𝐌𝐢𝐱𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 | 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚

Chapter 01.

Betty sat in their usual booth, a freshly whipped, sweet delight in the glass before her, the normal strawberry balanced on the edge of the glass with the straw bending in her direction, waiting to be drunk. Betty had always ordered the same thing - a classic Pop's strawberry milkshake - which only none other than Cheryl Blossom could relate to. It seemed strawberry was an acquired taste in Riverdale.

"So..." Veronica broke the silence, interrupting Betty's trail of thought. Her eyes lifted to meet Veronica's which were already boring into hers like every time they looked at one another. "I was talking to Jughead, about you know, all of these deluded murders. He believes it's someone we know."

"You're not thinking it's me I should hope..." Betty frowned, not liking the tone of Veronica's voice, it was suddenly quiet yet unsure.

Veronica's eyes widened and shook her head instantly at her friends words, assuring the blonde that she didn't think it was her.

"Oh god no. I mean, sure, you have a dark side but you wouldn't kill someone." She assured her, her brown eyes falling on her own milkshake; she too ordered the same thing each time except hers was chocolate rather than strawberry. "Torture someone...maybe. But not kill."

Betty lowered her eyes, swirling the straw around the treat before her, she had yet to drink some. She hated Veronica thinking of her as secretly dark, she hadn't tended to be that way - she just lashed out at times. Veronica saw the shame cross Betty's expression and automatically felt guilty, knowing her words had made her best friend feel like a bad person. Veronica sighed, sliding her drink forward and moving around the booth and slid in beside Betty, bumping her shoulder playfully.

"Betty, I like your dark side...and your light. I mean, I have a dark side of my own. I'm not ashamed of it, it comes in handy sometimes." Veronica reassured her, watching as Betty reached her hands out closing them around her icy milkshake and finally taking a sip before looking up at her best friend, offering her a small smile.

"I know. I-I'm not ashamed, I just don't want you thinking of me as...dark." Betty shrugged, dipping her finger in the whipped cream that settled on the top of her milkshake and popped it in her mouth. It was a habit she couldn't seem to shake, Archie had given her a spoon to use several times, yet it remained untouched.

The brunette beside her gulped as she watched the sensual action from the blonde, for whatever reason it rose a fire within Veronica. The raven-haired girl shook it off and let out a laugh, one loud enough to grasp the attention of the few people scattered around Pop's.

"No offence B, but I don't think of you as dark - Cheryl Blossom, possibly. But you. You're more like this happy, intelligent, ball of sunshine. The polar opposite of dark, love."

Betty felt her cheeks warm at the compliment, she glanced at her friend to see if she was telling the truth and she smiled even wider when she saw the girl was being honest. It was her eyes that gave her away when she was lying, which made it easy for Betty to tell if she was telling the truth or not.

The two had been friends for almost two years now. Yet it had felt as though they'd been friends since they were in kindergarten - they acted like it anyway.

Since the day they met, Betty couldn't have been happier having Veronica in her life; she adored the girl, she was a badass and sweet yet humorous too, she wasn't like the other girls in Riverdale. Veronica wasn't a snake or a wasp disguised as a butterfly as she and Kevin had claimed.

The brunette had done nothing to hurt her since the Archie incident, if anything she'd been attached to Betty at the hip. Holding her as she cried when her family began collapsing, generously taking in her pregnant sister. She couldn't have asked for someone better.

Betty found herself enjoying Veronica's company much more than she did others and she was almost certain the petite brunette felt the same. Veronica was often sweet to others, but there were a handful of people that if Betty would let her - she'd badger about her hatred for them all day.

"Ah, there you are ladies. I should have known you would've be here." Kevin declared, sliding in the seat Veronica had previously been sat in. Kevin had a pearly smile across his face, making the girls suspicious, sharing an exchange before looking back at their friend.

"You're in a happy mood this evening..." Veronica noted, arching her brow as she watched the boy before her. She quickly snatched up her drink, knowing Kevin had a habit of drinking out of hers, she drank as much as she could before placing it back down on the little diner table.

"That's because my boyfriend and I are in a good place - obviously I won't be telling my dad about him. He's the sheriff, I'm sure he'd love the news of me dating a delinquent. The irony." Kevin mumbled, it wasn't best to talk of the South Side Serpents in the local areas - especially if someone heard he was dating one of them. The whole north side would frown upon him - especially as the sheriffs son.

B & V shared knowing smirks. Kevin had been running around with the criminal for weeks, he'd would always tell them it was just a bit of fun, nothing serious and now out of the blue he's finally calling him his boyfriend. It was a blessing to see their friend so cheerful.

"What? What's that look?"

The girls snapped their attention back to Kevin, both of their smiles fading to confusion. "What look? We weren't giving any look."

"Yes you were, it's that look you guys always share - as though no-one else can see that you're both thinking the same thing." Kevin rolled his eyes, he knew Betty down to a T and by now he had a pretty good gist as to what Veronica was like.

He was the first to know all about the kiss they'd shared on the first day of cheerleading tryouts. Betty had told him quickly after it had happened, as well as the mixed emotions she felt after it. Kevin waited impatiently for them to reply.

"Come on. Spill."

"Nothing. We were just thinking about how you finally admitted he was your boyfriend." Veronica answered with a shrug.

Betty finished off her milkshake and glanced between the pair, she hated Kevin pointing out her subtle looks. Sometimes he did it to embarrass her and she'd silently threaten to tell his father about Joaquin. It was Kevin's turn to look uncomfortable, the lanky boy shuffling in his seat.

"Oh, uh yeah. W-we decided that maybe we didn't, you know, just want to...hook up, anymore. So I uh, suggested we become an official thing." Kevin stammered, struggling to keep eye contact with his female friends who giggled together as he stuttered, his cheeks flustered. He cleared his throat, glaring at the pair as they laughed at him. "Oh, shut up!"

"Aw, Kevin, you're all flustered. How precious." Veronica teased, earning herself the silent treatment from the dark haired boy. "You're going to be talking to me again soon enough, do you remember that time you swore you'd never speak to me again? And here we are."

Kevin shook his head, letting out a breath and his eyes averting from Veronica to Betty who sat closely beside her. "I'll call you tomorrow. See you, Betty." Kevin nodded, rising from the booth standing at the end of the table waiting for a goodbye from his friend.

"Goodnight Kevin, be safe." Betty smiled sweetly up at him, as he nodded once more and headed for the exit then disappearing outside the door.

People were still cautious as they headed into the dark, what with yet another killer still roaming around believing he or she had gotten away with it. It was hard to believe what once was a peaceful town, now had a murder occur every year.