Desperado

Chapter Four

Touch of Evil

"So what did Moose want?" Roni asks Kevin.

"Oh, my God, I don't even think he knows. I mean, I am devastatingly handsome in that classic, pre-accident Montgomery Clift kind of way, and sexuality is fluid, but can someone named Moose actually be that fluid?" We all laugh at that.

"Well, I ship it." Roni states.

"Well, of course, you would. You're a big city girl with loose morals."

"The hell Kevin?" I question him.

"I just meant that Moose has an official girlfriend, Midge. Anyways, it's terrible to say, but part of me wishes he would stay in the darn closet." I glare at him and he tenses slightly. "Obviously I didn't mean literal closet."

"Archie!" I said plopping down next to him. "Any new material you wanna give to the very forgiving audience in front of us?"

"I-"

"Please... will you?" Roni asks glancing toward Betty and Kevin.

"I'd love to hear it," Betty says.

"I'm still working on the lyrics, so... okay."

I hear him start strumming the guitar which lets me know he's already tuned it.

"Come on, turn the radio on

And, honey we'll dance, dance, dance

For the rest of the night

I'm not ready to go"

As the song ends I notice Betty seeming to want to cry. Like I said different people, different views, and different emotions. "Betty. You okay?"

Betty looks up and chuckles. I can tell she wants to cry which makes me sad for her. At least for the moment. "I'm supposed to say, "Yes." That's what the nice girl always says, but..." Betty stands quickly before resuming her speech. "No, I'm not. I want to be. I thought I could be. But it's too much, too fast. Archie..."

"Betty. Betty wait."

I watch them talk before Betty walks away and Archie goes to principal Weatherbee. "I'll be back," I tell them and get up going after Betty.

Hell someone has to talk to her. And clearly, Kevin and Roni won't go after her. "Betty. Hey, Betty! Wait!"

She and I sit down in the school lounge as she spills her feelings out to me. "I know you probably think I'm some emotional teen but I loved Archie. And then you two came to town and I thought... I thought he liked me back but he likes your sister."

"I'm sorry Betty. I do see you as an emotional teen but that's only because of how I was raised. I know how you feel too. I have a thing for someone but it's complicated and it's also complicated because it was supposed to be business only. It didn't turn out that way."

"So how do you get over it?"

"You find someone new. I'm not over him and we both know the risk. If my father knew even it would get worst."

"How?"

"Let's just say business with my father and me is only supposed to be business. The entire issue is that he's with someone else."

"So he's cheating?"

"Like I said it's complicated. Now chin up because a Lodge and a Cooper don't let boys get to us. You'll find someone else I'm sure of it. And that little crush for Archie will go away."