Veronica opens It, expecting Norah but her smile fades when she sees who is on the other side.
"Archie?" she asks staring at the red head in front of her, the guy she never thought she would never have to see again.
In front of her was, again, the first guy Veronica Lodge ever loved. And the first to break her heart in a million pieces.
Months ago, when he showed up at the Wyrm, trying to talk with Jughead, everything was so rushed she barely had time to look carefully at him, but now she does. And even though he looks bigger and older, with a light beard on his face, he still has the same smile that made her fall in love with him.
"Hey, Ronnie" he greets embarrassed, scratching the back of his neck and Veronica wants to slap him.
"Don't call me that" she snaps taking her time to analyze him, all serious in his clothes but she still can see the abs she loved in high school. She frowns, shaking her head and wondering what is happening. "How did you find my adress? Did you bribe my doorman to get in here? Should I call the cops?"
"Ronnie, we have to talk" he starts, moving his weight to his right left leg, trying to mask his anxiety.
"I already told you to not call me like that, are you deaf or something?" she grits, losing control. She holds the door tighter. "You know what? I don't have to deal with this, I'm expecting someone and I don't have time for this" Veronica tries to slam the door on his face but his feet and hand stops it.
"Norah, right? To talk about Pedro?" he asks and Veronica freezes.
"How do you know that?"
"As I've said before, we need to talk" when she doesn't speak, he tries again. "Can I come in?"
"Is that really necessary?"
He stares at her through the door and she huffs, opening the door and letting him in. He sits on one of her purple couches and she tries to ignore how annoyed she feels seeing him get comfortable at her house.
"Now, talk. How do you know about Norah? And Pedro? Have you been stalking me?"
"No, I haven't. I guess not" Archie speaks with same confused expression she used to love on his face, but now she doesn't have the patience to deal with it.
"If you don't explain yourself in five seconds, I will kick you out of here before you realize what's going on" he arches an eyebrow at her. "Do not test me. I'm not the same Veronica you knew"
"I bet you're not" he nods with a smile and decides not to push her. "I knew where you lived because you wrote it down, in your file"
"My file?"
"Yes, it was between all the paperwork you signed when you decided to adopt a child" when Archie notices Veronica still doesn't get it, he continues. "I'm a social worker now. Norah is one of my colleagues there"
Veronica arches her brows at that. "Wow, what a small world. A small and terrible world" she speaks, looking around her perfect clean living room, not wanting to face him. "Who would have thought you would be able to hold a steady job like that"
"I've always been responsible" he defends himself.
"I would say quite the opposite. Impulsive, childish and selfish. And in the few times you assumed a commitment, you never had the strength to own it" she ends bitter and
they both know she's talking about their relationship in the past. "You never gave me the chance to explain it, Veronica"
"I never felt the need to, Archie. Everything I needed to know was on that damn video, played for the whole school to see. I think the humiliation speaks for itself"
"You let Betty explain herself. You even forgave her" he states and she sits straight surprised, not imagining he knew about Betty.
"How do you know that?"
"Norah told me you came with a friend, a blonde friend so I made a guess that it wasn't Jughead. And I stalked you on Instagram, figured I should be prepared" he shrugs.
"Prepared to what, exactly?" she asks raising her voice.
"Why did you let her back in to your life and you can't barely look in to my face?" he pleads and Veronica knows she's had enough.
"I don't own you anything. Not an explanation, let alone a second more of my time, so if you don't start talking about why you're here -"
"Okay, fine" he stops her, lifting his hands as a surrender. "Pedro is one of the kids I'm responsible for, I'm his legal guardian. I've been responsible for him ever since he entered the system. Norah and I are friends, so she knew about him and last month she called me to say she finally found a potential family for him. She kept talking about a single woman who would be perfect for him and somehow, I knew it was you. Then she showed me your profile and I knew I was right"
"I thought she was taking care of Pedro's case. And isn't that illegal? The fact that you know me and still take part in the process?"
"Yes, but –"
"What is wrong with you?" she stands up yelling at him. "Do you really wants to screw my life even more than you already did? This is important for me"
"I know, I know. And this is important for Pedro too. This is why I'm here. Would you please hear me out?" he begs nodding to the couch where she sits, reluctantly.
"He's been in the system now for too long and it's been really hard for me to find a family for him. The couples want a baby, or if they can't have one, at least a child that speaks their language. And I have to keep moving him, foster family to another foster family because they find it hard to deal with him. I'm desperate and he's a really great kid. He deserves a family, someone to take care of him the way he deserves. That's why I kept my mouth shut when Norah showed me your file"
"And you didn't expect me to see you at some point of the process?" she asks ironic.
"I did. Norah asked me to come here with her today and I was going to explain the situation to her on our way but one of her kids got sick and she had to stay home"
"I don't like this. I don't like this at all" she speaks shaking her head.
"I know, this is not the perfect scenario for me either. I could lose my job and Pedro a chance of happiness. But I think it's worth it" he shrugs, reminding her of a young version of him, of everytime he thought he could turn the impossible in to reality.
"Are you sure it doesn't exist a legal way of doing this?"
"I could transfer Pedro's case to another colleague but that could take months and I'm the few people he trusts. I don't want to make him lose another person in his life. He lost enough already, don't you think?"
Veronica nods with a face and Archie chuckles, noticing she doesn't like the situation at all, but is still accepting in order to have the little boy in her life.
"I don't want to force you or anything, Veronica. I'm just thinking of what is best for him"
"Me too. That's why you're still here and you better pray that this work, I won't let you ruin another thing for me. And if it doesn't work out, I will hunt you down and make your life as miserable as you did with mine, do you understand me?" Veronica threatens him and he nods, thinking how much she reminded him of Hiram.
"I don't doubt that"
"Great. Now, when can I meet him? Norah told me she would give me the specifics about what happens from now" she asks, crossing her legs and doesn't know how to feel when Archie's eyes don't follow the movement.
"I was thinking about this weekend? This way he doesn't have to miss school and you can spend the day together, getting to know each other. That, of course, if you're free Saturday"
She nods. "I'll clear my schedule for Saturday. That's it?" she asks uncomfortable.
"For now, yes. After you meet him, you can decide if you want to proceed with the adoption papers, which I'm pretty sure you will, Pedro is a really great kid" Veronica nods and expects him to get up and leave but he leans on the couch, looking around. "You did really well, Veronica. I looked at your file and wow... the things you did since high school, what you accomplished... it's amazing. It's incredible to see where you are now and who you became without your father. I don't know why I'm amazed, you've always been incredible" he finishes staring at her and suddenly she's tired of his presence.
"Do I have to keep communication through you during the process or can I continue with Norah? Because I prefer the last option, I trust her to deal with everything smoothly" she speaks with na icy tone and he knows he won't get anything from her today.
"Yes, Norah is still your person. Pedro is just a really special child and I wanted to clear the air, make sure you wouldn't be surprised when the visitations starts"
"Yet, you would appear in my apartment with her and let me be surprised anyway and maybe lose my control in front of the person that can take him away from me. That was very smart of you" she points it out trying not to raise her voice, imagining the scenario in her head.
"I was going to get here earlier, try to have a conversation before she arrived. I'm not an idiot, Veronica" he explains frowning.
"Well, you were one in the past. Let us just hope something changed in there and made you more considerate of people's feelings" she ends getting up, expecting him to do the same, which he does. "Can I bring someone with me Saturday? I don't want to do this alone"
"You won't be alone, I'll be with you the whole time" he offers kindly but the face she does makes him change his approach. "But yes, you can. Betty?" he asks shyly, imagining how things can work out for the three of them together.
"Jughead, actually. They have a date that day, I don't want to bother her" Veronica says carefully and completely on purpose.
She knows it's been years, but Veronica can't help the feeling of wanting to know if Archie still has feelings for the blonde and still make him feel left out at the same time, the only one in the group that didn't stay.
"It's fine, bring him too. No problem" he nods going to the door, leaving her frustrated since she didn't get a reaction out of him.
"I will try to convince him to not punch you again but I make no promises" she says crossing her arms, without turning to him, remembering the day Jughead buried his father and punched his ex best friend.
"It's okay, I deserved that" he chuckles and Veronica asks herself mentally who was this guy. He stops to watch her back. "Trust me, Veronica, everything will work out"
"Can't do that. And I imagine you know why" she replies, still not moving and he nods.
"Completely understandable. So, I will let you go over the details with Norah and we'll meet this weekend" he pauses, with half of his body out of her apartment and looks at her – or at least her back – one last time. "It was really good seeing you again, Veronica. And I'm really sorry for everything and for putting you in to this situation" he says finally closing the door and she collapses on the couch she was sitting before.
She keeps quiet, without moving for a few minutes trying to wrap her mind around her morning and doesn't know what to do. Should she call Jughead? Or Betty? Should Veronica let all the drama, she thought to be over, start again in her life? Or just ignore Archie, letting him stay in her past, like she previously did, lying to both of her best friends and suffering alone, dealing with the fact that the first guy she ever gave her heart to and proceeded to hurt her like no one else ever did was back in her life?
Not knowing what to do, and not wanting to think about it, she started to work, with the certainty that dealing with numbers and suppliers was much easier than her personal life at the moment.
And work she did, until she heard a knock on her door. She leaves the couch she was using to support her laptop and opens the door, knowing that this time, only two people would be on the other side without her doorman letting her know. She let's the door open after seeing Jughead leaning on the wall beside it, writing something on his phone, without looking up.
"What are you doing here this late?" Veronica asks going inside, letting him close the door.
"What do you mean? You promised me pizza every Monday till the day I die so I could be friends with you, remember? We literally do this every Monday since I moved to New York " he tells her, following the brunette inside, noticing her pajamas and the iPad, laptop and a bunch of papers sitting on her couch. "Are you feeling well?"
"Why do you ask?" she asks leaning on her kitchen's counter, drinking a glass of water.
"I don't know" he shrugs "You forgot about our Monday night's and you're wearing pajamas at 8pm. This is not you"
She drinks the whole glass at once and puts it behind her, taking her time before opening the door she wished it would stay closed for at least a few more days. "Jughead, ask me about my day"
"Right, your meeting with the social worker. So when are you meeting the little guy?" he asks excited not noticing she didn't follow him. "Oh, so I might need your help with something. I have to be honest, when you first told me he only speaks Spanish, I thought I could handle it fine with just a few videos from YouTube but now that I've seen a few of them, I realized I didn't pay enough attention on Spanish classes in high school. I guess I was writing most of the time and Mrs Tuello just liked me enough for me to pass" he chuckles and she loses her patience.
"Jughead, ask me about my damn day" Veronica repeats and the smile on his face disappears.
"Now you're scaring me. Okay, how was your day?"
"Well, I had a nice breakfast. Then, Archie stopped by" she says like talking about the weather, looking through her window, admiring the city lights.
"What?" he yells and Veronica doesn't even flinch. "Are you serious right now?"
"Like a heart attack" she pauses considering her words. "Too soon?"
"Yes, too soon" he says exasperated dropping his body on her couch, in the same spot where Archie seated earlier. "What did he want? He's stalking you now?"
"That's funny, I acussed him of doing the exactly the same. But no, he's not. He's Pedro's legal guardian, one of the social workers working there" she speaks turning to him.
"This sounds like a sick joke. I mean, Archie, responsible for someone other than him? He couldn't even pay attention to a dog when we were younger, and now children are depending on him to find a family? Who let this happen?" he asks exasperated.
"Is it wrong that I'm glad our reactions to this are almost identical? Because I feel this means we are really good friends" she talks contemplative and he huffs. "This is way better than a Buzzfeed quiz"
"Can you please focus?" he asks tired.
"Sorry, not the point" she shakes her head before continuing. "Anyway, that means I'll have to deal with him a lot more than I expected"
"You expected to deal with him at any point in your life again?" he asks incredulous.
"No, but you know how our lifes works. I spent seven years of my life pretending he didn't exist, I knew that at some point I would have to face him again. Which I did, when you punched him. And today"
"By the way, how is his nose?" he asks trying to mask his smile and she chuckles.
"He could use the help of a plastic surgeon, and that's all you're going to hear from me" "Great" he says satisfied, leaning on the couch.
"Don't get so smug, it really doesn't suit you" she warns walking to sit on the opposite couch. "And this gets worse. He's going to intermediate my meetings with Pedro, so I'll have to play nice if I want this to work"
"Isn't that illegal?" he frowns.
"Yes, but if I want to adopt him soon like I originally planned to, I'll have to let the past go" she speaks resigned.
"I still can't believe this" he shakes his head. "I thought you were talking to a woman, you mentioned a woman"
"Yes, Norah, but they were working together. And he thought it would be a good idea to stop by earlier, to explain everything before Norah got here but she had to miss our meeting, one of her kids was ill" she shrugs "And Jughead, I'm meeting Pedro this weekend and Archie will be there. And I would love if you could come with me"
"He allowed that?"
"He owns me, more than he could ever count"
"Then yes, I'll go with you" he nods and she sends him a smile. "Is this kid really important for you? I mean, I'm not trying to downplay your intentions or throw cold water on this, but you never even met the kid and you're going to sacrifice your sanity, your peace, dealing with Archie again, just because of a chance of being a mother? You know that can still happen in the future, there's no need to rush it" Jughead says and a calming voice and she sighs.
"Okay, don't freak out" she warns "I've never told you this before, but I had a abortion" Veronica starts but Jughead interrupts her.
"What? When?"
"Do you remember Eric?"
"Sort of, I guess" he shrugs. "You dated him right after you finished college"
"It was on my final year, actually. Anyway, we didn't last long but I got pregnant after forgetting about the condom one night. I thought I was too young to deal with a baby and I didn't even loved him, our relationship was just for fun. So I made a decision, made an appointment and I was free to live my life the way I wanted it again" she ends looking down, remembering that young and scared Veronica holding a pregnancy test, hiding inside a public's library bathroom, trying not to lose her mind.
"Why you never told me? Or asked me to go with you?" he asks confused, trying to imagine when that exactly happened.
"You were stressed about something school related and I didn't want to bring more drama in to your life. Also, I didn't want to make a big thing out of this, I just wanted to move on with my life, that's why I never told you"
"But you needed me, don't try to pretend. You should've called me, texted me, I don't know. You needed me with you" he stress watching her face.
At the moment, he could only think of his best friend going through something like that and he wasn't around, like she was in every single moment he needed her.
"I won't lie, if you were with me things would've been a little bit easier than they were, especially after the next day. I can't describe exactly to you what I felt, but it wasn't good. It was a mix of guilt, of so many thoughts, asking myself if I've done the right thing... it was harsh, but I made it out okay and I didn't think of it until my tests results came back last year and my doctor presented me with the possibility of never facing a deadly cancer like my mother did but having to give up my chance of having kids on my own someday"
"Ronnie..." he speaks sympathetic.
"I'm okay now, Jug" she soothes him with a smile. "But imagine me, hearing that, knowing I wasted my only and last chance of carrying a child, years ago? I felt like an idiot but this need, this dream of creating a family for myself, did reborn like a phoenix inside of me. I guess the idea of having that taken away from me only made my wish stronger. This, and the notion that I'm alone in this world and I didn't want that anymore"
"You know that's not true. You have me, JB and now Betty in your life too"
"Yes, I do. But I also know that it's not the same. And it's not just this that is making me want to adopt now. I just feel that Pedro and I could be a good match... that we can be what we need to be to each other, family. I get what he's feeling right now, like he's alone in the world. And you didn't see his little eyes, so sad. No kid should have that look. And I think I can change that for him, I hope. At least I can try, which is what I'm doing right now, going forward with the process and accepting having Archie in my life again" she ends with a prideful tone and Jughead asks himself when his friend got so mature.
"If you're sure, then I'm with you in every step of the way. And sorry for questioning you, it wasn't my place to do it" he apologizes embarrassed and she dismisses him with her hand.
"It's fine. And I know I might be pushing my luck here, but no punches this time, please?" she begs and he rolls his eyes. "This is really important for me. You know I wouldn't be asking you this if it wasn't"
"Of course, I'll be in my best behavior, even he isn't" "Jughead" she groans and he chuckles.
"Sorry. No punches. I promise" he moves around the couch so he can be closer to her. "So, how was it? Seeing him after all this time, having a conversation with him?"
"It wasn't the first time, we all know you're still proud about that night at the White Wyrm" he sends her a smug smile and she rolls her eyes. "But I get it, and honestly, I don't know. I guess I should be the one asking you this, how did you feel when you saw Betty at Riverdale again?"
He takes his time before answering. "Angry. Sad. Confused. And I would be lying if I said I didn't feel happy too. I missed her face... I missed her" he admits shrugging and blushing and Veronica squeezes his hand. "You?"
"Well, when I saw her again, I still wanted to slap her" she says and he sends her a glare. She sighs before continuing. "I've told you, I don't know. When I saw him, all I could do was remember that damn night, him staring at me like he didn't know what to do, the way people were looking at me... it was all I could think about"
Veronica was being honest. If she could describe it, paint a picture of what she was feeling at the moment, it would be a mess of colors, not sincronized or at any order. It would be like someone just dropped all the colors on the canvas, carelessly and she couldn't differ one from another. She wanted to cry and yell at the same time. It was like replaying the same moments she went through with Betty, but ten times worse.
"Did you hurt him?"
"Only with my words, I guess. But it wasn't enough"
"So you wanted to" he states watching her and she nods.
"I know I never talked about ... You know, him, or the break up, but the pain I felt, at least at the time, it was like the worst thing I have ever felt. Now, after losing my mom, I'm aware now that it was nothing, but seven years ago... seeing that video crushed me. I could literally feel my heart breaking. And I know that I kept talking about the humiliation but I didn't care about that, not that much. I cared that the two people, whom I put my faith, my trust and love, were betraying me. And that feeling, of betrayal, didn't fade with the years. I held it, for too long I'm sure, deep inside my heart and seeing him, it just reminded me why I can't trust people easily, why I can't let people in"
Saying those words, was like feeling a weight been lifted of her back. Veronica never had issues about starting a new relationship. She had many boyfriends and one night stands along the way, and some guys even stayed more than she expected them to. But she knew why they always left, she was never ready to commitment, to trust, to let herself be cared for. And when the men she had dated threw that in her face, her excuse was that she was too independent to do that. Yes, Veronica Lodge was an independent woman, but she still felt the need to let her defenses go for a moment, which she couldn't do because of her past. The feeling that if she did it, just for a second, they would betray her somehow, was always there. So she created a shell and she lived in it, afraid, but also with the guarantee that she wouldn't suffer any more pain like she felt seven years ago.
"I'm not trying to defend him or anything or play his advocate here, but you forgave Betty. Isn't forgiving him the same?" Jughead asks carefully, not knowing what to expect.
"No, it's not" she shakes her head. "Why?"
"Why don't you forgive him if you think like that?" she retorts, crossing her arms and leaning on the couch to face him.
"This is not the point and it's definitely not the same" he replies defensive.
"Why not? I mean, you forgave the girl you loved and I forgave the girl who was my best friend. She cheated on both of us with him. Why is diferrent?"
"I don't know, okay?" he says louder and she smiles, knowing she made her point with him. "Maybe it's because I knew him since we were kids, or the fact that he kept screwing me over, ever since we met and I kept forgiving him or that I never felt he regreted everything. Or maybe, I loved her more than I loved him. I don't know but don't change subjects, I'm not on focus here. You, answer the question. Do you feel like you could forgive him for what he did? I mean, you just said it how it still affects you and I don't think it's fair for you to pay for what he did. He should be the one suffering for it, not you"
"I agree with you but it doesn't work like that, not for me. With Betty, I felt ready to forgive her, at least when I did it. With him, it just doesn't feel right, he doesn't deserve my forgiveness"
"And she did?"
"Yes" she nods, not elaborating more.
"And why he doesn't? I mean, why he's not worthy of that?"
"He never said sorry" she says move her head to face the ceiling while he gasps.
"What? Are you serious about that?"
"I wish I wasn't" she sighs, still not facing him. "Betty... she kept calling, texting me. She even showed up at my place a few times. She stopped after some weeks because she finally realized I didn't want anything with her anymore but she started again in Riverdale, last year. And she kept saying how sorry she was, how she regretted everything and how much she still loved me and wanted me in her life again and about how she wished she could change things. It felt real to me even though I hated her at the time. But him... the only time he said those words to me was at prom, when I questioned him about the damn video. He texted once saying 'sorry' and saying he wanted to explain himself but that was it. And today, when he was leaving. And I never felt truth in any of those times. For me, he was only sorry he got caught, not for the chaos he created, the damage done. It was like our relationship never meant anything to him, our love... that I never meant anything to him. I always felt like he was in a rush to get to somewhere and I was just there, keeping him company. Always with his big plans of changing the world while I should stand there, supporting him just like my mom did with my father. With Betty, it was different. And with just one look, I knew that she still loved you, seven years ago and last year when FP died. With him, I was never sure. And I guess I'm just tired of forgiving the same guy for continuing disappointing me. I'm not my mom and I won't stand it like she did, forgiving my father everytime he betrayed her"
He sighs, rubbing his face with his right hand. "You do know your mother was not that submissive, right? And I just can't believe it, what an ass. I'm really sorry for it, Ronnie"
"Yeah, me too. But she was, in the past, and for a very long time" she replies soflty, moving her head to watch him.
"You know, hearing this just make me want to punch him again"
"Please, no more punches. I really need him to stay alive during this whole thing and you, out of jail. I won't let him steal any more parts of my life, I'm done with that" she warns him and he nods, his face making it clear to her he didn't like the situation any more than her. "Jug, I want this. I mean, I want this adoption to work, I want Pedro to like me. And I feel this whole thing, is bigger than having Archie in my life again, and unfortunately I need him but I also need you with me"
"I know that, and trust me, I won't ruin this for you. And you will have me with you the entire time"
"Thank you" she says appreciative, with a smile. "And listen, I have one more thing for you and I don't really know if it's bad or not"
"Please don't tell me he's moving to your building too" he jokes, remembering the last time she started a conversation like that.
"No, not that I'm aware of, at least. And this affects you" she takes a deep breath. "He knows about Betty, that she's back in my life and that you and her are dating"
"We're not dating, we're just seeing how things go" he says defensive and she rolls her eyes. "How does he know that? He's stalking her too?"
"He stalked me on Instagram before coming here and the last part, he heard it from me. I don't know why I said it exactly, I guess I wanted a reaction" she shrugs.
"And? Did you get one?"
"Nothing. Maybe his acting skills are better or it didn't affect him" she takes his hand carefully, and he pays attention to her. "I'm sorry. Now, after some consideration, I guess it was a bad call, telling him about you two"
"No, it's alright. With him back, it was a matter of time. At least now I know he has that information. I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about you. Are you really okay with this?" he asks, putting his other hand on top of hers.
"No, but it's a small price to pay and after a double mastectomy, Archie Andrews is nothing for me" she says with a smile and he can feel her bravery in her voice.
"That's my girl" he tells her with pride and she laughs. "Now, how about that pizza?" he asks letting her hand go and she rolls her eyes, getting up and reaching her phone to order their pizzas.