Kiara slouched against the doorframe of the Andrews' house, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as Frank unlocked the door. She had barely stepped inside when the scent of old wood and faint coffee hit her nose. The house was small, modest, and homey, with a living room full of mismatched furniture that screamed functional, not stylish.

Frank gestured broadly, his tone almost begrudgingly polite. "Well, this is it. Welcome to the Andrews' house. Fred built most of it himself."

Kiara scoffed, letting her backpack slump to the floor. "He built it? What is this, some off-brand HGTV episode? Did he name it, too? Like, 'Fixer-Upper for Dummies'?"

Frank's face hardened immediately. "Watch it, Kiara."

"Oh, come on," she said, dropping onto the couch like it owed her money. "I mean, good for him or whatever, but it's just... kind of basic. And kind of small. Are we sure it's not a dollhouse?"

Frank's patience thinned visibly. "Fred worked his ass off to make this house a home for his family."

Kiara smirked. "And what's the deal with Fred? Is this one of those 'dads who left to get milk and never came back' stories?"

Frank's jaw tightened, and he glared at her. "Fred's dead."

Kiara blinked. "Oh. Well. Awkward." Then she muttered under her breath, "Guess he finally found the milk."

Frank's nostrils flared, but before he could say anything, the front door opened behind them. A voice called out, cheerful and carefree. "Hey, Uncle Frank, I'm back."

Kiara turned, and the next thing she knew, she was staring at Archie Andrews himself. He was wearing a tank top and gym shorts, his ginger hair tousled, his abs practically glowing in the afternoon sunlight.

Her sarcastic demeanor faltered for half a second. "Oh. Wow."

Archie's eyebrows furrowed as he noticed her. "Uh, hi. Who's this?"

Frank turned to Archie, his tone sharp. "This is Kiara Carrera. She'll be staying with us for a while."

Kiara recovered quickly, her smirk returning. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, Archie, but I'm still processing the abs situation. Seriously, do you live in a gym?"

Archie chuckled awkwardly, clearly caught off guard. "Uh... thanks?"

Frank's patience, already worn thin, snapped. "Kiara! Enough with the comments."

She shrugged. "What? Just pointing out facts. The guy's ripped."

Archie looked between them, his confusion growing. "Is everything okay here?"

"Depends on your definition of 'okay,'" Kiara quipped. "If it's living in this shoebox with the flannel king over here, then no."

Frank shot her a warning look. "That's enough."

Kiara leaned back on the couch, stretching her arms lazily. "Fine. What's next? You gonna make me sleep in the crawl space?"

Frank ignored her jab, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. "Actually, next is this."

He slapped the list onto the coffee table in front of her. Kiara leaned forward, reading it with exaggerated horror.

Andrews Household Chores:

Mop the floors.

Clean the kitchen counters.

Do the dishes.

Take out the trash.

Sweep the porch.

"Seriously?" Kiara exclaimed, waving the paper in the air. "You expect me to do chores? I'm not Cinderella."

"Then stop acting like a spoiled brat," Frank shot back.

Kiara gasped dramatically. "Spoiled? Just because I don't want to play housemaid in this—" she gestured wildly around the room, "—whorehouse?"

Archie's jaw dropped. "Did you just call our house a whore?"

Frank's face turned crimson. "What is wrong with you?"

Kiara shrugged. "I call it like I see it."

Archie crossed his arms, his voice firm but calm. "Look, I get that you're mad about being here, but this house is special to my family. It's not a whore. It's a home."

"Special?" Kiara repeated with a smirk. "If by special you mean it looks like a museum exhibit for 'Depression Era Chic,' then sure."

Frank took a step closer to her, his voice low and serious. "You're not going to waltz in here and insult everything we stand for. You're a guest in this house, Kiara. Act like it."

Kiara met his glare with one of her own. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I offend the sacred house of Andrews? Maybe it'll forgive me if I mop its precious floors."

"Good idea," Frank said, his tone sharp. "Go grab the mop."

"What? No," Kiara said, crossing her arms.

Frank pointed toward the kitchen. "Now."

Kiara rolled her eyes but stood up, muttering under her breath. "Unbelievable. One day in Riverdale and I'm already being turned into a janitor."

As she stomped off to find the mop, Archie exchanged a look with Frank, who sighed heavily. "This is going to be a long couple of weeks."

"You think?" Archie said, rubbing the back of his neck. Then he glanced toward the kitchen and added, "But hey, at least she likes my abs."