As Betty closes her locker after school, a large, muscled, vaguely sweaty body barrels into her, almost sending her sprawling. He grabs her at the last second, his arm hooking around her waist firmly, steadying her. Breathless, Betty looks up to see Archie Andrews grinning at her.
"Whoa," he says. "Sorry, Betty. Didn't see you there."
Betty shoves him away like he's made of poison.
"Don't touch me," she snaps, her lip curling in disgust. She doesn't give Archie a chance to respond. She turns on her heel and stalks in the opposite direction. She hopes she's giving off the illusion that she has somewhere important to be, and not that she is in fact, fleeing from him in order to hide her burning face and racing heart.
She's already replaying the sequence of events over in her mind, trying not to linger too much on the warm pressure of his arm around her waist. She's so busy trying to work out if she somehow made herself look like an idiot in front of him that she walks right past Veronica and Kevin, waiting for her on the steps just outside.
"Betty!" Kevin calls after her. Betty turns back. Veronica is wearing an expression of vague amusement.
"Sorry," Betty says as Kevin and Veronica reach her. "Guess I wasn't paying attention."
"Everything okay?" Veronica asks. "Your face is as red as Cheryl's lipstick."
Betty purses her lips. "Stupid Archie Andrews just about knocked me out in the hallway just now," she says.
"Ah, your arch nemesis," Veronica nods. "I still don't get why you hate him so much. I think he's nice."
"And hot," Kevin adds. "Don't forget hot."
"He's not that hot," Betty mutters. Except that she knows he is that hot. She's seen him shirtless more times than she can count, just from glancing out her bedroom window. But that's completely irrelevant because she hates him.
The thing is, she and Archie were friends once. His family moved in next door when she and Archie were four years old. When you're four years old, anyone is your friend. And they were friends up until they were eight.
She'd helped him with his reading so he wouldn't have to get held back a year. Back then, Archie was her best and only friend. Veronica hadn't arrived in Riverdale yet, and honestly, other kids didn't really exist to Betty. What did she need other friends for when she had Archie?
And then he had to go and ruin it by kissing her. As she's found in the years since then, boys are particularly good at ruining things.
She didn't mind being kissed by him so much. That wasn't the problem at all, and it probably would have been fine if no one had seen. But they did see, and suddenly they were the object of everyone's teasing.
"Betty and Archie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
Betty did not care for it. It was humiliating. And to make matters worse, Fred and Mary Andrews were always making jokes about how she and Archie were going to end up getting married. At eight years old, marriage was the last thing on Betty's mind. She didn't like people teasing her, and she especially didn't like being told how her future was going to turn out.
So she started avoiding him. She stopped talking to him, even outside school. She made her mom pick her up from school so she wouldn't have to walk with him. She kept her bedroom curtains closed so he couldn't see in. She started sitting with Kevin at lunch, while Archie was forced to find a friend in Jughead Jones.
She told everyone she hated him, that she found him annoying and stupid. They believed her, and the teasing stopped.
Eight years later, everyone still thinks she hates him, though no one remembers why. She still barely speaks to him, the three words she'd said to him when he collided with her were the most she's said to him all week. She does hate him, a little bit, because he's perfect and unattainable. But she mostly hates herself.
"He is that hot," Veronica disagrees. "If he were single I would totally go there."
"Valerie Brown is the luckiest person in this school," Kevin sighs. Betty rolls her eyes. She would love to hate Valerie as well, for the simple fact that she's Archie's girlfriend. But there just isn't anything to hate about her.
For the second time that day, she is shoved out of the way, this time on purpose, and this time by Cheryl Blossom, who doesn't bother with an apology, or even a glance in Betty's direction.
Cheryl focuses her attention on Veronica. "This is a not so friendly reminder that my party is tonight, and you better be there," Cheryl says. She finally gives Betty and Kevin a glance, though it's less than warm. "And I suppose your little friends can come too."
"Thanks, Cheryl," Veronica says, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "We'll be there."
"Good," Cheryl beams. She flounces off, flicking her red hair as she goes.
"You and Cheryl have the strangest friendship," Kevin muses.
"We understand each other," Veronica shrugs. "Get ready for the party at my house?"
"I'll bring the pre-party tequila!" says Kevin.
Despite the less than genuine invitation Cheryl had extended to Betty and Kevin, Betty is actually looking forward to the party. It's been ages since she's had a chance to let her hair down.
Polly drops her off at the Pembrooke on her way to Thornhill to get ready for the party with Cheryl and her friends.
Hermione is out, so Veronica blasts Ariana Grande while she throws items of clothing at Betty to try on, claiming Betty's usual style is too much like a nursery rhyme character for a party. Kevin has a bottle of tequila and convinces Betty to do a shot against her better judgement. It burns as it runs down her throat, and Kevin shoves a wedge of lime in her mouth.
Two hours later, Smithers drops the three of them off at Thornhill, half drunk already from Kevin's tequila, Betty dressed in Veronica's clothes. She tugs at the too-short skirt, and Veronica hooks her arm in Betty's to stop her from fiddling with it.
"You look great," she says. "As do you, Kev."
"Why, thank you," Kevin grins. "Betty, if you're concerned about your outfit, that means you aren't drunk enough. Here." He pulls a flask from the inside of his jacket and hands it to Betty. Betty eyes him dubiously as she takes a swig, almost choking on the liquid as she swallows.
"What is this?" she asks. Definitely not tequila.
"Whiskey. Have another sip."
Betty obliges, swigging the whiskey before handing it over to Veronica, who downs a healthy amount herself. Veronica gives Kevin his flask back, then struts to the front door, swinging it open like she owns the place. Music blasts through the house, and it seems like half the school is here, though Betty finds it hard to recognise anyone in the dim lighting. Although that might also have something to do with the fuzzy edges around her brain, the tequila from earlier and her recent whiskey ingestion starting to take effect. She feels great.
Cheryl appears before them, Tina and Ginger in tow.
"Did you hear?" she smiles wickedly, addressing Veronica mostly. "Archie and Valerie broke up. That means he's single. May the best woman win."
The butterflies Betty feels in her stomach when she hears those words are uncalled for. It's not like Archie suddenly being single changes anything. She still hates him.
"I had no idea you were interested, Cheryl," Veronica says.
"I'm not, but it's the thrill of the chase, right?" Her red lips form a semblance of a smile. "Betty, Kevin, so glad you could come," she says, and she almost sounds genuine. She disappears then, melting into the crowd of people that occupy all corners of the ground floor of the Blossom mansion.
"I'm going to find the alcohol," Veronica says. "Do you guys want something?"
Betty and Kevin nod and Veronica leaves them. By the time she returns with three bottles of some kind of premixed vodka-based drink, Betty and Kevin are deep in conversation with Moose and Midge.
Betty sips on her pineapple flavoured drink, feeling lighter than air. Her head spins delightfully and she's smiling and dancing, chatting with anyone who passes by, whether she knows them or not.
She's on her second drink when Veronica elbows her in the ribs and hisses sharply, "Archie's here!"
Betty's stomach drops. She watches him as he scans the crowd, seemingly looking for someone. He locks eyes with her. Betty takes a sip of her drink, and Archie grins slowly. Betty's heart starts to beat harder in her chest as he makes his way across the room. She doesn't take her eyes off him, and then he's standing in front of her and Veronica.
"Ronnie," he says, and Betty feels like an idiot. Of course it's Veronica he came to talk to. Archie glances at Betty. "Betty," he says. He licks his lips. Betty means to say hi, at the very least, but her throat closes up and nothing comes out. She looks away, and by the time she looks back, he's focused on Veronica again.
"Archie," Veronica smiles sweetly. "How are you doing? I heard about your break up."
Betty rolls her eyes. She spots Ethel Muggs standing alone in the corner nursing a pink drink and promptly extracts herself from Archie's presence without so much as a word, electing instead to make idle chat with Ethel.
Betty spends the next hour drinking vodka pineapples and avoiding Archie. And yet, for some reason, no matter how many times she walks away from him, it seems like a few minutes later, there he is again, in her line of vision. It's like she's magnetised to him.
She feels him brush up against her, her skin tingling, and she stops mid-sentence, halfway through a conversation with Veronica and Josie. Frustrated, she glares at him and stalks off, finding herself in the empty kitchen. The music isn't so loud in here. The room spins and she latches onto the counter, trying to steady herself. A second later Veronica joins her.
"B?" Veronica says, placing a hand on her back. "Are you okay?"
"I think I'm… drunk," Betty says. She tries to look at Veronica but she can't seem to focus. She's not feeling so great anymore.
"That much is obvious," Veronica laughs. "You were making literally zero sense out there. But why'd you leave? Is it Archie?"
"I hate him so much," Betty groans. "He thinks he's so fantastic with his dumb hair and his dumb face. And every girl just falls at his feet like he's some kind of god. Including you."
"I didn't realise it upset you so much," Veronica says. "I'm not really that into him, if it makes you feel better. It's just fun."
"It doesn't upset me," Betty snaps. "I just think it's pathetic how everyone fawns over him. He isn't that great. He's just some stupid football player who thinks he's better than he is. I really don't see what's so great about him."
"Why don't you tell me how you really feel, Betty?" Archie's voice comes from behind them. Betty whips her head around, too fast. She closes her eyes, feeling sick to her stomach. She tastes bile in her mouth and she gags. She lunges for the kitchen sink, but she doesn't quite make it before she throws up all over herself.
"Gross," Veronica mutters. Then, "are you okay?"
Betty shakes her head. She is so not okay. As if she hadn't made herself look foolish enough already by talking shit about Archie while he could hear her, she had to go and vomit in front of him as well. Plus, she still feels really awful.
"Here," Veronica sighs. "Let's go to the bathroom and get you cleaned up. Archie, can you find Cheryl and ask her if Betty can borrow some clothes?"
Archie nods and leaves the kitchen. Veronica leads Betty to an upstairs bathroom and sits her down on the lid of the toilet. Betty groans, feeling pathetic.
"Lift your arms," Veronica says, and Betty obeys. Veronica removes Betty's top and throws it in the trash. "You didn't get it on my skirt, luckily. Just the top half."
Veronica grabs a hand towel and runs it under the tap for a moment before wiping Betty's face clean. The door swings open and Archie strides in.
"Oh shit, sorry," he says, quickly turning around when he realises Betty is half undressed. Betty can't even bring herself to be embarrassed anymore. "Cheryl won't let Betty borrow any clothes. But here—" he pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it to Veronica. "She can borrow this."
Betty stares at his back muscles, her mouth practically watering. She stares too long. She looks back to Veronica, who's studying her curiously.
"You hate him, huh?" Veronica mutters. Betty blushes from her forehead to her chest. "Archie, can you wait outside for a second?"
When he's gone, Veronica helps Betty into Archie's shirt.
"You like him," Veronica accuses.
"I—" Betty starts. She can't think of anything to say to defend herself. Veronica tilts her head knowingly.
"You need to go home," Veronica says. "He's going to offer to take you."
"Why would he do that?"
"Because he's nice, and he lives next door to you."
"I don't want to go with him," Betty moans, putting her head in her hands.
"Don't you trust him?"
"I don't trust myself," Betty says under her breath. "I'm going to say something stupid, I know it. Why do you think I never talk to him?"
"Wow, you really fucking like him, don't you?" Veronica smirks. "I can't believe I didn't realise it before."
"Shut up. He'll hear you."
Veronica laughs, and it sounds a little to evil for Betty's liking. "Archie!" Veronica calls. Archie pops his head in the door. "I think Betty needs to go home."
"I'll take her," Archie says immediately, just like Veronica knew he would.
"That would be amazing," Veronica smiles. "Come on, Betty." She lifts Betty off the toilet and pushes her towards Archie. Betty keeps her eyes on the floor as she brushes past him and into the hallway. Somehow she manages to make it down the stairs without grabbing onto him for support, and then she's out in the warm night air. She hears the front door slam and the music becomes dull background noise as Archie strides up beside her.
Betty closes her eyes and tilts her head back. She still feels light-headed, but better. She actually thinks the vomiting helped.
"Where's your car?" Betty asks.
"We're walking," Archie replies. Betty opens her eyes. She pouts at him.
"Whyyy?" she whines. She recognises how whiny she sounds. She can't seem to stop herself. Something about the alcohol is making it hard for her to just keep her mouth shut. Archie chuckles.
"Because you're drunk," he says wryly. "Some fresh air will do you good. Come on."
Betty lets him put his hand on the small of her back and guide her towards the front entrance.
"I think you should carry me," she says as they walk out onto the street.
"You do, do you?" Archie says, sounding amused.
"If you're going to make me walk all this way, you should at least be a gentleman about it," Betty says. Archie laughs, shaking his head. She's forgotten why she hates him. Why she never talks to him.
"Okay," he agrees. He stops and bends his knees, gesturing for her to climb onto his back. "Hop on."
With some effort, Betty manages to clamber onto his back, hooking her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. His bare back radiates heat, and she can feel it through his shirt. Archie stands upright and starts walking, his arms under her thighs to keep her steady.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Betty registers that she wouldn't normally do this. But it feels nice to be so close to him. And his hair smells really good.
"Why'd you break up with Valerie?" she asks out of the blue, absently using one of her hands to play with his hair. Archie is silent for a moment, but Betty barely notices. She's about to change the subject entirely when he finally answers.
"It was mutual, actually," he says. "She thought I wasn't paying enough attention to her, and I never really felt like paying attention to her. We've been broken up a week and no one noticed until today."
"So you aren't sad?"
"Not really."
"That's good." Betty pauses. "I'm glad you guys broke up."
Whether or not Archie has a response prepared, Betty doesn't find out, as she spots a playground on the upcoming corner and is filled with childhood nostalgia.
"Oh my god, Archie, put me down!" she exclaims. Archie lets her go and she slides to the ground, running towards the swings as soon as her feet hit the pavement. She sits herself on one of the swings, and she tries to swing herself, but she can't quite remember how to do it.
"I love swings," she says as Archie approaches. "Will you push me?"
She thinks he's probably laughing at her, but she's not sure why, or if she should care. He rounds the swing to stand behind her and starts pushing her.
"We used to come to this park all the time, remember?" Betty says.
"I remember."
"I used to be taller than you back then. Remember when we made up an obstacle course through the playground?"
"You always won," Archie says fondly.
"I bet I could still win." Betty drags her feet into the bark chips on the way down to stop from swinging. She swivels around to look at him, and is faced with his bare abs. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?" she asks.
"You're wearing it, remember?"
"Right," she says, still staring at his abs. She looks up at him. "Sorry about earlier."
"Which bit?"
"The vomit."
"I don't care about the vomit," Archie says. "I just wish I knew why you hate me so much."
"Who says I hate you?"
"I mean you pretty much ignore me all the time, apart from when you're saying mean things about me. What am I supposed to think?"
"I do hate you," Betty says. She can't remember why right now, but she knows she definitely does.
"But why?"
Betty shrugs. "Why do you think?"
"Well, Jughead has a theory," Archie says. "That you secretly want me."
Betty snorts. "You wish I wanted you."
Archie is silent for a moment. "I thought as much," he says. He pauses. "Come on. Let's get you home."
Betty manages to stay silent for a couple of minutes before she starts babbling again. Nothing in particular, just about the stars or something she remembers from when she and Archie were kids. She's almost disappointed when they reach her house.
Betty leans against the front door and her eyes trail down Archie's bare chest and abs.
"How is this even legal?" she murmurs, and before she can stop herself she's trailing her fingers over his muscles, up and down his bare torso. "If we were secretly in love, this would be the part where you kiss me," she says, more to herself than to him. He doesn't say anything so she looks up from his chest to his deep brown eyes.
"I don't think that's such a good idea," he whispers. Betty doesn't respond, but she continues to trace circles on his chest with her fingers.
"Betty?"
"Mmm?"
"I'm gonna need you to stop doing that," Archie says. Betty flushes, pulling her hand away. She's tongue tied all of a sudden. "Do you need help getting upstairs, or are you going to be okay?"
"I'll be okay. Do you want your shirt back?"
"You better keep it for now," Archie chuckles. Betty nods and reaches for the door handle. She pauses.
"I don't hate you, Archie," she says. Archie stares at her. She gives him a small smile and lets herself inside, closing the door behind her. Somehow she makes it upstairs without waking her parents, and she collapses into her bed.
Betty wakes up to the sound of her phone screaming at her. At least, that's what it sounds like. She groans as she reaches for it, her head throbbing. She squints. The curtains are closed yet it still seems too bright in here.
"V?" she answers, her voice hoarse.
"You sound terrible," Veronica replies.
"I feel terrible."
"I'm glad Archie got you home safe, anyway," Veronica says. Betty's stomach drops. The events of last night come flooding back to her.
"Oh no," she groans. She checks under her covers to find she's still wearing Archie's shirt, and nothing else. She drops the covers and puts her hand over her eyes.
"What is it?"
"I'm pretty sure I made a huge fool of myself last night."
"Why? What did you do?"
"I may have… stroked his chest," Betty cringes. "And heavily implied I wanted him to kiss me." She groans again.
"And did he?"
"Of course not!"
"Oh well. He'll probably have forgotten about it by Monday."
"I can only hope," Betty says. She groans again, this time because of her throbbing head and churning stomach. "I have to go," Betty says. "I feel like death."
"Have fun with that!"
Betty hangs up and shoves her face into her pillow. She's not sure which is worse, the hangover, or the embarrassment. At least the hangover will probably be gone by tomorrow.
By the time Monday rolls around, the hangover is gone, but Betty still cringes when she thinks about the things she said and did on Friday night. She decides the best course of action is to just avoid Archie. It shouldn't be too hard, she's being doing it for eight years, after all.
Except, it appears her luck has finally run out. She spots him waiting out the front of his house as she walks down her driveway. She stops. He's not waiting for her, surely? He hasn't seen her yet, and she debates going back inside until he's gone. But that would be stupid. She's just going to walk by him like nothing happened. He probably won't even notice her walking past.
Steeling herself, she resumes her walk to school, keeping her eyes focused ahead, pretending he's not even there. She holds her breath as she passes him.
"Hey," he says. She ignores him. He falls into step beside her. "Don't tell me you've gone back to ignoring me."
Betty stays silent.
"You were so talkative on Friday night. I kind of liked it."
"I don't remember," Betty lies. She was drunk, it's believable that she doesn't remember any of it.
"Well, you told me you're very attracted to me," Archie says.
"I did not," Betty huffs.
"I thought you didn't remember," Archie says. He's smiling when Betty gets the courage to look at him.
"I just know I wouldn't have said that," Betty says, looking away again.
"Okay, you're right," Archie concedes. "You didn't say that. But you did say you wanted me to kiss you."
Betty stops and spins to face him. "No, what I said was if we were secretly in love you would kiss me."
Archie raises an eyebrow at her, and Betty realises her mistake. She bites her lip.
"And aren't we?"
"Aren't we what?"
"Secretly in love."
Betty's heart speeds up as she stares at him, her mouth falling open. "You're joking," she says hesitantly. Archie shakes his head. "But you—" she swallows. "You didn't kiss me. You told me to stop touching you."
"Betty, you were extremely drunk," Archie points out. "Kissing you would have been a terrible decision. And I told you to stop touching me so I wouldn't kiss you."
Betty nods, though she's still barely comprehending what he's saying.
"Besides," Archie continues. "You were wrong. That wasn't the part where we were supposed to kiss anyway. This is the part." He steps forward, entering her personal space. The world around them stops as he brings his arms around her, his hands resting on her back and he leans in. Betty's eyes flutter closed as his lips touch hers and she melts into him. It's soft and slow, and he pulls away too soon, but the taste of him lingers on her lips.
She opens her eyes slowly to find him looking at her.
"Was that okay?" he asks. Betty nods. Words evade her. Archie grins. How can he be so adorable and so hot at the same time? "Can I hold your hand on the way to school?"
Time finally catches up to her. This is actually happening. It's not in her head. She beams, butterflies swarming in her stomach.
"Yes," she says. Archie slips his hand into hers, and they start walking again. "I'm sorry," Betty blurts out.
"What for?"
"For pretending to hate you for eight years."
Archie laughs. "That really is dedication. But I'm still not sure why you pretended to hate me."
"At first it was to stop the teasing. And then when I figured out how much I actually liked you it was too late. I guess I didn't exactly deal with it in the best way."
"I forgive you," Archie says. "What happened to my shirt by the way?"
Betty reddens. "You said I could keep it."
"You didn't throw it away, did you? I really like that shirt."
"No, I still have it," Betty says. "It's uh—under my pillow," she admits.
"Cute," Archie laughs. He gives her hand a squeeze, and it feels like he's squeezing her heart. "Okay, I guess you can keep it." He smiles at her. "I'm glad I've got you back in my life, Betty Cooper."