Betty Graham was standing at the back of Conrad's car, a frown on her face as she began to pull a very large case of beers from the back. She let out a huff as she held it, her eyes holding a glare as she struggled past Conrad who was coming back to grab his own case.

"Let me—"

"Don't—stop!" He was attempting to pull it from her arms, Betty tired of his continued attention and his unfair mood swings. She ripped her arms away from him and carried it towards the house, her scowl making him step back like he was burned by it. So far Stevens plan was only making her more angry at him.

Betty hurried into the house, sitting the case on the countertop and intercepting the conversation between Skye and Belly and Taylor.

"Externally imposed societal expectations of 'normal' have no effect on me. That being said I've decided I am ready and willing and would like to know what to do with the various parts of my mouth when it meets another mouth."

"Wait wait wait...what are we talking about?" Betty said, a horrified look on her face with the conversation she'd walked into.

"Skyes never kissed anyone." Taylor said, Betty letting out a small oh as she realized the context of the conversation. She shrugged, turning away from them and moving the case to the counter behind them all.

"It's not that hard...when it happens it'll end up being like no big deal." Betty said, her voice hesitant as she said it. Her first kiss hadn't been no big deal...actually it had been the biggest deal and unfortunately the decision to have it was still haunting her today. The stupid shit a bunch of 13 year olds do in an attempt to act older.

She scurried out of the kitchen as Belly began to breakdown kissing, including what it was like to kiss Conrad. Betty wanted to be as far away from that conversation as she could, she didn't need to hear it...she already knew what kissing both Jere and Conrad was like. Oh she could not wait to get drunk.

Betty headed back outside and caught Jeremiah and Conrad in a low volume conversation, the two of them out of plain sight but still noticeable enough by the trunk of the car. Betty  wasn't going to lie...the way she was feeling right now—she didn't have a single care about what they were talking about. More than anything she wanted this week to be done, she wanted to be done...for everyone to go home and let her rest and relax in the confines of her empty house. And then she remembered who was at her empty house...making it a lot less empty.

Betty took a few quick step towards the trunk and cleared her throat, the two boys both looking at her. Conrad with his straight face and his tortured eyes and Jeremiah with confusion and doubt.

"I'm going to check on Jack. I'll be back in a bit." She attempted to quickly turn away but she was cut off by words.

"Actually I was wondering if we could talk..." Jeremiah said, his face now holding some nervousness. Conrad was looking to him with an almost disgusted look, his mask of carelessness being the only thing to hide it. He hadn't forgotten about Jeremiah's infatuation and attempt at winning Betty over...this definitely reminded him all about it. His eyes shifted to Betty and he waited for her reply, her eyes cold and tired.

"I don't really want to talk right now Jeremiah. I just want to go see Jack." She said with just enough power to push both of the boys down. Conrad had managed to fuck up the plan with Steven already but he knew the boy would want him to double down and commit, even though he felt like it was going to be pointless and lead to nothing but more endless fighting. If he was being honest, this endless attempt to try and get her back with him with a very welcome distraction from the darkness he was facing within, and he knew that if he didn't get it right soon...he'd fall over that ledge and spiral into it. Jeremiah felt like he'd been kicked in the stomach because him and Betty had so much unresolved conflict to speak about, and after she had been avoiding him like the plague since their kiss he was starting to wonder if maybe he'd read the situation wrong. Betty turned away from the both of them and headed towards her house, cutting through the gap between their houses and quickly heading to the porch. She was surprised to see Jack sitting there, the boy rocking back and forth with a far away expression on his face. He was staring into the yard, his hands clasped over her stomach as he seemed to just really be thinking.

"Hi baby." Betty greeted, feeling a warmth when she saw him there. He was a safe haven from the confusion and irritating emotions she felt away from him...and deep down she was glad that he was there. Except when he looked up at her his face did not soften and his eyes did not light up. And she noticed this but didn't comment.

"Where'd you go?" He said, and she furrowed her eyebrows before she realized he must've seen her leave in the car.

"We went to the gas station and got alcohol and then we went to the party store to get decorations." She explains, her lips closing tightly as he nodded his head, still staring out at the yard. She now could tell something was wrong, but she hoped she was just being paranoid or dramatic. She really didn't want to do this right now. But he wouldn't look at her, and so she bit, her face falling further as she spoke. "What's wrong?"

He let out a short sigh and then shook his head, looking up at her like she's done something wrong when she knew for a fact she hadn't. At least not since he'd been there.

"I don't know if I can handle this actually." She wasn't sure what he meant, her arms crossing over her chest as she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Handle what?"

"I thought being here would make me feel better about you being here, but the more I watch it, the more I sit in it and really just pay attention the more I realize that I don't stand a chance. I mean, your initials are carved into the windowsill, there are pictures of him all over your room, your window looks directly into his. It's a tough act to follow Betty. I don't know what to do." This was the most genuinely  worried she'd ever heard him, but she didn't like his words, and he sounded like he was gearing up to let her down. She hurried over to him quickly, going into fight or flight mode at the tone of his voice.

"Do you think that if I still wanted him, that I would be with you?" She asked genuinely, and he could see the honesty behind her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she didn't want it, she really didn't want to lose him.

"If you're trying to prove a point. If you're trying to hurt him like he hurt you. If you're—"

"You think I would just use you like that?" She said, not enjoying this side of him that wasn't confident in himself. He looked back at her and quickly spoke, her chest clenching at his words.

"You used me for a good few months before you finally decided you wanted to be with me again." She paused at his claim, her lips tightening into a frown as she realized he was genuinely hurt, and just like any man...his words aimed to hurt her. She sat back from where she'd crouched in front of him, her knees pulling to her chest before she looked up at him, wanting nothing more than to just rewind time and never come on this rescue mission.

"I really don't know what you want me to say Jack. I love you, I'm with you because I want you—because I choose to be with you. If I wanted to be with Conrad then I would be with him. But I don't, and I'm not. And if that's not good enough for you...I'm tired of having to prove myself to people. You either believe me or you don't, and that's it." It was probably the most honest thing she could muster, and it was frank but she appreciated how direct it was. At this point in time she was too tired for all of this, she was drained from this week and from fighting with Conrad and fending off Jeremiah and trying to be there for people she didn't even remember how to be there for. If he wanted to leave then she would let him, he would walk away and she would sit there and cry, but she was done chasing.

"I think I just need some time to process this. I love you, Betty. I want this to work. I want to be with you and I want to marry you one day. But I don't know if I can sit in all this tension and  be okay with it. Maybe I just need some—"

"Space?" She finished, and she felt the warmth in her fade as she realized he was asking for a break. Again she reminded herself to go against her natural instinct to resist, to make things right here and to respect what he was asking.  She didn't know if she could take a break from him. She was almost sure if they took a break,  that she would never want him the same as she did right now. "You want to take a break? Because of Conrad?"

"I want to take a break because of me. This is too much. I don't want to get jealous and lash out at him and ruin things." At least if he lashed out or got jealous it would seem like he actually cared. For the first time since she'd met Jack, she hated him. She hated him for silently letting go instead of fighting for her. She hated him for moving from the chair and sitting down beside her on the ground, and she hated him for silently sitting there, taking in the moment before he did irreparable damage to their relationship.

They sat there for a little while and he looked at her, and at the yard, and at the porch and then back to her until finally he ran a hand down her back, and he stood. And she didn't say anything, because she knew that if she did it would sound pathetic and desperate and she only acted that way for one person. And then she wondered if he was doing this to prove a point, to see if she would run right back into Conrad's arms. And then she was in her head thinking that maybe she should, just because she was upset. But she knew better than that. She knew she couldn't. She couldn't stand him, she couldn't stand Conrad or Jack.

The sound of the car door closing brought her out of her red tinted thoughts and she didn't cry, she just blinked a few times and watched as he drove away. She stared down at the spot where his car had been and she silently wished he would pull back in and run to her and tell her he was an idiot. Because he was an idiot. And this was just another thing that Conrad Fisher had ruined. She sat there for a good half an hour before she stood from the old porch, making her way back into the house to find something to wear to the party.