Chapter Text
Chapter one: Mirrorball
January 13, 1998
Betty
‘I’m a Mirrorball, I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight.’
Betty made sure to mask the noise of her sneaking out of her window as quiet as possible. She hoisted her right leg over the sill slowly, following her left leg. She angled her foot to go toe first, then lowered her heel down onto the slick shingles. She held on tight, trying not to slip as she slowly shut the window, leaving a small gap for future her.
She turned around and looked down at her length from the roof to the ground. It was jumpable, taking into account her lack of agility.
There was nothing else to do but be fearless and jump for it.
It was less exhilarating than she thought it would be. The fall was barely a second long, before she landed on the ground as silently as she could in a crouch.
She started walking quickly to her and her best friend Inez’s agreed on parking spot about three houses down from her house. A small smirk of excitement couldn’t help but slide onto her face when she saw Inez’s red car sitting there, the headlights off to be incognito.
She waved as she slid into the passenger seat, giddy with the excitement of rebellion.
“Well, look who’s all dressed up for the bonfire.” Inez said, looking Betty up and down, analyzing her outfit.
Betty shrugged softly as she slid off her jacket. “Does it look good? I couldn’t really tell if this was more casual or nice… it’s just that James is gonna be there and…”
“It’s perfect, don’t sweat it.” Inez said with a small nod, a slight smile on her lips. “James will simply see your beauty and be entranced!”
Inez laughed softly, and Betty broke out into giggles with her. Betty trusted Inez on whatever she said, especially when it came to fashion.
Betty was excited for the bonfire. She had never snuck out before. Inez had told her tales of the previous bonfires, and claimed you weren’t properly living your high school years if you didn’t party. High school was hellish as is, so Betty agreed that she needed to live it out more.
When Inez’s car pulled into the parking lot, she could already see the smoke from the fire wafting together with cigarettes in the night air as the waves rolled up slowly onto the shore. The fire was held a bit further down the beach in a more secluded spot, so if someone who wasn’t supposed to know about their definitely illegal hangout did find out, it was most probably be late into the evening when the party had mostly died out anyways.
Betty’s nerves were overcome with the thrill of sneaking out, but if she were being honest, she was most excited to see him. She’s had a crush on James since the first day of freshman year. He was taller than her, with shaggy brown hair, always in jeans with accidental holes and a t-shirt that hung loosely on his frame with bands pictured on the front that she’d never heard of. He carried a Walkman attached to his jeans every day, music blasting in his years from the headphones. He read cool books, watched cool movies, and just carried this ambiance with him that always smelled like a hint of firewood. He was cool, too cool for her.
‘I can change everything about me to fit in. You are not like the regulars.’
She liked him because he didn’t try to fit the narrative, unlike how she did. He had this confidence that made him even more intriguing. She always tried to do what the other girls did. All the girls acted and dressed the same, and so did the boys. But James just had this sense of individuality that made Betty not only swoon, but want to build herself as her own person too.
But recently, they’d been talking. A lot.
He was in more than half of her classes. English, Social Studies, Math, and they even had the same home room. And for every class, he was in some proximity, right next to her. At first he was shy, then he started telling her about his life. He got cooler the more she talked to him.
She really liked him.
She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants and walked up to the fire with Inez. It wasn’t a large party. People mingled to the side in different bubbles of groups while others took shots, smoked, and dug through coolers. She knew one boy by the name of Marcus, who was a year above them. He passed as old enough to get plausible fake ID to buy beer from the gas station across the shore. He came in carrying two cases of bud-light on his shoulders, a large grin on his face.
Immediately, her eyes locked on James, sitting on a log by the fire, sipping a beer, and a cigarette burning between his fingers. Thank god the soft light of the fire would hide the burning red in her cheeks. She took a deep breath, and knew there was nothing left to lose, so she walked up to him.
As soon as he spotted her, he scooted over and smiled at her. God, she was already blushing.
“Hey Betty,” James said with his kind smile, his dimples perfectly highlighted by the shadow of the fire. He said her name with a smooth nonchalance, that was perfectly him.
In one hand, he held an almost empty solo cup, and the other an almost finished cigarette.
“Hey James,” she responded, trying her best to make her voice as stable as possible. Her eyes scanned the others at the party, she blocked out the waft of weed and fire smoke making her eyes water, looking back at his eyes. She wasn’t the best with small talk, especially with someone like him, but she swallowed hard and pushed her fears down. “What’s up?”
“Mm, nothing. Glad you came to the fire, everyone else was boring me out.” He said with a swing to his voice. The sweet tune of his words made her heart pitter patter rapidly, and she knew her cheeks were apple red. She couldn’t believe he found her interesting!
“Is that so? Well I’m glad I came to your rescue.” It was like his confidence boosted hers. A giggle couldn’t help but slip past her lips as a mini celebration of her sharp response. She loved the way he made simply talking feel like it’s so easy.
He laughed softly and nodded as his eyes dug into hers. She couldn’t help but study them. A sage green with specks of gold sprinkled around, framed by his beautiful eyelashes. His eyes weren’t blue, yet it felt like sirens calling her down, like the force of waves sinking ships. Betty wanted to stare at his eyes and never look anywhere else.
She’d never seen eyes like his.
She hoped nobody else had his eyes. They were so perfectly uniquely him, always striking against his colorful arrangement of band tees and short shaggy brunette hair.
“Want me to get you a beer?” He asked, snapping her out of her trance.
“That would be nice, thanks.” She said with a soft smile.
He stood up, walking over to a cooler. She watched his every move as he grabbed her a beer, took the cigarette between his fingers and studded it out before throwing it on the ground, and gave her a glance before popping the bottle cap off.
He walked back over to her and sat down again, this time closer.
‘I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight’
“Thanks.” She said softly. The first sip was a tad bit bitter, but she sucked it up. They sat there for a while, sipping on beer and looking between the fire and the waves rolling onto the shore. The electric in the in the air was palpable, practically breathable. The more she drank, the more comfortable she got with him. Inez was off talking with a group of friends, so she knew that her and James had complete alone time. Before she knew it, another conversation had started up with him. Their talks turned deep, confessing things they had never before. They came undone with emotions together. then she was on her third beer, and talking to him was as natural as breathing.
In the blink of an eye, she wasn’t breathing, because she was kissing him. She sobered up a bit when he pulled back, and she realized his hand was in her hair, and their faces were so close, and his eyes were on hers.
“I like you.” Was the only sentence she could slide from her mouth.
“I like you too.” He said with a chuckle.
They were kissing again.
Her cheeks were on fire, and they were kissing. She giggled against his lips and she pulled back again and just stared at his face, then he started laughing too. And they were giggling staring at each other.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” James asked suddenly, his thumb stroking the back of her neck.
Betty was beet-red, but she nodded and giggled again before going back in for his lips.
•••
The next thing she remembered was Inez dragging her off of James, and shoving her into her car, then driving her home. She was definitely drunk. Before she knew it, she was back in bed.
No worries, she would shower in the morning. She laid there before sleeping, gathering what she could in her drunk mind. She had a boyfriend. And it was James.
•••
Her alarm didn’t wake her up at 6 am as usual. Instead, her mother opened her door at 4:28 am and rubber her awake. Her eyes managed to open despite resistance, and she faced her mother. In a second her heart practically stopped beating, realizing she probably smelled like fire smoke, and her makeup was probably smeared all over her face.
But her mother’s face pushed that concern away. There were streaks of tears on her cheeks, urgency and worry in her eyes.
“Betty…” her mother said softly, ”your grandmother, Marjorie, is dead.”
‘I’m a Mirrorball’