the girl next door ➳ a.a ♡ b.c.

Chapter One: Confessions

beep. beep. beep.

my alarm clock screeched for attention from my nightstand. it was 6 am. i hit snooze, like i do every morning, and begrudgingly removed myself from the comfort of my bed, like i do every morning. every day was the same fucking headache of pretend and stress. i stared at my phone and debated texting jughead. i didn't really want to, but he was my boyfriend after all. keeping up appearances was important and jughead was a part of my appearance. no matter how done i was with the dragged out relationship it had to keep going. stability, however boring, was important.

B: morning jug
J: morning betty

after he responded i texted archie. he looked out his window, holding his phone, and texted back with a stupid grin on his face. i rolled my eyes at him and went to my bathroom to get ready.

B: walk me to school?
A: why do you even ask anymore? i've done it since our very first day of school
B: it's routine
A: you need some spontaneity in your life betty cooper
B: no thanks

my mom sat alone at the kitchen table with a plate of scrambled eggs. the house felt so lonely with no one in it but us. polly was god knows where and obviously my dad was in jail, so i was stuck with a very vulnerable alice.

"morning, mom," i bent down and kissed her cheek, "i have to go. i'm walking to school with archie."

"i thought i said i didn't want you hanging out with him elizabeth." she said raising a patronizing eyebrow at me.

"mom i thought you dropped your whole archie vendetta." i whined.

she sighed, "just be safe elizabeth okay? your father isn't the other twisted man in the world, i don't want you to get hurt."

"i would think you would feel better with me constantly being around someone who can defend me." i said as i popped one of the strawberries on the table into my mouth.

"i know how boys are in high school, elizabeth, and i don't want you getting hurt."

i shook my head at my ignorant mother. if she thought archie would ever do anything to put me in harm's way, she was crazier than hal.

"i can take care of myself, i've got to go. bye i love you."

i closed the door and walked out of my house and next door to the andrews'. i knocked on the door and archie opened it with vegas tagging along behind him.

my cheeks flushed a little. no matter how over archie i was, there was still no denying how good looking he was.

"hey, betty." i heard a voice shout from the kitchen.

"hi, mr. andrews." i responded.

"so you just greet everyone but me? not gonna lie, B, it stings a little." he said while holding his hand over his heart and feigning offense.

"shut up arch." i replied playfully with a smile on my face.

Archie's P.O.V
how was she so beautiful when wasn't even trying? her smile was like a breath of fresh air, like the perfect distraction from my rapidly failing relationship. i couldn't even get myself to respond to veronica's 'i love you' text this morning. but whenever things got unbearable, there was betty, like a window of light in the dark. so perfect, and pink, and pretty. so safe.

i knew i liked betty. despite popular opinion, i wasn't totally oblivious. i didn't want to be with veronica anymore, but i didn't want to mess anything up. our friend group was on the verge of collapse and i wasn't going to be the one to blow it up by dumping veronica and telling betty how i really felt. if only i hadn't realized my feelings so late.

vegas poked betty's leg with his nose trying to get her attention again. he'd always loved betty more than he liked veronica.

"we're leaving, dad." i called into the house before shutting the door behind me.

as we were walking down the street i couldn't help but stare at her. she was everything, nothing else mattered as much as the blonde to my right. she was my support system, she was the one i called first when things went wrong, she was the only person i could cry in front of without feeling like a total idiot, she was the one i had to protect. i don't know how i didn't see it before. how had i been so oblivious for so long?

i studied the bow of her lips, and the curve of her nose, and the color of her eyes. how could anyone not love betty cooper? how come it took both of us getting into serious relationships for me to realize she was the love of my life?

"so how are you and jug?" i asked trying to start a meaningless conversation.

"oh um... we're- we're great. yeah we're doing awesome." she stuttered and hesitated and i knew what that meant.

betty and i had always been awful liars when it came to each other. she couldn't tell me a lie to save her life. we just knew each other too well.

"don't bother lying. you're awful at it." i nudged her with elbow.

she sighed, "it's not a big deal, arch. we're just kind of, i don't know... off. we have been for awhile. it's felt more platonic than romantic lately. like maybe i'm losing feelings."

she sounded concerned. i felt a little flutter of hope in my stomach and he hated myself for it. betty's relationship problems shouldn't make me happy, but seeing them together just made my chest ache. i had never been possessive before betty, but let's be honest, betty was worth being possessive over.

Betty's P.O.V
archie kept asking me about jughead, and i just didn't want to talk about it. thinking about jughead just upset and confused me. i dug my fingernails into my palm until warm blood came from the crescent moon shaped cuts. i felt a calming urge come over me. i didn't want to go to school and see him with V, and get that weird feeling in my stomach like i always did.

"can i be honest?" archie asked.

in my wildest fantasies this would be the moment where he confessed his undying love and we ran away together, but i knew he didn't reciprocate my feelings. he made that pretty clear at the beginning of the year.

"always, arch, you know that. besides if you lied i would know." i smiled sheepishly at him, and noticed his lingering gaze.

"i don't want to be with veronica anymore," he blurted out "i mean of course i want to be friends with her, but i can't keep pretending i love her. every time i want to spend time together she just wants to hook up. it's not like when we're together betty. she never wants to talk, but i don't want to ruin all of our friendships. i know we're both your best friends and i don't want to make you choose between us." he looked down at his best up shoes, and sighed.

"i would choose you a million times over arch. of course V is my best friend, and i love her, but you come first always. we've been best friends since birth. you're my person." i gave him a reassuring look.

his smile grew, and i blushed.

"you're the best betts." he said throwing his arm casually around my shoulders.

i wanted to stay in this moment forever. this is where i wanted to be, who i wanted to be with. with someone who could make me feel the safest i've ever felt with a simple arm over my shoulders. he made me feel loved in an all-encompassing way that jughead didn't. i wish i could just tell him how i feel, but i know that would ruin everything.