It's Always Being You

32- Caught

Archies POV

"Arch, Breakfast is ready. You better hurry up and get down here otherwise Vegas is going to eat it all." My dad bellowed from downstairs as I slowly slunked around my room in nothing but a pair of light faded jeans looking for a clean shirt.

I could feel the cold drips of water falling from my hair to my shoulders sending shivers down my spine, waking me up every few seconds. While it chilled me I definitely needed it.

It was a rough sleep last night. From the time I got home through to when I went to bed, my mind couldn't help but worry about Betty.

Even though I know Chic was her family and he's being around for quite some time now, I couldn't help but get a creepy vibe from him. Something about him just seems off.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized that barely any one knew anything about Chic. Unless you were his immediate family. Even when Jughead and Betty were together, Jughead had barely any interaction with Chic. He was practically a complete stranger to everyone outside that household.

Betty never brought him up. She only ever mentioned him when he was coming back home for a visit but besides that, nothing.

I was suddenly snatched from my thoughts by the sound of Vegas's bark and my dads voice echoing throughout the house. "Okay, I'm serious Arch. If you're not down in 30 seconds I'm giving Vegas all your bacon." He called out from downstairs, causing me to quickly pull the henley shirt I had in my hand over my head prior to grabbing Bettys calculus notes and sliding them in my bag, while quickly pacing out of my room down the stairs.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs I was met with Vegas and his usual morning greeting of tail wags to the calf and light barks. After quickly ruffling his fur and playing with his ears, I proceeded to kitchen with Vegas in tow, only to see my dad sitting at the island reading the paper with his regular morning cup of coffee.

"Morning dad." I said as I sat across from him, grabbing a piece of bacon inbetween my fingers before taking a large bite. His gaze quickly shifted from the paper as he folded it in his hands, setting it down beside his plate before meeting my gaze. "There you are." He replied while grabbing his coffee in his hand, before continuing on. "You look like you didn't sleep at all last night. Something on your mind?" He questioned as he eyed me with a concerned expression.

I knew I could tell my dad anything and this wasn't exactly something that I needed to hide from him. But at this stage it wasn't a problem which meant it wasn't something he needed to worry about.

Quickly I began slowly shaking my head, while chewing on the piece of bacon I had just consumed while trying to think of a side excuse for my tired eyes. "No, not really. Just up late. Calculus homework." I explained receiving a small nod in response as a smile spread across his lips before he got up from the stool, turning on his heel while heading towards the sink. "Speaking of Calculus, make sure to return Bettys notes to her." He stated catching me by surprise as I took a sip of my orange juice. "You know I love you son, but you haven't done one part of any of your maths homework without her help for the past 13 years." He explained with a small laugh causing a slight chuckle to escape my lips as my gazed dropped to my plate while a wide grin spread across my face. "How she puts up with you, I'll never know. But don't ever let her go." He continued as he came round the island, lightly grabbing my shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze before clapping me on the back as he made his way into the lounge.

After quickly consuming all of my breakfast, I rapidly put all my school supplies together, while slipping on a pair of converse before slipping on my lettermen jacket over my hoodie as I slipped out the front door. The cold air nipped at my skin as I leaped down the front steps, causing me to zip my hoodie up while goosebumps formed on my neck. Any thought I had about Chic, I hadn't thought about since the beginning of breakfast but as I looked over to the Cooper residence as I walked down my pathway towards the main footpath, my mind couldn't help but race back to every concern I had about him. I knew it wasn't exactly my place to feel unsure about him but all I wanted was for Betty to be safe and this feeling told me that Betty wasn't going to be safe with him in the house.