I’ve always tried to keep you and Betty as close as I can. Veronica's a part of that now, too. There’s nothing weird about that. [ as bizarre and as heavy as marriage is, keeping up the charade doesn’t seem that complicated to archie. yes, he’d rather be with veronica, yet he can’t help feeling somewhat grateful that he isn’t split off with betty. maybe what he’s saying isn’t something people say to their best friends with their actual girlfriend present, but hey, he’s only agreeing with veronica in a sense and trying to get jughead and betty to be casual about it. if they can all push through the unfamiliar waters, they just might come out of this okay. he lowers his voice and scoots in, removing his arm from the back of the booth in the process. ] Guys, it's just a ring.

[ one eyebrow shoots up at veronica’s suggestion and his leg jumps restlessly, too quick to be unsettled by the thought of any one of them in the arena, or being anywhere close to it. jughead’s trying to tear it down from the outside but maybe veronica’s onto something. what if what they really need is someone on the inside?

he recognizes that as reckless thinking and flicks his eyes over to betty, despite the fact that she hasn’t lived through their last risky adventure, he wonders if the wheels are also turning in her head in that regard. ] What do you think it would take to get a meeting with them? A job interview scheduled for someone with more ideas than they know what to do with? [ he looks at jughead pointedly. ] A puff piece? [ here's looking at you, betty. ] A costume consultant? [ duh, veronica. ]

Or fresh meat for the arena itself?