Wicked Little Town

01

Hermione shook her head. "Oh, no, I've been craving one of Pop Tate's cheeseburgers since noon -- is his Chock'lit Shoppe still open?"

Veronica frowned. "What is a Chock'lit Shoppe? And why does it sell burgers?"

COOPER HOUSE - BETTY'S ROOM

Betty was in jeans and a bra, getting dressed and putting on makeup. Kevin lounged on her bed, scrolling through profiles on his iPhone.

"Are you excited?" Kevin asked. "Nervous?"

Betty glanced at him. "Both -- I haven't seen him all summer-"

"-which is why nerves are acceptable, but we agreed, Betty: It's time. You like him, he likes you."

"Then why, Kevin, hasn't he ever said or done anything?"

"Because -- Archie's swell, but like most millennial straight guys, he needs to be told what he wants. So tell him, finally."

"We'll see. It depends on-"

Kevin looked out the window at the house next door. "Oh, my God!"

"What?"

Archie, from the house next door, was getting dressed while on his phone. He was in jeans and slipped on a T-shirt.

"Game-changer!" Archie cried. "Archie got hot! He's got abs now! Six more reasons for you to take that ginger by the horns tonight."

Betty looked, her mouth open in shock.

POP'S CHOCK'LIT SHOPPE

Archie and Betty were sitting in a booth talking.

"So what was the highlight," Archie asked.

"Of my internship?" Betty questioned. "The Judy Blume book release party I organized, by far. At the end of the night, Tony Morrison, who is, as you know, my literary hero."

Archie nodded and chuckled. "Yes, yes."

"So he says to me, "Don't rush this time, Betty. It goes by so fast your age. One summer can change your life.""

"Wow. That's so true."

"How was working for your dad?"

"It was... pouring concrete, every day, all day long. To pass time I would start composing these... poems, in my head. And at night, I'd go home, I'd write them down."

"They weren't poems, they were song lyrics. And working on them made me like..."

"What, Archie?"

Archie glanced down, slightly embarrassed. "I feel like I've finally broken through to something real. About my life, and what I should be trying to do with it. Music! Starting this year, tomorrow."

"Amazing! Will you ask Miss Grundy to tutor you?"

"I'm not sure, maybe."

"What about football? Can you do both?"

"I'll try out, at least."

"Well, have you told your dad?"

"No. Until I've got things more figured out, you're the only person I'm telling, okay?"

"Well, I'd love to hear them sometime, your songs."

"Yeah?"

"Yes!"

"Yeah, I'm finishing a couple demos tonight."

"Great. Oh -- and also? I've been thinking about us, Archie, and our friendship, and how it's time we-"