High School Musical (Riverdale)

What I've Been Looking For

The next morning, Betty sat at a station in the chemistry lab, across the table from Veronica and next to Cheryl. The students were wearing neat white coats and busily setting up equipment on the chemistry teacher wrote equations on the chalkboard.

Cheryl gave Betty a fake smile. Ever so casually, she said, "So, it seems like you know Jughead Jones."

Betty glanced up briefly, but she was distracted by the teacher, who was solving the equation on the board. "Not really . . . I just asked him for directions." she said, even as she started checking the teacher's work on his scratch pad.

Cheryl raised the wattage of her smile just a bit. "Jughead usually doesn't interact . . . with new students."

"Why not?" Betty asked, not really listening. He looked at her equation. Hmm. Her calculations was quite different from the teacher's. Should I say something? Maybe not. People didn't like it when you pointed out their mistakes.

"It's pretty much basketball 24/7 with him." Cheryl said with a little laugh.

Now Betty wasn't listening to Cheryl at all. She rechecked her own calculations and murmured. "Pie to the eleventh power."

She thought she had said it quietly, but apparently not quietly enough.

The chemistry teacher turned around. "Yes, Miss Cooper?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Betty said, flustered. "I was just-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the teacher was standing by her chair, looking down at her notebook. "Shouldn't the equation be Pi to the eleventh power?" She asked.

"Pi to the eleventh power?" The teacher, Sofia Carson, said in surprise. "That's quite impossible." Then she whipped out a calculator and started punching in numbers. Across the table, Veronica had her calculator out as well, and was matching the teacher, keystroke for keystroke.

There was a brief, stunned pause. Then, the teacher said, "I stand corrected." She turned back to the blackboard to review her work. Then she looked over her shoulder, smiled warmly at Betty, and added. "And welcome aboard."

Betty blushes as Veronica started at her, impressed.
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Jughead was standing through the lobby on the way to his next class, when he caught sight of the musical audition sign-up sheet. His steps slowed.

It was crazy, he knew it was crazy, but he couldn't seem to stop thinking almost hypnotized by the piece of paper. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice Cheryl's brother. Jason who was hanging out nearby with a couple of the Drama Club kids.

Jason's eyes narrowed suspiciously. When Jughead finally moved on, Jason ran up to the sheet, just to make sure.

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At that moment, Cheryl arrived. Jason rushed up to her, breathless. "Jughead Jones was looking at our audition list!" He reported.

Cheryl stiffened, all senses suddenly alert. "Again? He was hanging around with that new girl, and they were both looking at the list." She paused a moment to think. "There's something freaky about her," Cheryl decided. "Where did she say she was from?"

Moments later, Cheryl and Jason were at the school library, doing an internet search on Betty. A number of newspaper articles immediately popped up on the screen.

"Whiz Kid Leads Scholastic Championship," read the headline.

"Sun High Marvel Aces Statewide Chemistry Competition," another headline read.

As Cheryl printed out the article, Jason said, "Whoa . . . another Einsteinette. So why do you think she's interested in our musical?"

"I'm not sure she is," Cheryl said. "And we aren't concerned ourselves with amateurs." She neatly folded the printouts and stood up. "But there's no harm in making certain that Betty is welcomed into school activities that are . . . appropriate for her. After all, she loves pi."