Time After Time

Part 3

Fifteen

Archie walked up the stairs leading to the Cooper's, as Betty slowly made her way towards him, still in her pink dress. Archie's heart thumped as the cool breeze ruffled her blond curls. The dark night sky loomed above them, almost like a reflection of their night. The formal dance was supposed to have been fun. Cheryl's party was supposed to have been fun.

"I'm not going to ask what you did with Veronica at Cheryl's." Betty finally said, shaking her head slightly. At the dance Betty had told Archie her dreams of them being a power couple, and all he'd replied with was her name, in a condescending tone. Not even an hour later he was in a closet with someone else. I hate spin the bottle, she thought.

"I'm asking you right now if you love me Archie. Or even like me?" She asked, voice full of meaning. 

"Of course I love you Betty," He replied heavily, his eyebrows furrowed, and taking a couple of steps towards her. "But I can't give you the answer you want."

"Why?"

"You are so perfect." Archie said, willing his voice not to break.  "I've never been good enough for you."

If only she knew. That he had turned into this complicated mess, a freshmen that was screwing his music teacher. He never wanted to hurt her, but here he was, doing exactly that. Her heart was breaking, and that made his heart break too.

"I'll never be good enough for you."

He'd rejected her. And she was walking away.

Sixteen

"Betty, listen to me." Archie ordered, grabbing her hand. "This is the part where we stop the Blackhood, where we wake up tomorrow and everything goes back to normal. But I need you with me, I can't do this alone. I need Betty Cooper."

It was an odd place for a first proper kiss, Archie's car. What was stranger was that they were in the middle of trying to solve a murder mystery that had plagued the town. Maybe it was because Betty was scared. Maybe it was because Betty didn't know if they'd make the night out alive. Maybe it was because she just needed someone.

"Arch." She whispered, and before she knew what she was doing, she was leaning into kiss him. He moved into her, and in a split second she had pulled away.

"Betty." Archie breathed; in a similar tone to the one he had used at the formal dance a year before.

"We need to hurry up." She said, tugging on her seat belt. Archie tugged on his, feeling confused.

They didn't think about it for the rest of the night, and they never talked about again.

Seventeen

"But that wasn't it. The place and time where it all went wrong."

Archie's head was spinning. Betty, Jughead and Veronica appeared before him. Betty in the pink dress she wore the night he rejected her. Jughead in the shirt and jeans he was wearing when Archie found out about him and Betty being a thing. And Veronica, in the coat she wore when he first saw her in Pops.

I'm hallucinating, he thought.

"Have you been working on any new songs, Arch? I'd love to hear some of them." Hallucination Betty said, her baby blue eyes softening.

"Betty. I haven't played guitar in forever. I'm not the same person anymore." He said. He felt so lost. It was like he was swimming in an ocean, and he couldn't remember which way to swim. He was a different person.

He wanted desperately to be the person he was before Veronica's dad had framed him for a murder he didn't commit. Before he had to go to juvy with real criminals. Before this stupid griffins and gargoyles game hypnotized almost everyone he knew and loved.

He glanced back up at Betty. She smiled at him. She hadn't changed, only evolved. She was still the sweet, helpful, girl next door, but stronger, smarter. He missed being her best friend, the way they were before they started dating Jughead and Veronica, and they became four instead of two.

He missed her.

Eighteen

"I wanted to share something with you."

"What is it?" Betty asked, sitting herself down on a chair. Archie sat on the bed, reaching for his guitar. They were in the bunker, trying to figure out the mess that was their feelings. Their passionate, steamy kiss in Archie's garage after fighting with Jughead and Veronica had caused some serious questions to emerge.

"It's a song I wrote," He replied, eyes locking onto hers. "For you."

Betty felt her breath catch in her throat, as his fingers started strumming.

There's no warning when everything changes

You let down your guard and I saw something strange

I thought, she's not made for this world

And neither am I

'Cause you make me...

"Stop." Betty cried, standing up hastily.

"What? What is it?" He questioned, standing and moving closer to her. She tried to hold back the tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"It's us." She said, voice breaking and lip trembling. " I love Jughead! And you love Veronica, don't you?"

Archie almost shook his head. The more times she told him she loved Jughead, the more it seemed like she was trying to reassure herself. She was angry at Archie, because he could have wanted her back in freshmen year, when she wanted him. Now he wanted her when they were both with other people. How did she know he wasn't just going to hurt her again?

"But then... what has all this been about?" He said, voice breaking with hers.

"I don't know." She whispered, shrugging as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Maybe it's because everything's changing in a couple of weeks, and you and I feel safe with each other, we always have. But I do not want to hurt or lose Jughead."

"I don't want to hurt or lose Veronica either." He said, and Betty could hear the desperation and pleading in his voice, like he knew what was coming.

"So whatever this is, or it was, it's just over." She whispered, her heart clenching.

He sniffed, trying to blink back tears.

She'd rejected him. And he was walking away.