Miss Atomic Bomb (Jughead Jones)

Part 8

"Friday evening two schoolboys from Riverdale Highschool found the body of Jason Blossom. A bullet wound was found on his forehead an-"

"So Marina, do you care to tell me what happened at your therapy session the other day?" My dad asked.

His eyebrows were raised and he stood in front of the TV, blocking news on the Jason Blossom case from my view.

"No."

He sighed and looked at me.

"Mari, I've tried everything to help you. Doctors, tests, and I know you wish I could help you, but I can't. I'm still trying to get over your mother and I can't help you when I can't even help myself. So there is only one thing that I can do at this point."

He walked into the kitchen and came back out with something in his hand. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a brochure. He threw it down on the coffee table in front of me.

"Peer Therapy and Treatment" it said on the front in an annoyingly cute font on the front. A group of two boys and two girls were pictured on the front with their arms around each other. They all looked sickeningly happy, with flawless and smiles plastered on their faces forever.

"I was walking out of a meeting with your therapist and I saw this brochure. It's a program that you go to every Monday for an hour after school."

I gaped at him, "I have homework!"

"You'll have time. It's not like you're involved in anything but wasting your time at Pop's all weekend."

I rolled my eyes in defeat.

"Basically a volunteer girl who goes to your school and is in the same grade as you will talk to you about what you've been feeling and other stuff too."

"So therapy." I said flatly.

"It's more like hanging out with a friend and talking."

"This is the stupidest freaking thing I've ever heard of."

"I already signed you up, so you better be there next Monday or I will take away all of your electronics, including your laptop."

He left the room and I picked up the brochure. Most of it was more cringey photos of teenagers smiling together and it was completely useless, except for the back. There was a list of names of all of the volunteer therapists. There was one girl who my dad had circled in red ink, Camden Small.

I didn't know much about her, other than she was in my grade and she was exceptionally good at soccer. There was nothing too special about her. Her hair was a boring dark umber color and her eyes were a common brown. She had a small smile on her face with faint dimples showing in her cheeks. She was typical. Even the secret I had on her was typical.

"Excuse me, could you hand me that paper I dropped?" Camden asked with extreme politeness.

"Sure."

I reached down to pick up the paper when I saw what was written in bold letters on top of it.

"CERTIFICATE OF ADOPTION"

I quickly picked up an extra review laying in the floor next to it and swapped them.

"I don't think this is the right paper." She said.

"I'll check again."

I slyly slipped the certificate under my books and sat back up.

"Sorry, that was the only thing there."