Adult-FanFiction.org : Comics

Rebound Love	By : sandyl666 Category: Comics > Archie & Co. Views: 13319 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The comics Archie and Co, with its plot, characters, setting, etc does not belong to me. I guess they belong to John L. Goldwater, and a few others but I'm unsure. I make nothing by writing this fiction, and I don't plan to.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Chapter 5

Betty sighed happily as she stirred from her sleep. She'd never slept in such a comfortable bed before. When she rose from bed she was surprised to see that she was still fully clothed in the attire she had traveled in. The bed was so comfortable it negated the discomfort of her travel clothes.
She explored the suite – having been coaxed into the humongous bed before she could do so the night before. It was more like a mini-apartment than a hotel room. The kitchen was just the size she liked – ample in space and surfaces, and fully equipped with modern appliances and equipment. As a professional chef like her needed. She could probably come up with new recipes in her stay here. She doubted she could do that with a regular hotel room.
Grudgingly, she admitted to herself that she did owe Veronica a thank you for upgrading her to the penthouse suite. She wasn't about to live there for free though. The very least she could do was pay for the luxurious board.
Connected to the kitchen – where the dining area was as well, in the form of a kitchen island counter – was the living area. A 52 inch TV stood against the wall, and before it a loveseat that sucked her up the moment she sat in it. Like the bed – it was so comfortable that she actually felt upset at having to leave it.
She dragged herself from the loveseat, smiling to herself at how the plush carpet felt beneath her feet. Ron had really outdone herself. She made her way to the bathroom, which had two connecting doors. One from the living area, and the other from her bedroom. Like everywhere else in the suite, the bathroom was generous in size. There was a tub that seemed more like a jacuzzi in the middle of the room and a shower that was the size of a walk-in closet. The toilet bowl looked tiny in comparison to the other facilities.
Running a finger along the smooth porcelain of the oversized bathtub, she reflected on how today was definitely starting out to be an awesome day.

She didn't know what soap the Lodge Hotel provided for their bubble baths, but she had to get some of it. It was amazing just how many bubbles there had been. She felt totally refreshed after the bath. With cleanliness down, she decided to tackle her growing hunger instead.
And what better way to do so than to take her time exploring the large range of the complimentary breakfast buffet? She wasted no time, grabbing a plate of mouth-watering meats and six differently cooked eggs to start of.
As she approached the dining area, looking for a place to seat while she enjoyed her meal, somebody waved at her.
“Betty!”
Betty almost dropped her plate in her excitement. She squealed and rushed – as fast as she could without dropping her plate – towards the dark-haired woman. She placed the plate on the table, freeing both her hands so she could hug her high school friend.
“Midge! It's so good to see you!” She exclaimed as they shared a hug.
“You too!” The petite woman said. Moments later they pulled back to study each other. Not much had changed even after eight years. This was especially true when Betty finally got the chance to study Midge's companion.
“Moose! Is that you?” The blonde grinned up at her – looking as tall and buff as ever. She knew that he'd become a professional footballer right after graduating from high school and his career showed in his body.
“Hi Betty,” He greeted her through a mouthful of food, then continued to stuff his face. She laughed.
“Some things never change,” She noted. Midge joined in her laughter.
“They definitely don't,” She said. “Come on, sit, sit. Join us for breakfast!”
Betty did so without protest.
“When did you guys get here?” She asked her old-time friends.
“Two days ago,” Midge answered for Moose. “And you arrived yesterday, right?”
Betty blinked. “How did you-”
Midge reached into her bag, at her feet, and pulled out a magazine. She flourished it in Betty's face, causing Betty to almost go cross-eyed as she studied the front page. A picture of both her and Reggie at the airport – Reggie, of course, looking gorgeous as he smiled his most winning smile at the camera, looking at it over his shades in that manner he found so cool. And beside him was her, her hair looking disheveled from having been stuffed into the beanie, looking miserable, wincing as she was caught by the flash. Beside their picture is a caption that said: Two celebrities taking a holiday together – the start of a new romance?!
“Ugh,” was all Betty could say to Midge, who grinned at her over the magazine.
“So. Is it?” Midge asked as she kept the magazine away.
“Is it what?” Betty asked as she speared her meat.
“Is it the start of a new romance?” Moose actually seemed interested in this, lifting his head from his plate and looking at her.
“Midge, Reggie and I are just friends. We've always been just friends,”
“Duh, that's not what we thought in senior year,” Moose commented.
“We're just friends!” Betty protested, more strongly this time.
“Who's just friends?” Betty jumped at the familiar voice, rising to her feet automatically so she could spin around and tackle her friend. She hesitated, however, when she was faced with her friend's male companion, who was juggling way too many loaded plates for it to be safe. Ignoring Jughead and his infinite plates, she threw her arms around Ethel.
“Where's mine?” Nancy, who had been hidden behind all the plates, protested. Betty squealed and widened the hug to include Nancy. Chuck shook his head at the girls and proceeded to pull a few tables to join with Midge and Moose's – they needed more space, if Jughead and his plates were to sit with them.
Breakfast became a lively affair with seven at the table. Everyone chatted amicably, especially among the women.
“Nancy and Chuck – you're married?” Midge gasped when she noticed the ring.
“Yeah. It was a last minute decision – I promise that's the only reason why none of you were invited,” Nancy informed them as she held up her hand so her ring could be admired. “We were at a Las Vegas comic convention for Chuck, and we thought – we'd been together for so long, why not get married? We're planning an actual wedding though, and of course – you're all invited,”
“Congrats, Nancy! And you too, Chuck!” Betty exclaimed – genuinely happy for them. And yet a part of her was jealous of the happy couple. She turned to Midge. “And you two have been married for – what, five years now?”
Midge smiled. “That's right. Five happy years,” She turned her smile on Moose, who smiled back. Betty couldn't help another twinge of envy within her. “I can't believe practically none of you could make it to that wedding,” Midge frowned at her previous schoolmates in disapproval.
Betty blinked. She knew she had been busy – she was finishing up a final paper for the end of her art degree, majoring in literature. She didn't have the time nor the money to travel all the way to Switzerland, where the wedding was. She hadn't known the rest hadn't attended either.
“Sorry, Midge. Chuck and I had been saving up for our own place at the time,” Nancy said, looking sheepish.
Midge sighed. “It's okay. It was my fault for wanting an overseas wedding. The only people who could make it were Ron and Archie,” She said, causing Betty to perk up. She opened her mouth to ask about that, when Midge abruptly changed the subject. “What I'm most curious about is how this two got together,” She said, looking pointedly at Ethel and Jughead.
Jughead looked too busy to talk, so Midge directed her question to Ethel. Who Betty had to say looked even more radiant than ever. She'd expected it of Midge and Nancy, who had been lookers in the first place, but Ethel had really grown into her looks. Her teeth had been corrected, and while her nose still protruded, it didn't look Pinocchio-like anymore. Her height, rather than making her seem awkward, accentuated her figure. Betty could suddenly understand why Jughead had agreed to a relationship with her – except for the part where Jughead had actually grown an interest in girls.
“Well, I was working as a manager at an ad company, and Jughead used our company's services. And, well, things happened and now we're together. I'm currently working as a manager in his company's Advertisement and Media department,” She said vaguely. Her friends protested loudly.
“Aww, Ethel, is that all you're gonna give us?” Midge groaned.
“Come on, girl, details,” Nancy demanded.
“Maybe later,” Ethel said, glancing at Jughead, who was pretending he couldn't hear a word of the conversation. But of course, his proximity enabled him to hear everything, even if he didn't want to.
They chatted over breakfast some more, and somehow it was decided that the males and females would split up – the women on to the spa and the men... elsewhere. And they would meet up with them later, right before the reunion dinner. The men agreed wholeheartedly, not wanting to be a part of, or anywhere near the women as they got ready for the dinner. The whole dressing up process tired them out just from watching.
“So do you have a date for tonight, Betty?” Nancy asked as they were getting their manicures and pedicures done.
“Um,” She hesitated. People already thought she was in love with Reggie. “Reggie's picking me up at 7 – but we're just going as friends!” She added the last part in a hurry, because of the grins that had started to spread over her friends' faces.
“Right, right, we heard that one before,” Midge said in her disbelieving voice.
“Guys – seriously! We're not a couple,” Nobody believed her. She sighed, giving up. Only Ethel seemed to believe her, and she gave Betty a sympathetic look.
“This hotel's really amazing. Who knew our resident lazy snob could come up with such a place?” Nancy commented, ignoring the shocked looks the people servicing her nails gave her at having their CEO insulted.
“Ron's more talented than we give her credit for,” Ethel agreed.
“And I'm sure tonight's going to be absolutely perfect,” Midge added chirpily.
Betty wanted very much to agree. Tonight was the night she'd see Archie again – and she would win his heart.

Midge did the make-up for the women, having experience in doing Moose's whenever he was to go on TV. Betty helped, having had her own make-up done for being on her own show. But Midge had a way with colors that Betty just didn't.
When everyone emerged fully dressed, it finally hit Betty that this was no longer a high school dance. None of the dresses could have possibly cost anywhere under a thousand. Nancy wore a dark blue velvet number, with off the shoulder straps and a skirt coming up to her knees, with folds all along the skirt as a design. Midge's was a cute little black dress, completely strapless, showing off her cleavage, and a puffy skirt that consisted of tule and satin, divided by a jeweled waistband. Ethel’s was the most breathtaking, in Betty's opinion. Red and long, with only one strap on her right shoulder, the dress hugged her tall figure, accentuating her relatively small curves.
Betty felt like hers weren't anywhere near as stunning as theirs, with her sky blue capped sleeves satin-bonded dress, with sweetheart neckline and a thigh-high skirt that fluttered as she walked.
But her friends didn't agree. “You look dazzling, Betty,” Ethel commented. Midge and Nancy nodded.
She tried not to let her surprise show at the compliment. “Thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself, Ethel,”
Ethel smiled graciously at the compliment.
“I agree. You look like a model,” Midge sighed in mock-envy as she appraised Ethel's figure.
“Midge, you're not a midget. I mean, look at those legs,” Nancy said.
“And you look absolutely divine, Nancy,” Midge responded. The four women paused, then they began laughing at all the traded compliments. “Let's go knock 'em dead,” Midge said, and they promptly exited Betty's suite, that both had the greatest amount of space and had the least likelihood of any of the men walking in on them.
When they got to the lobby, they were pleased to see that their respective dates were there with shiny vehicles ready to send them to Riverdale High School, two were sports car and another was a Mercedes. But the most impressive was the big, black limousine.
“Yo, Blondieeee!” Reggie yelled, sticking himself through the open hole in the limousine roof so that his upper body was completely visible to her. He waved at her vigorously.
“Just friends, huh?” Midge laughed at Betty. Betty gave up on trying to correct her as the women made their way to their respective vehicles.
“You look great, Bets,” Reggie told her with more sincerity than she would have expected from him – though, she did remind herself that he was after all a professional actor.
“As do you,” She said. The limousine was just as spacious inside as she had been expecting. It almost felt like a transportation version of her suite. There was a partition between the chauffeur and the backseats, and Reggie had to talk through a little microphone-type thing to tell him to drive. “Reg- Guess who's staying at my hotel!”
“Midge, Moose, Nancy, Chuck, Ethel and Jughead?” She stared at him. “You just came out of the hotel with them, and they were parked right next to me. How can I not know that they're here?”
She made a face at him. “I'm sorry for trying to make conversation,” she huffed.
“Sorry. I'm a little nervous about tonight,” He said, tugging at his collar. She immediately helped him re-adjust it in that maternal manner of hers.
“Yeah... Me too. But we'll be great. Tonight's going to be absolutely perfect,” she said, quoting Midge's earlier words.
“Yeah... You're right,” He said. They made small chat the rest of the way, with Betty talking about her amazing hotel and Ron's generous offer, and Reggie sharing about his joyful reunion with his parents – joyful for them, not so much for him. He was too cool for joy – and the nostalgia of staying in his childhood bedroom, despite not having the same spacious bed he did in his LA home. Their nervousness abated somewhat with the small talk, and they got to their destination in no time at all.
When they arrived, Reggie acted like a total gentleman – opening the door for her, then offering her the crook of his elbow.
“Why, thank you,” She said as she slipped her hand into it. He smiled back at her, then concentrated on the entrance of their school, where people were streaming in. People they recognized. They were greeted enthusiastically by their previous schoolmates – some congratulating them for their celebrity status. Many were sincere, but some were fake, instigated by fame leechers or money grubbers. Nevertheless, Betty and Reg deflected the few of those, and graciously accepted the well-wishes of everyone else.
Reggie never let go of Betty's hand. Whether it was because he was nervous, or because she made a good accessory, she didn't know. But she felt more comfortable too with her arms linked with his. Of course, all the glares from the girls whose hearts he broke and never got over him, and whispering from everyone else made her groan inwardly.
Great. Now everybody thought they were a couple. She had to clear that up with Archie as soon as she could.
As they walked to the school hall, she found herself glancing around, scanning for a certain redhead. Reggie was doing the same for a brunette, but neither search turned up successful.
“Reggie! Betty!” A familiar voice called, and the couple spun around.
“Dilton?!” Betty exclaimed in amazement. He was now half a foot taller than her... When had he grown that much?
“It's so good to see you two in person. I see both of you on TV often,” The brunette said.
“And I keep seeing your name in the papers. I heard your research went well. Congrats,” Reggie said.
“Thank you. Oh, this is my wife – Helen,” He said, gesturing to a beautiful redhead beside him. She smiled at them.
“You got married? Good job, Dil!” Reggie whacked him on the shoulder.
“It's been a year now, actually,” Dilton said with some embarrassment. Betty smiled, happy for her friend. Though of course – part of her felt envy for how in love the couple was. More than once her eyes wandered, looking for a male redhead she had yet to so much as glimpse.
Dilton soon left to mingle with others - there were too many people to greet to just stay with one couple.
“Seen them yet?” Reggie whispered to her. She shook her head in reply and they exchanged a worried look. Reggie less so than Betty, because at least he knew that Ron was sure to be at the dinner – she was the one who organized it, as Betty had informed him.
Finally, they got to the hall and their hunt was temporarily cut short as they found themselves awed by the state of the hall. The theme was... formality, Betty guessed. There was a chandelier attached to the roof, and carpet adorned the floors. The walls were embellished with decorative drapes, dark in color. The tables and chairs were covered in cloth and bows, as if they were at a wedding, and the stage had been cleaned up and possibly had its flooring changed. Everything was sparkling and pretty, and were those balloons she saw all over the floor?
“...Holy crap,” Reggie commented. “How did they get this dump to look like... this?”
“It's not a dump,” Betty argued, but even she had to agree that the original hall they were used to seemed like a shabby shack compared to what it had been turned to. “I smell Ron behind this,”
“Speaking of Ron, where is she?” Reg asked, but Betty had no answer for him.
“Reg! Betty! Over here!” Midge waved to them, where the gang that she had met that day had somehow arrived at the hall before them, and had occupied a table to themselves – with four empty seats. Reggie and Betty sat down in the seats with their names on it. Beside her were Archie and Ron's seats. Good, so they were sharing a table.
“Has anyone seen Ronnie or Archie?” Betty asked, but nobody had. Well, technically the dinner hasn't even begun... Betty tried to console herself.
In the next half hour, they mingled, were visited by more previous schoolmates, laughed and caught up. And in Betty and Reggie's case, vigilantly searched for the people they loved.
“Alright everybody, take a seat,” A woman with white hair said into the microphone on the stage. Betty took her seat beside Reggie, and they shared a worried look at each other before glancing at the two empty seats. Then they turned their attention back to the screen and with a jump Betty realized it was Ms Grundy on the stage. A bit older, but looking pretty much the same. She even had that same sense of fashion - the outdated kind. “Well, gang, it's good to see all of you. I'm glad so many of you have turned up! And looking so resplendent! Welcome to the first reunion of Riverdale's Class Of-” She cut off abruptly as she looked to the side of the stage, and somebody signaled at her to hurry it up.
Betty gripped Reggie's forearms, but he was just as tense. He had seen them too. It was Ron – looking flamboyant as usual, with a dress that just covered her boobs, exposing her cleavage in a gap that got increasingly thinner as it went almost all the way to her belly button. Her skirt was long, but the slit down the side exposed her gorgeous legs up to almost mid-thigh. She looked beautiful, as she always did. Behind her was Archie – his hair groomed back, wearing a suit that looked like it was tailored for him. Which it might have been. He was a Lodge secretary – he must be earning loads. He looked nervous as he stood behind Ron.
“Well, somebody's just dying to talk to all of you, so I'll let her have her moment. Again, welcome back to Riverdale!” Everyone clapped as Ms Grundy made her way off-stage. Ron walked up the stairs, dragging Archie by the hand. As they passed through the spotlights that had been trained on the stage, a ring on Archie's left ring finger made Betty's stomach do a flip. She could feel the dread building in her as the two made it on to the stage and Ron approached the microphone while Archie, as handsome as ever, stood just a little behind her.
“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here. I hope you're enjoying the evening so far, and I can promise you that you'll enjoy it even more in the hours to come. I've planned a lot of things for us tonight. But first – I wanted to make an announcement,” She paused here dramatically. Betty could feel her heartbeat increase rapidly.
Please don't say what I think you're going to say, please don't say what I think you're going to say...
“I'm sure you're all wondering why you were invited to a reunion seemingly out of nowhere, eight years after the end of high school, rather than ten. Well, it's actually a ruse on Archie's and my part to get all of you here to Riverdale. You see-” She held her hand out to Archie. Her left hand, the ring finger of which was adorned with a diamond that shone in the bright lights aimed at the stage. Archie took her hand, stepping forward with a huge smile. Betty felt sick. “Archie and I are engaged,” Collective gasps come from the alumni of Riverdale in the hall, in a way that made it seem rehearsed. Ron beamed at the audience, enjoying the attention. “And we want all of you to attend the wedding,”
- 4
- 5
- 6
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Rebound Love