A Bughead story

Chapter 13

Jugheads POV

(This chapter contains very serious issues and mentions of blood. If that makes you uncomfortable don't read the last part)

What the fuck? What the actual fuck is wrong with me? Where the hell am I going in life? At the hospital I shouldn't have blamed Betty for anything that happened. I'm 16 and I've already fucked my whole life up. I need help. I should have told Betty about my dad sooner. I rode my motorcycle down to the school. It's still during school hours and shit so I should be good. I walked into school and it was 5rd block. Everyone was in class so nobody really saw me. I want to be with Betty so I need to be better for her. I have to change. And the first step of that is going to Mrs. Burble. The counselor. I was going to talk to a school counselor. This has to be an all time low. "Jughead?!" A voice asked from behind me. I turned around. Veronica. Great. "Oh hell no. What are you doing here? Does Betty know your here? Why are you waiting outside of the counselors office?" She drilled me with questions.
"Shhh. No she doesn't." I answered one of her questions. "Jughead, I'm worried about Betty and I think your the only person she'll listen to. She's pissed at me because I told her how I felt about your relationship with her but that's besides the point. She's shutting everyone out of her life, she's also been..." Veronica said in a low and quiet voice. "She's also been what? Veronica?" I questioned. The tone of Veronicas voice is very concerning. "Jughead I know this is a touchy subject for you but... she's turned to alcohol. She's been drinking. It's not good and Alice is terrified." She said and looked down.  Wow, that's just great. Betty never used to drink. Now she does, because of me. "I have to go" I say and turn away. I walked into the counselors room and she gasped. "Jughead?" She put her glasses on and walked up to me. "I think I need help." I said in a low voice. "Well okay, the school days almost over but why don't you come sit down and we can chat." She offers and points to a small sofa for me to sit on. I nodded and sat on the couch and she sat across from me. "Before I say anything I just have a question. Will everything be confidential? Between the two of us?" I asked her because I didn't want to cause drama and I wasn't gonna tell her anything if other people would find out. She chuckled and replied "I don't have to say or do anything unless you want me too. Legally I can't tell anybody anything either. So yes it is all confidential." She says. I assume she gets that question a lot. I was relieved because I know I need help and I can't pay for a therapist I don't have money. But a school counselor is free.

"Okay so my parents didn't have the best relationship. When I was a kid I would hear them arguing, I think he'd hit her. I never saw it but I've heard it. They'd lock me in my bedroom so I didn't come out to see it. In the morning I would come out into the living area and it was destroyed, glass was everywhere, tables flipped over. The countless amount of beer bottles. Once day when I was six I woke up and my mom was gone. She took my baby sister and left. Like she never even said goodbye too me. She left because my dad was a drunk and he couldn't clean up his act. My dad blamed me for my mom leaving him so he took his anger out on me. He'd hit me. It never got to the point where I thought he was going to kill me and it was never that heated but it was aggressive. I felt- like I really felt useless and unwanted. He was abusive and he was a drunk. I kind of learned to take care of myself and learn to deal with him. He was barely around anyways so I tried my best to ignore him. I was thirteen, that's when I finally decided to leave. I knew I'd be better off without him. I couch surfed at a couple of friends houses for a while. I mainly stayed with my buddy, Archie.  Freshman year, I met Betty Cooper who would be my girlfriend for two more years. I stayed at her house and slept on the couch because Alice she wouldn't let me in the same bed as Betty." I chuckled though the pain of these memories. I felt the tears in my eyes but they didn't roll off. They just stayed in place. Mrs. Burble looked concerned and she was writing things down on a paper. "I also slept underneath the stairs of Riverdale high. Betty, I hadn't told her anything about my childhood or my family. She never really asked.  My life was good for the first time in so long. Betty made everything better. Things went on the way they were for two years and all those memories about my childhood they were kind of buried and pushed away. I never really unpacked them. I just pretended it didn't happen. So back to this year." I stopped talking because she put a finger up silencing me. She must have detected I was confused because she put her papers down and looked up at me and said
"great work today, I can tell this is difficult for you and this is truly difficult stuff to be dealing with at your age. But I'd like for you to come back tomorrow and we can continue our discussion. The reason I'd like to split up the conversations is so that you can differentiate them and really think about it. I don't want you to feel overwhelmed. Now tell me Jughead why did you really come see me?" She explains then asked like she wanted me to admit something. "I came here because I'm sick of my dad ruining my life and I want to prove to Betty I've changed. I just want her back in my life. Betty and I grew inseparable and it hurts that I've ruined it. And I'm just sorry that I messed everything up for her. " I said snarky and quickly. I got up to leave but I turned around and thanked her for her help then I walked of her office. As soon as I stepped into the principals office the bell rang that school was over. I was going to ask Mr. Weatherbee about me coming back to school but I guess I could ask him tomorrow when I come back to talk to Mrs.Burble. The rest of the day I just hung around trying to decide what to do with my life now. Where would I live? For tonight I would crash at Archies. And the next night? Who knows where.