Life was different recently. There was a new girl in Riverdale High and she had taken our small town by storm. All the girls wanted to be her, all the guys wanted to be with her, even Jughead Jones seemed spellbound by our new arrival.
It was odd.
Usually new students are nervous, shy, they can struggle to fit in and make friends. But not with her. Not with Veronica Lodge. Veronica was the life of the party from day one. I don't mean to sound jealous, I'm happy she is fitting in so well, I have even struck up a small friendship with her myself. We are total opposites, but they do say opposites attract. And Veronica and I were certainly attracted to each other.
Like magnets, obviously. I didn't mean… Well, anyway.
Riverdale High used to be so boring, that's what everybody said anyway, I never thought that, but I guess some people would say that I was boring too. Wake up early, go to school on time, lunch with Archie, setting up the weekly Blue and Gold paper, finish off our classes, dinner at Pop's, homework and ready to do the same thing all over again the next day.
It was fun. I found it fun, at least.
When Veronica showed up my schedule started getting out of whack. Archie would start missing our lunches to sit with Veronica, she would invite me to do homework with her at the Pembrook, meaning I would have less time to do all the work myself. Veronica organised all these meet-ups and outings and parties, she would cause drama with Cheryl, with the boys, with the Vixens. They were just regular high school annoyances, they weren't that bad, they just never used to happen before Veronica showed up. I didn't even think of them as disruptions until that night.
The night of the party.
I had gone to bed early in preparation for the next day. We had a long day to get ready for, we had to submit three assignments, I needed to publish that week's Blue and Gold, I needed to organise the yearbook and then I needed to finish off the day preparing for the cheerleading finals. I wasn't very good at cheerleading, so that always made me nervous.
I had gone to bed at 9pm. I know what you're thinking, what kind of 17 year old goes to bed at 9pm, but like I said, I had a busy day ahead, Betty needs her rest.
I wasn't going to get it that night.
At 1:34am, I was woken up to the sound of a message from Veronica. "Betty! Come to Sweetwater River, we're having a party!" With various emojis to end the message. A party so late on a school day? Was she nuts? I don't mean to sound like a stick in the mud, I enjoy a good party like anybody else, but in the middle of the night on a Wednesday? It was crazy!
Just as I was about to put my phone down and go back to bed my phone started lighting up with other messages. Then I noticed that Veronica wasn't the only person who had messaged me. Archie had text and called multiple times asking me to come, Cheryl and Reggie had sent me messages, Ethel had called, Kevin too. I was receiving messages from everybody in our class. That was when I started to get curious. Most of the people never socialised together, why would they be at the same party? And why would they want me to be there so badly?
In spite of the apparent "can't miss" party at Sweetwater River, I was still going to decline. Betty Cooper wasn't going to ruin her school day by going to a party, the very thought was just insane. I obviously wasn't going to go.
Oh god, I really was boring…
Then I received a text from Jughead.
Now, I cannot express this highly enough, a text from Jughead Jones was an event in and of itself. A message from him is rarer than a sighting of Bailey's Comet.
His text read, "I'm at the party. You have to see this." No emojis, no inkling as to why I should come, nothing.
Jughead's message is what pushed me over the edge, something has to be going on if he is involved. I hung my head as I realised that I would actually have to go to this damned party. I text Veronica that I would be there as soon as I could. She replied instantly. "Can't wait Betts! It's the party of a lifetime!"