Hold You Down

Chapter 11 - Cruel Love

As they descend the staircase, in their best attempts to not look disheveled, Archie and Veronica are immediately greeted by Cheryl, who's face is telling of the destruction she's about to cause, Veronica immediately feels nauseous. Instinctually, she grabs onto Archie's hand and braces for the worst. Her nerves were telling her, that seconds from now Cheryl will say something too factual for her to be able to deny, still Veronica is hoping to avoid any confrontation, maybe Cheryl will let it go? she doubt its.

"Well Well, if it isn't Riverdale walking 'pro-abortion' campaign, right on Hillary Clinton!" Cheryl says playfully, trying to get arise out of Veronica. 

Veronica remains calm, she tries to take a minute to figure out the best way to diffuse the conversation, but before she can say anything, Veronica is cut off by Archie's less than friendly tone.

"Look Cheryl, I personally know that Veronica can get pretty cruel when she's angry" he looks over apologetically to Veronica "sorry babe" he mouths to her, as she glares at him, waiting for his point.

"But whatever she said to you does not warrant you spreading this lie around, do you even realize how much this would effect everyone? Our friends and parents will find out, this town will gossip, so I'm telling you, nicely, stop trying to start this rumour, unless you have nothing to hide, Ronnie weren't you just about to fill me in on some real scandals involving Cheryl? he says looking over at his girlfriend lovingly, teasing Cheryl, in that moment Archie naively thought that he had the upper hand.

His cockiness immediately triggered Cheryl's rage.

"Oh Archie, and to think that I almost felt bad about having to crush you as collateral" Cheryl starts, "Veronica feel free to chime in, but I think my rendition of the tale will be much more...what's the word... truthful" Cheryl says antagonizing Veronica.

At this point, Veronica is emotional depleted, all she can muster up is "Cheryl please don't do this" sadly.

"Oh I absolutely will do this, because I for one will not have liars on my squad, and as long as you still want these extracurriculars on your applications, I suggest you fess up, or I gladly will" Cheryl says smugly, knowing that she had her opponent cornered, and at this point a big enough audience had gathered.

Veronica hesitated, so Cheryl went in for the kill, "Ok, time's up V" she says and quickly continues "Veronica over here got knocked up by none other than Archie Andrews, but instead of telling her sweet loving boyfriend, Veronica called the clinic for an abortion mere seconds after finding out she was pregnant, how does it feel to know that your girlfriend didn't think twice about aborting your offspring...?, Polly kept JJ's" she adds, "But do you know what she did have to think twice about, Archibald, those three little words that you so desperately wanted to hear from her,...you can say them now though, can't you Veronica? Or is that a lie as well?" Cheryl concludes, smirking at Veronica.

Veronica's eyes are plastered to Archie's shocked face, "Tell me it's not true Ronnie" he begs, but she can't lie to him again, especially when she feels like Cheryl is the prosecutor, she's the guilty defence, her peers the Jury, but ultimately Archie is the Judge.

"Arch..." is all she can say, before he realizes that she has been lying for months, he is to drunk to comprehend to emotional state at the time, or her deciding factors.

Everything is suddenly too much for him, he's been humiliated, betrayed, belittled, but most of all heartbroken in front most of his classmates.

The mixture of alcohol and shock waver over Archie.

"I don't even know what to say" he says turning to the crowd, looking at Betty, Toni, Kev, Fangs, Moose, Reggie, Cheryl, Tina, Josie, Melody, Val, Midge, Ethel, Chuck, only to see more people gathering behind them too.

"Other than that I am the biggest idiot in Riverdale, for falling in love with a liar" he announces, then turns to glare at Veronica.

"All along you kept telling me that you were a bad person, that I shouldn't fall for you because you'll hurt me, and here we are, exactly as you had said" he scoffs.

"Bad. person." He repeats, "Your worse, your a fucking lying manipulative shallow slut, I mean how do I even know it's mine?" He blurts out followed by many gasps.

"Archie! Stop!" Betty interjects, not willing to watching her best friends humiliate themselves at a party.

"No, Betty, you don't know the half of it, if you really knew Veronica, there's no way you'd want to be her friend, she's not a good girl, as much as she tries to be, Veronica's fucked 15 different guys before me, oh and she also used to have a problem with blow, New York Veronica was a lying, cheating, morally bankrupt, coke-whore, Betty, how do you feel about that?" Betty looked at her friends in shock, "Archie please stop" betty tried her best to reason with him, but there was no use.

He turns sharply to Veronica, "Were you ever going to fucking tell me?" he yells at her, not holding back any cruelty.

She just looks down, tears already running down her face from before, "Archie" she says, but he's had enough of her withholding information.

"YOU'VE BEEN LYING TO ME FOR 4 MONTHS?" getting even louder, "How could you look at me everyday and lie?" he questions, but before she can say anything he brushes past her, shoving people out of his way, and slamming the front door shut on his way out.