plotted starter for @giingerstallion
elizabeth cooper, get down here right now!
the words were nothing new, familiar after sixteen years of growing up in the cooper household. still, they managed to get betty’s heart racing as well as her mind, wondering what she had done to incur her mother’s wrath. this is exactly what she was trying to avoid by being the perfect girl next door, desperate for approval no matter what the personal cost may be to her or her mental health. despite her wracking her brain for some misdeed she came up empty, swallowing hard as she pushed herself up from her desk where she had been reading ahead to prepare for classes the next day.
‘i’m coming, mom!’ she called out, tightening her ponytail on the way down the stairs. a nervous habit that she didn’t even realize she was doing half of the time. eyebrows pulled together as she saw her mother kneeling on the couch, her head turned out the window before she whipped it around to study her daughter. betty was almost about to ask where the binoculars were (half joke, half serious as she was positive she had seen her mother peering out of them before) until she saw the look on her face. one that was a mix of confusion, fury, and something else that she couldn’t quite place.
‘why is archie coming home with blood on his shirt and a black eye?’ her own gaze was piercing, as if the two best friends held a secret between them -- a reasonable explanation. not that betty could even come up with one if her life depended on it.
‘honestly mom? i have no idea. but i’m going to go find out, make sure he’s alright.’ for once she wasn’t stopped by her mother, ranting about how he was a bad influence and if she knew what was good she would stay away from him. all of that had stopped abruptly after his mother had died, even alice cooper not finding it in herself to be heartless enough to continue with her warnings. for a while betty had spent nights in his room, holding him until he fell asleep and making it obvious that she was there for him. no matter what. that had all changed recently, however, leaving her lost and confused when it came to archie. someone she was hesitant to call her best friend at this point since it felt like all they had been doing lately was drifting apart.
something she was determined to fix now, tugging on her shoes that lay by the front door. betty was halfway across the street before it had even closed behind her, lips pressed together tightly in a mix of concern and determination. she knocked once on the andrews’ front door until she reached down and realized it was open, wasting no time in letting herself in, another habit from a time that seemed so long ago.
‘hi mr. andrews!’ she greeted him quickly, the words a blur as she hurried up the stairs. it was a reminder that betty should bring over dinner again soon, caring almost as much for the older man as she did for his son. but she pushed that to the back of her mind, archie her main concern as she made her way to his bedroom without announcing her presence.
‘my mom just told me--’ she had no idea where she was going with the statement, words dying on her lips as he turned and she took in his appearance. it was exactly like her mother had said, the amount of blood alarming her even before she noticed the gashes and bruises that colored his body. her mouth dropped open, one hand coming up to cover it as she froze in place.
‘archie, what...what happened?’
