The Yearly 365 Challenge
Prompt: #23 (AU) Wrong Number!AU
Betty sighed as she answered her cell; her focus was on the article that she was trying to write. "Hm?" She spoke.
"Where the fuck are you!" A harsh annoyed voice was on the other side.
Betty blinked as her focus came back full swing. Her mind spun wildly as she tried to remember what friend she accidentally forgot she made plans with for this moment.
"We agreed that we were going to meet here no later then two hours ago. Where the fuck are you!" The voice ranted on. "Seriously do you know that I could be doing much better things right now?"
"I'm sorry." Betty whispered out.
"Katy?" The voice suddenly paused unsure.
Betty blinked.
"Oh God Katy please tell me that you are pulling one of your jokes on me." The female begged.
"I'm not Katy." Betty managed to get out with a husk in her voice.
"Shit." The voice sighed. "I'm so sorry that I yelled at you. I must have dialed the wrong number."
"It's okay. Sounds like you are annoyed with your friend. No harm done." Betty rushed out. "Really."
"Doesn't sound like it." The voice on the other end sighed.
"I was distracted when I answered my phone. You took me by surprise. I thought I forgot that I made plans with one of my friends." Betty explained. "What I get for trying to write my article and leaving my cell on sound."
"You are a writer?" The voice sounded interested.
"I'm a free lance." Betty leaned back against her chair her right arm folded across her chest.
"What's your byline?" The voice spoke.
Betty softly smiled. "That's an interesting way of asking for my name?" She quipped.
The voice laughed. "Well did it work?"
Betty hummed in response.
"Well?" The voice asked again.
"I have heard worst lines." Betty quipped.
"I see how it is." The voice quipped back. She sighed on her end. "My name is Veronica Lodge."
Betty blinked. Whom in the entire world didn't know that name.
"Yes that Veronica Lodge." Veronica spoke into the phone. "Now you know my name do I get to know yours?"
"How do I don't know that you aren't just a stalker whom has a thing for free lance writers?" Betty's right eye brow quirked.
"I like you." Veronica giggled. "I really really like you. You have moxie."
"Thank you." Betty grinned.
"Well seeing how you are calling me a stalker for free lance writers ... if you don't give me your name ... then I'm going to check every by line and figure it out on my own." Veronica sighed into her phone.
"You don't even know if you are in the same state as me." Betty sat forward in shock.
"That's no problem." Veronica replied. "Like I said I like you. I want to get to know you. How will I if I keep calling your number; and text you with free lance writer?"
"You want to talk to me after this conversion?" Betty asked with surprise.
"Of course." Veronica replied. "Why wouldn't I?"
Betty felt heat on her cheeks. "Never mind."
"Tell me your name?" Veronica softy spoke. "Please."
"Betty. Betty Cooper." Betty whispered.
"Betty Cooper." Veronica spoke in a soft voice. "It suits you."
"I have to go." Betty quickly replied. "I really need to finish this article."
"Okay I'll call you again later. Or you can call me." Veronica easily replied.
Betty's hand shook as she stared at her computer scene. "Okay." She replied in a slightly shaking voice. "Goodbye Veronica." She lowered the phone and pressed end just as Veronica's voice spoke "Goodbye Betty."
...
Betty's hand reached out from underneath the covers to pick up her ringing cell. She brought her hand back underneath the covers and opened her phone. Placing her phone against her ear she sighed. "Hello?" Her eyes remained closed. Her brain still refusing to leave the dream she was in.
"Betty?" Veronica's chipper voice spoke on the other end.
"Yes?" Betty sighed as she drifted back to sleep.
"Oh God I forgot I'm in another time zone than you. I'm so sorry B." Veronica's shocked voice spoke in her ear.
Betty's eyes slowly blinked opened. "Who is this?" She husked out as she lowered the covers from her face. She found that the bleary blue lights of her clock rid 3:14 am.
"It's Veronica. Veronica Lodge." Veronica gently replied. "I'm so sorry for waking you up Betty. I forgot that America time zones is totally different from France's. My bad." She tried to giggle but it came out as a slight choke.
"Oh hello Veronica." Betty replied as her brain started to work up.
"Hey now don't wake up B. Go back to sleep." Veronica gently but quickly spoke out. "I'll make sure to call you when it's ten your time okay. Please go back to sleep B."
Betty's eyes drooped as snuggled back down underneath her covers. "Hmm okay. Good night Veronica." She sighed.
"Good night B." Veronica's soft voice spoke before a soft dial tone.
Betty lowered her phone from her ear and returned it to her end table. She snuggled into her pillow as she began to fall back into a peaceful sleep. She calls me B. How nice. I like that. No one else calls me B. I like it that she does. She falls back into her dream.
...
Betty looked at her cell and was surprised to see Veronica's name buzz. She tilted her head to the right as she pressed the speaker phone. "Hey."
"Hey B. Told you I would call at 10 your time." Veronica's tired voice spook through the speakers.
Betty's furrowed her brows. "So that wasn't a dream?"
"Nope." Veronica softly giggled. "I'm so sorry about that by the way."
"It's no problem." Betty pushed it off.
"Why do you that?" Veronica's voice sounded concerned.
"Do what?" Betty was confused.
"It sounds like you just allow ... you know what. It's not my place." Veronica sighed at her end. "I'm just tired is all."
Betty lips pressed together. She wanted to press the issue. But it truly sounded like Veronica was dead tired. Her eyes widen slightly. She remembered Veronica telling her that she was in France. "Go to sleep Veronica. It must be ..." she did quick rapid math in her mind; "midnight your time."
"I'm not ready to go to sleep yet. I wanted to talk to you B." Veronica soft voice spoke. Rustle sounds drifted over the line. "So did you manage to finish that article yet?"
"I can't wait to read it." Veronica hummed.
"So how is France?" Betty tilted her head against the back of her couch.
"Wonderful." Veronica sighed. "But it doesn't have it usual favor to it this visit. It's missing something." She sighed. "I just don't know what it is."
Betty sighed as she realized that the other woman wasn't going to get off the phone. But at least she's in bed. I'll talk softly to her and help her off to dreamland. "Yes I did. I managed to turn it in to the editor at the exact time that it was due."
"I'm sorry." Betty felt bad for her new friend. A new friend whom she had yet to meet face to face. A new friend that she met due to a wrong number. A new friend whom so far she only had three phone conversions with.
"No biggie." Veronica hummed. "What part of the good ol' USA are you from?"
"Riverdale." Betty smiled. "A small town in ..."
"My mother grew up in Riverdale. The town full of Pep." Veronica softy spoke as another soft yawn came over the wire.
"Yeah." Betty said.
It had been silent on Veronica's end for a full two minutes. "Goodnight Veronica. Sweet dreams." Betty softly spoke before she pressed the end button.
...
Veronica: What are you doing B?
Betty: Relaxing with my two best friends.
Veronica: Oh then I'll leave you to do it.
Betty: Hey I didn't mean that I can't talk to you also Veronica.
Veronica: No it's rude of me to be texting me when you are with your friends.
Betty: No it's not.
Betty: Veronica?
Betty: Sigh okay I get it. Talk to you later.
...
Veronica: That's my girl.
"Why are you blushing Bett?" Archie eyed his best friend whom was sitting across from him on the couch; next to Jughead.
"Oh no reason." Betty tucked her phone back in her jeans pockets.
Jughead leaned over "Yeah right." He softly spoke in her ear.
Betty mocked glare into her best friend's ... old high school ex boyfriend's eyes. "It's rude to read over someone's shoulder at their personal cell phones Juggie."
"Since when?" Jughead leaned back over to his side of the love seat. "We do that with each other all the time."
"Yeah." Archie put in as he tossed some popcorn into his mouth.
"We aren't children anymore boys." Betty sighed as she looked over at Archie then back into Jughead's slightly laughing eyes.
"Who's Veronica?" Jughead asked as he leaned forward and grabbed a handful popcorn from the bowel on the coffee table.
"No one." Betty sighed as she folded her arms across her chest.
"No one huh?" Jughead sat back against the couch. "Why did you blush at her last text?" He tossed a piece of popcorn into his mouth.
"She's just a friend okay." Betty sighed.
Archie tilted his head. "Does she work as a free lancer like you?"
"No." Betty replied.
"Where did you meet this 'friend'?" Jughead air quoted his fingers.
Betty remained silent.
"Betty?" Archie spoke in slight concern.
Betty turned her eyes onto his unsure blue ones. She sighed. "A few weeks ago Veronica accidentally wrong dialed me. She was trying to get a hold of her friend. We talked for a few minutes and we clicked. We talked again a week after ... today is the first time she texted me."
"Why is she calling you 'her' girl?" Jughead asked in a rough voice. His brows furrowed in deep concern.
Betty shrugged. "That's how she is." She stood to her feet. "Look I don't deserve this third degree." She walked towards the front door. "I'll see you boys later."
"I'm concerned." Jughead looked over at Archie his arms folded across his chest.
"Look we'll keep a close eye on the situation. So far it's only phone calls and texts." Archie wanted to trust his best friend. He wanted to trust that Betty knew what she was doing. "Let's just support Betty in this new friendship. Then she'll be more open to discuss any concerns she may have ... and we can console her."
Jughead looked at the door where his best friend and ex girlfriend had disappeared from. The romance between them had long been over. Ever since Sophomore year of College. But still he felt hot jealously in his chest when he spied 'That's 'my' girl' in a text from some stranger.
"Jug you will just lose her if you act like this. Let the jealousy go. Hey she may have found another true friend in this Veronica." Archie quietly spoke his eyes steadily on his best friend. His brother.
Jughead sighed deeply and nodded. "Okay." He swore that he would protect Betty if this Veronica was just out to hurt her.
...
"So I was telling you about …." Veronica's voice drifted off. "Betty?" She asked in a soft voice.
"Hmm." Betty murmured the phone tucked underneath her neck, and between her shoulder.
"What's wrong B?" Veronica soft gentle voice spoke over the line.
"Nothing." Betty sighed as she placed her hand on her forehead. Her very very warm forehead.
"Liar." Veronica softly roughly spoke. "Are you feeling all right?" Deep concern was in her voice.
"I'm just a little warm is all." Betty sighed as she placed her head on the back of her couch. Her hand holding the phone against her ear now.
"B." Veronica spoke in a warning voice.
"Just don't." Betty sighed tiredly. "Just don't. It's just a simple cold. So my temp. is up by a degree or two. No worries."
Before Veronica could speak she heard a male over the phone line. "Hey Betty. Betty?" The line went dead. Veronica felt tears rolling down her eyes at her uselessly sitting in her room. She couldn't go to Betty … hell she didn't even know where Betty lived right now. She was stuck in her townhouse in New York not knowing where her friend was. Her very sick friend was. She buried her face in her arms as she broke down.
…...
"How are you feeling?" Veronica spoke in a soft voice.
"Much better." Betty looked herself in the mirror making sure that her makeup was just right. Her brows furrowed. "I'm sorry that I was awful to you when you were only concerned about me. I don't take being sick well."
"No one dose B." Veronica sighed into her the phone. "I'm glad someone was there taking care of you."
Betty blinked in confusion.
"I heard a man before the line went dead. Did you pass out?" Veronica couldn't keep the slight fear from her voice.
Betty's heart dropped as she fully realized what Veronica must had gone through when she had stopped talking to her that day. "Oh Veronica I'm so sorry. I must have closed my eyes because my head was hurting; and my eyes were hurting. I must have fallen asleep. I awoke in bed with Jughead placing a wet cloth on my head." She had walked towards her bed as she spoke.
"I'm glad your boyfriend was there taking care of you." Veronica said in a very fake cheerful voice.
"Jughead is my best friend. I have known him most of my life. We honesty did date from Sophomore year of High school through Sophomore year of College. Then the romance fizzed out … and we are still the best-est friends that we were when we first met." Betty leaned back against her headboard.
"Oh." Veronica spoke back in her normal tone. "Sounds great. He honesty had a nice voice. From what I could hear in the back ground."
Betty's furrowed her brows.
"Look Betty I actually am late. I'm glad you are feeling better. Talk to you later." Veronica quickly said.
"Okay. Talk to you later. Bye Ronnie." Betty spoke.
"Bye Betty." The line went dead.
Betty lowered her phone from her ear with puzzled furrowed brows.
…..
Betty: Are you there Veronica?
Veronica: Oh hey Betty.
Betty: I haven't heard from you in weeks. Are you okay?
Veronica: Yeah I've been super busy.
Veronica: I have been out of the country.
Betty; Oh.
Veronica: Matter of fact I'm on my way to meeting my date.
Betty: Oh. Sorry didn't mean to bother you. Have a nice date.
Veronica: Will do.
…..
"What's your game?" Jughead demanded hotly into his phone.
"Pardon me." Veronica's surprised and somewhat heated voice spoke.
"You heard me." Jughead growled.
"Whom are you trying to call? I think you have a wrong number." Veronica spoke in a calm voice.
"Isn't this how this all started! You calling a wrong number." Jughead snorted.
"I'm hanging up now." Veronica spoke.
"Why are you so bent on hurting Betty!" Jughead demanded his hand gripped tightly around his cell.
"Oh." Veronica's soft breath husked out.
"Yeah. Oh." Jughead repeated. "Now why are you so bent on hurting Betty!"
Veronica sighed into the phone. "I'm no …:"
"I have done background research on you Lodge. I know your history. So don't you fucking dare tell me that you aren't that person." Jughead snared into his phone.
Veronica remained silent.
"Even through Betty hasn't actually set her eyes physically on you Veronica; she's very invested in your so called friendship. Betty doesn't do this. She seriously doesn't make friends with a random stranger whom wrong dials her. She doesn't make friends as easily as you do." Jughead sighed as he calmed down.
"I -" Veronica couldn't go on.
"She thinks that she's done something to hurt you. That's why you aren't contacting her anymore." Jughead shook his head as he leaned against the window frame at Pop's.
"She hasn't. This is me. All me." Veronica whispered.
"Just talk to her again." Jughead sighed.
"I will. Thanks Jughead." Veronica said before she hung up.
Jughead sighed as he lowered his phone. He prayed that he did the right thing.
…...
Betty lifted her cell to her ear. "H-hello." She sniffed.
"Betty?" A very familiar concerned female voice spoke softly.
"Veronica." Betty's heart skipped a beat.
"Yeah." Veronica sighed. "Is this a good time?"
Betty nodded. She realized that the other woman couldn't see her. "Of course it is." She wiped her nose with a tissue.
"Are you sick again?" Veronica asked in concern.
"No. I was watching a sad movie." Betty tearfully laughed. "Seriously saddest ending ever."
"I'm sorry for ignoring you all these weeks." Veronica husked out. "I had some personal issues to work out and I needed time."
Betty rested her head on the back of her couch. "I understood."
"It wasn't fair the way I treated you." Veronica spoke.
"I understood." Betty repeated.
"You shouldn't have understood. You should have been angry with me. Hell you shouldn't even be willing speaking to me right now." Veronica ranted.
Betty's eyes widen. "Hey calm down Veronica."
Veronica's harsh breath came over the line. "Sorry."
Betty snuggled down as she prepared for a nice long talk with her wrong number. "So now that we got that out of the way. How have you been?"
"Truthfully. Very lousy. I have been missing you." Veronica soft voice spoke.
"I have been missing you too." Betty husked out.
…..
"So when do you want to face talk and Skype?" Veronica asked instead of saying hello.
"Hello to you too." Betty giggled.
"Well?" Veronica lead.
"I don't want to see your face for the very first time through a device." Betty tucked her cell as she made a ham and cheese sandwich.
"So when do you want to meet up." Veronica happily spoke.
Betty's eyes widen as she realized what came out of her mouth. The knife dropped onto her plate; and her left hand rose to take the phone from her tight shoulder. Looking down she sees that she's in her rattiest of all sweats. She knew she was wearing her old Riverdale t-shirt with a worn out v neck. She hadn't taken a shower that day. Her breath was horrid. "Um …."
"I'm not talking right this second Betty." Veronica spoke in a light voice.
"Um …." Betty's mind was frozen.
"Look Betty. I would really like to meet you face to face. I love talking and texting you these past few months. I feel that we connect like I have never connected with another person in my life." Veronica spoke in a low voice. "But I can tell that you are anxiousness. So how about we keep talking and texting each other. When you are ready to meet face to face you set the time and place."
"Okay." Betty whispered.
"Okay." Veronica replied.
,,,,,,,,
"So how as your day?" Veronica asked lightly.
"We can talk about it." Betty leaned her head against the back of the couch.
"I don't want to spike up your anxiety." Veronica spoke unsurely.
"It's been weeks since that moment." Betty frowned as her hand tightened against the phone. "I am tired of trying to talk around it."
"..."
"Sorry." Betty replied as her eyes closed. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"You aren't." Veronica replied. "If you want to talk about it then I'm here."
Betty sighed. "I know. How much research have you done on me?"
"Not much." Veronica truthfully replied. "You know I found your facebook, Vine, tumblr pages."
"..."
"Hey now you accepted my friend request on all of them." Veronica rushed out.
"..."
"Betty?" Concern was in Veronica's voice.
"I can't do this right now. I'm sorry." Betty hung up the phone. Her heart pounding as she squeezed her eyes closed tightly.
….
"Hello?" Jughead sighed into his phone.
"How can I be there for Betty if she doesn't let me in." Veronica spoke.
Jughead frowned as he leaned back against the couch. He shook his head at Archie's raised eyebrows. "Hello Veronica."
Archie wiggled his eye brows and had a goofy grin on his lips.
Jughead frowned darkly at him and Archie realized that he was mistaken about what this call was about. He leaned forward trying to hear Veronica's end of the conversion.
"Veronica; I'm here with Betty's other childhood best friend …. he's more like her brother than anything else. Do you mind if I put you on speaker?" Jughead spoke with his eyes on Archie.
"I don't want to talk behind Betty's back with too many people." Unsureness was in Veronica's voice.
"Betty is our family. We protect our family." Jughead softly and gently spoke.
Archie's eyes teared up as he realized what was truly going on.
"Okay." Veronica whispered.
Jughead lowered his cell and pressed speaker.
"Hey Veronica …. my name is Archie Andrews." Archie spoke in a gentle voice towards the cell.
"Hello Archie." Deep concern was in Veronica's voice.
"So you have come across Betts aniexty issues?" Archie sighed as he got more comfortable on the couch.
"..."
"We'll take that as a yes." Jughead nodded.
"I just don't know how I can be there for her if I can't be there for her. I'm not usually good at comforting people over the phone." Veronica deeply sighed into the phone. "Look I fully know that I truly don't let another human being get close to me. In my world anyone whom is too close to you …. then they will destroy you. The only ones whom are allowed to be that close to me is my mother and Smithers." She breathed. "But even through all that. If I see someone truly needs to be held and comforted to help them … then that's what I do."
Archie felt even more at peace with Betty's friendship with her wrong number.
"All I did was ask to meet with her." Veronica went on. "I could tell her anxiety hit her big time. I backed off and told her that she would be the one to call the day, time and place on that one. But then she just kept our discussions very superficial for weeks."
"She does that." Jughead replied.
"Yesterday she said that she was ready to talk about it. Then before we could honesty even begin she shut me down." Confusion was in her voice.
"Umm what happened before she shut you down?" Archie tilted his head to the right.
"She asked how much research I did on her. I told her that I of course found her facebook ..." Veronica began.
"Vine and tumblr pages." Jughead sighed. "She shut you down right after that didn't she?"
"Yeah." Veronica sad voice spoke.
"Talk to your mother about her childhood in Riverdale." Archie spoke up.
"How did you …. nevermind." Veronica sighed.
"She talks about you from time to time." Jughead replied. "I agree with Archie. Talk to your mother."
"Thank you boys." Veronica sighed.
"Nice talking to you Veronica. Sorry it had to be like this." Archie replied.
"..."
"Talk to your mother Veronica." Jughead spoke as he pressed end on his phone.
"You could have waited to say good bye." Archie frowned at his best friend.
"She understands." Jughead met his best friend's eyes before pocketing his cell. He rested his head against the back of the couch.
….
Betty: Please talk to me.
Betty: Veronica please I miss talking to you.
Betty: I know the boys told you to talk to your mother about her childhood in Riverdale. I know you know about my mom.
Betty: Please I can't lose you.
Veronica: You aren't losing me. I'm sorry for being silent for you. I didn't know how …
Veronica: I just didn't know how to …
Betty: I get it.
Betty put her cell against her ears. "Hey." She softly said.
"I have missed your voice." Veronica husky spoke.
"Me too." Betty leaned her head against the back of the couch. "I just need some more time."
"I understand." Veronica replied. "I know that we have been talking by phone and texting. But do you mind if we facebook message each other? Yahoo chat perhaps. Email?" She asked with slight hope.
Betty swallowed. "I would honesty love that."
"Good." Veronica replied.
….
Author's Note: Twelve pages, 3,332 words later and I have even more words to share with all you lovely readers from this prompt. I have decided to break this down into actual chapters otherwise if I leave it as a one shot … then I'm afraid it may be eighty pages long before I am done.
So just so everyone knows Betty and Veronica won't be meeting face to face for quite away. But they will be talking on the phone; texting; facebooking; yahoo messaging each other. But the prompt is 'Wrong Number!AU' and I had to stop this chapter where I did otherwise I wouldn't have kept in the spirit of the prompt.
Expect a lot of Jughead and Archie to pop up … but this is a Betty/Veroncia centric story … so although the boys will be in it … they will just be supportive of Betty as they have been. The other characters of Riverdale will be popping up through out the story.