I groaned loudly, throwing my knife onto the counter, grumbling and tears still trickling down my cheeks as I made my way to the front door. Manners. I need to be PeRfEcT. I guess my mother made a real impression on my.
I quickly swung the door open, my glossy eyes meeting those of a man. He was tall, relatively muscular, with curly, soft looking raven hair and piercing blue eyes that flooded with concern as soon as his eyes found my tear-stained cheeks, though he didn't seem surprised.
He quickly shook off the clear upset that had covered him, extending his hand for me to shake. "Um, hi! I'm Jughead Jones, your new... neighbor.".
New... So I really am in a new house. I'm not losing my mind. Or maybe I am and he just moved here. That thought, or question, was soon answered. "I thought I would welcome you to the neighborhood. I don't know how many friends you have around here.".
I reluctantly shook his hand. "I'm Betty Cooper.". Pause. Perplexity still clouded over me as I swiped at my face, realizing I was revealing my emotions to this stranger. "Um... This is going to sound really strange, but where am I? I... I don't recall moving here.".
He didn't react the way he should have. His composure was completely maintained, confusion never once crossing over warm expression. He completely comprehended the situation, and knew immediately how to answer my question.
"You're in a town called Riverdale. You got here last night. Here, um, it's... normal to not remember how or why you're here. Don't worry about it. Anyways, the... uh... governor assigned me to become your... mentor. Yeah, mentor.".
The last part of his statement shook me a bit. It's normal to not remember how I got here? Also, I already live in Riverdale. It's a small town, so why don't I recognize this man? And why did he stutter? I couldn't care less. It's not important enough for me to ask. Nothing is.
"Oh. Okay... well, it was nice to meet you and all, but I don't need a mentor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to... what I was doing. Have a nice d-".
"Actually, I'm supposed to stay here with you. I'm your new 'neighbor'. I'm going to live here with you until the g-governor comes to the conclusion that you no longer need help. Don't worry, I'm only here to help you. Things run a little different her than in... other cities. Yeah.".
His uncertainty took me aback, but once again, it didn't matter. Though the fact that he had to live with me annoyed me. I huffed. "Yeah. Fine, whatever. Come on in.".
He brought in his bags that I somehow didn't even notice before; I was sure he had arrived empty handed. I led him inside of the new house that was apparently mine (I didn't think I would ever get used to calling it my own). He offered a gentle smile. I tried to reciprocate. I don't think I succeeded.
It was incredibly awkward that day. I never got to finish... what I was trying to do before. I couldn't. He couldn't see me doing that. I think he realized that I had something in the back of my mind.
"Hey... Are you okay? I just noticed that you seem rather distant. I know I haven't known for you more than a few hours, but something seems wrong.", he pointed out. I rolled my eyes, annoyed at the fact that he had noticed so quickly. Couldn't even be perfect at hiding my feelings. Awesome.
I spun around to face him from where I was, cleaning the dishes from lunch towards where we was, raiding the fridge. "Yeah, you're right. You haven't known me for long, so it's none of your damn business. So how about you mind your own?", I snapped, quickly regretting how I worded everything.
Yet somehow, this hadn't effected him. His composure was kept perfectly intact, untouched. Almost as if he'd expected this type of reaction. "You're right. But I just want you to know that I'm here for you if you want to talk.".
This angered me irrationally. "Therapy didn't fucking work before, and I doubt that some 'mentor' is going to be able to help me if even they couldn't. Now, if you excuse me, I'm going upstairs. Please don't follow me.".
And with that, I left, but not before slipping a knife up my hoodie sleeve. He hadn't noticed, and he didn't follow me. I slammed my door, running to the bathroom to finish what I'd wanted to start earlier.
