Chapter Text
Runs in the Family? Daughter of disgraced businessman Hiram Lodge accused of bullying and assault by classmates.
Veronica scrolls through the article dully, all the way down through the comments. It’s the eleventh of its kind that has been published since her father went to prison.
When the first one dropped, she cried so hard it soaked her satin designer pillow, all the way through until the pearl embroidery was the only part left dry. Now though, she accepts the articles with the grim defeat of a man facing his executioner. She's guilty of everything they say in those articles, and the horror at being exposed has quickly turned to shame.
Karma caught up with her. It is what it is. She thought she was untouchable, thought she could be cruel and spoiled and spiteful and petty just because of her father's power. She hurt innocent people and now they're getting their chance to hurt her back. Veronica doesn't hate or resent them for it. They have a right to tell the truth, a right to do a lot worse to her than tell some gossip rag about the time she forced them to drink gutter water. She's moved past self pity into acceptance. Shame, self-hatred, regret, those are the main emotions she feels now, sitting in a taxi leaving her old life in New York behind.
Most of all, what she feels is guilt. Guilt for her victims, all the fellow kids just trying to survive school who got stuck in her sick games. And guilt for her father. He's already in jail despite being innocent, and now she's just made it ten times worse for him. The Lodge name is forevermore associated with criminals and bullies, despite her father being nothing but a decent loving family man. She failed him. Big time.
Maybe that's why she doesn't complain when he tells her she has to go to Riverdale. Being shipped away to some backwater town to live with the woman she hates most in the world seems like a suitable punishment for her crimes. Veronica vows to do things differently this time. She'll be nice, kind, good. She'll be a great friend, a supportive ally to all those who need that, she'll be generous and friendly and down to earth and turn the other cheek and when her father gets out of jail she'll be able to show him the new leaf she's turned. Look, she'll say. I can learn from my mistakes. I can do better. Please let me have another chance. I won't let you down this time Daddy please don't give up on me please-
She's getting ahead of herself. Step one is to not be a major bitch. Something she hasn't successfully accomplished in years. She'll start there and build herself back up. Kill the stupid spoiled bully brat of an ignorant child she used to be, smack her down until she's nothing and from that emptiness create someone better, someone actually deserving of the life and love she has.
She can do it. She has to. She's Veronica Lodge and she will take that name and make it something to be proud of again. Something her father can be proud of too.
The cab driver turns on the radio. Veronica takes a second to be bitter that her mother would rather pay for a taxi than drive up to collect her daughter. Then she remembers she's supposed to be forgiving and nice now, so she lets it go.
Or at least, she tries to. She lasts all the way until they're actually in Riverdale, right up until the driver parks the cab in front of an old brownstone building and her mother is standing in front of it, looking nervous and hopeful and far less apologetic than Veronica needs.
The bitterness comes back, flares to life in her chest and solidifies as cold rage. Her mother is smiling into the cab like Veronica's just came home from a holiday, like this isn't the first time she can remember seeing Hermione Gomez’s face outside of photographs.
Veronica hates her. She despises her so much it almost makes her nauseous.
Her ice cold bitch mask slips over her face like a second skin. An instinct she was supposed to be suppressing, but right now it's all she has.
“Veronica!” Her mother's voice is warm, and far too fucking casual as Veronica steps out of the cab. “It's good to see you.”
There's a million and one responses Veronica could give to that, ranging from mildly snarky to downright cruel. Instead, she presses her lips together into a thin fake smile.
She's trying. For her father's sake, she'll try.
“Hello mother.” She does her best to keep the disdain out of her tone. “I imagine this is to be my new residence?”
Hermione's smile grows wider, relieved Veronica isn't being too difficult. Veronica's grip on her Louis Vuitton faux leather purse tightens.
“Welcome to the Pembroke.” Her mother gestures to the building behind her with far too much enthusiasm. “I know it's probably not as fancy as you're used to but-”
“I was anticipating a farm with no running water. This is acceptable.”
Her mother's face falls and Veronica resists the urge to scowl. It wasn't even that mean of a comment. It was practically a joke. If this was a preview of what the next period of her life would look like, Veronica would pass.
Except she doesn't have a choice. Because of her own stupid mistakes. Stupid bratty evil New York Veronica, current Veronica would beat you to death with hammers if she got the chance.
The doorman comes forward and takes Veronica's bags, even though he looks far too old to be lifting heavy suitcases. Her mother probably employs him out of pity, or maybe to try and cling to the few elements of the higher class lifestyle she abandoned when she left New York and her family to return to this miserable little hometown.
Not that Veronica is bitter. Being raised solely by her father is the best thing that could have happened to her. But she can still judge her mother for the poor decision making and general weakness even if the decision has been ultimately a net benefit for Veronica. Clearly it hasn't been for Hermione. She only has one staff member in this entire building.
Veronica doesn't comment on it of course, just lets the geriatric bellhop carry her bags up to the penthouse. Because she's being nice now. A good daughter.
For her father. Not for the other one.
“Veronica, this is Smithers. He's a good friend of mine.”
Veronica resists a snort at that. Calling the paid help a good friend, very delusional yet expected from her mother. She sticks out her hand and watches with mild amusement as Smithers struggles to shake it while carrying her bags.
“Pleasure.” She leaves it at that.
Smithers, unfortunately, does not catch the vibe. His smile grows even warmer, uncomfortably fond.
“Wonderful to meet you Miss Veronica. Your mother has been so excited to have you here ever since she got the news.”
I fucking bet she has. Daughter she never wanted crawling back to her in disgrace, what a lovely family reunion. Practically sitcom worthy.
She can tell her patience is going to be sorely tested throughout her stay here. This one small conversation has been enough to make her blood boil. If this was New York, she'd either find some poor victim to take her anger out on, or find someone like Nick St Clair and take whatever little packet he was offering.
Neither are options for her anymore. Not just because she's not in New York, but also because of the whole ‘better person’ thing. So she grits her teeth into a smile and follows Smithers up into her lovely new prison disguised as a home.
It's nice. Veronica can admit that. Nothing like her beautiful penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side, but far nicer than the smelly farm house she was anticipating. Her mother clearly misses the luxury her ex-husband's lifestyle gave her. It's a bit pathetic in its attempts to recreate the glory of Lodge style luxury, but at least it means Veronica doesn't have to undergo a complete aesthetic overhaul.
“Are you hungry?” Her mother's eyes are wide and hopeful, so disgustingly eager. “I imagine it was a long drive.”
“I am.” Veronica smiles, the beginning of a plan forming in her mind. “What's good around here?”
“Oh Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe for sure.” Her mother takes the bait, delighted that Veronica isn't being difficult. “Hands down the finest food in Riverdale.”
Veronica sincerely doubts that anything called a Chock’lit Shoppe has decent cuisine, but that doesn't matter right now. She'll take the most unhealthy slop possible as long as it's within walking distance.
“So what do you normally get?” Innocent, inquisitive, her mother doesn't suspect a thing.
“Cheese Please burger, regular fries and the crowning jewel of Pop’s culinary genius: The chocolate shake.” So very enthusiastic, hilariously desperate to bond. “What about you? What would you like to-”
“That's great!” Veronica cuts across her mother, clapping her hands together with a smile. “I'll make my way over there and pick up the order for both of us.”
And there it is, the beautiful moment Veronica was waiting for. Her mother's face falls, a mixture of surprise and disappointment. Veronica keeps her own expression bright and cheerful, utterly fake but too polite for anyone to call her on it.
“Oh I was thinking we could go together and-”
“No need!” Veronica interrupts again, spinning on her heel to march right back out the way she just came in. “I need to get used to this new town eventually. Might as well start right now, my first expedition into lands unknown. I'll be back before you know it.”
“Are you sure honey? I'd be happy to drive you.”
“I'm sure.” Veronica lets a hint of ice slip into her voice, dropping the breezy act in favour of something slightly more real. “You left me for thirteen years. I'm sure you can handle me being gone for an hour or two.”
She sees it hit, savours how the realisation sinks in, the way the hope dies in her mother's eyes. Veronica isn't happy to be here, and she isn't interested in playing nice with the woman who hurt her beloved father so deeply. This is a warning shot. Her mother can take it or leave it.
She skips smugly down the stairs and out into the cool Riverdale night.
Veronica Lodge 1, Hermione Gomez 0.
And she's just getting started.
The diner isn't too hard to find, the garish neon sign giving it away from a mile. Veronica's torn between relief that she doesn't have to walk any further in her Louboutin heels, and disappointment that she's already halfway done with her journey. It turned out to be more of a mild stroll than an epic quest.
Still, it’s warm inside, well lit too. Veronica steps further into the diner, eyes roaming over the few customers sitting in the booths. A few men in flannel, a middle aged couple on a date, one family of three, and… Ah. Now this could be interesting. A boy her age, red hair, staring at her with a familiar open mouthed look. He has a companion with him, a blonde girl whose face Veronica can’t see from this angle. But he’s dropped all his attention from his companion to stare at Veronica, so clearly this girl isn’t doing it for him. She can’t even blame him. A new hot mystery with blatantly superior fashion sense to anyone else in this diner? She’d gawk too if she was in his shoes.
She smiles at the man behind the counter, tells him she’s picking up an order for Lodge. The man smiles back with kind eyes, far too familiar.
He knows who she is. Wonderful. Her mother seems to have told the whole town that her pathetic disgraced daughter was coming home.
Determined to distract herself, she waltzes over to the booth the two teens are sitting in. It’s her first chance to get a proper look at the girl and wow. Veronica was expecting someone a lot more… plain. This girl is stunning, she’s like the perfect small town beauty behind every country singer’s wistful tale of first love assembled into one neat blonde package. And she’s glaring daggers at Veronica for interrupting her date, which just makes her all the more attractive.
“How are the onion rings?” Veronica says, friendly and polite. She’s not trying to take the girl’s boyfriend, just looking for something to make this night more interesting.
“So good.” The guy is eager, it would be pathetic if he wasn’t so handsome and cute. As it stands, he’s just the kind of guy new Veronica is looking for.
“Great.” She smiles wider, ignoring the blonde girl’s discomfort as she turns to order more onion rings.
She just needs to show she’s not a threat. And she’s not. She’s nice now. She’s not interested in stealing this ginger hunk just for the thrill of watching the daggers in miss blonde beauty’s eyes sharpen. She wants to do this the right way, the normal, wholesome way. Make some good old small town friends and go on scrappy adventures together. But at the same time, if this is to be her life now, she at least wants the friends to be good looking. And these two? Very much her type. Call her shallow but hey, a girl can’t be expected to change in a single day. She’s making an effort! That has to count for something.
“Thanks.” She smiles down after finishing the order, a hint of shyness to try and seem less intimidating. “I’ve just moved here. Living with my mom now, trying to find my way around town from the Pembroke.”
“No way!” The boy’s eyes get even wider and happier. “You’re Hermione’s kid? That’s awesome! We’ve been so excited to meet you!”
The joy at making new friends turns bitter in her mouth, but she keeps her smile as her gaze darts to the blonde girl. She’s looking far less tense now, the same genuine happiness on her face as she smiles back at Veronica. Like being the daughter of Hermione Gomez suddenly makes her a family friend, not a threat in the slightest.
Even to these total strangers, she’s defined by her mother. How irritatingly judgemental. Very conservative of them, perhaps her hopes for this place were simply too high.
“You know my mom?” She keeps her voice light, fishing for anything she can use now that the conversation has flipped so annoyingly. “I didn’t know Riverdale was that small of a small town.”
“She works with my dad at Andrews Construction.” He reminds her of a puppy, this red haired boy. “I’m Archie by the way, this is Betty, my next door neighbour. We’ve both known your mom for pretty much all our lives. She’s practically family!”
The bitterness grows, turning ugly and spreading through Veronica’s chest. She glances at the blonde girl, Betty, hoping that the boy is exaggerating to be friendly, but Betty's smile is still just as genuine. Zero hostility anymore. Veronica is Hermione’s kid and that’s the only thing that matters.
For a second she hates them both and their stupid pretty happy naive faces. But she swallows down the disappointment as best she can. If the whole town is going to be like this, she’ll need to get over it at some point. No sense in burning bridges that could be useful later on.
“That’s so cool.” Her grin is far more fake than when she first walked over, but neither teen notices. “How long have they been working together? I really know nothing about this town yet, sorry. I’m basically cousin Vinny.”
Archie’s laugh makes it clear he’s no clue what she’s referencing. Betty stares at him with mild embarrassment. Veronica finds herself genuinely liking both of them, despite the shadow of her mother hanging over the booth.
“I think she actually worked at Pops for a bit when she first moved here, right Betty?” Betty nods in agreement. “We were super young, like basically toddlers, so I can’t remember for sure. But after a few months she got a job with my dad, managing his accounts. She’s super smart, my dad’s always going on about how she saved us from money troubles with the company. It kind of goes over my head when he starts talking accounting but uh… she’s really good. Both my folks love her, and she’s helped my dad a lot ever since my mom moved to Chicago. She’s like the auntie I never had.”
Veronica sifts through that wealth of information, putting the pieces together. It’s an interesting picture. One that makes her feel confident she has another weapon or two in her arsenal against her mother.
“Oh right!” Betty jolts Veronica out of her musing. “If you’re the new girl, you’re Veronica right? I’m supposed to give you a tour of the school.”
“You’re my peer mentor?” Veronica feels a little flutter in her chest at the way Betty grins at her. “Well I must be the luckiest newbie in Riverdale to run into you like this. I’ll just make sure to keep my eye out for the hottest girl on campus tomorrow and it should be fine.”
Betty blushes, Archie smiles. Yeah, Veronica can feel herself growing more fond of these two by the second.
“Order for Gomez!”
And once again, her mom ruins everything.
“It’s an order for Lodge, actually.” She turns around and drops all friendliness from her voice. “I believe I was clear on that.”
The restaurant owner doesn’t even look phased, which is irritating. He just smiles at her with that same nauseating gentleness and a hint of pity.
“Apologies miss, you just look a lot like one of my regulars.”
Veronica takes the food and marches out. If Archie and Betty are shocked by her abrupt exit, she can make it up to them on Monday. Right now, she needs to get away from all these eyes, seeing her and judging her as someone she’s not. Someone she never wants to be.
She’ll be a good person. She’ll make a positive impact on this town. But only if everyone stops connecting her to Hermione fucking Gomez. She’s Veronica Lodge and even at her worst she’s ten times the person her mother is. Riverdale is going to learn that one way or another.
Dinner is tense once she gets back. Her mother is wary, waiting for Veronica to throw another barb her way. Veronica eats her (far more delicious than expected) burger and relishes both the flavour and the power she has over this room.
“I met two kids in the diner.” She says cheerfully, setting the blueprints down for her next trap. “Their names were Archie and Betty, they said they knew you?”
“Ah.” Her mother’s face is warm and fond, no doubt thinking of years of memories she apparently has with these teenagers that are not her daughter. “Yes. I’m good friends with Archie’s father. And he and Betty are attached at the hip.”
“They seem really nice.” Veronica puts extra effort into sounding genuine, lowering her mother’s defenses. “Betty’s going to be my guide on the first day of school which is great. I think I might have made friends already?”
“That’s great honey.” Her mom’s smile is still warm, but more guarded now. Not the easy fondness she had for sweet little Archie and Betty. “I’m glad you’re settling in.”
“Me too.” Veronica smiles and pops a fry into her mouth, chewing it carefully. “They mentioned you work with his dad at a construction company? That you’re like family to them. They seemed really enthusiastic about me maybe being a part of that too, which is cool.”
Her mom is smart enough not to believe her fully, but it’s clear she really wants to. Veronica finishes chewing her fry, and decides not to drag it out any longer.
“So I should probably know, how long were you fucking Archie’s dad for? I mean obviously I’m assuming that’s how you got the job in the first place, but how long did it last? Or is it still ongoing? Archie doesn’t know but I think I should, just so it doesn’t get awkward.”
Her mother’s grip on the cutlery tightens. Her lips purse. Veronica hides her smirk behind a blatantly fake expression of innocence.
“Fred Andrews and I are just friends.” Her mom says, terse and firm. “There’s nothing going on between us.”
“Right.” Veronica nods, bitchy and sweet. “Got it. Fucked him to get the job then broke it off before it got too messy. Just like you did with dad, it’s a smart and reliable move.”
“Veronica.” Oh excellent, she’s going to try and be a parent now. “I don’t appreciate you speaking to me like this.”
“Sorry mom.” The fake apology rolls off her tongue, quick and breezy. “That’s just how we talk in New York, direct and straight to the point.”
She stands up, finished her meal. Her mom is still glaring at her, but doesn’t move to follow. Time for the finishing blow.
“You’d know that if you actually stuck around to live with us there.”
The fury in her mom’s eyes is marred by a tiny flash of guilt. Veronica feels a savage satisfaction watching her mother struggle to reign in her temper. In the end, she says nothing. Veronica leaves for her bedroom without a single word further.
2 - 0 to team Lodge.
Monday heralds the start of Veronica's grim new educational experience. Riverdale High is bleak, shabby, clearly in need of several coats of paint and a fumigator. There are, however, some bright spots. Betty Cooper for one, just as beautiful and friendly as she was in the diner. Veronica is fascinated by her and can’t even really explain why. There’s a magnetism about Betty, about the little facial expressions she makes and the way her voice moves up and down in time with her ponytail. There are parts of her that remind Veronica of Pollyana, or some Little House on the Prairie character. But it’s so clearly surface level, with much more grounded wit and nonchalant charisma shining through beneath, destroying the manic pixie dream girl impression in favour of something more real, more interesting.
Or maybe Veronica is just smitten.
Betty has a friend, Kevin. Blatantly gay, thank god. Veronica could not deal with an entire high school comprised of people who associated the word pride with lions or their school’s mediocre football team. At least one person here will know the best places to have fun if Veronica needs a break from it all.
He does, unfortunately, bring up her father. First day of school and it’s clear she’s already the Blue Jasmine of Riverdale High. Kevin seems to be under the impression that she hates her father, but she quickly disabuses him of that notion. Whatever poison her mother has been spreading around town, Veronica will set the record straight any time her lies rear their ugly head. Her father is innocent. Her mother is not the victim she paints herself out to be. Veronica stands by him. No further questions unless you want to get verbally smacked back into place.
And then there’s Archie. Cute, Fred Andrew’s son, and red haired so a bit of variety to add spice into Veronica’s new life. Unfortunately, Betty is in love with him. And Veronica is still determined to do this friendship thing the normal, textbook way. It doesn’t even feel boring like she expected. When Betty looks at her with those wide, surprised eyes anytime Veronica does something mildly nice, it sends a thrill through her she’s never experienced before. She likes it. She wants to keep chasing it.
For the other, more bitchy, thrills, Cheryl Blossom is the immediate candidate. Veronica, being a natural multitasker, combines helping Betty and fighting Cheryl into one neat idea: Audition with Betty for Cheryl’s cheerleading team.
The fact that this also gives her an excuse to avoid her mother and spend the afternoon with Betty? Well, what can she say? Veronica is a very efficient multitasker.
She expects Betty to have questions for her, and is pleasantly surprised when they end up focused mostly on the cheerleading routine. Betty doesn’t bring up either of Veronica’s parents even once, but is happy to share little facts about herself if Veronica asks. It’s nice. Tactful. When she leaves to go home for the night, she’s in such a good mood that not even the sight of her mom’s sad face can bring her down.
She ignores the pathetic crone and goes straight to bed. She’s got tryouts tomorrow and she needs her beauty sleep.
School passes much more calmly on day two. Right up until cheerleading tryouts anyway.
It’s going well. It’s going really well. Betty is happy and Cheryl is angry and Veronica is riding the high of it all until she gets a little bit too caught up in the high and Cheryl is looking at her so challengingly and Veronica is determined to show this small town exactly who she is.
“Where's the fire ladies? Where's the grit?“
Cheryl wants fire? Wants passion? Veronica will make her regret ever wishing for it. The situation is simply too familiar, filling Veronica with the kind of excitement she didn’t think she’d get outside of New York and Spence.
Betty is right next to her and she smells like vanilla and baby powder and nothing like the girls Veronica kissed back in New York, the ones who never lasted more than two weeks. This could very easily be a huge mistake but she feels so very deep in her element for the first time since she arrived- bitchy cheerleaders, pretty girls, a rival demanding Veronica step up to the plate and impress her- and back in New York she always trusted her gut with these situations. Worst case scenario she has to walk it back and charm her way out of trouble.
So yeah. She kisses Betty Cooper.
And it’s good. Really good. Much better than Veronica had been anticipating. She’s kissed girls before, Betty clearly hasn’t. And yet-
OK look. Veronica goes into this kiss with two objectives that can be achieved through a single action. She wants to make sure Betty doesn’t regret this and she wants to scandalise Cheryl enough into maybe a full on public meltdown. Both of these things can be achieved by making the kiss really, really good. And she may be a bit egotistic but Veronica knows she’s a fantastic kisser. She’s done things with her tongue and teeth and lips that make both boys and girls moan with zero shame like they’re in a cheap porno. So when she starts, she has a very clear goal in mind- knock Betty’s socks off.
However, Betty kisses back. Betty kisses back in ways Veronica wasn’t expecting, and halfway through the kiss she’s kind of forgotten her objectives and forgotten about Cheryl altogether because wow. Betty tastes good and kisses softly and Veronica hears romantic music swelling in her mind for a moment until she’s abruptly reminded that they are, in fact, in front of an audience.
She pulls away, not daring to look at Betty’s face. Cheryl is glaring at her hard enough that Veronica’s surprised a portal to hell doesn’t open up beneath her feet. Rather than the shocked and scandalised meltdown Veronica was hoping for, Cheryl informs her that she’s behind on Riverdale taboos, and that girls kissing girls isn’t as scandalous as Veronica expected.
It’s still clearly not acceptable either, judging from the looks she’s getting from Cheryl and the other girls. This makes Veronica’s avoidance of looking back at Betty even more deliberate. Whatever Betty’s reaction to the kiss is, Veronica knows she won’t be able to handle it well. Cheryl, on the other hand, she can handle just fine. Even while dazed and possibly deeply in love with a blonde girl she didn’t know existed last week.
Cheryl continues grilling Betty, and Veronica should be tuned in but she’s still adjusting. She catches the general gist of Cheryl’s bitchiness and her insinuations about Betty’s family, but it’s only when Cheryl claps her hands abruptly that Veronica is fully startled out of the kiss haze. Highly embarrassing, she hasn’t been that dizzy after a kiss since she was twelve and making out with boys far too old for her.
“Veronica, you're on the team. Betty, better luck next year.”
Veronica smirks. Despite how the cruelty is getting to Betty, Veronica can see how blatantly fragile Cheryl is, practically a glass cannon. It’s adorable that she thinks she has any kind of genuine power here.
Veronica’s still trying to be nice, so she keeps it civil. Verbose, because she’s never known any other way. Dramatic, bordering on melodrama, but that’s not a crime. She’s not looking to completely destroy Cheryl and reduce her to a wreck of a girl that needs to transfer schools. She just needs to give her a taste of the old Veronica, the evil, ruthless bully of a teenage girl. Let Cheryl know that she is utterly out of her league.
“You wanted fire, Cheryl Bombshell? Sorry, my speciality is ice.”
And it works, because of course it does. Being a nice girl is something Veronica’s still adjusting to, but being an alpha bitch? She knows how to use that, how to get results. It’s the sharpest tool in her repertoire.
Maybe it should feel like a failure, that she had to resort to threats and intimidation, even if they were relatively mild by her standards. But when she looks back and finally makes eye contact with Betty, she finds Betty giving her a joyful, cheeky smile. There’s a sparkle in her eye and a trace of Veronica’s lipstick still on her lower lip.
Veronica gets genuine butterflies in her stomach. She didn’t even know that was possible outside of cheesy romance novels but my God, they’re real and it’s both exhilarating and terrifying.
Day three of knowing Betty Cooper: She’s still in love with Archie, doesn’t hate Veronica for kissing her, and seems blissfully oblivious of the fact that Veronica is falling head over heels in love with her.
Veronica can work with that.
Another day passes with her and Betty hanging out, and Veronica and her mother avoiding each other. It’s a routine Veronica can see herself growing comfortable with very quickly.
After cheerleading practice, Betty finally works up the nerve to ask the question Veronica has been anticipating since they first met.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
Veronica isn’t mad at it. It’s a reasonable confusion. She debates in her head for a moment what to say in response, and finds to her surprise that she wants to tell Betty the truth. Honesty, not something she anticipated in Riverdale. But it is kind of a key part of being a good person, so fuck it.
She tells Betty about her past. Not in too much detail of course she’s being honest but she’s not being stupid about it. She doesn’t want to scare Betty away. She tells her about being a mean girl, the kind that would make Cheryl Blossom shake in her boots. Tells her about New York Veronica being a spoiled, privileged, evil brat. And how her father’s arrest was a reality check that took everything away from her and forced her to confront who she really was.
“I figured if I didn’t want cheers of ‘Ding Dong the witch is dead!’ at my funeral, I needed to make some changes. Real ones, not just… public image ones.”
Betty takes it well. She doesn’t bolt at least, and she seems… satisfied. It’s an answer that makes sense given Veronica’s head bitch in charge attitude, while also not being horrific enough to make her utterly repulsed. Veronica is glad she didn’t go into too much detail. Leave almost driving a girl to suicide and peer pressuring thirteen year olds into doing cocaine to satisfy your own personal entertainment needs for when you’re a few months into the friendship.
She also deliberately doesn’t mention much about her father. He’s a large motivation behind her desire to change, the shame she brought to his image haunting her, the pearls around her neck feeling so much heavier every day he spends rotting in a cell. It should be her in there, she knows this. He’s innocent, a good man. She’s very much not, even if her crimes are more of a high school bully variant than embezzlement. But she’s not going to tell Betty that. For one thing this is her mother’s town, everyone is probably firmly convinced her father is the devil incarnate. For another, she knows exactly how the truth would make her sound: A pathetic daddy’s girl, desperate for his approval. If she’s going to convince them her father is good then she also needs to convince them she’s capable of judging his character accurately. Slow and careful, that’s how she’s going to have to play it.
It’s not lying, it’s just omitting some personal details. Details Betty doesn’t need to know yet.
Betty seems to sense they’ve reached the end of Veronica’s comfort levels with the current conversation topic. To Veronica’s surprise, she opens up about her own family issues, her sister and her mom and the tension that’s suffocating Betty. It’s a clear act of trust, of vulnerability. Does Betty really think Veronica can be trusted with that already?
It’s a lot. Having someone believe in you when you say the truth. It makes her want to do right by Betty, to prove that she’s not wrong for believing in Veronica. She can be trusted to be a good friend. She just needs a chance to prove it.
Further down the track they’re strolling on, she spots a familiar head of red hair. Her heart twinges as she considers her options.
She kissed Betty. Betty hasn’t brought it up yet. Verdict? Probably straight.
Veronica’s determined to be good. Being good means not being a creepy douchebag about Betty not returning her feelings. Being good means being the best friend possible. It means helping Betty get closer to the boy she loves. And the dance coming up? A perfect opportunity to help their young love flourish.
Veronica can do that. Genuine romance was never her forte but schemes and cliches? Oh she’s a master at those.
Betty panics as she calls Archie over to them, but unlike cheerleading practice there is far less nervousness bubbling under Veronica’s skin. This is a boy, and a girl who likes him. It’s child’s play for her.
She sets it up perfectly, gets the floor ready for Betty, a red carpet so straight and clear all she has to do is walk along it.
“I was wondering if you wanted to go…”
Betty does a goddamn pirouette instead.
“...with both of us!”
“What?” Archie frowns.
“What?” Veronica echoes.
Betty smiles frantically at her and wow, this is more desperate than Veronica thought. Small town romance really does operate on a ridiculous level of soap opera drama. It’s hardly the first time someone has improvised on what should be a straightforward script, and Veronica smiles and handles it just as well as she did when she was 12 and the boy playing Romeo to her Juliet cried and ran off the stage.
By the end of the conversation she’s secured a date for Betty to the dance. The fact that she’s also going as Archie’s date is a wrench in the plan for sure, but not exactly an unwelcome one. Now as well as helping Betty and Archie on their way to white picket fence heterosexual happiness, she also gets to make things worse for her mother.
A win win, Veronica would be impressed if she believed for a second that had been Betty’s intention all along.
Hermione is predictably not pleased that Veronica is going to the dance with Fred Andrew’s son, and just as predictably tries to hide that displeasure by smiling tightly and telling Veronica to have fun.
They both know exactly what’s going on here. Veronica grins extra wide and promises not to do anything her mother wouldn’t do. Hermione takes that as the insult it’s intended to be, and lets Veronica leave without any demands for photos or discussion about curfews.
The dance itself is a far cry from the balls Veronica is used to. It’s not the Met Gala and it’s not the Union Club of the Upper East Side. Still, someone’s spiked the punch and Betty looks happy, so Veronica’s content.
Or at least she is up until Archie rejects Betty.
She knows that logically she can’t blame him. Just like Betty doesn’t have any obligation to return Veronica’s feelings, Archie doesn’t have any obligation to return Betty’s. It’s frustrating though, because Veronica was really hoping that this would be a simple and straightforward matchmaking scheme and now there’s the tiniest concern Betty’s going to blame this rejection and pain on Veronica’s encouragement.
Betty doesn’t talk much after her dance with Archie, and she’s clearly miserable. But she doesn’t avoid Veronica entirely, so Veronica has hope that she can still redeem herself and continue working towards that title of best, kindest and most supportive friend ever. She just needs to help Betty through rejection instead of helping her find true love. Shit happens, that’s life. Betty will live and find someone who’s not blind and sees what a gorgeous dream girl they have right in front of them. And Veronica will be there to support her the whole way!
A small part of her reminds herself she still has known Betty for less than a week. The rest of her tells that small part to kindly shut the fuck up. Betty is the one for her, she just knows it.
Whatever capacity that may be, friends, lovers or more. She’s in it for the long haul.
Across the dance floor, Cheryl looks at her and smiles.
Standing face to face with Archie Andrews in a closet, Veronica has to admit that perhaps she underestimated Cheryl Blossom’s ability to be an absolute menace.
He wants to kiss her. That much has been obvious since they first stepped into this stupidly well lit closet. She’s managed to hold off so far, but three facts keep rattling through her head every time she looks at him.
Number one: He’s hot. Very much her type, and the novelty of the red hair is really doing it for her.
Number two: He has no romantic feelings for Betty. None. Nada. He’s said as much out loud to her. She’s not stealing him away from a girl he could have fallen for. Not technically homewrecking even if it would be an undeniably shitty friend move to kiss him.
Number three: He’s Fred Andrew’s son. Veronica hasn’t even met this Fred guy yet but her mom clearly has some sort of Thing with this man. This makes the idea of kissing him even more appealing than the fact she’d be ticking orange off her flavour list. Whatever that says about her probably isn’t good, but the more time they spend alone in this closet the less she finds herself caring.
So they kiss. And just like with Betty, it’s good. It’s not as good, despite the fact that Archie clearly knows what he’s doing. But it’s for sure one of the better kisses she’s had. So much so that she doesn’t regret it until they step out of the closet and find out Betty’s so upset she left the party.
Reality comes crashing down, bitter and unpleasant like the scotch she drank with her father. Strangely enough it’s his face she pictures in her mind when she thinks about how collosally she just fucked up. The disappointment in his face when she brought home her first boyfriend and told him she was in love. Stupidly naive and emotional, chasing temporary pleasure instead of looking at the big picture. She’s made herself the town scandal and ruined a friendship she truly wanted to work, for what? A quick kiss with a cute boy she barely knows?
He’d be so disappointed. He knows she can be better than this, better than a stupid little floozy swept up in hormonal teenage silliness. Better than the other girls who’d throw everything away for a young boy who wouldn’t ever be able to take care of her the way she deserves. He raised her better.
She’ll fix this. She’ll do better. She just needs to get out of this house and away from all the judgemental eyes.
Archie is as distressed as she is, looking to her like she can magically give him answers when he’s the one who’s supposed to have been Betty’s friend since they were little. It’s so pathetic she actually finds herself furious at him for a split second, but then douses that emotion quickly and marches away from him. He’s not worth it, she’s already gotten way too tangled up in caring about him. A mistake, clearly. One she should have learnt from all the stupid boys in New York.
Men are all the same, mija. You don’t believe me now but one day, you’ll understand.
Her mother can tell she’s upset once she gets home. She looks for a second like she wants to hold Veronica, comfort her, and that just makes the anger flare up again. Part of the reason she kissed Archie was to add to this stupid vendetta. And it doesn’t even feel anywhere near as good as she hoped it would. Another miscalculation to add to the list.
“How was it?” Her mother asks politely, timidly. Veronica hates her and her stupid act so much.
“Fine.” She responds dully. “I kissed Archie. He seems really nice. I think we’re going to go steady.”
Her mother doesn’t even seem upset by that. Makes sense given how much of an utter failure this night has been. Veronica doesn’t stick around to hear whatever fake response her mom is going to give, just marches into her room and slams her door shut.
When she curls up on her bed she finally lets the tears fall. Lets the self hatred cloud her head, echoes of stupid stupid stupid filling her up until she can barely breathe.
She misses her father so much. Misses how she could curl up on his lap and he’d pet her hair and listen to her problems and offer solutions. How would he fix this one?
Whenever she messed up at school, he’d listen in full detail to what she did and then tell her what to say and do to fix it. If that didn’t work, he’d cut a deal with the parents of the children and get them transferred to a different school. Veronica never liked the last resort, it didn’t make the guilt go away, just left her feeling empty. But when it came to advice he was good at that, never led her astray. She tries to picture him now, picture what he’d say to her.
I messed up Daddy, how do I fix things with Betty?
She struggles to think of what advice he would give. They’ve had conversations like this so many times, the words should come easily to her. But her mind stays blank, her father’s gentle smile frozen in her memory. She can’t think of a single thing he’d say.
Of course she can’t. He was the one who fixed things, who told her what to say and do. She was never good enough to do it on her own. Except now she’s alone, he’s not here to guide her. She has to grow up, stop being a spoiled brat who needs her father to clean up her messes. Stupid little girl, naive and sheltered while thinking she’s on top of the world.
She takes a deep breath. Self hatred is pointless right now, just another form of self pity. She needs solutions, actions. She may not be able to imagine her father here giving her advice, but she still has her memories. On the rare occasions he upset her, what did he do to get back in her good graces? What conflict resolution skills could she copy?
That time they fought about her boyfriend. He said hurtful things, and so did she, but his attacks were worse and they both knew it. He made it up to her once she’d broken up with Brody, bought her a new pearl necklace and took her ice skating and bought her a new teddy bear and made the housekeeper make sopa de fideo just the way Veronica loved it. And Veronica of course forgave him because how could she not? He loves her, she’s the apple of his eye, his whole world. A few hurtful words said in the heat of the moment can’t change that.
That’s what she has to do here. Show Betty how sorry she is, how committed she is to making things right. Show Betty exactly how much she means to her, leave no question about her dedication to making amends. It will be expensive, but it has to be. It isn’t a proper apology if it doesn’t cost enough to raise a few eyebrows.
Alright then. She has a plan. A semblance of a plan anyways. She can start on that tomorrow morning. For now, she indulges her baser emotions, lets herself wallow in the guilt and shame of once again being a horrible person, and cries herself to sleep.
Quietly and discreetly of course, so her mom doesn’t hear.
It’s the weekend, so she has time to get everything ready for her grand Betty apology. It gives her something to do, gets her out of the house and away from her mother and lets her walk down the street ignoring the looks and the whispers. Movies didn’t exaggerate about how starved these small towns were for drama. Why did that random old lady at the corner store care about a bunch of high schoolers and their messy romance anyways? Surely she should be focused on medical bills or her grandkids or something.
She takes the less busy streets, because even though she can handle the attention doesn’t mean she wants to subject herself to it needlessly. It seems like a smart decision at the time, until she’s alone and a black SUV is pulling up beside her.
“Veronica Lodge?”
She grips the mace in her purse, and turns to face the vehicle with a raised eyebrow and an ice cold glare. The face staring back at her is familiar, she’d only been in his office once but it was memorable enough she won’t be forgetting it in a hurry. Paul Sowerberry, her father’s lawyer.
He opens the door. There’s a black bag on the passenger seat beside him, and she can see crisp hundred dollar bills poking out of it.
“We need to talk.”
Her heart sinks. She doesn’t need the full story to know her father’s in trouble. Again.
Oh Daddy, what have you done now?
Mr Sowerberry stares at her expectantly. She grips her mace tight, debating her options. There’s no way he doesn’t want something shady from her, potentially criminal. The bag of money is a giant red flag.
But it’s her father. The two of them against the world, no matter what. The world could hurt them, break them, but as long as they had their loyalty to each other they would survive. She remembers him holding her, right before they took him away. Pressing a kiss to her temple, telling her he loved her. Like that was the only thing that mattered even as the cops ransacked their house. He’s a good man, framed for crimes by scumbags taking advantage of him. And she’s his most trusted ally. She may let him down on stupid petty teen social things, but she can’t let him down on this.
She gets into the car and shuts the door.