The Girl Next Door // Betty & Archie

two

                                                               archie.

it was only 7 am when i awoke to the blaring noise of my alarm clock. over the summer i'd sleep until noon every day without fail, so it was literally a rude awakening to be resuming a normal sleep pattern.

betty and i had talked at pop's until the night became the morning. at that point, our parents showed up in a state of sheer panic. apparently they'd been texting and calling us all night without us noticing.

we had a lot of catching up to do.

it was always so easy with betty. and i can't tell if that's because we were always supposed to be friends, or because we just happened to be, situationally.

at school, it seemed as if something had shifted. maybe the summer vacation period had changed the students of riverdale high, in a way that i hadn't experienced. maybe they were different now; more mature.

and yet everyone seemed the same. cheryl blossom paraded around school in her mini skirts and thigh high boots, moose and midge fooled around by the lockers, and dilton doiley explained the outcome of his latest experiment to someone who appeared uninterested.

"hey kevin!" i lean on his locker door. "how was your summer?"

he swivels around "boring compared to todays news. veronica lodge officially joins the shithole that is riverdale high!" he enthusiastically announces in the voice of an 80s journalist.

"right. reggie mentioned her yesterday." i recalled. "what's the hype? i ask assuming you already know everything about her."

"you're definitely asking the right guy." kevin gently closes his locker. "she's a firey, confident new yorker with incredible style and a steady flow of cash to fund it."

we walked along the hallway, trudging through several teary student reunions. "she sounds like the most interesting thing to happen to riverdale in the past thirty years."

"yup," kevin nodded. "betty's giving her a tour at this very moment. i'm guessing this place seems awfully bland compared to the bright lights of new york. especially when you go from living a life that lavish, to living in 'the town with pep'." he said with utter distaste.

"say what you will about riverdale, but this town is full of charm and good people. and the blossoms." i sigh. "cheryl provides enough drama for all of us."

"exactly. who needs celebrity parties and culture when you have a well dressed version of satan himself."

i chuckle, then turn as i heard the sound of betty's voice behind me.

"there's student admin, and this up here is the science block." she tells a raven haired girl, dressed in a tight velvet bodycon and expensive-looking black stilettos. betty notices us, and begins introductions.

"veronica this is archie andrews and kevin keller. guys, this is veronica lodge, she's new here."

veronica looks at me and tugs slightly at the string of pearls hung firmly around her neck. her eyes travel up and down my body before she jolts her hand in my direction, smiling. "it's a pleasure to meet you two."