Chapter 71: Mending And Fusing Friendship! Part 2!
Here is part two! Thanks to the idea Retro Mania pitched to me. Enjoy!
*Narrator's POV*
We last left off where Aria gave Archie cursed bracelets with charms on them. When the charms are put together, they fuse the person together, but it's not effective if one person is wearing both charms. Archie gave these to Betty and Veronica, who discovered they go together, which caused them to fuse into one girl. Bettica Looper. Now, the girls have to figure out their lesson before the sun sets on the 7th day, or else they vanish and Bettica Looper becomes a real person forever. Meanwhile, Aria not only gave those to Archie for the girls to learn a lesson, but for Archie to learn one too. Aria was not the mastermind, though. Doctor Beaumont 'accidentally' left his curtain open to predict the use of the bracelets and how it will be resolved, or if it failed. Let's keep reading to see what happens next!
*Bettica's POV*
We woke up, looked around, then down at myself and the blankets before remembering what happened. We, Betty and Veronica, were merged into one due to these stupid charms on the bracelets Archie gave us. We managed to get up out of bed, still adjusting to this new body, before going to look for a mirror.
*Aria doesn't keep one in her room, remember? She's still uneasy about mirrors.* Betty reminded Veronica.
*She used to have a full length one.* Veronica said as she found it covered in the closet. We pulled it off and examined ourselves for the first time.
*Oh~, I Love~ the hair.* Veronica thought to Betty as she started styling and playing with it. The hair was Veronica's length that went from her dark raven 1/3rd of the way through, then blended until the bottom 1/3rd of the hair went to Betty's blond locks.
*The eyes look nice too.* Betty added as they admired the dark blue irises.
"You never did see what you looked like, huh?" Aria's voice rang as we had started examining our body figure. Her voice made us jump before looking at her.
"Sorry, but we got curious." We said embarrassed while gesturing to the mirror with one hand and our self with the other.
"I get it, I would be too." Aria said with a small smile as she showed us some muffins. We gladly took one and bit into it. It was cinnamon.
"This is good." We complimented. Aria went over and covered her mirror again. Guess she hasn't fully gotten over the mirror problem yet.
"How do you do your make-up without a mirror?" We asked her. This was mostly Veronica asking.
"Oh, I use a mirror, just not this one. This one isn't mine." She tells us. This made us tilt our head. She must've saw the confused look.
"Doctor Beaumont hasn't made room for it yet, so I offered to store it for now. It's supposed to hold a mirror monster of sorts, or make your personality switch, I'm not sure which. There are 7 mirrors with different curses and this one isn't labled." She explained.
"But, we didn't see anything." Bettica tells her. This was Betty saying this.
"Maybe because of the charms, but I wouldn't want to risk it either way." She tells us before ushering us out. Aria didn't like messing with many magical items, but was always curious about them. We didn't argue with her as we sat in a chair and ate the muffin we took.
"So, what do we do today?" We asked her as she made her bed.
"Do what you want, but you only have 6 days left." She tells us.
*That's right. We have to make Archie learn a lesson and figure out ours as well.* Betty thought to Veronica.
*But how?* Veronica thought to Betty. This stumped us.
"Can you give us a clue on what to do?" We asked her. We knew she can't tell us what to do, but maybe she can give us clues?
"Well…" Aria said and trailed off as she put her finger on her chin to think. After a moment or two, she smiled.
"I'm not supposed to get involved with the big events, but I wasn't told I couldn't 'assist' with the small stuff." She said as she air quoted the word assist.
"Gee, we don't want you to get into trouble." We tell her, well Betty did.
"No worries Betty, that's what loopholes are made for." She said with a smile. Our face seemed to hold our shocked expression and she softly laughed.
"I've known you two long enough to tell which of you is talking." She explained to us.
"Is that so?" We asked her.
"Yes, Veronica, it is so." She said with a smirk as she folded her arms. She was right. Veronica had said that, not Betty.
*She's good.* Veronica thought to Betty. Betty only nodded in their head before speaking.
"So, what's the first step?" We asked her.
"Well, the first step would be teach Archie a lesson." She suggested.
"Why?" We asked her.
"If you two learn your lesson first, then he might not. Besides, having him learn might be vital." She explained to us.
"Might be?" We questioned her.
"Well, I can't confirm, nor deny, if it will or not. It's up to you two. Just be careful. Bettica can become real and start making decisions without you two the more time passes." She warned us. We nodded, understanding the task, before sighing.
"Well, let's make a plan." We suggested.
"Nuh-uh. You two make a plan. I've already helped out too much." She tells us.
"But, what can we do?" We asked her.
"You know the angles, you figure it out." She says with a shrug before going to her closet. She stopped for a moment before turning her head to us.
"Your clothes are clean and behind you. Oh, one more thing. Keep an eye on your surroundings. That's all I can say." She says than advised before going into her closet. This confused us.
*Look at our surroundings? What does that mean?* Veronica asked Betty.
*Not sure, but I think it's a clue.* Betty suggested. This clue puzzled us as we got dressed in the purple dress and white sweater. Aria then came out and tossed us white sparkle tights, which we caught.
"It's a bit cold out, today." She warns us as she's dressed in her ripped blue jeans, black glitter leggings under so you can see them through the holes, her usual top, a purple leather jacket that looked a mix of rock princess and short black finger-less thin gloves with glitter on them. She also painted her nails purple. Her eyeliner was the same black wings but she had slightly dark purple lipstick on. We nodded and put them on and our shoes as she finished brushing her hair. She handed us the brush and we brushed our locks as she sat on the end of her bed and began French Braiding her hair.
"You can French braid?" We asked her.
"Yes, though it's not easy." She said as she stopped at one point and clipped it before doing the bottom part upwards to the clip. Then she undid the clip, tied her hair into a high ponytail before making a couple braids and twisting them around the hair tie so it looked like her braids held it. After pinning it, she looked over at us.
"Why are you staring?" She asked us.
"Sorry. We almost never see you do your hair." We tell her in slight shock. She blinked before softly smiling.
"I've been getting more and more into it." She said before coming over to us. We were about to ask what she was doing before she took the brush and began brushing our hair.
"Let's get you to look a bit more… Unique." She says softly before getting to work. She put half of our hair in a ponytail and left the rest down, making the blended colors stand out more, before using mousse to make the hair a bit more soft and bouncy. Then she spun us and was quick to use make up before showing us in her small vanity mirror. We gasped as our hair was slightly more wavy, mascara to enhance the lashes and a touch of eyeliner to intensify the eyes more, soft pink blush blended into our cheeks, looking almost natural, while having clear gloss on our lips. Aria then added a white lily clip in the ponytail before smiling.
"If this doesn't catch his eye, then my cousin is a moron." She muttered with a smile.
"This is fantastic." Was all we could muster out in a soft shocked tone as we kept examining our self. We were a new girl, but she managed to bring out both of us.
"You should hurry." She tells us and helps us up. She was right, we were on a time limit. We went downstairs with her and picked up the phone. We gave Archie a call, explaining we were hanging out with Aria this morning, then asked him to meet us out at the movie theater to hang out. He was quick to agree before hanging up. He was putty in our hands.
"Thanks Aria." We tell her.
"No worries. But I do need to go. I have to watch Jellybean today." She said with a smile. She lived close by, so no car was needed. We'd have to walk.
*No worries. We need to practice anyhow.* Betty thought to Veronica as the girls headed out, watching Aria go a different way than them.
*Should we watch what's around us?* Veronica questioned.
*We should.* Betty thought as they watched their surrounding, trying to see if there was anything different or out of the ordinary, but all was the same. Same trees, same sky, same birds, same people, same buildings, nothing seemed different at all. Was Aria wrong?
"Bettica!" We heard Archie call for us. We didn't realize we made it to the theater already.
"Hi Archie!" They greeted, Betty had to greet so Veronica wouldn't call him Archie-kins and get him suspicious.
"Glad to see you made it here alright. I was worried you'd get lost." Archie said as he seemed relieved we were fine.
"Oh yes, Veronica and Betty always talk about Riverdale to the point I know where everything is." We tell him. Not exactly a lie after all.
"Well that's a good thing, though I'd still like to show you around." He offered with a bow. He was very charming and a gentleman to us. It caused Bettica to giggle, not us but the body itself.
"That'd be wonderful." We tell him with a smile. The more we spend time with him, the sooner we can figure out his lesson and ours. Archie began showing us around, telling us which spots were the best to hang out and such, when we went past a small Italian place.
*I remember this place. This is where Archie and I first went on a date!* Betty thought as her heart fluttered at the memory. Veronica was surprised she could see the memory.
*Memory Betty's POV*
I was 13 and blindfolded, by Archie, since he wanted me to be surprised.
"Archie Andrews, where are you taking me?" I asked, though had a small smile on my face, as I was guided by Archie.
"You'll see." Was all he said. I heard a door open, some people quietly chatting, then the blindfold being removed to show a table at Di'Marco's that had the works. Candles, two dishes of spaghetti and meatballs, a bouquet of tulips, just all around romance.
"I saved up just to bring you here." He tells me. I clasped my hands together.
"Oh, Archie! This is so romantic!" I say before kissing his cheek. He turned beet red as he gained a goofy grin. This caused me to giggle before he sat me down.
*End Memory Bettica's POV*
*That's so sweet.* Veronica said to Betty.
*You saw that?* Betty asked in shock.
*Yes, it was weird.* Veronica said to her.
*Maybe, because we share the same body, we can share each other's memories too.* Betty concluded.
"Ah, Di'Marco's. One of the best Italian places here." Archie commented, snapping us back to reality.
"Oh?" Was all we could reply.
"Yeah. I remember I took Betty here for our first date." He said but then frowned.
"Sorry, you don't need to hear it." He quickly said to us. Was he falling for us as Bettica?
"No no, it's alright. I'm sure it was romantic. I mean, you're dating her, right?" We asked him.
"Yeah, and Veronica. I just… I feel overwhelmed with them." He said as he kept frowning.
*Overwhelmed?!* Veronica shouted out in thought.
"How so?" I, Veronica, asked before Betty could interject.
*Why are you asking?* Betty asked her.
*Because I need to know!* Veronica scolded back.
"Well, I'm dating two wonderful girls, but can only choose one eventually. They don't make it easy, either. As much as I adore them both, I feel like giving up." He explained. This hurt both of us.
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." Our body said and gave him a hug to comfort him. We weren't in control and it took a minute to regain it and let him go.
"Thanks. I'm glad I can talk to another girl about this." He said as he softly smiled.
"Say, why don't we grab a bite to eat?" He suggested. We nodded yes with a reply to match before he guided us into Di'Marco's. This made us, mostly Betty, uncomfortable but the body smiled never the less. After eating and talking, the two left and had burned through a day without realizing it.
"I should get going." We said as we both got upset that the day had gone by so quickly.
"Do you want me to walk you somewhere?" He asked us. We were stuttering a bit when we heard someone call for us.
"Hey you two." Aria called out before going right to us.
"Hey Aria." Archie greeted her.
"Bettica, you ready for our slumber party?" She asked us. We were confused but she gave a wink to let us know she had it covered.
"Uh, yes! Right! Oh, was I late?" We asked to make it sound real.
"No, I just happened to be walking by and saw you. Archie, mind if I steal her?" She asked Archie. He seemed a bit upset, but then he smiled.
"No, go ahead. Glad to see you're getting along." Archie said happily.
"Duh cous', she's cool. Well, bye." She said before taking our hand and guided us away.
"Bye.~" The body said in a flirty tone, while giving a flirty finger wiggle wave, before we forced the body to look forward. Once we were away, Aria looked at us.
"The body did that." We both, Betty and Veronica, said in unison.
"Seems so. Well, did you two learn anything?" She asked us while letting us go.
"We can see each other's memories." We told her.
"Oh, so you took my advise on looking around?" She mused with a smile. A Cheshire cat smile.
"You knew, didn't you?" We asked her. She shrugged.
"I had a suspicion, but this will help you out." She replied as we kept going. We then noticed something greenish on the back of her shoulder.
"What's that on your shoulder?" We asked her. She was confused until she looked and noticed before letting out a groan.
"Jellybean puked on me. I thought I cleaned it all up, but I guess I missed a spot." She said as she took the coat off.
"Ew." We said. It was gross, but Jellybean's a baby.
"Yeah, but babies do that." She shrugged. We got back and Aria went into the bathroom.
"If you want something to eat, I can order something." Aria called out to us.
"No thanks, we ate already." We told her.
"Oh? How was Archie acting?" She asked us.
"He was ok. Just a bit, well, odd." We replied as we got a bottle of water.
"Odd how?" She called out.
"It's like, he's too nice to us." We replied. Aria then came out to us.
"Too nice? How?" She asked as she got curious.
"Well, he was a gentleman, seemed to feel sad mentioning a memory with Betty, just small stuff." We replied.
"Uh-oh." She said as she frowned.
"What?" We asked in confusion. Why was this an uh oh situation?
"Well, I can't say. I want to confirm if it happens again, though." She tells us. What was she hiding?
"Anyways, you should hurry to figure it out. You only have 5 days left." She said as she pointed to the window. We looked out and, sure enough, it was dark outside. We wasted another day.
"What are we supposed to do?" We asked her.
"Oh, come now. You two are smart. You can figure it out." She tells us as she poured herself some peach juice.
We were confused but remembered she couldn't tell us the answer. It was up to us to figure it out. Aria gave us pajamas again and let us sleep in her bed again. After she left, we talked to each other.
"What do we do?" Veronica side asked.
"We need to think on how to make Archie learn a lesson. Question is, what is it?" Betty asked.
"We'll have to find out more tomorrow." Veronica concluded. Our eyes fluttered, feeling drained from the day, before all went black.
*Aria's POV*
Once I knew Bettica was asleep, I went right to the phone and dialed the number I memorized. Once the phone picked up, I didn't give them a chance to say anything.
"I think I need to get involved." I said into the phone.
"No. You need to stay out of it as much as possible." The familiar male voice tells me.
"But she's clueless on what to do and he's falling in love with her. Plus, the charms are getting stronger faster than planned." I replied in a worried tone.
"You must let this play out, or else they will not learn." He tells me.
"But-" I start but he cut me off.
"You must stay out of it! That's an order! You're already too involved in this." He warned me. He knows then. I wanted to argue, but he was right. I sighed.
"Fine, I'll stay out of it. But, after tomorrow, I'm laying out another clue for her and for Archie, too." I tell him.
"Very well, call me tomorrow night and I will tell you exactly what needs to be done." He tells me.
"Sure thing, Doc." I say before hanging up.
This was worrisome, but I had to let the chips fall where they may. So to speak. I went into the living room and laid down on the couch before hearing my stomach growl. I sighed again. I didn't feel like eating again. Mrs. Jones practically force fed me before she left me alone with Jellybean. Was it a motherly instinct to know I was hungry but wasn't eating? I shrugged and forced myself to sleep.
*Next day Bettica's POV*
We woke up, still as Bettica, with the same morning routine as yesterday. Aria making us a breakfast, helping us with hair and make up, no need for tights today, was it going to be like this forever? Our families would miss us, our friends would miss us as individuals, but would Archie? We want to say 'Of course he would' but it doesn't seem like it. The only difference today was Aria wouldn't give us any clues and such. We knew she couldn't get involved, but a hint would help. We only shrugged and met up with Archie. He showed us around the rest of town when we had another memory. Well, Veronica did.
*Memory Veronica's POV*
I was walking around, bored out of my mind, when I found a little area where tulips grew. It was a ways away from the library. They were so lovely, in many colors, so I sat on the small stone wall. I was 13 and still adjusting to Riverdale, even though I moved here at a young age, but this was the first time seeing the tulips here.
"Hey Veronica." I heard. I looked up and saw the cutest boy in town. Archie Andrews. I gave a semi-confident smile.
"Well, hey there." I greeted him. We were friends, but I felt I wanted more, just wasn't sure though.
"Mind if I sit with you?" He asked me.
"Not at all." I say and patted the spot next to me. He sat and looked at the tulips.
"Pretty, huh?" He asked me.
"Yes, but they weren't here before." I tell him.
"My mom planted them here for the Easter Party. She felt tulips were a good choice." He tells me.
"That's a lovely idea. But why tulips?" I questioned.
"I told mom they reminded me of Easter eggs and could represent friendship. She loved that idea, so she planted them. I got to help too." He tells me. My heart fluttered at that, because he was sweet and helpful.
"That's so sweet." I said to him. I admired the sensitivity he had.
"You don't think it's cheesy?" He asked me. I shook my head no.
"Not at all. In fact, I think being that sensitive and kind is really… Attractive." I say as I put my hand on his and fluttered my lashes. I knew, from here on out, I wanted Archie Andrews as my boyfriend. Not just a friend. Archie turned red at the cheeks before pulling out a white tulip.
"Well, I had one left over, so I think you should have it. To remind you of the ones here." He said and handed it to me. I took it and sniffed it before smiling.
"It's so simple, but this means so much to me. Thank you." I say before kissing his cheek. He blushed again with a goofy grin.
*End Memory Bettica's POV*
*Wait a minute… Tulips? Like my bouquet?* Betty asked Veronica.
*Yes, why do you-* Veronica started but then stopped. Both realized that this was connected. The tulips, the day they got Archie to date them. It wasn't fully Archie's fault, it was also theirs.
*I told Archie how I wanted to eat at Di'Marco's.* Betty confessed.
*And I confessed later that night that I wanted to date him. He was genuine and kind to me.* Veronica confessed.
*To me too.* Betty confessed.
*Do you think that's why he can't choose?* Veronica suddenly asked.
*Yes, and here we were being jerks to him and awful to each other.* Betty said sadly.
"You know, this is where my mom had once planted tulips for an Easter Party." Archie told us. Bettica snapped her head and smiled.
"Yes, Veronica once told me how lovely they were. I wish I had seen them." She told him. We had lost control and couldn't get it back.
"Well, maybe there will be more soon." He said as he took our hand.
"I feel comfortable around you, almost as if I've known you my entire life." Archie confessed to us. Our body took her hand and made him look into our dark blue eyes while fluttering her lashes.
"Well, maybe you have. Maybe I'm the girl you've always wanted, but couldn't have." The body tells him before gently pecking his lips. Archie blushed as we tried very hard to gain control.
"M-maybe you're right." He said in a nervous tone.
"So, you should give up the girls for me. Why date two that bicker when you can have one perfect girl?" She asked him. Archie seemed entranced by this.
"I, well, I-" He stuttered out but we had put our finger to his lips to shush him.
"Just think about it and let me know by tomorrow." She told him before walking away, hips gently swaying. It wasn't until we had gotten to Aria's house that we had finally gotten control.
"What the heck just happened?" We muttered out of our lips.
"I take it something happened?" Aria asked us. We whipped our head to the side to see Aria, leaning against the door, looking at us as if she knew something happened.
"We lost control and now Bettica is trying to take Archie for herself." We explained to her.
"And Archie?" She questioned us.
"He's falling for her." We replied. Aria only shook her head.
"Then what will you do?" She asked us. Betty and Veronica looked at each other before giving a nod.
"We're not going to let her win." We told her. Aria only smiled.
"It seems you're close to learning your lesson, but now you have to get Archie to learn in four days." She tells us. We nod and went inside.
"Will you help us?" We asked her.
"I will see what I'm allowed to do, but you must do most of the work, before Bettica gets stronger. She will try to sabotage you two by the sounds of what's happening now." She tells us. This worried us more, but we agreed to stop this. We sat down and started making a plan while Aria went to make a call.
*Archie's POV*
My mind had stopped and heart had fluttered when Bettica kissed me. After she had walked away was when my mind went back to normal.
*Maybe she's right. Why make two girls fight each other and me ending up miserable from the fighting, when I could just be with one girl who really likes me?* I thought as I began walking home.
*Though, I don't know why but Bettica seems so darn familiar… Am I smelling the aroma of love? Or is it a weird mystery I'm smelling?* I thought as I got suspicious.
Maybe Betty and Veronica are setting me up? Or am I just thinking that because I don't want Bettica to be right? I didn't realize I had walked all the way home until I was in my room. I sighed and flopped on my bed.
"I'll figure out more tomorrow." I thought as I looked up at my ceiling.
"Archie! Could you help me with dinner?" Mom called out to me. I got up.
"Coming mom!" I called out before getting up and going to help mom with dinner. As I got down there though, I saw an unusual tulip in a flower pot.
"What's with the tulip?" I asked her.
"Isn't it strange? It's a rare hetero chromium tulip. Two different parents caused this to bloom instead of blending." She tells me. One part was red and the other was white, swirled and blended together, instead of becoming pink. This was weird, almost like a sign, but a sign to what?
"Right.~" Was all I could say before helping with dinner.
*Aria's POV*
As Bettica sat on the couch, writing down a plan in a note book, I made another call. Once the other end picked up, I began speaking.
"The girls have almost learned their lesson." I spoke. When the girls admitted outside they were going to fight Bettica, the gems in the charm had begun to glow. This meant, thy were almost there. They were one step away from being free.
"And the boy?" I heard the male voice on the other end.
"Probably dense. Want me to call him tonight to see what's going on?" I asked him.
"Yes, but don't let the girls know." He tells me.
"Right. I'll call tonight." I say before hanging up. I checked on Bettica before calling Archie. Once Archie picked up, I spoke.
"Hey Arch, how are you?" I asked him. I had to act casual.
"I'm good. How are you feeling?" He asked me.
"I'm fine." I told him.
"Listen, I need to ask you something." I say to him.
"Ok, what about?" He asked.
"It's about Bettica. Is she, well, acting odd?" I asked him curiously. Archie was quiet for a moment before speaking.
"No, but…" He started but trailed off. My suspicions were confirmed.
"It's ok if she is or isn't, I'm not going to tell the girls anything. This is the Double A talk." I tell him. The Double A talk meant it was a talk between us only and stayed between us only. Archie sighed in relief upon hearing that.
"I think Bettica likes me and, from the valid points she's making, I think I should stop dating the girls and date her. I… I think I'm in love." He tells me. I was annoyed with this but had to keep my mouth shut on it.
"Well, just remember, every action has a reaction. You know, the whole Butterfly Effect and such." I warn him. I wasn't supposed to, but he's my cousin.
"I know, which is why I'm going to think on it more before deciding." He tells me. Good. He was learning to think instead of just reacting on emotion or such.
"Ok. I need to go, but I just wanted to check on you." I tell him.
"Wait. Have you heard from Betty or Veronica? They're still ignoring me." He asked me and then told me.
"They're fine. They just need time 'together' for a bit." I tell him. He seemed to accept that and we said our goodbyes. I called the number again.
"He's definitely falling for her, but he's actually thinking on it before acting. That's a good sign at least." I say after the phone was picked up.
"That is a good sign. He is teetering on if this is a set up or not, though. Act cautiously." He warns me. He then gave me the general plan, which I wrote down and hid in my pocket.
"Will do, Doc. Will do." I say before hanging up. I was now given the green light to help more. I think I know how to as well. I went to Bettica and smiled.
"I think I have a way to help you out." I tell her. She looked up at me and smiled as she gestured me to continue. I told her the idea and she frowned.
"Will it work, though?" She asked me.
"It has to, otherwise he won't learn and you two won't have the final clue to be free." I warned her. She had a serious look on her face before nodding.
The clock was ticking, can all be set right before the bells toll?
Cliff hanger! Hanging from a cliff! And that's why he's called Cliff Hanger!
Sorry, couldn't resist the joke! Stay tuned for part three!