CHAPTER TEN: Pyscho
MARLA WAS JITTERY ALL OF NEWSPAPER. Betty had kissed her just over thirteen hours ago and they were not far from each other, pretending as if last night didn't happen.
Jughead was there, too, directing people on what and what not to do, although Marla was she sure they were there the same week she started. He laid a hand on Betty's shoulder in a somewhat comforting manner, if the semi-uncomfortable face Betty was making was anything to go by.
"You okay?" Marla mouthed. Betty nodded. Then there was a slight tap against Marla's foot. Oh, so they were playing footsie under the table now. Marla sent the tap back and received a small smile from Betty. "Hey, Jug," Betty started, turning to him, "I'm gonna see if Marla needs help with anything, okay?"
Jughead shrugged. "I dunno. She seems to have it all under control. I don't think she needs any help right now."
"Well, I'm gonna check just to be sure." Betty removed herself from his grasp and went over to Marla's side to hover over her shoulder. "Everything going okay over here?" Her hand was out of view so Jughead couldn't see it hovering over Marla's bralette strap and fiddling with it. "Everything's fine." Marla drew in a partially sharp breath when she felt Betty try to undo the hooks through her shirt. She slapped her hand away, careful to be discreet and not cause a scene.
Betty leaned in when Marla whispered, "What are you doing?"
"I was just trying to fix your bra strap because it seemed a little lopsided."
"Felt more like you were trying to undo it."
"Everything alright?" Jughead asked and they both turned their heads to look at him. They both nodded and Betty's hand quickly unhooked Marla's bralette and Marla let out a gasp of surprise. They all turned to her and she shook her head. "Everything's fine. I just need to head to the bathroom real quick." Marla was out of her seat and out of the door, Betty quick to follow her.
"I need to talk to you," Betty said after Marla closed the stall door. Marla pulled her shirt over her head and began to re-hook her bralette. "You could've just told me that you needed to go to the bathroom. They would've understood because everyone knows that girls travel in groups in order to avoid getting sucked into the Chamber of Secrets. Where'd you even learn to unhook a bra one-handed like that, anyway?"
There was a bit of silence before Betty answered. "I learned it from a video somewhere in case I were to ever hook up with a guy and he wasn't moving fast enough. And I think my mom might've shown me a thing or two before she went batshit."
"Oh, wow. Bad gal Betty Cooper. Might have to teach me that sometime." Marla took her shirt off the hook and put it back on. She opened the stall door and asked, "What'd you want to talk to me about again?"
"You and I need to talk to my dad."
"Your mom gave away your tuition money behind your back because she knew that you wouldn't agree to the 'friendly donation' to the Farm? And now we're visiting your serial killer dad that any psychology student would die to study — horrible pun intended — to sign some papers to get the money back? Why not just forge the signature like your mom did?"
"Wow, you really make my life sound like it's all sunshine and rainbows. You should write my autobiography," Betty commented sarcastically, "and I'm pretty sure I have more integrity than my mother to not forge any signatures."
"You would have had to at least forge a few of them to get half the information you have, Bets."
Betty rolled her eyes, knowing that she was completely right.
When the two were buzzed in, Betty led the way to her father's cell. Hal stood when he saw her and raised his eyebrows out of curiosity when he saw Marla.
"Betty, who's this?" he asked. "Dad, this is Marla. Marla, this is. . .my dad," Betty introduced the two of them to one another. Marla nodded her head to him in acknowledgment. "So," Betty continued, "we're here because I need you to sign something. Mom took out all of my college money and gave it away to the Farm and I need a signature from you saying that you didn't authorize the transaction."
"Why is she here?" Hal pointed a pen at Marla. "She's just here for moral support." Betty sidestepped to protect her. "If you need another favor, just ask but please leave her out of it."
"It's fine, Betty," Marla moved Betty's hand out of the way, "he won't be able to hurt me from behind bars."
"You don't know that," Betty mumbled, loud enough for her to hear. Marla crinkled her brows, and side-eyed Hal for a quick second before turning back to Betty. "If you two are done communicating telepathically, I'd like to sign those papers."
Betty slid them through the little box along with a pen so Hal could take them. He was quick to sign them and was about to pass them over to Betty before he snatched them back. "Before I give you these, I want a favor."
"Name it." Betty crossed her arms. Hal leaned over and gave a quick leer to Marla. "No," Betty shook her head, "I said no favors from her."
"Then I guess you won't be getting any of your money back." Hal shrugged in a too bad, so sad manner. "What do you want?" Marla spoke up. Betty turned around to argue but Marla gave her a look that made her close her mouth before she could open it. She still had a worrying look in her eyes, though. "I wanna know what's under that pretty, little shirt of yours." Hal's request was sordid but it wasn't anything Marla was new to, unfortunately.
"I'll do you one better." Marla reached around her back and unclasped her bralette. She got her arms free from the straps and pulled it out from under her shirt. Betty could only look on in disgust and horror as Marla slid the garment through the box. "Good thing it was the least of my favorites. Well, it is now, anyway. Come on, Betty."
Betty retrieved the signed papers and they made their way out of the prison. "You didn't have to do that, you know," said Betty as they got into her car. "And of all things! Why that? You're better than that, Marla."
"I'm really not." Marla sat back in the chair for a little bit before sighing. "I wish I was, though. But then I wouldn't be the badass I am if I didn't have any childhood trauma."
"You know you don't have to put yourself through anything traumatic just to get labeled 'badass.'" Betty touched her knee affectionately.
"But that's how all the greatest heroes are made."
"Well, you're a hero to me. That's gotta count for something." Betty and Marla looked at each other for quite some time before Betty leaned in to kiss her. Marla climbed over and sat on Betty's lap because it only made sense that she sit there because she was smaller. "Bets, we're in a prison parking lot where anyone can see us and I'm not wearing a bra." Marla pulled back, out of breath.
"You're right, we should go."
"So, now what?" In Marla's mind, the question sounded like it was alluding to her and Betty so she decided to clarify. "Now that you've got the papers, what's the next step?"
"Now we need to find a way to snap my mom out of this Farm trance," said Betty. They were sitting in the car in front of Betty's house because they both had homework to do and decided to come back to her house to do it. "Come on. That homework's not gonna finish itself."
They got out of the car and walked up the steps to Betty's house holding hands.
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