LAST SUMMER [ARCHIE ANDREWS] - DISCONTINUED

thirty-three

Nonetheless, Kara trailed behind Jughead into the school to where Archie stood next to his locker, looking helpless. He spotted them, his brow furrowing hastily. "Jug? What are you doing here?" His green eyes flicked Kara's way.

Suddenly, a red-nailed hand pressed into Jughead's chest and shoved him aside roughly the opposite hand pushing Archie into the lockers, Cheryl announcing loudly, "Out of the way, Bert and Ernie."

Kara rolled her eyes slightly. She loved her half-sister, but God was she annoying sometimes. "I need your help, and you owe me because of that stunt you pulled with Keller and the Ghoulies."

Archie nodded his head, much to Kara's surprised, and agreed immediately. "Whatever you need. Name the time and place, and I'm there." Jughead glanced at Kara. "It's tonight; I need you both there," he muttered, his gaze returning to Archie, "And we need to borrow your truck...

"No questions asked."

-/-

KARA BIT NERVOUSLY ONTO HER FINGERNAILS.

A heavy thud shook the Andrews' truck, and she glanced back at where Archie and Jughead lifted the ominous looking crate into the truck bed. Jughead has told her what they were doing- a favor for Penny Peabody, in order to help his father get out of prison faster. She made him swear on his father's life not to drag Archie too far into this; he swore whole-heartedly. Penny was super shady- slippery, like a snake.

"I will see this through... but where does it end?"

Archie's gravelly voice snapped Kara from her thoughts of the blonde Serpent, her eyes focusing on his long fingers curled around the steering wheel. Jughead shot him a humorous look from the other side of Kara. "115 Derby Street in Greendale."

Kara sighed, inching away from Archie and closer to Jughead. "Come on," Archie said seriously, "I mean, how does being a Serpent end?"

Kara tensed. That dreaded question. She knew Archie would never support this life- for Kara or Jughead both. As long as she was in this, he would be pestering her to get out.

"I don't know," Jughead muttered, much Kara's surprise. She expected him to claim it never would- Serpents for life. "I'm just kind of living minute to minute here."

A small laugh bubbled in Archie's throat. "It's just... I had this stupid idea- stupid," he chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Kara had always loved the way his red hair fell across his forehead when he shook his head, or threw it back in laughter. She always loved the gleam in his eyes or the rosy blush dusting his cheeks when he got embarrassed.

"That, a-after graduation, instead of going to college, we would move to New York," he said absently, shrugging his shoulders, accidentally nudging Kara in the process, "Jug, you were this amazing writer, and I-I'd be this musician. We'd both live in like, the East Village or something." Kara eyed him curiously. "And Kara, you'd live with Betty and Veronica a few apartments down, but just close enough so we could all get together and listen to Jug's newest story, or listen to Veronica complain about her parents or something."

Kara's heart melted right then and there, her eyes locked on Archie's handsome face. She had always stuck to the present, the then and now, never lingering too much on what the future would bring, but it was nice to hear Archie confide in them about the future. It was nice to know that he thought of her as part of his future.