Hopelessly Devoted ➳ a.a ♡ b.c.

sixteen

betty sat in her room, pondering the events of the day before, and that's about all she could do. she was terrified of leaving her house. her thoughts and fears about what could happen when she stepped foot into the outside world, paralyzed her.

but honestly what else could she do. thinking about being kidnapped by the black hood was still better than thinking about archie.

what had they done? they'd fucked up everything in just a few moments. betty wanted to regret it, she wanted to regret it so bad, but she didn't. she didn't regret anything. she needed to feel archie's warm lips against hers again, but she knew she couldn't.

their kiss was just that, a kiss. it wouldn't change anything, betty wouldn't let it. things would be normal on monday, nothing would be any different. betty decided, at that very moment, the kiss was a forbidden topic. it was heat of the moment, they were just shaken up, and not thinking straight. it was never to be spoken of.

"archie probably didn't even want it to happen." betty thought to herself.

if he brought it up she decided she would shut it down, and let him know it was stupid, and foolish, and senseless to the both of them.

but was it?
                   ***
betty dragged her converse clad feet across the pavement as she made her way down the oak-lined street. it was beautiful outside. the cloudless, blue sky shone against red and yellow leaves, and radiated warm air throughout riverdale.

betty was tired, tired of everyone and everything. she just wanted something to be easy, and go right for once in her life, and maybe today would be that day. but her hopes plummeted when the calming chirping of birds was drowned out by a familiar voice behind her.

"betty, wait up!" he called out as he jogged to catch up with her. a bright smile spread across his face, and made betty's heart ache.

"hi, archie." she mumbled.

"hey, are you okay?" he set his hand on her forearm, but she pulled away.

"i'm fine."

"did something happen-" he cut himself off, "oh is this about the other night." he looked disappointed.

"i don't know what you're talking about. nothing happened, okay? it's just better for everyone this way."

"yeah, i get it."

"so how are you after everything with the black hood, or did that not happen either?" archie let his disappointment, anger, and confusion bubble to the surface.

betty stopped, she wanted to disappear. looking at the mixed emotions strewn across his face made it feel like her heart was being pulled from her chest.

"archie, i-" he cut her off as he continued walking.

"don't worry about it betty. it didn't happen, remember?" betty caught up to him and grabbed his arm, forcing him to a stop.

"archie, i'm sorry. i wasn't trying to confuse, or hurt you. i just don't think i can deal with the wave of destruction this will cause. plus i just broke up with jughead, and you just broke up with veronica. i just need some time to deal with everything. i need to put myself first for once. i completely understand if you don't want to wait for me to figure myself out, and you just want to move on, and get me out of your head. but that doesn't mean i want us to stop being friends, best friends." archie's face softened a bit.

he groaned.

"i've waited this long, a little while longer couldn't hurt, and of course i want us to keep being best friends."

betty blushed and pulled him into a hug.

"thank you." she smiled into archie's neck.

"i would wait for you forever." he whispered into her ear, causing the blush to completely take over her face.

they pulled away, and began walking down the street again, closer than before. they're hands brushed against each other every now and then, and archie couldn't take it anymore. he didn't care if they were just friends, he slid his hand into hers, and intertwined their fingers. to his surprise betty didn't pull away, she just gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

so there they were two friends, just friends, holding hands, and walking down the street. they were home for each other, and that's how they would remain, whether they were just friends or something more.
                   ***
"is that all they do?" betty grimaced as she watched veronica and reggie make out in front of the lockers.

"i don't know, and i don't want to know." archie said as he closed his locker, and looked at the view over betty's shoulder.

"you know they say that if someone moves on from a relationship really fast, the other person was probably there the whole time." he watched the two together, but there was no twinge of sadness, or jealousy. not like when he used to see jughead and betty together.

"i'm sorry, arch." she said sweetly.

"oh god, she's eating his face now." betty said changing the demeanor of the conversation.

"shield your eyes, elizabeth. we don't want your innocence being corrupted." archie said as he covered betty's eyes with a textbook.

"haha, very funny arch." betty said sarcastically, as she snatched it from archie's hand.

"betty!" archie whined as he reached over her to grab it.

she giggled as he finally got a grip on it, giving the book a tug which resulted in betty's head whipping around so they were inches apart.

"don't steal my textbook. if you lose these things you've got to pay for them, and i don't feel like wasting my money on a book." betty laughed as archie pulled her into him, and hugged her from behind.

"i'll see you at lunch." he said as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"hey, we're strictly friends." betty said as she wiggled around, and faced him, a smile still on her face.

"i know that, this is us being friends. if we were more than friends i'd do this." archie began leaning in, but betty stuck the textbook in her hands in between their faces, causing archie to groan.

"just friends, archibald." betty smiled as she handed him his book.

"for now." he yelled as he took off down the hallway.

betty laughed, and shook her head as he bumped into an unsuspecting student. maybe she would be ready for things a little sooner than she thought. but little did they know a couple pairs of watchful eyes studied them from a distance.
                   ***
archie sat in front of the piano on this music room with a blank mind, betty was supposed to be meeting him there in 10 minutes.

"archie?" a voice came from behind him.

"oh hey, josie. what's up?"

"well, and forgive me if this is too straight-forward, but i saw you and betty in the hallway earlier. are y'all a couple?" josie took a seat beside him on the piano bench.

"me and betty? no, no way. we're strictly friends, we're just... close." archie lied straight through his teeth.

"so that means it'd be alright if i asked if you wanted to go out with me this weekend?" josie asked.

"um..."