I'm Trying

By: Riley

Summary - Archie and Gabby have to try to make things work. No relationship is perfect, having things in common is important, but sometimes it isn't what you need. Tumblr Prompt. Sneak Peek into We Were Merely Freshmen's Sequel 'The War At Home'. Archie/OC. Spoilers.

Gabby opened the door with trepidation. She had a feeling Archie would be standing on the other side. And the second she saw him huffing and puffing on her front porch, cheeks rosy from his run over to her place, she moved to slam the door in his face.

Archie reached out his hand, curling his fingers around the door before it could be slammed in the door frame. "Gabby." He said her name breathlessly. It made her heart hurt, knowing how he'd used to say her name. When they were happy with each other. When there wasn't a growing animosity between them. Or, if she were being honest, when she didn't miss him so badly.

He'd embarrassed her, the same way she'd done to him for years. An eye for an eye, they always said.

But it wasn't the same. She'd tormented him, did that stupid kindergarten thing by being mean to him when she liked him. Cared too much about what other people thought—what Cheryl thought—when she shouldn't have cared at all. All those days, sneaking into empty classrooms to steal a few moments together, the times where they'd finished studying and just talked to each other were moments that came flooding back in a painful, crashing wave with the simple mention of her name.

Sighing, lowering her head, Gabby allowed herself to open the door. Opened it far enough to see Archie leaning against the doorframe, holding a hand to his hip, gasping for air. "I thought football team kept you in shape," she remarked.

Archie managed a small chuckle, his fringe falling over his forehead. "I didn't warm up," he said. "I came right over."

"Lucky me."

Gabby's eyes shifted over the street. Archie lifted his head, catching her movements. She saw pain flash over his face, making Gabby immediately focus on him once more. Caught in the act. Wondering who was watching them. She knew Archie knew it was what she was doing.

She really had to break out of her nasty habits. But, in the moment, she at least felt justified from the way he led her on. Making her think everything was okay when he was with Valerie and Veronica and…and Humpty Grundy and ugh! Gabby's nose wrinkled. She couldn't stand the thought without wanting to throw up, couldn't imagine the two of them together so intimately.

Couldn't look at Archie without wanting to punch him.

"Gabby," Archie started again.

She cut him off. This time, she was going to say everything she wanted. Screw whoever was watching. Screw who could be listening to her. Screw Cheryl. Screw the Southside. Screw the Northside. Gabby was, finally, going to be honest.

"I know why you're here, Archie," Gabby said. Her voice was low, as cold as the air that made Archie start to shiver, folding his arms over his chest. "You're not here for me, you're here for you. You want to clear your conscience."

Archie shook his head, sweat dripping off the end of his nose. His breath fogged in front of his face. And yet, he still looked as strong as ever. Gabby wanted nothing more than to knock him off his high horse. Or, the bleachers, or whatever it was that football players stood upon.

"That's not it," he said.

"I know all about you, Archie. About the kind of guy you are. You act like you're this nice guy when, in actuality, you're a nice guy." Sarcasm dripped into Gabby's words, as biting as ice. Archie continued to look at her. "You're just like the rest of them, pretending to be so understanding, pretending to be so concerned when all you care about is what you get out of it. So what were you getting out of Grundy, Archie? Love?" She snorted.

Archie pushed himself off the wall. He stood over her, sniffing loudly. His eyes darkened, a crease appearing in his forehead. "You don't understand."

"Clearly, I don't."

"She believed in me, Gabby, with everything. My music, football, She believed in everything I wanted even before I started my music lessons and joined the football team."

Gabby blinked back at him. "So, did I," she pointed out.

Archie stared at her. His breath caught in his throat. "She didn't have to hide it," he said.

There it was. Everything that was the problem between them. She was the problem. As always. Gabby sucked in a sharp breath. Archie was breathless, Gabby was just getting started. "That's fair," she admitted. "I supported you. Just like you supported me with my mom and my dad…and then turned your back on me when I moved to the Southside."

"Gabby, you did a complete 180, it was like I never knew you."

"Maybe you didn't. Maybe you don't."

"You know, that's not true." Archie stepped toward her, moving to take her face in his hands. Gabby stepped back, shaking her head. Archie's hands dropped to his sides. "I care about you, Gabby."

"Stop lying, Archie. You never cared about me at all."

"That's not true."

"It is!"

Archie took in another breath. This time, he let it out in frustration. He brought his hands up, pressed them against his forehead. He spun around and let out a loud yell that echoed along the street. A sound she'd heard him throw out at football games time and time again. "What do you want from me?" He demanded, turning back to her. His eyes blazed with fury. "What do you want me to do, Gabby?" The Two stared at each other, his chest heaved with effort. Silence stretched between them.

It was scarier than she thought; silence was a scary sound. Anything could from it. Anything could shatter it. Knowing there was someone out there, trying to get to Archie made Gabby realize how even more vulnerable the two were in that moment.

"I'm…I'm trying, Gabby," Archie said. "I really am."

Trying wasn't succeeding. Her mother's words echoed through Gabby's head.

As much as her heart hurt, longed to accept his apology, Gabby had to say everything she needed to say. It'd never been a problem for her before, so why was she hesitating now? Because you let Cheryl do all the talking, the voice reminded her. Gabby reached up, pushing her hair back from her face.

"What do you want, Archie?" She asked. "I've never done anything to you." Archie made a 'yeah, right' face. But Gabby was telling the truth. She never came up with the mean nicknames—Farchie, Aren't-Ya-Bald, Ugly Betty, Smughead, etc. She wasn't the one who shot down every tiny shred of self-esteem of her target. Cheryl did. Gabby, like a coward, sat by and watched it happen while following her lead. She was never the instigator.

Following is worse than leading.

She wished her mother would shut up sometimes.

"Not in a long time," Gabby conceded to Archie's look. "Not since I stopped being friends with Cheryl." She pointed down the street to a few nearby trailers. A few serpents stood nearby, watching the two. Gabby lifted her hand, letting them know she was okay. They lifted their chins in a nod and turned away. "You see those guys?" Gabby lowered her voice so that only Archie could hear her. "Those Serpents? They play their loud music and party all night. See that police car over there? They may as well live here. They're here investigating some street racing. But I know it was Reggie and Moose just trying to have some fun."

Gabby looked away from the Serpents and back to Archie. He did the same. His eyes bored into hers. "They're the bad ones. They're the ones who break the law and cause trouble. These guys,"—she nodded to the Serpents—"they're just trying to live. I'm trying to survive. I'm invisible."

"Not to me," Archie insisted.

Gabby ignored him. Or didn't hear him over her mounting rant. "So why don't you find someone else? Why not, finally, make Ugly—" Gabby cut herself off. "Betty's dream come true and be with her. She deserves it." To her horror, Gabby felt tears start to come to her eyes. Desperately, she sucked in a breath, trying to keep them at bay. "You don't need someone like me. I'm nothing special. You made that very clear." Pain bloomed in her chest, she continued to take steps back from Archie. Putting distance between them. "You know what you can do for me; you can go to hell."

Archie crossed the room in five short strides. He grasped Gabby's face in his hands, tilting it up so that she could see his face. See the expression that was so intense that Gabby's breath was taken away. She saw nothing but honesty in his eyes when he said, "Gabby, I'm not going anywhere." He licked his lips. "I'm sorry."

And, just like that, Gabby was transported back to when she'd said the same words to Archie. The only time she could ever remember herself apologizing for anything she'd done. They were such simple words, but it was the sincerity behind them that made Gabby break. She hadn't had anyone say that to her in so long, even when she didn't deserve it.

Tears finally falling down her cheeks, Gabby rested her forehead against Archie's chest, allowing his arms to wrap firmly around her. Her hands pulled up, curling against his chest, hands clenched into fists, ready to take on anything else that'd come her way.

She didn't have to worry too much.

This time, she wasn't alone.