Chapter Text
Sadness is like a car driving through the rain, with a nostalgic song playing on the radio, just loud enough so you can feel you are completely alone.
Sometimes I would drive in a middle of a storm so I could feel like that. I would cry for hours and hours while I tried to understand why I was so unlovable. I always thought I was born with this emptiness inside me that everybody could feel it and no one wants to love a numb creature, so nobody loved me. Maybe that was the reason why my mother never cared for me, I looked too much like my dad, a monster that lived with us and made that home a personal hell.
The last time I saw him it was raining; I swear it was always raining in that forsaken town. I made my way out of Riverdale’s penitentiary swearing to myself I was never coming back.
I took the first train to New York not really knowing what I was doing until I arrived at central station and realized I had nowhere to go. I was completely by myself in this world and had no clue how to go on with my life.
Then, I met him.
It was late, too late for a girl from a small town upstate to be wandering around Brooklyn streets, so when this group of shady guys started to come my direction I ran as fast as I could, faster than couch Clayton made us run for Riverdale’s annual marathon.
I was starting to give up when I bumped into this biker gang dude.
He was young, maybe even my age, had black raven hair covered by a gray beanie, deep piercing blue eyes and was wearing a leather jacket, with this big green snake in the back.
“Wow!” he exclaimed, holding me by my shoulders. “Are you ok?” he asked, noticing my slightly terrified expression.
“Please, help me.” I begged out of breath, turning to see those shady men waiting one block away. The guy watched them as well and took a deep breath.
“You really shouldn’t be walking around here at night.” He said, dropping one of his hands to hold my arm. I shivered with the touch.
“I… I don’t have anywhere to go.” I finally said, hoping that this stranger would be a nice guy and help me. He seemed to think for a while and then looked over his shoulder, calling over this girl with purple hair.
“Toni, I need you to do something for me.”
[…]
Toni was a really nice girl, she drove me to her two bedroom apartment and offered me shelter for the night. She gave me new clothes to change and even made me homemade pancakes.
“You must me starving.” She said, watching me devour my first decent meal in days.
“Thank you.” I said as I ate, feeling a little ashamed to be feeling more comfortable in a stranger’s house than I used to feel on my own.
“So… What’s your story?” She asked, sitting in front of me in the counter.
“It’s complicated.” I whispered, looking at my food so I didn’t have to face her.
“I know all about complicated, trust me.” She said, offering me a smile.
“After my dad went to prison I left my hometown, Riverdale, and came here. I don’t really have anywhere to go, I think I just chose New York because I always wanted to come here.” I finally said, looking her in the eyes. Toni looked sympathetic at me and got up.
“Betty, you seem like a nice small town girl and I want to help you, but you should know that I’m not a really nice person to hang out with.” She said, taking my plate and putting on the sink.
“Because you’re in a gang?” I asked her, remembering she had the same jacket that boy was wearing.
“Yes and we are good people but we don’t always do good stuff…” She answered with this concerned look in her face.
“Trust me, I can handle.” I asserted.
After a quiet moment she finally said “Good.”
[…]
Later that night it was just me and my backpack in Toni’s guest room. I have packed light, I didn’t have much that I cared about in Riverdale so besides some clothes I only got a framed picture of me and Polly when we were kids. Back then I used to feel happy sometimes and actually believe we could have a different future than what we had.
“I’m so sorry.” I whispered, fawning her face in the picture. Polly never got to have a sweet 16 birthday party like she dreamt about or a perfect date to prom. She left too soon.
I slept that night dreaming about us leaving Riverdale to have a bright beautiful life like we deserved it.
The next morning I woke up with the sun light, feeling lighter and safer than I did for years. I took a shower and dressed in Toni’s clothes: a pair of high waist jeans and a black tank top. I made my usual ponytail and put my old brown boots, finally coming out of the room.
Toni was already up, making breakfast in her kitchen with other two guys, both dressing like the guy I met the night before. One of them was really tall with dark hair and the other one was shorter, with sun kissed skin.
“Hey Betty, these are Sweet Pea and Fangs.” Toni said, pointing at them. The tallest one, Sweet Pea, waved at me while eating a huge spoon of cereal and the shortest one, Fangs, just smiled.
“Hi, Betty!” He said, slapping Sweet Pea's back.
“Hey!” The boy complained, pushing his friend. I laughed while Toni only rolled her eyes.
“I honestly don’t know how Jughead put’s up with you two.” She said, giving me some cereal. The guys ignored her and started a silly fist fight.
“Who’s Jughead?” I asked, eating my cereal.
“The guy who saved you last night.” She answered, drinking a green tea. I nodded my head and stayed in silence watching the boys. Jughead; what kind of name was that?
“Is he your boyfriend?” I finally asked, making them look at me like I was crazy. The first one to burst laughing was Sweet Pea.
“Like that moody bitch could pull of Toni.” He said, fist bumping Fangs. Toni rolled her eyes again.
“He’s my best friend since we were kids, plus I’m more into girls.” She said, sitting by my side. “but if you are wondering why I brought you home just because he asked… He’s our leader.” She said, pointing to her serpent jacket sitting on the couch.
“Oh.” I said, not really knowing how to react. After that, they started to talk about their friendship and the boys were more than thrilled to tell me stories about the Southside Serpents and how they all became family for each other.
[…]
“Don’t get me wrong...” Sweet Pea said later that day, walking with me to this diner downtown the Serpents own. “but what a Barbie kind of girl like you was doing late at night here?” he asked.
“I left my hometown after my dad murdered my sister and went to jail… I don’t know why I came here in the first place but truth is I had nowhere to go and then I ran into Jughead…” I told him, clenching my fists as I remembered the scenes from that night.
“That’s hardcore. I’m sorry.” Sweet Pea said with a regretful look in his eyes. I gave him a half smile.
“That’s ok.” I said. We walked a few blocks and arrived at this really beautiful retro diner called Pop’s. Before we entered Sweet Pea’s phone rang and we stopped at the front door.
“I need to do something… Jughead’s here already, you can meet him. Ok?” He said, waving me goodbye and crossing the street. I felt anxious. They were all kind to me for no reason at all and now I wondered if Jughead was here to send me away.
As I entered Pop’s I felt like I was back in time. Like it was straight out of a movie scene, that place was beautiful, full sixty’s style, playing Rihanna’s ‘Love on The Brain’ in an old-school jukebox. And there, waiting for me at the counter was Jughead, sipping a black coffee and reading something in his phone. When he heard the bell ring he turned around to see me.
I held my breath and looked deep in his blue eyes.
There, under the diner’s neon lights, for the first time in my life someone looked at me like I had something worthy to admire.
To be continued...