chemistry. | SWEET PEA [1]

CHAPTER TWENTY

           

To Betty: Hey, just had a very interesting conversation with Veronica about my dad. Are you free after school?

Betty: Yeah, I should be! I was going to pick some stuff up from a mall in Greendale for her confirmation if you wanted to come??

To Betty: Sounds good, I'll meet you after school then?

"ARE you sure Veronica heard your question, right?" Betty asked with a raising of her eyebrows.

"Well unless she's suddenly hard of hearing, then yes she heard what I said," Becca replied.

The two of them were currently in Lulu's Dress Boutique, a small clothing store in the Greendale mall looking through some dresses. Betty had already picked up some jewelry from another store that she had ordered a couple weeks ago, so she had agreed to help Becca find a dress that was suitable for Veronica's confirmation. Due to her and Veronica's conversation earlier, Becca didn't really feel the need nor want to go shopping with her.

"You're starting to sound like Jughead with all of his conspiracy theories," Betty commented in a joking tone, a smile on her face.

"Betty," Becca put the dress she had been looking at back on the rack and turned to the blonde-haired girl, "if I wasn't a hundred percent sure that something was going on with my dad, something that may be illegal or dangerous, then I wouldn't have come to you for help. So, could you please stop patronizing me?"

Betty was shocked for a moment, her blue eyes wide at her sharp reaction. If Becca didn't desperately need her help, she would've said a bit more about Betty, but she figured that wouldn't have helped her in any way.

"I'm sorry Becca," Betty apologized quietly, "I didn't mean to trivialize what was going on with your dad. That's not my place."

"It's fine," Becca replied, not bothering to look at her.

Though it really wasn't fine. Becca's dad could be a criminal and now Veronica was lying straight to her face. Anyone with eyes could see that it wasn't fine for Rebecca Mantle. But she didn't say anything more, simply looking through dresses.

"What about this one?" She held up a baby blue silk dress with off the shoulder sleeves, "I don't go to church, so I don't know what's socially acceptable for Jesus."

Betty gave a small smile at her comment, "Yeah that'll look nice."

After paying for the dress, the two headed to Betty's house to do a little investigating. Becca had brought her Macbook and of course several of her different USB drives. Betty suggested that perhaps there was something going on in her dad's bank accounts or their company's financial records. Most of them were online, so she could easily get into those. If they didn't find anything however, she was going to have to get braver and either break into her dad's study or his office at work.

"Can I use your bathroom first? Before we get started?" Becca asked.

"Yeah, sure it's the first door on the left," Betty answered, pointing down the hall.

Becca nodded her thanks and left to go use it. Just as she was turning on the faucet to wash her hands however, she heard another voice besides Betty's.

"Hey, what's going on I thought you had a job interview today," She heard Betty's voice question.

"I did. That was Ben, he works concessions at the Bijou. Pretty sure I got the job," She heard a lower, more masculine voice respond.

"Well, I thought he might have been one of your clients," Betty's voice was quiet, though there was an edge to it that Becca had never heard before.