to rub her neck.
There’s an appreciative noise from behind her and she turns, startled to find herself face to face with Cheryl.
“Not bad Betty.” Approval is written on her face as she gives Betty a not-so-sly once over.
She takes a step forward, instinctively Betty takes a step back, fists clenching as she feels her back hit the lockers with a metallic clang.
Cheryl smiles at her deer in headlights look, her face looking almost predatory, and reaches an arm out, brushing Betty’s shoulder before settling on the locker behind her, she puts her weight on it and leans in.
“I was thinking, now that we’ve got this truce, and because it’s valentines day and all, I’m going to give you a one time offer.”
Betty cleared her throat nervously, not feeling any less trapped, she stuttered out a “yeah?”
Cheryl leaned in further, Betty could feel her breath warming the side of her (already burning up) cheek,
“They don’t call me bombshell for nothing…” She lingered for a moment, giving Betty another seductive once-over, before stepping back,
“Meet me later and I’ll show you why.”
Betty hadn’t moved an inch, she really wanted to put a voice to how deeply uncomfortable she was and how, as tempting (and weird) an offer it was (but mostly weird), she would most definitely not be doing that. However, she was really getting the vibe that that would not be a good idea right now.
So, they just stood for a few seconds having this weird sort of stare-down, Cheryl wearing that signature smug smirk.
The weird tension was beginning to get too much for Betty and just as she cracked and opened her mouth to decline another voice chimed in and did it for her.
“Yeah, no. Sorry Cheryl but Betty already has plans.”
Veronica walked over to the lockers and placed a comforting had on Betty’s shoulder.
(At her sides her hands uncurled from their fists).
For a split second Cheryl looked like she was going to question it, but then she huffed, letting out a clipped ‘you have my number.” before stalking off.
Betty sighed as the tension evaporated from her body and she slumped into Veronica. She turned her head slightly, looking down at the other woman and offering a heartfelt ‘Thank you.’
Veronica tilted her head, “Anytime Bets.”
There was a beat, a lull in which they just enjoyed the company and silence, before she pushed off from the locker,
“Lets go, I wasn’t lying about those plans you know.” She said curtly, waggling an eyebrow.
Betty laughed, her voice taking on a flirtatious edge, “I should hope not, you promised great things Veronica Lodge.”
“Well then I shall try not to disappoint,” She reached out, offering a hand, “But first we’d better get out of this sweaty locker room.”
Betty smiled, taking the hand, “Lead the way.”
* * * *
Veronica clambered back up the bed, hair mussed and a sheen of sweat covering her skin. She looked over at Betty, who was currently staring at her with a slightly glassy-eyed smile.
Veronica quirked an eyebrow, “Great things?”
Betty bit her lip coyly, “Well, lets just say you can consider your promise fulfilled.”
Veronica laughed before settling down onto the bed. The two lay for a moment, before she abruptly turned round, propping her head up by her elbow. Betty observed her sly smile questioningly.
“So, just how many people did ask you out today?”
Betty groaned and covered her face with a pillow,
“Honestly Ronnie don’t remind me.”
“Wow, that many, huh?”
Betty peeked her head out, shooting Veronica an ‘I’m warning you’ glare,
“Okay okay I’ll drop it!” She rolled her eyes in surrender, “Still, weren’t you even a little bit curious about what that ‘bombshell’ really means?” She teased.
Betty opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to ignore that she could feel the tips of her ears going pink. Veronica gasped in mock horror,
“You are!” She sat up properly, putting a hand to her chest, “Oh the scandal, the betrayal, the-“
Betty cut her off with a kiss, pulling back slightly and looking at her as if to say ‘be serious’,
“You know you’ve got nothing to worry about.” She whispered, enjoying the way Veronica grinned against her lips,
“I know.”
Betty kissed her again, before laying back down, looking thoughtful,
“I do feel sorry for Archie though, I really don’t think he had a clue.”
Veronica scoffed before cuddling up to her on the bed, giving her a kiss on the cheek, “It’s his own fault, we’ve hardly been subtle - he would’ve spotted it weeks ago if he bothered to look further than his own nose.” She paused, “I mean this in the most loving way, but our dear Archiekins is suffering from a major case of teenage boy syndrome.”
Betty gave her a questioning look, small smile playing on her lips,
“Very self involved.” Veronica explained.
They shared another kiss, before she pulled back, yet another spark of mischief in her eyes,
“I know just what to do.”
* * * *
Jughead couldn’t even bring himself to let out a halfhearted whoop as Archie’s side of the screen lit up with ‘game over’.
It just wasn’t as fun beating the guy when he wasn’t even trying.
“It was a good song! I just don’t understand, I guess I really blew it with her, huh?”
Jughead sighed and let out a non committal cliched response for the umpteenth time that evening.
Why do people keep coming to me about this stuff. It’s gone too far, it’s affecting my favourite things in life.
He thought back to this morning’s burger, tainted by Betty’s accusations of - he shuddered - romance.
Archie continued to prattle on, so he pulled out his phone and checked instagram while he waited for the game to load.
Around the fourth photo he found himself suddenly elated, he’s struck gold, finally, the perfect thing to make Archie stop talking.
He moved to show him the screen, but then paused,
wait, what if this just makes him talk more?!
Steeling himself, he decided to take the risk, there was too much at stake here.
(Tainted burgers, unsatisfactory video games, really what kind of life is that to live?)
Archie was cut off mid sentence by the phone thrust in his face. Confused, he took a few seconds to scan the screen.
He gulped,
“Oh.”
There was a moment of silence, before Jughead cleared his throat,
“I’m sure it was a good song dude.”
Archie picked up the controller,
“Lets just play, okay?”
Jughead smiled at the screen, victory.
* * * *
Cheryl and Josie were busy steaming up the windows of Cheryl’s car, making out furiously in the back seat, when a high pitched ding noise came from the direction of Cheryl’s butt.
They pulled apart, and Josie sighed before pulling Cheryl’s phone from her back pocket and presenting it to her. She snuck a look at the screen, before raising an eyebrow questioningly.
‘Veronica Lodge just posted a photo on instagram!’ a bright pink banner proclaimed.
Cheryl rolled her eyes, “I like to keep tabs on all of the girls from the team, the vixens have standards okay don’t make it a thing.”
Josie ran a hand over her cheek before giving her a small smile, eyebrow still raised
“I’m not making it anything, try not getting so defensive next time yeah?”
Cheryl gave her a quiet sorry, pecking her on the cheek and going to check the notification.
“Oh.”
Josie looked up at her, about to question the surprise written on her features when Cheryl turned the phone around, showing her the screen.
Her eyebrows shot up. “Damn.”
The two looked at one another and shrugged, before Cheryl hit ‘like’ and chucked the phone into the front seat, grabbing at Josie and pulling her in for another heated kiss.
* * * *
“That should do it.”
Veronica locked her phone and turned back to Betty, satisfied. Betty gave her a smile before opening up her own phone,
‘Veronica Lodge tagged you in a photo.’ She swiped the notification, and her smile widened into a grin as she looked at the screen.
It was them, Betty and Veronica, a photo they’d taken a few days prior while listening to music in Betty’s room. Veronica had one hand on betty’s face while the other took the photo, and the two were locking lips, smiling through the kiss.
The caption read “v-day with the bae xoxo”
She looked over at Veronica and pulled her in for another kiss, relishing the feeling of their lips brushing over each other.
Emboldened, she turned and swung a leg over, straddling her, trying not to break the kiss. It ended up a little bit clumsy but Veronica let out a little gasp into her mouth anyway and she grinned, deeming it a success.
She moved her mouth down to Veronica’s neck and began to trail kisses up to her ear.
Veronica pulled back, flustered but surprised.
“Again, really?” She laughed,
Betty shrugged,
“Happy Valentines Day.”
* * * *
Kevin Keller looked down at his phone and smiled. It feels good to always be right.