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Today was the day.
Betty had spent the past sixteen years watching the timer on her wrist tick down, slowly, tortuously slowly getting closer to "zero." She'd lie awake at night, watching those small, faintly glowing digits drop lower and lower, check it every now and then throughout each day, as if she didn't already know what it said. How far away she was.
She couldn't see anyone else's timer, just as they couldn't see hers, and it was generally considered to be bad manners to ask about anyone else's, but she knew that, as long as sixteen years, five months, one week, four days, twelve hours, eighteen minutes, and thirty-four seconds felt, she actually had a much shorter countdown than most people. Most people's timers ran down when they were in their mid-twenties, sometimes later than that. Every now and again you'd hear of someone whose countdown was set for fifty years or more, which seemed terribly sad on the surface, but Betty liked to imagine that it made it that much sweeter when the moment finally came.
Still, comparing her countdown to anyone else's didn't make hers feel like it was going any quicker.
But that was okay. Because today was the day. Her soulmate was going to tell her they loved her for the first time in three hours, six minutes, and three... two... one... zero seconds. And Betty was certain she knew who it was. It had to be Archie, of course. How could it not be? Betty was far too polite to even consider asking him about his countdown, but she was certain that it was only a few seconds longer than her own. Because today, he would tell her he loved her, and she would say it back, of course. She'd been preparing for this day all year. She'd even picked out an outfit just for the occasion.
The bell rang, signalling the end of first period. Out of habit, Betty glanced down at her timer again.
Those digits simply couldn't change to "zero" fast enough.
It was just after lunch ended when her timer told her it was only two minutes away. She, Archie, and Veronica were making their way through the crowded hallways of Riverdale High to their lockers. It wasn't that Betty didn't love Veronica, but she wished she'd leave. The first time your soulmate says "I love you" is supposed to be special. And private.
One minute, fifty-five seconds to go.
"--anyway, I better go talk to Coach Clayton about practice, I'll see you ladies in math, okay?" Archie said.
He began walking away from the girls.
Wait. What?
"Have fun, Archiekins!" Veronica called after him.
No no no no no.
Okay, Elizabeth, calm down, Betty thought to herself. Something will make him come back, it's destiny.
She nodded to herself. Destiny would work its magic, just like it always did. That was the one certainty in this world. Things had a way of working out for the best.
One minute, thirty seconds.
"You know, B, you've been in an unusually good mood today," Veronica said, as they reached their lockers.
Betty flushed with pink. "Not really, I just -- I have a good feeling about today."
One minute. Betty's heart began beating faster as she anxiously looked out into the crowd of students. No Archie.
Where was he?
"No kidding," Veronica replied. "You get all dressed up for someone special, or is it just for you?"
"No reason," Betty lied.
Forty-five seconds.
No, seriously, where was he?
"You know that your face turns red when you lie?"
"Wh-what?"
"Yeah, it's so cute."
Thirty seconds.
"I'm not lying about anyth--"
"Oh, come off it, Betty." Veronica laughed. "Let me guess, you're planning to ask someone on a hot date tonight but you're nervous."
"You could say that..."
Ten.
Her heartbeat was now frantic, as she desperately, desperately waited for Archie to come back.
Nine.
Eight.
Betty stood on tiptoe, looking again, just in case she somehow missed him in the crowd.
Seven, six, five...
And then, suddenly, in the back of her head, a voice whispered, Oh my God, he's not coming back, is he?
"Betty, are you sure you're okay?" Veronica asked, tilting her head as Betty continued to scan the crowd, still holding out hope. "You're acting even weirder than normal."
Betty felt her face burning. "Ronnie!" she said.
Three, two...
Veronica laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry -- you know I love you."
00:00:00:00:00:00.
Betty must've looked like an idiot, standing there next to her locker, staring, jaw dropped open at her wrist, her invisible-to-everyone-else timer all zeroed out. Veronica didn't seem to notice, opening her own locker to get her book for her next class, while Betty just stood there like a very awkward-looking statue.
"What?" she whispered, mostly to herself.
Her entire life, she'd been planning out that timer running down when she was talking to Archie. Hell, that was why she'd never told him she liked him. She figured destiny would work itself out, like always.
This? She had not planned on this.
She'd spent her whole life preparing herself for a life that, apparently, was never meant to exist.
"I gotta go," Veronica said, obviously not noticing Betty's internal existential crisis. She slammed her locker door shut. "My art teacher is such a hardass about being on time. See you in math."
Veronica blew Betty a kiss, grinning playfully before walking off to her next class, leaving Betty standing alone next to her locker, still staring at her wrist.
"...What?!"
Obviously, telling her mother that her wrist countdown had zeroed out when she was talking to Veronica was out of the question. Alice had already been annoyed that Betty was counting on it happening when she was talking to Archie -- just about the only person she would've liked less would be Veronica. (Or Jason Blossom.) So Betty didn't dare mention it when she got home that evening, instead going upstairs to her room as quickly as possible so she could do some thinking in private.
She felt disoriented, confused, and... and so, so stupid. How many times had magazines and books told her not to plan her entire life around a man? And yet, she'd done just that, assuming that Archie was her soulmate, and planning accordingly. It almost felt like the universe was punishing her for it, giving her the biggest "screw you" possible. It wasn't even only that was she planning for the wrong man -- she'd been picturing the wrong gender altogether.
That was another thing to get used to. That her soulmate was not only not Archie, apparently, but a woman.
Betty had never given much thought to her sexual orientation before. She knew she liked Archie, and while she'd had crushes on other guys, they'd all been temporary, fleeting. She loved Archie.
Or at least, she thought she did.
Betty ran her hands through her hair, mind reeling. Was it even possible for her to be in love with him, if destiny had picked out someone else for her? Why would the universe choose to mess with someone's emotions like that?
When she thought about the life she'd expected to lead -- with Archie as her soulmate -- she'd pictured... a cozy house, a couple kids, her working a job she loved, feeling safe and loved and secure. She'd pictured a white picket fence and a dog out front.
Nothing she pictured, Betty realized, actually required Archie.
Hell... had she ever really included Archie in these fantasies at all? She could've sworn she did, but now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure.
Slowly, as if she was being gradually eased into a bath of ice, Betty came to the realization that was sixteen years overdue: she loved Archie, and she always would... but she wasn't in love with him. In love with the idea of the life they could've had, maybe.
But there was no reason she couldn't have that life with Veronica.
Betty laid back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Now that she knew who she was, apparently, actually destined to be with, she had to admit, certain aspects of her life made a little more sense now. Like why, when she first met Veronica, she'd been immediately and undeniably drawn to her. Or why fate seemed to have a habit of throwing them together, sometimes against their wills. Or why Betty had only felt like she could really, truly be herself around Veronica -- Veronica and no one else. And why she'd always felt certain that Veronica would stand by her no matter what batshit crazy thing she did.
Betty had always chalked all that up to her and Veronica being destined to be BFFs.
Holy shit. She was so stupid.
Betty needed to talk this out with someone. Two guys were probably not her best option for something so touchy-feely, but... they were her best friends. And it wasn't like she could talk to Veronica, or, God forbid, her mom.
"Hey, guys," Betty said, sliding into their usual booth at Pop's, next to Jughead, across from Archie.
"Hey, Betty. Where's Veronica?" Jughead asked.
A reasonable question, since she and Veronica spent almost every minute outside of class together. (Yet another entry on her internal "how did I not piece this together before, aren't I an honors student?" list.)
"She had homework," she said. "And, look -- this is going to sound weird, so I'm just going to come right out and say it, because if I don't talk about this with somebody, I'm going to explode."
Both guys stared at her, blinking stupidly.
"My timer ran down."
Archie lit up, looking genuinely happy for her. "Congratulations!"
"That's great, B," Jughead said, looking less elated, but not annoyed, either. For Jughead, that was practically glowing.
"My timer ran down when I was talking to Veronica."
Archie's mouth dropped open, a French fry falling out of his hand as he stared at her. Jughead's eyebrows shot up, but otherwise, he showed no reaction.
"Wait, you're gay?" was the first thing Archie said, once he remembered how to speak English again. "Or -- or bisexual, or -- you know, or whatever."
Betty shrugged. "Apparently! It's news to me, but... yeah, apparently."
"So, what's the problem?" Jughead asked.
Betty shrugged again, frustrated. "Well, I mean -- what do I do now? How do I go up to my best friend and say, 'Hey, funny story, we're soulmates! Surprise!'"
Jughead snorted. "Honestly, if Veronica already knows, I wouldn't be surprised. I sort of figured she liked you."
Betty and Archie stared at him.
"...Please, for the love of God, tell me I'm not the only one that noticed that," Jughead said.
Betty shook her head. "Whatever. It doesn't matter now. The point is... now what?" She glanced from Jughead to Archie and back again. "I mean, did either of you ever think of what you'll do when your timer runs down?"
Jughead shrugged, reaching for a French fry off of Archie's plate. "I'm not the person to ask," he said casually. "I don't have a timer."
Betty and Archie exchanged stunned glances, before looking at Jughead.
"Are you serious?" Betty didn't mean to sound rude or anything, but out of all the stories about other people's countdowns that she'd heard, this was by far the most unusual. She'd never heard of anyone just... not having one at all.
Jughead laughed out loud when he saw their expressions. "God, you two look like someone died. Trust me, I'm happier this way."
"Are you sure?"
"What, you think it's plausible that the universe picked out a soulmate for everyone and gave them an invisible timer so they'd know when they found them, but not that the universe would also decide a few people weren't meant for that sort of thing?"
"...I guess when you put it that way, it doesn't sound so weird," Betty admitted. "I've just never heard of that."
"Yeah, it's not common. But I'm not alone -- there are some people online I've talked to about it," Jughead said. "So, yeah, I never had to think ahead to the big confession."
Betty sighed, picking at her nail. "I'm still adjusting to the idea, to be honest. I never even considered it could be Veronica. I always figured my timer would run down for... someone else."
She and Jughead exchanged a glance, but Archie didn't notice. Instead, he said, "I think it's best if you just tell her. Rip it off, like a band-aid."
Betty rolled her eyes. "Romantic," she said.
"Well, I mean, she's your soulmate. It's not like you have to worry about getting rejected."
Betty nodded. "That's true," she admitted.
"You and Ronnie are best friends," Archie continued, nudging her gently, with a small, encouraging smile. "It's why you two as soulmates is actually kind of perfect."
Betty blushed, smiling widely, staring at her lap. "You really think that?"
"Yeah!" Archie nodded. "Now that I think about it, it makes sense."
"Funny... that's what I thought, too." Betty nodded to herself, her smile growing wider. Slowly, she stood up, getting out of the booth. "You're right. I should just tell her. First thing tomorrow -- wait, no. No, tonight. Tonight."
"Go for it."
"I will. I am!"
And with that, Betty left the diner, determined to find Veronica before she lost her nerve.
After Betty left, Archie went back to eating, making casual discussion. "I wonder, who did she think her timer would run down for?" he asked.
Jughead just stared at him.
Betty knew that if she spent too long thinking about what she was going to say, she'd psyche herself out and not be able to say anything at all, so she started talking as soon as she got into Veronica's bedroom.
"My timer zeroed out, Veronica, and it zeroed out when I was talking to you."
Veronica looked up from where she was sitting on her bed, stunned.
"And - and... I know, that this is weird, and kind of awkward, because, like, we suddenly know we're soulmates when before we may not have ever even thought about it -- but... but, Ronnie, the more I think about it, the more I realize that I should've known. And that, even though it's not what I expected, I'm actually... I'm really happy about this, Veronica."
Veronica slowly got to her feet, approaching Betty, a small smile slowly curving on her lips.
"It really... it really ran down when you were with me?" she whispered, as if she didn't dare to believe it.
Betty nodded. "God, you were just teasing me, but that was enough to count, apparently. And -- and, look, we literally have the rest of our lives to figure this out, I'm not saying we need to get married tomorrow, but... but now that we know, shouldn't we, like... try being in a real relationship?"
Veronica grinned. "Are you asking me to be your girlfriend, Betty Cooper?"
"Yes. Yes, I am."
Veronica was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet now, practically radiating joy. "Yes, yes, I'll be your girlfriend, you ridiculous, oblivious girl!"
"Veronica -- I think I could... no, no, I know... I already know, I love you."
Betty had seen many beautiful things in her sixteen years, but none compared to the look on Veronica's face as she went to look at wrist, and, as tears filled her eyes, Betty realized she had just seen her own timer zero out. Veronica's face, a mixture of euphoria and disbelief, was all it took to push Betty to step forward, taking Veronica's wrist in her hand and pulling her in for a kiss. It was awkward, uncoordinated, and clumsy -- and perfect. They stood there like that for almost a full minute, both desperate for each other -- not in a physical, lustful way, necessarily, just a deep, unquenchable emotional need that neither had fully realized was there until now. Like they'd been drowning for all these years, and now, now -- they finally had air to breathe.
As they pulled away, Veronica let out a laugh, and whispered quietly, half to Betty, half to herself: "I totally knew it."