ACK hello ! Gah I love Riverdale sm. This isn't supposed to be after/set during a specific scene ! Comments welcome !
Despite her best efforts, Elizabeth Cooper has drained herself out. With no money left except the cash she made from various side hustles, she was broke. She didn't even know how she was still living at home, now that her mother was trying to sell the house. It was almost as if she lived by herself. With her father locked away and her mother spending all of her time at the farm, Betty was at an absolute loss. She was at the end of her wits, the end of her days. No matter how hard she tried convincing Alice Cooper to come back home, she was sucked into the polyamorous web of lies that Edgar had created at the farm. Betty was too pissed to even try again to bring her mother back. To try and fix her family.
Betty drove home from the farm after confronting her mother in a hurry. She was so furious to the point that there were tears barely held back in her eyes. She had to lift her head up, looking at the roof of her car to prevent her tears from falling. It was a futile attempt, they starting running in rivulets down her smooth cheeks. She choked out a hardly concealed sob, raising her right hand to wipe away the increasing wetness on her skin. By the time she arrived at the house, her vision was blurred. She had to bend forward to look at the steps through her tears to ensure she would not trip up them.
She didn't even bother to lock the door behind her. She didn't know if she would prefer someone to come in and kill her, or someone to bust in and give her the chance to kill them. She took off her jacket in distaste, throwing it to the arm chair in the living room. The one that neither she, her mother, her father, or her sister would ever sit again. The teen ascended the stairs to her room, letting out a guttural scream when she neared her bedroom, slamming the door. She took a few moments to recollect herself before going in. Almost immediately she started to shed her clothing, leaving them discarded on her bed. Then, opening the closet, she bent down to lift a loosened floorboard, and retrieving her black wig.
Betty took off her bra, rolling her neck and shoulders to relieve her tension. There were still tears in her eyes, and her lip still quivered when the dark thoughts were at bay. Being dark Betty didn't even calm her down, but she knew it was a distraction. And one that could land her some spare money. She sat at her beauty desk, applying her dark lipstick with a shaking hand. Next came her wig, smoothing out the black strands against the frame of her face. She had a bit of a hard time hooking the lingerie in the back, but got everything on and in order. She moved to her study desk, picking up her notebooks filled with notes from school, moving them aside. She gathered the various colored pens in one hand, putting them away in a drawer. Then she opened her laptop, giving a sigh and a flattening of the jet skirt she wore. She didn't like to do this, but a deeper part of her knew that she did.
She was online for about an hour and a half doing her work. She put herself in various poses, accentuating all of her best angles. The last male she was with was enjoying the view of her, and was even beginning to unzip the pants he wore. However, he narrowed his eyes, furrowing his brow, and leaned forward. Betty put on her best grin, leaning forward to show a closer view of her face and chest. "What is it, baby?" she ventured, biting one of her lips. But the boy watching her shook his head slowly for a second. "Are you… are you crying?" He looked like he was peering into his camera now. Betty gasped, leaning back. She instinctively wiped at her eyes, then looking at the back of her hands, shaking her head. "No. It must be your camera." She wiped the tears that had gathered on the back of her hand on the side of her desk. As if getting rid of the tears would also get rid of the despair she felt deep in her core.
Taking off her outfit was satisfying. Everytime she did this, it was a relief to get back dressed as the goody two shoes that everyone knew her to be. It gave her comfort. When she dressed up for the camera like Chick taught her, it felt as if it was something dirty, something she immediately had to wash away. Which is why she took a shower, scrubbing her body furiously. She washed her makeup off in the shower, and even after she was out of the shower and dressed into her pajamas, her eyes were still puffy from crying. There were still tears of anguish pooled in her eyes, threatening to spill out. She considered calling someone, but decided against it. She didn't want anyone to see her like this.
However, it seems her friends had different ideas. When she clambered onto her bed, she noticed the display on her phone was on. It bore her favorite picture of Veronica, displaying the name in her phone for her. It had simply the letter V with a yellow heart emoji on either side of it. The picture set for the contact was Veronica at their last sleepover with a genuine smile on her features as she laughed. It was Betty's favorite picture because of the true happiness in it, and the fact that she looked so beautiful in it. The thought of the girl made Betty smile through her tears. She picked up her phone, answering the incoming call. "Hey, V," she answered, trying her best to convey in her cheery voice.
"B, are you okay?" Concern was laced in her friend's voice.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"
"Come on. I know you better than that. Tell me what happened." Over the line, Betty could barely register the sound of what sounded like something starting. Perhaps her laptop turning on?
"Nothing, really! I'm okay. Don't worry about it. You should be getting some sleep, it's late."
"No. I'm wide awake, trust me. So you, my friend, will relax and talk to me. I'm free, have no plans, and am home alone. I'm sitting here with the windows open and a boring book in front of me. I could definitely use the distraction, and you can definitely use a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen."
"Only if you're sure. It's just something that bothered me. I don't want to keep you awake or anythi-" She broke off, standing up to look out of her window. "Hang on, Vee. I think someone just pulled up to my house." Glancing out of her window, Betty could see a car stopped, and in the back of her mind, didn't remember shutting the lights off on her own car. However, the light cast from the new car illuminated her license plate, showing that the lights were indeed off. There wasn't a person in the new car, and mere seconds later, a knock resounded from the door downstairs.
Betty ventured carefully down the stairs, silence coming from the other end of the line. She brought the phone down from her hand to see if she was still on the line, only to find she had accidentally ended the call in her curiosity of the car outside. The blonde looked through a window to see who was at the door, and smiled when she looked through the peephole in the door. Now she realized what the sound had been over the phone: a car. A nervous laugh escaped her throat as she opened the door and walked into the embrace of Veronica. When she pulled back and took Veronica by the hand, the tears in her eyes began to fall again. "I can't even begin to tell you the shittiest day I had." Veronica shut the door behind her and followed Betty up the stairs back to your room.
"You're going to tell me everything, girl." She took off her peacoat as Betty sat on the bed, patting for Veronica to sit with her. "By the way, you left your lights on." She laughed when she watched the blonde smack her open palm to her forehead, eyes widening and mouth gaping. "Don't worry, I turned them off for you. You seem to always forget you gave me one of the spares to your car. I locked it when I left." She shrugged out of her coat and overshirt, now in a silk tank top. Sliding off her shoes, she hopped onto Betty's bed, leaning against her shoulder. "Thank you," Betty said, taking her hand in her own.
"Now, before you tell me anything." She grinned, leaned backwards to grab something off the floor. She grabbed her purse that she had brought with her, bringing it to the bed and setting it between them. "I brought your favorite." She brought snacks out of her bag, allowing Betty to take the ones she wanted first, opening them and beginning to eat some. She had to laugh again, wiping tears from her eyes and thanking the other girl. "No problem," Veronica shot back. "And before you ask how I knew to come over, I know when you didn't call me earlier like our usual time that something might be up." She mentioned their usual time, which would be right before both girls got ready for bed each night. Whether it be a voice or video call, it was almost every night, and the two made it a habit. "I also know that you're going through a lot right now. So go ahead, vent to your heart's desire. Make sure you get enough to eat first, I know this stuff is your comfort food." She smiled, and it was again with the genuinity that she held with it that made Betty's lips turn upwards as well.
After a few bites of her snack, Betty let it all out. She released her pent up frustration, all about her mother, the way she stole her money, the way she is is breaking her family apart. By the time she was finished ranting, she was gasping for breath and tears freely falling down her face. The blanket pooled in her lap was wet where the tears had fallen from her cheeks and chin, and Veronica had been listening until now. Now she was moving the food and blankets out of the way, pulling her best friend into a warm and tight embrace. "Thank you for telling me all of that, Bee. And I am so sorry that she's treating you like this." It hurt her to her core to know that Alice still treated her lovely daughter like shit even after Betty saved her life. With that in mind, she swore a promise that she would not break. "I swear to you that I will make sure she pays for this." Her jaw was set, determined, and anger in her dark eyes. She felt Betty stir beneath her hug, and the anger softened to concern and love. "You will be okay, Betty. I promise. I'm here for you every step of the way. I'm always going to be here for you."
She put her hand on the side of Betty's jaw, lifting her head a little bit. "Hey, look at me," she asked softly. The blonde did so, looking into her eyes, a questioning look in her own. Veronica's heart leapt into her throat for a few moments before she made a decision, just like she had that day in the gym to secure their spots on the River Vixens team. She leaned her neck forward and pulled Betty's to hers, and brought their lips together. She kissed her softly, her hand softening on her skin, eyes closing. There was no resistance, and when they pulled away, Betty had a shocked look on her face, as if she didn't expect Veronica to ever want to kiss her again. "Even after all of that, you still like me?" Veronica had to smile at the juvenile tone of it, as if they were in middle school discussing who liked who. "Yes." When Betty still did not seem appeased, Veronica laughed, holding her gaze. "I, Veronica Lodge, always have and always will, like Elizabeth Cooper." She winked, bringing her in for another kiss.
Not long after, the girls were under the pastel blankets on Betty's bed, facing each other. Veronica had stripped to her underwear, keeping her tank top on. Betty's legs, curled up, were touching kneecaps with Veronica's. She held onto one of Veronica's hands, keeping her other free and held to her chest. "Thank you for coming over. I really needed it." There were not any tears left in her eyes, but her face was still inflamed from the crying she had done. Her blue eyes were bloodshot and steadily drooping. She had worn herself out without realizing it, and Veronica was staying awake for her. Waiting until she succumbed to the much needed sleep. They had been keeping up small talk until Betty began to have delayed responses. She was beyond tired, and it was catching up to her. Big time. Finally, after she blinked and didn't open her eyes for many long seconds, Veronica reached her free hand forward to stroke her shoulder. "Betty," she whispered, watching as Betty struggled to open her eyes and be aware. "Yeah?" she whispered back, snuggling a little closer, as if she couldn't hear. "Go to bed. Don't set any alarms, you don't have anywhere to be tomorrow. I'll stay up to make sure you're safe. I'm here, okay?" Betty nodded, her face conveying her gratitude. "Thanks. I'm going to bed now. I"ll talk to you in the morning." She then moved closer until her head was nestled under Veronica's and on her chest. Her knees were brought up further, pressed against Veronica's abdomen. The ebony haired girl wrapped her free arm around Betty's lithe frame, rubbing soothing circles on her back as they drifted off to sleep.