Chapter Text
Veronica, much to Betty's surprise, had arrived to cheer practice 10 minutes early today, beating Betty by 5. It was the first time she'd ever shown up before Betty. In fact, it was the first time she'd ever not been late to cheer practice.
Veronica was stretching out, her tan legs straight out in front of her and her chest flat against them, her fingers curled around her white sneakers and a look of determination on her pretty face. She peered up at Betty from over the toes of her shoes as Betty slowly made her way into the quite gym. Her gaze was intense, as always, and Betty looked away quickly, trying to ignore the feeling of a blush creeping onto her face.
God, Betty thought. I blush at everything, what the hell. She scowled down at her duffel bag as she dropped it next to the other River Vixen's cheer bags.
They were practicing in their uniforms today, to get comfortable before the pep rally tonight, but Betty felt anything but comfortable right now. Betty's skirt felt too short and her shirt too tight all of a sudden, as Cheryl and her sidekicks gave her an unimpressed glance, whispering to each other.
Veronica, on the other hand, was still peering intensely at Betty, and for some reason that eases the tension building in Betty's chest. (If not only to immediately replace it with a fluttering feeling in her stomach.)
-*-
Before Betty knows it, they're an hour into practice and Ronnie's going through her solo for the nth time, executing each movement with cat like elegance that Betty can only marvel at.
I saw this girl, I wanna know her name. She's got this body, it's driving me insane. The recorded voices of Josie and The Pussycats seem to echo Betty's thoughts as her eyes wander down to the hem of Ronnie's skirt, flaring up with every pop of her hip and drag of her fingertips. Veronica bends at the waist, her skirt riding up sinfully high, giving Betty (and the rest of the team) a flash of her cheer underwear. Betty must have been staring too long, caught up in her thoughts for just a second over and suddenly she's out of step with the rest of the team, bumping into the girl next to her. She's apologizing, blushing again, picking up the girl's pompom for her when Cheryl's voice cuts through the chatter.
"Betty, stop staring at Veronica's ass and stay in sync!" Betty ducks her head under Cheryl's sharp gaze, a blush burning like wild fire across her face. She doesn't take her eyes off the floor until the music starts again, echoing around the gym. "Back in formation, Vixens!" Cheryl calls.
Betty avoids Veronica's curious gaze at all costs and steps over to her mark.
Getting caught eyeing the back of Veronica's cheer skirt was about 10x more embarrassing when she was supposed to be mad at her, that's for sure. She keeps her eyes from wandering for the rest of practice, only glancing Veronica's way as she's leaving, duffel bag resting against her hip and strap digging into her shoulder. Veronica's already staring back at her.
-*-
They're doing it. Betty, The Vixens, Josie and her band. They're pulling this performance off despite the rain and the gloom and the tension that had settled over Riverdale since Jason's body was found washed up on the bank of Sweetwater River. Betty's cheeks hurt from smiling so much, because she's doing this, despite the rain and Archie rejecting her and Veronica betraying her and the tension that had settled over them since Veronica kissed Archie in that closet--no, since Veronica kissed Betty in that gym. They're doing it and Betty couldn't be happier.
She doesn't bother stopping her eyes from following Ronnie's movements as she dances, because her mom's too far away to see where she's looking and Cheryl's turned away from her and she can get away with it. She let's her eyes shamelessly follow the sway of Veronica's hips, the flex of her thighs, the way she bends, and then her solo is over, and she's turning around and her eyes are instantly on Betty.
Betty doesn't blush, not until Veronica winks at her and turns back around. They finish the rest of the routine together, Josie and Cheryl are hugging and The Vixens are running off the field to put there pompoms down and grab the arch. Veronica, for her part, only gives Betty a short, half smirk before they're back on the field again.
-*-
Betty's smiling again, as she leaves the locker room, Cheryl's quiet sobs and Veronica's hushed murmurs disappearing behind her. Betty is smiling because, despite the doubts she had about Ronnie, deep...or not so deep in her mind, she knows now, without a doubt, that she's a good person. She has to be.
Betty cheers through the rest of the game with The Vixens, helps them figure out what to do without Veronica and their captain until they finally return at halftime, Veronica looking a little tired, Cheryl looking a little too cheery for someone who just bawled her eyes out for at least half an hour, but that was Cheryl for you. Betty smiles at Veronica and almost laughs at the way Veronica's entire being lights up as she grins back.
They don't talk to each other until the game is over. Betty's so nervous and she doesn't know why, but she manages to get a yes out of Veronica anyway and a few minutes later, they're in Betty's car, headed downtown.
-*-
"I'll drive you home." Betty says as they wave goodbye to Archie and Jughead. It's late, really late. She knows she's got a lecture coming from her mom when she gets home, and she's keen to postpone that as long as possible. Veronica nods, yawning and wrapping her shawl around her shoulders against the cool Riverdale breeze.
"Seatbelt." Betty chides when they get into her car and she starts pulling out of Pop's parking lot.
"Yeah, yeah." Veronica yawns again, her teeth glinting in the receding fluorescent lights. She slides over to the middle front seat and makes a show of putting her seatbelt on, tightening the cross strap to fit over her small frame just right. Betty rolled her eyes and carefully merged onto Main Street. There weren't many people out this late, and no one drag raced down Main Street anymore since Sheriff Kelly got elected, but Betty was always a careful driver, no matter what.
"I missed you." Veronica sighs, leaning her head against Betty's shoulder as Betty drives. Betty laughs and Veronica looks up at her, curious and so puppy dog like in the way she tilts her head. "What?"
"We've been friends for, what, barely two weeks, and not even the entirety of those two weeks and you..." Betty shakes her head, smiling, trying to find the right order to put her words. "You act like we've been friends for years. Like we'll be friends forever."
"Can't blame a girl for hoping." Veronica grins and rests her head back on Betty's shoulder. She pretends not to notice Betty taking a few unnecessary turns, or how she starts driving ridiculously below the speed limit. She just closes her eyes and let's the sound of Betty's breathing and the low rumble of the engine of her car lull her into a half sleep. She wakes up in her bed, Smithers pulling the blanket up over her shoulders and setting her shoes down next to her bedside table.
"Your friend wanted me to tell you to call her in the morning, Miss Veronica." Smithers says, his kind face lit lowly by her bedside lamp.
"Will do, Smithies." Veronica says through a yawn. Smithers smiles and turns out her lamp, keeping her door cracked just a little to let the hallway light in just the way Veronica likes as he leaves. She falls asleep thinking about Betty and her new friends in Riverdale, and for the first time in a while, she doesn't feel so scared about her future.
-*-
Veronica and I made up. I guess so did Archie and I. Tonight was nice. Really nice. Ronnie and I are going to get milkshakes again tomorrow. Her mom works at Pop's now, I guess. Betty writes, her pen skritching against the pages of her journal. Thank god mom wasn't here when I got home. She would have killed me and then grounded my corpse for being out two hours passed curfew. I guess tonight is just my night. :)
-*-
"Remember that time I kissed you?"
Betty chokes on her milkshake, grateful she'd only taken a small sip this time, or else Veronica's pretty dress would have ended up with Classic Vanilla all over it.
"Yeah, I vaguely recall." She gives Veronica a look as she grabs a napkin and wipes milkshake off her chin.
"That wasn't your first like...real kiss, was it?" Veronica asks, and she's speaking so casually, stirring her milkshake with her straw and peering at Betty in the usual way she does. (Which maybe, to someone who wasn't them, wouldn't be a usual way to peer at someone at all.)
"What?" Betty asks, confused. Realization doesn't take long to dawn and then she's shaking her head. "I've been to parties, Ronnie. I've played spin the bottle before."
"Those don't really count." Veronica says. Betty gives her another look, this one a little more poignant and Veronica winces. "Okay, maybe they count a little, but I mean a real kiss. Like, not because a bottle told you to kiss someone or any kiss that happened before the 5th grade. A real, because-you-wanted-to kiss."
"You kissing me wasn't a real kiss." Betty sips her milkshake and raises her eyebrows at Veronica, an unspoken challenge. A mix of emotions ripple over Veronica's expression before her pretty features settle on slightly feigned offense.
"Excuse me?" Veronica places a hand over her heart and Betty is already rolling her eyes. "It was real to me, Cooper." She says it jokingly, but when Betty glances up, she sees maybe a glimmer of honesty on Ronnie's face.
"You were kissing me because you wanted to and not because you were trying to get a rise out of Cheryl?" Betty asked, curious now. Something was starting to flutter in her stomach again, the way it always did when Ronnie and her tested the boundaries of their friendship just a little.
"Couldn't I do both?" Veronica grins, the expression curling over her entire face in the Cheshire way she has to her. "Kissing the cute girl who'd been nice to me all day despite how my reputation might have proceeded me, and getting the infamous Cheryl Bombshell's attention enough to get us on the team? I call that two birds with one stone, Betts."
Betty rolls her eyes, but knows Ronnie can see the heat dusting pink across her cheekbones, even in the low lighting of Pop's in the evening.
"Yes, then." Betty says.
"Hm?" Veronica raises an eyebrow.
"You were my first real kiss." Betty tries to keep her smile small, but the way Veronica beams at her makes that nearly impossible. They're both grinning at each other like idiots over the edges of their milkshakes when Veronica seems to remember something. She leans to the side to look past Betty's shoulder, her grin turning impish as she gets the attention of her target a few booths down.
"You owe me twenty bucks, Jughead." She calls.
"Wha--WHAT? Are you serious?" Jughead groans. "C'mon!"