A Bughead story

Chapter 10

I got home and my mom was waiting for me in the living room. "Elizabeth Cooper! Where the have you been?! It sure as hell wasn't school!" She yelled as soon as I stepped in the door. I shuttered. A sudden wave of emotion rushed over me. "I saw Jughead. I went to the station and talked to the cops. Then I ate at pops" I said in a low and fast voice to avoid crying further. She noticed my tears. "Aww hunny, why are you crying? You needed to go to school today" she sympathized for a second until she was scoffing in disappointment. I didn't say anything and she was mumbling to herself about how my focus should be school and how I'm not allowed to ride the motorcycle anymore. I sniffled angered tears. "How- how can you sit here and pretend that everything is normal? It isn't! The one person who actually loved me, who actually cared about me was Jughead. That was the first time I've seen him over a week Mom! I didn't even know if he was okay! So forgive me if I missed one day of fucking school to go see my boyfriend who I might not ever get to see again! I am tired, I am so sick of you treating me like I am a child! I can't-!" I finally burst. She looked at me like I'd grown antlers. She looked behind me as if she were talking to someone. I turned around to see what she was staring at. "No fucking way! What the hell is he doing here? Your supposed to be at the grocery store!" I yelled at him. I looked back at my mom and noticed her messy hair. Her lips were swollen and so were his. I looked between the both of them and neither one of them said anything. I put the pieces together. "Are you kidding me?" I blubbered. I could in my imagine how disappointed I looked. "Honey! I'm so sorry we can talk about this!" She yelled as I walked away from them. I stoped and turned around. "No, your daughter is at home waiting for you to get home from the grocery store, your just sitting her getting knocked up. You screwed things up with Jughead, you'd think the second time around you wouldn't be doing the same shit." I cried out coldly. They just looked at each other. I was so angry not just from their reactions to my words but how they weren't ashamed or anything. "My god Fp, you act so high and mighty. You were an alcoholic who drove his wife away then beat your son for it-!" I noticed Fp was coming closer toward me but I didn't think anything of it until I felt a large hand wrap around my throat. I choked out. "Fp! Stop!" My mom screamed and pleaded. He ignored her. "You listen up, you can walk all over me but not until you bring my dead wife into it." He spoke and released his grip. I took advantage of the air. "Except for, she's not dead and you know it." I scoffed in a low voice. My mother gasped and Fp's sharp stare could cut into me. I didn't give him an opportunity to speak. "You were a drunk and lousy father, you abused your son. That's the truth.  Now, your a father who drove his son away, you stole my house keys, you choked Jughead and kneed him in his gut! Your obviously still drinking, you slept with the mother of your sons girlfriend. You even got a second chance with your daughter but just keep doing the same shit. You sure are one hell of a father the list just keeps going on and on!" Fp let Betty finish her rant. She was caught off guard when she was catching her breath from yelling and the furious tears rolled down her cheeks. Fp took both of his hands and held them around Bettys neck. Tight enough to cut off her air supply. I croaked. "FP! Let her go right the hell now or I swear to god I'll call the police!" My mom commanded. "Shut the fuck up Alice, all you do is run that damn mouth!" He yelled tightening his grip. "Alice leave the room Betty and I have to talk. Alice! Out!" He commanded. She fled. I stared into his eyes. "Do it. Please kill me. That's all I've dreamt of since what you did to jughead" I was able to say. "It's not your concern about my life and kids. You don't know anything about what your talking about. Your a sick twisted bitch, telling me that Gladys isn't dead? Reprimanding me about my parenting when your father was a serial killer? Nah I think your just trying to justify your childhood." He says mockingly and strongly. He held his grip on my throat but let go after a moment he tried to walk away but before he could I slapped him. "Keep my father's name out of your filthy scum bag mouth" I remarked. He started to walk away. "They should really put you on suicide watch" he commented. I flipped him off and with that he left with a slam of the front door. My Mom came rushing out to check on me.
"Betty, I am so sorry. I've made a huge mistake, are you alright?" My mom asked me. I didn't really know what she said all I did was nod. "I'm going to bed." I slur and run upstairs. "It's only 4:00 PM?" She questioned as I ran into my room. I knew I suffered a great loss today. But I also knew I would sure as hell be getting Jughead out of jail and his dad in jail. I've been so alone and lonely. I shut the door and slide down the side of it sobbing. I cried for hours until I stopped. I waited until I knew my mom would be asleep then I crept the stairs opening the liquor cabinet with a Bobby pin. I grabbed a whole bottle of tequila, I knew I wasn't any better than FP but I just need something to ease the pain even if just for a little while. I shut the liquor cabinet making sure to shut it all the way. I went to the basement to drink it. I knew there was a chance of my mom finding me if I stayed in my room. I didn't both to grab a glass for the tequila. I sat on the couch in the basement and opened the bottle. I took a swing at it and it was pretty strong. I could swear I felt it burn my throat. But it was a good type of burn. At first it tasted like spices and smoked oak but then it started to taste fruity and delicious. I quickly decided I liked it and took another swing at it. I looked at photos of Jughead and I on my phone. I felt so much better after my 6th swing and ten minutes later. I didn't care I had school the next morning. Perhaps I could steal a flask and take drinks between every class. I knew jughead or, Francisco anyone would approve of me drinking but who the hell cares. Once I started I couldn't stop. I don't remember when it happened but I passed out. I woke up and it was daylight out. I remembered the events of last nights drinking when a killer headache pops in. I reach over to my phone and the sherif had called me half a dozen times. I immediatley call her back. While I wait for her to pick up I realized it's 12:00 in the afternoon. She picked up the phone. "How quickly can you get to the station?" She asked in a low voice I've never heard her use before. "I'm on my way" I tell her. She hangs up and I rush upstairs to spray perfume on myself and brush my teeth to get rid of the horrid smell. I arrive at the station I was led into a room with no windows. There were rows of chairs. I realized my mom, the sherif, Fp, jellybean and a judge were sitting in the room. It looked like a court but his court day isn't for another month. Jughead looks so relived once he sees me. "What the hell is this?" I ask, I'm not sure if I'm asking the sherif or my mom. "You were missing. Nobody knew where you were." The sherif says. "What? I just slept in the basement last night" I explained to them. "No, you've been gone for days." Fp claims. "You've been spiraling Betty" my mom says. "You need help, let me help you" the sherif offers. "You call me an alcoholic" fp scoffs. "Did you help jughead kill my mom when you were drunk?" Jellybean cries. "I thought you were better then them Betty, your lucky your even here right now. We'd all thought you've been dead." Jughead whimpered. All the voices slurred together and I woke up. It was all a horrible nightmare. I'm safe and sound in my basement with my tequila. I have a deadly headache and my heart hurts even more. I told myself I'd go to school today but I knew I shouldn't. I should go down to the sheriffs office and help them with jugheads case. My phone buzzed and it was a text message from Veronica. It said she was outside and that I have to let her in. I grumbled and groaned when I was walking to let her in. She stepped inside. "Holy shit! Betty what- who the hell did that to you?!" Veronica gasped looking at my neck. "Nothing" I shook my head. "Betty, you reek like alcohol and you have a handprint mark on your neck. Tell me what happened." Veronica said soothingly. "I've lost myself." I cried and dropped the pain pills in my hand. "Oh Betty" Veronica comforted me. "Jughead needs to get out, because I'm not certain how much longer I can go on without him." I sob. "It's just been so painful" I whisper. She plays with my hair. "I promise things can and will get better. But I can also promise that drinking, it's not gonna make all your problems vanish." She is crying now, I can tell because of the change of volume in her voice. I nod. "You don't know the horrible things they are saying about Jug in the papers." I say in a more even tone. Veronica picks my pills back up for me and grabs a water for me. "Thanks" I chuckle. "Just think about the moment he's released, think about how happy and emotional it will be, not to mention romantic. He'd wrap you in his arms and kiss you." She was trying to describe it for me so I would get all cheerful. I like the idea of how it would be for him getting out. It makes me smile. Veronica is my best friend just for this very reason. She makes me smile in my darkest times. And I think we all need someone to pull us out before we get so deep that we fall. "Your right, he would. He'd tell me how much he loves me and how he missed me." I agreed with Veronica. "Wait! Why the hell aren't we at school?" I realized. She sighed and it looked like she was debating something in her head. "It was out of respect for Jughead, they were gonna do it on the day when his trial starts but they weren't able to do it then. So they did it today." She faked a funny smile. "I'm not upset about it" I claimed but I knew it bothered me. I actually have no idea why it does bother me it's out of respect for Jughead so I should be happy but I'm not. "Thanks for coming out here today, why did you come over in the first place?" I asked. I rest my head in my hand. We were sitting in the living room. "You didn't show up to school yesterday and I haven't heard from you. I was just worried about you. I can't even begin to imagine what your going through and the mark on your throat is really concerned me. How have you coped?" Veronica said. She took a sip of water. "I've- been trying to solve the case of Gladys Jones. I'm so close to proving Jugheads innocent but I don't think anybody believes me. The whole town is turned against him. They write shit in the papers and non of its true. I just- wish I was in there instead of him." I confessed. "I don't think I can go on any longer without him. The whole things practically my fault. If I stopped him from leaving..." tears rolled down my cheeks.
"Betty it's not your fault. Jughead just need to get away for a while. I think you should go visit him like... now." She suggested. "I can't, I just saw him yesterday." I remarked. Veronica handed me a tissue. I used it to wipe the tears away. "So? Talk to the sherif or I can if you don't feel up to it." She offered. "No it's okay. I'll go down and ask if I can see him" I told her.
"Betty they are gonna ask about your neck." Veronica said in a low, ashamed voice. "And I won't tell them who did it. They can't make me." Veronica looked exhausted when I said that. "I'll only tell Jughead" I added and she looked... pleased?