I'm Darkness || Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones [2]

The Debate

THE DEBATE

Eleanor walks home at a quarter after one in the morning, no one really knows where she's been. After Archie cut down her chains, she passed by him with more anger than sadness, and disappeared in the middle of the crowd. Been gone ever since.

"Hun!" Alice stands up from the comfortable chair, and turns on the small light next to her. Her daughter turns to face her, and the red puffy eyes are there, somehow she's still crying. "Oh hunny, I am so sorry."

"It wasn't you, Mom."

"What?" The woman stakes a few steps, approaching the blonde girl with confusion.

"The other day," Ellie mumbles, her voice is almost inaudible. "you told me that you could see how broken I am, and you asked if you did anything... Who're not the one you broke, Mom."

There's this whole minute of utter silence that draws them in.

Alice Cooper thinks about how many times she failed her daughter, how many times she needed her and she wasn't there. The way Eleanor followed her Mom's footsteps right into the Serpents, but is a lot more stronger than her mother ever was, because Ellie stayed, and it cost her.

Ellie crumbles right there in front of her Mom, and Alice rushes to her side, pulling her against her chest. She tries to hold her tight, hoping that way the pieces will fall back together. But Alice knows all too well that having a broken heart it's like having broken ribs, it takes time to heal, and while it doesn't, it hurts every time you breathe.

The next day, Eleanor wakes up with her pillow still soaked in tears. And she lies there, trying her damn hardest to breathe while she wonders why Archie chose Hiram over her and how she's supposed to get up and pretend like everything's alright, because what the hell is she supposed to do about the hole on her chest.

Still, Ellie finds the strength within her to get up and get ready for school, because the world doesn't stop spinning when we hurting, and we can't make it stop, we can't make it care.

"Where's Betty?" Ellie questions her Mom when she sits down for breakfeast.

"Ah your sister didn't come home." Alice clears her throath before continuing, trying to hide how much that disappoints her. "In fact, she called saying she'll be staying at Jughead's for a while... because of Chic."

Eleanor doesn't know what to think at first, of course she understands her sister, but Jughead made Ellie that offer the other night, and she couldn't take it. First, because she would never – in a million years – leave her sister alone in that house with Chic; and second, because moving in with Jughead for a while wasn't her place, it was Betty's. So, Ellie doesn't really understand why she's this bothered, but the truth is she actually is.

"Mom, Chic is dangerous." She tells her.

"I know that's he's weird, and damaged, Ellie. I can see that. I'm not blind." Alice confesses as her voice breaks as tears take over her eyes. "But he never had anyone to love him."

"I know, but you can't blame Betty for wanting to get out of here." Ellie replies, because deep down she wishes she could too. "Chic creeps us out, Mom."

"Just give him a chance, Ellie. Please,"

Eleanor agrees only to make her Mom feel better, because she gave him too many chances already. Ellie's out of chances, for everyone, and that includes Chic – specially him – because some things you just can't come back from, like threathning to out her to their Mom about the pills. She can't risk disappointing Alice too.