Resilience | Sweet Pea.

76 - Prom night Chaos

TW: Extreme violence and Blood. (Pls don't kill me)

"So, how was the other day, Jug and I ran into Archie and Mr and Mrs Andrews at Pops. He said you and Sweet pea were having a date night." Betty asks as she sits with me in my bedroom Friday morning.

"It was good, why?" I ask.

"Did anything... interesting happen?" She asks with a sly look on her face.

"Betty." I groan.

"C'mon Nov! Spill!" Betty whines. "We're in constant talk of serial killers and investigations we never get to just be teenagers!"

"Hey, don't forget cults and a bloodthirsty tree with horns!" I joke.

"I'll start singing!" Betty threatens.

"Okay, fine! Yes, it happened." I tell her, she squeals. "Why was it so crucial I tell you?"

"Because, I know you'd been having trouble with it all." Betty admits. "It's a big step, I'm proud of you!"

"I had sex with my boyfriend, Betty, I didn't solve world hunger." I scoff.

"That's next on the list though right?" She jokes.

"Oh you mean after catching the bloodthirsty tree?" I add.

"Of course." She says.

"Betty?" I ask.

"Yeah?" She replies.

"How are you doing with everything, really?" I ask, she chuckles a little.

"I'm fine, Nova." Betty shakes her head at me.

"Are you sure? Between your mom... And your dad...? Are you sure throwing yourself into the whole-"

"Jughead's already given me the whole 'you can take a break' spiel, Nov. I don't need it from you too." Betty sighs.

"Alright, fine." I sigh back. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Thank you." She says. "So you have your dress yet?"

"Yup. A proper theme matching one too." I tell her proudly. "It's my closet."

Betty walks past me to look into my closet, pulling out the black and white dress.

"Ah, black and white, floaty sleeves... A hood? Very on theme but very you Nova." She chuckles, before inspecting the symbol, a little green snake, on the chest. "Did you really have a serpent sewn into this?"

"My mom and dad did it." I shrug.

"Really?" She asks.

I pull a photo out of my draw of their 'masquerade' themed senior prom, pointing at the little snakes on my mom's dress, and the pocket of my dad's suit.

"Maybe not exactly traditional, but special, none the less." I say. "Sweet pea let me do it to his outfit, too."

"Cute." She smiles.

"Always gotta rep the squad." I joke, before cringing. "Tell anyone I said that and I'll kill you."

"I would never!" Betty laughs. "You know, Nova, you're finally starting to seem a bit more like yourself again."

I smile at her.

"Betty..."

"I mean it. You've been through a lot, and I genuinely thought I'd never see you again. When I did, I almost didn't know who I was looking at." She admits. "But now? You've got a long way to go but you seem like a more assured version of yourself."