"Don't panic, don't panic," I try to tell myself as I approach the steps to Riverdale High. I made the decision (after coming to the conclusion that I am indeed wasting away) to apologize for running out of Pop's yesterday without saying goodbye and without an explanation.
It's hard not to be nervous. I'm hiding my insecurities with too many shirts, paint-splattered overalls, and a ponytail that took me fifteen minutes to double check that it covered my bald spots, yet despite all of it, I'm still shaking and shivering. Maybe it's because my organs are finally deleting themselves and shutting down, but I think that would hurt more.
Betty and Veronica are standing at Veronica's locker, talking presumably about the latter's date last night. Slowly, I walk up to them and swallow, scratching the inside of my forearm. I can do this. It's just apologizing, something normal people exist.
"Hey guys," I greet. "Whatcha talking about?"
Betty looks surprised, nay, shocked when I open my mouth and talk to them. Veronica, however, gives me a smile.
"Just my date," She replies. "He was pretty nice. We had Pop's, and I thought I would've been tired of it at this point, but I'm not."
She takes out her phone and opens instagram, and I decide to it's time to make my apology.
"So, um, I'm sorry for running out of Pop's yesterday. It's just that I forgot that I needed to be home at a certain time and I lost track. My grandma still believes that Ted Bundy is alive, so if I'm not home on time..." I trail off and smile through my lies, as if I'm laughing at how funny my grandmother's antics are.
Betty gives me a thin, stretched smile. "Oh, it's fine. I get it. My mom can be.. strict sometimes."
Veronica doesn't reply, frowning at her phone. "Betty," She asks, holding out her cell phone. "What's a sticky maple?"
Betty's eyes widen at the sight of the picture, and I want to ask what it is, but at the same time, I don't want to pry. I have no idea what that is, and I'm not sure I want to know.
"Um, it's kind of a Riverdale thing," Kevin explained.
"No, Kevin. It's a slut shaming thing and I'm neither a slut nor am I going to be shamed by some idiot named Chuck Clayton! If he has the audacity to spread lies even try to make it look like and I performed some sexual act on him, I'm going to do something about it. Does he think he can get away with this? Doesn't he know who I am? Because I will stop this."
"I can report it to the Weatherbee." Kevin suggests.
"And I can expose him in the Blue and Gold!" Betty jumps in.
"Spoken like a true good girl, but I don't follow the rules. I make them. And when necessary, I break them!" She snaps, moving down the hall as fast as her legs can allow, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor.
"Wow," I say to no one after the three of them turn the corner. Oh, well. Better that they don't interrogate my lies any further. There's something about the way that Betty looks at me- it makes me feel like she doesn't believe a word that's coming out of my mouth ever.
One thing about weighing next to nothing: you get winded doing next to nothing. Walking down the hall to biology makes my chest hurt and my legs scream. I want to sit down, and the chairs at school are regular plastic chairs, so my sitting bones will be screaming too.
No one else is in the classroom yet aside from Jughead, and I practically collapse into the chair next to him. He always picks a seat at the front of the classroom, which I'm very thankful for.
"Chuck Clayton is saying that he gave Veronica a sticky maple." Are the first words that come out of my mouth.
"Huh," Is all he replies with. "The same thing happened to Ethel Muggs last year."
YOU ARE READING
We are the Young|| jughead jones
Fanfic"Look, stupid is knowing and seeing the truth, but still believing the lies. So get off of your high horse, you're not the only sane one around here." Maybe it's not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it's about starting over and cr...
