The Music Video Collection

betty

Cast:

James: Taylor Swift
Betty: Halsey
Inez: Blake Lively
"August": Cara Delevingne
"Him": Jack Antonoff
James' BFF: Abigail
Extras: Ryan Reynolds, Abigail's Matt, Taylor's parents playing teachers, as many of her friends as want to participate.

Settings:

A 1950s high school but with a modern twist: for example, there is a poster in the hallway about the school's first ever QSA meeting along with posters about homecoming and back to school, with scenes in the hallway, a classroom, and the gym as well as the cobblestone street outside the high school, a teenage girl's bedroom, and Betty's house

Timeline:

The action starts on the first day back at school after summer vacation, flashes back to last year's prom, then catches back up to the present for Betty's back to school party

The Song

During the intro, elongated for the video, we follow Taylor dressed in a yellow 50s style dress with a full skirt, very Sandy from Grease, as she walks in the front door of the high school and into a classroom. Her hair is in the folklore space buns. We see people in the hall but they're slightly out of focus, and Taylor largely ignores them. In the classroom, she takes a seat next to Abigail in a turquoise dress of similar vintage, looking around the full classroom and asks "where's Betty?" to which Abigail replies "she switched homerooms" and the lyrics begin.

Betty, I won't make assumptions
About why you switched your homeroom, but I think it's 'cause of me

Homeroom ends, and the students begin to spill into the hallway. Taylor takes her time and is last out the door to the lockers where she spots Blake (blue dress) and Halsey (pink dress) talking, fliers for Betty's annual back to school bash clearly in hand and getting handed out. Blake gives her a dirty look. She sighs as she turns her back on them, opening her locker.

Betty, one time I was riding on my skateboard
When I passed your house
It's like I couldn't breathe

You heard the rumors from Inez
You can't believe a word she says
Most times, but this time it was true
The worst thing that I ever did
Was what I did to you

Taylor finishes her mission at her locker and talks to another student. She is smiling when they start talking but sad when she finishes. She glances back over her shoulder as Blake and Halsey walk off in the opposite direction from where she's headed. Yet another student stops her and hands her a flier from the party, and she holds it so we can clearly read it as the viewer.

But if I just showed up at your party
Would you have me? Would you want me?
Would you tell me to go fuck myself
Or lead me to the garden?
In the garden, would you trust me
If I told you it was just a summer thing?
I'm only seventeen, I don't know anything
But I know I miss you

The camera follows Taylor's gaze as she notices a banner advertising Homecoming...the picture goes fuzzy and when it comes back into focus there's a vintage filter over everything and the Banner now advertises last year's Prom.

We pan back to Taylor's face and her hair, makeup and dress have changed for prom, the backdrop now a gym full of balloons, dancing couples (largely mixed gender but at least one wlw and one mlm couple in the bunch) in their vintage best, A photo corner set up with an old-fashioned camera, and a table of punch and snacks by which Taylor is somewhat hidden in the shadows.

Betty, I know where it all went wrong
Your favorite song was playing
From the far side of the gym
I was nowhere to be found
I hate the crowds, you know that
Plus, I saw you dance with him

We once again follow Taylor's gaze and zoom in on a cluster of three couples, slow dancing: Blake and Ryan, Abigail and Matt, and Halsey and Jack. When we pan back to Taylor, her face falls and she turns and bolts out of the gym.

The camera pans back to the couples and you see Halsey turn to Blake and ask if she's seen James. Blake points where Taylor just burst out the back door of the gym and Halsey nods. She finishes the dance with Jack but then takes off after her.

You heard the rumors from Inez
You can't believe a word she says
Most times, but this time it was true
The worst thing that I ever did
Was what I did to you

As the chorus starts we catch up to Taylor walking out of the gym, upset. She pauses to take off her shoes and walks barefoot.

But if I just showed up at your party
Would you have me? Would you want me?
Would you tell me to go fuck myself
Or lead me to the garden?
In the garden, would you trust me
If I told you it was just a summer thing?
I'm only seventeen, I don't know anything
But I know I miss you

We are now behind Taylor again like the opening but this time she's walking on the cobblestone street

I was walking home on broken cobblestones
Just thinking of you when she pulled up like
A figment of my worst intentions

Cara pulls up wearing a vintage suit and tie, dressed for Prom but with her long hair down other than maybe a braid or something for a little funky edge. She's wearing converse.

She said "James, get in, let's drive"

We see Cara mouth those words and Taylor goes to get in. The camera pans in close and tilts so when it pulls back out we see the bed in the teenage girl's bedroom, Taylor asleep facing the camera, bare shoulders above the sheets, and Cara asleep on her stomach behind her, bare back showing.

Those days turned into nights
Slept next to her, but
I dreamt of you all summer long

Taylor wakes up, rolls so she can see Cara beside her and sighs. Zoom in on her face and when we pull back out we're on Betty's front porch. Taylor is in a casual dress, and a cardigan, holding flowers. She looks nervous and shifts her weight.

Betty, I'm here on your doorstep
And I planned it out for weeks now
But it's finally sinkin' in
Betty, right now is the last time
I can dream about what happens when
You see my face again

We get a glimpse inside the party. Everyone from school is there, hanging around in Betty's living room and kitchen, drinking, having snacks, etc.

The only thing I wanna do
Is make it up to you
So I showed up at your party
Yeah, I showed up at your party

Taylor takes a deep breath and rings the doorbell. The whole party freezes at the sound and turns to the door. Halsey breaks away and starts walking toward it as we go back outside.

Yeah, I showed up at your party

The door opens, putting Halsey and Taylor face to face. As Taylor sings, Halsey's friends all crowd in behind her and start peeking out the side windows. People come around from behind the house, all wanting to see what happens.

Will you have me? Will you love me?
Will you kiss me on the porch
In front of all your stupid friends?
If you kiss me, will it be just like I dreamed it?
Will it patch your broken wings?
I'm only seventeen, I don't know anything
But I know I miss you

For the first time, we see that Taylor's cardigan is monogrammed 'Betty' and we realize it isn't hers.

Standing in your cardigan

Halsey steps forward and takes the flowers, then leans in and kisses her as the assembled crowd cheers. We zoom in on the kiss, and when we zoom out they're still kissing but now in Taylor's red convertible at a stoplight. They drive off as the song ends.

Kissin' in my car again
Stopped at a streetlight
You know I miss you

Author's Note:

This doesn't follow the same format at all as the IDSB treatment, but that's what happens when you write them years apart, lol. Also, I really wish we as a fandom had called the person singing august "Summer" because it doesn't make sense for her to sing "August slipped away into a moment of time" if SHE is August. But I still called Cara's character that so everyone would be clear on who she is, lol.