Riverdale : Our Town - Season 1 (English version)

Chapter 12 (Archie) - "Can we talk ?"

As they say, night brings good advice, but it might not work for me. I can't fall asleep : it's been hours that I turn over and over again in my bed, fighting with the shelter, sweating.

I lay on my back, hoping that it would relax me, but even when I open my eyes, I still perceive the distress in Betty's. The memories of last night are haunting me, and seem to melt up with those of last summer. I can't help but feel guilty about what happened with Miss Grundy, and especially, I can't stop thinking about the scene of July 4th, which plays constantly in my head.

Jason's corpse was found this morning, on the edge of Sweetwater River : he did die from drowning, but with a bullet in his head. It was surely not an accident... I need to speak to someone, I need to confess my secret. Determined to make things better, I take my phone and decide to write to Betty.

Archie : R u awake ? Can we talk ?

Despite the late hour, her answer doesn't take long to arrive, and it is 100% clear.

Betty : No... And no.

I immediately jump from my bed to my window, and open my curtains to take a glimpse at her. Her light is still visible. I can't bear her absence of response. I know that I hurt her, but I need her... She's kinda essential to me.

Archie : Please !?

After I send my message, I see Betty in pyjamas, appearing at her window. She gives me a cold glance and nods her head, hard-liner, before turning her light off, leaving me alone in front of the obscurity. I now understand better the meaning of the expression "speaking to a wall"... I move away from the window, disappointed.

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Then, suddenly taken by a flood of energy, I quickly put a shirt on, climb the stairs down, and leave the house. It's 1 a.m and I'm literally doing a footing up to the next town, Greendale. After one half hour, I finally arrive at my destination : Miss Grundy's house. I bang vigorously at her door, and she opens after a few minutes, half-sleepy.

"Archie, what are you doing here ?", whispers Geraldine, stupefied.

I enter the house in a determinate step and tell her what I have in my heart.

"On July 4th, that wasn't fireworks, that was a gunshot ! Probably the one that killed Jason Blossom !"

"Archie, you can't come to my house like that !", she screams, before lowing her voice down. We know exactly what the police knows. There was a gunshot. A boy was killed. We don't know by who."

"We know when it happened and the police doesn't.", I object.

"They're performing an autopsy."

"We could call them anonymously.", I suggest, determined.

"This is not a negotiation, Archie ! This is our lives !", she replies, in a serious tone.

She stares at me for a long time, and through her glasses, I perceive panic in her gaze. Her despair makes me feel pity.

"If someone learns that we were there, I could lose my job. You could be expelled. We could go to jail !"

At this moment, I understand the gravity of the situation. According to the law, our relationship is illegal. According to the law, when you don't testify about a murder, it's like hiding proofs, and that's illegal too. In short, I'm screwed up.