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Go-To Girl	By : CeeCee Category: Comics > Archie & Co. Views: 2558 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Archies fandom. The Archies are owned by Archie Comics. I make no money for writing this piece of sh- I mean, fiction.

Chapter List
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Kid Gloves
Summary: Ethel, with help from her obsession’s bestie, takes a more delicate approach, with mixed results.
Author’s Note: I’m going wherever this story tells me to take it, in the hopes that I don’t end up blocked, which is the case for every story that I haven’t completed, lately.
Ethel watched, rapt, as Jughead climbed into his messy compact car, a beat-up little blue Dodge held together by rust that had seen better days. It was ingrained, a habit that wouldn’t die easily despite his outburst. Ethel couldn’t look him in the eye, but she couldn’t stop watching him once his eyes were averted. It was like being in third grade all over again…
As if he sensed someone watching him, he glanced her way, but Ethel ducked down behind her wheel, cheeks burning. No. Not again.
“Darn it, Ethel,” she scolded herself. “Are we really going to play this game again?”
“Do you always talk to yourself in your car?”
“GAH!” Ethel nearly jumped out of her skin at the proximity of the voice, right by her elbow. Archie was peering in through her window, smirking, and she instinctively reached up to smack him, but he ducked out of the way. “Don’t DO that!”
“My bad. You left this in class.” He handed her a small blue Pilot pen, and she frowned as she began to fish through her purse. “Didn’t know you were missing it, did you?”
“No. Thanks. These aren’t cheap. They’re good pens,” she remarked.
“If you’re picky about that kind of thing,” he shrugged.
“Dilton introduced me to them. They’re really smooth, and they feel good in your grip.”
“Right. Smooth grip. I’ll keep that in mind,” he lied. “You’re spying on him again.”
“What? No. I’m not spying,” she insisted, taken aback by his change of topic. “Did you just come over to give me back my pen? You probably have somewhere to be, Arch. Don’t let me keep you-“
“Ethel,” Archie tutted knowingly. “You were spying.”
“I was just looking for my keys.”
“Your engine’s already running.”
“I had to adjust my mirrors.”
“They look fine.”
“Don’t you have to meet Ronnie?” Her tone was slightly accusing.
“Not at the moment.”
“That could change any minute,” she pointed out coyly.
“This isn’t about me and Ronnie.”
“Thanks for bringing me back my pen,” she deadpanned. “Gotta jet. Bye, Arch.” Ethel was frustrated by her loss of momentum and the pity in his blue eyes. His next words stopped her reach for the gearshift.
“Bee, wait.” There it was. That hated nickname. Bee. Short for “Big Ethel.” There was nothing worse in Ethel’s universe than being hit in the face again with that moniker, proof positive that she was being pigeonholed.
“Don’t. I hate that.”
“Hate what?”
“Don’t call me Bee. I hate it. I’m Ethel,” she informed him crisply.
“We’ve always called you that,” he said, clearly puzzled.
“Then you’ve always had it wrong,” she pointed out. “It’s not cool.”
“Wow. Sorry.” His brows twitched. “I didn’t know it was that big a deal.”
“You wouldn’t want everyone calling you Big Red all the time.”
“They used to. Back in summer camp. It didn’t suck as much as Carrot-Top,” he shrugged. “I don’t let it bother me.”
“Well… it does bother me. And you’re right. Carrot-Top does kinda suck,” she allowed sagely.
“Were you just going to sit here in your car watching him until he leaves?”
“It’s not a crime.”
“You weren’t going to follow him, were you?”
“No,” she blurted indignantly. Yes, her inner voice sassed. “Not past the exit.”
“That doesn’t sound very convincing.”
“It’s none of your concern, though, is it?”
“Remember how we talked about giving him a little space?”
“I am! I’m all the way over here!”
“You’re spying on him. Not quite the same as stalking him, but it’s still in the same ball park.”
“Okay. You can think that if you want.”
“You don’t think it’s a little weird?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Fine. I’ll take off.” He backed away from her car and gave her a cavalier wave. Ethel returned his smile with one that was completely insincere before she drove off. Archie sighed, shaking his head. He began to head in the direction of Jughead’s little beater when a flash of blonde caught his eye.
Betty was leaning against the edge of a small brown Jeep’s passenger window, laughing at something the driver said. Her posture was carefree and flirtatious, piquing his curiosity. He saw her nodding, making her ponytail bob at her nape, and she reached inside the car to take something; it looked like a folded slip of paper. She opened it, peered down and smiled again. He read Betty’s lips briefly, making out Sure. I’ll call you. Tonight.
None of Betty’s girlfriends drove a Jeep.
Archie kept walking toward Jug, but his attention was riveted on his girlfriend – he refused to admit she was an ex-girlfriend, yet – and whoever was entertaining her at the moment. She leaned away from the window and waved, and sure enough, Archie heard a deep voice calling her name before the car pulled out of the space. Adam Chisholm guided his car toward the exit, nodding briefly at Archie on his way out. Archie gave him a limp, polite wave, but he watched him pull away in a red haze.
What was she doing talking to him?
“Yo, Arch!” Jug finally noticed him and waved him down impatiently. “What’s goin’ on? What’re you doing, just hanging out? School’s out. Let’s bail.”
“Yeah. Figured I’d swing by before you took off. Hey, man, was that Betty talking with Adam?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Jughead shrugged. “She likes him. He really digs her.”
“She likes him? When did this happen?”
“Dunno. Probably right about the time she stopped returning your calls. Just a guess.” Jug tsked. “Don’t obsess over it, bro. Give Bets a break.”
“Give her a break?” Archie’s mouth gaped. “Dude! Not cool! You’re on her side?”
“No. I’m not taking sides. This is all you, man. You and Betty weren’t serious. She can date who she wants. You can date who you want, so what’s the problem?”
“What’s the problem? What does she see in him?” Archie demanded hotly. He knew it wasn’t fair, and there was nothing wrong with Adam, but in the space of three seconds, his subconscious had the affable, decent-looking junior lumped into the same category as Charles Manson.
“Eh. She sees something. He’s always right by her elbow. Wanna hit Pop’s?”
“I guess. I dunno. Maybe not.” Archie was fuming, unsure of whether he would make good company.
“You’ve gotta come, Arch. Don’t leave me hanging.”
“Ah… fine.” Archie had caught the school bus, and Jughead would save him the crowded, noisy ride home. His jalopy was in the shop, and his dad wasn’t happy with the quote the mechanic gave him to fix the transmission.
“You’re buying,” Jughead announced cheerfully as Archie buckled his seatbelt.
*
The next day, Ethel spent the day mired in frustration and confusion. She wanted to talk to Jughead, and somehow smooth things over and take back her previous attempt to give him her number. Somehow the idea hadn’t lacked as much finesse when it came to her before… Ethel still burned with humiliation. What was she doing wrong? Why didn’t Jughead like her?
What Archie said rankled. If she liked Jughead, how would “giving him space” help? How would that make him more interested in her? It made no sense; Ethel couldn’t wrap her head around it. Her mother had lectured her a long time ago that it was important to let a boy feel like he was the one doing the chasing, but that never seemed very effective to Ethel.
This time, though, that advice came from a boy. That put a different spin on things. Maybe Archie had a point. Maybe she needed to think less how she usually thought, and think more like a guy.
That still presented a problem. Archie was Jughead’s best friend. She couldn’t just pump him for information, could she? That would be in bad form.
*
“Wait… what?”
“You can help me, can’t you?” Ethel blurted again.
“Help you do what again?” Archie’s sandy red brows drew together.
“Help me to not pour it on as thick with Juggie.”
“That’s not something you should need help with, per se,” Archie told her gently. Ethel looked like a kicked puppy again, and Archie mentally sighed. Here we go, again…
“I do! I swear. Arch, it’s hard for me. I like him. I’ve ALWAYS liked him. Whenever I try to get him to notice me, it never goes like I want it to.”
“What are you doing to get him to notice you?” Besides stalking him, he wanted to add.
“I don’t know. I guess… little things. I try to keep things he might need in my purse. Mints. Extra pencils. Gum. Loose change.”
“Wow…” Archie felt an unexpected wave of sympathy wash over him at that statement.
“I wear his favorite colors. I have a lot of his favorite songs on my iPod. I go to all of your shows, but you know that,” she pointed out.
“Right in the front row,” Archie acknowledged. And she was. Ethel was actually a great fan, always supporting them whenever the Archies had a show. “Why do you keep his music on your iPod?”
“I don’t know. Just on the off chance he might want to listen to it. I know it sounds dumb,” she hedged.
“No. Not dumb, just… different. I wouldn’t have thought to do that if I liked a girl.”
“That’s because they all like YOU.” Archie flushed for a moment but grinned.
“Nah…”
“Um. Yeah. They do,” she argued.
“What else have you been doing?”
“I help him with little things if he lets me. I returned his library books, once. I brought him his homework when he was sick back when we were kids. And I bake him things. That helps.”
Archie wanted to tell her, No. That just makes him take even bigger advantage of you. That’s desperate. But he didn’t want to hurt her feelings.
“Maybe it isn’t helping if he still isn’t biting,” Archie told her gently. He hung out at the bus stop, waiting for number five. His car wasn’t out of the shop until Saturday, and Jughead had detention for sneaking a sandwich into history class. Ethel had caught up to him and was keeping him company, and in his mind, pressing him for intel.
Ethel looked… well, she looked like Ethel. Her hair was back in the two little pigtails, and she had on another little character tee, this time Elmo from Sesame Street, made from snug red cotton/Lycra knit. Her accessories stood out again; she had on a “Live, Love, Laugh” pendant and several little bangles laddered up her wrist. The belt that she wore with her black skinny jeans had a giant silver daisy-shaped buckle. Her red Converse low-tops matched the shirt; that impressed him.
The only thing that was killing him was the makeup. It wasn’t so much that Ethel didn’t need it, but just… not that much of it. She had decent skin, even though it was fair to the point of being “pale.”
“Do you always wear so much eye makeup? Do you think you really need it?” Ethel huffed in frustration and laughed.
“I need all the help I can get!”
“No. Not really. You don’t need that much eye shadow.”
“I like a little color,” she reasoned, but she looked surprised. “Um… do you think Juggie would like me better without it?”
“I don’t know. It’s not like I bring that kind of thing up with him in everyday conversation. ‘Hey, man, that Knicks game was awesome, but let’s go to the Merle Norman store and learn how to do a smoky eye.’” Ethel giggled and punched his arm.
“But do you really think he might like me better that way?”
“I have no clue. But give it a try.” Frankly, Archie wanted to tell her that he didn’t think Jughead noticed things like makeup in the first place, but if she wanted to make the effort – by making LESS of an effort – he wouldn’t stand in her way.
“I might.” The bus pulled up, and Archie moved in line, but Ethel stopped him. “Hey. Do you want a ride home?”
“Did you drive?”
“Well, duh. I could have given you a ride home yesterday, if you’d asked.” Instead, he’d caught her stalking. The memory gave her a rash of prickles; she was still embarrassed. “Come with me.”
“You don’t have to go to the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble,” she said, brightening. “I’m not in a hurry to be anywhere!”
“Don’t worry about it-“
“Oh, don’t be silly! C’mon! Let’s go!” She looped her arm through his and tugged him toward the parking lot. Archie was surprised and amused.
“Uh, okay…”
“My car’s right over here. It’s not too much of a mess.”
“I’m sure it’s fine.” Ethel unlocked his side first; Archie climbed inside and automatically unlocked hers, and then took inventory of the interior.
Wow.
Everything was Hello Kitty. The dashboard cover, seat covers, steering wheel cover, a small pendant hanging from the rearview mirror, the floor mats, even the air freshener sitting just over the air vent. “Whoa,” he muttered.
“It’s not too messy, is it?”
“Nope. Uh-uh.” Archie felt like he was standing in the middle of his little three-year-old niece’s bedroom. Everything was frighteningly pink.
“You live on Elm Street, right?”
“Yeah. Not too far from Ju-“ He stopped himself.
“I know. You’re right down the road from him.” Archie wanted to kick himself. Of course she knew where Jughead lived… sheesh. At least he didn’t have to try to keep it a big secret.
“Just let me know where to turn when I get there.”
“Sure.”
“Do you need to stop anywhere?”
“Nope.” Veronica went to the mall and didn’t want him to meet her there, which was fine, since he was broke. Archie spent the last of his allowance at Pop’s the day before, on Jughead, no less. “Home’s fine.”
“Do you have a lot of homework?” She eyed the math book in his lap.
“Nah. I did most of it in study hall.”
“Lucky. I have trig, history, and French tonight.”
“Yuck.” Archie was glad he took Spanish instead, and second year algebra was kicking his butt. Ethel was in the honor society with Dilton, Reggie and Betty and her grades were in the top tenth percentile of their class. She might have been clueless about guys, but she was an excellent student.
“I actually like French. And I have the choice of taking calculus and getting it out of the way before college, or just taking senior math review next year for the SAT’s.”
“That must be nice.” Archie was jealous. He hated math, and math hated him.
“I’m taking winter track next month. I didn’t have time for cross country this season.” Archie didn’t want to say anything. Ethel was also one of the fastest girls in school, something that kids had teased her mercilessly about whenever she chased Jug on the playground in middle school.
Ethel was a careful driver, using her signals and never trying to run through the stoplights. “You can turn on the radio if you want,” she offered.
“You don’t have a CD player?”
“Can’t afford it. It’s no big deal. I don’t spend a lot of time in my car. It just gets me where I need to go.” Archie chuckled.
“My car’s a junker, but I practically live in it. And it LOOKS like I live in it. I can’t wait til I get it back. You should get a stereo.”
“It’s on my wish list.” Archie fiddled with the tuning knobs until he found a station that wasn’t too staticky. He turned up the volume slightly on a Blink-182 song and drummed his fingers in his knee.
“You didn’t have to give me a ride, Ethel. Thanks.”
“I wanted to. And you’re welcome.” Ethel mulled her next words carefully. “Arch? You said I need to stop trying so hard… what’s the best way to do that?”
“Whoa. Um…how can I put this? Don’t keep throwing yourself out there. You know how you always want to help him out by being right there, pretty much over his shoulder or at his elbow?”
“Am I?” Ethel was aghast. She never truly realized it.
“Make him look for you. And Ethel?”
“Yeah?”
“Just… don’t take it personally if it doesn’t work out. Jug’s just Jug. He’s not gonna change any time soon.”
“I don’t want him to change… I just want him to like me.” Ethel’s eyes burned and she sniffled, and Archie realized he’d pricked a sore spot.
“Bee…”
“Don’t call me that, please.” He’d forgotten again. Archie bit his tongue.
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“My house is the green one on the right,” he pointed out, but Archie felt awful. He might as well have said “You’re doing it all wrong. He’ll never like you. Oh goodie, here’s my stop.”
“Okay.” She pulled up front, mindfully not blocking his father’s car in. Ethel dried her eyes and had a hard time meeting his.
“Ethel… I’m sorry if I sounded like a jerk. I just… I don’t want you to get your feelings hurt again.”
“I know. It’s just stupid. I don’t know. I like him, Archie. I’ve always liked him. I don’t know how to stop liking Jughead.”
Maybe you should learn. Archie left the words unspoken. “Thanks again for the ride. That was nice. You’re a real help.”
“You’re welcome. I wish Juggie thought so.”
“Maybe he should,” he agreed for her sake. Archie reached over, briefly, and squeezed her hand where it sat on the wheel. Ethel’s cheeks turned pink at his touch, and she cleared her throat, managing a little smile.
Her hand was cool and soft. Archie pulled away quickly and worked his way out of the car, closing the door briskly. “Later!”
“Bye,” she told him, waving awkwardly as she pulled out of the driveway. He waved after her, not walking into his house until she was down the street.
Okay. That was weird.
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