Sadie Hawkins State of Mind

an Archie story

disclaimer: Archie Comics and all related blah blah are owned by ACP, Inc., and not me blah blah blah.

note: This chapter seems to be about Reggie. That's a habit with me. The girls are kind of nuts. That will change as the story goes on. Probably. ----- Not sure if this is really the best of my work. R&R if you get the notion. Thanks.

CHAPTER ONE - Somebody Else

Friday

The annual Riverdale High "Sadie Hawkins" dance had always been annoyingly predictable. What could have been exciting -- girls asking boys out, unexpected crushes revealed, daring initiations -- usually ended up following the same old pattern. Girlfriends asked their boyfriends; nerds went alone; and Archie Andrews was a target for two arrows, both plotting their moves in sly fashion...divert the other! Ask Archie first! This year...

"Archie will be mine!" proclaimed Betty Cooper proudly. "You'll see! I'll win this time! No more asking Reggie by default!"

"If you ask Reggie, then it's nobody's fault but your own."

Slamming her locker door defiantly, Betty turned, grinning widely, almost maniacally at Jughead Jones. "Archie! I'll be asking Archie, and he'll go with me, too! Just you wait and see."

Jughead nodded. "Hm," he said. He turned to walk away, but Betty grabbed him by the collar and he turned back around. "Please, Betty, lunch is in five minutes and--"

"What do you mean by 'hm'?" asked Betty. "Don't you think I can get Archie to go with me?" Jughead opened his mouth to speak, but stood wordlessly, stupidly, and shrugged. "Juggy, don't lie to me! I'm overbearing, aren't I? Is that it? No! I don't come on strong enough!" Betty stomped a foot to cool herself. "Oh, what am I going to do! There's only a week until the dance!"

A body leaned against the locker beside Betty's, producing a loud clunking sound. Betty turned to glare into the obnoxiously large grin of Reggie Mantle. He cocked an eyebrow, attempting to look sexy, but failing somehow, as was his way. "No date, Betty, baby? I'm free!"

"Who would pay?" inserted Jughead; he went ignored.

Betty spoke to Reggie flatly. "Reg, no offense, but if you were the last guy on the face of the earth, then I would take a monkey to this dance." She paused, and thwarted a laugh. "Actually, there'd be very little difference."

Reggie had lost his smile long ago. He wove a dismissing hand at Betty and tinged his next words with a great deal of sarcasm. "Yes, very clever, ha ha. Really funny, I'm a primate." He slipped past Betty and walked towards Jughead. His tone was a bit more serious when addressing the crowned boy. "Hey, do you--"

Jughead backed away. "No way I'll ask you, Reg. I'm staying home to do my nails."

Betty giggled as Jughead whistled his way down the hall, his destination a fully-stocked lunchroom. Reggie huffed and growled gently. "Doesn't even let me finish my sentence." He indicated Betty. "Calls me a monkey. What a great bunch of friend's I've got."

Betty, her giggles dying down, leaned forward and placed a hand on Reggie's shoulder. "Awh. I'm sorry, Reggie. What were you trying to ask Jughead?"

Reggie shrugged and looked to Betty. "Wanted to know if he'd seen Moose and Midge lately. Wondered if he knew what's going on."

"You mean the fight? I talked with Midge this morning."

"And...?" began Reggie.

Betty paused briefly, trying to figure out why Reggie was so interested in -- oh. Yes, of course. "You don't plan on getting Midge to--"

Reggie asked again, "And...?"

"Well, it seems that Moose is going away to some football convention in Waterville, so he can't take Midge to the dance. She's very upset about it, she told me that she's tired of being unappreciated."

Reggie grinned very wide. "I appreciate Midge!"

Betty smirked. "Mm. Yes. I'm sure you do." Reggie nodded stupidly. "She's not going to go to the dance at all, she told me so. She said she would rather stay home than not go with Moose."

"Well..." Reggie sighed, his smile dissipating. "I can hope, can't I?"

"That's all you can do!"

Footsteps approaching, Betty turned to see Archie coming down the hall, books in tow. She seemed far too happy with the development, and Reggie rolled his eyes. "You'd think she was looking at God." When Archie joined the others, he was slightly confused by Reggie's kneeling in his presence, but turned his attentions to Betty. Reggie picked himself up, brushing off and returning to his locker, as the forlorn lover planned to plead her case to Archie.

"Archie, I'm so glad to see you. I wondered if you wanted to--"

"MIDGE, BABY! COME BACK, PLEASE!"

Reggie's locker door slammed abruptly and he ducked. It was a gut reflex; when Moose screamed, he ducked. Realizing that he wasn't about to be pulverated, Reggie joined Archie and Betty, who had practically forgotten the dancely task at hand.

Midge stormed up the hallway until she was nary a yard away from the others. Moose was quickly behind her.

"But Midge, baby, I didn't mean it...you know how it is, I just...it came up, and--"

"Yes, I know how it is, Moose, and I'm up to here with it!" Midge could barely tolerate the saddened expression on her Moosie's face, and yet she refused to back down. "Either you're ignoring me completely for your stupid sports, or you're beating on any guy who happens to look my way! It's not fair! I've...I've had just about enough of being Moose's girl!"

"But..."

"I'm Midge Klump! M-I-D-G-E Klump, and I'll have you know that I don't intend to just sit at home next Saturday, I'm going to that dance!"

Moose's voice was very soft. He was just as surprised by the proclamation as Midge was.

"But, Midgie, I won't be here on Saturday."

Midge took a deep breath, and nodded affirmatively. "Precisely!"

Moose began to cover his sorrow with anger. "You mean you're gonna ask some other guy?!"

Midge stood on tip-toes, desperately seeking eye contact with Moose. She wanted him to get the point. "Yes! I'm going to ask another guy. You don't own me! I intend to enjoy myself at that dance, Moose Mason, and so help me, I'm going to enjoy myself!"

Moose yelled, "Oh, yeah?!"

Archie took a step backwards, covering his ears. Betty and Reggie, stunned in place, stood with their jaws agape as Midge and Moose exchanged several more yells of emotion. Moose was a big, dumb oaf. Midge was a no-good flirt. This was getting out of hand.

"Nobody'll go out with you!" Moose yelled finally. "If they do, I'll kill 'em! All the guys 'round here are too a'scared of me to take you out!"

Midge softened. She thought a moment, and then smiled. "You're wrong, Moose. There's one guy who'll take me out."

Moose's eyes went low. He knew exactly who Midge was talking about; his eyes drifted upward and landed square on Reggie.

As one, Archie and Betty flipped their heads toward Reggie, their eyes wide in worry. Reggie gulped, backing up softly; he ran into Archie, who shoved him forward, muttering, "I'm not gonna be in the way of Mooses's fists, boy!"

Midge had turned. She was walking toward Reggie. She stopped, very near him -- his jaw dropped gently. She smiled; her voice lilted. "Hello, there, Reggie."

Reggie could barely form words. "Uh-I-uh, um, I...M-Midge. H-hi, Midge--"

"Seven will be fine."

"Wh-wh-what?"

"The dance, silly. You can pick me up at seven." Midge turned to see the rage growing on Moose's face. And, boldly, when she faced Reggie again, she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing his lips to hers. She kissed him hard, intensely, and she ran her fingers up his hair, destroying his gel's work. Then, as quickly as Midge had assaulted Reggie, she let him go, upon which he promptly tumbled and fell backwards to the floor. Midge turned, walking away. For a moment, Moose seemed at odds -- but rather than pummel Reggie, he chose to walk in the opposite direction, after Midge.

Reggie had closed his eyes, admitting defeat. Archie and Betty stood over him, looking into his face...he seemed barely alive, and when he finally spoke, his voice was soft and hesitant. "Wh-where is he? Where's Moose? Did he kill me yet? Am I dead?" Reggie opened his eyes. He looked towards Betty. "Thank God! I'm in heaven!" Then, switching his path of vision, he spotted Archie, and his voice rose sharply. "No, wrong way! I don't deserve to go to hell, I'm too handsome!"

Archie grimaced. "Oh, shut up." Betty smacked Archie in the arm. He sighed. "I mean, are you okay?" Archie grimaced again, looking at Betty. "Wait a minute...he got kissed, he didn't get beat up." He paused. "Wait, what just happened, here?"

Reggie nodded from where he was still flat on the ground. "That's what I would like to know, I would really, really like to know what just happened, because it seems to me--" He laughed in a drunken sort of way. "It seems to me that Midge Klump just had a fight with Moose and kissed me in front of him and--" he laughed uneasily, "--he didn't kill me!"

Betty nodded. "Yes, that's what happened."

Reggie's eyes shot wide. He grinned, the figurative beer bubbles rushing to his head. "I thought so!"

Archie grabbed ahold of Reggie's hand, pulling him up with effort. As Reggie brushed himself off and Betty indicated his tussled hair so that he could continue in that direction, Archie spoke.

"Not that I have to guess, but what are you gonna do about all of this?"

"What?" asked Reggie. "Do about what?" He spoke enthusiastically. "I'm goin' to the dance with Midge! It was only a matter of time before she ditched that big ape and came runnin' to the alpha male! That Midge is one bright cookie, I'm telling you!" After which he gave an ear-deafening, "Yahoo!" and, whistling, trotted off down the school hall, leaving Archie and Betty behind to wallow in the remains of his ego.

"Uh..." said Archie thoughtfully. He rubbed his neck. "Betty...I see a problem stirring."

"You mean like Reggie getting trampled in the middle of Midge and Moose's argument? Midge abusing Reggie's sick but constant emotional attachment to her, and Moose eventually breaking down and beating the living daylights out of him so that we have to hear from Reggie about how sad and sorry his whole life is and how he's too wonderful to be treated as such?"

Archie looked at Betty slowly. He blinked. "Sure. That's it, yeah."

Betty sighed. "Yeah, I see it, too. But I suppose we can't save Reggie from his messes all of the time."

Archie laughed. "Gee, Betty, y'think? I don't need a full time job!"

Betty laughed. There was a long silence between the couple, Betty having forgotten her dedication to asking the red-haired boy to accompany her to the dance. It wasn't until Veronica Lodge appeared in the hallway that Betty remembered. Her eyes shot wide, and she stared at Veronica, their faces both contorted in anger. Bring it on.

They both looked to Archie. Archie, grasping the situation, backed away and laughed lightly. "Now, girls, really, it's...it's not so...uh...hehe..."

The girls spoke in unison. "I'd like to ask you something, Archie." They met eyes again. They growled, and turning back to Archie, they spoke as one again -- "Will you go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with me?"

Archie looked from Veronica, to Betty, to Veronica again. He closed his eyes. "I don't suppose I could flip a coin?"

"Make a choice, Archikins," said Veronica. "And you'd better make the right choice!"

Archie opened his eyes, and gulped. "Uh..." His eyes shot from girl to girl. He had to think fast. Think, think, think.

"I'm taking somebody else!"

Betty and Veronica's anger turned into shock. They asked in unison, "Somebody else?" They turned to one another. A moment ago they were ready to shed blood; now they had to ban together against the mystery tramp vying for Archie's affections. Betty asked, "What do you mean, somebody else?"

Archie smiled, shrugging. Good. They'd bought it. "Just...somebody else. You know, I'm a very hot ticket, really. You don't think you two were the first to ask me, do you?" He produced a fake laugh which convinced the girls of his joviality, and then he turned. "See you in the lunch room," he said, and walked quickly away.

Betty and Veronica slowly walked to one another. Their eyes met. Oh. Somebody else, was it? Just...somebody else?

They would most certainly see about that.

Fini Chapter One.

Chapter Two: A bit more with Jughead.