LAST SUMMER [ARCHIE ANDREWS]

thirty-three

"PEOPLE OF RIVERDALE..."

Kara swallowed as her step-brother read from the paper. "I have rid this town of the drug-dealing child-killer and others like him," Caleb muttered, his Queens accent peeking through in the slightest, "Now you must choose your fate. The next 48 hours will be a test, and I will be watching you very carefully." Kara remembered Betty's panicked call the night before, where she told Kara that she had gotten the Sugarman (a teacher from Southside) arrested, but somehow, the Black Hood still managed to kill him, even inside the prison.

"Show me you are pure of heart, and my work ends. Continue to sin..." Caleb sighed as he finished. "And I will pick up the sword again." Kara glanced up at him, only to find his eyes cast down at the kitchen island they sat at. The Black Hood has left the note for the Register to publish, establishing the Black Hood's challenge.

"It's going to be okay, Kara. No one is going to let him get to you, not again," her mother spoke, placing her hand on top of her daughter's.

Kara nodded thoughtfully, giving her family a small smile. She wanted to say it was just an empty threat, but she knew it wasn't. When the Black Hood said he'd take up the sword, he would take up the sword.

"Kara, your friend, uh, Jughead is waiting outside," Kara's father announced as he entered the kitchen. Standing and placing her empty spaghetti bowl into the sink, Kara nodded. "See you after school," she smiled, grabbing her phone off of the counter.

Kara met Jughead outside, who greeted her with a smile. "Hey, Red," he said, kicking up the kick-stand of his motorcycle, "I need a favor."

Kara swung a leg over the side of his bike. "Yeah?"

"I need you to borrow your mom's car and meet me at Pop's later," he asked, handing her the extra helmet. Kara made a noise, sliding her arms around his waist. "I can't. My mom hasn't let me borrow the car since she found out about the whole... drug thing," she muttered, as Jughead revved the engine.

"Crap. Okay, I-I'll have to ask someone else, but you're coming with me," he told her firmly. Kara was about to ask why he needed her mother's car, but they had already sped away.

They arrived at Kara's school, and she frowned when Jughead stepped off of his motorcycle as well. "Jug? You're gonna be late if you don't leave now," she told him, placing the helmet under her arm. Jughead shrugged his shoulders. "I need to talk to Archie. Come on."

Kara's heart flipped. She didn't want to see Archie, not quite yet. Admittedly, he was the one who had gotten angry in the first place, but she was too prideful and stubborn to let his childish behavior by that easily. How dare he think he can control her, she was the only one who could control her.