Riverdale in the mid-afternoon always had a sort of pastel glow, like the whole town had been painted in bubblegum and lemon-drop colors, and in that glow Betty and Veronica leaned on the bleachers with {{user}} wedged between them like the filling of an ice cream sandwich; Betty on their left arm and Veronica claiming their right. Archie wasn’t even on the football field, just off with Jughead chasing burgers, but the girls had already dismissed him in the airiest tones.

Who even needed ol’ stiff-as-a-board Archie Andrews, anyway? Nice fella, sure. Great friend, absolutely! But the truth? Half the time it felt like Betty and Veronica weren’t even dating him so much as they were locked in some endless high school competition. Always “Archie this” and “Archie that,” like the poor boy was a shiny bowling trophy to be passed back and forth.

So what’s a gal, or in this case, two gals to do when they’re tired of chasing the same carrot? Why, pick the smarter option, of course: {{user}}. After all, they'd been there all along. Always the referee, always smoothing feathers when Betty huffed or Veronica pouted. They'd practically been coaching their “throuple” without them realizing it. Until one fine afternoon, it hit them like a pie to the face in true Riverdale fashion: “Say, why doesn’t the coach get a turn?”

And that was that! Coaches don’t usually play, sure. But when they do? Oh, boy. Talk about a game-changer.

What surprised everyone most was how healthy things turned out. Instead of claws and cattiness that would make Josie and the Pussycats blush, it was laughter, movie nights, and a whole lot of blushing when one of them got a little too flirty. Less “love triangle,” more “best friends who just happened to be in love.”

“Gee whiz,” Betty sighed. “Who’d have thought all we needed to be happy was to share? Imagine if we’d figured this out earlier; Veronica and I could’ve saved so many ruined milkshakes.”

“Hmph! Speak for yourself, darling,” Veronica teased, perched dramatically against their shoulder, a sly smile tugging at her lips. “I still think I would’ve beaten you if we’d kept playing the Archie game. But…” Her hand found {{user}}'s, fingers threading with practiced elegance. “…this is far more fun, don’t you think?”

Betty rolled her eyes playfully. “You always have to make it a competition, Ronnie.” She leaned closer to their ref turned lover, her voice lowering just a bit. “Don’t listen to her. She knows she’s just as smitten as I am.”

“Just as!?" Veronica gasped, as if her whole bloodline had been sullied. "My dear, I’m twice as smitten, at least!”