Polaroid // Reggie Mantle (2)

Chapter One

The story continues.

The mayor's jubilee was supposed to change everything. Be a new start. But when the citizens woke up the next morning, Riverdale was still, at it's heart, a haunted town.

While everyone else was just starting to get their coffee and reading their morning paper, Archie Andrews had something else on his mind. His dad had just been shot, and it was up to him to save him.

So there he was, careening down the road in his dad's pickup, having absolutely no idea what he was doing. The only thought he had was that he had to get to the hospital. He had to, no matter what.

Somehow, Archie made it to the hospital with all of him intact. He lugged his dad's body through the doors, the blood staining his shirt like he had been the one who was shot. He called for help, and immediately was met with the aid of many doctors and nurses.

They laid Fred down on a stretcher and rushed him into the operating room. Archie started after them, but was stopped before he could go in. The doors shut before him, and he stared longingly through the small window. He was scared. So, so scared.

Caia was brushing her teeth when she got a call from Betty. She spit, put her toothbrush in the holder, and picked up the phone. "What's up?" She questioned.

"It's Archie. His dad got shot. Meet us at the hospital as soon as you can." That was all Betty said before the line cut off.

Caia slowly brought the phone from her ear, trying to process what she had just heard. Fred Andrews had been shot? Who would do that? And why?

Suddenly, memories of her Mom's death hit her, and she immediately sprang into action. She hadn't had anyone when her mom died, and she wasn't going to let Archie suffer the same fate, if this incident did come to that same horrific end. She snaked her jacket off the wall and sprinted down the stairs.

Once outside, she contemplated how exactly she was going to get to the hospital. It was quite a far distance to walk, and her father was out with the car. She didn't have a bike, and wouldn't have know how to ride it anyway if she did. Her father had never taught her.

Deciding there was no better option, Caia took off jogging toward the hospital. It took her less time to get there than she had expected. In fact, she got there just as Betty did. They joined hands as they rushed through the doors.

It must have been really good timing, as Veronica and Jughead met them as they walked down the hallway. Caia joined hands with Veronica and Betty with Jughead. They were all bonded together, comforting each other in this time of despair.

Archie was pacing back and forth in front of the chairs in the waiting room. Caia immediately felt horrible. She knew exactly what he was going through. Although, she couldn't imagine having to see your parent get hurt like that. And being in charge of whether or not they survived.

"Arch," Veronica called, jogging forward over to Archie. She hugged the boy, who looked like he was holding back tears. Caia, Jughead, and Betty all joined in the group hug.

They all took seats in the waiting room, gathered around Archie. They all leaned forward toward him as he told the story. "I came out of the bathroom and there was this man. Theif, wearing this hood, with a gun on Pop Tate, and then he pointed it at my dad and fired." Caia grimaced. She couldn't imagine witnessing something like that.

"Oh my god, Archie," Veronica breathed, obviously thinking the same thing Caia was.

"And then he," Archie sucked in a deep breath, stopping suddenly. Everyone waited for him to continue. When he didn't, they started to wonder if he was okay.