New Beginnings

Suspensions and Confrontations

"Tyler no no no! Don't touch that!" Betty screams as she runs after her son who was inches away from pulling the wire on her piping hot hair straighteners.

It was a new day and a new week and after the whole drama with her mother and Hal had died down, she was ready to show herself at school, but not without a little accessory added to her look.

"Maybe if you put him in his playpen instead of having him crawl around he wouldn't be trying to fry himself." Veronica sarcastically informed her.

"There's no point. He's learned how to climb out of it." Betty informs her. "I'm just gonna hold on to him while I get ready."

She holds the infant in her arms before reaching into her jewellery box and pulling out a new nose ring she had been dying to try out for weeks.

"You can't go into school with that." Veronica informs her

"Why not?"

"It's an instant suspension. They only allow modest jewellery." Veronica answered

The rules and standards of Riverdale high certainly weren't what Betty was used to. At her old school she could turn up as ridiculously and immodest as she liked and nobody would bat an eye.

"Like I'm scared of Weatherbee. What's he gonna do? Give me a detention?" She mimicked before turning back to her mirror and catching Alice in the reflection with a laundry basket in hand.

"Right, you got anything a dark wash because I'm doing it right now- Oh. Hi Veronica."

"Hi Alice." Veronica waved.

She remembered how early it was that morning and knew Betty never got up before 10am.

"You going to school?" She wondered. After the whole Hal fiasco and her being known as the towns home-wrecker, she decided it would be a good idea to keep the girls off school for the time being, which they initially were ecstatic about. She didn't want them to be affected any further by her mistakes.

"Yeah. I've already missed a bunch, and as hard as it is to believe I'm actually missing that hellhole. Being cooped up in here with you can get boring." Betty jokes.

"Oh ha ha." Alice feigns in laughter before leaning against the door. "Just don't let anyone give you any shit okay?"

"As if I ever would." Betty assured her. She finished up at the mirror, grabbed her bag and proceeded to leave, Veronica following shortly behind her.

•••

"I swear to God if Mantle says one thing to me about my Mom-" Betty angrily expressed as she shoved books into her locker. She had only been in the school building for about 20 minutes and she'd already been faced with a few awkward stares and whispers from other students.

"He won't! I think you put the fear of God into him last time." Veronica mentioned referring to a week ago when Betty practically tackled him onto the floor and threatened to smash his face in.

The blonde chuckled as she reminisced on her violent act. "Yeah. That was hilarious."

Closing her locker and pulling her bag over her shoulder she proceeded to walk down the hall with Veronica to home room.

"Halt!" A quiet and nasally voice says to the two of them before bringing a hand to their faces.

"What do you want Poindexter?" Betty rudely argued.

"We're late for homeroom Dilton. Get out of the way." Veronica snapped as she tried to move around him, being stopped by his arm.

"That distracting piercing on your nose is a violation of the school's dress code and policy." He rambled, not realising the girls weren't paying attention whatsoever.

"Take it out immediately or I'll be forced to write you up and send you to Principal Weatherbee's office.

"Ooh I'm scared! What's he gonna do? Rip it out?" Betty joked before proudly pushing past Dilton and making her way to class.

Her plans to keep her nose ring in however didn't quite go to plan as her homeroom tutor sent her to Weatherbee's office herself, resulting in an instant suspension.

Alice had been called into the school to pick her up, which she was highly unimpressed by as she planned on relaxing this morning and having some time to herself, not collecting her daughter from school after a silly suspension.

She was already on her way to Pops when she had received the call and proceeded to return there afterwards.

"Trust you to get suspended over that damn ring. And it's not even ten o'clock." She said frustratedly as she and Betty walked towards the counter at the diner.

Rolling her eyes, Betty rested her folded arms onto the counter, not being in the mood to handle her mother's ramblings.

"It's not my fault the school's rules are bullshit." The teen grumbled.

Just as Alice was about to reprimand her daughter for her mouth, a snarling familiar voice was heard from the booth behind her.

"Suspension huh?" The smug voice spoke, causing Alice to turn around and see Penelope and Hal directly opposite her. "Can't say I'm surprised, they do always say look to the parents in these circumstances."

"Great! This is all I need." She mumbled to herself as she clutched her purse and hung it over her shoulder.

"Following in your mother's trashy footsteps already Elizabeth?" Penelope taunted with a hint of mischief in her voice as she stirred her tea.

"It's Betty, you stuck up bitch. And don't talk to my Mom like that." The Blonde threatened before being stopped by her mother

"Betty honey, it's okay, I got this." She assured her as she ushered her back a little and moved towards their booth with her head held high.

"Talk about me all you want, but my kids, are off limits." She warned fiercely. "Now if you've got something to say to me, I'm right here, all ears. Do your worst."

The redhead scoffed condescendingly before shifting herself slightly to face the scorned raven haired beauty.

"Oh, I don't think I'll be saying anything different to what the whole town has been saying all week, but surely you must be used to being the talk of the town, as well as the bike." She mumbled the last part.

"Well your scumbag husband wasn't complaining." She taunted with a mischievous smirk.

Penelope's mouth fell wide open upon hearing such a crude statement.

"Although, I was. Maybe last more than five minutes next time?" She snapped at Hal, causing his face to turn bright red.

"Ignore her honey." Hal advised as he rested his hand on Penelope's

"Ignore her honey." Alice mimicked.

"Could you work on not being so childish for just one day? How about that?" Hal stated exasperatedly

"I'll tell you what is childish, the size of your di-"

Penelope had heard enough and rose up from the table, approaching Alice aggressively as she bared her teeth in a ferocious manor. "You're pathetic-"

"No, you're pathetic. Getting pissy at me and other women when your joke of a husband is the one constantly stepping out and your dumbass hasn't even divorced him."

Penelope snarled at the dark haired woman before taking her seat back. She wasn't going to get into an altercation with Alice today of all days, it just wasn't worth it.

"Oh, and I almost forgot." Alice pointed out.

Walking closer to their booth, she picked up the mug in front of Hal and poured it out onto his head before slamming it back onto the the table.

"Next time you wanna break your marriage vows you pathetic little toad, keep me out of it." She sternly warned before storming out with Betty following behind her, leaving a stunned and embarrassed Hal and Penelope alone to deal with their joke of a marriage and unresolved issues.