[the past] | completed

caught and captured

We finally arrived. We were slightly wet- not drenched, but wet. When we got there, our hands were still together. I don't know what it was about him, but something made me trust him.

"Welcome back to your childhood home." I smiled at him and closed up the umbrella as he opened up the door to the giant Pembroke. I remember every inch of it. I set down the umbrella and began to look around in amazement

"It's just like how I remember it," I said softly, inspecting every nook and cranny.

"Would you like to see your room?" I nodded and followed Archie to a lavender colored room.

"Thank you so much, Archie. I can't thank you enough." He smiled and set my bag down on the bed. My head was starting to ache a bit, but my happiness and gratefulness overrode it.

"No problem. This was going to be jellybeans room." I looked up at him with a confused look, and he was just in bliss.

"Jellybean as in Jughead's sister, Jellybean?" He nodded while giving me his big dorky smile. The thought of her obviously just made him light up.

"Yeah. Man I loved her. She was so funny and sweet. The sweetest little girl I've ever met." Sadness flashed in his eyes and I hesitated to ask what crossed my mind.

"Didn't she," I trailed off. He nodded. "Yeah, she went missing."

   "But, wasn't it a year before you moved in here? That's what Jughead said anyway." Archie nodded.

   "Okay I'm not even gonna ask why Jughead told you, but yup. But Gladys- Jughead's mom- always had faith that she was going to come back one day. We all thought she was. Especially Jughead. You know one of the reasons Jughead started torturing you at school was because Jellybean was distant. Then when she went missing, he went ballistic." I nodded and sat my bag on a dresser deciding I would unpack later.

"Okay, look," I sat down on the bed, gesturing for him to join me. "I want us to be honest with each other, like real friends. So about why and how Jughead told me..." I took a small pause and he stared at me.

"We were in jail. For this stupid thing where he made me look like the bad guy when I pulled out my knife on him at school, and-" I looked to see Archie's confused and concerned face, and I just laughed it off.

"Basically, he got us both in a mini jail. Where we played a game of truth or dare." Archie narrowed his eyes at me.

"Why would you play truth or dare with him after everything he's done?" I looked away and bit my lip before speaking.

"Somehow, he snuck a flask in there and, well, I was drunk." He nodded, motioning for me to go on with the story.

"Well, I gave him a truth about something with you and the Pembroke or something like that, and he mentioned that Jellybean went missing a year before you guys moved into the Pembroke." I neglected to mention that I had seen Jellybean at the Pembroke but Jughead said she had disappeared before then. I still can't piece that together.

"Well, I appreciate you telling me that," Archie chuckled. His letterman jacket from Riverdale high complemented his red hair perfectly. Something very Archie Andrews like.

"So uh, you and Jughead?" Archie asked softly. I almost choked on my own tongue.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked raising my eyebrows. "I mean, he always talked about you. You know, before he started staying with his dad." I internally felt relieved that he didn't come here anymore, but I shook my head at his accusations.

"Archie, I hate Jughead. For making all of my broken days even worse, for making me question my own existence- he... he is a monster. And me and him- whatever you're thinking about me and Jughead ever happening- we will never happen. Ever." Archie smiled at me and I felt the tension between us grow.