The Better Andrews ||Veronica Lodge||

1.2

Alex looked at her guitar and tried to think about what songs she could play. She wanted to do covers, since most of her songs were about Cheryl and Veronica. She didn't want to seem like she was copying Archie, she had been the one who originally wanted to do music after all.

"Don't you look badass." Josie said hugging Alex. "I don't think I've seen so much leather look so good on a person."

"Well, I am Alexandra Andrews, full of surprises since literally they found out that Archie wasn't alone in there." Alex said smiling at Josie. "Wish me luck?"

"You don't need it girl." Josie said and Alex walked onto the stage to the claps of her friends and family. She saw Veronica looking at her and she relaxed a bit, starting to strum the beginning of Smells like Teen Spirit. She had four more songs to do and she decided to go back even further with Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac.

"Um, I'm Alex Andrews." Alex said nervously and Archie smiled at her. "These next songs are for the special ladies in my life that helped me through a lot. Here goes nothing, hopefully you're not too stupid to see which song belongs to who."

She started with I Miss You by blink-182 for Cheryl, Boomerang by The Summer Set for Betty, and Just Like Heaven for Veronica. When she got off stage, Cheryl was there with a bottle of grape soda and and supportive smile. She went to the large booth that they were at and set her guitar case beside her.

"Well, that was fun." Alex said and Archie nodded. "I liked it."

"Yeah, it was nice." Betty said and Alex reached over the table and grabbed her hands. "I can't believe you went up there and sang that blink-182 song for Cheryl."

"Um, it's amazing, all of the songs I picked out are." Alex said flipping her hair out of her face. "I still think that Just Like Heaven was the best."

"Yeah, it was, sounded different from when you sang it in the car ride over here." Hermione teased and she shrugged. "Who was that for?"

"Veronica." Archie said and Alex rolled her eyes, giving a small nod. "I mean, who else does she have a thing for?"

"Ahem, there were three love songs for three people Arch." Alex pointed out and he gave her a look. "Okay, technically one of them was meant as a more platonic one, but still, it's about love nonetheless."

"I'm assuming the platonic one went to Betty." Jughead said and Alex nodded. "Aw, you got a song babe."

"Yeah, I did." Betty said and the group finished the food and went their separate ways home. Alex stayed up half the night texting Betty about the totally awesome sleepover they're going to have sometime and thinking about where she was going with Veronica.

"Morning." Archie said turning on the light in Alex's room, making his sister groan. "Mom wants you up, she broke something."

"I mean, I'm totally sleepy, but whatever."  Alex said going downstairs and following the curse words to find her mother messing with some new thing she'd bought for the kitchen. Alex took her mom upstairs and laid down in her mother's bed. "I am sleeping for a few hours, go out and get breakfast."

"Honey, it's almost noon." Mary said and Alex looked at the clock. "I'm calling somebody to fix whatever I just broke and you're going to the river with your brother and your friends."

"But I want to sleep." Alex groaned and Mary shook her head handing her daughter a packed bag. "Does it have snacks in it?"

"Yes, I went to the store earlier with Archie." Mary said and Alex grabbed the towel her mother had set on the couch for her before running to the car. Somehow Archie had gotten somebody's minivan, which was fortunate for her since she needed to change into her bathing suit on the way there.

"Alright, let's go gang!" Archie said and Alex climbed into the back with all of the bags. "What are you doing?"

"Changing." Alex said and Kevin turned to see her taking off her shirt. She had her bikini top covering things, but not tied. "I need somebody to tie this."

"Okay." Betty said climbing back there and tying the top before climbing back into her seat. They were at the gas station when Alex finished, everybody insisting they stop to buy more snacks. Alex put on the basketball shorts she'd had on earlier and walked out, not caring much about the lack of a shirt.

"You look hot." Veronica said and Alex smirked. They bought a bunch of food, probably more than what was needed and then raced back to the car, Alex getting the driver's seat and Betty taking shotgun.

"Okay, I wanted to drive." Archie said and Alex shrugged, handing him her backpack. "And I've been demoted to bag holder."

"You've been upgraded to bag holder." Alex said speeding to get to the River. They got a little spot, Kevin and Cheryl setting things up and starting to tan a bit. Cheryl didn't really tan, but she didn't really burn much either. Alex, however, didn't tan, only burned, meaning that she was lathered in about 3 kinds of sun screen.

"Race you to the cliffs." Jughead said and you ran towards the cliffs, happy that you'd slipped on the shoes that you used last year at the beach. You ended up beating him to the cliffs, but barely. "God, I remember how scary it was jumping from here."

"Yeah, I remember when I broke my arm and Archie dived in after me." Alex said and Jughead smiled. They held hands and jumped, Alex plugging her nose with the other hand before allowing Jughead to pull her up from beneath the water. "Shit that's cold."

"Yeah, it is." Jughead said and she climbed onto his back as he swan back towards the shores. Veronica was floating along on a floatie, Betty on a matching one beside her. "Shall we?"

"Suicide squad." Alex said swimming beneath Veronica's floatie and dumping her out of it. She felt something grab her hair and pull her up, seeing an angry Veronica and a dry Betty. "Jughead's still the bitch after all these years."

"I'm smart." Jughead said and Alex grabbed onto Veronica's waist and didn't let go. "Ronnie, let her go, she'll take you under if you don't."

"I'm already wet." Veronica said and Alex moved all of her weight under the water, pulling Veronica with her. She came back up and kissed Veronica's cheek. "I fucking hate you."

"You were pulling my hair." Alex said before feeling water hit her. She glanced over to see Reggie and some other football players standing at the cliff and Archie swimming over towards her. They continued to swim for a few more hours and Alex truly felt like she was having fun, almost missing going to school and hanging out with her friends.

As they drove home, Alex sat so that she wasn't touching her back to anything and Veronica occasionally poked her. When they got back, Alex went straight for the fridge, where her mother had placed 2 bottles of aloe for her. Betty helped her put it on and then Alex laid on her stomach on the couch below the AC, watching a movie while Archie and Jughead talked at the table.

Even though she was in immense pain from the sunburn, today was still a good day. She got to have fun and actually be a teenager, something she'd kind of forgotten about. In the morning, she woke up to her brother and mother cooking, Jughead and Betty playing video games. She felt at home, something she didn't realize she'd been missing for as long as she had.