LAST SUMMER [ARCHIE ANDREWS] - DISCONTINUED

twenty-four

KARA EVENTUALLY did get a call from her boyfriend, like he'd promised, but it was definitely not the one she wanted.

It wasn't a number she recognized, but she answered anyway, frowning when she heard his voice on the other side. "Hello?"
Kara asked with a frown. "Kara, it's... it's Archie," he said. His voice sounded raw and stopped up. He sniffed, and Kara swore she could hear him crying. "Archie, where are you? What's wrong?"

"M-my dad... we were at Pop's, an... and this thief, he had a gun and he- he shot him Kara, he shot my dad." Kara's heart sunk at his words, her mouth becoming dry. She swung her feet off of her bed, hurriedly shoving on her shoes as she stood. "Where are you Archie? Which hospital?"

"Riverdale General," he responded, his words shaky, "Kara please hurry, I-I'm scared." Kara dashed down the stairs, grabbing her mother's keys from the table and ignoring her question as she ran out to the car. "I'm coming, Arch, it's gonna be okay, alright?"

Kara went far over the speed limit as she drove to Riverdale General Hospital and she met Jughead, Veronica, and Betty in the parking lot, who's parents were following them inside as well. Kara spotted Archie in the waiting room, pacing in front of the secretary's desk. His white cast was covered in blood, along with his letterman jacket, both stained deep red. "Arch," she breathed, running to him. He collapsed into her, his tears dampening her t-shirt as he buried his nose in her hair. Kara gripped his shoulders firmly, hands shaking like a leaf. It was surreal- why would anyone want to hurt Fred Andrews?

Kara felt Betty and Jughead join in the embrace as well as Veronica, wrapping their arms around the couple tightly. "What happened?" Jughead asked as they pulled off of him. Archie's eyes flitted around nervously. "I came out of the bathroom and there was this... this man, a thief, wearing this hood on Pop Tate." Kara gripped his arms, looking up at him with her eyes gleaming in concern. "And then he pointed it at my dad and he... he fired."

"Oh, Archie..." Kara said sadly, running her hand down his arm to hold his hand. Jughead frowned at Archie over her shoulder. "And then he...?"

"H-he bolted," Archie said quickly, almost too quickly. "Then, I-I held my dad and Pop called an ambulance, but it never came, so I drove here and..." He breathed out a shaky sigh, bouncing on his blood-stained Chuck Taylor's. "I don't know, maybe I should've just waited, m-maybe I just made it worse-" He glanced longingly at the closed doors.

"Hey, are you kidding me?" Betty frowned, "You saved your dad's life." Veronica grinned shyly. "Your dad and Cheryl all in a weekend." Jughead offered a gently smile. "You keep this up and they'll have to give you a superhero name," he said. Archie's concerned look seemed to lighten a bit as Kara squeezed his hand. "Pure-Heart the Powerful."