STING [peter parker & betty cooper]

Chapter Nine: Red Dot In The Distance

I had spent Sunday in Veronica's darkened room. I was beyond shocked to walk into her bedroom to find her wearing sunglasses and a pair of sweatpants, I had never seen her wear anything non-designer. I made the mistake of laughing at her appearance and cracking a joke. Needless to say, I won't make that mistake again with a hungover Veronica.

She informed me she and Archie had ended up making out at Cheryl's party. I wasn't surprised, it seemed like it was bound to happen any day now. I was happy for them and secretly, I was hoping they would evolve into something more serious. What they had was pure and they got along extremely well.

I met May for the first time and while we didn't talk much she gave me the impression she was a simple, kind, and hard-working woman. Hiram, Veronica's dad was out for a jog and Peter was in his room. Peter didn't come out the whole time I was there, at least I didn't hear his door, not that I care. My mind still drifted to him and Cheryl but I avoided the thought as much as possible for my own sanity.

I didn't tell Veronica about Night-Monkey or my recent discoveries. I wanted to come up with a satisfying theory before I shared it with anyone else. Besides I promised Ethel I would keep the footage to myself. I actually swore secrecy and I didn't want to betray her trust.

So Monday was a good day and so was Tuesday. November had arrived resplendent in snow, blanketing Riverdale in a thin white sheet.

Kevin, Veronica, Archie, Harry, Peter, and I sat together at lunch, and Peter and I even managed to exchange friendly words during a conversation. Biology we either ignored one another or worked politely together though he constantly sent me little smiles that I occasionally returned when he momentarily broke through my wall. We were planning on meeting with Harry and Alana again this week but in the meantime, we were busy accomplishing our own tasks.

Because of this, when Wednesday started and lunch came around I didn't expect anything to happen from the seemingly comfortable and stable routine that we had established. Today it was just Archie, Veronica, Kevin and I since Peter had a driving lesson in the afternoon and Harry wasn't around.

"Hey... Uh, guys, Cheryl just messaged me." Archie announced while staring down at his phone and his tone was off.

"Umm okay? What did she say?" Veronica asked.

"Thank you for everything. You're the best." Archie read and we all looked at each other in confusion.

I frowned. "Why would she send you that?"

"I don't know, we weren't texting before. I'm calling her." Archie's hands were beginning to shake a little as he placed his phone on the table. "She's not picking up." He whispered impatiently after a few rings.

"She was in English class this morning." Kevin informed him. "She seemed a little weird and absent-minded."

"Did you see her after class?" Archie asked Kevin as he began packing away his things.

Kevin shook his head no and Archie closed his eyes, sighing deeply.

"Do you think something's going on with her?" Veronica asked apprehensively.

Archie looked at Veronica and gulped. "Yes."

"Let's look for her, she must be around." Veronica suggested and we followed, abandoning our unfinished meals on the table before we rushed down to the hall.

We checked the washrooms, the gym, and the student lounge. Cheryl was nowhere to be seen. It was freezing outside but we decided to check the whole perimeter anyway.

Veronica and I searched behind the school building, and we finally came into contact with some girls Cheryl usually talks to. They said they saw Cheryl walking south, in the direction of the river but they didn't accompany her because she said she was going to make a phone call and she wanted to be alone for a moment. Oh, god. That was definitely not a good sign.