I'm Darkness || Archie Andrews and Jughead Jones [2]

Number One Girl

"Where have you been?"

Ellie frowned at her sister's question, "What do you mean?"

"It's 6:30am. Don't tell me you went for a walk because I know you haven't been sleeping in your bed. And you've been using the same excuse for days now, E." Betty got up from the bed.

"I've been with insomnia." She shrugged.

"No, you haven't been sleeping at all." Her sister looked down at Ellie's hands, "You're shaking like crazy. What is happening? Talk to me."

"I'm scared, ok. I'm scared of Mr. Andrews' shooter." Eleanor blurted out, "I have been keeping an eye on Archie's house. Satisfied?"

"Oh, Ellie," Betty stepped forward, holding her sister's face, "Take care of yourself first."

"I'm fine."

"Look, distract yourself while putting Pop's back up."

"I thought about it, Betty. Maybe it's a lost cause." Eleanor told her, "Maybe there's nothing we could do."

"No, Jughead and I are going to go talk to Mayor McCoy, and try to save FP." She explained, "I'm not giving up and you shouldn't either. When did we ever give up? We don't, we're Coopers. We never give up."

If there was one thing Betty was right about was that. Coopers were fake, crazy, and all kind of things but not quitters. Little Ellie and little Betty were taught to get up when they fell, to keep trying, to keep studying, to keep trying to do better.

They were taught to be perfect.

But fragile things get broken easily, so they dressed themselves in steel. Betty also had darkness inside of her, they all had. But for the sisters, it was harder to control. Because usually when we let out the monsters to play once, it's hard to get them back in the jail.

"El, are you ok?"

"Sorry," She pushed the thought away, and looked back at Archie, "so what's up with the baseball bat and the energy drinks?"

"The shooter knows where we live, I'm taking care of the doors in case he comes in."

"Arch," Ellie touched his arm, "that is too much."

The back of her mind punished her for being refusing his idea when herself was doing the exact same thing and more, to tell the truth. But Archie was purer than her somehow, and she wanted to keep him that way – the light to guide her.

"But you aren't so good yourself, what's going on?" Archie pointed at her hands, "Is it about the panic attack? Have you gotten another?"

"No, no." She pulled his face closer, "I'm fine, ok? Don't worry about me. Focus on yourself."

"No, I'm worried about you too. What were you doing up so late, yesterday?" He went on, worried still about the girl he loved, "Are you even sleeping?"