Blood of My Blood, Flesh of My Flesh (Bughead)

20. Bad Moon Rising

The song for this chapter is 'Bad Moon Rising'! The original, or the cover by Morning Ritual.

Betty felt sick. She thought she might vomit, as she stood by her parents in her perfectly pastel sweater. Her mother had a firm grip on her arm. From the viewer below, they just saw Alice Cooper's hand comfortingly on her daughter. It was, however, a tinge too hard, pinching just right to keep Betty upright.

God, how Betty wished she could merely vanish.

Even as she thought this, a whiff of sandalwood curled around her and she felt the tingles that Sweet Pea had shown her.

She went rigid. Vanishing in front of the News Station would not be good, no matter how much she wanted to.

"There have been a swirl of rumors today about our daughter, Polly."

Betty's eyes scanned the crowd. Apart from the news crew, she saw a spattering of classmates and other townspeople, a lot who were on her side. Or, the Cooper's 'side' was perhaps overstating it. As far as Betty could tell, it's more they hated the Blossoms, and thus they were on Betty's side by default. Hell, she'd take it.

"And we're standing here to tell you that they're all false. Yes, Polly has been staying with her grandmother, and yes, she was around during the time in which Jason supposedly was killed."

The Blossoms were in the crowd. Of course they were. Cheryl was glaring at Betty, which wasn't surprising. The expression on the adult Blossoms were intriguing, however. Betty expected hate. She expected anguish. She even expected blank looks, on some level.

What she did not expect was the way that they were scrutinizing the whole family, like they were a riddle.

"When she found out about the murder, however, she was beside herself with grief. She had no idea he had passed, not until he was discovered on the banks of the Sweetwater River. She was lost...you see, my daughter, Polly, is pregnant with Jason Blossom's baby."

There it was. The big reveal.

Most of the town started talking amongst themselves.

Cheryl looked absolutely shell-shocked.

But Penelope and Clifford? It was an expression Betty couldn't place, but it was one that did fit into the scenario at all.

"Polly wouldn't hurt a fly," Her mother continued, "Let alone the father of her child. So you see, you all have made a grave assumption, one that is wrong. The killer you are looking for is not my dear Polly."

As her mother finished up the press release, Betty placed it.

Mr. and Mrs. Blossom looked relieved. They looked happy.

That wasn't a good sign.

Betty didn't want to jump into anything, however. As she was herded back into the church's main area, she did concede that maybe she imagined it. Maybe it was smug they had looked?

No, it was definitely happy, she decided. She trusted her memory.

"I need to go to the bathroom," She said, brushing past her parents.

Once locked in the clean, white stall, she fished the necklace out from under her jumper. Well, first she unbuttoned her jumper, feeling more than a little short of breath.

"Polly?" She whispered, grasping it, "Everyone knows now."

What?

"They know that you're pregnant. They know that you're with grandma. They know you freaked out. Crap, I'm sorry, Polls. Mom called a press conference and-,"