Endgame??

Chapter 4

Hello everyone!! hope all are doing good!

sorry, back to back work and festivals have kept me busy... so here is the 4th part, hope you guys like it..

Pic - credited to Riverdale

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Archie walked step by step to his house as slow as possible; thinking to himself....

The night before School

Archie entered his home still thinking about his conversation with Betty along the walk and how everything seemed and felt like old times. "Hey Archie you're home!" his mother's voice brought out of his thoughts, seeing his mom's face he smiled at her "Hey mom!" he had decided that he would make everything right...one step/person at a time. He could clearly see how his mom's face looked brighter and happier than before he moved back. Archie smiled and silently thanked Betty again; he walked in and sat in the kitchen table while his mom was cleaning.

"So did you have a good dinner?" Mary asked casually, Archie nodded "Yes...Betty had come back from her trip...so all four of us had dinner together after a long time" he said with a big smile. Mary stopped her work and looked at her son, the smile she missed on her sons face was back, and he finally looked like a high-schooler he should have looked like.

Mary smiled again and continued her conversation when Archie caught her staring at him, "Ah yes I know Betty is back...Coz her mom visited me earlier too...which was strange and sweet..." Mary commented confused while Archie looked on "...I mean I've never seen her smile at me like that before...today she almost looked normal...if you know what I mean!" Mary sounded pleasantly surprised and happy. Archie smiled thinking it was probably the work of Betty; seeing him lost in thoughts "Are you hungry Archie...shall I get you something?" she asked but he just nodded a 'no'. "I'm heading upstairs mom!" Archie informed getting up from the chair, "Yes!! You need to start waking up early from tomorrow!" Mary commented finishing her work indicating Archie of the school reopen tomorrow. Archie had almost forgotten about it, he smiled, kissed his mom good night and left upstairs to his room.

He entered his room finally exhaustion hitting him, he removed his coat and sat on his study table smiling at himself. The last few days he was feeling lighter like before...before Jason was murdered. All the murderers and the conflicts all looked like some distant things he didn't have to bother. Hiram had been busy with Veronica to be torturing anyone else, and thanks to Mr. Jones's help the community centre was free of trouble makers that we knew off.

Archie again realised he was smiling to himself, strangely he had been doing that a lot lately...not the 'at himsefl' part just the 'smiling' part. Spending more time with his mom had helped him clear and come peace with his father dismiss or at least coming in peace with it. Smiling he gets up and was about to hit the bed when he notices a sudden light from his window. He peeked to see Betty's room lit, his smile grew seeing the light from her room; he had staring at the dark room for the past week whenever he felt confused.

He was brought out of his memories when he saw Betty entering her room, with her coat in her hand. She looks the same from what he remembers, not the one from few minutes ago but same as few months ago.

He remembered the day veronica broke up with him and Jughead with Betty, he was hurt but he also knew Betty was heart-broken too...with all the black-hood fiasco. He remembered how confused and hurt he had come home but seeing her across the window in her room was relieving of that pain. And then the scene of the infamous kiss popped into his head, making him sigh in frustration. He thought he had forgotten it, at least tried to forget it but that damn thing always made its way back into his head. Pissed-off Archie tried to push past all the emerging thoughts, he shook his head and again looked at Betty's window