Dreaming Of You ✧ Bughead

Chapter one.

There's moments in life that will forever impact you.
Getting married.
Having children.
Your 16th birthday.
The day all of your dreams come true, at least for me. I stared at the digital clock beside my bed in pure expectance, I knew it turning to 6:00 didn't mean it was any less or more the day before my birthday than last night when it turned 12:00 but it still felt like an accomplishment. My family thought I was crazy for being so excited about the day BEFORE my birthday, but this was it, the final tick of the clock that was my life. Tonight meant my soulmate, the person I would spend forever with. That meant everything to me.

"Elizabeth Cooper, I know you're awake, get your butt out of bed." I heard my mother announce from the other room.
I stood from my bed, tiding my cover back into place. I opened my blinds sending a beaming light tumbling into my room. The next movements went by in a blur, the mondaine of brushing my teeth seemed to feel meaningless in comparison to what would happen tomorrow. I was broken out of my trance by my mom snapping her fingers and shoving a bowl of cereal in front of me.

"So I was thinking you could invite Veronica over after school to help set up for the party tonight." She spoke in her typical reporter tone, by that I mean way too loud for me, someone who hardly slept last night.

"Sure, sounds good." I said half-heartedly, trying to shovel as much food as possible so I could say I ate breakfast. I really just wanted this day to pass by as fast as possible.

"Go, go to school, let this balanced breakfast I prepared for you go to waste." She smiled ever so slightly. "I know you're excited."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I spoke in one breath, flinging my self from my seat and out the door. The school was only a short walk, my whole life it had been but that walk seemed particularly long.

"Betty! Hold up!" A voice that I recognized to be one of my best friends, Archie Andrews shouted from his driveway. I stopped in my tracks and gazed back at the red-head fumbling with his backpack, running towards me. "Happy almost birthday." He spoke, trying to catch his breath.

"Were you this nervous the day before your birthday?" I walked beside him.

"Definitely." He answered. "Well, almost."

"So I'm the freak who's a little over obsessed with this whole thing?" I asked.

"Sort of." He smiled, a sort of tilted smile.

"So how was last night? Anything fun happen in your dream?"

"Not really. I think she stopped talking to me, which was weird since I thought it was going well."

"Apologize, you have unlimited resources so why not use them to your advantage. Just dream up a good apology." I adjusted the strap of my backpack as the school came into view.

"Yeah, the problem is I have no clue what I did wrong."

"How very boyish of you, Archie Andrews." I scoffed. "Just keep it vague then." He looked at me for a moment and then nodded his head with determination.

Once we reached the building we both separated, him to his loud jock friends and me to Veronica Lodge, my best friend. She held in her hands neatly packaged cupcakes. I reached out my hand towards them only to have it swatted away.

"These are for your party!" She reprimanded, blowing a strand of her ebony hair out of her face.

"And my party is for me, which in turn means that these are for me. In other words, give me the darn cupcakes." I pouted at my friend.

"I don't even understand that logic." She looked at me with an eyebrow quirked. "You can have them tonight anyways."

"Speaking of which, my mom wants you to come over early to help set up."

"But of course!" She grinned with an effortless hair flip.

"I don't understand how I'm possibly going to get through today." I gazed at her, now we were walking towards our first class instinctively. I linked my arm with hers.
"So what does it feel like? The first soulmate dream?" I questioned.

"Bizzare." She spoke. "It feels like reality but also like your in the middle of some fantastical Matrix-esc fever dream."

"I can't wait." I grinned.

Once we reached our class we each took our respective seats, right next to eachother of course. The rest of the school day droned on, nothing really special apart from the cake that was presented to me at lunch. Time then grew closer to the moment I was waiting for, the party, sure but most importantly when the clock turns to 12:00.

"Put the flowers there." Mom paced the backyard, pointed at various spots. Veronica seemed like her caddy, taking flowers and banners wherever my mom saw fit.

"Guys, I really can help." I said from the spot outside of the "party area" a.k.a. standing outside of the gate to my yard.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Archie called, he was lifting a table that my mother decided was out of place.

"All you need to do is get ready." Veronica chirped, her hands making a shooing motion for emphasis.

"Okay, okay, I'll get out of your way." I giggled to my self as I made my way back to my room. The furniture all seemed quite babyish for someone about to be 16.
I made my way to my closet, it was rare I wore anything other than my typical sweater-jean combo, but it seemed like the occasion called for something more. After scanning the same four dresses about a hundred times before finally deciding.
A pink lace knee length dress with a white t-shirt underneath. The next step was braiding a strand of hair in my ponytail, makeup and then finally taking a quick twirl in front of the mirror. I took a deep breath and made my way outside. It had gotten slightly darker than before, the lights my mom had hung shone a flickering pink against the setting sun.
All eyes were on me as I fumbled with the gate lock. Veronica came and spared me from the embarrassment of continuing to be absolutely clueless on how to get into my own yard. I gazed around, the loud banners and balloons complimented the quiet elegance of the delicate flowers and intricate glass center piece.

"There's my birthday girl!" Veronica cooed as she wrapped her arms around me, a pink concoction swirling in a cup in her hand.

"Here's your birthday girl!" I gingerly stated, playing with the hem of my skirt.

"We have a special spot for you." She gripped my hand and dragged me to a particularly elegantly decorated table. I hesitatantly took my seat, Veronica and Archie on either side of me.

"You really didn't have to do," I gestured to the party in front of me, "this."

"Of course we did!" Archie spoke with a goofy grin.

"But one 'You're the best bestie ever' couldn't hurt." Veronica sang.

"You're the best bestie ever" I parroted.

"How very sincere."

"It was, thank- time! Does anyone have a time check?" I practically flung myself from my seat.

"9:00." Veronica chuckled at my outburst and sat me back down in my seat. "And you are not going to be waiting here the entire time, let's get you some punch and then we're going to the dance floor."

"3 hours." I mumbled with a nod before Veronica dragged me from my seat and off to the food table, than to the dance floor.
A cake, cupcakes, singing and dancing later the party had finally died down. The majority of the guests left, we relocated to the living room.
10:55 read the clock. I had 5 minutes to kill.
I managed to spend them clinging on to my mothers hand. 5 seconds.
5, Veronica slinked an arm around my neck.
4, Archie whooped with the same boyish excitement he always had.
3, I yet again stared expectantly at a digital clock.
2, For one breif moment the world seemed to stop as it finally shifted number.
1.