Hey guys… I'm from Singapore and I have been collecting Archie comics ever since I was 5. Hope all you Archie fans enjoy this one! Betty deserves her happily ever after, and she's going to get it in this story, k?  (P.S: It will be a little  though'…)

'Hi, Archie, am I la-' Betty gulped her sentence midway as she swung open the door to Pop Tate's and found Jughead instead, feasting on his burger and fries with a malt to go as usual. 'Hey, Bets,' Jughead greeted, smiling at her the way Archie NEVER would. 'Oh, yeah, hi,' she mumbled absently, frantically wondering where Archie had gone. Then a peal of familiar laughter sounded from a corner booth. Her eyes swiveled to that

direction. There he was, the guy she had had a crush on since they were in playschool, still looking as cute as anything else. But his arm was draped around a brunette Betty only knew too well- Veronica Lodge, and they were whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears as if tomorrow would never arrive. Fed up of always going through this routine, she looked at Jughead, who was staring at her; as if he wanted to see what her reaction would be this time. 'No show, today, Juggie,' she whispered hoarsely, her voice cracking. 'I've given up the place of second fiddle.' And with that, a heartbroken Betty, whose heart had been mended, broken, and then repaired again countless of times ran back home, each tear representing each time he had done this to her. And there were enough tears to fill up a third of the Pacific Ocean.

Betty had bawled her eyes out the night before and now they were reduced to reddened slits. She was so upset that she could only stumble to her locker and collapse into a crying heap. Two minutes or so past before the comfort Betty needed came in the form of a really relaxed Jughead who happened to stroll by. 'Hey, Bets,' he whispered, sitting beside the dejected blonde, who was quivering uncontrollably. 'He was everything that I wanted, Juggie, just like in that Avril Lavigne song… My Happy Ending or something like that. I loved him. I truly did.' Jughead snorted. 'You didn't love him, it was just an infatuation. Besides, there are so many better and nicer guys than Archie. Take Shane Matthews, for an example…' he told her, his eyes glinting with excitement. Shane and Betty. They'd go down in history as Riverdale's greatest couple, and come to think of it, he, Jughead Jones, would be responsible for the best pairing since Midge and Moose! 'Shane Matthews? The brother of that new girl Shalyn, my locker partner?' Betty asked curiously. She had seen Shalyn around all alone and thought that she was really sweet. She hadn't had the courage to approach Shalyn yet, though. 'Yeah…' Jughead said slowly, smiling to himself. Sure, he'd play matchmaker. 'Ok, thanks anyway, I think I gotta go…' Betty glanced at her Baby-G in anxiety. 'Two more minutes to the bell,' she informed him. He grinned. 'Whatever, I'm always late anyway. See you during lunch. I've got something to tell ya.' Betty waved as she sprinted off to get a front seat in History class, where Archie and Veronica would always sit together and… she broke off the thought as she clumsily walked into the classroom just in time to see Shalyn Matthews.

'Hey,' Betty greeted, taking the seat beside Shalyn. Shalyn smiled in greeting. She drummed her fingers nervously on the desk. Okay, so what on Earth did people say when they wanted to be friends with someone? 'Can we be friends?' She blurted out, the tinge of crimson spreading across her tofu- smooth cheeks. Shalyn froze, and then she turned to Betty. 'You mean it?' she asked, her originally blank hazel eyes lighting up with hope. 'I do. And it's not because of your brother. It's because we have so much in common, like we both like Good Charlotte…' 'Good Charlotte!' squealed Shalyn, bouncing with excitement; 'I come from Maryland where they came from too!' Betty beamed, then continued, 'plus I'm sure you love Pop's vanilla malt with peanut M&M's on top too, and pizza with triple cheese…' Shalyn sighed. 'I think I've found my twin,' she laughed, looking at Betty. Betty nodded. She was sure Shalyn would replace Veronica. After all, yesterday Ronnie had called and… Betty gulped. Over ten years of friendship down the drain. The conversation had gone something like this:

Veronica: Hello, Betty?

Betty: Yep? What can I do for ya, Ron?

Ron: Well, I just called to tell you I'm sorry.

Betty: For what?

Ron: I. (sucks in her breath deeply) am. Honestly. Sorry. Because. I. Am. No. Longer. Your. Friend.

HANGS UP

And Veronica had meant it. Today, she was all over Archie, and she made it clear that he was her possession. ' Hey, Shalyn,' she suddenly spoke, surprising both herself and her new friend, who was immersed in 'The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night Time'. Shalyn looked up. 'I was thinking about having a girl sleepover one of these days, and I was hoping you could come over- I'm inviting Nancy, Ethel, Midge and some of the others… is it ok with you?' Shalyn bit her lips, which she had applied cherry lip-gloss on.