"Do you know what was going on with Archie this afternoon?" Kevin asked after dropping his backpack on the floor of the Register as he made his way to Betty who was already busy looking through articles and bylines to find her father's very first one.

"What?" Betty asked half distracted, she knew her dad started working here during the summer of '83 but that didn't mean they let him write any articles.

"Archie, this afternoon the way he was insulting Izzy during lunch. Is there something going on that I missed, I thought you guys said you had a good time hanging out with her the other weekend." Kevin clarified pulling up an empty from the other desk and sitting down to get a better look at the screen.

"We did, I don't know what that was about. I am not sure why they are even fighting"

"It was more like Archie wanting to pick a fight and Izzy finally losing her cool. Do you think we can still go to the party if you know Archie and Izzy are-"

Betty finally stopped looking through the articles to give Kevin her full attention "I don't know, I don't know why Archie or Izzy have a problem with each other but I guess you can try going to the party with Jug and if she doesn't turn you away then you have your answer or you could try talking to her instead of asking me about something I don't know or have any control over. Kevin you were there at lunch with me, we have the exact same information" Betty huffed.

"Okay then point made," Kevin admitted backing off the line of questioning.

It wasn't Kevin's fault that Betty was so snappish, she had just spent ten minutes arguing with her mum because of Izzy's reaction to today's article; after Betty admitted that still, Izzy didn't seem interested in doing an interview because of all the attention that it would result in Alice Cooper had taken to grilling her about anything and everything Izzy even going as so far as to ask if Betty could have Jughead convince his friend to do the interview.

"Sorry Kev, I just, I don't know Izzy well enough to predict her behaviour. If you want to go to the party I don't think she's going to stop you, she invited all of us and she isn't going to uninvited us because she had an argument with Archie" Betty sighed apologising

"Ok, sure. Is everything alright?" Kevin asked Betty did look stressed out.

"Yeah, everything is fine. How about I treat us to a milkshake at Pop's once we find what we are looking for."

"Yeah that would be great, I really want to see Jughead in that uniform" Kevin happily declared, Jughead wasn't typically the type of guys he was attracted to but he was in a uniform.

x.x.x.x

Laying in Veronica's queen size bed at the Pembroke Archie wondered just how many more minutes he had before with his girlfriend before she left for Pussycats rehearsals and before he himself had to get home.

Archie hated being in school with everyone, all they wanted to do was talk and fuss, teachers were coming up to him giving him concessions on his grades, allowing him extra time on test or making up really easy extra credits acting like he was some type of traumatised victim because he began falling behind in a couple of classes.

The school was meant an escape but Archie felt more trapped in that building than standing in his kitchen throwing away bandages or having to hand out the correct pills at a certain time of the day or even with medical bills and letter of notices piling up at the front door because his dad wasn't working.

Everywhere he turned there was something to bring it all rushing back; the looks of pity, the badly concealed gossip behind hands and through it all; there was Izzy Tate, every corner he turned there she was; people were either talking about her or the pussycats or going to Pop's or talking about the winter formal which she was going to be performing.

Half of the article Mrs Cooper had written after his dad's shooting was all about how Izzy was some kind of girl wonder for saving his dad's life, there was barely a mention of Archie himself apart from the fact that he was there and was Fred' son.

Even the Bulldogs showed they preferred Izzy, instead of calling him when one of their players had been hurt Reggie had decided to call his ex-girlfriend to be there for the team instead of him.

A small part of Archie knew that Izzy was just being a nice person when she came over last Saturday but then she stayed; the whole day became about her, about getting to know Izzy and laughing with Izzy and how did she do this and that.

These were the thoughts running through his head that afternoon when Archie came to lunch to find Izzy huddled over sheet music with his girlfriend sitting there again, making the day about her.

Archie had tried to look on the bright side of everything, he really had, he thought about the fact that his dad was alive, how his mum had come over to stay and help, he thought about the money he earned doing the interview and even about the fact that he was asked to do the interview, he had a girlfriend, friends, he had his health.

Now that Archie was in the press the good publicity will hopefully generate future work for Andrews' Construction, they must be someone in town who needed a kitchen re-done or their driveway repaved willing to put a down payment for when everything was up and running.

These were all good things in his life…. Except for the fact that Izzy could be added to almost every part of it.

His dad was alive because of Izzy, everyone in town knew that.

His mum might have come to town but she left just as quickly leaving Archie alone to deal with everything else.

The money he got paid didn't even put a dent in the bills and all he could do was use it to buy that week's grocery and the masochistic part of him revelled in the fact that Izzy had still managed to keep the diner running at fourteen when Pop was laid up in hospital after his heart attack while he all he could do, a stupid interview in the hopes that it might garner some good will their neighbours who needed some construction work done.

The interview in question that was meant to be about him and his dad was apparently all an elaborate scheme to get Izzy interested in doing an interview of her own, he was just the guinea pig.

The only part of his weekend that had gone fairly well was the surprise he helped Betty plan for the Coopers and avoided talking like everyone wanted to.

Izzy probably had better grades, more friends, the town had all but turned her into a poster child of excellence even when she was caught smashing Reggie's car with a bat everyone just forgave her since Reggie had cheated even Mr Mantle hadn't wanted to press charges and even apologised for his son's behaviour.

How was that even possible Izzy had damaged his car and somehow Reggie had been the one who ended up apologising.

Archie annoyance about Izzy wasn't new, it had started a long time ago way back when they were all kids and most of the time Archie managed to keep his displeasure under control.

He didn't care about Izzy beyond the fact that she sometimes kept Jughead busy, he didn't care -he really didn't- or rather he hadn't cared until Jug left in the middle of the night just because she called.

One phone call from her was all it took for Jughead to abandon him because in Jughead's list of priorities Archie was never going to be first; it was always Izzy and it would always be Izzy.

Archie had managed to put up with a lot over the years; Jug's tendencies to put Izzy's plans and ideas ahead of Archie's; if Archie had wanted to go swimming but Izzy wanted to spend the afternoon exploring the woods then eight out of ten times they had gone exploring.

Jughead, Ronnie, Betty were all meant to be there for him that weekend to spend time with him and see how he was coping yet Jughead had brought Izzy instead on focusing on him the entire afternoon had turned into getting to know Isabelle Tate.

It happened over and over again because all Jughead saw when he looked at Izzy was a damsel in distress, poor orphan Annie who didn't have a mum or dad and needed him and she used it to her advantage, hogging him over the weekend, demanding his time watching movies and basically catering to her.

When they all used to hang out Archie would always remember how Jughead didn't even dare take a scoop of ice cream all because Izzy had never learnt to share, she was worse than Cheryl when it came to being a spoilt brat but everyone had laughed it off as her being 'Hurricane Tate' that it was seen as normal.

Archie resented Izzy plain and simple and now Ronnie wanted to get to know her. "Why don't you blow off rehearsals today" Archie questioned hoping that Ronnie would take him up on his offer. "We could go to the arcade or you could introduce me to your dad"

"As much I would love that Archie-kins, I am not in the mood to see my dad let alone introduce you to him but we could meet afterwards in Pop's." Veronica said brushing him off re-applying her lipstick and getting ready to kick him out.

x.x.x.x

Writer's thoughts:

Sorry for taking so long but Riverdale is OFFICIAL worse than a mess, seriously I have to stop watching the show it gives NO inspiration to write. The show has gone so far off the rails I can't even see the tracks. Also, I had a massive project on at work and now that's over I can get back to this.

We all know Archie's problem begins with a J but it is because of Jealousy or because of Jughead or both. It seems like he has let his feeling fester for some time and could kinda deal/accept Izzy when she kept her distance but now that she has been around him more he is finding it difficult to come and is resenting her more.

Can't say is fair, can't say it's unfair because feelings are feelings even when they don't make sense

Update for the future chapters, we get Cheryl's apology, Izzy finds out about the suicide attempt (DOES NOT HANDLE WELL), stalking of Shady man and we get a random day in Izzy life also a non-apology from Archie.

Lastly, the new Royal was named Archie can you believe that we all know he should have been called Forsythe