CHAPTER TWO:

RIVERDALE HIGH

   BETTY COOPER STAYED QUIET IN the booth at Pop's with Archie Andrews across from her. She had come to the family diner to confess her crush on the boy but now, she wasn't sure if she should. In all honesty, her crush on Archie only started after Ryder left and Archie was the shoulder she cried on.

"To pass time, I would start composing these poems, in my head. And at night, I'd go home, I'd write them down–" the conversation was getting deep between the two after Ryder left them. Archie felt a weight on his shoulders disappear with the absence of his brother.

"You don't even like reading poetry." Betty teased the young red headed boy.

"They weren't poems, they were song lyrics. And working on them made me feel like–" Archie breathed out, a look in his eyes that Betty had never seen before.

"What, Archie?"

"It made me feel like I'd finally broken through to something real. About my life and what I should be trying to do with it. Music. Starting this year, tomorrow."

"Amazing. Will you ask Ms. Grundy to tutor you?"

"I'm not sure, maybe." Archie was hesitant to ask for help apparently from the music teacher at their school.

"What about football? Can you do both?" Betty kept asking questions, as if drilling him like a parent.

"I'll try out, at least."

"Well, have you told your dad or Ryder?" The mention of Ryder made Betty flush.

"No. Until I've got things more figured out, you're the only person I'm telling, okay?"

"Well, I'd love to hear them sometime. Your songs." Betty told Archie and she felt her heart tighten as she thought of another Andrews boy she would love to hear sing.

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Betty smiled at her friend, her heart not going into overload.

"Yeah, I'm finishing a couple of demos tonight."

"Great."

"Also I've been thinking about us, Archie, and our friendship, and how it's time we talked about—" Betty furrowed her eyebrows, she wasn't going to say she had a crush on Archie, rather ask the young teen if it would be okay for her to date his older brother. Archie, however, wasn't paying attention to the blonde. She turned in her seat to see a beautiful dark haired girl in a black cloak walk up near their table.

"I called in an order, for Lodge?"

"Two burgers, yeah, almost ready, but you gotta wait." Pop Tate told the stranger and Betty huffed at Archie's sudden interest in the girl. She wanted to talk about Ryder.

"Hi," the girl breathed out, turning to Betty and Archie's red vinyl booth.

"Hey," Archie greeted the girl.

"How are the onion rings here?" She asked the two and Betty's mouth watered at the sound of Pop Tate's onion rings.

"So good."

"Can we get some onion rings, too, please?"

"Yeah," Pop answered as he walked passed the teenagers to continue working.

"Thanks. My mom and I just moved here, so–"

"From where?" Archie interrupted, a puppy look in his eyes.

"New York."

"Wow." Archie breathed out, wondering what a big city like that was like.

"Do you guys go to Riverdale?"

"We do."

"Both of us. Together." Betty added, giving a look to Archie to end this god awful conversation with the strange new girl.

"We're sophomores."

"Me too. I'm filled with dread."

"Why is that?" Archie asked and Betty just wanted to stab herself in the eyes.

"Are you familiar with the works of Truman Capote? I'm Breakfast at Tiffany's, but this place is strictly In Cold Blood." Betty cringed at the forced laugh that escaped her best friend, she definitely wished she wasn't here to witness this cringe-worthy flirting. "Veronica Lodge."

"Archie Andrews. Uh, this is Betty Cooper." Betty forced a grin, she didn't want to be here.

"Wait, are you–"

"Supposed to give you your tour tomorrow? Yes. I'm your peer mentor." Betty smiled at the girl, if it was a different situation, the two could be friends but Veronica Lodge was interrupting a perfectly good conversation.

"Do you want to join us? Hey, maybe we can un-fill you with dread." Betty wanted to kick Archie for being stupid.

"My mom's waiting for me. But, to be continued." She smiled softly at the redheaded boy and Betty just wanted to slam her head on the table.

"Yeah," Archie breathed out as he watched the raven-haired girl walk away. He cleared his throat, turning back to his best friend. "What were you saying?"

Betty smiled nervously, glancing around the diner, trying to avoid Archie's eyes. "Nothing." Her eyes focused behind the redheaded boy to the table that Ryder was dragged to.

The older boy had looked up at that moment, catching the blue eyed girls stare. Inside he was nervous to see his own crush staring at him but he smirked at her, winking. Hopefully he was doing this right.

It was nothing, really, she didn't like Archie. Betty thought to herself. Because Ryder Andrews was back in town.

And Ryder changed everything.

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RYDER ANDREWS WAS CHARISMATIC AND COULD easily persuade someone to do what he wanted. And that's what he did with his own father. He managed to convince Fred Andrews that sending him back to boarding school wasn't the answer– especially when one of his best friends was just murdered.

Ryder managed to escape the house without Archie, who had slept in on the first day of his sophomore year. Ryder was glad that he was back into a public school instead of a private all year school, this was way more relaxed and he knew everyone. He threw his keys into the air, glancing at his pale blue Mustang and his motorcycle. He wasn't sure what to drive but then he realised– if he took his Mustang, he could pick up Betty for school.

With this quick decision, he entered his vehicle, turning the engine on with a grin. Ryder had spend the last two years earning up his money for the motorcycle while the Mustang was a hand-me-down from his mother.

He pressed the horn, praying that Betty was at home and not her mother.

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     ALICE COOPER DECIDED IT WAS best to give her youngest daughter a talk on her first day of her sophomore year. "Betty. This coming year is critical for colleges. Grades are important, extracurriculars, athletics. Maintaining a decent character is hugely important, they do look at that."

"Mom, I'm a sophomore." Betty sighed at her mothers diligence to grades and high standards.

"You've accomplished so much, I don't want anything jeopardizing that. I mean, just think of your poor sister. She was such a shining star before she let that Blossom boy ruin her."

"Mom, I'm not Polly." Betty told her with a sigh, turning to look at her mother directly.

"You missed curfew last night." Alice pointed out and Betty resisted the urge to flush.

"By seven minutes. I was with Archie, who has red hair, yes, but is nothing like Jason Blossom."

Betty lied.

She wasn't with Archie— she was with Ryder. 

After dinner with Archie, the young blonde raced to the woods where there was a treehouse. When Betty was younger, Ryder took her there when Archie and Betty got in a fight. And whenever the two wanted to talk, they met there.

"Oh, but sweetie, all boys are like Jason Blossom." Alice sighed, looking down at her naive daughter. "I love you so much, Elizabeth. I just need you to be smart, okay? And stay focused. I refilled your Adderall. Seems you forgot to pick up your prescription."

"What was that?" Alice Cooper jumped at the sudden honking of a horn. Betty hopped towards the window, glancing down to see Ryder leaning against his blue Mustang. He smiled up at her, waving her to come down.

"That, mother, was my ride."

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how do you like it so far? and what do you think happened at the treehouse ? ;)