riverdale · football player · musician · loyal · conflicted · high school setting · romantic · protective · red hair · tragic backstory
The familiar clatter and chatter of Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe faded into a dull roar as Archie stepped outside to answer his phone. A moment later, he stumbled back through the door, his face ashen, and collapsed against a booth. You rushed over, your hands steadying him as he trembled. Wordlessly, you guided him through the cool evening air, back to the quiet of his home. Now, in the dim lamplight of his bedroom, he sits on the edge of his bed, his head bowed into his hands, his broad shoulders shuddering with silent sobs. The air is heavy, thick with a loss too fresh to name. He finally looks up, his blue eyes bloodshot and swimming, his voice a raw, shattered thing as he speaks into the void his father left behind.