Things settled down over the following week, life returning to normal, for the most part. On the positive side, Archie had given the prize money and donations Veronica had managed to pull together to Randy Ronson's sister who no longer seemed to hold a grudge against Archie, and Gladys went back to Toledo, leaving JB with FP and Jughead.
On the other hand, the Farm was tightening their hold on our friends, and the van transporting Betty's father to Hiram Lodge's prison overturned, killing everyone on board. To make matters worse, Betty seemed convinced it hadn't been an accident and was sure her father was out there, running around again as the Black Hood.
"It can't be a coincidence," Betty said as I sat with Sweet Pea and the others in the student lounge.
"So if it's not a coincidence, then what is it?" I asked, tired of hearing her going in about it again and again. "Divine intervention?"
Betty shook her head, clearly frustrated that no one was taking her side. "He asked for the transfer, and then his bus just burst into flames? He planned it. He used me to escape, and now he's out there."
"Betty, I was with you. I saw what was left of that bus," Veronica said. "Nobody could've survived that."
"Yeah, but if he did–"
"If he did, you've got me," Jughead cut her off. "You have the Serpents, you have Archie and fight-club buddies. You have a veritable armada here to protect you. Also, you can move back in with my dad and I. It's been a lot quieter since my mom's been gone."
I watched Betty, her personality suddenly shifting as she instantly forgot about her serial killer father and began playing the concerned girlfriend instead. "I'm sorry she left, Jug. How's JB doing after all this?"
"Shockingly well," Jughead answered. "And she's filled in some key blanks. Apparently, there's a Gospel of the Gargoyle King out there somewhere."
"I thought we were done with all this G&G, Gargoyle King bullshit," Sweet Pea grumbled.
"If only it were that easy," I replied.
"It could be important," Jughead insisted. "My dad's been sweeping Junkyard Steves–"
"Sorry to interrupt your no doubt thrilling catch-up chums," Cheryl interrupted, coming to stand between Betty and Veronica's seats. "But, as you know, junior prom is this weekend. The theme is Fire and Ice, and naturally, Toni and I are campaigning to be the most captivating prom queens this school's ever seen. So it goes without saying, vote Choni for co-monarchs because," she paused, running her eyes over all of us, "when you really think about it, no other options make sense."
I laid my head on Sweet Pea's shoulder as she left, thinking. In a way, Cheyrl's last comment did make some sense if she was only referring to our small group. I didn't even go to school anymore, so Sweet Pea and I were out. Betty and Jughead were the Serpent King and Queen, in addition to Betty being the Gryphon Queen once upon a time. And Veronica had burned so many bridges on her own and with her family's help that I doubted she'd get many votes. Honestly, of all of us here, Sweet Pea and Archie were the only ones with a fair shot. Maybe I could convince enough people to write them in as a joke.
"Prom is this weekend?" Veronica questioned, somewhat sarcastically. "We still do things like that here?"
"I mean, apparently," Betty shrugged before turning to Jughead with a smile. "Jug, will you go to prom with me?"
Jughead shoveled another handful of chips into his mouth, making a face. "Only for you, Betty Cooper," he gave in. Betty grinned triumphantly, leaning in to kiss Jughead.
Veronica and Archie looked at one another awkwardly. I'd been out of the loop for a bit, but I'd been back long enough to know they weren't back together, but not long enough to know if she and Reggie were hooking up again.
"So, uh, Sweet Pea, you taking Abigail to the prom?" Archie asked.
"Yeah, you two are looking pretty cozy over there," Veronica put in, leaning forward in interest.
"No," Sweet Pea said. "We actually have other plans that night."
"We do?" I asked, looking up at him in confusion
He nodded, smiling secretively. "We do. But right now, I've gotta get to class." Kissing me quickly, he stood up, making his way out of the room.
"Wait, Sweet Pea," I called after him. What plans did we have that I was unaware of?
"Aww," Veronica cooed, eyes on me. "I forgot how cute you and Sweet Pea are together."
I rolled my eyes, just noticing that Archie had disappeared. "Try not to be too jealous about it. I have to go too."
The day passed slowly as I caught on the paperwork I'd been neglecting at Andrews Construction recently. Letting myself back into the house that night, I pressed myself against the wall as Mrs Andrews rushed down the steps, upset. Peeking through the banisters into Archie's room as I climbed the remaining stairs, I watched as he threw several wild swings at the punching bag.
"So, you wanna talk about whatever's got both you and your mom upset?" I asked, stopping by his door.
"She doesn't think I can do it," Archie said, turning to face me.
"What, boxing?"
"Yeah. She doesn't want me to keep pursuing it. Said she won't support me being pummeled."
I crossed my arms in front of me. "Well, she is your mom. Isn't that what parents are supposed to do, try to keep you safe?"
Archie shook his head, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. "My dad supports this, why can't she?"
"He's seen you in the ring, Archie," I replied. "Maybe your mom needs to see that you have potential. Why not invite her down to the gym to see you sparring with one of the guys?"
"Veronica got me the application for this tournament, the Regional Classic. She said it'd be a great way to jump-start my boxing career."
"Okay, so invite your mom to see you there," I said.
Archie pulled his gloves off, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "Great plan, but she won't go for it. I need a parent to sign-off on the application and I already asked. But..." he trailed off, motioning me into the room before shutting the door.
"Let me guess," I sighed. "You want me to forge your dad's signature so you can compete against her will? I mean, I already sign his name to stuff all day in the office."
"That kind of was what I was hoping for," he admitted sheepishly. "But it can't be my dad's name, he's out of town all week, there's no way he could have done it. It's gotta be my mom's."
I ran a hand through my hair, picking up the application from the desk where Archie'd left it. "You sure you want to do this?"
He nodded quickly. "Yeah. Abigail, I'm behind on everything else, but I'm good at boxing. I was actually thinking about going pro."
I raised an eyebrow at that. He really was dedicated to this. "All right. But I'm gonna need something she's signed recently to go off of. If I'm doing this, it may as well be a damn good forgery."
Archie grinned, promising to get me something to use before I went back downstairs to start on supper. After a while, Mrs Andrews announced she was going out to meet a friend. It didn't take long for Archie to drop a stack of papers on the kitchen island, along with his tournament application and a pen.
"She signed a bunch of pages in there, figured it would give you some options," he said.
I nodded, making sure the food wasn't going to burn while I studied the various signatures. At first glance Mary Andrews had a simple, flowing signature but I wanted it to be good enough to fool even Mrs Andrews herself. Satisfied I had all the loops and curves down, I pulled the application towards me. Just before I touched the pen to paper, the front door opened, Archie and I both tensing.
"Hey, what's going on?" Sweet Pea asked, joining us in the kitchen.
"You about gave me a heart attack, man," Archie laughed as I quickly signed the form.
"Done," I said, straightening. "Get rid of all that before she really does come home."
Archie grinned, gathering everything in his arms. "Thanks, I owe you one."
I nodded, circling the kitchen island to check on supper. Pulling plates from the cupboard, I turned around to see Sweet Pea standing there watching, arms folded across his chest.
"Abigail."
"Sweet Pea."
He sighed, giving me a disapproving look. "Come on, babe, what were you and Archie doing that had you jumping the minute I walked in the door?"
I glanced down the hall but heard nothing. This only had to be a secret from Mrs Andrews, nothing was said about not letting anyone else know. And besides, Sweet Pea already knew something was up. "Archie asked me to sign Mrs Andrews' name to his application for the Regional Classics Tournament."
"I thought you were done with breaking the law like it doesn't matter what happens to you," Sweet Pea burst out. "Do you have any idea what could happen to you if you got caught?"
"Yes, Sweet Pea, I'm aware," I replied levelly. "But I've tried living life by the books, doing everything the way it's supposed to be done and look how that ended. This is nothing compared to everything else I've done and you know it."
"No, this isn't like signing your parent's name to a detention slip or a bad report card," he protested. "Mad Dog told me about the Regional Classic, it's a legit tournament with real boxers."
"I'm aware of that," I snapped, running a hand through my hair. "Archie wants to do this. He wants to prove to Mrs Andrews that boxing isn't just some pastime. It's not like I signed his death warrant or some shit like that."
We stood at a standstill, both of us staring stubbornly at the other across the kitchen. Sweet Pea was the first to cave, coming around the island to wrap his arms around me with a sigh.
"I'm sorry," I whispered, leaning against him. "I'm just trying to help a friend."
"I know," Sweet Pea said softly, kissing the top of my head. "I just wish there was a better way to do it. I can't lose you again, even for a short time."
"I promise, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me," I said, pushing up onto my toes to kiss him.
Sweet Pea smiled into the kiss. "I wouldn't want it any other way," he said, pulling away. "Go get a movie started. I'll bring the plates up."
Nodding, I started towards the hall. "I love you, Abigail," he said behind me.
I stopped, looking back over my shoulder with a smile. "I love you too, Sweet Pea."