Them [bughead]

~Her~

Veronica walked inside the kitchen as Betty cleaned it up. She didn't even realize she was crying when she threw away the burger that was meant for Polly. She turned around and saw a bag from Pop's. She took it and opened it. Inside she found a strawberry milkshake and a hamburger. She felt too sick to eat and drink but smiled when she saw the order was right. No tomato, no mustard, one extra pickle.
"You got the order right." Betty said. Her voice sounded sort of happy but her face looked as broken as she felt.
"I didn't order it. He did." Veronica said. Betty sighed and threw it away. "I'm sorry I was a bitch this morning."
"It's fine. It doesn't matter anyway. You had every right to be." She didn't. But Betty didn't want to fight. She took a towel and started to wipe the table. Pretending she was okay when everything was falling apart.
"When does your mom come home?" Veronica asked and Betty shrugged.
"Don't know. Don't care." She couldn't care. If she showed any emotion, no matter what, it would let everything out. And if she started to cry she was afraid she wouldn't be able to stop. Ever.
"Betty..." Betty turned around before Veronica could keep talking and put her hand in the air.
"Stop it. I'm fine. Seriously." She wasn't fine. She was hurting.
"Okay..." Veronica didn't believe her. But she didn't want to push Betty. So she looked at the floor as Betty put all the chairs perfectly in order. "What happened with you and Jughead?"
"He cheated on me with a red headed hoe." Veronica laughed.
"I've never heard you say 'hoe' before."
"I've never had to use it." Betty put everything on the table in place.
"I'll kill him for you." Betty rolled her eyes.

Without a word Betty walked upstairs. Veronica walked after her into Polly's room. Betty cleaned up the pills and threw them away. The bed wasn't made so she decided to make it. Her hands were shaking but she tried to ignore it.
"Betty?" Veronica was worried about her. Betty turned around and gave Veronica a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. It wasn't a genuine smile. It wasn't a real smile.
"Yeah?" She knew Veronica was worried but she couldn't deal with her own emotions. She couldn't talk about Polly. It would break her.
"Are you...okay?" Betty took a silent deep breath and looked Veronica in the eyes.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Veronica gave her a long look but chose not to keep asking. Betty sighed when she opened Polly's top drawer and found her old necklace. The one her mom gave her as a young child. A necklace with a simple yet beautiful silver rose. Betty smiled when she remembered the countless fights she had had with Polly about that necklace. Polly always loved it. Betty sat down on the perfectly made bed with the necklace in her hands. "What now?" She whispered.
"I don't know. You take everything day by day. Minute by minute."
"When we were younger we fought a lot. I hated it." Betty whispered and Veronica looked at her. "Now, all I want is to have one last fight you know." Veronica nodded.
"I get it. Same thing happened when my grandmother died." Betty sighed.
"I helped her escape. If it weren't for me and Jughead she would still be at a mental hospital. She'd still be safe. Still be alive."
"This is not your fault Betty. You did what you thought was right." Betty nodded.
"It feels like it."

Betty heard someone open the door downstairs and she walked downstairs. Her and Veronica had been sitting on Polly's bed for more than two hours. They didn't say much. They just sat there. Her mom walked through the door and Betty gasped at the sight of her mom. Her hair was messy and she looked so devastated.
"Mom?" Betty whispered. Alice's eyes met Betty's and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Elizabeth." She dropped her bags and gave Betty a long hug. Betty inhaled her mother's scent. She had used the same perfume since  Betty was five and it made Betty feel as safe as when she was five and her biggest problem was Archie not liking her back.
"I'm sorry mom. I should've stayed with her. I shouldn't have left." Betty cried her mom shook her head.
"Don't do that. This isn't your fault."
"I thought you were going to be mad at me." Alice hugged Betty tighter.
"I am, but it doesn't matter. Me being mad wont change anything." Betty sobbed as her mom let her go.
"Where's dad?" Betty asked. Her mom stared at the floor and avoided Betty's eyes.
"He...he left me a week ago." Betty laughed.
"You're joking right?" Her mom shook her head. "Oh my...why didn't you tell me? And why did he leave?"
"You weren't a part of my life. It doesn't matter why he left. Now," She wiped away her tears and quickly pulled herself together. Put up the facade she often hid her emotions behind. Betty admired her for that. She wanted to seem as untouched as her mother often did. But she wasn't as strong. Or at least so she thought. In fact, Betty was much stronger. But she didn't know it yet. And it would take her years to realize. "where's that Serpent boyfriend of yours." Betty scoffed. No matter how amazed she was by her mom's power to pretend everything was okay she hated her insensitivity. Right now she didn't need mrs Cooper, the perfect mother, wife and journalist, right now she needed her mom.
"Mom don't do this, don't shut me out. Not now." Her mom sighed and carried her bags upstairs. She needed her mom just as much as a newborn. But her mom wasn't there. Not emotionally at least. She had shut down every last emotion she had. One might think she was being insensitive or cold even but Alice tried to protect herself. "Mom!" Betty yelled and followed her upstairs.
"Elizabeth. Stop. We've had enough problems this past week. Don't start a fight." Her mom was about to fall apart. But how could she ever show that to her daughter? Her daughter had to know that she needs to be strong in front of others. You don't ever show you're weak or vulnerable, that always ends badly. Because people tend to use you when you show weakness.
"Why did dad leave?" Betty hoped her tears would make her mom tell her but Alice just rolled her eyes.
"Pull yourself together and for the love of God, put on something less slutty. The Andrews will be hear in half an hour for coffee." Betty ran her hands through her messy hair.
"Mom! We just lost Polly, and you want us to drink coffee with the Andrews?" Betty shook her head. "Polly killed herself mom! We can't just ignore that!" Betty yelled and her mom stared at her.
"Polly didn't kill herself honey, she was hit by a car. A tragic accident that affected us deeply." Betty stopped breathing. Confused over what her mother had just said. For a second Betty thought she was going crazy. Maybe her sister actually did die in a car accident. And everything she thought had happened was just a dream. She hoped that that was the truth but knew it wasn't. But if it was then Polly's death wouldn't have been her fault. She wouldn't have been held responsible. Even though no one actually thought she was responsible, except for her. Everyone knew Betty had done what she could to save her sister, everyone except Betty. When that second was over Betty realized what her mom had said.
"What?" She gasped. "No mom, Polly killed herself." Her mom smiled and shook her head. Betty wished she could do that to. Smile. But she was afraid she would never be able to smile again.
"No sweetie, Polly was on her way to the store when the car came out of nowhere. A hit-and-run. Polly suffered brain injuries and many fractures. She died at the hospital an hour after she brought in." Betty's eyes were wide and she heard Veronica walking to her mom's room. Where they were fighting about how Polly died.
"No mom. I found her. She killed herself."
"Elizabeth Cooper, your sister would never do such a thing that can hurt the reputation of the Coopers as much as suicide would." Betty's mouth was open and she tried to understand what her mother just said.
"You're telling me...that our reputation is more important than telling the truth about Polly?" Betty said through gritted teeth.
"That is exactly what I'm saying."
"Mrs Cooper, Polly killed herself. There's nothing you can do to change that. I'm sorry." Veronica said. Alice shook her head.
"I know that. But no one else has to. So please miss Lodge shut your privileged little mouth."
"Mom!" Betty shouted as she heard the door bell downstairs. Before her mom could move Betty ran downstairs and opened the door.

Archie stood in front of Molly and Fred. Betty gave them a slight smile.
"Hi sweetie, we heard about the car accident. How are you?" Betty hugged the three of them one at a time and took her time to think about her answer.
"I'm okay." She said and walked inside. Alice came down the stairs with Veronica behind her. Veronica's eyes found Archie's and she stopped in the middle of the stairs. Betty could see her eyes tear up as she rushed into Archie's arms. Betty rolled her eyes and walked into the kitchen to make coffee.
"How are you?" Archie asked Veronica. Betty heard every word they said, even though they thought she couldn't.
"I saw her body Archie." She cried. Betty heard her mom talking to the Andrews in the living room while Veronica and Archie was still in the hallway. "It was horrible. I..." Betty could hear Archie kiss Veronica.
"It's okay baby. I'm here now." Betty sighed and walked to the hallway. Veronica quickly let Archie go and they stood there looking uncomfortable.
"I think you should go now." Betty mumbled to Veronica. "Thanks for the help." Veronica nodded and hugged Betty goodbye.

"Why's your mom telling everyone your sister got hit by a car?" Archie leaned on the wall while Betty took some crackers and cheese and put them in order.
"Cause she doesn't want to ruin our reputation." Betty said coldly. She couldn't deal with this right now.
"How do you feel?" Betty took the cheese plate and walked right pass him.
"I'm fine Arch. Let it go." Betty mumbled. She placed the plate in front of her mom and sat down.
"...when I got the call about her tragic accident I rushed to the car and got to the hospital as fast as I could. But she was already dead." Alice lied to the Andrews.
"I'm so sorry Alice." Molly said and put a comforting hand on Alice's.
"It's just so scary to think that the horrible person who ran over my daughter is still out there." Betty rolled her eyes. One more word and she was going to snap. "Especially when Hal is on a business trip in Europe." Betty scoffed and her mom gave her a mad look. "He said there's no chance to get back due to a storm." Betty stood up and walked to the hallway. She couldn't take it anymore. She put on her shoes and walked outside in the rain.
"Where are you going young lady?" Her mom asked and she turned around.
"I can't listen to your lies mom! You really think Polly would want this? Would want you lying about how she died?" Betty yelled. Her mom gestures to her to be more quiet but Betty didn't care. She was done with her mom.
"Polly isn't here, she decided to leave us, to hurt us. I don't care about her." Her mom said through gritted teeth. Betty bit her lip.
"You're lying. You're just ashamed she isn't what you wanted her to be!" Betty yelled and rushed outside. She threw the door in her mother's face and sat down on the stairs. Not knowing what she was going to do now. She wanted to cry but was afraid to show emotions. When she looked up she saw a car she recognized. Inside sat Jughead. Staring at her. Unsure of what to do.