Loner and a Writer |Jughead Jones|

The Sisters |chapter 22|

I pulled out my camera and started to look through one of the pictures. I could really make out what it was saying to give it to Betty for a look. "The Sisters of Quiet Mercy," she concluded. "What is that? Like a church? Or a charity?" I asked Jughead, who was pulling up the mysterious location. "No it's a..." Jughead started scrolling through the home page of the website. "Homs for troubled youth. Where disenfranchised teens will learn such virtues as discipline and respect, enjoying lives of quiet reflection and servlets."

I put my hand on Betty's shoulder for reacherance. "Poor Polly," Betty mutterd. "So what are we going to do?" I asked, looking at Betty. "We could go visit Polly," Jughead suggested. "Yes we can get answers," I added. Betty seemed in a statute of panic but then snapped out of it. "Yeah that's a good idea. We can go after school. I don't have the same off period as you guys do," she said.

We got through our classes like piece of cake. Still considering all three of us were still kind of freaked out. Between classes, if we didn't have them together, Jughead and I would check up in eachother. It always went as follows. 'How was class?' 'Are you okay?' 'How are you feeling?' 'What's your next class?' Sadly five minutes doesn't give you a lot of deep conversation time. When it was lunch time Betty, Jughead, and I went to a lunch table with Archie and a girl named Valerie.

"It's been months. There's gotta be a reason my mom and dad don't want me to see polly. But I don't care anymore," Betty said, as we sat down. "What are you guys talking about? Anything I can help with?" Archie asked. "What we're attempting is a stealth operation Andrews," I said."if we gl in there with the entire Scooby gang, forget it. We're compromised," Jughead explained.

"Why don't you have to practice for the varsity show anyways?" Betty asked. "No I don't," he said. Everything started to muffle together. I looked over at Jughead who was facing the group with a big smile. When he looked at me the smile faded like he wasn't happy to see me? I could feel someone holding my hand and hold my upper arm. Through the break of the silents I could hear a voice. "Hey Evans are you alright?" The voice asked. I looked at Jughead whose lips were moving but were slower than the words spoken.

I tried to speak. I tried to respond but nothing was coming out of my mouth. It was like it was all stuck in my throat. My hands started to shake and I didn't know how to control it. He started to hold both of my hands and looked at me straight in the eyes. He started or make his breathing really defined. Like how to show me how to breath. For a second I thought he was stupid because everyone knew how to breath. But I realized I was holding my breath, I didn't think he was that stupid after all.

I started to copy his breaths until my hands stopped shaking. I could hear the outside world almost perfectly again. Somehow, we did this under the detection of anyone noticing. Not even detective Nancy Drew. He continued to hold my hands like if he let go, I would start to spiral. When lunch was over, Jughead and I deside d to skip school for the rest of the day and pick up Betty later. When we did pick her up, we headed to the bus stop to be dropped off at the Sisters.

When we reached the place, it looked cold and demonic. A place I would never want to be at. "Hey. Don't judge a home for troubled youth by its facade right?" Jughead said, trying to lighten the mood. "It'll be okay Cooper," I reassured her. When we walked in Betty went right up to the receptionist desk. "Hi, my name is Elizabeth Cooper. I'm here to see my sister Polly," she said. "May I see some identification?" The lady said Betty handed her the id then gave her a sheet. "Sign here please." As she signed, the lady looked at me and Jughead. "You too would have to wait."

Jughead and I sat down on the chairs as the lady showed her deeper into the building. When they were out of sight, Jughead broke the silence. "Evans, what happened at lunch?" "Wow getting right to the point," I said. "We didn't talk about all the time we were skipping school and walking by the water. Why now?" "Because then you needed your space. Now you need to work through it. That's how it works," he said. I rolled my eyes and sighed. "What happened at lunch?" He repeated. "To he honest Jones. I don't know," I said.

"It's been happening all my life and no one has ever cared to help. I wait it out and just let it pass. I don't know how to handle my own shit," I admitted. "Evans you don't have to go through it alone. No one has asked you to. I know you're going through shit. I am too. But you can always come to me," he said, taking my hand. I gave him a small smile. "What are you smiling at?" "Just this little thing we have going on," I said, gesturing to our hands. He pulled me close and I rested my head on his shoulder.

About an hour later, Betty's mom walked in and yelled at us to get up. We quickly started walking down a hallway with Betty and her mom to get out of the place. When we made our way to the connecting hallway I saw a girl and a uniform. The way the girl looked at her was like she knew her. Right there and then I knew that must have been Polly. "Mom," she said. "Polly," Mrs. Cooper said. She started to come near her mother.

"Jason's dead? And you didn't even tell me? And you kept me in here?" She yelled. Obviously having mixed feelings about the new information she was given. "Baby it's for your own good," she said. "Ugh! You always say that. And it's not true! Betty!" She yelled more. Betty went over to hug her. A man in a white uniform dragged her away as she yelled for Betty.

Mrs. Cooper took Jughead and to my house. The whole way she yelled at us for being inconsiderate and stupid. But I was too tired to listen.