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“Ay dios mío, pelirrojo!”
Archie is scribbling down a few lyrics that had just popped into his head when Ms. Alcaldo startles him. He has the decency to look apologetic when he notices the disapproving look on her face.
“Lo siento?” He shrugs sheepishly.
The teacher just raises a brow and hands him his graded quiz. “It seems as though that’s the only thing you know about the Spanish language Mr. Andrews.” She takes a peek at the barely legible scrawls in his notebook and his fingers twitch to close it. “It’s a shame too. You have a way with words.” With that she walks away, her heels clicking loudly against the floor.
Archie slumps down in his chair as he sees yet another big red F stamped onto his paper, mocking him. And it’s not for lack of effort either. He's spent day and night trying to study so he could pass this test. It just wasn’t registering with him. He always got the pronunciation, spelling, and accent marks wrong. Also, informal and formal way of saying things always threw him off too.
His dad was going to kill him or worse take away his guitar.
Not a minute later the bell rings and Archie is making his way towards Ms. Alcaldo’s desk when he bumps into someone causing papers to go flying.
“Oh shh- I’m sorry!” The redhead hastily tries to pick up the papers.
“It’s okay.” Says the person he ran into.
Archie looks up and the first thing he sees is big round glasses. The next thing he sees is a really beautiful girl behind the glasses. She has straight raven hair and her eyes were a dark brown like freshly brewed coffee.
“Wow,” He blurts out. He can’t stop staring at her even though he’s already handed back her papers.
“Thank you.” The girl shyly tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and says, “um excuse me.“
“Shit- sorry I’m in your way aren’t I? Yeah go ahead! Sorry about dropping your papers and yeah.” He rambles, stepping aside so the poor girl can leave.
Archie stands there watching her leave and wonders why he’s never noticed her before and the fact that he never even got her name.
There are more pressing matters than pursuing the most gorgeous girl he’s ever laid eyes on.
“Ms. Alcaldo I need-“
“What you need to do is get to your next class Mr. Andrews.”
“Yes but also I need to know how to not fail your class.”
“Estudiar.”
“I’m going to assume that means study.”
“Archie,” The teacher sighs. “I’ve done everything I can to help you. If you’d pay attention in class I’m sure that’d help a lot.”
It’s not that Archie purposely doesn’t pay attention in class it’s just that inspiration conveniently strikes whenever he’s in Spanish class. He’s the type of person that needs to write down the lyrics as soon as they come to mind or it’ll bug him like something itching at the back of his brain. By the time he’s gotten everything out and tunes back into the lesson he’s completely lost and left to fend for himself.
“Please, Miss, I need to pass this class.” Archie pleads.
She gives him an unimpressed look and scribbles something down onto a piece of paper. “Here.” She hands him the paper with a name written on it. “She’s a tutor and I’m pretty sure she can even help you.”
Veronica Lodge, it reads.
“Does she even go to this school?” Archie asks, knowing he’s never even heard of this girl.
Ms. Alcaldo chuckles. “Ay pelirrojo. You just ran into her.”
Suddenly Archie doesn’t feel any impending doom for the upcoming Spanish test.
“Thanks!” He throws over his shoulder with a big smile as he runs off to class.
~
“I need your help.”
Jughead takes a big bite of his sandwich before he pays Archie any mind. He holds up his index finger as he chews. Takes a sip of his soda before folding his hands in front of him and giving Archie his full attention.
“Yes?” He adds when all Archie does is stare at him, unimpressed with his antics.
“Do you know a girl by the name Veronica lodge?”
“I know her.”
Archie looks up to see Betty setting down her tray and taking off her backpack.
“How?”
Betty makes a face at his eagerness. “Why do you want to know?”
“Wait, is she new?” Archie asks, trying to rack his brain for any memory of her before today. He’s pretty sure he would never forget a face like hers.
“Well if you count transferring here two years ago new then yeah she’s new,” Betty snarks. “Why the sudden interest?” She persists.
“It’s for Spanish. My teacher says she can tutor me.”
“Uh huh.” Jughead stares at him suspiciously. “Now tell us the real reason.”
“I’m serious!”
Betty and Jughead give each other a knowing look.
“I- okay that’s not the only reason but it’s seriously why I need to get in contact with her.”
“She’s in my Ap Us history class.” The blonde vixen relents. “But Archie you have to be careful with her. She’s really shy and quiet.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Archie gives Betty an affronted look. “I just need her to help me with Spanish.”
“Yeah and you probably wanna help her with some extracurricular activities.” Jughead snickers.
“I just mean you can’t be so excited to offer your friendship…” she says it like she’s talking to an overly excited child. “Among other things.” Betty adds.
“Guys c’mon! I’m not that bad!”
“Promise me you’ll go easy on her?” Betty asks again. “She’s not the most social butterfly.”
Archie’s face softens a little. “I’ll keep my cool.”
He knows she means well but it’s not like he’s gonna ask her out the second she looks his way. It bothers him that his friends think he’ll pounce on anything that gives him an ounce of attention. Archie has a reputation with girls, sure, but he’s so much more than a player. Either way something tells him this girl is going to become very important to him. Whether it be because she saves his ass in Spanish or another reason. Anything could happen.
His childhood friend smiles appreciatively. “She spends most of her time in the library.”
“You’re the best!” Archie exclaims. “I owe you ten milkshakes from pops!” He starts gathering up his stuff, shoving things into his backpack carelessly.
“What about me?” Jughead complains but Archie is already out of earshot.
~
He finds her tucked into a corner looking very immersed into whatever book she’s reading. He pauses before approaching her, wanting to watch her just for a second. He notices the way her face scrunches up like she can’t believe she just read that. Every time she flips a page she has to throw her hair over her shoulder. She likes to make little notes in the book and gets this satisfied little smile. It all makes his heart beat a little faster and his stomach flutter.
Oh wow. Archie should not be this enamored by someone he’s only spoke a couple words to.
Deciding that he should stop being a creep and actually talk to her, he makes his way towards Veronica.
Not wanting to startle the girl he gently says, “Hey.”
Her head snaps up and her eyes go wide. Her eyes flit around the room before they lock on his.
Archie swears he loses his breath right then and there.
“Can I help you?” She says it so quietly.
“Uh- we have Spanish together,” He blurts out, handing her the paper that their teacher gave him.
She cautiously takes the paper from his hand and stares at it in confusion. It’s just a piece of paper with her name on it. It doesn’t give any kind of indication as to why he’s standing if front of her right now. Frankly, she seems a little annoyed at being interrupted.
“What’s this?”
“Oh! Fuck- shit, I should probably explain myself,“ He stutters, realizing he must look like a complete idiot right now.
Her eyes squint in irritation at his loud voice and most likely his excessive use of profanity as well. It causes a blush to spread across his face.
He smiles at her apologetically. “Sorry. But um we have Spanish together and I’m in desperate need of help. Ms. Alcaldo said you were the best person to ask for help.”
She sits up straighter now, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Probably a nervous tick of hers, he notes.
“You want me to help you with Spanish?” She looks so unsure, eyes darting everywhere except at him.
“Please!” Archie sits down on the chair across from her. “I’ll do anything.” He begs.
He watches as she closes her book and starts gathering up her materials. For a second he thinks she might actually just get up and walk away. Archie sits there helplessly as she gently packs up her stuff. Her side profile is so beautiful he’s not even offended that she’s going to ignore him just sad that she doesn’t seem to want to give him the time of day.
But then she’s folding her hands on the table and finally looks at him but not in his eyes. “I’ll help you.”
Archie feels relief flooding through him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” He tries his best to keep his voice down but he’s so excited It’s taking everything in him not to get up and hug her right now.
Before he can do anything dumb like touch her hand, she’s reaching into her bag and pulling out a piece of paper. She sets it down on the table and slides it over to him. It’s his quiz he got back earlier back in class. Archie feels his face go hot with embarrassment. He wasn’t lying when he said he needed help but he also doesn’t want her to think he’s a complete idiot. For some reason Archie cares a lot about her opinion of him, which is a little concerning considering he doesn’t know anything about the girl.
“I think you accidentally gave this to me when we bumped into each other in class,” Veronica explains. “I can help you. I just need to know you’ll take this seriously.” She pushes up her glasses with her index finger. It makes her all the more endearing.
“Oh yeah, of course I will!” Archie nods his head vehemently. “My dad will ground me for life if I don’t get this grade up.”
Veronica smiles demurely. “What’s your schedule like?”
“Hmm,” He ponders for a second. “Well, I have football practice most days and weekends I sometimes work with my dad so-“
Her eyebrows knit together causing a frown to appear on her face. “I hope you don’t think I’m just going to do the work for you. I can assure you right now that won’t happen, Archibald. You have to put in the work.”
Archie’s eyes almost bulge out of his head. “No! That’s not- I wasn’t-“ He has to pause and take a deep breath to calm down. “I’m free on Sunday. The whole day dedicated to you.” He smiles charmingly at her, hoping she won’t actually change her mind because he can’t seem to get himself together. “That’s if you can on Sunday’s.” He adds quickly.
A blush appears on the apple of her cheeks. “Sunday works.” Veronica smiles thinly. “Where should we meet? Library?”
Archie doesn’t know if he’s pushing it or not but he suggests, “Is my house okay?”
Veronica seems hesitant as she chews on her bottom lip. She tucks another strand of hair behind her ear.
“I think we’ve figured out I can’t be quiet.” He jokes.
“I’ll be over at noon.” She quickly gathers her things. “See you Sunday,” Veronica says politely and walks away with her books held tightly against her chest and her head down.
Sunday can’t come soon enough, Archie thinks.
~
It’s like the days pass by at a snail's pace. He’s so distracted with everything he does. He checks the time more often than he should, wishing the days would go by faster. Even when he wants to write a song, which is usually his favorite pastime, all that flows onto the paper is Veronica over and over again. During practice, he’s gotten tackled every time he has the ball in his hands because he thinks he catches a glimpse of her sitting in the stands from the corner of his eye and his mind can’t comprehend anything except for her.
He’s just a mess and he’s so smitten with her it’s out of control.
He also doesn’t want to wait until Sunday to get to talk to her. Sure he can ask Betty what she’s all about but that’s too impersonal. He wants to hear her thoughts and let her tell her stories the way she does. He wants to see the way her eyes shine with the memories of her childhood or hear her laugh when she recalls something particularly funny. He wants to know stuff as simple as her favorite music genre, her favorite TV show or if she even watches TV at all.
Archie figures asking her to hangout one on one outside of tutoring would freak her out, so he hopes a group hangout is less intimidating.
They’re in Spanish class and he’s trying really hard to focus but now that he knows she’s in his class he can’t stop sneaking glances of her. He’s mesmerized by the look of concentration on her face and how she mumbles along what the teacher is saying while taking notes.
Next thing he knows the bell is ringing and everyone is packing up to go. Archie swings his backpack over one shoulder and walks toward her desk which isn’t far from his own, only two rows away. She’s packing up her stuff carefully, making sure everything is neat and organized.
“Hey,” he greets hesitantly. He smiles at her and hopes he doesn’t look as silly as he feels. He’s so nervous and he doesn’t even know why.
She looks around the room, as if to make sure he’s actually talking to her. “Hello, Archie.” Veronica smiles carefully.
“I-I was wondering maybe if- maybe you would- Uh“ Archie keeps stuttering and it’s so frustrating. Why does she have such an affect on him?! He’s usually cool and collected when he’s talking to girls. He guesses it doesn’t help that she’s biting her lip to hide a smile at his inability to form complete sentences. He has to take a deep breath before speaking again. “Would you want to have lunch with me and my friends?”
He can see it on her face, seeing her eyebrows crease worriedly and the way she darts her eyes around the classroom that her first instinct is to say no.
“I just figured since you know Betty it could be kinda fun.” He adds in hopes of convincing her.
She still looks unsure and he thinks she’s going to decline and he can’t help the look of surprise that over takes his face when she lets out a quiet, “okay.”
“Okay,” he repeats trying his hardest not to let a huge smile take over his face. “After you.” He gestures towards the door, not missing the way her cheeks turn a bit pink.
They’re walking down the hallway, towards the cafeteria, in what feels like awkward silence and Archie is trying to find something to talk about. He wanted this opportunity but now that he has it he can’t think of a single thing to say.
“So, you like school huh?” It’s the first thing that comes to mind and honestly, he wishes the ground would swallow him up right now.
Veronica slows her steps just a little causing Archie to look back at her. She has a frown on her face.
“Yes…” she answers cautiously, eyeing him questionably.
“I just mean since you’re a tutor and all you must like it.”
“Yeah, I like helping people when I can.”
Archie nods his head a little excessively and soon they’re back to walking in silence.
“I like music.” Archie says out of the blue. “I like writing music as well.”
“I know I’ve seen you play during the schools talent show. You’re quite talented.”
“Thanks,” He replies shyly. “What about you?” He tries to take the attention of him because learning that she actually saw him perform and she thinks he’s talented makes his entire body buzz with excitement.
“What about me?” She asks.
“Do you like music?”
“Well, I enjoy listening to music.”
Archie thinks it’s a start. “What genre? Classical?”
She side eyes him. “Sometimes I listen to classical but only if there’s too much noise around so it helps me focus. I mostly listen to pop or-“
“I’m sorry to interrupt but do you want to get some lunch from the cafeteria?” He asks when they’ve reached the entrance to the mess hall.
“No, it’s okay I’ve brought my own.” She gestures to the lunch pail in her hand.
“Okay cool.” He says then searches around for his two friends. “They’re over here.” Archie nods his head in the direction where Betty and Jughead are sitting.
“Hey Vee!” Betty greets excitedly. She gets up to give the other girl a hug. Over her shoulder the blonde mouths an “oh my god”, probably just as surprised as he is that she agreed to have lunch with them.
Archie just shrugs back at her.
“Hey,” jughead acknowledges through a mouthful of chips.
“It’s nice to see you again jughead.”
“I finished that mystery novel you recommended.” Jughead mentions to Veronica once she’s settled down. “The one about these kids from a small town who solve murders. It was an interesting read. I have some questions though.”
Jughead and Veronica go into a full blown discussion about how ridiculous the book was when halfway through it turned into some supernatural satanic ritual thing that didn’t make any sense and how there were so many inconsistencies with the characters' story lines. Betty gives her input here and there but she mostly lets them talk.
Archie watches the scene unfold, feeling absolutely stupefied because Veronica seems so much more relaxed around the couple like this is a regular occurrence. She’s talking and laughing freely as if she’s the one that belongs in the friend group and he’s the newcomer. What Archie can’t understand is Betty only mentioned they were classmates not actual friends who hang out, cause if that’s the case where the hell has he been when this happens?
“Where’s Kevin?” Veronica asks when their conversation dies down a bit.
Archie is just about to fall off the bench he’s so floored. She knows Kevin too?! He opens his mouth to say something like what the fuck is going on?! but Betty is already answering her question.
“He’s helping moose with a JROTC thing.”
“Yeah, most likely working on making things stand at attention.” Jughead jokes.
“Juggy.” Betty frowns disapprovingly, smacking his arm lightly.
Veronica blushes at the implication and giggles quietly to herself.
Archie laughs a little too loud causing everyone at the table to look at him oddly. He clears his throat.
“Are we still going to Pop’s later?” He asks in an attempt to clear the awkwardness.
“Yeah.” Betty responds. “You should come Vee.”
Veronica looks caught off guard. “Oh I-“
“Yeah, it’ll be fun.” Archie cuts in, excited at the prospect of spending even more time with her.
“I don’t think I can make it.” She doesn’t look anywhere besides the lunch table. “I have a lot to study.”
Archie feels disappointment seep into his bones.
“Well, you’re welcome to join us if you finish early or just want to hang out.” Betty says kindly, a smile playing on her lips.
The bell rings and Archie’s mood has plummeted severely. He feels as though he didn’t get to talk to Veronica at all. He actually didn’t really get a chance talk all that much during lunch, he realizes. He’s kind of peeved about how things played out.
“Maybe you can join us again for lunch tomorrow?” He asks hopefully.
“Y-yeah maybe.” She stutters nervously.
Archie counts that as a win.
~
It’s finally Sunday.
Archie has been up since seven in the morning. He was so filled with nervous energy from the moment he woke up he had to go for a morning run. Usually sundays would be his relaxing days but no this is a big day.
He was currently vacuuming his room, jamming along to I Like the Way by Lovelytheband that was blasting from his speakers. He’s so distracted that he doesn’t hear his dad calling his name until he unplugs the speaker.
“Archie!” His dad yells over the vacuum noise, holding up the cord to the speaker.
“Huh?” Archie turns off the vacuum. “Oh hey dad!” He chirps.
“What on earth are you doing?”
His face twists in confusion because it’s pretty obvious what he’s doing. “Cleaning my room?”
“I can see that.” His dad rolls his eyes. “But why?”
“I just thought it was looking a little dirty.” Archie shrugs innocently. “I like to keep things clean!”
Fred crosses his arms over his chest, knowing damn well that’s a lie.
“Fine!” He budges, hating the way his dad smirks from across the room like he knows something. “My tutor is coming over today.”
“Oh your tutor?” He asks. “This tutor doesn’t happen to be the same girl you haven’t stopped talking about this whole week?”
“Dad!” Archie whines, cheeks flushing.
“I’m only teasing kid,” Fred chuckles. “I will say though, if this girl coming over is the only way to get you to clean your room then she’s welcome anytime.”
He shakes his head at his dad as he passes by, giving Archie a pat on the back.
Soon after Archie is done fixing up his room he jumps in the shower and takes his time under the hot water. Washing and scrubbing places he usually overlooks in his morning haste not to be late for school. Once out of the steaming shower he walks himself over to his bed, drying his hair along the way, and puts on the clothes he set out for himself. A crisp white Henley, black jeans, and his beat up old chucks.
Archie is in the bathroom combing his hair when he hears the doorbell ring. Hastily he sprays on some cologne Mrs. Cooper gifted him once for Christmas. Somehow he gets some in his mouth and it makes him choke a little.
“I’ll get it!” He coughs out, while racing down the steps.
His dad is sitting on the dining room table, looking over some papers, not paying attention to him.
“Hey,” he greets, casually leaning against the door. He hopes he doesn’t sound as breathless as he feels.
“Good afternoon, Archie.” She’s smiling at him and he thinks maybe he’s not winded because he just ran down the staircase but because she looks so beautiful. She looks softer right now, wearing a light blue hoodie with regular jeans, and some vans. It’s the complete opposite from her usual carefully planned and pleated outfit. Her hair isn’t straight like it usually is and she’s missing her headband but Archie likes the way it looks a little wavy. She still has her big round glasses and honestly Archie is closer to completely falling for her than he should be.
He feels really lucky getting to see her like this.
“Come in.” Archie opens the door wide enough to let her slip past him.
He feels downright giddy at the chance to be spending some alone time with her. Even though she’s spent lunch with their group everyday this week he wasn’t really able to interact with her all that much. Once Kevin joined them, lunch mostly consisted of them three talking animatedly to each other while him and Jughead just sat there and ate their food, occasionally giving their opinions here and there. He is glad though that she’s gotten more comfortable around him. She sometimes says hi during passing periods and won’t shy away when she catches him staring at her in class, instead opting to smile back at him.
“Thank you again for doing this, Ronnie.” He says gratefully, once he closes the door behind her.
Veronica spins around, her eyebrows practically at her hairline.
His own eyebrows scrunch up at the surprised look on her face. His face goes hot when he realizes a moment later that he used a nickname he’s never used before. It’s something that’s been playing at the tip of his tongue ever since he met her but he’s always been too scared to let it slip past his lips.
“I- uh-” he stutters and by now he’s pretty sure his cheeks are as red as his hair.
“I like it,” Is all she says and turns right back around.
Since she’s not looking he doesn’t even try to stop his smile.
“Uh dad,” Archie says to get Fred’s attention when they reach the table.
He peers up at his son from behind his reading glasses and notices they have a guest. “Oh hi! I’m Fred Andrews.” He introduces himself and offers his hand for Veronica to shake.
“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Andrews.” She takes his hand and gives it a light shake. “I’m Veronica Lodge.”
“Yes, so I’ve heard.” He winks at Archie, loving the way he looks so embarrassed.
“Dad, do you mind leaving?” Archie asks a little forcefully. “So, we can start the tutoring session,” he explains calmly when his dad gives him a look.
“Alright, I’ll get out of your hair. I’ll go take Vegas for a walk.” Fred agrees easily, picking up all his papers. “It was nice to finally meet you Veronica. Tell your mom I said hi.”
“Nice meeting you as well Mr. Andrews. And I will.”
Archie’s mouth drops open at that. What the hell?! Did literally everyone that is associated with him know of her existence before him?
“Are you kidd-“
“Have a good tutor session, Arch.” Fred laughs and walks away.
Archie shakes his head and scoots the chair out for Veronica.
She glows a pretty pink. “Thank you,” she mutters before sitting down.
“So, where do we start?” Archie asks once he has all his materials together.
“I think we should focus on what you need the most help with.”
“Everything.” Archie deadpans.
Veronica laughs like he made a joke but she stops when she sees the look on his face.
“I’m serious,” He admits. “I try but I can’t comprehend any of this stuff.”
“Okay,” she says in a soothing voice. “We’ll start with the basics.”
Despite the fact that it’s Veronica teaching him Spanish—it’s still learning Spanish. They go over and re-go over things because it just doesn’t stick to his brain. He uses the por incorrectly when he should be using para or he uses the incorrect gender of a noun. Don’t even get him started on the tenses— not know whether he’s saying present or past. It’s just a long grueling five hours of non stop tutoring with little breaks in between. He figures it’s twice as bad for Veronica because he asks her to repeat some things over five times. It’s kind of a little embarrassing but she always gives him a reassuring smile.
They’re packing up their books when Archie says, “Gracias por toda.” It’s a choppy pronunciation but he tries.
“Todo,” She corrects but she’s smiling at him. “I think we can still count that as a win.”
“Yeah,” He agrees, keeping his head down to hide his wide smile.
“We still have a lot to work on so we should do this again next Sunday.” Veronica suggests as she picks up her book bag.
Archie feels panic rising in him. “Stay!” He yells out, not ready to let her go just yet. “For dinner I mean. It’s the least I could do for having you endure all my horrible Spanish.”
She’s doing that thing she does where she plays with her bottom lip and darts her eyes around the room like she’ll find the answer sitting on top of a shelf. “Okay.” Veronica agrees, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Just then Fred Andrews walks into the dining room. “Hey guys, you all done?”
“Yeah,” Archie tells him. “Dad can Veronica stay over for dinner?”
“Sure,” Fred replies quickly. “I was actually just gonna order you some pizza, bud. I have to run to the office real quick, if that’s okay?”
“Yeah, dad, that’s fine.” He assures. “I’ll order it. Don’t worry just go.”
“Alright.” Fred nods and gives his son a hug. “I’ll leave some money on the table next to the door.”
“Later dad,” Archie yells when he’s halfway out the door. “You don’t mind just the two of us?” He asks to make sure she isn’t uncomfortable with being completely alone with him.
“Oh yeah it’s f-fine.” She responds, eyes focused on his chin.
“You can hang out on the couch.” Archie suggests and leads her towards the living room. “I’m gonna go call for the pizza.” He leaves the room as soon as she nods.
When Archie comes back he sees Veronica sitting on the couch petting Vegas, who has his head rested on her lap. “I didn’t even hear him come in through the doggy door.” Archie says, surprised. He sits next to her, the only thing separating them is Vegas’ body that’s stretched out on the couch.
“He’s a sweetheart.” Veronica’s smile grows when Vegas licks her hand to get her to keep petting him. “How old is he?”
“He’s like 7,” Archie answers, giving Vegas a little belly rub. “He still acts like a big baby though.”
“He’s so cute” She coos.
“Do you have any pets?” Archie asks curiously.
“No,” She responds glumly. “Pets aren’t allowed at the Pembrooke.”
Archie has to try and hide his surprise from learning that she lives at the Pembrooke.
“You would think since my mom owns it I’d be allowed to break the rules but alas she’s the reason why that’s a rule,” Veronica mentions.
Archie chokes on air at that and has to cover it up with a cough. Not only does she live at the Pembrooke but her mother actually owns the building.
The tutor frowns. “Do you need water?”
Archie shakes his head, still coughing. “I’m good!” He breathes deeply.
Thankfully the doorbell rings and Archie jumps up to get the door. When he comes back he has a box full of pizza, fresh out the oven and a liter of soda. He has to leave the room again to get some paper plates and cups.
“Vegas get down.” He orders firmly once he’s settled down on the couch.
Vegas does listen but he sits right next to Archie and stares at him with his big puppy dog eyes.
“Why did you transfer to Riverdale?” Archie asks after a mouthful of pizza, in an attempt to get to know her more.
Veronica waits to swallow her food before answering him. “Well, to put it bluntly, my father was arrested and all our accounts were frozen. The Pembrooke was the only thing in my mother’s name so we had to move here.”
Archie pauses. “Ronnie, I’m really sorry. I didn’t-“
“It’s okay. You didn’t know.” Veronica reassures him. “It’s not something I hide. Well I can’t hide since it was hot gossip in New York for a long time.”
Then it all clicks for Archie because Hiram lodge was all over the newspapers and on every news channel there was a couple years ago. He had heard whispers of his family being just as bad as him. When his mother was still living with them she warned him to stay away from anyone who associates with Hiram. Which is why he never paid any attention to the countless whispers going around the school’s hallways about the lodges. He realizes now that his mother and everyone else had it totally wrong. The Veronica Lodge that he sees is completely different than the rumors that were spread about her.
“What exactly did he go to jail for?” He asks. “You don’t have to answer that, obviously.” He adds after, shaking his head at himself.
She shakes her head. “Well, I didn’t really like his way of doing business so I never showed any interest in taking over one day and it made him really upset. Like he started terrorizing my friends in an attempt to punish me. It was really weird how invested he was in ruining teenagers lives but eventually he was exposed for who he really was and sentenced to ten years in jail.”
“Wow.” Archie blows out a breath, soaking in all the information. “Seems as though you and your mom are better off though, yeah?”
“Definitely.”
Archie hadn’t realized it till now but he scooted closer to her in an attempt to comfort her while she was recalling the memory of her dad getting arrested and now he doesn’t know if he should move away or not. He knows that he doesn’t want to. Sitting this close to her feels so good, it’s like his senses have heightened but he also doesn’t want to make her uncomfortable.
He peeks at her from the corner of his eye and sees that she’s looking at him quizzically. “Did-“
“How did you get that scar in the middle of your eyebrows?” She asks, a curious look on her face.
Archie looks up like he’ll be able to see it. “Oh.” he rubs the scar a little. “I was playing tee ball and it was my turn to bat.” He remembers easily. “I hit the ball and my dad told me to run so I did and I ran straight past first base and tripped over my feet and fell face first on a sharp rock.”
Veronica makes a face, hissing like she can feel the pain herself.
“Yeah, there was blood everywhere! Had to get two staples.”
“I can’t believe you ran past first base!”
Archie notices she has a knack for remembering things some people might overlook. “Yeah, that’s why I stick to football and basketball.”
She laughs, her whole head thrown back, and Archie thinks it sounds better than any song he’s ever heard. When she finally recovers from her laughing fit she looks back at him. She blinks slowly at him and before he can stop himself he’s scooting even closer. Archie wants to kiss her so bad. Her eyes go wide and she’s so pretty and his heart is beating so fast he can’t just not kiss her right now.
But then Vegas is barking so loudly it makes them jump apart. He’s going crazy at the door, running in circles and howling.
“It’s only me Vegas!” His dad yells over his barking. He pets the dog to quiet him. “Hey guys!”
Veronica is on her feet in a flash. “Thank you both for having me over.” She’s grabbing her things as quickly as she can. “I’ll see you tomorrow at school Archie.” She’s back to looking at anything but him.
He’s scared he might of spooked her off by trying to kiss her and he wants to apologize but she quickly says her goodbyes to the Andrews men and practically bolts out the door.
He’s left standing there feeling helpless.
“Did I miss something?” Fred asks, looking back and forth from Archie to the door.
Archie just face palms.
~
Veronica thinks she might have a crush on Archie. No, scratch that— she knows she has a crush on the fiery headed boy. She finds herself more often than not thinking about him when she shouldn’t be. Usually her time is spent planning, reading, or studying but ever since he’s popped into her life she can’t register anything but him. The sound of his voice, the way he’s so sweet to her for no reason, or the way his shirts always seem to cling onto his body like a second skin. She’s got it so bad she’s even had his talent show performance on repeat ever since she found it on YouTube. She’s found herself mindlessly singing the lyrics of his original song I’ll try while working on homework in the comfort of her room.
He makes her so nervous all the time. It’s like she’s always on her toes around him, waiting to see his next move. Her stomach has been fluttering non stop since he cornered her in the library a few weeks ago. Don’t get her wrong though she can still be her complete self around him, he just has that easy welcoming vibe about him. It also helps that he seems to want to be around her or near her all the time. The feeling is mutual obviously.
Well she hopes it’s not that obvious to Archie because she hasn’t figured out the why he wants to be near her all the time. At first she thought it was because she agreed to tutor him or chalked it up to him just being an affectionate person. But now she’s not so sure and given the fact that he’s almost tried to kiss her boggles her mind.
That memory still replays in her mind everyday and especially late at night when she’s trying to sleep but all that keeps popping up behind her eyelids is his face so close to hers. And the memory of wanting to kiss him so badly haunts her like a dull ache in her bones. She was so anxious though; sometimes she’s grateful Archie’s dad came when he did.
But other times — like now that he’s sitting across from her on his kitchen table smiling at her like she’s the only person in the world— she hates that they were interrupted. Because over the course of a few weeks Veronica has had to deal with with becoming Archie’s friend and liking him at the same time. It absolute torture. Especially when he touches her unnecessarily or gets close to her face while she’s correcting his study guides and showing him on his paper why it’s wrong.
Also like right now, she’s trying to teach him how to roll his R’s because it’s an essential skill in the Spanish language but he’s being so goofy and she’s laughing so hard her stomach hurts and her heart is so happy she can’t take it.
God dammit, Veronica thinks he might be the worst person ever.
But the gag is he’s actually the most amazing person she’s ever encountered and she thinks she’s probably already head over heels for him.
“Rrrrrrrojo!” He exaggerates. “Camarrrron!”
“S-Stop!” Veronica chokes through a laugh, cheeks aching from smiling non stop. “I think we’ve had enough of that for today.”
He’s staring at her again, it’s something he does quite often, she notes. Staring at her like she makes the sun and moon rise. It still makes her heart beat faster and her glasses fog up.
She wipes at them with the sleeve of her shirt and tucks a hair behind her ear, hoping he won’t notice the pinking of her cheeks.
“You’ve been so amazing, Ronnie.” He says, still staring at her intently. “Really, I can’t thank you enough. You’ve done the impossible and helped me raise my grade.”
There he goes again making Veronica fall even more for him. He’s always reminding her how grateful he is or making sure she knows he loves having her in her life as something other than his tutor. Constantly reassuring her that he isn’t just using her for his own benefit. It’s like he cherishes her and the time she gives him.
“It’s not a problem.” She looks up toward the ceiling not knowing how to look him in the eyes and not confess her feelings for him right this second.
She hears him clear his throat and she sees him scratching at something on the table. “Jughead has also been teaching me some Spanish.” He’s sporting that troublemaker smirk that makes her want to smack and kiss it away all at once.
“Really?” She asks, eyeing him suspiciously. “What does Jughead know about Español?”
He looks around before leaning in like he’s letting her in on some conspiracy. “He taught me how to say, quiero follar.”
She raises a sharp brow, unimpressed by his typical boyish immaturity. Veronica is also kinda appalled at his audacity and has half a mind to slap him but the way he says it is so whitewashed and he’s giggling to himself like a little school boy —she can’t find it in her to be mad.
“Do you know what that means?”
She allows herself to smirk a little before she’s looking at him from behind her glasses, batting her eyelashes, and saying with a new profound confidence, “I’m not as innocent as you think, Archiekins.”
Veronica has always been careful with using that nickname, more often than not second guessing herself whether it was the appropriate time or place but she loves when she gets little spurts of bravery where she feels like she can do anything. Loves when she gets enough courage to flirt with him, which surprisingly happens a lot in recent events.
“Wha- wow,” he stutters, looking dumbfounded.
It makes Veronica happy that for once it’s her having such an affect on him.
Unexpectedly, he stands up, causing the chair to scratch against the floor. “I need some water!” He says. “You want some water? I’ll get you some water too,” Archie mumbles distractedly.
She’s opens her mouth to decline— she still has a full glass— but he’s already reaching for her cup and he’s fumbling quite a bit so he ends up spilling it over. Some of it splashes on Veronica and she stands up quickly, gasping at the coldness she feels on her stomach and thighs.
“Oh fuck! Sh- I’m so sorry.” He looks so panicky, trying to stop the water from spilling even more. Hastily he takes off his sweater to clean up the water because there isn’t any towels around. “Why aren’t there any towels?!”
Now they’re both just standing there. Archie is holding onto his soaked sweatshirt looking at her with big brown apologetic eyes and Veronica is in need of some new clothes.
“Maybe it’s time for me to go home.”
“No!” He shouts. “It’s okay I’ll get you some new clothes and put those in the dryer. Lo siento.”
Why does he have to be so adorable? She can’t say no to him ever, especially when he tries speaking Spanish to her knowing very well he’s still horrible at it.
~
Veronica is playing with her hair, studying herself in front of the body mirror Archie has in his room. She’s wearing a white v-neck he lent her and a pair of shorts she had in her bag for emergencies. She concludes that she likes the way she looks in his clothes. She bites her lip at the thought of wearing more of his clothes, always being surrounded in the distinct woody smell of him.
She jumps a little when he appears behind her. He’s watching her intently, jawline prominent with the way he’s clenching it. His eyebrows crinkle together like he’s conflicted about something. Not a second later he’s softly putting his hands on her hips and she’s feeling a gravitational pull towards him — something she can’t resist so she leans back into him loving the way his chest feels firm and strong against her back.
“Ronnie,” Archie whispers in her ear.
There goes that damn nickname again. It sends a thrill throughout her entire body just as intensely as the first time he’s ever said it. Only now it causes goosebumps to erupt all over and sends a shock of excitement in very intimate places.
“Yes?” She asks, throat feeling very dry all of a sudden.
“Did you mean it?”
“W-What?”
He spins her around so fast she has to put her hands on his shoulders to keep herself upright.
“When you said you weren’t that innocent?” Archie asks quietly, his breath hitting her lips. “Did you mean it?”
This is new territory for her and she’s nervous as to where this could lead but she doesn’t want it to stop by any means. “Yes.”
Then his hand is tangling in the back of her hair and his lips are on hers. He tastes like experience and Disney magic coming to life. His kisses her softly, leading her through everything. When his tongue meets hers she’s moaning and she doesn’t have time to be embarrassed about it because he’s giving her hip a squeeze and kissing her more intensely.
They blindly stumble towards the bed, not wanting to separate for a second. Archie trips over something at the last second and now she’s laying on her back in his bed with him hovering over her. She thinks he looks so pretty with his kiss swollen lips that she caused. She rises up on her elbows as she watches him discard his shirt and gawks at his chiseled body. He’s tan and broad and so muscular.
“Wow,” She marvels. Veronica can’t resist running her hands all over his defined muscles.
He catches her hands and gives them both a kiss before he’s back on her, kissing her languidly. Archie trails his lips down to her neck, biting and sucking softly. She’s moaning and scratching at his back like it’s the only thing keep her from floating away. He moves even lower and pauses for a second. He tugs on her shirt silently asking for permission. She nods hesitantly.
He slowly takes off her (his) shirt, throwing it somewhere in his room when it’s completely off her body then he’s undoing her bra as well. He sits back on his heels, eyes raking over her from.
“Fuck,” Archie mumbles before kissing her all over the newly uncovered skin, leaving small hickeys along the way. He kisses his way down towards her shorts and bites at her hips playfully. “May I?”
Veronica sucks in a nervous breath. It’s not like she doesn’t want him to do that, she’s just never had anybody go down there. But she wants him so badly she nods her head quickly.
He quickly takes off her shorts, flinging them somewhere behind him, gripping her thighs when he sees she’s not wearing any underwear. He puts one leg on his shoulder, kissing gently down her thigh. The first swipe of his tongue has her crying out. Her hands thread in his red hair, holding on like it’ll be the only thing to keep her grounded. Archie licks around her, paying special attention to her clit and it makes her keen loudly.
It was too much and yet not enough. She wants— needs more. “Archie, please!” Veronica begs but she doesn’t know what for.
He seems to know because now he has one finger probing at her entrance and it’s still not enough.
“More!” She demands, wrapping both legs around his head.
Archie adds another, pumping and pushing, hitting spots inside of her like making her cum quickly will open up the secrets of the galaxy. Then he’s sucking on her clit like a hard candy and Veronica is seeing stars and she’s pretty sure she might be permanently cross eyed.
She was reaching a new high she’s never felt before. Her legs are shaking and then her back is bowing and she’s pulling on his hair so hard she might rip some out. He doesn’t seem to mind because he keeps helping her ride through her orgasm, licking and pumping his fingers as if it’s his purpose in life.
It feels like eternity has passed when she finally regains some senses. “Holy wow,” Veronica mumbles, still breathless.
Veronica lodge knows a lot of words, studies them everyday in different languages, and she cannot for the life of her think of anything other than, “holy wow.” If she were coherent Veronica she’d be ashamed and embarrassed.
When she opens her eyes, Archie Andrews grinning like a Cheshire Cat is the first thing she sees.
“Good?” He asks, wiping his chin with the back of his hand.
“Wonderful,” She mumbles before kissing him again, feeling another pulse in her clit when she tastes herself on his tongue.
Wanting to make him feel as good as he did her, Veronica pushes him until their positions are switched. He lets out a noise of protest when she disconnects their lips but then she’s kneeling in front of him and unbuttoning his jeans, he shuts up quickly. She smirks at the way his eyes go wide.
“You don’t have to,” Archie —the ever caring boy, putting everyone else’s needs before his— says softly, running the pad of his thumb gently across her cheek.
She leans into his hand and gives him a peck on the inside of his palm. “I want to.”
“You sure?” He asks again.
Veronica ignores him and just pulls down his pants till they were completely off. She can see him bulging through his briefs and her hands itch to touch it. Her hand reaches up to push her glasses up on instinct when she realizes they’re not there, must’ve fallen off at some point. She has half a mind to go search for them but thinks better of it. There are bigger things she needs to be worrying about. She strokes her fingers along curve of him before reaching inside. He feels warm and heavy in her hand.
“Ronnie,” Archie breathes out. He leans back on his elbows, biting his lip so hard he might draw blood.
Once his briefs are out of the way she strokes him experimentally. He moans and Veronica loves the way it rumbles through her like thunder brewing. She strokes him again and notices a bit of precum has formed. She wants to taste it, wants to taste him. She doesn’t have any previous experience so her mind flounders on what to do next. She looks up at the boy she’s come to care for so much and smiles, before licking along the underside of his dick.
“Fuck,” Archie groans, gripping the bed sheets so tightly his knuckles turn white.
She does the same thing again eliciting another moan but she wants more. She sucks in the head of his cock into her mouth, reveling in the loud moan he lets out. He tastes good and nothing like the way she’s heard other girls describe their sexual partners. She feels his hands in her hair but he doesn’t push her down, and for that she’s thankful. Veronica bobs her head, not going down in fear of triggering her gag reflex but she uses her hand to cover what she can’t with her mouth.
“I’m not going to last long.”
She bobs her head faster at that, sucking a little harder. Hearing Archie moan and being at the mercy of her mouth excites her like no other. It was like an addiction. She squeezes him at the base and suckles on the head like a lollipop and Archie is getting louder.
A second later she’s pulled away from him and lets out a noise of complaint. Veronica frowns up at him, annoyed that he stopped her.
“I was about to- I wasn’t going to last much longer,” He explains.
She lets a pout form on her face at not getting to taste all he has to offer.
“Come here.” He pulls her up until she’s straddling him and kisses her fiercely. “You were so good.” He compliments.
Veronica feels pride swell up in her chest but she’s still craving more of him. She pulls back and stares at his lips. She lets her thumb play with his puffy bottom lip. “Do you have a condom?” She asks quietly, looking at him through her lashes.
“You sure?” He asks seriously.
“Yes.” Veronica answers quickly. She’s never been more sure of anything.
“Okay,” is all he says and then he’s gently flipping them over and reaching inside his bedside table. He pulls out a foil packet and rips it open with his teeth.
They both look down to watch him rolling the condom on his dick. Archie shifts his hips a little so he’s positioned at her opening and pauses. He stares deeply into her eyes, silently asking for permission once again. She cradles his face in her hands, thanking every deity above that she has Archie Andrews in her life. He’s so pure asking her every chance he could to make sure she was okay. She’s never felt so safe with someone.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else.”
Archie kisses her as he gently starts to push in. It stings a little at first but only because he’s so thick and stretching her open. She’s clawing at his back again and she faintly hears him mumbling something in her ear. She’s glad he pauses once he’s fully inside of her. It gives her time to adjust to everything he has to offer.
Veronica is way beyond words right now so she kisses his neck and moves her hips a little as a way to tell him it’s okay to move.
Slowly he starts thrusting and it starts to feel so good. Too good by the way she’s being obscenely loud. It doesn’t help that he’s grunting and chanting her name in her ear.
“Veronica,” he whimpers, picking up his pace. “You feel so good. So tight- fuck”
“Yessss!” She hisses at the way he fucks her. It’s like he’s setting off a supernova in her body.
She feels his hand reach in between them and his fingers start playing with her clit and she’s on the cusp of losing it all over again. He’s so mind blowingly good at this, with his expert fingers and the way he circles his hips— oh my god she feels like she’s going to burst.
“Archie, Archie, Archie!” Veronica repeats like a mantra, digging her nails into his shoulder blades.
Then suddenly she finally breaks into a million pieces letting out a long moan. He’s still going but by the way his movements are getting jerky she thinks he’s not far behind. Seconds later he’s moaning into her mouth and spilling into the condom.
Archie slumps against her body. You would think that he would be crushing Veronica but his weight feels so good on top of her. She lazily traces over the muscles on his back and kisses his shoulder occasionally.
She doesn’t know what this means for them but even if nothing amounts after this at least she’ll always have this memory of them coming together as one.
~~~~
Archie Andrews is laying on his bed waiting for Veronica to get out of the shower. He pinches himself to make sure that this is real life and he’s not actually dreaming. The way his back stings should be proof enough but he just can’t believe it still! He wants to get up and jump on his bed he’s so freaking happy. He wants to climb onto his roof and shout his love for Veronica Lodge to everyone. Maybe he’ll write a song or two about it instead.
Out of everything that could have happened today he sure didn’t expect to have sex with the girl he’s been longing after for weeks now. He doesn’t understand what he did to get this lucky but he knows he’ll cherish every moment he gets to spend with Veronica. He feels complete like they were meant for each other. Maybe he’s getting ahead of himself because he doesn’t know what Veronica’s thinking but he doesn’t care. He feels too happy to be put down by his fears.
He’s so caught up in his thoughts he doesn’t hear Veronica come back into the room until she lets out a quiet, “Hey.”
She’s wearing one of his hoodies and nothing else. Her hair is still damp from the shower too. She looks so soft right now his heart grows ten times bigger.
She’s hanging by the door, looking unsure of what to do, biting her lip anxiously.
“Come here.” He pats the spot next to him on his bed.
She looks relieved like the weight of the world has been lifted off her shoulders. She lays down next to him, playing with the strings of her hoodie. She’s looking everywhere but at him and it reminds him of the times when they first met.
“What’s wrong?” He asks worriedly.
“I didn’t know if you wanted me to stay.” Veronica shrugs, eyes focused on the strings in front of her. She seems to shrink into his sweater.
“Hey.” He says to get her attention. He holds her hands in his, finally making her look at him. “Of course I want you to stay.” He squeezes her hands reassuringly. “If you haven’t noticed… I kinda really like you.”
Veronica pulls up the hoodie to hide the bottom half of her face but Archie can tell she’s smiling by the way the corner of her eyes crinkle. He can her hear giggling cutely too.
“I really like you too, Archiekins.”
It’s like for the second time since he’s known her everything is clicking into place and he feels whole. He’s not willing to give her, or the feeling she ignites him, up for anything.
“Will you be my girlfriend?”
“Yes!” She shouts excitedly.
“Oh lo siento. Mi novia!” He says it so cheekily, feeling very proud of himself for that.
She looks impressed but then he’s wiggling his eyebrows and then she’s laughing a full belly laugh and showering him in kisses and hugs and yeah, she’s one of the most important people to him now. He’s willing to go to the ends of the earth for this girl.