Resilience | Sweet Pea.

11 - Ciphers and Guns.

I lay in bed the next day, I had convinced Fred to let me stay home after yesterday's emotional trauma. Although my body is trained to get up for school this early in the morning, I refuse to get up.

"Nova? Betty's here to see you." Fred calls.

"What? Uh sure, yeah, send her up." I call back, sitting up in bed.

Betty burst into my room and sits down on the end of my bed.

"What do you need, Cooper?" I smile at her.

"Can't a girl visit her friend before school?" Betty says, I raise an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, fine. I had a free period and thought I'd come ask you something in person, so you couldn't just avoid my texts." Betty asks.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I got jealous of the time Toni and Jug are spending together and he told me he and Toni were trying to break the cipher so I kind of told Jughead that you, me, and Kevin could work on cracking the cipher together with him and Toni tonight at the trailer." Betty rambles.

"So, you want me to come to your cipher cracking/keep an eye on your boyfriend party?" I ask.

"Please?" Betty asks.

"Fine, sure. Whatever." I chuckle, Betty hugs me.

"Thank you! I gotta go but I'll see you later!" Betty says.

"Wait, B. You know Jug would never do anything to hurt you, right?" I ask.

"I know. I just can't help but be a little jealous. It happens." Betty says.

"Okay... I'll see you later." I tell her.

"Bye!" Betty says, quickly leaving, moving on to her next adventure of the day.

"Betty Cooper, you really are something else." I sigh to myself.

A few hours later, it barely reaches lunchtime before I finally get out of bed, only for my phone to ring, and for Sweet pea's dumb photo to pop up on my screen.

"Sup, Skyscraper?" I answer the phone.

"Hey, Nova. You feeling any better?" He asks.

"Yeah. I guess. I sorted things with Archie." I say.

"Good." He says. "Hey, what're you doing today? Fancy skipping school?"

"Nothing, I didn't go to school today, but I do have to go to Jughead's later tonight." I tell him.

"Great! In that case, I was wondering if you wanted to come to the quarry with Fangs, Toni and I for a few hours?" He asks.

"I uh... I would but... I... dunno." I say.

"If you don't want to that's fine I just thought-"

"No, I'd love to... It's just... I kinda can't swim." I say.

"You can't?" He asks.

"If you laugh I will fracture your skull." I snap.

"Hey! I'm not laughing. Why don't I pick you up in half an hour? I'll teach you how to swim... Or at least try to help." He says.

"I dunno Pea..." I sigh.

"At least meet me there? Just for a bit?" He asks.

"Maybe." I sigh.

"Greet! See you soon!" He says excitedly, hanging up the phone.

I sigh, wondering what I'm getting myself into. I get out of bed and raid my dresser, only finding two bathing suits, one being a dark purple one piece I hadn't worn since I moved into the Andrew's house, and a black high waisted bikini Betty had forced me into buying last summer.