This chapter is a little shorter and choppier than the others, but its really more of a transition chapter than anything else. I have a plan for how the rest of this story is going to go and there may even be a sequel in the works.
"Hey, Archie?" Betty asked, sticking her head out of the ensuite bathroom and into the adjoining bedroom. She had completely forgotten about the bathroom a few days ago after her nightmare-the one place she had never really explored was his parents' old bedroom (for obvious reasons)-but Betty was taking full advantage of it now.
Polly had "miraculously" returned the night before, and after a loud argument about where she was the whole time, Betty packed a bag and told them she was staying with Archie for the night. And it was turning out to be a good thing as she needed his help with something.
"What's going on?" He replied, walking into the bathroom as he buttoned the cuffs of his uniform khaki shirt.
"I need you to help me cover up this tattoo." Betty gestured to the black ink on her right forearm, which happened to be where one of Archie's favorite tattoos was located. It also happened to be the same location of the matching tattoo on Archie's right forearm.
It was a super cheesy couple thing-a thing that neither of them ever wanted to do. After all, the tattoo had always been more of Betty's thing than his (which was a shocker in of itself, really), but they wanted something that would always unite them, a visual reminder that they belonged to each other. It was a quote from the Harry Potter books, which was the only series that Betty and Archie could both agree was one of the absolute best. Each of them had half the quote tattooed on their arm in the typical font for the titles of the books with round glasses and a lightning bolt as a border on the outside.
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light."
Betty had the first half of the quote on her arm while Archie had the second half on his. They chose that quote specifically because it represented their relationship, how in the darkness that they regularly saw, experienced, or caused, the other was their light, their happiness.
"Why do you want to cover it up?"
"Not promising on getting it removed, I promise. But we are both going short sleeves during gym today and the last thing we really need is for our students to figure out that we're together. And these tattoos are an excellent way to showcase that."
"Fair enough," Archie said, grabbing all the makeup that he would need out of Betty's bag. He had never covered her tattoos before since it was unnecessary, but Archie had done her makeup for her before. After she was shot in the shoulder, she was unable to lift her left arm for months. During her medical leave, she painstakingly taught Archie how to apply foundation, eyeshadow, blush, the basics, so that she could look halfway presentably when she returned to desk duty.
Even after all these years, those lessons were still hardwired into him. Archie was confident enough to be able to split his focus between applying makeup to her forearm and get some more answers about the tattoo.
"Is that all there is to this?"
"Not really."
"What does that mean?" He asked, curious.
"When we were in high school, did you expect me, Betty Cooper-perfect girl-next-door-, to become that one graduate that gets all the tattoos?"
Archie squeezed the makeup brush a little bit tighter in his hand. He hated when Betty called herself perfect. For most people, being called perfect was a good thing. For Betty, it served as a reminder of how her mother had always forced her and her sister to always present the perfect image for the public. It meant hiding her issues, burying them until they bubbled over and blew up. It was also a reminder that Archie himself once called her by that hated word.
To him, Betty was perfect with all her armor and flaws. It just took him time to get there. He had been so wrapped up in Ms. Grundy, the Fourth of July, and his own life that he failed to see beyond the armor that Betty had crafted so well. Archie had been a mess and he had always needed someone who understood that and accepted him for it. It took her armor falling away, piece by piece, for Archie to realize that Betty was just as broken as he was.
Either way, the word "perfect" was off limits.
"Maybe its time for them to see the real Betty Cooper."
"I could always leave my other tattoos untouched then," Betty grinned as she looked down at her left arm, which also had a tattoo.
She had another quote on her left forearm-this one in Latin-underneath a tattoo of Lady Justice herself. The quote was beneath it and said, "Justitia omnibus" or "Justice for all". It was a visual reminder of what she set out to do when she joined the FBI-something that she occasionally needed to be reminded of during her darkest moments.
"Well there you go. Problem solved," Archie replied, putting the finishing touches on her right arm. "Alright, check my work. Can you see it?"
"Not unless I'm specifically looking for it, which is just what I needed. Thank you."
"Of course."
Archie returned to fixing his own sleeves to get himself ready. As the new ROTC instructor, he had to wear his service uniform to school every day and his PT uniform for PT days. His PT uniform had short sleeves as well, which would be a problem they would solve later.
"You know, it's been a while since I've seen you wear your service uniform," Betty commented, moving back into the bedroom.
"Better get used to it. You're going to be seeing me in it every day," he said, fixing his tie in the mirror. Once it was just right, he grabbed his green overcoat from the closet and began to carefully slip it on. He spent last night painstakingly attaching his devices and awards to the coat with Betty checking over his work with a ruler, just like the nights they would prepare him for an upcoming unit inspection.
"I could get used to the sight of you in uniform."
"Was that supposed to be a joke or are you flirting with me?"
Betty laughed before handing his garrison cover to him from the dresser. "Definitely the latter. You wear the uniform well."
"I try."
"You don't have to try, Sergeant Andrews," she replied, moving across the room to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him close for a long kiss. Archie wrapped his arms around her, feeling breathless just at the feeling of having Betty in his arms.
He was an extremely lucky man.
The moment was broken as Betty's phone rang, signaling the end of their morning alone. Betty kissed him again before pulling away to grab her phone from the bathroom.
"We gotta go. My mom needs me to drive the twins to school. Polly's MIA again."
Archie frowned, but grabbed his belongings and followed Betty down the stairs. He made sure to grab his duffel bag for after school; Archie may have to wear his service uniform every day for school, but that didn't mean he necessarily enjoyed it.
"I thought she appeared last night. That is, after all, the reason why you came over here in the first place."
"Nope. She's gone again."
"Where does she go?" Archie wondered aloud.
"I have absolutely no idea," Betty replied, climbing up the front steps of her house. "But if this keeps up, I might just have to find out."
"Listen up, everyone," Betty said as her students began filtering into the classroom. "Unless you all enjoy getting your clothes covered in engine grease and oil, put on these jumpsuits over your clothing. If you're wearing clothes that prevent you from putting on the jumpsuit, get changed."
Her students exchanged looks before moving to grab the jumpsuits that Betty had provided for them in various sizes. Since it was the first day, Betty wasn't planning on having them get too deep into repairs for the car today, but she wanted to instill proper safety protocols into them right away to prevent accidents down the road.
"If you aren't wearing closed toed shoes, that's fine for today, but make sure to change that before next class. This semester we are going to be putting together this car, which means that we are going to be maneuvering some heavy parts. Any questions?"
"Why are we repairing a car this semester?" One student asked.
"And you are?" Betty asked, not able to put a face to a name.
"Shannon."
"Well, nice to meet you, Shannon. And to answer your question, I know that you all usually do woodworking in shop class, but I wanted to teach you something that you could actually use one day. Knowing your way around a car is extremely useful. My dad taught me everything I know about cars and that knowledge has served me well, both in high school, college, and even my time with the FBI."
"Wasn't your father the Black Hood?" Another student asked.
This time, Betty didn't bother asking the student for their name. She knew that seven years was not enough time for the people of Riverdale to forget about the Black Hood's reign of terror. Still, it was always a shock to her system for someone to bring it up.
"Yes. Yes, he was," she replied through clenched teeth.
"What was that like?"
"Does anyone have any relevant questions? Like something to do with the semester project?"
"What happens to the car when we're finished with it?" Shannon asked, raising her hand.
"I am so happy that you asked that, Shannon. You all will be graded both on your participation in this class and the tests, which will be based on the parts of the car and your observations on what is wrong with the car. The kid with the highest grade will be rewarded with the car at the end of the semester."
Immediately, everyone perked up in interest, especially the kids who were either of driving age or approaching it. Betty was essentially offering them a free car. She was sinking her own money into the car, using some of the savings that she had set aside for a rainy day.
"Is that a joke?" Someone asked.
"Nope. Not a joke. I already cleared it with the administration. Once the car is completed, the winner of the car gets to take it home."
"So, where do we start?"
Betty walked over to the table where her students had collected their jumpsuits and picked up a few safety manuals. She made sure that every student got one before saying, "Today we are reviewing these safety manuals. Working on cars can get dangerous, so you all need to pay attention."
"Good morning, everyone. I am Sergeant Archie Andrews. You may call me Sergeant, Sergeant Andrews, and sir," Archie said, standing in the front of the classroom as he addressed his students.
He had expected a small class since ROTC was never a popular program in Riverdale, and with the decreased student population, even less so. Even with all that, Archie had not expected to only have four students in his class.
Still, he would take what he could get.
Four students were better than nothing.
"This class is a stepping stone to Army ROTC in college. There is no military obligation, but for those of you who choose to follow that path or enlist right out of high school like I did, then I am here to help you get there. For those of you who choose not to go into the military, I am also here to help you get into a good college."
He passed around textbooks for his students as well as a drill manual since they also had to learn how to drill. The Army, thankfully, provided all the materials and uniforms for the class—saving Riverdale from having to dip into their dwindling resources to provide expensive uniforms and textbooks for four students.
"We have class four times a week. We will be in the classroom for two of those days. The other two will be dedicated to drill and PT. This first week," Archie continued, "is primarily about getting you all your uniforms. Inspections—barring any difficulties with the uniforms—will begin in three weeks. I am available before or after school to help any of you with your uniforms."
Archie glanced briefly at his lone female student, Lucy. He was surprised to find a female in his class, but he happily welcomed it. He would have to make a few adjustments, especially when it came to uniform sizing and PT assessments. Even that could be easily taken care of, though.
Betty knew the Army uniform just as well as Archie did. She had helped him prepare for so many inspections during his military career. Betty understood how the uniform was supposed to look and fit for both men and women; that knowledge paired with the fact that she was a woman would help Lucy. Archie knew that it might complicate matters a little for them personally by doing so, but he made a mental note to keep her after class to connect her with Betty anyway.
Besides the uniforms, Betty was also an FBI agent who regularly trained with Army Rangers for fun. She would be a great guide to teach Lucy about being a woman in a male-dominated career.
He spent the rest of class going over the rules and what he expected of them. A few minutes before the bell rang, Archie allowed them some quiet free time, which gave him an opportunity to speak to Lucy.
"Hi, Lucy," he said, sitting next to her at an empty desk. "So, things are going to be a little different for you since you're the only girl in the class. My…colleague, Ms. Cooper knows the Army uniform as well as I do. She'll be the one to help you with uniform sizes."
Archie didn't explain how Betty knew this and Lucy, thankfully, didn't ask.
"We're in our twenties. How hard is it to find a place to have some fun?" Jughead froze in his tracks outside the teachers' lounge as he heard Archie's voice inside.
"I might have an idea for that," he heard Betty reply.
Jughead immediately fell back into old habits of eavesdropping and observing his peers. It was, after all, how he had written his first book. He observed people for years and managed to learn their deepest secrets. He probably made a mistake by publishing it all-based on the reaction that Toni and the Serpents had to his return-but old habits died hard.
"Sounds mildly interesting," Archie said.
"Do you remember that week we spent at that beach house in Virginia?"
"I honestly don't think that there is anything in this world that could make me forget that week."
He leaned a little into the doorway to observe their body language and was honestly surprised to find that there was practically no space between them.
They were pressed up against the counter at the far wall with cups of coffee in hand. Archie had an arm wrapped around her shoulders as they spoke. Both of them looked completely at ease in a way that Jughead had never seen before.
Jughead wasn't stupid; he knew that, when it came to Betty Cooper, he had always played runner-up. Even when they were dating, Jughead felt insecure about her relationship with Archie. It hurt more than he was willing to admit to see that he was right all along.
"Well, do you remember what happened that second night?"
"Vividly."
"Consider tonight part two."
Jughead had heard enough. He silently walked away from the teachers' lounge, feeling even more lost than ever before.
Here is the link of the image for Betty's Lady Justice tattoo: pin/femida-lady-justice-vector-on-vectorstock-188940146845981776/
And for those interested in the history of Lady Justice: /blog/restoration/the-meaning-behind-the-lady-of-justice-statue/