Chapter Text
"Oh na na, just be careful, na na, love ain't simple, na na, promise me no promises..."
Betty cracked open one eye and instantly a bolt of pain in her head made her groan. She knew that ringtone, but it seemed to take her twenty minutes to disentangle herself from Reggie, his arms around her almost dead weight while he was sleeping.
She scooted to the edge of the bed, too quickly, and felt a wave of nausea.
She picked up the phone on what had to have been the last ring.
"H-Hello?" Her voice came out cracked and hoarse.
"Hey, Blondie, how are you feeling this morning?" Adam's voice was chipper and unassuming, as always.
Well, she thought, to be fair, he didn't bathe in hunch punch last night and have a romance movie conversation with a longtime friend.
"I feel like I got hit by a bus," she groaned, quietly, trying not to wake Reggie.
Adam's laugh was loud on the phone and she winced and took it away from her ear a bit.
"I figured you'd be hurting this morning. How was the famous Lodge graduation party? I'm so pissed that I missed it. Tell me all about it! Who did the best kegstand? Who lost their cookies? Who hooked up?"
Betty winced again at that last bit, since she was currently all but whispering on a mostly naked Reggie Mantle's bed.
"Big Moose, on both kegstand and cookie tossing," she said lightly, trying to disarm him.
Adam laughed again. "Well, one usually follows the other. Did you bunk at Ronnie's? I'm back in town around noon. What do you say I swing by and pick you up and we can go over to Pop's for a greasy hangover lunch?"
Betty checked her phone for the time. It was only 7. Why in God's name would he call so early? Despite her rolling stomach, she thought it was good she'd have time to shower and get over to Ronnie's.
"That sounds great, Adam."
"I missed you," he said, and suddenly his voice wasn't so chipper, but soft, honest.
Betty winced again, and she thought it was more his words and the stab of guilt in her gut than the hangover. She felt Reggie stirring beside her. "Me too," she said, cheerfully.
"I'm going to give you the best kiss you've ever had when I get to Ronnie's."
Betty put a hand to her aching head. "Can't wait," she barked out hoarsely.
"Poor baby. I'll cheer you up. Get some sleep. I'll see you at noon, babe."
Betty tossed her phone onto the pillow and flopped back on the bed with a groan.
Reggie was looking at her with an arched eyebrow. "Fun's over, huh?" he said, and she thought there was only a hint of bitterness in his tone.
"Come on, Reg. He's fun."
"Fun as a wet sack, I'm sure," Reggie said, dryly, and sat up, running his hands through his hair.
Betty took a moment to appreciate the span of his back, light brown and muscled. She wanted to sit up and bite his broad shoulder, but she thought that would not be good for her stomach.
"Lie down," she commanded. "I have a few hours."
Reggie looked at her, smirking. "Yes, ma'am."
He stretched out beside her, snaking his arm around her waist, underneath the sweatshirt, his big hand on her bare hip making her shiver.
"Hungover?" he asked her.
Betty groaned. "Please kill me."
He brushed his nose against her cheek. "Not today."
"I need the biggest coke in the universe."
Reggie chuckled and nuzzled her some more. "I've got some in the fridge. I'll grab it."
He started to move his arm from her waist and she grabbed his forearm. "Not yet."
Reggie snuggled down in to place, his face brushing hers.
"I would love a good morning kiss, but my breath might kill you."
"I'll take that chance," he said, and he kissed her, long and slow, and despite the nausea, Betty thought Adam didn't have a shot in hell at topping that kiss.
For a moment they were quiet, but the silence wasn't awkward. Betty was comfortable. She felt another stab in her gut that seemed unrelated to the hangover.
"Reggie?"
"What's up, beautiful?"
"I don't know how to do this."
Reggie shifted up so he could look at her, his hand still firmly on her hip. "Do what, Bets?"
Betty sighed, and tears threatened at the back of her eyes. "I don't know how to lie to him without hurting anyone. I dont know how to date more than one guy at a time."
"Well, Bets, you know, you don't have to lie. You don't have to date more than one guy, or any guys if you don't want."
"I know that, it's just..." The tears came now, and she made a snuffling sound and tucked her head into his shoulder.
Reggie's arm left her hip and came up to brush her hair away from her face.
"What's wrong, Bets? You can talk to me." His voice was so soft, and Betty sniffled and looked up at him.
The thing was, she couldn't talk to him. Not about this. Not about Adam, or how she felt about what happened last night. She couldn't because now he wasn't just her friend. Now he wasn't her tutor. This was the complete opposite of what she wanted to happen.
"Guys do this all the time!" she all but wailed. "Adam and I haven't talked about being exclusive. You and I aren't exclusive."
"Unfortunately," he said, deadpan, and when she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, his eyes softened. "Bets, you can do whatever you want. You aren't hurting anyone."
Betty knew he was lying, knew she had hurt him last night by telling him the truth about Adam, and the tears came faster, because this was Reggie Mantle, the boy who acted tough but had always been so sweet to her, when it counted.
"I had different plans for this morning," she said, her nose stuffy from crying.
Reggie chuckled and she felt the vibration in his chest. It felt so wonderful she snuggled even closer.
"I like this plan," Reggie said, and planted a kiss on the top of her head.
Betty snuggled even closer, her eyes drooping, and as she was falling asleep, she slurred, "I like you, Reggie."
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"Oh na na, just be careful, na na, love ain't simple, na na, promise me no promises..."
Reggie groaned as he heard his ringtone. It was probably his parents, checking in. He had changed his ringtone weeks ago, and boy, was he already tired of it.
He fumbled around for his Iphone without opening his eyes, and closed on it in a few seconds.
"Hello?"
"Um, hello? Betty?"
Reggie's eyes flew open. He looked at the phone, with it's pink case. Presumably, that was Adam's voice. SHIT. What could he do now, just hang up?
He remembered the way Betty looked, half guilty, half defiant, when she told him she had consummated her relationship with Adam, and his stomach rolled. He wanted to smugly tell Adam that Betty Cooper was in his arms wearing his sweatshirt and a pair of lace panties, but looking down at Betty softly snoring with her head on his chest, he couldn't do it.
"Hey - Sorry...Betty's asleep."
"Who is this?" Adam's voice wasn't angry, not yet, but definitely suspicious.
Reggie found himself at a complete loss for words.
"Hello?" Definitely more angry, this time.
"Um, this is Reggie Mantle."
"Dude, not to be a dick, but can I ask you why you are answering my girlfriend's phone?"
Reggie felt anger rise in his chest. "Didn't know she was your girlfriend, dude."
Fuck. He hadn't meant to say that.
"Well, whatever she is, this is her phone, so can I talk to her?"
Reggie breathed out slowly through his nose.
"Hey, Bets," he whispered.
She opened one eye, and saw him holding her phone. She scrambled up faster than he thought possible in her hungover state and snatched the phone from her hand.
What the fuck? She mouthed.
"I thought it was mine, Bets, I'm sorry." He was sorry. Sorry that Adam had called at all, sorry that Adam had said she was his girlfriend, sorry that he'd ever gotten in this pickle in the first place.
Betty said a soft hello into the phone and Reggie could hear Adam's deep voice, louder than before. Betty winced and vaulted over him, off the bed and out of the bedroom, Reggie only getting a slight glimpse of her long legs.
Reggie hefted a deep sigh and got out of bed after watching her go.
Well, he'd fucked that up, but how was he supposed to know they had the same stupid song as a ringtone?
Instead of getting dressed, he paced around the room in his sweatpants, unable to hear Betty. She must have gone out on the terrace.
it seemed like an hour before she came back into the room, ruffling through her overnight bag, eyes puffy from her hangover and tears.
She wouldn't even look at him.
"Hey, Bets?" Reggie said, his hands out in front of him in apology. "I'm sorry, ok? We have the same ringtone, and I didn't know-"
"Save it, Reg." She snapped, and he took a step back from her.
"Betty, I-"
"Just shut up! I know you, Reggie Mantle, and I know Mr. Ego couldn't resist."
"Bets, I didn't-"
"But you did! I don't know what you said but he knows something is up, now! I just told you I didn't want to hurt anyone!" Her face was flushed with anger.
Reggie felt something snap. "You don't want to hurt anyone." He said, slowly, an edge to his voice.
"Of course I don't!"
"What you really mean is that you don't want to hurt him." He said, just as slowly.
"What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember when Archie would stand you up without a word, and you'd hear through the grapevine that he was making out with Veronica at the movies?"
"Reggie," she said, and her saw her face falling, saw the flush come out of her cheeks, but he couldn't stop.
He leaned against his dresser, trying to seem nonchalant when there was a black rage in his head and his chest felt like it might split apart.
"How you felt then is about a tenth of how I felt when you told me that you fucked him," Reggie continued, his voice still even.
Fat tears rolled down Betty's cheeks. She didn't speak, standing there with no makeup and her hair mussed and with her overnight bag dangling from her arm. She looked beautiful and a little lost and for a moment Reggie wanted to stop, wanted to take her in his arms and tell her he was sorry, that it was fine, that she could do whatever she wanted and he'd take it.
He couldn't move, leaning on the dresser still, his heart beating so fast it seemed as if it might burst out of his chest.
"Seems to me like you don't have to date two guys at all, Bets. Seems like you know which one you want."
"I never meant to hurt you, Reggie," she said, her voice cracking, and Reggie's heart dropped because he'd said these words before, to girls he wasn't interested in.
"Yeah, well," he shrugged. "You live and you learn, right? So should I take you to your house? Ronnie's? Just drop you off at his house to save you the trip?"
"Ronnie's coming to get me, but Reggie, I don't want you to think-" She trailed off, there, just looking at him with those slightly lost blue eyes.
Reggie stood up straight, finally moving from his spot. He couldn't look at her. He couldn't let her see anything in his face, anything he was fighting to keep from showing. He had that feeling again, that feeling like he was fevered, his face hot, his head swimming, stomach churning.
"Don't worry, Bets. I'm not going to make a scene at school, or anything." He was struggling now to keep his voice from breaking and he hated it. He hated that he'd done this, that he'd let her in, that he'd ever thought he had a shot at deserving her. He pretended to be very interested in cleaning his nails.
He felt her hand on his face, cool against his flushed skin, and he felt so suddenly miserable, wishing that he could push her away, wishing that he could summon Mr. Ego like he had so many times before.
Then he heard a car honk, twice, and he gently pushed her away. "Your chariot awaits," he said, and mustered up the strength to smirk at her.
Betty's eyes were liquid blue, but she set her jaw.
Of all the things he had expected her to say, what came out of her mouth wasn't even in the top 50.
"Okay, Mister. I'll go, but you're coming with me."