Everybody wants you, my love (Beronica)

One shot

A stranger in a black hooded cloak and expensive-looking heels struts into Pop's one hazy summer evening and suddenly everyone forgets what they're doing so they can turn and stare. When a pair of delicate, manicured hands reach up to brush the hood back over an unfamiliar face, Betty swears she can hear the entire diner suck in a collective breath.

The entire building is already wrapped around this girl's little finger and all it took was for her to simply exist. The quirk of her bold eyebrow and the knowing smirk on her painted red lips suggest that this isn't the first time she's gotten this sort of attention before - and it also implies that she enjoys it. All of the gawking and gaping is feeding and strengthening the iron-clad hold this new girl already has on Riverdale.

Archie doesn't even know her name yet and he's already under her spell; there's a warmth in his eyes that Betty's never seen before, and the sting of jealousy begins to prick at her insides. The dark-haired siren makes a Capote reference and it's painfully obvious Archie doesn't have a clue who she's talking about, and when he forces a laugh in a feeble attempt to look like he understands it only makes the anger in Betty burn brighter. She childishly pouts in her seat as Archie continues to be enchanted by this witch and her stupid poncho-looking thing, refusing to meet eyes with her. It's ridiculous, but a part of her thinks that if she stares for too long she'll get hoodwinked too.

But then Archie finally gets around to exchanging names - Veronica Lodge? Are you kidding me? - and when she hears This is Betty Cooper escape his lips she inwardly curses him before forcing herself to turn her head and finally see what all the fuss is about.

Oh.

The sizzling red of the neon lights zigzags across black hair and flickers against even blacker eyes. Dark red lips are stretched back in a wicked smile, revealing stark white teeth.

Veronica's eyes find Betty's and lock on immediately. A tingly weightlessness begins to swell in the blonde's abdomen and holy shit what is happening what is going on what is she doing to me how is she doing this what what what-

"Wait," The words gracefully slip from those full red lips and into Betty's ears. Veronica's tone is dulcet, velvety smooth; it's a song Betty suddenly finds herself wanting to listen to forever. "Are you...?"

The string of pearls curved around Veronica's collarbone glints deviously under the diner lights. They look like they're grinning, teasing, almost laughing.

Sucker, They seem to say, Fool. I've got you now. You can't escape.

"Supposed to give you your tour tomorrow? Yes." Betty regains composure at the last minute; she's supposed to hate this girl, remember? "I'm your peer mentor." She finally breaks eye contact and everything comes back into focus. She breathes in and her lungs seem to sigh with relief; she realizes that she had been holding her breath.

When Veronica finally has to leave the diner pauses again. There is no murmur of conversation, no tinkling of cutlery against dinner plates, no sizzling of food in a fryer in the back kitchen - only Veronica's heels against the linoleum and the swishing of her cloak around her legs.

"What were you saying?" Archie's the first one to wake up, surprisingly. She can't help but feel a little ashamed of that.

Betty's mind is lost in a fog. She tries to remember what they were talking about, what she felt before Veronica Lodge came into her life, but all she can think about is the way her eyes looked, the way those depthless black holes almost sucked her in completely.