A Touch Of Colour

To Be Or Not To Be

Veronica managed to convince her mother to let her meet with her friends at Pop's, so she quickly changed out of the outfit she wore to school and into something more comfortable. She asked Smithers for a ride as she got down to the lobby, and he got the limo ready.

"V! What are you doing here?" Betty beamed from above her milkshake. Archie and Kevin looked up to Veronica, Kevin slightly smiling, Archie still drinking from the glass in front of him

"I managed to get my mom to let me come," she sighed, sitting next to Archie. "Pop?" she called to the counter, and Pop Tate came over to the table, and took Veronica's order.

"We were just talking about... I can't remember, actually," Betty laughed.

"Okay, in that case, random question, if you could pick your soulmate, out of anyone in the world, who would you pick?" Veronica quizzed.

"Zac Efron, no doubt. Have you seen those abs?" Kevin replied.

"Ooh, good one. Betty? Care to weigh in?"

"Uh, is Jughead a lame answer?" she frowned. "I miss him."

"Not lame," Kevin frowned in sympathy.

"Archie?"

"Uh, I'm not sure." Archie said. The four of them sat in the booth, discussing anything and everything, until Betty got a phone call from her mom.

"Mom? Everything okay?" Betty asked, answering the phone

"Elizabeth, I should be asking you that! It's past midnight, and you're not home yet!" Alice Cooper yelled from the other side of the line.

"Is it? Sorry, I lost track of time. I'll be home soon." She hung up the phone and asked Archie if she could catch a lift home.

"Sure, do you guys need a lift as well?"

"That'd be great," Kevin smiled, as Veronica nodded.

"You guys can go to the car, I can pay," Archie offered, throwing his keys over to Betty.

"You sure?" Betty raised an eyebrow. Kevin handed him a bill, but Archie refused.

"I'm sure, I got this," He smiled. Betty and Kevin walked out to Archie's car, but Veronica stayed behind. Archie walked over to the counter, and Veronica picked up her and Archie's belongings from the booth. When Archie finished paying, he walked back over to Veronica. She turned around, handing Archie his jacket, which he put on. They stood there standing for a moment, leaning closer to one another. They eventually closed the space between them, lips interlocking. Archie wrapped his hands around Veronica's waist. Veronica's hands found Archie's neck, gently grabbing at his hair. When they finally broke apart, Veronica looked up at Archie, smiling at first, but her smile slowly faded when she realised that nothing had changed.

There was no 'burst of colour,' as described in movies and books. Both Veronica and Archie were still seeing in black and white. They weren't soulmates.

Archie cleared his throat, and looked down, attempting to avoid eye-contact. Veronica moved back a few steps.

"So," Veronica said awkwardly. "Not soulmates, it seems."

"I guess not," Archie sighed.

"Should we..." Veronica pointed back at the car with her thumb.

"Yeah, yes. Let's go," he headed out the door, Veronica a few paces behind.

Both Archie and Veronica were almost silent the entire ride home, only speaking in response to Betty or Kevin. Once they pulled up to Veronica's, and she stepped out of the car, waving goodbye to Betty and Kevin, Betty turned to Archie.