Come Back For Me | Jughead Jones

Chapter 6: Confidential

"You know, Catherine. I used to have a dog. Before Betty was born, of course. He would just smell anything he could get his little nose on," he laughed. "Whether it be garbage, grass, or even the road, he'd smell it."

"How cute," I smiled, my mouth full.

"Yeah. Then one day he and I were in the forest, and he stuck his nose in a bear trap. Ever since that day, he stopped smelling things," her dad finished his story.

My eyes were wide, and my heart raced.

"P-poor dog," I stammered, getting anxious.

Her dad chuckled a little.

"Yeah. Dumb dog learned to never stick his nose where it shouldn't be," her mom also commented, shaking her head.

I gave Betty a "help me" look, but she gave a confused shrug, not understanding what was happening. Both of us nearly swallowed our plates by eating so fast.

Betty stood up, causing me follow her lead.

"Well, Catherine better get ready to leave. She needs to do some chores at home," Betty lied.

"So soon?" Her mom acted upset.

"Yeah," I nodded, walking towards the stairs. "I hope I can come back soon, Mrs. Cooper! The food was A plus."

She gave a cold smile, but I turned to the stairs and booked it. I quickly brushed my teeth and combed my hair. I changed into the clothes I wore from yesterday and gathered my things.

"Thanks for coming over," Betty said, walking me out. "It's nice not being alone and trapped with my parents."

"I wouldn't mind coming back, under better circumstances," I told her with a small smile.

I walked out of her nightmarish home into the free world. I took a deep breath and turned around.

"See you on Monday, Betty," I waved, backing away.

"Bye!" She waved, before quickly closing the door. I checked my phone to see it was 11:00 A.M.

I walked home, again, feeling thankful for having parents like my mom and dad. I could never imagine growing up with the Coopers. I don't know how Betty survives sometimes.

I made it home and dropped my bags at the bottom of the stairs. I peeked into the living room to find my mom and dad on the couch, with my dad asleep and my mom glued to a book she was reading. She looked up and noticed me, and I went into the kitchen.

"How was the sleepover?" My mom asked from the living room.

"A living nightmare," I hollered back. "But Betty's a good friend."

I heard my mom laugh a little, before making her way into the kitchen too. I grabbed a can of soda and a bag of pistachios. "How did her parents treat you?"

I held up my hand, tilting it side to side. "Did you do anything to... y'know... piss them off?" I finally asked.

She sighed, crossing her arms as she stared at the ceiling in thought. "Well... there was this case I had to look into. It was small, and they had a fight and it got out of control. I had to look into it, unfortunately. I mean, I never got anything out of it. Why? Did they talk about me?"

"They expected me to be like you," I explained, cracking open the shell, popping the pistachio into my mouth. "They warned me that I shouldn't stick my nose in places where it shouldn't be."

My mom laughed, before saying "No, no. That's your father, the snoop. Technically it's our job to pry into other people's lives. It's what pays the bills though, and there's no shame in doing it."