The Choice

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

*warning for references to sexual violence*

Nineteen Years Ago

Her first sensation as consciousness returned was pain. Everything hurt. Betty burrowed further into the blanket that covered her and groaned as her muscles protested. There was also that throbbing, stinging feeling there. She moaned and tried to move and then felt the world spin as she fell off the bed and landed onto the floor. Betty opened her eyes and confusion and panic filled her in the same instant. She hadn't been on a bed, but on a bench. She hadn't fallen on the floor, but on the ground. The small blanket covering her was actually a towel. She didn't recognize it. She trembled as she looked around. Dear God. How did she get here? Panic roared in her ears and she struggled to her feet, gripping the bench and whimpered. She hurt so much between her legs. What the hell had happened to her? It was the not knowing that brought frantic tears to her eyes. Had she finally lost her mind like she'd always feared she would?

"Betty? Is that you? Are you drunk?"

She didn't think. At the male voice, she screamed and struck out, making contact with something before crumpling to the ground again.

"Ow! Damn it!"

She scrambled to get away from the male voice but it hurt to move. She saw sneakers. Blue jeans. Betty didn't have the energy to run and her head was swimming.

"Dear God, what happened to you?"

Wait...she knew that voice...She looked up to see Jughead Jones gripping his nose. He was blinking rapidly, his eyes watering from the impact as he tried to shake it off and focus on her.

"Did someone hurt you? Betty, what happened?" He crouched down in front of her and Betty jerked away from him.

"It's okay," he said, taking a step back. "It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you. It's me, Jughead. We're friends, right? You remember that? Let me call the police and-"

"I don't remember..." Her voice cracked and her lips quivered as tears filled her eyes.

He took a step closer and she wanted to bolt but she forced herself to stay because he was Jughead...her friend.

"You don't remember...what happened to you?"

She shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "I came to a second before you showed up...I don't know what I'm doing here, Jughead!"

Betty closed her eyes and tried to think how she got to the...She opened her eyes briefly. She was in the park in the middle of the night. How the hell did she get here? The last thing she remembered was being in her room...arguing with Polly, her sister.

"Okay, let call the police." He looked down at his phone.

Don't even think of telling the police or you'll regret it.

A rough male voice in her ear. She grabbed Jughead's leg. "No! Don't."

He stared down at her in confusion. "Betty..." He crouched down in front of her. "Someone hurt you...bad, right?" He asked, his cheeks turning pink in the darkness.

Betty was torn between throwing up and passing out again. Yes, someone...Oh God, someone had raped her and left her in the park. She may have never done it before but she knew the pain she was feeling could only have been caused by one thing. "Oh God. Oh God. Oh God..." She covered her face with her hands and began rocking back and forth as the horror of not only being raped but having no memory of the attack nor the attacker.