Sweet Creature ↠ Betty Cooper

three

CHAPTER THREE
" TO LOVE A GIRL "

Nate Collins tossed his phone aside, the screen going blank. It had been weeks since he had seen Betty Cooper's face, missing her more than he thought was humanly possible. He knew the opportunity to intern in Los Angeles was something she could not turn down, but he was tired of missing her. He had tried keeping himself busy with helping his mother at her bakery, but in between kneading dough and selling decorative cakes, he had found himself thinking about Betty Cooper and her bright smile. It seemed the pretty girl was something he couldn't shake, even if he wanted to. 

He had known Betty for roughly two years since his mother had moved the family to the small town of Riverdale, the place she had grown up in. His grandparents had offered the three of them to stay with them after their father had passed away in a car accident. Now, after long months of saving every penny they had and finally getting the life insurance payout, they had a small flat in the industrial neighbourhood where the buildings grew a little taller and the suburban areas seemed like a dream away. Now, it was just himself, his younger brother, Penn and his mother, Gretta Collins. It had been a pretty big change from their life in Alabama but slowly, life had gotten back on track. 

Apart from the little hiccup of falling in love with Betty Cooper. Somebody he knew was off limits. Not only because she was clearly in love with Archie Andrews but because deep down, he knew the two of them were destined. 

"Nate!" A voice snapped him from his mind and he was rolling off his bed and hurrying from his bedroom to spot Penn standing in the front doorway, a muddy dog by his side. Jasper had been a wild idea from his little brother and despite the arguments with his mother, they had ended up buying the Dalmatian, now a very important added family member. "Can you get me a towel?" Penn was saying with a grin, his jeans covered with mud too. 

The older Collins boy found himself smiling. "Mum is going to kill you if Jasper gets mud on the carpet, you know that right?" He hurried down the hallway, grabbing a clean towel from the bathroom before coming back into the living room. A muddy trail of paw prints followed into the kitchen where Jasper was licking at the brownies set upon the countertop. 

"Hey, get outta' that." Nate called out and the dog jumped down quickly. Penn grabbed the towel and was running it through the dog's thin coat as he laughed lightly. His brother looked more like their father with dark curls and bright eyes. Nate sometimes envied him for it because he looked more like his mother, tanner skin with caramel coloured hair. 

Nate pressed back against the countertop, crossing his arms and staring at the two of them, quite a mess of mud and rainwater from the storm currently echoing above the town. The weather had taken a bad turn with the news of Jason Blossom's death spreading through the town like wildfire. Nate didn't really know Jason but had seen him play a few games of water polo last year, rather impressed with his skills. He did know Cheryl Blossom though and felt a strange sadness for the redhead. "I saw Cheryl Blossom before. She was at Pop's, sitting rather lonely." Penn spoke up randomly, staring up at his big brother from the floor. 

"You would be lonely too now." Nate offered quietly. He knew sorrow very well, he knew the pain of grief, his whole family did. It seemed now, the Blossom family had more in common with his own family. He wasn't sure if he liked that either. "I spoke with Betty today." Nate changed the topic of conversation, knowing his kid brother didn't like talking about their dead father.

Penn nodded, giving his dog a friendly pat on the head. "Did you tell her you love her yet?"

"I don't have the courage for that." Nate shook his head naturally. It had been a mistake in telling his little brother that he was in love with Betty Cooper. But the two boys were close, meaning they shared everything with each other. "Plus, she's in love with Archie."

His brother shrugged, "She can't fall in love with you back if she doesn't know." He pointed out quietly, giving him a sad smile in return. 

Nate let his gaze slip across the the kitchen window, watching the rain fall from the cloudy sky. He had thought about telling her, but it never seemed like the right idea. He valued their friendship too much to let it break apart if things didn't play out right. "I'm quite fine with loving her from a far quietly." Nate added in after a long moment. 

Penn shrugged, "If I loved a girl like you love her, I would try and fight for her." 

"I don't need to fight for her," Nate replied sadly. "Because she'll never be mine anyway."

Little did he know, those words were false and in fact, Betty Cooper would one day become the girl who loved him back, all he had to do was wait.