SouthSide Sweetheart ∞ Archie Andrews

0.8

"Can I join?" Veronica asked, her lunch tray in her hands.

"Yeah." Betty nodded. "Where's Courtney?"

"Oh, she's a bit down at the moment. She said she'd meet me out here." Veronica answered shrugging.

"Ronnie, I'm not down. I'm up with the clouds." She said, putting on a smile. "What are we doing?"

Archie quickly looked up and closed his laptop, earning a stare from Kevin and Veronica, both of them then looking at each other and shrugging.

"Listening to one of Archie's songs," Betty answered, oblivious to all of the weird tension at the table.

"I thought we were going to have to pretend to like it, but it's actually really good." Kevin said, his honesty making her smile.

'That was one of the things that hadn't changed at least.' Courtney thought to herself.

"Wait, that was you singing?" Veronica asked.

"Something you wrote?" Courtney asked.

"It's rough." He shrugged, feeling slightly guilty as he had not so long ago just had an argument with her and now she was being nice to him.

He knew he didn't deserve it but it was just the kind of person she was. She would always try and put a smile on other people's faces, even if she wasn't smiling.

"No, it's great." Veronica said, a smile on her face. "It's incredible, actually, the little snippet I heard."

"Is that your thing? Music?" Courtney questioned, wanting to build a bridge with Archie. "Are you doing something with that?"

"Yeah, that's the plan." Archie answered nervously.

"So how's your first day going? Good?" Archie asked Veronica, completely avoiding eye contact with Courtney.

"Not to be a complete narcissist, but I thought people would be more..." Veronica trailed off.

"Obsessed with you?" Courtney questioned.

"Any other year, you'd be trending number one, for sure. This year, though, it's all about Cheryl..."

Archie laughed, looking over his shoulder to see Cheryl making her way over to their table.

"...trying to win the Best Supporting Psycho Oscar for her role as Riverdale High's bereaved Red Widow." Kevin finished off.

"Hey, I should go." Archie said, beginning to get up. "I got that meeting with Grundy and then football tryouts, so."

"You play football, too? What don't you do?" Veronica said, watching as Archie walked away.

"Before you ask, Blue Jasmine, no, she has not invited him to the dance yet." Kevin said to Veronica, making her turn her head however Courtney kept her eyes trained in Archie as he disappeared from her view.

"Not yet, and don't talk about Archie." Betty said.

"Veronica Lodge, I'd heard whisperings..." Cheryl smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm Cheryl Blossom, may I sit?" Without waiting for an answer she continued. "Betty, would you mind?"

She then squished her way in beside Betty. "So, what are you three hens gossiping about? Archie's Efron-esque emergence from the chrysalis of puberty?"