A/N: So yes. I am still alive.
There are no words to describe how sorry I am! It's been like, EONS, since I last updated and I am so incredibly sorry. There is no good enough justification for my long absence, so I'm not even going to bother presenting you with dozens of my excuses. I just want to say a huge sorry once again, and tell you how much I love you if you're still willing to stick with me and read this story. You guys are the best, really!

Disclaimer: Still not mine!

Chapter 5

"So you're coming to the party?" Ron asked, drumming her fingers on the tabletop impatiently.

Betty sighed and looked down at her bowl of ice cream, pushing its contents around with her spoon.
"I don't know Ron….I'm not really in the mood for a party."

"What? How can you not be in the mood for a party? Especially when it's my party? C'mon, Betty! It's going to be so much fun!"
Betty sighed again, leaning back in her seat. If she had known that their 'little chat' at the Chocklit shop would consist of Ron pestering her to attend the party, she never would have shown up.

"You don't get it! Ever since the…um, Incident...I have been avoiding Archie like the plague! Attending your party will mean having to see him. And maybe even talk to him! I don't want that," Betty took a bite of her ice-cream, most of which had already melted.

Ron's annoyed expression was replaced with a look of slight concern. "Bets, do you still have feelings for him? You told me you're over him but if you still can't face him…."

This statement caused something to snap inside of Betty. She was tired of people treating her like a broken china doll. Every since she had broken up with Archie, everybody seemed to be walking on eggshells around her, as if waiting for her to burst into hysterical tears at any moment. Yes, she may have spent a rather long time pathetically mooning over that idiot, but that part of her life was over. She was finally ready to move on. Hell, she'd as good as already moved on! Why couldn't people understand that?!

"I most definitely do NOT have feelings for him! I'm well and truly over him, Ron, trust me. He was just like…an illusion, if you know what I mean? The fog had shifted, my vision has cleared, and I do not have any sort of love for Archie Andrews anymore." Betty marked the end of this mini-speech with an almost triumphant smile. She was proud of herself for being able to say this out loud, for actually believing this.

Ron smiled. "Prove it then. Show the world you've moved on. Show him that you've moved on. Come to my party, bring a date. Show him, Betty."

Betty considered this for a moment. She nodded slowly. "You know what Ron, that does make sense. It's definitely high time I showed carrot-top that my world no more revolves around him." Then with a new-founded confidence, and a surge of determination, she went on, "I'm going to come to this party. I'm going to show the world that I'm no longer poor and lonely Betty Cooper."

Ron grinned and lifted her hand up for a high-five. "You show them, girl!"
Betty smiled wide and high-fived her. Oh yes, this was definitely going to be fun. The only question was….who would be her date?

As Betty pondered over this, another thought struck her. "Hey Ron! I forgot to ask you, who's going to be your date?"
Ron shrugged. "It's Archie for now. But you know, there's still three days left for the party…..If I get some better candidate in that much time, poor Andrews will lose the spot." She smirked.

Betty laughed and shook her head. Typical Ron. She would have felt bad for Archie too, if he hadn't been doing the very same thing to her for the past many years. "Right, of course. Tell me honestly, though….did you ever really like him? Or was this all just for competition?"

"I- well…" Ron broke eye-contact, looking a bit shamefaced. "You know, he's cute. And perfectly nice. At least an eight out of ten."

Betty smiled, nodding. Ron hadn't directly answered her question, but Betty had gotten the answer she needed. She knew Veronica had never liked Archie as much as she had; he was simply a convenience for her. It was sort of bitchy, the way Ron had always stolen Archie from Betty simply to have the satisfaction of winning. But Betty knew that Ron didn't really mean to be mean. It was just the way Veronica Lodge worked- she needed to win. Her pride was very important to her.

"You know, with each passing day, I just become more and more glad that I broke up with Archie. It's helped me in so many ways as a person, and it's going to help our friendship as well," Betty said, smiling and finishing up the last bits of her ice-cream.

Ron nodded in agreement. "I know, Bets…..it all just seems so stupid and immature now, doesn't it? The way we used to fight over him all the time? I mean, at the end of the day, he is just another guy."

Betty chuckled. "Oh look at us, sounding so grown-up and mature. But yes, you're right. Crazy, isn't it? How one small decision can make you realize so much?"

Ron smiled. "Well that's enough of the heavy talk! Way too much deep thinking and introspection. Now how about some good ol' shopping?"

"Perfect! Let's hit the mall!" Betty said enthusiastically, and stood up.

After paying for their ice-creams, the girls got into Ron's car and drove to the Riverdale Mall. As they roamed from one shop to the other, Betty smiled, thinking of how it was just like the old times. Things were definitely looking up. Now if only she could find a date for the party….

A/N: This was originally supposed to be one big chapter, but I didn't have time to complete the whole thing, so I'm just posting Part 1 of it. Part 2 should be up soon, mostly within a week! Hope you guys liked it! Leave a review maybe? ;)
Oh and P.S. who do you think is going to be Betty's date?