Hometown

Thursday

    I stand on the front porch of my childhood home. Where I had my first date, first kiss, first...well that's it really. Veronica Lodge. I shake my head and chuckle. She did not like that our first date was on a porch. I smile remembering her name. She was rich and kind of snobby but after a while, she was family. I push open the door and Jellybean is at the top of the stairs with Ricky, upside down. I laugh, walking into the living room. Upside down was a game Jelly and I invented where one person asks you a horror-related question and if you get it wrong you slide down the stairs. Once she and Ricky became friends they played it together and I played it with Veronica, Cheryl, Archie and...someone else. Who was it?
    I walk into the living room and see my dad sitting on the couch, going through old photo albums. I smile over at him and walk up the back staircase to my room. I run my fingers over all of my old posters. Horror posters. Action posters. Romeo and Juliet. I smile at that poster. Veronica always loved it. So did that other person. Cheryl always said it was tacky and didn't belong in a room filled with these dark posters.
    I jump onto my bed and land on something hard. I grab it and look down at the blue journal, smiling. I flip through the pages until I find a thicker one. I stop, staring at the picture. Me, Archie, Veronica, Cheryl and...what is her name? I mentally slap myself. My heart warms at the thought of her. Snatching the picture up out of the journal I speed down the stairs and run to my father, who was still looking through the photo album.
    "Hey, dad, who is this girl?' I ask, pointing to the blonde girl next to Cheryl.
    "You don't remember her? Betty Cooper. Quiet girl. She stops by every Friday, tomorrow, after school. I missed having her around after what happened with you too. I missed Cheryl too, she's engaged you know? Ya, her and Toni stop by every Monday morning with coffee."
    "What happened?"
    "You really don't remember?"
    "I guess I just, blocked it out."
    "Ya, I guess. Well, Betty really liked you and you liked Veronica, so she stopped coming around and Cheryl followed her. Then Archie, then Veronica, then you."
    "So, they came back when I left?"
    "Well, Archie started coming around right before you left. Veronica, right after. When your mom started to get sick, Betty came by. Then Cheryl and Toni."
    "So, Veronica comes by?"
    "She stays over on weekends."
    "Oh, that's nice of her."
    "Yeah, she and Jb are close."
    I nod. "I miss her."
    "I know you do."
    "Was that all? Betty left because I liked Veronica and then..."
    Dad paused, "yea. That's all."