The Choice

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

The first time Betty met Jughead she was six years old. She and her family were down town for a walk on a bright Sunday morning. Betty had just pulled Polly's hair and shoved her when her sister had tried to take her lollipop after she had already finished her own. It was completely unfair that their mother punished her and not Polly! So Polly was allowed to go inside the toy store with mommy and daddy stayed outside with her.

In protest, Betty decided she was never going to speak to either of them. Ever. And especially not Polly! Her daddy was talking about how hitting was no way to deal with arguments and she should have just told them what Polly was doing. Betty crossed her arms over her chest and looked away from her daddy, trying not to bite down on her lollipop because she was so mad! She wanted Polly to come out and see she still had her lollipop! She spotted a boy sitting alone outside the bus station. That was weird. He was all by himself. Where was his mommy and daddy? "Daddy, how come he's by himself?"

Her father looked over to where she was pointing across the street. Okay, so she decided to talk to her daddy after all, but she would only do it this once and then never again as long as lived! Maybe the boy was lost. He might fall and crack his head and his brains might spill out like in that movie Betty and Polly had snuck in to watch behind the couch where her mommy and daddy couldn't see them.

"Oh that's FP's boy. They live over in Southside."

Betty didn't know who FP was but she knew really bad people lived in Southside. Mommy called them all dinkwents. The boy didn't seem like a dinkwent though. He seemed really sad. His head was down and he was digging his fists in his eyes like Betty did when she tried to stop crying but the tears kept coming. Seeing him made her heart hurt. She saw someone come over and talk to her daddy and Betty snuck away, being careful to look both ways even though there weren't any cars coming. She stopped in front of the boy. He looked up at her briefly and then scowled and turned away, moving his body so his back was to her.

"Hi. My name is Betty Cooper."

He said nothing.

"You're supposed to tell me your name. Or are you rude cause you're a dinkwent?"

He looked at her over his shoulder. "A what?"

Betty smiled. He didn't know big words like she did. That was cause her mommy and daddy worked for the newspaper and knew lots of big words. "A dinkwent. It means you're naughty cause you live in Southside."

He scowled at her again. "It's delinquent."

Betty blinked. Was he crying because he was deaf? "That's what I said."

He huffed and turned away from her again and she pursed her lips. She already got in trouble for hitting Polly. She'd probably get in more trouble if she pushed this rude boy. She smiled. Daddy always said it was nicer to kill them with kindness. "I like your hat." It was cool. It looked like a crown on his head.

His hand went to his head. "My mom gave it to me." He closed his eyes and sniffled like he was gonna cry again.

She put her hand on his shoulder. "Is she dead?"

"Betty!" Her daddy called out from across the street.

"It's okay, daddy! I'm being nice cause his mommy is dead!" The man her daddy was talking to got his attention again.

"My mom didn't die. She's gone on a trip with my sister, Jellybean."

"Your sister is named after candy? That's awesome! My sister's name is Polly. She's stupid."