The Life

Investigating The Mom Pt 2

Archie's POV
We were both sitting on the couch Alice was leaning in so she could interact with me but I was stiff as a board. Scared to move. 

"Do you want something to drink?" 

"No, I wanna know how you're still alive and if you were alive why you never came to see Betty and I. Why did we have to grow up bouncing from crappy foster parents to crappy foster parents, when we could have had you." I said finally breaking. I got so close to her I can see the veins in her eyes. 

"I didn't a choice, it was either we all live a life full of pain and abuse maybe even death or we separated. Archie you have to believe me when I said we didn't have a choice." She said grabbing my chin trying to stop me from crying. 

"What do you mean?" I say looking into her eyes. 

"Oh Archie, your father was a..." She paused trying to look for the right word to say. 

"Troubled person with anger issues and a drinking problem that was not life for you guys, one night he beat me with only an inch of my life hanging on I went to the hospital and found out I was pregnant. I couldn't leave and go back to him. I didn't want you guys to grow up like that. So before he found out I was pregnant my friend helped me fake a car accident. I couldn't just leave because he would fine me, us." 

"Okay you could've took us with you. We could've all just ran." 

"A life on the road is no childhood. I wanted you guys to be normal." 

"Normal? Betty joined a gang at 15. You leaving us didn't make our lives normal it just made it hell." I say. My voice wasn't shaken I just wanted her to know how I felt. 

She started to cry. 

"Can't you see either option I chose there was no win." 

"What about when we turned 18, or when Betty moved here did you have any intention on telling her?" 

"I did but she didn't remember. It was right after she got shot." 

"What?!" My voice dropped along with my stomach. 

"Betty never told me that." I said following getting up. I go straight to Jughead who is outside. 

"Betty was shot?!" I yell so loudly it scared him.