"How could you be so mean to her?" Archie accuses. The words feel like a slap, though Betty isn't sure why. Of course he's on Veronica's side, it shouldn't come as shock to her.
"Archie—"
"No, Betty, you have no idea what's really going on with Veronica. All this intense stuff at home with her family. The pressure she's under. She's trying to do her best under insane circumstances," Archie explains. Betty feels bad for a moment.
"Well, can you tell me how? Please. Help me understand so I can let this go."
"It's not for me to say, Betty," Archie says.
The thing is, if Veronica had just told her the truth in the first place, they wouldn't be in this situation. They're supposed to be friends, but both Veronica and Archie haven't exactly been acting like it lately.
"You remember how quickly she forgave you?" Archie continues. "When the Black Hood made you say all those horrible things? So really, who should be playing Chris, and who should be playing Sue?"
Any sympathy Archie had managed to evoke from her evaporates with those words. Doesn't he know how easily he can hurt her? Kevin calls them onstage to sing You Shine, but Betty can't bear to put herself through that right now. She gives her head a small shake unable to hide the hurt in her eyes. She pushes past Archie and storms from the auditorium before she can start crying.
She hears people calling after her.
Archie, "Betty, wait!"
Jughead, "Betty!"
Kevin, "Betty! Archie! Where are you going?"
Archie again, "Jughead, can you put the camera down for two seconds? Just let me talk to her, okay?"
Betty doesn't turn around. She makes it out of the auditorium and halfway down the hallway before the tears start spilling. She stops for a moment and just lets herself sob. She's not even really sure why she's crying. Perhaps she's mourning a friendship that until now she hadn't realised she'd lost.
"Betty," she hears Archie's voice from behind her. She hastily wipes her eyes with her fingers and takes a deep breath before turning around. He looks stricken when he realises she's been crying.
"I'm sorry," he says quickly. "I didn't mean—I don't think you're like Chris. I was just trying—"
"I know what you were trying to do, Archie," Betty says. "You were trying to defend Veronica, as usual."
"She's my girlfriend and she's going through a lot," Archie says lamely.
"Did you ever think that maybe I'm going through a lot too?" Betty says. "But you would have no idea because you never bother to even talk to me lately. You want me to see things from Veronica's point of view, but you haven't even bothered to try and see things from my point of view."
"I do see it from your point of view! But Veronica—"
"God, Archie! Would you stop being Veronica's boyfriend for five minutes and be my friend?" she snaps. Hold me, she wants to say. Comfort me. Tell me everything is going to be okay. Tell me I'm still important to you.
He doesn't do any of those things. Instead he says, "I don't even know how to do that anymore, Betty!"
Betty gapes at him. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Archie closes his eyes and rubs his face. "I don't know," he says finally. "It doesn't many anything, I—"
"It must mean something, or you wouldn't have said it."
Archie stays silent. Betty takes a step towards him.
"Tell me why we aren't friends, Archie."
"That's not what I said. We're still friends. Of course we're friends," he says. Betty stares at him expectantly. Archie sighs. "I just—ever since… you kissed me," he swallows. "I find it hard to… be around you."
Betty stares at him. "What? Do I… repulse you or something?" she asks, confused. Though they haven't talked about it, she had kind of thought at the time that it was a pretty mutual kiss.
"No! No, that's not it at all," Archie shakes his head.
"Then what?"
"I don't know…" he says, hesitant. "I guess… it was a good kiss. And when I'm around you, I think about it." He shrugs.
"You do?"
"Yeah. Don't you?"
"Yeah," Betty says. She licks her lips. "Of course I do."
They stand there for a moment, just looking at each other, before Archie starts to speak again. "Sometimes I wonder—"
But Betty doesn't get to find out what he wonders, as Kevin bursts through the auditorium doors with unnecessary vigour, startling them both.
"Hurry up, you two. We haven't got all day," he huffs.
"Sorry, Kevin," Archie says. "We'll be right there."
Kevin nods and goes back inside. Archie gives Betty a lingering look before turning to follow. He doesn't finish his thought. Betty knows he never will. This particular conversation is over. It's probably for the best.
She takes a deep breath and heads back into the auditorium to finish the rehearsal.