It would be years and years later when Betty would think about basing a book about her life experiences, or maybe a memoir if she entertained that brief thought of being a famous actress, but whatever the case, she knew the big question was what changed her friendship with Veronica Lodge?

Growing up, Betty had felt overshadowed by Ron's wealth, beauty and theatrics but she had never truly begrudged the girl for it and even loved Ronnie, flaws and all. So when her heart grew disenchanted with Archie, she bore no ill will to the girl who was both her best friend and worst rival in love.

Sure, there were times she thought she despised the brunette but truly Veronica would always be like a sister to her and even sisters had loud, angry fights at times –she and Polly were no exceptions to the rule.

Breaking up with Archie brought their friendship to a sudden standstill, mainly because Veronica was technically seeing Archie and neither Betty nor Archie were inclined to hang out with each other. It did hurt that despite being best friends for years, it seemed like their friendship was not meant to survive the fallout.

The old Betty might have chased Ron to mend broken fences but the new Betty decided that Ron had to meet her halfway. It took some time and they got off to a shaky start. While their best friend relationship didn't feel as close as before, she was confident they would get there, especially with no more having to second guess each other's true thoughts and motives, no need for half-truths and lies.

"Are you daydreaming?" An irritated voice filtered through the phone line.

Betty bit back a laugh and shook her head mischievously. "No, Ronnie, I heard all about Chad and how boring it was for you to entertain him while both your fathers talked business."

Really, Ronnie hadn't changed much and Betty supposed she herself hadn't either. Not that she would tell Ronnie though. That would start another long lecture and she did have limited minutes on her phone plan.

Betty flipped her wallet open to see a faded photo of Ronnie and her giving peace signs, hugging each other. Stroking the plastic flap that protected it, she smiled a bit wistfully at the more innocent times.

A shadow covered her view of it. Jughead threw an inquisitive glance at her wallet before holding a hand out, a warm smile inviting her.

"Hey Ronnie, I gotta go. I talk to you later ok? See you." She could hear a squawk of disbelief but Ronnie would get over it.

She was no longer someone's shadow; no one's back up plan. Her life was her own and she was going to live in the moment, just like she promised herself the day she decided to dump Archie. Right now she had Juggie, she had good friends like Midge, Nancy, Dilton and Jason and she had a future that only she could forge.

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When she was younger and Chic and Polly were in high school, she remembered the short trips her father would take them on. Chic had been seventeen and eager for any distraction from school; Polly would pout because at fifteen, her boyfriend was the most important person; and Betty, well, she adored every moment from nature walks with her mom and a reluctant Polly to firing up the grill with her dad and Chic.

The cabins they stayed in rarely had more than two beds but she never minded an extra opportunity to spend more time with Chic and Polly. It never bothered her when Ronnie or Midge stayed over or if her cousins came to stay and they shared her bed because she did not mind sharing the space. But this time she would be sharing a bed with her boyfriend.

Oddly it was her mother, not her father, who had opposed the road trip. Alice Cooper had begged her youngest to reconsider, if only to protect her baby's virtue. Hal Cooper, on the other hand, had sat the young couple down and gone through a "mature birds and the bees" lecture which had left all three looking flustered and unwilling to have sat through such a conversation. Her dad had looked at her with sad eyes at dinner the night before the road trip and turned to his wife, "They're growing up. All I can hope is that we taught them to make good decisions."

She had felt a little hurt but upon reflection her father had said good and not right. She pondered on it while trying to squeeze out every possible meaning, only to come to the conclusion that her father wanted her to experience life on her own terms. She had thrown her arms around him, and her mother, and thanking them for everything. It was funny how over the years she wished on occasions she had known a way to keep her parents from interfering but only the summer before she was due for university, she had learned and proved how to do so.

Drying her hair as much as she could –there was no way she wanted to use the decrepit hair dryer, she stepped into the room. Jughead was flipping channels, a bored expression displaying the lack of entertainment available.

"I'm done with the shower." She offered, if only to break the silence.

She had watched his expression changed when he turned his attention to her. There was a hungry look in his eyes but he had schooled the rest of his face to look relaxed. He offered her hair brush as a peace offering.

Taking a seat next to him on the bed, he started brushing her hair. "Bets, I love you," His voice was low as he diligently combed her hair for the last time, pressing a kiss to her damp locks.

He had turned her to face him before kissing her almost desperately, his hands already teasing at the hem of her bottoms. She closed her eyes before responding to his kisses but her thoughts rattled around at warp speeds. Was she ready? Was this the right time? Did she even want this?

As soon as she opened her eyes, Jughead had given the same crooked grin that made her feel a little weak in the knees and it was in that open, adoring expression that she knew his thoughts and with that, she knew her answer.

"I love you."