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

The Kiss

Eleanor was sitting down on the large bed, her elbows resting against her knees.

She wasn't mad at Archie only because of the kiss. She was mad about the whole thing. Actually, she was more angry at Betty. But at the same time, she wasn't. She couldn't blame her sister for doing something she had done too, hiding secrets, telling lies.

Archie stormed into the room, closing the door behind him. "Ellie, we need to talk."

"I need to be alone."

"What the hell was that?" He was confused. "Why did you act like you didn't know? I told you about the kiss, remember?"

"What?" Ellie stood up abruptly and turned to face the redheaded in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Are you kidding me now, Ellie?" Archie frowed. "I told you back at the garage one night."

Suddenly, a headache hit Eleanor and she was taken back with the overwhelming memories coming to her about that night Archie was referring to.

"So... what was all of that with Cheryl?" Ellie wondered out loud, while sitting next to her boyfriend, of the garage's couch.

"What?"

"I saw you two whispering about." She told him, and predicted a possible cover up. "And don't lie. We moved past that, Arch."

"She was..." Archie thought it through – will she hate me? will I loose her again? or will she only care that I love her so much? – and finally spoke up. "Cheryl was blackmailing me."

"Wait what?" Ellie straightened. "With what?"

"The night of the black hood... before you met us at your place... Betty and I kissed. A peck on the lips. She kissed me but she was just... tired and... angry at Jughead..."

"Betty..." The blonde recalled their reaction when she got home that evening, she remembered their eyes moving to the floor when she walked in, and now she understood, "A kiss."

"It meant nothing." Archie moved closer to her, "I love you, El. I love you so much. It's always been you, no one else got even close to you. It's just you."

"Ellie, are you ok?" Archie reached out to her at the glimpse of her almost fainted in front of him in that large bedroom. He held her still. "Hey, I got you."

"I'm fine." She pushed him away slightly. Ellie swallowed while composing herself and, finally, looked up to him. "I'm sorry. You are right. You did told me, I just..."

"You just forgot, Ellie. You're not ok." He told her, worried. "Is this something that's been happening? You forgetting things?"

"I said I'm fine, Archie."

"Look," Archie put one wild blonde hair behind her ear. "you can talk to me. I'm still me. With or without Hiram Lodge. I'm still your Archie, El."

Eleanor looked into his eyes. "Until when, Archie? Until Hiram puts you up to distribute his drugs? Kill someone? Kill me?"

"Never. I would never hurt you."

"This was not what we planned. We were going to bring Hiram down." She grabbed him by his large shoulders. "You said you didn't, but you did, you chose him over me. And, yes, it all seems ok now. But it will get worse. It's Hiram Lodge, Archie."

"I won't let him hurt you anymore." Archie promised her. "I can protect you from inside. I can, I know I can. And I will."

"Protect me from him?" Eleanor shook her head slightly. "Oh Arch, he won't stop until I'm miserable. He wants me to join him or regret it. And I'm not joining the Devil." He leaned in, almost pressing his forehead against hers when she pulled away with sorrow in her green eyes. And he knew she was pushing him away from her life. "I'm sorry."