Betty walked down the hall from the locker room after showering. She stopped by her locker and yawned as she spun her lock to open it.
"Hey, Betty," Archie greeted her with an overly eager smile, "How's it going?"
"Okay," Betty sighed and then looked at him, "Why are you so disgustingly happy this morning?"
"Coach canceled practice for today, so I was hoping that my best friend would agree to join me tonight for dinner and a movie," Archie rocked eagerly on his heels. "Didn't you say you now have Wednesday nights free?"
"I do," Betty nodded, "But wouldn't you rather spend some time with your dad? I know you haven't done a guy's night in a while."
"He's out of town for a job," Archie replied, "Apparently he trusts me to behave while he's gone."
Betty laughed a little and looked at him, "What movie? Keep in mind Jug was nice enough to play Dirty Dancing at the drive-in, so I just saw that."
"It's going to be a surprise," he grinned, "Meet in the treehouse at six?"
"Treehouse?" Betty repeated.
"Yeah, I climbed up last night and cleaned it up and replaced some of the boards," he replied, "Movie night like the old times."
"You make us sound ancient."
Archie laughed, "Six, okay?"
"I will be there," Betty nodded.
Archie grinned and took off. He found Kevin in the lounge.
"She said yes," he told his friend.
"Excellent," Kevin grinned excitedly, "I'll handle the food. You pick out the movie and get some flowers or something nice for her."
"That's not overdoing it?" Archie looked nervous.
"You've been trying to get up the nerve to ask her out for how long now? Three weeks? There is no overdoing it," Kevin shook his head.
"Yeah, okay," Archie conceded, "Are you sure this is going to work?"
"Betty is going to love it," Kevin bobbed his head, "What girl wouldn't like the guy she's crushed on forever going through all this trouble to impress her?"
"By the way, all those times you caught me looking at her, why didn't you just tell me to ask her out?"
"I'm just a little stinker," Kevin teased.
"See if I help you out when you finally go out with that guy Betty wants to fix you up with," Archie frowned at him.
Kevin merely responded with a chuckle.
"Come find me at lunch, okay?" Archie said, "I'll be on the bleachers. We can decide on the menu."
"Will do," Kevin bobbed his head, "And don't forget to bring cash. I'll help you plan, but I ain't paying this bill."
"I've got a bunch of money from the summer saved up," Archie assured him.
"Good to know," Kevin chuckled.
-d-d-d-d-
"Betty," Veronica appeared next to the blonde at lunchtime as they went through the lunch line, "Finally someone I want to sit with."
"Hey, V, how's it going?" Betty asked.
"Pretty good," Veronica stated, "Thanks for stopping over last week to study. I really needed a bit of girl talk."
"No problem," Betty smiled as she surveyed the cafeteria looking for a seat, "Over there. I see two seats and my favorite outcast."
"Hey, Jug, mind if we join you?" Veronica approached Jughead sitting alone at a table.
"Take a load off," Jughead motioned towards the vacant chairs.
Betty peeked over Jughead's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at the words on the screen, "Getting a little smutty, Jug?"
"Do I read your work?" Jughead frowned and closed his laptop.
"I assume so if you read the Blue & Gold," Betty smirked.
"What are you working on?" Veronica picked up on the banter, "Do you write like Betty?"
"No, she's a 'just the facts, ma'am' type of girl," Jughead said, "I prefer my imagination to take over."
"Really?" Veronica's eyes lit up in excitement, "What kind of stories do you write?"
"Any kind really," Jughead shrugged.
"He's really talented," Betty nudged him.
"You guys should totally team up and put some of Jug's stories in the Blue & Gold, like a chapter at a time," Veronica suggested.
"If he wants to, I'd be willing," Betty said.
"We'll talk," Jughead said.
"Hey, how's your dad doing?" Betty asked.
"Same as always," he frowned, "Still finding more joy in the bottom of a bottle than anything else."
"Sorry," Betty frowned, "Bad topic."
"It's okay," Jughead assured her, "At least he still seems to be engaged with the Serpents. That's something."
Betty smiled and nodded.
"I saw Mike the other day with Pete and Fanny," Jughead mentioned, "Fanny's growing up nice."
"She's barely thirteen," Betty reminded him.
"She's nearly Jellybean's age," Jughead replied, "And I didn't say I fancied her."
"Who's Fanny?" Veronica asked.
"My cousin," Betty said, "Do me a favor, Jug. Keep the more lecherous Serpents away from her? I don't need Uncle Mike in jail on attempted murder."
"Yeah, okay," Jughead bobbed his head.
"And who is Jellybean?" Veronica added.
"My sister," Jughead replied, "She lives in Ohio with my mom."
"Is that her real name?" Veronica asked.
"Yeah," Jughead responded, "My parents liked creative kid names for some reason. I'm named after my grandfather, but I've always gone by my nickname. My mom wasn't a fan of my given name. Truthfully, I'm not all that fond of it either."
"Any word from Gladys these days?" Betty asked her friend.
"Same as always," Jughead replied, "Skirting the laws and creating a ruckus. She and my dad have a lot in common."
"And yet," Betty rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, and yet," Jughead nodded, "Tell me something else."
"Archie asked me to hang out tonight," Betty admitted.
"Really? Like a date?" Veronica perked right up.
"No, just hang out and watch a movie in the treehouse like we did when we were kids."
"Sounds like a date to me," Veronica replied.
"Me, too," Jughead agreed with the new girl.
"Well, then get your hearing checked," Betty shook her head, "Because it's not a date."
"Maybe we can get together after school and put together a cute outfit, just in case," Veronica suggested.
"I'm putting on jeans," Betty indicated her skirt, "I'm taking a hoodie. That's the extent of my clothes changing."
Veronica looked to Jughead for some help, but he just held up his hands and shrugged, "I learned long ago to stay out of their thing."
"You two are so stubborn," Veronica frowned.
"Anyone ask you out yet, V?"
"No," Veronica shook her head, "I think the news of my father being locked away has scared away prospective suitors."
"Reggie doesn't scare easy," Betty said, "Josie had to tell him 'drop dead' every day for a month before he stopped asking her out."
"Is he the guy who stares at my boobs all day long?" Veronica asked.
"That's the one," Jughead snorted.
"He is slime personified," Betty warned.
"I'll remember that," Veronica nodded, "Have any of you heard about the new teacher?"
"New teacher?" Betty asked, "Have I been that out of it, that I haven't even noticed?"
"None of us take music classes,"' Jughead said, "And that's what she teaches."
"Oh good," Betty sighed in relief, "I'll have to ask Archie about her. He takes music compositions."
"He probably looks hot with a guitar," Veronica mused.
-d-d-d-
Betty knocked on the door to Archie's house and waited.
"Hey, Betty," Archie greeted her with a wide grin, "Glad you came."
"How could I turn down a movie on our sheet screen," Betty smiled, "I can't believe the treehouse is still in any condition to be used. We haven't used it in a long time."
"Dad kept it up," Archie said, "He has this idea that my kids will want to use it when I come visit."
"Little red haired devils running through the house again," Betty followed him down the hall towards the kitchen, "Maybe they'll have a little blonde girl chasing them telling them to make their peace with God after they destroyed her Barbie, too."
Archie opened the door and stepped aside, "Those were fun times."
Betty was taken aback by all the twinkly lights added to the treehouse, "Wow, Arch, that looks really cool. Why did we never think to do that?"
"I don't know," Archie said, "I probably would've dismissed it as too girly myself."
"And now?"
"It makes me think of Christmas," he grinned.
"Men," Betty rolled her eyes as he motioned for her to climb up.
She settled herself to one side and leaned against the wall, looking around. Just as Archie pulled himself in, she spotted the Pop's bags.
"How much do I owe you?" Betty asked.
"My treat," he told her with a wink as he began divvying out their meal.
"What's the occasion?" Betty asked as she accepted her burger and fries.
"We haven't spent a lot of time together recently, and I thought this might be a good way to do that," Archie nodded.
Betty nodded as well but in the back of her mind she started to wonder if Jug and V had been on to something when they suggested this was a date.
Betty noticed there were stacks of pillows in the corner, ready to be put to use to make a comfy space to watch their movie. "Did you ask your dad if we could use those? We got into so much trouble that time we snuck them up here and forgot to bring them back down."
"I figured he didn't need to know," Archie chuckled, "I'll carry them down tomorrow. He won't even notice."
"Alright, but if you get grounded again, I am not bailing you out this time," Betty shook her head.
"I'll keep that in mind," he laughed.
"When does your dad get home?"
"End of the week," Archie replied, "Talked to him earlier. They'll be finishing late, so he probably won't be home until after dark. We're meeting at Pop's if he gets home early enough for dinner."
"You miss him, don't you," Betty concluded.
"I really do," Archie said, "I hate the empty feeling the house has when I get home after practice, and I know no one's been here all day, especially since Vegas went with him."
Betty frowned, "Polly's room has that feeling lately. It's weird, right?"
"Very," Archie agreed.
"Have you talked to your mom recently?" Betty asked.
"No," he frowned, "She's working on some case. She's busy."
"I'm sorry," Betty mimicked his frown, "She could at least take a few minutes to check in."
"It is what it is," he shrugged.
"You wanna borrow mine for a day?" Betty asked, "Better yet, I'll pay you to take her for twenty-four hours."
"Hard pass," he laughed.
"Worth a shot," Betty smiled, "I think we can both agree that we've got it better than Jug or V."
"Talk about a low bar," he sighed, "How's the grub?"
"Amazing as always," Betty said in between bites, "Have we ever had a bad meal from Pops?"
"The time he went to Chicago to visit his son and hired that temp cook from Greendale."
"Oh man, that was rough," Betty remembered, "Wasn't that temp guy like an Army cook who didn't wash his hands ever?"
"Don't," Archie shook his head, "I don't want to remember him or his hands."
Betty laughed in response.
"So what's going on with you lately?" Archie asked, "You've been so busy that I can't even walk you to school anymore."
"I've been jogging to school in the morning and then showering there," she explained.
"What brings on the sudden desire for physical fitness?" Archie asked, "You always look great."
"You sound like V," Betty rolled her eyes, "I'm just getting in some cardio and getting away from my house a little earlier than normal. My parents have been stepping up their crazy since Polly took a powder."
"Got it," Archie nodded, "You want some company?"
"You want to jog with me?" Betty asked.
"Sure, why not?" he shrugged, "I'll probably get an extra pat on the back from Coach for taking the initiative."
"Arch, part of why I do it is so I can spend more time out of the house. You don't have to do that."
"I don't mind," Archie replied, "Would you let me jog with you, or would you run from me?"
"Why would I run from you?" Betty asked.
"A few weeks ago, you would have been running from me screaming," he reminded her.
"Sorry about that," she blushed, "I was operating under false information."
"Veronica," Archie nodded.
"I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions," Betty said.
"I get why you did," Archie frowned, "It wasn't a cool thing to take off with her and leave you to get home by yourself."
"No, it wasn't," Betty agreed, "But if we'd both passed that robbery in progress, you'd have gotten yourself into trouble."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Archie agreed, "I have that Andrews curse to always do good."
"That's not a bad curse, Arch," Betty replied, "But it's not always the smartest thing."
"Yeah, I know," Archie nodded.
"What movie did you pick out?"
"An old favorite of ours," Archie reached for the DVD. He didn't have streaming capabilities in the treehouse, so they had to go a bit old school. "How does Batman Begins sound to you?"
"A little too on the nose," she mumbled under her breath.
"What?" Archie thought he heard her saying something.
"Sounds great," Betty smiled brightly, leaning back on the pillows, "Just don't let me fall asleep, okay?"
"Afraid to get grounded for staying out late?" he teased.
"You know my mother," Betty frowned at him, "I'm lucky she didn't pitch a fit about me coming over here tonight."
"Am I really the horrible influence she thinks I am?" Archie asked.
"Not at all," Betty assured him, "She's just afraid we'll move beyond friends, and then she'll have two knocked up daughters."
"Any word from Polly?"
"Sounds of silence reign supreme in our house," Betty said.
"I'm sorry," Archie frowned, "I know how much you miss her."
"Yeah, I do," Betty nodded, "Start the movie. I'm getting depressed."
"Maybe I should have picked a comedy," he hit play after rearranging the pillows so that they had a makeshift bed.
"It's okay," Betty said, "I don't mind drama, as long as it's someone else's."
"Before the movie gets started, I got you something," Archie handed her a small box.
"What's this?" Betty looked at the box curiously. The box was long and black. It looked like a jewelry box.
"Just something I thought you would like," he grinned madly as he urged her to open it.
Betty pried the lid and laughed, "Oh my god, Arch, this is awesome." She pulled out a candy necklace like she'd enjoyed so much when they were younger.
"I thought you might like a snack," Archie grinned.
"Thank you," Betty said shyly as she twisted it around her fingers.
"I thought about going full out and getting you a ring pop to match, but I figured I'd save that for a later day," he chuckled.
"Giving a woman jewelry is a big commitment," Betty teased him.
"I'll consider that," Archie grinned.
"I suppose you did give me a ring when we were eight," Betty recalled.
"Yeah, I guess I did," Archie leaned back and started the movie.
"Arch," Betty asked shyly, "Was this supposed to be a date?"
"Uh, maybe?" he said quietly.
"Oh," Betty responded softly.
"Is it bad that I think that?" he asked.
"No, just surprising."
"I should've been up front with you about my intentions."
"Yeah, that would have been nice," Betty agreed.
"And if I had been up front?" he asked as he turned towards her slightly, "Would you have agreed to a date with me?"
"I think I would've," Betty bit her lip, "I might've had to think about it a little bit first though."
"Really?" Archie looked at her.
"Yeah, my mom taught me to never appear too eager," Betty grinned mischievously.
"Another Alice lesson," Archie shook his head.
"Mom has this way of hammering things into my head," Betty reminded him.
"Yeah, I know," he chuckled, "I've had a front row seat to many of her teachings. Thankfully, my dad had a different way of teaching."
"You have the best dad in the world," Betty smiled, "I hope you know how lucky you are."
"I do," Archie nodded.
"Next time you want to ask me for a date, just ask," Betty requested.
"Deal," Archie nodded, "Movie?"
"Yes, please," Betty smiled.
Finally sitting back as the beginning credits started, Archie tempted his luck and slowly reached for her hand. It took a few moments before their fingers tangled and their hands locked. He smiled broadly.
"Maybe next time, we listen to some records," Betty said softly.
"Sounds like a good idea," Archie nodded.
Betty found herself immersed in the story, getting ideas for ways to tweak Cheryl's suit and eventually hers.
"Not a bad flick," Archie said as the movie ended.
"A few plot holes, but otherwise an entertaining move," Betty agreed.
"Next time, comedy," he began tidying things up a bit.
"Definitely," Betty said, "Next time you have a Wednesday off."
"I think we might have next Wednesday off too," Archie stated, "Think we could meet up somewhere, this time as a date?"
"That could be arranged," Betty nodded, "Let me know. I'll see you tomorrow morning?"
"What time do you leave for your run?" Archie asked, "We'll meet up."
"Six thirty," Betty said, "And I'm not up to sprinting yet."
"You can set the pace," he smiled as he started climbing down, intent on helping her down, even though he knew she didn't need it.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Betty said once her feet were on the ground, "Night."
"Can I walk you home?" Archie asked.
"It's literally right next store," Betty laughed as she pointed to her house.
"Humor me?" he offered her his hand.
"Back door, because I guarantee my mother is waiting in the living room," Betty took his hand.
"Deal," Archie nodded as they walked.
"By the way, I don't kiss on the first date," Betty smiled.
"Good to know," he laughed.
Once they reached her back steps, Betty stood on one so she was taller than Archie, "Goodnight, Arch."
"Sleep well, Betty," Archie grinned, "See you tomorrow morning."
"See you then," Betty let go of his hand and let herself into the house, directing a final smile at him before she closed the door.