Chapter 1
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
The darkness shifted from his eyes as Archie blinked himself awake. A sigh was released and with a lethargic shift he moved his left arm that been jammed between his pillow and head, leaving a dizzying ache in its bone. He had promised himself he wouldn't do this again, but the usual routine of starting homework on the bed usually led to an unfortunate fate of dozing off. His textbook lay beside his head with his phone placed in the middle slit; with a groan he reached to check its time. The phone stayed frustratingly black despite Archie's pressing attempts. If the dead phone was any indication, he had taken more than a quick study break.
With a push from his sleep-heavy arm, he peered down the bed for his laptop, immediately finding it in a near slipping position between the wall and comforter. He grabbed and flipped it open waiting the few seconds for the time to appear.
3:18 a.m.
Fantastic.
A written lab report and biology test, now three hours away in his future, and he had done absolutely nothing. Again. He had taken the necessary steps to avoid this! His book, laptop, notes, everything had been laid out as he had settled down, steering himself for the work. Yet somehow, he was now stuck in the middle of a Wedne- no, Thursday morning, exactly where he started. How many late night homework sessions would it take until he finally got the message to get his shit together?
How many times did he have to fuck up before he got his shit together?
Archie felt new sweat layering onto his face and neck as his mind wandered, and god, no. He was done with thinking about things that were over. It was a stupid biology assignment, not another life splintering mistake made in the heat of the summer. He had control. His life was not going to end from a late high school lab report.
His mind slowed and the sweat lightened as he grabbed at the textbook, pulling out his phone to plug it into the laptop. Reasoning himself to a sense of security he waited for the device to flash on. At the very least, he could finish this assignment in the next hour and then, push in a quick study session with Jughead in the short time before class.
Archie felt himself hit an uncomfortable mental bump as the real frustration of the situation came to light.
Why hadn't Jughead woken him up?
The lamp still burning in the room, Archie lying dead to the world in that day's full outfit, and the textbook and laptop circling his curled position. Jughead would've been able to see that Archie had unintentionally passed out by simply walking into the bedroom.
Pushing the laptop and phone from his legs, Archie stood and took notice of the now obvious Jughead-void in his room. The mattress at the foot of his bed lay untouched from the night before.
The strangeness of Jughead's absence was suddenly clear as Archie remembered a new and repeated offense that had been happening as of late: Jughead had fallen asleep on the couch. Again.
Archie let out a breathy chuckle as he began to move downstairs to his lug of a friend. A real pair they were. His dad was out at the site working late and the two of them had taken his watchful eye for granted as no one remained to wake the other up. At least, now he wouldn't be pulling an all-nighter alone.
He rounded down the last steps of the stairs and crossed through the kitchen. He gave an insincere shout that broke into a laughing call as he walked towards the back of the couch.
"Jug! It's three in the morning, you fell asleep on the couch again!"
With a hand on the couch's cushion he peered expectantly over to see his friend collapsed. Archie's mouth pulled upwards at the unavoidable grumpiness that he was sure to endure.
Until he found himself faltering, at the change of plans, as his eyes met with only unoccupied cushions.
Okay… so Jug wasn't on the couch, and… had never come into Archie's room, and now, apparently, by the silence left after his call, had never come home?
Was he pissed about something? Things had finally begun to feel right again between them since their "talk". They were beginning to feel like "Archie and Jughead" again. And he was absolutely sure he was not experiencing a fault in his memory, since the last he recalled of his friend was a cheerful goodbye after their brief chat with Betty at the Blue and Gold.
Betty.
The name suddenly made something click and he slowed his walk from the couch. His face festered an uncomfortable heat while he could almost feel the rope pulling down the drop in his stomach. He wouldn't have expected it of his friend, but recently he found that things he didn't expect were happening too often for his liking.
Apparently Jughead staying over Betty's was one of those things.
It wasn't painful, just different, and… distant? They were off doing whatever and he was left to wander the house, alone, searching for one part of a new pair, which had belonged to their original trio.
Jug had probably sent off a courtesy text to him for the night (one which he had missed during his sleep), but there was still a heaviness around this entire situation.
As Jughead and Betty moved forward with whatever they were doing Archie couldn't help but feel as though he was always moving three steps back. It wasn't really his business, but somehow he felt like he had missed the memo that his two friends had moved on without him. That they could move one without him. He wasn't a staple piece in their lives and if he was honest with himself he probably didn't deserve to be.
Returning to his room, Archie shrugged off his jeans and replaced them for a pair of loose checkered pajama bottoms. The noticeable chill of autumn had finally settled in the house.
The laptop screen lay open with another irritating black screen and automatically he swiped his fingers at the pad of his computer.
3:36 a.m.
Suddenly, the idea of finishing an untouched writing assignment was unrealistic by himself. It seemed that sleep would be winning over a possible low grade and any lecture he would be receiving tomorrow.
Pushing the now worthless biology textbook to the floor and crawling into his place in the bed, Archie grabbed his phone to check for the waiting message Jughead had probably sent him hours ago.
With a click he checked if his phone had powered back on. The incredibly too bright screen glowed and his original guess was confirmed as he noticed the "JUG" titled box that lay on the screen.
Hey gigolo, headed back from Pop's. You down for burgers tonight?
An unnatural calm before a storm was settling around Archie. In whatever scenario he thought was playing out, this was not in the script.
Archie moved to the time of delivery.
11:32 p.m.
Jughead had started heading home... four hours ago.
Something froze inside Archie. A thick cover of dread draped around him and began to seep in. His breath was stolen and he was stuck, frigid, over a single thought that had loomed as something possible, but never realistic.
Jughead had been heading home and he never made it.
No, this. Was. Not. Happening.
Whatever sick fears were brewing he needed to wash them out now, because this was Riverdale, and whatever twisted horrible stories floated by on the news as he moved through the house, did not happen here. He swiped open his phone and mindlessly clicked to call Jughead. The freezing had broken and was now replaced with a deep internal pounding that was pushing him close to the edge of panic. He could feel himself dangling- and if Jughead would just pick up his phone he'd be saved from falling into the scenario his mind was building; reaffirm the insanity in whatever Archie thought was happening.
Except Jughead didn't pick up, and Archie fell.
The sanity in this new scenario hit and Archie found himself remembering that these things did happen here. The Riverdale he found himself in was one where the unknown was commonplace. This Riverdale was one where something so shattering and so bad could now happen. And it could happen to anyone.
The pounding had now pushed up his veins and into his throat as he pressed his thumb to the phone to call Jughead for a third time.
This was a Riverdale where it only took a summer to lose control of himself, where every family had someone to hurt and something to hide, where kids who laughed and lived and stood so much alive one moment were broken, tortured, and killed the next – and it was the same one where Jughead didn't pick up his fucking phone.
Now on a fourth call and still Jughead was silent. What the hell was going on?
The ringing of the fourth reached the end and Archie found himself speaking for a voicemail that would probably do him no good.
"Dude! It's Archie, what the hell is going on, it's like…" His eyes blink up towards the laptop screen to find it mocking him with a dark nothing. "It's almost four, Jug... in the morning! Can you answer your phone and tell me where the hell you are!"
A seething hiss of anger shot in at the end as he stopped the message. Whether it was directed at Jughead or himself he didn't know, and he really doesn't care. He peers at his phone, 3:58 a.m. it reads, and Archie thinks he's going to be sick.
He sends off a few curt texts to Jughead of the "pick up!" variety and immediately begins to search for a lifeline from his panic.
He could call his dad, at least there would be some comfort in that, but he would probably have less of an idea where Jughead would be.
There is a skip in Archie's pounding anxiety as his mind shifts to consider that, even now, he, Jughead Jones's best friend – self-proclaimed brother - still was almost as proficient in the "what's up with Jughead" department as his dad. A hole breaks into his chest and mixes with his rising nausea.
But, if there was someone who knew Jughead best right now, someone who knew where he could be, only one person would ever come to mind; an image of blonde and pink.
Before Archie could feel a twinge of anything at that thought he was immediately switching his call to Betty.
From the theme of silent calls he was taken aback when she picked up.
Her voice was heavy, irritated, and entirely too close to the phone. "Archie if you're calling for help with biology I swear yo-"
"Is Jughead with you?" It blows out of him so quickly that he hardly has a breath to hold as he waits for her answer.
There's a pause and he almost glances to his window to find her face riddled with confusion across the way.
"Juggie? No, he's not here." She's quick and knows him too well, he can tell she's picked up on the unease from his side. "Why would he be?"
Her questions are clear and they only help to build the overflowing panic he is drowning in. Maybe calling Betty was a mistake. He wishes he had just let her sleep instead of spreading this discomfort to someone else. He should have called his dad.
"Archie, Jughead went home hours ago, what's going on?" There was now a firmness in her voice and this time he does look through his window to see a light pouring from her room.
"Betts, he texted me maybe five hours ago that he was coming home. I was asleep and missed it." He nervously rattles off to her. "Did he tell you where he was going after Pop's?"
There's silence and Archie is now aware that the pounding has returned. "Bet-"
"Archie you need to call him, I'm getting dressed." Her voice is dry and cuts through the phone so quickly he nearly misses it.
"What?" He sputters, "Betty? I already called him! A bunch of times! That's why I'm calling you!"
"Archie!" Her voice cracks, and Archie thinks he may puke and burst all at once because she's scared and god, if Betty is scared... "My mom picked me up from Pop's at eleven. Jughead was walking straight home with dinner for you two when I left. Archie. Get. Dressed."
He is twisting into his jeans before she can fully deliver the command. The phone is ripped from its cord, pulling the blackened laptop to the floor as Archie barrels through the room, ripping down the stairs, and out of the house into the night.
Honestly never thought my first fanfiction ever would be an Archie Andrews centered story. Someone call middle school me and tell her not to throw away her collection of Archie comics; I'll never escape this series...
I originally wrote this to fit after episode 9, but it can fit after 10 (at least until 11 airs and destroys whatever canon this story had)
Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter, any feedback is appreciated!