Under pressure

29: Broken

*Monday, 6 days after Alice's death*

Betty's POV 

I hear two slight knocks on my bedroom door.

"I'm changing clothes!"

"Betty, you're not going to school," Chic says.

"I am," I say.

"Are you naked or something?" he asks.

"Not anymore," I say, pulling my sneakers on.

He comes into my room and sits on my bed, looking how I get ready for the day. "Betts, why do you wanna go?" he asks.

"It's unfair that I can't go, if you all are going," I say, walking past the bed.

He puts his hands on my waist and pulls me to sit on the bed, next to him. I sigh and look at him.

He raises his eyebrows, "Betty, I hear how many times you wake up at night. You're not okay and you shouldn't go to school. It's not the first time you've had a panic attack," he says.

I sigh, "I'm fine. And I'm going. Come on," I say and stand up, throw my bag over my shoulder and look at him. "Out of my room."

He chuckles at that, but comes out with me and we both go downstairs into the dining room.

They all look at me. "No, don't even think about it," Jug says as I'm about to sit on a chair next to him, but he pulld me onto his lap.

I sigh and look at him. "What are you doing?" he asks.

"Going to school to do all the tests I've missed," I say.

"English and math?" he asks. I nod.

He tilts his head with raisen eyebrows, "No," he says.

"I'm falling behind," I mumble.

He smirks, "Yeah, I don't believe that, so go back to bed," he says.

I stand up and sit on the chair next to him. He sighs and hides his face into his hand.

"Dad," he says.

I look dierctly into FP's eyes. He sighs and looks at Jug.

"What classes you have?" Jug asks me. I tell him all of them.

"I'm in 2 of them," he tells his dad.

"You're not going to school," FP tells me.

I angrily get up, leave my bag here, but go into the hallway and take my skateboard.

"Betty-" Jordan says, but gets cut off my me slaming the door shut. Jug for sure knows where I'm going.

I'm usually wearing board shorts and a bikini and a tank top, like today, so it's not like I couldn't go to the water either.

I skate really fast. With 3 minutes, I'm in the beach. I see that here are some of my stalkers (reporters and cameramen), but without the cameras and stuff.

I gulp and walk about to my usual place on the sand. I pull my shirt off and sit down on my skateboard. I have a small scrunchie, so I start braiding my hair.

Once that is done, I get up and walk to the water. My toes touch the hot water and I start to smile. I go to the hut, unlock it, and take my surfboard.

I slowly walk on the beach, towards the water. I know, that the people have noticed me, but I really don't cate.

I walk into the warm water and soon, get on my board and paddle towards the wide ocean. If I could, I would just paddle away. From here, from all the bad things... But then, I wouldn't have Juggie, or my brothers and sisters, or FP, who's like a dad to me, or the Serpents, or my friends. I wouldn't have my life.