Lost (in Your Emerald Eyes)

S I X T E E N

Seems like from now on most of my chapters are going to be way too long...

☆☆☆

It wasn't until Monday that the town got the news. Marty Mantle, Reggie's father, had died during the night of Betty's birthday party. He was found the night after, on the Southside, beaten to death.

Betty was at work when the news came from the radio. The whole diner suddenly fell silent, just as the rest of the town, and the whole morning, only one thing was on people's minds—who could've possibly killed him. This death was far from being an accident.

The girl knew the man personally. He was a mechanic, and her father had been friends with him, so when Betty was little, she always tagged along to watch how they worked on cars, and eventually, to help them. Reggie wasn't there most of the time, but when he sometimes was, the young Betty didn't trust him. He was Archie's friend, but never really hers.

But, despite the fact that he could fix cars, the guy hadn't been the greatest dad or husband. Occasionally, Reggie came to school with a bruised face or arms, and his father was always called to the principal. Rumors said that he did it, and if what Archie had told her was anything to go by, they were true. He beat his own son.

Jughead showed up at the diner just a little before noon. He was as shocked as everyone else but had responsibility for the Serpents. He needed to make sure no one got arrested. Because, surely, the police would be going after them first.

So, as he walked through the door, exchanging looks with Betty, his face stayed cold with a scowl on it—as it had been the whole time before meeting the blonde beauty. At first, the girl tensed up at his behavior, knowing that the day before they hadn't had many conversations, and it had been the first Sunday of which they hadn't spent the whole day together. But, as Betty walked up to her and he touched her fingertips under the table, she felt a bit lighter.

"Everything okay?" she quietly questioned, holding her small notepad out with a pen as if she would've been taking his order.

"They're going after the Serpents," he simply said and gave her his food preferences for the morning.

"You okay?" she whispered before walking away, tapping her fingers on her thigh, which he knew already meant she wanted for him to text her.

And so he did.

All fine, just everyone is on the edge now

Did you know him?

Someone said in the morning at the bar that he beat his kid... who's his kid?

Betty's answer came immediately as not many customers were present at the diner that day.

Reggie. The boy that tried to flirt with me the other day.

He mouthed a quiet O and met her eyes for a moment before typing an answer.

Is it true?

Betty nodded a bit, placing her phone down and moving to make Jughead's coffee. That's when some of the jocks from her school walked in, jumping into a booth. The girl frowned at the fact that they all seemed unbothered, joking around about random stuff while their mate was probably not feeling the best, at home.

Delivering Jughead his coffee with a brief uncomfortable smile, Betty walked toward the guys' booth and stopped there. "Hi. Are you ready to order?"

"Ooh, Cooper. Rad party the other day, but I gotta mention, I didn't see you around much," one of them said.

"Yeah, busy slaving around the diner while everyone buys you gifts? Or shagging up with someone that likes good girls?" a second one spoke up.

Rolling her eyes as all of them laughed, she repeated her question. "Are you ready to order?"