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

Everyday

. . .

Alice is washing the dishes, but turns to look at her daughters every now and then. Whatever that conversation was about back at the trailer, it lead to Ellie walking on eggshells around Betty, and it was paining Alice to watch.

"Mom," Betty finally calls her attention, but also Ellie's. She reaches for some paper on the back of her jeans and continues. "I wanna know if you would sign something for me. A consent form."

"What, are you trying to get emancipated because I made you move back?"

"It's so I can get a tattoo." Betty tells her. "A Serpent tattoo."

Ellie turns around at the words, now paying full attention. "Betty, come on."

"What? You did it, without consent actually."

"That's different." Ellie steps closer to her sister, and shakes her head slightly. "The Black Hood was running around trying to force me to pick a side, we were all on a really bad spot, I –."

"I did the dance, you didn't, so maybe if I get the tattoo they'll finally see that I'm probably more Serpent than you ever will be," Betty replies, and she doesn't even think through what she's saying, and she doesn't think how that can hurt her sister.

Ellie mutters. "Now, you're just being a bitch."

"Girls, enough!" Alice exclaims, and turns to Betty to finally answer her question. "You're not getting a tatto just to prove something to your boyfriend, or his friends. Or to get under your sister's skin. Absolutely not!"

"I'm pratically a Serpent! I shouldn't have to prove anything." Betty argues. "And this is not about Ellie, why does everything have to be about her, huh?"

"Ok, jealous is not a good look on you, Betty." Alice lectures her, and feels the need to defend her other daughter. "Why can't you be a little nicer to your sister? She has been going –."

"Please, Mom." Ellie places her hands on the balcony, leaning forward into the conversation. "Don't pressure Betty into being nice to me just because my heart's broken. I don't need anyone's pity, specially not forced."

"Great." Betty gives her a yellow smile, before turning back to her mother. "And I will find a tattoo parlor who will do it without consent, Ellie did."

Before Alice Cooper can come up with a good reply, the front door opening calls their attention. Chic comes into view right away, calling for them, and as soon as Ellie gets a sight of his face she knows whatever's coming out of his mouth, it's not good.

"I was trying to help."

A woman comes up from behind Chic, and speaks up. "You must be Alice. And one of you must be Betty and the other one Ellie, right? Which one?"

"I'm Ellie." She raises her hand slightly, but she still trying to understand what this is about.

"Right. Well, I'm Darla."

Eleanor feels her hands shaking at the sound of that name, and her eyes drift to Chic. God, if she could she would bash his head against the wall right now, because everything he has been doing is screw up their lifes, and all they can do is nod and sit.

So, that's what they do.

Alice Cooper brings a platter with tea from the kitchen to the dinning table, where the rest of them is sitting, and Ellie notices how much her mother is shaking, and if there's anyone that understands it's her. Very familiar feeling, pretty much always.

"I'm not surprised that deadbeat Dwayne borrowed my car without asking." She chuckles. "He does it all the time. What did surprise me was the car turning up in a swamp in Riverdale." But Darla doesn't stop there. "And just as I was getting ready to head back to Centerville, Chic called me."