Deep Down • Archie Andrews [DNF]

27 | undecidable

CHAPTER 27

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The weekend quickly rolled around, giving everyone a break from the dramatics that usually happened at school.

However, this was not the case for Betty. She had this gut feeling that Miss Grundy wasn't who she said she was. It cannot be completely coincidental that all of her online accounts only went back to one year.

It was hard trying to convince Archie, but it was even harder to not tell Florence. If Betty told Florence, she would immediately know that there had to have been more to the story than just the fact that the blonde had a small inkling about the music teacher. The truth about Archie and Miss Grundy's affair would come out.

So here Betty was, trying to convince her redheaded best friend that the music teacher is dangerous. Veronica sat by her side and supported her with every decision. Archie, on the other hand, did not.

"Why are you doing this, Betty?" Archie asked her. "I'm not in any danger." "You don't know that." Betty argued back. "Yeah, I do." Archie countered. "I'm with her. Florence is with her. She and I know what we have with her, and you don't."

"Why bring Florence into all of this, hmm?" Veronica questioned. "You're taking her on a date tomorrow to the Drive-In. According to her, this is your 'first real date' while you are screwing her teacher behind her back." "You don't know what we have." He quarreled with her. Veronica smacked her hands against the table. "You don't know what you have with either of them! Why can't you just make a damn decision?"

"She taught Jason Blossom." Betty added unexpectedly. "Did you know that?" "She's taught a lot of people, Betty." Archie countered. "What's your point?" "My point is, you don't know anything about her, Archie." She criticized him. "Doesn't that worry you?""Betty, let this go." Archie told her sternly.

"Archie, please-"

"If you're really my friend," Archie snapped. "You would let this go." Betty stopped any more arguments that were about to pass to of her mouth and held them on the tip of her tongue. She looked down at the table and slumped back, defeated. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm done." Archie gave her a knowing look. Betty rolled her eyes. "I'll stop digging."

"Before we leave, just tell me this." Veronica leaned forward, resting her arms against the cold tabletop. "Where does this end, Archie?" She questioned. It wasn't snappy or ignorant. Veronica truly sounded concern. "Florence doesn't deserve any of this. Either you let her go, or you stay faithful to her."

"Make the right choice." Veronica pleaded with him. "Because if you don't, you're going to damage her even more than she is."

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"So," Josie set down her Pop's takeout bag. "Have you talked to Cheryl yet?"

Florence shook her head as she twirled her red and white-striped straw in her milkshake. "Not the way you'd want me to." "Why not?" Josie cocked her head. "She's your best friend."

"I don't know." The brunette leaned deeper into the couch cushion in the McCoy household. "She's just changed so much. You know?" "Trust me, Cheryl never changes." Josie told her from the other side. "You just never saw the other side of her."

"I wonder why." Florence mumbled, a French fry hanging out of her mouth. Her friend chuckled at her antics. "Maybe it because she was afraid of what you would think." Josie gave Florence her 'I Know I'm Right Do Not Deny It' look. "Why don't you go with her to the Drive-In thing tomorrow?"

Florence laughed humorlessly. "I already planned to go with one redhead. Look how that turned out." She glanced at her phone on the coffee table in front of her. Josie gave her a sympathetic smile, wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry Archie bailed on your 'very first date.'"

"It's alright." Florence shrugged, looking back up at the movie playing on the TV. "I won't hold it against him. His dad needed his help at work and he couldn't get out of it." "Still," Josie muttered. "That sucks. You could always come to practice at school with me and the Pussycats." She leaned onto the brunette's shoulder, giving her best puppy eye look.

Florence chuckled lightly, brushing her friend off of her. She reached over to grab her phone. "Maybe I'll come if the movie is boring." Florence dialed Veronica's number and held up her phone to her ear. After a few rings, the line picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ronnie." Florence greeted. She crossed her legs and placed them on Josie's lap. "I was wondering if you and Kevin had one more spot in his truck for the Drive-In." "What happened to Archie?" Veronica asked from the other side. Florence sighed. "He's stuck working with his dad and bailed."

"He did?" Veronica didn't sound too convinced with that story. "Well, yeah. Of course you can join us. The more the merrier!" Florence grinned. "Thank you so much. I swear, if you didn't say yes, I would be stuck going to band practice-hey!" Josie stole one of her fries while she was talking. Florence stole one back from her own pile and bid farewell to Veronica before hanging up and laughing.

Veronica looked down at her cellphone one last time before slipping it into her bag. She gave Archie a disapproving look. "You lied to her?" "I-I needed time to think things over, okay?" Archie raised his arms and gripped his red locks. "You guys are seriously blowing this out of proportion-"

"We found a gun in her car, Archie!" Veronica emphasized. "If she ends up being dangerous, we have to warn Florence." "Archie, what if she had something to do with Jason's murder?" Betty questioned, earning a scoff from him. "She taught him, she made you lie about him, we know she was at the river, she has a gun."

"So does Dilton Dooley," Archie reminded the two of them. "But you never thought he killed Jason." "Open your eyes, Archie!" Veronica commanded irritably. "Jason was her student last year. Everything about her is a huge, boldfaced question mark."

"Okay, Whatever her name is, she's not a killer."

"You didn't ask her about it did you?" Betty presume. She knew that Archie was too hung up over her to see what is actually going on. "You didn't-"

"Enough, Betty!" Archie barked loudly at her. Betty's mouth was hung open in shock and surprise at what he did. With the accusations, the judgmental stares, and the talk about what was right, Archie finally had enough. The redhead clenched his jaw, shaking his head. "Guys, you don't understand. I really like Florence. I might even love her I-" His breath caught in his throat when he realized what he just said aloud.

"Oh my god." Veronica looked at him incredulously. "Archie-" "I don't know, okay?" Archie admitted. "I don't know what to do at this point. That's why I canceled our date. I don't know if I love her. I just don't know." He takes a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. "I don't know where I am with Florence, but with Miss Grundy, I do and-" He took a deep breath. "-and I just need time to figure out what to do. It doesn't help when you are interfering, trying to push me one way or the other."

Veronica and Betty watched as Archie turned away to walk into his house. They looked at each other before walking down the sidewalk. "Maybe he's right." Betty told Veronica. "Maybe he just needs to figure this out on his own and-"

"That doesn't make what he's doing okay, B." Veronica told her. She huffed and looked up at the darkened sky. "What is going to happen when Florence find out?"

"Well then, we have to be prepared for it."