"Guys." Betty drew out, as Archie threw the gear shift upward, parking the car at the top of the hill. "I'm not so sure about this."
"B." Veronica reached back to give her hand a squeeze. "Relax. This is for Jason."
How quickly she had changed her attitude, and all it had taken was a little prodding on Archie's part to get her to come around to the idea.
Reggie pulled in behind them, Cheryl in between himself and Chuck. He shot a glare in the direction of Archie's baby blue vintage wheels, though Betty knew the look was only directed at his ex-girlfriend, and maybe Archie, whose arm was currently draped across the back of Veronica's seat.
"Thanks for the ride, Archiekins." She told him, reaching for her knapsack. "I'm not sure how much more of Reggie's begging I can take."
Archie smiled tentatively at her. "Any time, Ronnie."
Unable to take their flirting, as subtle and non-existent as it seemed, Betty pushed the back door open, throwing her legs out. She began to stumble, and an unfamiliar hand shot out, fingers locking around her wrist to yank her back.
"Careful B." Chuck whispered in her ear, pulling her close. "We don't want a repeat of last year, now do we?"
Archie too, exited from the car, Veronica emerging seconds later.
"Betty." He called. "Can you help me with the tent?"
Grateful for his timing, intentional or not, she pushed Chuck away and went to stand beside Archie, waiting as he unlocked the trunk. He paused, glanced back at her for a moment, and offered her a knowing look that seemed to say: I won't leave you alone with him, I promise.
Betty squeezed his arm in response.
"Oh my god!" Cheryl said. "You actually did something different with your hair, B!"
She had traded her iconic ponytail in for two braids, courtesy of Veronica. Since Jason's passing, Betty had been spending less and less time at home, finding solace in the usually empty Lodge residence. Veronica swore that she was more than happy to have her, and Betty believed her. It had to be lonely in that lavish apartment, one of the fanciest in Riverdale.
Kevin surveyed her as he stepped out of Moose's jeep.
"I guess I like it." He mumbled, after a moment, a grin spreading across his face and Betty ruffled his already perfectly tousled hair.
"Chuck." Reggie decided, taking another sip of his beer.
"Hm." The football player muttered, staring hard at the dying fire. "I think I'm going to have to say the party at the end of sophomore year."
Everyone besides Betty laughed.
Instead, she blinked, racking her brain to try and remember that night. She thought Veronica had again convinced her to wear her hair down, and she could almost recall Cheryl curling it for her.
She had worn a dress, a surprise birthday present from Polly that Alice hadn't known about, strapless, cute, short and black, a far cry from the usual pastel colors she was accustomed to, with a pair of heels she had pulled from Veronica's closet, but after that, nothing.
"Ronnie?"
"Falling into the orchestra pit." Veronica replied easily, her back pressed up against Archie's legs. "I might have messed up on my solo from laughing so hard, but Jason's reaction was more than worth it."
This time, Betty joined the others in laughing.
It had been Chuck's idea, oddly enough, to give their friend a proper send off, so they were all sitting around the fire, drinking and telling war stories. Cheryl had been listening quietly, her eyes brimming with tears, and yet, a genuine smile on her face.
"B?"
She was the last to go.
"Sneaking into Riverdale cemetery." Betty said.
Jason scared them all that night, slipping away when their eyes were still closed, jumping out at them from behind a headstone when they went to look for them. Reggie had screamed the loudest, nearly jumping into Moose's arms.
Archie seemed to be thinking the same thing, because as he glanced at his friend, he began to cackle. Reggie mocked him for a moment, chucking the empty beer can at him in response.
"Ha ha." He grumbled. "Very funny, Andrews."
Veronica smiled at him. "At least Moose was there to catch you."
"Oh, shut up, Ronnie."
Betty cast a glance at Cheryl, suddenly growing concerned. "You okay, Cher?"
"Fine." She promised, but it didn't sound convincing.
"Cheryl-" Kevin began.
"Really." Cheryl insisted. "I'm okay... Thank you, guys?"
Veronica raised an eye brow. "For what?"
"For..." She gestured to their setup, the three tents, the cooler filled with refreshments of every kind, even the bag of marshmallows currently balanced on Moose's knee. "This, all of it, for being here, for being my friends, for not being afraid to say JJ's name in front of me without worrying that I'll shatter into a million tiny pieces... In case I don't ever say it again, you guys are my family."
Reggie nudged Kevin. "How much has she had to drink?"
"Shut up!" Cheryl snapped, fixing him with a glare that even put Veronica to shame.
Betty laughed again, slowly rising to her feet. She brushed the dirt away from her jean shorts and cast another glance at their pathetic excuse for a fire. It had always been Jason's job to keep the flame going.
"We're going to need more wood if we wanna make s'mores." She declared. "Be right back."
"Betty." Archie called. "You shouldn't go out there alone."
"I'll go." Chuck offered, also standing.
Archie's jaw tightened. "No, that's okay, I'll-"
At that moment, Veronica had chosen to stand, and in the near darkness, she managed to trip over one of the logs that had been acting as a seat.
"Ouch!" She cried.
Reggie and Archie were at her side within seconds, simultaneously asking if she was all right.
"Are you okay, V?" Betty asked, taking a step towards her.
"Fine." Veronica mumbled, allowing both of them to pull her to her feet. "Just our bad luck striking again... Okay, ow!"
"We need to get a look at your ankle." Archie advised. "I've got a first aid kit in the car... Betty, can you wait for a second?"
"Just help Veronica." She told him. "Chuck and I can get the wood."
"Betty-"
"Oh for goodness sake, Andrews!" Cheryl snapped, cutting him off. "Chuck and Betty will be just fine. Now will you please knock off the protective best friend act and get our poor V off of that ankle?"
With a sigh, full of frustration and annoyance, Archie hooked Veronica's arm around his neck, swinging her up into the air.
Kevin and Reggie followed along behind them, flashlight in hand.
"Come on, B." Chuck's hand enclosed over her own, squeezing softly. "Let's get some wood before the fire dies."
Moose raised an eye brow in concern as he pulled her along behind him, but before he could say something, Cheryl began to speak, pulling all his attention back to her.
Betty yanked her arm free, taking several steps away from him to create an invisible barrier. Chuck had led her pretty far away from the campsite, their friends voices barely audible over the creatures that only dwelled at night, and the sound of the river.
"I'll go this way." Betty volunteered.
He caught hold of her again. "Hang on, B, there's no rush."
"The fire's going to die soon, Chuck." She reminded him, trying to remove herself from his grasp.
His grip only tightened.
"The dark is sort of romantic." Chuck tried. "With all the stars. Why don't we go down to the water, take a late night dip?"
"I..." Her hands began to shake, her voice quivered. "I don't have my swim suit."
Chuck's teeth gleamed as he smirked.
"Who says you need one?"
And then, he was pulling her towards him, his lips puckered. She was hit with the flash of a memory, gone so quickly, she had to strain to remember it,
You're looking mighty fine tonight, B.
"N-No!" Betty cried, pushing him away. "Get off of me, Chuck! Stay away from me!"
His arms locked around her waist in an unbreakable hold.
"Aww, c'mon B." Chuck sneered, nuzzling her neck. "Why are you acting so shy? It's nothing I haven't seen before. I'm the only one who knows the real you, the Betty I think about every night before I go to bed. You wanted it then, and you want it now."
He leaned in to kiss her.
Betty managed to get a hand free, her hand connecting against his cheek with a loud smack.
A furious look crossed Chuck's face, and the last thing she saw before she tumbled backwards was his own hand raising to strike her back.