Us [bughead]

Chapter 8

~Him~

Sometimes people surprise us. It's like...you think you know everything about this person and then they just...show a different side. And it is as if you have to rethink your whole way of looking at people.

***

They stared at Carla, wondering what to do next, as none of them took the initiative to even move. 

"I uhm...I'm Miss Stone." She said and they all nodded. 

"Yeah...Leonard's sister." Jellybean mumbled and Carla nodded. 

"If I have understood this right, you..." She looked at Betty. "isn't a family member?" Betty nodded. 

"She's my girlfriend," Jughead said and Carla turned to him. 

"I really don't care." She mumbled and then turned back to Betty. "Is it okay if I have a word with...?" She looked at Jughead and then at Jellybean. 

"Jughead and Jellybean," Jellybean said and Carla scoffed. 

"Jellybean..." She mumbled silently to herself. She then shook her head and looked back at Betty, waiting for her to answer. 

"Yeah, of course. I need to buy some coffee either way." Jughead kissed her and watched as she walked to the store.  

"I have a few questions, I'll make it quick, I promise. I guess the two of you want to be here just as little as I want to." Jughead nodded and Carla looked down at Jellybean. "You lived with him, am I correct?" Jellybean nodded slightly at her. "Did he ever act inappropriately around you?"

"Yes, he did," Jughead said through gritted teeth. Carla sighed. 

"That motherfucking..." She gave them a slight smile. "Listen, the family has a brand and an image to keep up, okay?" Jughead shrugged. "The way Leonard acted is horrible, it truly is, and no one is more sorry about it than me, trust me." She turned to Jughead. "In exchange for not telling any newspapers or any media at all, we will give you check." Jughead frowned. 

"You think a check will fucking help?" He mumbled. 

"It's not a small amount. It's...well...we are offering as much as you need. Leonard was a real pig." She sighed. "And we understand that he may have caused you trouble for the rest of your life, you're not the first he's hurt but thankful enough, the last." Jughead stared at her, wondering if she had had anything to do with his death. 

"We will think about it...I mean...media will probably pay pretty well for such a juicy story." Jughead said, pretending to be thinking hard about this. 

"Here's my card, call me as soon as you have an amount in mind and we can discuss it further, okay?" Jughead took the card and barely looked at it before putting it in his pocket. "I also wanted to ask you if you could...well keep quiet about the accident." Jughead raised his brows. "Do not tell media nor the police what happened...about the malfunction, I mean." She silently said and Jughead smirked at her. 

"Oh my, oh my, oh my..." He happily said. "you had something to do with it, didn't you?" She looked around in the empty corridor. 

"I didn't purposely kill him, if that's what you're suggesting, I just..." She looked at Jellybean and then back at Jughead. "I was looking for drugs in it, and I picked something apart and then I couldn't put it back together. I'm pretty sure that's what caused the accident." Jughead laughed. 

"Damn, you have really helped us all by sucking." Jughead laughed and her eyes widened. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, business language." He mumbled as he returned to a neutral expression.