Second Chances [Sweet Pea x OC]

Chapter 37

The news about Baby Teeth shook spread quickly. FP and Jughead were back on the hunt for the Gargoyle King and Archie had enlisted Veronica's help in getting his crew a spot in the Gilded Gloves boxing tournament her old friend Elio had arranged. Meanwhile, Betty had hit a dead end when it came to getting information out of Edgar about the Farm and had resorted to seeking information about her long-lost brother.

I sat in the office of the Blue and Gold, watching as Betty struck out on yet another call. "I still say we track down the records from the Sisters and see what they had in Charles's file. Maybe it'd have his father's name. If nothing else, you'd be able to get his date of birth since you're mom won't even give up that much."

Betty sighed. "Sister Woodhouse showed us his file when we first went there, back when Chic was pretending to be my brother. There wasn't much else."

"Really Cooper? You're giving up this easily? The Sisters were corrupt, I highly doubt they let you see everything they had on a kid who was born and raised in their orphanage."

"No, she pulled the file straight from the drawer in her office," Betty protested. "She couldn't have pulled anything out without Jug and I seeing. That's gotta be all there was."

I stayed quiet as she made another call. "No, unfortunately I only have a name, Charles Smith. He was raised in the Sisters of Quiet Mercy, but they turned him out when he was 18," Betty said, avoiding my eye as she listened to whoever was on the other end. "Well, I appreciate you trying," she said, hanging up the phone.

Before either of us could say anything, Toni slammed the door open. "Betty, whatever the Farm did with Cheryl, I'm holding you responsible," she said. "How the hell did my girlfriend become Queen of the Farmies overnight?"

"Well, this is Cheryl Blossom we're talking about," I said, earning a glare from Toni.

"It's Edgar. He's a con artist. He's somehow convinced my mom and Cheryl that they can, uh," Betty sighed, walking around the front of the desk, "talk to the dead."

"Excuse me?" Toni exclaimed.

Betty nodded slowly. "Cheryl thinks she's been talking to Jason. She says she sees him."

"But Jason's dead," Toni replied. "Everybody knows that Jason's dead."

"True. And there's proof that Jason's dead, that he was murdered," Betty said slowly.

Toni looked between the two of us. "What are you talking about?" I shrugged, watching Betty resume her seat in front of her laptop.

"Uh, I'm going to send you a video, Toni, of," we waited as she paused. "Clifford Blossom shooting Jason. I kept a copy of it on my laptop. Show it to Cheryl, and hopefully it will be enough to snap her back to reality. Oh, hold on. Will you give me a second? I think this is my dad."

Betty picked up her phone, quickly making her way into the next room as she answered. "I hate to say it Toni, but it's not going to be easy to get Cheryl free of the Farm," I said.

"I have to at least try though, don't I? You'd do the same if it were Sweet Pea," she protested. Sighing, she dropped her bag to the floor and took the seat next to me. "What's going on with you two anyway?"

I looked down at my hands in my lap. "Nothing. We're just–"

"Okay, Toni, I'm gonna send this video to you, then I need to go see my dad," Betty said in a rush, coming back into the room. "Abigail, I'll call you later, I might need your help again."

I took the dismissal, walking out of the room, heading for the parking lot. "Abigail, wait up," Toni said, grabbing my arm. "You didn't answer my question earlier."