idk how to put ‘read more under the cut’ on an ask but i’m going to talk about betty by taylor swift!Â
source: it 2017-2019
character/ship: richie tozier, though to a lesser extent it is a reddie song
first, we have to start out with the headcanons that make this possible! since neither of the characters have canon middle names, i headcanon that richie’s is elizabeth (i heard this once somewhere and cannot for the life of me find it anymore)! this could make eddie’s james, to make the story fit in a bit more, but i’m also going to name my s/i jamison or make his middle name james!
now, moving on to lyrics:
Betty, I won't make assumptions / About why you switched your homeroom / But I think it's 'cause of me / Betty, one time I was riding on my skateboard / When I passed your house / It's like I couldn't breathe / You heard the rumors from Inez / You can't believe a word she says / Most times, but this time it was true / The worst thing that I ever did / Was what I did to you
So of course during the timeline of this, the two characters are in school (junior year, to be exact); either my s/i told richie that he was gay, or had a bad reaction to richie being gay (not homophobic, just surprise). Also, the character ‘inez’ likely refers to beverly
Betty, I know where it all went wrong / Your favorite song was playing / From the far side of the gym / I was nowhere to be found / I hate the crowds, you know that / Plus, I saw you dance with him
my s/i, still referring to richie as ‘betty’, missed out on a school dance. maybe the earlier mistake was james refusing to go to the dance with rich, and richie danced with somoeone else to make james jealous
I was walking home on broken cobblestones / Just thinking of you when she pulled up / Like a figment of my worst intentions / She said "James, get in, let's drive" / Those days turned into nights / Slept next to her but / I dreamt of you all summer long
this is where the name james comes from! james spent the summer with a girl, either someone he’s related to or someone who has a crush on him? anyway, all he wanted was to spend the summer with rich but he destroyed that
Betty, I'm here on your doorstep / And I planned it out for weeks now but / It's finally sinking in / Betty, right now is the last time / I can dream about what happens when you see my face again / The only thing I wanna do / Is make it up to you
finally, the summer is over, and james is getting ready to confront richie about what happened but he’s nervous about richie rejecting him
Will you have me? / Will you love me? / Will you kiss me on the porch / In front of all your stupid friends? / If you kiss me / Will it be just like I dreamed it? / Will it patch your broken wings?
my s/i wants nothing more right now than for richie to kiss him, despite the homophobia that is present at the time. he hopes that it will make richie ‘clean up’ (’patch your broken wings’)
I'm only seventeen / I don't know anything / But I know I miss you / Standing in your cardigan / Kissing in my car again /Stopped at a streetlight, you know I miss you
The very last lyrics of the song either show that the two made up after all, or are a reflection of the time before jamie’s mistake
