Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a hot minute! I've been busy recently and then some family stuff happened so it's just been a lot recently! I hope those of you that are on summer right now are enjoying your break, and if you're still in school like me, let's power through together! Lol.
Anyway, in this chapter, Betty and Kevin do some catch up, and then Betty learns about the rumours. How will she react?
As always, I hope you enjoy, let me know if there are any mistakes, and leave your thoughts in the reviews! I love hearing from you! Enjoy! 3
Chapter 8
Betty
"So, how've you been?" I asked, settling into the armchair, flattening my dress around it.
"Me? Come on, Betty. I've seen the news." Kevin countered. He was sitting in another armchair, across from mine, in front of the fireplace in my room.
"Then you know what happened. And I'm fine. Back to you. What's it like being Josie McCoy's step-brother? She's like one of the most famous singers in Riverdale."
"It's great. About once a show, she'll bring me up on stage to perform either with her and the Pussycats, or just with her. I love it." I did remember Kevin loving to put on shows for me, Polly, and whoever else would listen.
"That's great, Kev. I'm really happy for you." I smiled.
"Now, enough about me. What's it like having all these guys wanting to marry you, with you in complete control?" Kevin leaned forward eagerly.
"Please. We both know I'm not in complete control."
"Is Queen Alice still running the show?"
"She actually tried to marry me off to secure ties with Quantico. To Prince Glen."
"He seems like a stuck-up, all-mighty, man." Kevin commented, sympathetically.
"He is. The only reason she didn't act on it, is because I pointed out that with me off in a different country, when she is forced to step down as queen, it goes to the Blossom's as our next closest blood relatives. Which she hates even more than losing control of me."
"Oh, Betty." Kevin sighed. "I used to envy your life. You seemed like you had it all. All it took was me seeing how normal people live to realize that this isn't normal."
I laughed slightly. "You know how crazy you sound?"
"Crazy spoiled, yes." Kevin joined in my laughter. "But what about the guys here?"
"I'm pretty sure that I can't discuss that with one of the Selected." I teased him.
"Hey, I just came to make sure that you had at least one friendly face." Kevin smiled at me.
"Wait, so you have no intention of marrying me?" I stopped.
"I mean, not really. I love you, Betty, but like, as a sister. Marrying you would feel like incest."
"Okay, I did not need that visual." I covered my eyes,laughing. "But then that narrows down my choices considerably. And puts me in a difficult position."
"One person! And you don't even have to kick me out until you can see yourself with the rest of the others. I'll be like, your...person on the inside." Kevin offered. I thought it over for a moment.
"That could work…" I said slowly. "As long as my mother never, and I mean never, finds out. She would kick you to the execution room."
"There's an execution room?!" Kevin cried, excitedly.
"Shhh! We don't want to scare the others off, now do we?" I winked, teasingly.
"Seriously, though. Now that you know I pose no threat, tell me! Spill! Who's your favourite so far?"
"I don't know. I've hardly spent any time with any of them."
"Not true. Even I remember Archie Andrews from when we were kids."
"That's funny, because I don't really. I actually don't remember much from when we were kids. I guess that's why I was so surprised to see what you looked like."
"Understandable. You've had a lot going on." Kevin nodded. "But what about Jughead?"
"What about Jughead?"
"Rumour is that you two have already had two dates, and we just got here."
"What?!"
"Yeah. Walks in the garden, or so it circulates."
"Who is saying this?"
"Everyone. It's all the guys talked about this morning in the Men's Room."
"I can't believe he would tell people that. Lies, too." I felt betrayed. "They weren't even dates! We just happened to run into each other a couple times. People are going to think I'm already picking a favourite. Oh god. What will my mother say?" I buried my face in my hands.
"Calm down, Betty. Maybe it won't even make it out of these walls. Pure speculation, that's all." Kevin tried to reassure me. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Your mom?" Kevin asked.
I shook my head. "She wouldn't knock." In a louder voice, I then called, "Come in!"
"Betty! Sorry to interrupt." Veronica and Cheryl entered. "Sir Keller." They both curtsied. Kevin and I stood to greet them.
"Please, Kevin." Kevin reached for each of their hands and kissed them in greeting.
"Kevin." Veronica corrected herself. "Anyway, Betty, we have a couple of visitors that were hoping to have a word with you?"
"Who?"
"Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones."
"'Speak of the devil and he shall appear'." Kevin quoted under his breath to me. I elbowed him.
"They can come in." I assured Veronica. She opened the door and relayed the message to the boys across the hall. Archie and Jughead stepped in, looking both bowed and Kevin shot me a look, which I purposefully ignored. "How can I help you, boys?" I can't say I was the most thrilled to see Jughead after all these rumours were coming up, but I wasn't going to kick him out until I knew for sure who the source was.
"Um, your Highness," Jughead started, then paused. I didn't correct him. "We just came to try to get ahead of some rumours that have been going around. I thought you should hear it from me."
"I've already heard." I replied, shortly. I heard Jughead curse under his breath.
"Can I talk to you, privately?" He requested.
"What, so that that can circulate as a rumour too?"
"B, I'd give him a chance." Veronica said, softly. "His intentions are genuine."
"We wouldn't help him if we didn't think so." Cheryl added.
I sighed. "Fine. Kevin, would you mind going with these three?" I asked, looking at him. He shook his head.
"I'd love to get to know more about your new besties." Kevin smiled, offering an arm to each of the girls. "Did you know that I can tell you stories about all ages of Betty? From diapers to scaring guards, to trying to work on cars with the mechanics."
"Kevin…" I said, my tone warning. Don't let anything slip that shouldn't, was what I meant. Some family secrets Kevin knew part of, but no one knew the full story. I wasn't ready for anyone to hear it yet.
After the door closed behind them, I motioned for Jughead to sit down in Kevin's newly vacated chair, and I sat back down in mine. He hesitated, looking at me, before following suit.
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about the rumours going around. I'm going to do my best to shut them down, but I don't think that it's going to completely go away. I mean, it's called rumours for a reason."
"Why would you shut them down?" I asked, coolly.
He looked at me, confused. "I mean, I just figured that they were going to end up hurting you in some way at some point. Either the public finding out and just assuming you'd already made your mind up, or it hurting you emotionally. I don't know."
"No. You do. I mean, who else would've started these rumours? You wanted to make sure that the other guys knew that you were, I don't know, already in with me?"
"What? No! Betty,"
"Princess Elizabeth." I corrected him.
He looked flustered before finally spitting it out. "Princess Elizabeth, is that what you think I would do?" He paused, studying me. I avoided his eyes. "I would never. But if that's what you think, maybe it's best that I just go home."
"Maybe it is." He stood, and headed towards the door, pulled it open, and left.
