he just wanted to work on his comic in peace. sweetwater river seemed to be the place he ended up the most; the place with the best way to drown out the outside world without having to use headphones and worry about slamming into someone. not to mention, it was one of the few places where he could actually smoke without his dad going off the handle half the time. he had a joint already rolled and tucked behind his ear, but he definitely wasn’t expecting for fucking aurora to show up again.
one of Betty’s absolute favorite memories is from when she was a young girl, around eight or nine and Polly a few years older. they were overjoyed to hear that school was canceled due to snow, immediately bugging their parents to let them go outside and sled ride. after they got tired of lugging their sleds back up the hill, they made a snowman ( with help from their dad, of course ). the finishing touches had been one of Alice’s scarves, running back inside to tell their mother that they had made her as a snowman before collapsing in fits of giggles. it wasn’t until they were out of their wet clothes and sitting by the fire that Betty realized how cold her hands were, the feeling starting to come back after being numb for who knows how long. but sitting there with her sister, warm socks and mugs of hot chocolate in their hands with wide smiles as their parents sat nearby? she felt perfectly content in that moment. a rare occurrence nowadays, if ever.
10. — nostalgia
the pictures throughout her room of her with Archie, Jughead, Kevin and now Veronica. the smell of old books at the library. freshly cut cedar wood ( like the treehouse ). the Barbies her and Polly played with so much their features disappeared. the ring Archie made her out of twist ties when he proposed in second grade. Caramel, the plush cat she still sleeps with. the scar on her knee from where she fell off the monkey bars in first grade. the smell of freshly brewed coffee with the newest issue of the Riverwood Gazette on the table, still warm to the touch from the printer. the stack of journals in her bottom nightstand drawer.
19. — fireworks
it wasn’t even the fourth of July, but Archie had fireworks and nothing was going to stop him from using them. especially when his father was away for the weekend, leading to pretty much the entirety of the Riverwood Bulldogs and Vixens showing up. Betty was absolutely positive that fireworks weren’t the brightest idea ( no pun intended ) after the amount of alcohol that had been consumed, but somehow they had convinced her that they were only small and couldn’t really hurt them. the invincibility of teenage boys. and there were sparklers, which kids held all the time.
shaking her head the blonde was standing near the edge of the yard, feeling like she should have had a fire extinguisher with her while the sky exploded with color. handed a sparkler by one of the Vixens she held it in her hand, shivering involuntarily with a shift in the wind. and she knew Jughead wasn’t far away, but she didn’t realize he was so close until he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. neither one of them said anything, Betty simply handed over the sparkler and moved her hands to his arms, leaning back slightly with a smile on her face.
45. — love
Archie Andrews would always be Betty’s first love. pretty much anyone who knew the girl could see that ( apart from maybe Archie ), but the truth is it wasn’t love. it was a crush, an infatuation, if you wanted to take it a step further. the fairy tale that every girl hoped for: falling in love with the boy next door. and it didn’t hurt that he was conventionally attractive to begin with.
the truth, however? Betty’s never been in love. the concept of it terrifies her, even if she hasn’t rationalized it quite yet. her parents certainly didn’t set a shining example, although in some ways the fact that they weren’t divorced couuld be considered a succes. in her understanding love means vulnerability, letting someone see the parts of her that she doesn’t even want to look at herself. the possibility of being hurt. and after all of this time, everything she’s struggled with and continues to struggle with, her walls are built up pretty high. it’s only around a handful of people that she lets her guard down and even then only enough that’s necessary.
[AURORA -✉] morning pipsqueak, want a lift to school? i’ll let you drive the bike halfway there.
ø for a late-night text
[AURORA -✉] i had a dream they were still alive, you know? it felt so real. are you awake? can we go for a walk?
& for a loving text
[AURORA -✉] you have so much strength in you and i think you forget sometimes just how strong you can be. never give up, okay? you’re amazing.
% for a curious text
[AURORA -✉] how do you know if a boy is ready to take the next step? you’re a girl, help me out.
♀ for a heartbreaking text
[AURORA -✉] i’m not graduating, ‘Rora. I just found out. Didn’t even give me a chance to make up the credits I need. I’m a fucking failure doomed to spend the rest of my life here.
