Falling Apart

Chapter 12

It's October 11th. The weather has changed to a lot colder, the rainy smell in the dark fog floating over Riverdale. I've gotten so much closer with Veronica and Kevin and –of course– Jughead. Juggie is the sweetest and the most caring guy I've ever met. I'm head over heels for him.
Currently, half of the Junior year is sitting in my math class –it’s huge and half of the seats are empty–, solving problems we've never even learned about. The teacher is an idiot, I can't understand math anyways and she does an unexpected test for things we haven't even learned yet.
I look at the paper in front of me for the last time before giving up. I place the pen on the table in front of me and rest my head into my hand, elbow on the brown wooden table full of sketches and drawings. My head turns to look at Veronica. She's in the exact same potion I am. We both chuckle quietly and look at Kevin who is writing everything he knows on the paper. I can be the best one in English and History and Literature and stuff, but definitely not in Math.
Suddenly I get an idea. Since I'm not gonna write anything anyways and I'm bored as hell, I could just sketch something on it. I've never gotten in trouble for a simple thing like that before. Before I know it, I've grabbed my pen and drawn creepy pictures all over the sheet. Just dead girls, candles, ravens, blood dripping from the higher corner of the test.
The class door opens. As usual, we all look up and I look immediately back at my drawings. Wait, what? My head shots back up. One of the teachers is standing in front of the class with kids wearing leather jackets, including Jughead, Sweet Pea, Toni and Fangs. They're all smirking at the shocked faces looking back at them. I look at Jug. He is grinning at the ground. Why are they here?
We hear the principal talking in the speakers. “Effective immediately. Southside High is shut down. Students will transfer here and to other schools in neighboring districts. If you have any questions, please make an appointment.”
Everyone is gasping and whispering. I see Veronica saying something to Kevin, but I just smirk at Jug's friends, who just noticed me. They don't know we're dating or anything, but for some reason they like me. Whenever I see them at Pop's or somewhere, they always say hi to me. It's nice.
“Hey Baby Coop,” Fangs smirks, saying it over the whole class, so everyone shuts up and turns their heads at me.
“Still hating that name,” I say with a little smile.
“Okay, students, do you all have your schedules?” the teacher asks. They all nod and now I notice the papers in their hands.
“Take a seat. And everyone, finish your tests. You can start returning them now.”
Fangs and Sweets race to get the seat next to me and Fangs wins. Jug sits in front of me as Veronica is sitting on the other side of me and Kev next to Jug. Kev looks behind at me and Ronnie. He slips the paper onto her table and she starts copying it. “Crap,” I mumble.
Jug looks at my sheet and so does Fangs. They both burst out laughing, but I decide to try. I get up, leaving the sheet onto my table and walk to the teacher. She looks up at me with raised eyebrows. “Uh,” I sigh. “I had an accident with my test, could I maybe get a new sheet?”
“What kind of accident?” she asks.
“Ink. My pen broke,” I lie. I hear Fangs and Jug chuckling. And then just a moment later Veronica too. All the eyes are on me.
“Bring me your sheet.”
I gulp and mentally slap myself for even thinking it would work. I slowly make my way back to my table, head lowered. The teacher's eyes widen as she sees my work and then she looks at me madly. “You are not supposed to do that.”
“I know, I was just bored,” I sigh. “But now I remembered how to do the second one, could I maybe please get a new sheet?” I ask.
She shakes her head, still staring at my drawings. “Sit down, Ms. Cooper.”
I sigh and walk back to my seat and sit down. I hide my face into my hands, elbows resting on the table.
“No worries, Baby Coop, the drawing was amazing,” Fangs whispers.
I smile in my hands a little. “Thanks,” I murmur.
“Betty?” I hear Veronica's voice. I look out of my hands and at her. She points at Kevin. I look at him now. He has an empty test somehow. I smile, seeing he got it from Archie who hasn't written anything anyways. They pass it down to me and Ronnie gives Kev's brilliant test with it as well.
I start copying it, making some mistakes on purpose and also keeping an eye on the teacher, who is still staring at my sketches with a horrified face, eyes as wide as her mouth what she has forgotten to close.
“Elizabeth,” she says suddenly and I flinch. My head shots up quickly and I look at her. “Come here for a moment.”
I sigh. I'm in trouble now. They better not get my dad to come to the school. I push myself onto my feet tiredly and basically drag myself in front of the class again, blushing from being caught.
The teacher pushes the test more in front of me and points at the dead girl I've drawn who has spiders crawling out from her black lifeless eyes. “What is this?” she asks. Oh, I wasn't caught?
“Uh… A girl?”
“Is this girl dead?”
“Yeah,” I say quietly. She looks up at me, looking like she'd be considering if I'm crazy or not.
In a few seconds, she just furrows her brows and looks at me sadly. “Are you okay, Ms. Cooper Is there anything you’d like to talk about?” I automatically pull my sweater sleeves more against my scarred arms, feeling like I'd want to puke. Did I just out myself with a drawing?
“No, I'm fine, thanks,” I say quietly.
She sighs. “Well, I'm gonna keep it at the moment. Please be back in here after the last class today, Physical Education, right?”
My eyes go wide. “And… why exactly?”
“I’m supposed to inform your parents.”
“No,” I say a little too loud, making everyone look at me.
“What was that?” the teacher asks in surprise. I'm always quiet and a ‘good girl' or something similar. I never talk back to a teacher.
“Please. Please. Don't call my dad here.”
“I’m sorry, Ms. Cooper, that's a rule.”
“But y-“
“Elizabeth. Sit down. And be here after the classes end.” She says more strictly than before. All my bruises and scars start hurting, doesn't matter if new or old. I can already feel the same way I will tonight after my dad has practically killed me. The rules in our house are simple. Listen to what he says, don't talk back, don't act up, do not get a parent called to school.