Veronica walked over and pulled up a chair beside her coworker. “Lola, Jane is not going to fire you. You’re an incredible employee. You just need to lighten up a little . . . and find your inner fashionista. I know she’s in there somewhere.” She reached for Lola’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Now go splash some cold water on your face and then let’s go get to work.”
“Why are you doing this for me?” Lola asked, not looking entirely convinced that this was a good idea.
Veronica flashed her a smile. “Because at Belle Pink it’s important that we help our friends.”
Chapter 11
Betty tried to keep a positive attitude the following week at the Chocklit Shoppe. And her friends and family had tried to be encouraging.
Dad: Keep your chin up, Betty.
This is what separates the men from the boys.
Archie: It’ll all be worth it when you get your laptop.
Polly: Pop is so sweet. Tell him I said hi!
Veronica: The waitress uniform is so cute on you!
Jughead: Are you kidding? It’s the best job ever—all-you-can-eat free food!
But Betty had to admit it: Instead of getting better at waitressing, she was getting worse. She couldn’t keep up with all the tables, and things were going from bad to awful. Her shifts were spent in a tizzy trying to keep up with the orders. A typical day went something like this:
Table Number One
Betty: “Hi! Can I take your order?”
Annoyed Customer Number One: “Um, we already ate. We’re waiting for our check.”
Betty: “Oops! Sorry!”
Table Number Two
Betty: “Here you go, sir. Pot roast and mashed potatoes.”
Annoyed Customer Number Two: “That smells good. But I ordered the chicken potpie.”
Betty: “Ohhhh. I think I gave that to the woman over there. I’ll be right back.”
Table Number Three
Betty: “Here’s your check. Let me know if I can get you anything else.”
Annoyed Customer Number Three: “How about our food?”
Pop pulled Betty off to the side of the restaurant. The lunchtime rush had subsided and just a handful of tables were left to take care of.
“Things got a little crazy out there today, Betty,” Pop said, shaking his head. “We had some pretty unhappy customers.”
“I am so sorry,” Betty told him, apologizing for what felt like the hundredth time. “I’m trying to do a good job for you. I really am!”
“I’ve had to comp four tables’ food today,” Pop said, exasperated. “This is my business, Betty. I can’t keep giving food away for free—but I have no choice if I want to make my unhappy customers leave satisfied.”
Betty felt awful. At least he wasn’t yelling at her—even though he probably felt like it.
“And I can’t keep mopping up your messes,” he went on, looking distracted. “I’m in the middle of updating the menu—adding some new items, changing some prices—and I’ve got to make my changes so I can get it printed before the deadline next month.”
Just then the restaurant door opened and in walked Georgette. Or rather, she hobbled. She was on crutches. Seeing her only made Betty feel worse—if that was even possible.
Georgette made her way over to them. “I was in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by to see how things are without me.” She winked at Betty. “Keeping the place running for me?”
Betty tried to put on a brave face despite the sinking feeling in her stomach. “When do you think you’ll be back at work?” It wouldn’t be a moment too soon.
Georgette sighed. “Don’t know yet. The doctor wants me to stay on crutches for a little longer.”
Betty noticed a customer trying to get her attention. He was pointing at his plate and frowning. “Um, I better go. It was good to see you, Georgette. I hope your ankle gets better really soon.”
“Hang in there, kid,” Georgette said. “Soon you’ll be working the room like a pro.”
Betty managed a tiny smile, and then hurried off to face her latest annoyed customer. Soon couldn’t come fast enough.
Dusk was beginning to fall as Veronica and Liam walked out of the Riverdale movie theater holding hands. They’d caught the seven o’clock showing of Big Bad Dream—the third movie they’d seen together in the past two weeks.
Veronica didn’t even really like horror movies, but they are filled with scary scenes that force you to hold hands with your guy. Sometimes you even have to bury your face in his neck. But she didn’t much care what they saw as long as they got to spend some time together.
There was a slight chill to the summer night air, and Veronica was glad she’d brought a sweater with her.
“That was so awesome,” Liam said animatedly as they strolled down the sidewalk past storefronts that were closed for the night. “When that freaky girl popped out of the water when those guys were on the dock and chased them with that buoy? Brilliant.”
“I think I missed that part,” Veronica said. She had kept her eyes closed through most of the movie.
“Aw, man, you did? Well, what about when the zombie kid was standing in the dark hallway outside his bedroom, and his parents thought he needed a glass of water, but he was out to kill them! That was crazy!”
“I missed that, too,” Veronica said, shrugging.
Liam laughed. “Anyone ever tell you that you have superhuman strength? You were squeezing my hand so hard I thought you might have crushed my fingers. Did you see any of the movie?”
They waited for the light to turn red, then crossed the street. “Sure, I saw it,” Veronica said. “I liked the part where the girls were having a sleepover and baked chocolate chip cookies.”
Liam gave her an incredulous stare. “Veronica. That was a preview for another movie.”
She shrugged again. “Well, I thought that it looked fun,” she said with a sniff.
Liam let go of her hand to rub her arm. “You should have told me you weren’t into horror movies. We could have gone to see something else.”
Veronica nestled her head on his shoulder. He was just the right height—tall enough that her head fit comfortably but not so tall that she felt like she was with an NBA player. “It’s okay. I didn’t mind. Besides, I think we’ve seen all the other good ones.” Veronica smiled to herself. Clearly Liam didn’t know her theory that scary movies were the perfect kind of movie to go to with someone you liked: They gave you the perfect opportunity to hold hands and snuggle close with your guy.
And now they were doing something she loved to do after a movie—hanging out and talking.
Liam held the door to the Chocklit Shoppe open for her, and they walked inside. Such a gentleman, Veronica thought, glancing around the restaurant. She hoped there were people that she knew there to witness her date.
“So you pick the movie next time,” he said as they sat down at a booth. “I’ll even sit through a sappy romance if that’s what you like.”
What Veronica liked was that Liam was already talking about their “next movie” as if it was already understood that they’d be going on another date together.
“Do I look like a girl who would like a sappy romance?” she asked, looking at Liam. She twirled a lock of her dark hair around her finger.
He looked back at her. “Uh . . . yeah. You look exactly like that.”
Veronica giggled. Betty came over and handed them menus.
“Liam, this is my best friend in the world,” Veronica said, smiling up at Betty. “Betty Cooper. And she’s heard all about you. I’m so glad you guys can finally meet each other!”
“Really?” Liam said. “I hope it was all good stuff.”
Betty laughed. “Now what fun would that be? I’ll be back in a minute to take your order,” she told them before hurrying over to another table.
“Poor Betty,” Veronica said under her breath. “She’s been working so hard here. And it’s especially brutal because she has to deal with al
l sorts of customers, and some of them are really mean and rude.”
Speaking of which, Veronica had just noticed Bunny and her mean girl clique sitting a few tables behind Liam. They were huddled over ice-cream sodas, and Veronica was certain they had noticed her and Liam. And then she caught Bunny staring over at them. Yes, we are still together, she thought smugly, remembering the day at the beach.
Might as well give them something new to talk about, Veronica decided. She reached across the table to hold Liam’s hands. “So are you working tomorrow? I was thinking that maybe we could have a picnic in the park.”
“I get off work at five. We could make it a picnic dinner,” Liam suggested. “There’s a summer jazz concert series going on. We could hang out and eat and catch the tunes.”
Veronica couldn’t think of anything more romantic than sitting with Liam on a plaid wool blanket, with a wicker picnic basket filled with gourmet cheeses, grapes, and crusty bread, and some cool jazz music drifting through the summer nighttime sky. We can feed each other grapes and wrap our arms around each other, counting stars . . .
Just then Betty came over to take their orders, breaking up Veronica’s romantic daydream.
“How about a big hot fudge sundae with two spoons?” Liam suggested, looking over at Veronica.
“Yum. Sign me up,” she said happily.
“He’s a keeper. So cute,” Betty mouthed to her, giving her a thumbs-up behind Liam’s back before hustling off to the kitchen to put in the order.
Veronica looked over at him. He was pretty adorable. She felt like putting her hand in his shaggy hair and mussing it up, but decided that would not be a very cool thing to do. Then she remembered what Liam had been talking about. “That picnic and concert sound cool,” Veronica told Liam. “When do you want to pick me up?”
Liam paused. “I’m, uh, not sure. Let me find out if, uh, my dad needs his car.”
“Okay,” Veronica said. “Or I can pick you up if you need me to.” Veronica hadn’t been to Liam’s house yet, and she was dying to get a peek. She wanted to learn everything she could about her new boyfriend. Seeing where he lived would be another cool part of the Liam puzzle.
Could she call him her boyfriend? He was definitely acting like a boyfriend—holding her hand, holding open the door, paying for her movie ticket, making plans to hang out again . . .
I can definitely call him my boyfriend, she decided, sneaking a glance over at Bunny. She was blabbing away to her friends, covering her mouth with her hand, and making her eyes wide in her typical drama queen way.
“Hey, before our food comes, I’ll be, uh, right back,” Liam said, leaning over to give her a kiss.
Veronica felt a little surge of electricity from her lips all the way down to her toes.
“Okay,” she said, watching as he stood up and headed toward the restrooms.
She’d never felt this way about a boy—not with Archie, not with Reggie, and not with any of the other ones she’d gone out with.
What did it mean? Was she ready to settle down with someone? She almost couldn’t believe it. And to think that he’s not even a student at Riverdale! Dating someone from another school was definitely going to have some ups and downs. It was okay for now, while it was summer, but once fall rolled around and school started up again, it was going to be difficult to make sure they saw each other.
I guess I’ll just cross that bridge when I come to it, she decided blissfully, taking a sip of water. For now she was just going to enjoy the ride.
She was startled back to reality when Bunny and her friends sauntered over.
Veronica frowned. They were definitely up to no good.
“So, Veronica, enjoying your job this summer?” Bunny asked, putting her hand on her hip. Bunny’s two friends stood on either side of her, wearing virtually identical jeans and T-shirts. Their long hair swished in tandem. They were the stereotypical mean girl sidekicks.
“It’s so nice of you to ask,” Veronica said, oozing charm and putting on a big smile. “It’s been fantastic. Not only do I get to see the latest fashions first, but I’m getting amazing experience for my college applications.”
Bunny let out a surprised gasp. “Oh, wow. I didn’t know you were going to be a preschool teacher.” She turned to her friends. “Isn’t that admirable? Someone with all that Lodge family money deciding to enter such a noble profession.”
Veronica was really confused. “I’m not going to be a teacher. I’m working at Belle Pink. The clothing store at the mall?” She wasn’t sure what Bunny was up to, but she was starting to get a bad feeling.
The sidekicks giggled, sounding like laughing hyenas. “Aren’t you babysitting this summer?” one of them asked, pursing her lips, her eyes flitting over Veronica.
“Yeah,” said the other girl. She snapped her bubble gum. “Because if you aren’t, then why else would you be hanging out with a boy two years younger than you are?” The girl said the words two years younger in a very slow, drawn-out way.
Veronica let out a gasp. “What?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. She tried to make sense of what they were telling her. Was Liam—her sweet, cute, funny, nice new boyfriend—really two years younger than she was?
Dating a younger boy was a huge no-no for Veronica. It just wasn’t cool for someone of her stature at Riverdale High to do. An incoming senior dating a sophomore? It made Veronica almost lose her lunch. And Bunny and her friends knew it.
“Cradle rob much?” Bunny cackled. She turned to her friends, and they all cracked up. “See?” Bunny said gleefully. “I told you guys. She had no clue she was going out with such a baby.”
Veronica’s blood was churning inside her. She was so horrified that she didn’t even care if Bunny and her friends saw how upset she was. She yanked her purse from the seat next to her, then stood up and brushed past the mean girls. When she reached the front of the restaurant, she took out her phone and began typing a text to Liam, her fingers punching the buttons in a frenzy.
MEET ME OUTSIDE. NOW!!!!
Chapter 12
When you had been friends with someone as long as Betty had been best friends with Veronica, you had a pretty good idea when something was wrong. And by the scene Betty had just witnessed in the Chocklit Shoppe—Veronica storming out, then texting furiously. Bunny Smythe and her friends cracking up, and Liam walking out of the men’s room to a deserted table, looking totally confused as he checked his phone—something was definitely up.
Betty looked at the clock. One hour left until her shift was finished and she could find out what was going on between Veronica and Liam.
She was in the middle of trying to spy on them through one of the fogged-up Chocklit Shoppe windows when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“No luck. I can’t see a thing,” she said as she turned around, expecting to see Mikey, the cook. He loved getting caught up in drama.
But it wasn’t Mikey. It was Pop.
“Can you come sit with me for a minute, Betty?” Pop asked, motioning to an empty booth. “I, uh, want to talk to you about something.”
“Um, sure,” she said, following him over. I wonder what he wants to talk about, she thought, feeling slightly nervous. Tonight had been a pretty decent night in her waitressing career—she’d only messed up two orders. She sat down in the booth across from Pop and folded her hands on the table.
“Okay, Betty. You’re a good kid, and so I’m going to give it to you straight,” Pop said, wiping some invisible sweat off his forehead. “I know you’re trying your best, but by spilling food, breaking dishes, and upsetting my customers, having you work for me is costing me more money than you bring in.”
Betty looked down, feeling terrible.
“Georgette will be back soon—and her twin sister, Lynette, is an experienced waitress and has offered to step in until she’s back,” Pop went on. “But it’s not like I don’t realize how hard you’ve been working, Betty, and I know how hard you’ve tried. So I’m willing to p
ay you for two more weeks of shifts . . . but you have to promise me you won’t show up to work them.”
Betty swallowed. “So you’re saying you’d pay me . . . not to work?”
Pop nodded. “It’s my cheapest option.”
The idea of getting paid not to work sounded kind of appealing . . . but it really wasn’t the outcome she was hoping for. “That’s awfully kind of you, Pop,” she said slowly. “I have to admit that being a waitress isn’t really for me. But . . . I don’t really think it would be right for you to pay me if I’m not working.”
Pop patted her hand with his warm, fat fingers. “Like I said, Betty. You’re a good kid. You sit here and think about it, all right? I’ll handle the rest of the tables tonight.”
Most of the restaurant had emptied out now. Betty was thankful that Bunny and her friends had already paid their check and left—she definitely didn’t need them witnessing her humiliation.
She wasn’t sure what to do. She definitely needed the money . . . but taking money for a job she wasn’t doing felt wrong. She stared off into space. Without thinking, she picked up one of the Chocklit Shoppe’s menus and opened it, then closed it. Opened it. Closed it. Opened it.
All of a sudden, an idea rushed into Betty’s brain. An absolutely awesome idea.
There was something she could do for Pop to show how appreciative she was that he took a chance on her—and that he was being so generous.
I might be a terrible waitress . . . but I am a great writer, she thought excitedly, clicking open her pen. And I know what customers want.
Pop’s tasty food wasn’t going to change . . . but the way he presented it could definitely use an update.
She started on the left side. Appetizers. “Now, in a regular restaurant you could order french fries, but at Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe, food is lovingly prepared. Here, you get to order golden-brown french fries. And cheese sticks? I think deep-fried mozzarella served with a side of Pop’s homemade marinara sauce definitely has a better ring to it,” she said to herself, writing on the menu. Inspiration flowed through her bones as she jotted down one idea after the next. “Boneless chicken strips would sound a lot better if they were spicy boneless chicken strips served with blue cheese dressing. And who wants a boring old chocolate milkshake when you can get a death-by-chocolate one?”
Living the Dream Page 7
