Chapter Seven : Seven Days

When Betty opened her eyes, she felt an uncomfortable object jab into her chest. Her face scrunched up and she groaned, opening her eyes and looking around. She was on the floor, and she still felt tingly in her hands from whatever Chic had injected her in.

She was laying stomach first on the ground, cheek pressed against the hardwood floor and her eyelids heavy. Rolling onto her back her hand went to her chest and she patted whatever was in her bra. It was rectangular.

Suddenly a light glimmered in her gaze and she remembered her last minutes of consciousness. Her phone.

Listening to her surroundings, Betty listened for Chic, his footsteps, his voice. When she heard nothing, she grabbed the phone and looked at him. Turning the power on, she watched the screen light up with life. Betty watched as the phone turned from a blinding white to her lock screen.

When she saw Jughead and her face for the lock screen wallpaper, she pursed her lips and fought tears. She had to text Jughead. She unlocked her phone with ease, the password was 1594 for when it was estimated that Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet.

The phone unlocked and she felt a smile come to her face. She pressed onto the texting app and stared at Jughead's name. All his texts to her, pleading whoever had her to let her go. Her heart flipped and she started typing, feeling hope rise higher and higher in her chest.

Betty: Jughead, it's Betty. I'm alive, Chic moved me from the warehouse. I'm in an old house with hardwood flooring. If things don't work out, chose me to die. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was the cause of your death. I love you. Don't text or call back. (Sent at 4:03 PM)

Once she sent the message, her hand hovered over the share the location before she pressed the button. Her location loaded, trying to send before a failed connection sign flashed on the screen. Betty's phone wasn't even sure where she was. Sitting up, she took the wrap around her head and covered her phone with her bandage pushing it into the corner of the room.

Once the phone was hidden, she pressed her hand to her side where there was a warm, sappy like feeling just above her hip. She was bleeding, that was obvious. Betty felt her stomach crawl when she wasn't able to place how she got her wound. For the first time in days, she wondered about how many wounds she had that she didn't know about.

Trying to shift to a more comfortable feeling, she felt a tingly feeling in her veins and she kept her hand to her side. Warm blood trickled over her hands and she took a shaky breath as she tried to stay awake. Her wounds must have reopened when she had been carried by Chic to this new place.

As her eyes flickered shut, she leveled out her breathing as she tried to stay awake. Shutting her eyes, she let herself go limp as she fell into a restless state of sleep.

Jughead was in his bed, his blanket pulled over him as he tried to sleep. He hadn't slept well since he barely missed Betty. He had no idea what to do, really. Everything had led to the warehouse but now his path was jumbled and led nowhere.

When his phone buzzed, he ignored it. It could be anyone checking in on him. Though he hadn't seen Archie in a few days… or any of the Serpents really. His father had stepped up again for the Serpents, and Jughead had made him keep everybody away.

After a moment though, Jughead grabbed the phone from the dresser and read who it was from. Breath catching in his throat when he read from who it was from he unlocked his phone and read the message.

Betts: Jughead, it's Betty. I'm alive, Chic moved me from the warehouse. I'm in an old house with hardwood flooring. If things don't work out, chose me to die. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I was the cause of your death. I love you. Don't text or call back. (Sent at 4:03 PM)

Jughead leaped from his bed as he read the message over and over again. Betty was alive. The next thing he checked was if she had shared her location. When he saw she had not shared her location, he immediately knew it was because of a loss of service. Betty was extremely smart, meaning if she was able to share her location, she would.

It was a clue in itself. She was in an old house with hardwood and was spotty with service. He also knew a place just like the place Betty described.

Holding his phone with white knuckles, he dialed Ms. Weiss's number.

Archie sat down on his kitchen stool as he wrapped a bandage around his knuckles. He had spread an ointment on it to help the healing process and so far it was working. Ever since he and Veronica had officially broken up, he had changed everything about the way he was grieving.

Instead of scavenging his knuckles and hands he took to running and jogging. Since running was more on the harmless side as long as he didn't overexert himself he knew it was much better than using a punching bag.

Once his knuckles were bandaged he stood up and walked upstairs to his room. Sitting on his bed, he pulled out his phone, looking at it for a long moment. By now he had realized his mistakes. Archie had yelled at Veronica when all she did was try and help, he had separated himself from everyone else that cared about him and he had just been an all-around horrible person.

Archie stared at Veronica's number for a moment, before he turned his phone off and tossed his phone on a pillow. Reaching under his bed he picked up his old guitar and placed it on his lap. Strumming the strings he relished in the sound that the instrument made.

"Baby come back, any kind of fool could see...There was something in everything about you… Baby come back, you can blame it all on me. I was wrong and I just can't live without you." Archie sang under his breath. He never would have thought that a song like "Baby Come Back" by Player would fit his love life so accurately than it did at that moment.

As he stopped playing the song, he took a breath as he remembered Betty and Veronica.

"One moment… I had everything. A night sky full of twirling stars." Archie sang with a soft voice, pouring all his sorrows into his music just seemed like the best option. As he sang, he felt the weight he carried on his heart lift with the music and get swept away. It was different from when he focused his anger into energy.

Singing just had this relaxing feeling to it. It made him feel so calm, clearing his mind with one swift flick. As he played his guitar with skilled movements he poured his heart out in song. "Nothing was worth it! Nothing at all! I'd take it all back if it meant I could… be… with… you again!"

"Archie..." the voice was distant but it was enough to make Archie stop playing to listen to whoever had spoken. Was his mind playing tricks on him? When nobody spoke again he shook his head to clear it. Grabbing his phone he started some music, turning it up and lying back down to listen to it.

Veronica blinked slowly as she quickly hung up the phone. Archie had sung the most romantic song about losing the love of his life, and he didn't even know she was listening. Her heart soared.

"Ronnie?" Reggie asked, appearing in her doorway with a confident smile.

For some reason, she just felt unimpressed. Archie had sung to her, and Reggie had shown up in a tux so they could go out just for dinner. She knew it wasn't fair, to compare the two because in every scenario Archie one.

Reggie had just opened her door, Archie always knocked.

Reggie didn't know her as Archie did.

"Reggie, what do you know about me?" she asked bluntly, looking at the young man in front of her with a curious look. Part of her wanted him to fail so she could see how right Archie was for her.

Reggie smiled and walked over to her, sitting beside. "Well, you're sexy," he smirked and he just blinked. Seeing she didn't want an answer like that he bit his lip in thought. "And… you like getting… pearls?" He nodded confidently, but his gaze was uncertain.

The young woman stood up and offered him a simple smile. "My dad gives me pearls when he does something wrong, so no. Receiving pearls means someone did something bad. Can you leave?" Veronica asked and Reggie laughed softly.

"Come on, are you really kicking me out because I didn't know that?" Reggie asked, standing up and stepping closer to her. Veronica felt her stomach curl in disgust and annoyance.

"Get out," she repeated, arms crossed over her chest.

When Reggie pressed his lips to her, she pushed him away and slapped him across the face, leaving a bright red mark on his cheek. Reggie blinked in surprise and backed away, he then looked at her for a moment before quickly slipping away, shutting the door behind him.

Veronica smiled and wiped her lips. Then she grabbed her phone and called Archie.

He answered right away and before he could speak, she interrupted first.

"What do I like?" she asked him, blinking thoughtfully.

"Chocolate milkshakes at Pop's. Romantic dates at places where it can be just the two-" Archie answered without hesitation. Veronica felt warmed at how much he knew her. He knew exactly what she was asking. 'Do you love who I am? Or how I look from the outside.'

And Archie had responded in the best way possible. 'I love you. Everything about you.'

The best thing about hitting rock bottom is there is only way left to go. At least that's what it seems like, for now.

A/N: Review please! I'll update after three reviews! Tell me what you want to see more of. (Angst, Romance, etc)