"Hey, you've reached Veronica Jones, I'm either really busy right now or I'm ignoring you, leave a message and I might even call you back."
*beep*
"Hey Ronnie, it's me, I guess you're having fun with your friends or sleeping in. Last night was crazy, I barely remember anything, I'm sure Jughead will fill me in … Anyway, I know there's still a lot of serious talking that we need to do but can we just meet later and just hang out without any of the seriousness? I just want to hear your voice and watch you roll your eyes at me because I can't handle my alcohol, maybe you can even call me oblivious because Ginger has been giving me these looks since I rolled out of bed and I have no idea why, I'm sure you'll explain it to me and tell me how stupid I am for missing whatever hint she's trying to drop. I'm going to jump into the shower before the hot water gets finished, message me when you get this, I love you."
*beep*
"Ronnie, you're not answering my texts and calls, I don't even know if you are listening to these messages, Jug said that you were in New York? Can you please just send me a message and tell me what is happening? It took everything I had not to blow our cover and ask Jughead to give me more details, did something happen? Jughead sounded fine so I know your grandmother is alright, I messaged Betty but I haven't gotten a reply and I'm getting nervous, please call me back when you get this."
*beep*
"I did something stupid and showed up at your grandmother's house and no-one is home, where are you? I am going a little crazy over here without knowing where you are and if you're okay, Jughead is still acting normal so I can assume you are still alive and no-one has been seriously injured, he's leaving for Paris on Monday, are you already there? What is going on Veronica? I know that asking Jughead is the last thing that you want but I'm running out of options here, I'm leaving with my parents tomorrow so I can't even follow Jughead to the airport, coming to Paris is out of the question unless I want to out us to the world and I am not prepared to do that without your permission even if it's the only thing that I can think of doing right now."
*beep*
"Jughead mentioned in passing that he needs to find the boy that, and I quote, 'Fucked with my sisters heart', what is he talking about Ronnie, is it me? Am I the reason you're suddenly in Paris, with a broken heart that your brother is trying to avenge? If memory serves, you were trying to end things with me, is this how you're going to do it, by running away to Paris before we could even speak? And telling everyone it's my fault? What the fuck is going on? We were supposed to be mature about this, this was supposed to be the relationship that worked through the long distance and still end up together when it was over but that was never going to work if you can't even respond to my texts and calls. Call me Veronica."
*beep*
"It's been almost a month, I have given you space, I have seen the pictures of Paris, the places you are visiting and the boys that you are with, is that what you wanted? To live the single life in the City of Love, will I see you in California when Jughead and I move into our apartment? I'm sure he told you how I turned down the offer to stay in New York and our college plans are back on track, he hasn't brought up my 'break up' or the reason I gave him for wanting to stay close to Riverdale. We have never talked about you aside from that conversation we had where he told me to back off, so asking him now is going to bring up questions I'm not ready to answer without you. What did I do Veronica? Just tell me and we can work this out."
*beep*
"We've moved into our California bachelor apartment, it's everything we thought it would be, Jughead is beyond excited but you aren't here so I cannot be all in like he is Ronnie. It's been radio silence from you, your friends have been ignoring all my calls, I've reached out to Toni who is just as confused as I am, are you avoiding her as well? Jughead mentions you in passing and I have to read into everything he says, if it wasn't for our mothers gossiping about you, I would know nothing about your life. It's been almost 3 months since we last spoke and I feel lost without you … did you want me to fight harder to stay in New York? I don't know Ronnie call me back."
*beep*
"You know what irritates me the most? Ah fuck I'm so drunk, I think I lost Jughead, I'm home and its so silent. But… but I … you just left Ronnie, I miss … everything, you just left, you've been in my life forever, since we were children, I hate that you're not in it right now, I shouldn't have kissed you, that's where it changed, that's where we went wrong, that's where our friendship got messed up. Jughead was right, but it wasn't your heart that was crushed, actually I have no clue how you feel, but I know that it feels like only my heart has been ripped out, this is too hard, you were my friend long before you were my girlfriend, I never thought I could lose you this easily. I hate this, I hate that you hate me so much that you … you can't even talk to me, maybe if I knew what I did to drive you away this might be easier *sniff* I don't know if I can do this anymore, I don't know if I can wait for you anymore, give me a sign, give me something to tell me not to move on, tell me that you're ok, I'll wait for you forever if there was hope … bye Ronnie."
*beep*
"I apologize for the drunk voicemail, you will never get one of those again, not only because I am completely embarrassed that I have no clue what I said in that voice message but also because Jughead has promised to take my phone away from me as soon as alcohol touches my lips and only return it once he deems my state of mind to be in an acceptable space. College has been interesting so far, my football games have been boring without you cheering from the bleachers or with the cheerleaders on the side lines, every time I see something funny I immediately want to call or text you to tell you about it but then I remember … you probably aren't even listening to these, so why am I even bothering, I hope whatever the reason you have for breaking my heart is worth it."
*beep*
"So it's been a year, I'm pretty sure that this isn't even your number anymore, some random person with this number is probably listening to these messages and thinks that I am a complete sucker for leaving them. I don't even know why I'm leaving this message, I think it's because today was the day that you stopped talking to me and I still have no idea what I've done. I've been angry with you for a long time now, but it's time to let go, time for me to move on, I've been on a couple dates but I compare all of them to you and it's torture. Toni says that you won't even talk to her about me so she's at a loss as well, the only good thing is that Jughead has been talking about you a lot more, I know you're head cheerleader now, that was something you've wanted forever and you're dating some new kid named Chad? That's the douchiest of all names, I'm disappointed Ronnie *chuckle* Jughead hates it, he's going to threaten the guy when he meets him, if you listen to this then you have been warned. I'm sure you know my parents have moved from Riverdale, so I have no reason to go back there and you can stop conveniently leaving Riverdale whenever I'm in town, anyway … I unfollowed your social media accounts, it has been an effort not to search your name and look at what you've been doing but I think it's best that I don't."
*beep*
"2 years, how has it been 2 years since the last time I spoke to you, so much has happened, you've missed so much, I have missed so much, like you being crowned the homecoming queen, I wish I could have been there to see you the crown being placed on your head and danced with you without feeling like we had to hide. I broke my rule and found you on Instagram again, just to see that moment and see the joy in your face, you were breath-taking. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid my eyes on and no-one will compare. I've had a couple of rebound relationships, they have all been toxic, Jughead has been laughing at me for my horrible track record with the ladies, as if he is any better, if we were still talking then we could have rolled our eyes at his expense. Jug said that you're going to Yale, congratulations, it seems like all your dreams are falling into place. I was once a part of that plan, do you still think of me? Do you miss me like I miss you? That was stupid of me to even ask."
*beep*
"I honestly have no idea why I even leave these voicemails when you don't listen to them but this will be my last one. Betty is on our campus, she's had lunch with Jughead and I a few times and avoids talking to me alone as if she knows that I will ask her about you as soon as I get her away from Jughead. I won't though, after all this time if I ever find out the reason for this silence I want that reason to come from you. A weird thing happened recently, Jughead and I spoke about a lot of things but we also spoke about you, he said some things that makes me wonder about the last time we spoke but I won't go down that road right now. The real reason for this voicemail though is to tell you that I met someone, it's new, she's … interesting, I've spent the last few years searching for another you but that will never happen and it took me meeting someone completely different from you to realize that. I think that there might be something there, I just need to be willing to find it, I wish you well wherever you are Ronnie, if you ever listen to these messages just know that you will always be the one that got away, I really wish things were different. When we first kissed at your 16th birthday party, I saw our entire future play out and I wanted every moment of it, but it turns out that's just not meant to be. You were my epic love story and I'll probably never get over you but I have to move on, goodbye Veronica."
"Veronica answer your damn phone!" Katy screamed, banging her fist on the door and Veronica startled awake at her roommates scream and blinked at the bright room, she barely registered her ringtone even though it was loud enough to irritate her roommate in the other room.
Veronica grumbled as she dug around her covers to find her phone, she saw Betty's name on the screen closed her eyes and answered with a "hmm"
"Are you seriously still asleep?" Betty asked with a chuckle as Veronica gave another non-committal sound. "Well get up! You have a train to catch."
"That's in 3 hours," Veronica grumbled, opening one eye to see her bags packed for the trip home for the summer holidays. "Let me sleep."
"No, get up, it's 11 in the morning," Betty said incredulously and Veronica could picture her checking her watch.
"That's still morning," Veronica argued, peeking out from under the cover as her door opened and Katy popped her head in. "Katy's here, scream in her ear, I'm going back to sleep."
"Is that Betty?" Katy asked, reaching for the phone when Veronica offered it to her and jumping onto the bed next to her friend. "Hey Bett's, let me put you on video so you can see this."
Veronica pulled the covers back over her head but Katy chuckled and pulled it back so Betty could see her best friend looking like a hot mess. "Katy what did you guys do last night?"
"It was Reggie's last night in the city so you know he had to make it memorable," Katy said with a laugh handing Veronica the bottle of water from the side of her bed, Reggie's idea of a memorable night was getting them drunk enough that they barely remembered anything. "And V needed to get over Chad, they broke up again."
"Again? Oh V," Betty sighed trying to sound sad but Veronica could hear the happiness in Betty's voice and rolled her eyes, Betty did not like Chad, sometimes Veronica thought that Betty might even hate him more that she hated Nick, which was saying something. "V, when are you going to dump this guy for good?"
"Yesterday, I dumped him for good yesterday," Veronica said, finally slipping out of bed and stretching her arms out.
"I feel like we've heard this before," Katy said in a loud whisper, turning the phone to herself and Betty nodded at her. Veronica groaned and started brushing her teeth, finding that she has had enough of her friends judging her terrible life choices when she had barely woken up. Veronica knew that every time she got back together with Chad it was a mistake but that didn't stop her from doing it, he always managed to re-enter her life when she was feeling lonely and he was charming enough that she thought that this time would be different.
Veronica splashed water on her face and shook the sleep from her eyes before walking back into the room to see Katy lying on her bed and chatting to Betty like they'd known each other forever. "Well of course I'll be there, I love Betty Cooper parties."
"You're having a party?" Veronica asked, jumping on the bed with Katy and sticking her head close to her roommates, so she was on the screen too. "You didn't tell me about a party."
"It's only on Saturday, and you are expected to be there," Betty said in that tone of voice that let Veronica know that there were no exceptions. "You are also expected to help me."
"I promise," Veronica said, shaking her head, as if she would ever turn down a chance to plan a party with her best friend. "Is Kevin home yet?"
"He is, he's excited for the gang to be back together again," Betty said, smiling. "It's been more than a year since the 4 of us have been together."
"You need to change that to 5 now, I am feeling very left out," Katy said frowning and Betty and Veronica laughed, Veronica patted her roommate's shoulder consolingly. Veronica and Katy had been friends and roommates for the last 3 years and since Veronica was very close to her childhood best friends, often having them stay over when they were in New York Katy became close to them as well, unofficially becoming the fifth member of their little group.
"Of course, you're now a part of the gang Katy K," Veronica told her and then looked back at the phone where Betty still looked a little guilty. "B, why do you look like there's more that you need to say?"
"Well," Betty started, biting her lip and Katy and Veronica shared a look, raising their eyebrows at each other, Betty was hiding something. "A certain red head that you have refused to talk about or to is going to be there."
"Archie," Katy gasped, she had heard of him but she had never met him and no-one knew why Veronica broke up with him or why her entire mood would change at any mention of him. "I cannot miss this party, I am dying to meet him."
"Why is he coming to your party?" Veronica asked, ignoring Katy who was practically vibrating next to her at the thought of meeting the famed Archie Andrews. "He hasn't been to any of them before."
"Because Jughead kinda forced him to," Betty said with a sheepish smile and Veronica sighed.
"I knew that you and Juggy dating was going to come back and bite me in the ass one day," she mumbled, when Betty ended up on Jughead and Archie's campus the boys took her under their wing, showing her what to do and what not to do and being her piece of home away from home. Suddenly every time Veronica called, Jughead was there, every time Betty was leaving her dorm, she was meeting Jughead (and maybe Archie but there was an unspoken agreement to not say his name out loud), by the end of their first year Veronica was so used to her 2 favourite people always being together that when they told her that they were dating she had to ask them what took them so long to realize it.
"Don't worry B, I'll make sure she doesn't disappear on you," Katy said with a wink. "Although I can't promise that she'll be in the best mood."
"I hate the both of you," Veronica said with a frown.
"I'll let you get back to planning, we'll call when we're at the Riverdale station," Katy told Betty before cutting the call. "They're engaged, aren't they?"
"Totally, I don't know why she's trying to hide it," Veronica said shaking her head, it was cute that Betty thought Veronica couldn't see all the signs that she was trying to hide something from her. "This is probably why Jug has only been texting me, I haven't spoken to him on the phone since last week."
"You know, if you and Archie get together again, it would be your best friend and brother and Jugheads best friend and sister, that would be a story to tell the children," Katy said frowning as Veronica's mood shifted and her roommate shrugged and got up, going to her cupboard to get her clothes out for the day without saying a word. "V, you never talk about him, the only reason I know he exists is because Kevin can't keep his mouth shut."
"I don't want to talk about the past, especially not that part," Veronica said after a long pause and Katy frowned, Veronica was the most open and bubbly person until Archie is mentioned and then she closes up like a clam. "That's where my relationship with him will stay."
"And this weekend?" Katy asked, watching Veronica. "I doubt there's going to be much room to avoid him."
"I will be as civil as I would be to any old friend that I lost contact with," Veronica said, turning to Katy with a smile, clutching her clothes to her chest. "I'm going to shower so we can leave early, I missed my train last year and booking a new ticket was a logistical nightmare."
"Why did we bring so many bags?" Katy asked groaning as they lugged their bags off the train and to a quiet enough corner, out of the way of people rushing through the station.
"Because we need options and Riverdale is not the place to find them," Veronica said sitting on one of her bags so she could pull out her phone and find her chat with her brother to check if he was coming to pick her up or if she needed to call a cab. "Oh, Jug's sending a car."
"That's nice of him," Katy said, slightly out of breath, leaning on her bags and Veronica chuckled at her very unfit friend. "Did he happen to say what time he was sending this car?"
"Yep, he said that it should already be at the station, we will see it as we exit," Veronica said stuffing her phone back into her pocket and reaching for the handles of her bags. "I really hope Smithers is the one picking us up, he always stops at Pop's and gets me a milkshake on the way home."
"Pop's?" Katy questioned, jogging to keep up with her roommate. "What's a pop?"
"Pop's is Riverdales most famous diner," Veronica said and Katy raised an eyebrow.
"Riverdale is big enough for more than one diner?" she asked teasing and Veronica paused.
"Well no, there's just Pop's but I have yet to find better milkshakes served anywhere else," Veronica told her, after thinking about it for a second.
"I'll take your word for it," Katy said craning her head to find the exit that Veronica was heading toward, while still avoiding the rush of people, she never thought that Riverdale was big enough for this many people to be blocking her way.
"Welcome to Riverdale," Veronica said when they finally reached the door and walked out into the sunny parking lot. "Two weeks of being as bored as one can be before you leave me and go back home."
"For all the complaining you do, you miss this place," Katy said, following Veronica's lead and putting her sunglasses on as well.
"I do, I miss my friends being down the road from me and the quiet of a tiny town," Veronica said with a chuckle and then looked around. "We are looking for a black car with a personalized 'Jones' number plate, and either a surly bodyguard or a smiley father Christmas, whichever one is here, they'll have a board with my name on it like I wouldn't just recognize them."
"And we are hoping for Santa?" Katy asked and Veronica laughed and nodded looking around before her eyes settled on a car that she recognised. Katy followed her line of sight to the car whose door have just opened and raised an eyebrow at the converse shoes the man that exited was wearing, and then scanned the rest of his clothes. "I mean he's not what I was expecting but he could pass for a bodyguard I guess."
"That's not Andre," Veronica said, her voice strained as she pulled her sunglasses of her face slowly.
"Hey Ronnie," the man greeted and Katy turned to Veronica just in time to see the blood drain from her friends face, which could only mean one thing.
"Archie."
A/N : Hello lovely readers, it is I, BikerChick101, back from the depths of writers block to hand you this, the start of the second (hopefully shorter) part of WTSGB
When I started writing this story I didn't think it would take me this long to get to the time jump neither did I expect the show to have an actual time jump either so ... yeah, anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it might be a little confusing and a little OOC but there is a time jump so I'm blaming it on that
I also know that you guys want to know what exactly happened last chapter and things will be explained, soon
I really wish I could be one of those people that flourished during these weird covid times but all my hobbies seemed to just run away from me, I did end up watching almost all of Teen Wolf this Year which was fun, the humour in that show is beautiful and my favourite character ended up being Malia, she reminds me of Veronica
Please let me know what yo think and if you guys are still reading, thank you for sticking with me through this extreme writers block that I have been having
Until Next Time (^^,)