Accidental Serpent ° Bughead

III · Worried Parents and Texts

Recommended song:
Roaring 20s by Panic! At the disco
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I HEAVILY BREATHE IN BEFORE RINGING THE DOORBELL TO MY FRONT DOOR,  just don't let her see the tattoo, I tell myself, but it's easier said than done.

Click, the doorbell rings, shivers travel through my body. The door immediately opens, there, my mom was standing, completely horrified. Guilt fills my body, I avoid eye contact.

She let's out a sigh of relief, "Elizabeth, oh dear god I was so worried, where the hell were you?" I wish I just disappeared rather than having to explain this to my mother.

"I'm really sorry, mom, it won't happen again." I say, but I know my mom would ask more questions, I would if my daughter has been gone for more than 15 hours.

I sit done at he dining table and my mother forcefully takes a chair and sits down. "I've called you multiple times, why didn't you pick up? Oh, and then I called Archie to see if you're okay and he said you guys broke up and my heart completely dropped because I thought you wek int and did something stupid-" she starts breaking down,

"-and then I called all your friends and they said they weren't with you, just, please Betty don't do anything like that again I thought I had lost you, I was about to call the police."

I could understand her pain and worry, losing one child is enough, but two was just too much, over the top. It killed me when I found out my sister died, last year, and I think none of us had gotten over it.

I put my hand over hers and squeeze it hers, "I know, mom," I say, "I won't do it again, I promise."

She nods, straightens up, and starts talking again. "W- where were you, anyways?"

I spit out a lie, "I decided to stay at a hotel, I- I just wanted to be alone for while to process everything."

She glances at my shirt, I forgot I was wearing this shirt, it had a literal 's' meaning 'serpents'.

"Where did you get that shirt from?" She squints her eyes, as if she was staring right through my soul.

I hesitate for a bit before answering, "uh- the hotel gave me pjs?" I say that more like a question than a statement.

She looks into my eyes as if they were a lie detector, she nods, getting up to prepare dinner.

I get out of my chair and run upstairs to my room. I take my phone out to find more than 100 missed calls from my mom, multiple texts from the 'skinny thots' group chat. I read all of their texts.

Roni: hey betty ur mom called
and said you broke up with Archie
and disappeared, mind explaining?
Sent: Yesterday 9:47 pm

Cheryl: yeah, she called me too.

Midge: same

Josie: you're not alone

Cheryl: betty?

Midge: betty, we're here for you
if you need us

I almost feel bad for leaving my friends like that, after reading all of the concerning texts, I type.

Me: hey guys, I'm fine,
just really heartbroken,
I left to a hotel and isolated
myself from everyone and
everything for a while, sorry
for making you worry:(
Sent. Today 3:20 pm