Stand of Pearls ~ Vughead/Jeronica

Ch, 17. Loyalty

Archie

I head up the front porch, the screen door flys open, my dad, eyebrows furrowed, anger painted his face and first held hands.

Alice Cooper walks down the hall, "you," Alice snarls.

"Mrs. Cooper," smile.

"Archie did you steal her car?!"

"You noticed it was gone?" I smirk.

"Archie Andrews did you take her car?!" My father is shaking with rage.

"No!" I yell.

"I came with Betty to grab it, maybe you should be more concerned about her than a car!"

"Betty would never!" Fred yells.

"She haven't come home since she stole it!" Alice cried.

"Bullshit!" I yell.

"You haven't seen your daughter since before 4th of July! Only for five minutes before you nearly put your filthy hands on her if it weren't for Jug and I!"

"Is that where she is?!" She screams.

"She is couch surfing with one of the girls in the Serpents right now."

"Alice what is going on?" Dad demands.

"Alice kicked her daughter out in the middle of December with nothing but pajamas, her phone, and socks with holes!"

Fred looks to her, "what?" His voice struggling to not fly through the roof.

"She joined the Serpents, that's the only reason why," Alice tried to argue.

"So? Alice you were one yourself in case you had forgotten. That doesn't mean you kick your daughter out."

"Her grades were dropping I couldn't get her to listen!"

I step toward her, "you couldn't control her is what you mean, I know your daughter Mrs. Cooper. I know she was very unhappy for a very long time."

"You pushed her so so much, there were times over the years I was worried to leave her by herself! Her grades went from A's to B's? how horrible is that? She finally had a social life she was happy."

"She is so smart, beautiful, determined in everything she does. But because she wasn't good enough for you, you kicked your daughter out. My father has practically raised her for years because you would always ridicule her in everything she did, she felt more at home here. He treated her like his own daughter! Not a clay mold that you can just mold whenever you want!

"Archie that's enough,"

"You should care more about your daughter than a car that has been in the garage for a year.
So why don't you sober up." I yell.

"That's enough!"

I head up the stairs.

"Archie!"

I continue walking, I slam my door and lay on my bed, staring at the posters across my walls. I hear the front door shut, my fathers heavy footsteps head up the creaking old stairs.

He opens my door, "am I grounded?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "no you're not, I would like to ask you a few things though."

He sits down at the end of my bed, I sit up, "how long have you known about Betty not living with her mom?"

"Since mid January, I told you I was taking those medications to Jughead's house because he was sick and his dad didn't have enough money. Their heat was shut off. Their the only two paying the bills. Betty got sick from being so cold, so we brought medicine and we borrowed the heater in the garage."