The Country Club wants exactly what Betty was expecting when they pulled up, her face falling as she wished she'd not forgotten her keys inside. Breaking and entering into the club didn't exactly sound like the best plan, the girl wanting to keep her clear record in tact instead of getting in trouble for this. She still got out of Jeremiah's car, all of them talking amongst themselves as they approached the front. She thought it was super unfortunate she'd left her keys inside, knowing that tomorrow she'd have to call someone to get in there. She couldn't spend the whole summer locked out of her house.

Betty wasn't the only one skeptical about the plan, Steven asking Jeremiah if he was sure about this. They could get in trouble for this, even though half of them were members. Betty's family were even donors in the club, but that status still didn't give her free reign.

"Alright...here we go." Jeremiah said, pulling an employee card out of his wallet.

"You kept that?" Steven asked, looking at him like he was crazy for still having it. Jeremiah pressed it against the scanner but it didn't seem to be working, the boy trying it again.

"The perks of not cleaning out your wallet." Betty was stood as far away from Conrad as she could be, the girl not exactly wanting to be around him at the moment. He had done what he always did, and she knew now that he had no right to make her feel guilty for not wanting to kiss him. She had a boyfriend...she wanted to be a good girlfriend this time around. And then for him to turn around and say she didn't care—it almost made her want to go back to Brown and leave this whole mess alone.

"What if there's someone in there?" Belly said, Betty quickly answering as she stood to the right of Cam.

"We go to jail." Jeremiah let out a huff, shaking his head and quickly speaking over her.

"It's been closed for hours and there's never any night guards. We're good." He wasn't too convincing, the boy pressing his card to the scanner again. It declined it for about a 5th time, Jeremiah smack the card against it out of frustration. "Shit."

"Not a great plan." Skye said, snorting a little bit after as Jeremiah turned to look at them. Betty shook her head, taking a step forwards and reaching to out her hand on Jeremiah's shoulder. "It's from Avengers. RDJ."

"I understood that reference." Cam said, Betty internally cringing at the moment before looking back to Jeremiah. Not the best timing.

"Can you guys, like, not? For just two seconds?" Jeremiah said, Betty finally being tired of waiting to speak and just doing it.

"Listen...I'll call my dad and try and get him to wake up and turn the alarm off on his phone and then Steven can push me through the kitchen window. It's no big deal." She proposed, knowing now that she knew how bad his option was that she might as well just take the extra measures to get inside her own house. "I don't know if getting in trouble for this is worth it."

"When did you become such a scaredy-cat?" Conrad said from behind the girl, her head immediately snapping to him.

"I'm sorry could you not fucking comment on anything that has to do with me right now? I don't want to hear your shit." The small group fell dead silent at her very serious comment, the taunting smile on Conrad's face immediately falling. Steven and Jeremiah shared a look, the two of them not entirely sure what that was about considering Betty and Conrad had been all buddy buddy earlier. There was an awkward silence and then Jeremiah pressed the key card against the thing again, the beep of it making her pull her hand from his shoulder. "Fuck this I'm calling my dad."

"Uh...we can just use my moms key code." Cam said, pulling the group attention from Betty's snap at Conrad to him.

"Wait are you sure? Your mom?" Belly asked, Betty pursing her lips as she knew she had caused a little scene. But she was tired of the mood swings and the constant berating if she didn't seem 100% there for him every second. It was exhausting trying to stay on his good side. Conrad was a lot of things, and mean was one of them. He said a lot of shit he didn't really mean—it got him in trouble.

"Yeah, it's fine. She's the manager at the restaurant here so..." Cam moved past them all, heading towards the keypad and pressing some buttons.

"I mean...wouldn't she get in trouble though if like someone checked the logs?" Skye asked, Cam quick to shut that down.

"No,no. She works the randomest hours so that alone shouldn't raise any red flags. So long as we don't make a mess like at all...should be good." Cam said giving them all a pointed look before pulling the door open.

"They won't even know we're here. Thank you for not being on that whale boat Cam Cameron."  Jeremiah said, leading the group inside. They all filed in and thanked Cam, Betty being the last one in and giving him a pay on the shoulder.

"Thanks Cam. I really appreciate this." She wanted his to feel appreciated, she felt he was underplaying the situation. If they got caught this would all be on him...and on his mom. "Are you sure?"

"Well...too late now." He said, ushering her inside. She figured he was right as Jeremiah called into the foyer, trying to see if anyone else was present. He hit the lights soon after, Taylor being the first one to talk after Cam shut the door, his eyes scanning outside one more time before he just accepted his fate.

"So what do we do now?"

"Ugh. Could we scavenge for food? I need something in my system other than sugar." Skye said, the memory of the boardwalk feeling so far away now. At the mention of food Betty felt her stomach shift, but she felt too paranoid to go raid the place for food.

"Yeah, allow me to escort you to the kitchen." Cam said, Jeremiah inching across the room towards Betty who looked wildly uncomfortable with being here.

"Actually wait. Can I come with you? I have really specific snack requirements." Taylor said, Steven immediately stopping her.

"Uh-uh, Taylor. No, you're coming with me. Well fashion like blankets out of like curtains and some shit." Their loudness pulled the attention and gave Jeremiah the perfect opportunity to bump Betty's shoulder, the girl looking up at him in confusion. His eyebrows were furrowed and he only looked in Conrad direction, Betty knowing exactly what he was asking. She only barely shook her head, telling him everything he needed to know. No they weren't okay, no she wasn't okay, yes something had happened, yes she was mad at him, yes she had hurt his feelings, yes he had hurt hers. He nodded a little and then wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side and almost pressing a kiss to the side of her head. It struck his as an option but he withheld, instead pressing his cheek against her hair and then letting her go. This was no unnoticed by Conrad.

Of course Jeremiah was siding with Betty. Conrad had done nothing wrong and Jeremiah chose against him. It was always the same. Whatever weird fascination that Jeremiah had with Betty always went in her favor, even when she was wrong. At least he thought she was wrong.

Taylor stalked away after Steven, Cam and Skye already gone. The only people left were Conrad, Belly, Jeremiah, and Betty. Probably the worst group of people to be left. There was complete silence for a whole minute before Jeremiah pulled Betty with him, the boy making his way towards a hallway.

"Alright I think I know a place we could sleep for the night. We're gonna go check it out. You want to come?" Jeremiah didn't give Betty a choice, his words directed towards Conrad and Belly. Betty hoped Conrad would refuse, she didn't want to be around him at the moment. Luckily he said no, Belly telling them she would catch up with them soon. Jeremiah pulled Betty hurriedly down the hallway, switching his grip from her shoulders to her hand, his heartbeat accelerating as he knit their fingers together.

"Where are we going?" Betty asked, Jeremiah pulling her through the hall and into a little side room.

"I just need a minute." He said, pulling a seat back from a computer and sitting down in it. Betty followed his lead, taking a seat and letting herself relax for a moment. They sat there in silence for a few moments, Jeremiah just looking at her as she stared at the ceiling, the boy studying her as she tried to relieve some of her stress. He was surprised by the urge he got to be closer to her, the boy rolling his chair across the floor and towards her. His knee going between her two legs and making her look back at him. "What was that all about?"

Betty let out a deep sigh, the girl leaning against the desktop as she held her head up with her hand. She recounted the night, the day, how quickly things could get bad. She closed her eyes for a second before she let out another sigh, Jeremiah figuring something must've been up.

"I don't know. It's all so—fucked up. Mentally I can't—I'm glad you took me with you because I know if he got the chance he would use it to piss me off."

"Seems like he already did." Jeremiah said, not very amused by the fact that his brother is always the source of her anger.  There was only one reason why he could get to her like that. They both knew it.  It was relieving to have this moment to breathe though, Jeremiah being there for her in a way that only he could.  He was sweet and he listened and she appreciated that he didn't expect anything of her like the others did. Steven expected her to  be the Conrad whispered, Belly expected her to be in some competition and everyone else just wasn't close to her the way Jeremiah was. It was nice to have a friend. A real one.

"I'm just done with it Jere. I'm done. I'm exhausted. He is...he's exhausting. He's been doing this shit to me for—" Jeremiah felt his heart drop when he actually saw her eyes get teary, the girl quickly pulling it under control but the action not missed. "—ever. Ever since we broke up the first time all he's done is this bullshit. Ever since I got back."

"Hey...it's okay. Let's talk about something else. I don't want to make you upset." She nodded quickly, his hand resting on her knee  and making a chill go down his spine at the contact.

"Are you...how are you? I know today was a shock. I'm sorry." Jeremiah felt like he'd been punched when he was reminded of what had happened, his head shaking slightly as his eyes were glued to the fabric covering her stomach.

"I don't—I don't want to talk about that either." He said, and she apologized lowly, not sure what to talk about then. She dropped her hand onto his that was resting on her knee, the boy looking up at her at the contact and feeling like someone was squeezing his organs because of the way it felt to be touched by her.

"I'm sorry. I just want to make sure you're okay." And the way she said it so genuinely made him only fall deeper into whatever infatuation this was, his eyes dropping too curiously to her lips. Betty didn't notice, her eyes glazed over in thought as Jeremiah spoke.

"I appreciate how much you care about me. It means a lot." He was grasping for something she didn't recognize, her shoulder shrugging as she answered.

"Of course. You're one of the most important people in the world to me. You always have been." His fingers twisted and he interlocked their fingers, Betty not thinking too much of it. He soaked up her words like water, his mind going blank and one tracked as he fought back a smile. The vibe had changed significantly and he almost couldn't believe the sentimentality and romance that he was picking up on.

"I feel...the same. You're also really important to me. I think about—if I'm honest you're on my mind a lot. Am I...on yours?" She looked a million miles away, the girl not even looking at his face but instead his chest, Jeremiah just chalking it up to nerves as things seemed to change between them.

"Yeah. I do think—" It was the worst thing that could possibly happen, Betty being cut off mid sentence by Jeremiah's kiss. Her eyes remained open in shock as he did it,  her whole body flooding with dread and an awful sinking feeling. She didn't pull away because she was too stunned, the boy being the one to pull back. She could see it on his face, the satisfaction...the beginnings of a smile. And she couldn't help but feel that burning behind her eyes—she wanted to burst into tears. Not only was she completely not on the same page as him, she knew she would have to let him down in this already sensitive moment. She knew she'd have to hurt his feelings, and she did not want to. She felt like her body shriveled up as he pulled back, and she could see their friendship crumbling before her eyes as she pushed through the shock and chose to react.

In a moment of weakness and overwhelm she did exactly what she needed, bursting into tears on the spot. Jeremiah's eyes immediately widened and he  reached for her, Betty pushing out of  her chair with a serious momentum, the girl running out of the room before Jeremiah could even  comprehend what had happened. He'd never had that reaction to a kiss before. It didn't seem to strike him in his delusion that she didn't like the kiss, the boy assuming something else had made her cry, leading him to stay in his seat knowing that he needed to comprehend his emotions after he'd sealed their budding romance with a magical kiss.

Betty hurried down the hallway, the girl using the side of her hand to wipe at her wet eyes as she tried to see where she was going. She was sobbing, she didn't know why she was crying so hard or what she couldn't seem to suck it up, but she knew it had something to do with the fact that she had happened to be so very wrong about how someone she thought was her only friend really valued her.  It hurt much more than she'd admit, knowing that he didn't see her as a friend at all, knowing he's taken everything they'd been through and  thought it was enough to  throw away. She also wasn't a fan of his timing...of the way that she'd been so upset and he thought it was the perfect opportunity to kiss her. She didn't understand boys at all. But she knew this feeling in her chest, the feeling that everything was ruined. It's been growing and festering there since she heard about Susannah, and not it seemed to pop like a balloon and spread all over everything inside of her.

In her state she didn't even notice the way she stumbled past none other than Conrad, the girl knowing exactly where to go to seek some solace. He looked up from his spot and saw her auburn hair, he heard her gasping sobs, and he knew he couldn't leave it alone. Of course he couldn't leave it alone.

"Betty?" He said as if he wasn't part of the cause. As if they weren't fighting again. When she heard his voice she wanted to scream, she wanted to escape the both of them—all of them, her eyes squeezing shut as he reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Don't touch me." She said in a venomous tone, the boy taking in the state of her. Jeremiah's kiss felt like a betrayal, and it fueled the negative feelings she had towards Conrad too. He lifted his hand from her arm, the boy speechless by the way she looked. Her entire face was flushed and  made one of those childish breaths, the ones where you'd gasp for air.  She took off towards the racquetball room, her heartbeat so frantic in her chest as she sat down against the glass.

She  cried for a few minutes, wishing someone could comfort her the way she needed and then the thought hit her, her stomach knotting as she reached for her phone. She cried as she pressed Jacks contact, waiting for the phone to start ringing as she tried to catch her breath. It was two rings...even thought it was late...two rings and  she heard that drowsy voice that made her fill with relief.

"Hey Bee...how's your night going?" Jack was clearly fresh out of his sleep, the girl swiping at her nose as she tried to think of whether or not she wanted to be honest or pretend nothing was wrong.

"I miss you."

"Mm I miss you too. I was dreaming about you. We were making out." His words made her laugh, her stomach twisting as she realized she'd made the right decision in calling him. She sniffles hard at the end of her small laugh, Jack always so attentive and observant. "Is something wrong?"

"No...I just—I shouldn't have come here. It's too much. I don't think I can handle all of this." She pulled her knees up, pressing her forehead against her knees as she closed her eyes and tried to speak the way she needed to.

"What happened?"

"I thought I was okay enough to be back in this mess but I'm not, and I can't be here. I cant be here anymore. Something about being here now is so...it's lonely." She meant it, and the word described everythjng she truly meant to sum up. Lonely.

"You don't owe anyone anything Betty. Come back here  if you don't want to be there anymore. They'll be okay. You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." She felt the tears leaking down her nose as he said it bad she knew he was right, but she felt a tightness in her chest that told her she couldn't just leave.

"I cant leave...I cant. I have to see it through. I just don't know how I'm gonna get through it."

"You will. There's not much longer. And when you come back I'll be here waiting for you." She nodded against her knees, knowing that the thought of him being there to hold her when she got back was such a fulfilling thought.

"Okay." She said in a tight whisper, Jack quick to  try and reassure her.

"Okay?"

"Okay." She repeated, pushing a hair behind her ear and wiping her eyes again. "I just wish you were here now."

"I know baby...I know. It'll all be okay." She believed him, his words instilling some sort of strength in her. They said their goodbyes and she hung up the phone, the girl spending a good ten minutes recovering from her crying before she went to the restroom and cleaned herself up. She wanted to look  a lot less like she was crying, her stomach still in knots as she finally tried to rejoin the group.

She knew the reckoning was coming, she knew that the big breakdown between Conrad and her and Jeremiah and her would come soon, and it would be the end all be all. But for now she would put on a brave face and suffer through this in hopes of returning back to Jack in one piece.