Moving On

C h a p t e r 1 8

I picked Julie up from school.
"Hey, baby. How was your day?"
"Good. I guess."
"What is it, baby?"
"I'm good, daddy."
"Alright." Truthfully, I was really worried about my little girl. That's why I was glad I was meeting up with her teacher.
"I have an idea."
"What is it, daddy?"
"Do you wanna go to Pops to get a milkshake?"
"Yeah!" Her mood immediately went up.
"Then, let's go my darling."
"Yay!!" We worked on some homework while we had milkshakes together. I though she was doing well. It was just odd to me. Then, at 4:00, I knocked on Tabitha's classroom door.
"Hey."
"Hi. Come on in."
"Thanks." We sat down at the rainbow-shaped table. I let Julie play with the toys in the corner of the room while we talked.
"I just want to talk about if Julie is in a for home."
"Excuse me?"
"Well, considering what has been going on with the break-in and everything, it just seems like a lot for her to handle."
"Tabitha, I work as hard as I can. I do the best I can as a single father. Some things just happened. That's all. That's no excuse to take my little girl away."
"I see that, I do. But, it's just a lot for a young child, that's all. I just don't know if it's good for her to be around all of that violence."
"Violence? Tabitha, I don't hit my kid, I don't drink, I give my child my undivided attention."
"The last part."
"I do."
"You are so caught up in other things."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Like finding your wife!" She snapped. Julie looked over sat me and Tabitha.
"You know what, Julie? This was a mistake. We're leaving."
"Okay.." Julie said confused. I grabbed her hand and her school backpack and left abruptly. I went back home to the apartment.
"Alice?"
"Yeah?" She was sitting in the couch reading a book.
"Watch Julie. Kay?"
"Uh-huh." She said confused as I walked back out of the apartment in a rush. I grabbed my bag with my pal too in it. I got in the truck, and began to drive. Where to? You may ask, to that island in seaside. You know, where Chic's jail is located in. I didn't stop until I was almost to seaside. I was probably about half-a-mile away from ferry to the island on seaside. I filled up my gas, and made it to the docks where the ferry is located. I parked the car. I walked out to the docks. I paid at the booth on the docks, and I got in the ferry, alone. The boat ride was quiet, peaceful. That's when it hit the docks. I had to show my ID when I got there.
"I'm here to see Chic."
"Never seen you around these parts."
"Name?"
"Uhhh-"
"Wait.. Jughead? Is that you?"
"That would be me."
"Your on the list. It looks like you were just added in a little less than 5 years ago."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Go through the metal detector. The guards will let you in."
"Okay. Hey, thanks."
"Mhm." I went through the metal detector, I had an ID visitor tag on my shirt. I tried to keep my head down. Lay low. I got to the seat. Something buzzed so, I knew about any moment, Chic would be sitting before me. Behind the glass.
"Well, well, well."
"Shut up, Chic." I said annoyed into the phone attached to the booth.
"What brings you here, Jughead?" He said creepily.
"Gee, I don't know. What do you think?"
"I think your here forrrrrrr, Betty?"
"That would be the one."
"Great. Well, I won't say a word but, you can try."
"Chic, what do you want? I can get it for you. I just need to know about my wife."
"I need to you get me transferred to centerville. It's probably safer if I talk here anyway."
"Alright."
"Let me see, how do I start this?"
"Do you know where Betty is?"
"Possibly. I do know she's alive. I helped capture her."
"Hal broke me out of jail for that one night. He had me meet up with penny on the south side."
"Hal and Penny are in on this?"
"Their the leads, Jughead."
"Oh my god."
"Just let me finish."
"The plan was to ring the house. That's what I did. The phone rang. Betty picked up but, I didn't say anything. Just breathing. I just wanted revenge. The truth is, I don't really hate Betty that much. Charles does. And so does Hal. So, I went along with it. And I already got my sweet revenge with that whole gargoyle thing. This was supposed to be my last thing. It's been five years."
"Damn."
"Anyways, I called the house. Said nothing."
*Flashback*
*Phone rings*
"Hello?" Chic said nothing. Just breathed into the phone. He didn't know what to say. Considering he had Betty right where he wanted her.
"Hello?"
"Hello?!" She yelled. She hung up the phone abruptly.
"God, I'm so done. I'm so done with my dad!" She yelled. It then went quiet. She thought she heard something outside. Maybe a car starting or pulling up, perhaps? She slammed the phone down on the desk and began to walk outside, slowly.
"Hello?" She whispered in fear. She walked down the concrete steps. She looked down as there was a glare of light from the window. She then saw a shadowy figure. A woman's figure. She poked her head straight back up and then, everything went black. She was half unconscious. She could feel the pain in her head but, almost completely unaware of her surroundings. She tried to scream but, she was too weak.
"Get her in the truck!" A woman yelled.
"Don't just stand there! Come help me!" The women yelled once again. Betty was then thrown into the back of a pickup truck.
"Hel-pp." she sobbed. She was getting weaker. That's when everything went dark again.