You'd heard it on your way to your locker. The chants and shouts. You quickly traced the sound to the common room where you saw everyone crowding round the vending machine; the glass smashed. You quickly ran in to find out what was happening.You skidded to a halt as your brain tried to process what was happening.
Moose was attempting to hold back an extremely agitated Reggie; Jughead was stood in the corner with a mix of fear and shock plastered on his face; Veronica, Betty and Kevin were all sporting a look of surprise, and a number of other students were craning their necks to get a better view of whatever was going on.
You slung your backpack on one of the chairs and tried to see what everyone was looking at. You stood next to Kevin who jolted at your presence.
"Kev, what's happening?" You questioned, his expression causing your stomach to swirl with angst.
Suddenly Moose pushed Reggie to the door, bumping your shoulder slightly as the angry football players started to disperse. You let out a small huff before turning back to
Kevin to get some answers; but not before you saw the all to familiar head of red hair of your best friend on the floor. A wave of dread washed over you, your face dropping. You rushed forward and crouched down in front of him.
"Arch!" you said as calmly as you could, which proved to be more difficult than you'd anticipated. He had his hand cupping his face, a pained groan escaping his lips. You placed your hand on his shoulders and helped him sit up.
He sat slumped against the now broken vending machine. You moved around so you were crouched in between his legs, your eyes meeting one of his dark pained orbs. You slowly reached your hand up to his and pulled it down. His cheek and eye were a fiery red, almost as bright as his hair, causing you to gasp.
He gave you a desperate stare, almost pleading for you not to judge him.
"Come on," you whispered standing up and grabbing his bag and yours.
"Let's go home and get some ice' you said as you extended your hand to help him up. He took it sheepishly as you both left the room, the stares of your friends on your backs.
"Ow" Archie hissed as you attempted to press the ice to his eye, which was starting to turn an alarming share of purple. You pulled your hand back slightly, not wanting to cause him anymore pain than he was currently in. You let out a small chuckle, placing the ice pack into his hand.
"Just put it on your eye you big baby," you teased, attempting to make him feel better. He gave you a spirited smirk; a thank you almost. You let out another giggle as you turned around to get your phone from your bag. When you turned back around you saw that Archie had taken the ice away from his eye. Again.
"Arch," you exasperated at his disobedience. A bright grin adorned his face, the corners of his eyes creasing as he chuckled. You walked back over to him and placed your hand over his, guided the ice back to his swollen eye. You held each others gaze and stood in silence, both secretly not wanting to let go.
"Thank you for taking care of me" he whispered timidly, his eyes still not leaving yours. You felt a blush form on your cheeks and you smiled. Then, in the heat of the moment, you closed your eyes and pecked him lightly on the lips; soft under yours for the brief moment they were connected. You opened your eyes to find him smiling widely, his eyes filled with affection.
"You've been taking care of me my whole life," you whispered fondly, pushing back a wisp of red hair that had fallen over his eyes. And all at once history seemed to repeat itself as he brought his lips to yours once more.
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CREDIT: madslovesconnor
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