I checked my reflection in my rearview mirror as I waited for Taylor to make her appearance. I fixed my red lipstick and flipped my hair a little. Perfect.
Putting my mirror back into position, I rolled my eyes as Taylor finally came out of her house.
"About time," I scolded her, but we both knew that I didn't really care. I just loved giving her a hard time.
"Shut up, bitch," she said to me as she climbed into my Jeep. I loved this car, even though my mother said that it wasn't 'suited for a lady'. "Are you excited?"
"To see our high school sloshed and humping each other? No," I answered and started driving in the direction of Kevin's house.
"No, for the possibility of you and Betty being sloshed and humping each other," she said, smirking at me.
"Oh my god, shut up," I said quickly, trying to will away the blush creeping up my neck.
"Okay, okay," she laughed. "Well, I am excited to see Kevin," she admitted.
"Taylor, he is gay," I emphasized. I don't know what her obsession with her was. We all knew he was gay, he just wasn't out yet. His father was the sheriff and a man's man, so I didn't blame him.
"You don't know that," she protested.
"Come on," I argued, raising my eyebrow at her.
"Well, even if he is, he may be in the stage where he is trying to prove that he isn't. I wouldn't mind being a casualty to that."
"You are ridiculous," I laughed and she shrugged her shoulders.
Taylor had been my best friend for a decade now. We both came from very different families, but we hit it off immediately nonetheless. We met in kindergarten, where I saved her from a bully on the playground.
"So, what's your plan?" She asked as she checked herself out in the mirror.
"What do you mean?"
"Your plan. Betty. What is your plan?" She repeated.
"I don't have a plan," I said. A 'plan' had never occurred to me.
"So, you're just going to stare at her longingly?" She asked me, with a blank stare on her face.
"No!" I defended. That was exactly what I had planned on doing.
"Uh huh," she said, not believing me. "Well, lucky for you, I will be your wingman tonight," she finished with a big smile on her face. A smile that I knew meant trouble.
"I don't want you-"
"It's right here! Don't pass it," she interrupted and pointed to Kevin's house. There were cars on both sides of the roads and music booming. I was so lost in my head about this 'plan', that I had spaced out and almost drove by.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw Betty's light blue Volkswagen. I parked behind a big black truck and checked my reflection again.
"Come on, hurry," Taylor pestered me, already out of the car.
"Okay, shit," I replied, jumping down out of my Jeep. I smoothed down the red dress that I was wearing. I hoped Betty would notice how it was perfectly fitted to my body.
"Damn, you look hot!" I heard a voice next to me. I knew immediately that it was Reggie.
"Thank you, Reggie. I know," I sighed and tried ignoring him.
He was a football player at Riverdale High. He was handsome and plenty of the girls at school liked him. I just was not one of those girls.
"So, you wanna dance?" He put his heavy arm across my shoulders.
"No. I need to get a drink first, okay?" I tried letting him down gently and pulled away from him as I entered the house.
I think the whole school was there. It was so crowded that I didn't know if I would realistically even find Betty.
"Well, you find me after you are good and liquored up," he winked.
I gave him a fake smile and he took that as a win, going to find his buddies.
"Ugh," I let out the breath I had been holding.
"He's hot. You are crazy," Taylor said, handing me a drink in a red solo cup.
"He is all yours," I replied before taking a big drink. I hated the taste of beer, but I knew I would need to numb my mind a little to deal with these people all night. Maybe I needed some liquid courage, too. And maybe tonight, I would talk to Betty for more than one minute.
"I wish," she moped. Her spirits lifted quickly however, as Kevin made an appearance.
"Hey, ladies," he said, in his typical chipper manner.
"Hi, Kevin," Taylor gushed and I internally cringed. It was so obvious that she had the hots for him.
He smiled, sweetly, at her. "Do you girls wanna play some beer pong? Jug and I need a team to go against," he asked us, hopeful.
"Yes!" Taylor eagerly responded. Before I could protest, she was dragging me into the living room.
The game was already set up. I was shocked to see Jughead here, but he seemed in his element. I guess the Serpents do like drinking, so it made sense.
"Kevin so wants me," Taylor whispered to me, excitedly.
I would have protested, but Kevin did have his eyes on her right now. Maybe he was in the 'prove I'm straight stage'. I didn't have too much time to think about it. I was busy scanning the room for Betty.
"Okay, are you ready?" Kevin asked us, snapping me back into reality.
"Yeah, game on," I replied. I'm very competitive in nature.
He took his shot and landed one right in the middle cup. It was an easy shot, though.
"Bam!" He cheered and Taylor just smiled, dreamily.
Jughead threw his and it landed in the same cup. That meant that we had to down four cups.
"Suck on that!" The brooding Serpent king cheered. I smiled a little, but warned them that they wouldn't be in the lead for long.
After a few minutes of playing, my heart skipped a beat as I saw her enter the room. She was wearing a modest light blue sweater and jeans. She always dressed so wholesome and there was something that drove me wild about it.
She sat next to the fireplace, watching the game. We made eye contact briefly, but I looked away quickly. As confident as I normally was, I shied away when it came to her. She made me nervous and that was not a feeling that I was used to.
I kicked my game into high gear and we ended up winning, no thanks to Taylor. I loved her, but she sucked at beer pong.
"Congrats," Reggie said, coming up behind me out of nowhere.
"Thanks, Reggie," I said, trying to make my way over to Betty casually. I had gained a little courage from the beer and I wanted to go 'bump into her'. That was my plan, I had decided.
"So, do you want to dance now?" He asked, grabbing onto my arm.
"No," I shook my arm away from his grip. "And don't put your hands on me again," I snapped.
"You don't have to be such a bitch," he angrily said, looking offended.
"I'm no-"
"Hey, don't talk to her like that," I heard a voice behind me. Her voice.
"Like what? Just stating facts," he said, smugly and shrugged his shoulders, heading back to his friends.
I turned to face her. My breath caught in my throat. While most girls had their hair wild and free, hers was pulled into a perfect ponytail. She was not most girls. That's what I loved about her.
"Thank you. You didn't have to do that," I said, once I was able to catch my breath.
"Yes I did. He is a jerk," she said matter-of-factly. She smiled sweetly at me, causing me to relax a little. There was something about her that was so comforting to me.
"That's true," I responded simply. Normally I was great with words, but when it came to her it was like my brain shut off.
Looking over Betty's shoulder, I saw Taylor in the background, motioning for me to make a move.
"So, do you want to get a drink?" I asked quickly, panicking to make some sort of move before the moment was over.
"Oh, I-" she started to protest.
"Just one? You have to celebrate my win with me," I suggested. I was proud of myself. Usually I was tongue-tied around her.
"Okay," she smiled, giving in. I internally cheered.
I motioned for her to go ahead and I followed her into the kitchen. I would be lying if I said I didn't check her out in the process.
"So, what do you want to drink?" She asked me, snapping me out of my daydream.
"Oh, um," I fumbled with my words and I made my way next to her at the kitchen island. There was a variety of liquors, juices, and a keg. I had my fill of beer for the night, so I opted for orange juice and vodka. "This is like the poor man's version of a mimosa," I stated, eliciting a laugh out of her.
"That is.. a very good way of putting it, actually," she said in between giggles.
"I have a way with words at times," I cockily said. Our eyes locked as she took a sip of her drink and butterflies invaded my stomach.
"Are you alright?" She asked me and I suddenly realized I had been staring at her.
"Oh, yeah, sorry," I muttered and took a big drink. "Just spaced out for a second."
"Maybe that beer got to your head," she suggested, smiling at me.
We made out way into the living room and squeezed into a seat next to two horny high schoolers making out. We shared a look of disgust and a laugh.
"It's like a breeding ground here," I said and repositioned myself so that my arm was on the armrest and I was facing her. She looked uncomfortable and I wondered if it was because of me or solely because of the environment.
"I know. People nowadays are so into hooking up. It's sad, really," she said, shifting her weight a little and facing me, much to my delight.
"What do you mean by 'sad'?"
"Well, it's silly," she answered shyly, turning her head a bit.
"I'm sure it isn't," I said, hanging on her every word.
"Okay, well," she started off, taking a modest sip of her orange juice and vodka. "I find it sad, because things are just so different nowadays. I wish we still lived in a time where people courted each other, you know?" She looked at me quizzically, as if to make sure that I was following. I nodded. "Opening doors. Bringing flowers on dates. Holding hands."
She shifted in her seat again, as if nervous that I would think that it was a silly idea.
"I agree completely," I said. And I did agree. I wanted that more than anything. With her. I wanted to hold open doors for her. Bring her whatever her favorite flower is. Holding her hand and stroking it with my thumb.
"You do?" She perked up a little.
"Absolutely. Dating is supposed to be something magical. Everyone just rushes straight to the end game. Sex is good and all, but I want butterflies. I want romance. I want love," I finished and immediately felt self-conscious. I had never opened up to someone like this before. I usually had my wall built far up.
"Exactly," she said softly.
We were locked in a gaze again. Her blue eyes were incredible. I caught myself glancing between her beautiful eyes and her plump pink lips.
"So," I started off, not sure where I was going. I just had to break the silence before I suffocated from the want.
"So," she repeated. I could have sworn that I saw her look at my lips, too. But there was no time to delve in further, as we were interrupted.
"B, can we go home?" Veronica sobbed to her. Betty jumped up from the couch and wrapped her in a hug.
"Are you okay?" She asked, concerned.
I rolled my eyes, but my heart warmed a little at her caring nature.
"Archie.. He.." Veronica's voice cracked and she gave up trying to find the words. She unraveled into a puddle of tears.
Betty looked over to me and silently apologized. I waved her off and smiled slightly. I understood. It sucked, but I understood.
I watched helplessly as they walked out the door. I sighed and finished my drink. Looking over to the coffee table, I saw her red cup with lipstick stained on the edge. I grabbed the cup and decided to finish it for her. Not that I wanted to be close to her in every way or anything. I just didn't want to waste the alcohol.