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“I have a strangle feeling, an inkling that there may be something seriously wrong with me. I must look crazy, absolutely crazy but believe me, I feel even crazier than I look. And I can’t imagine that I look anything near normal right now.”
She let out a dry chuckle before continuing on with a sense of irony and bitterness in her voice.
“I’m never wrong, am I? I’m too perfect for that. I just want to be wrong for once in my life. For you to tell me that I’m fine, that I’m letting my mind run away from me. Please, let me be wrong.”
She begged, her voice barely a whisper as the tear drops began to trickle down her cheeks.
A deafening silence followed her words, and she knew what the doctor would say before he had released the words from him lips.
“I’m sorry. You weren’t wrong this time.”
For the first time since she had entered the room, Betty took a minute to look around. A way to stall from digesting the information she had just received. The bombshell that was sure to shake her entire world.
The room that was host to her and the doctor was small and quaint, with the only furniture being a few measly chairs and an examination table. The same table Betty had sat upon only an hour ago, thought it seemed to have been a lifetime.
An eternity since she had felt that sinking feeling in her gut when she stepped into the clinic.
It had begun with the headaches, easily explained by the amount of stress in her life. This being caused by the crushing responsibility she had begun to shoulder lately. Jughead moving schools meant that she was the sole writer for the Blue and Gold. The idea of running the school newspaper was no longer enjoyable for her, not since her partner in crime was no longer there to help her through it. Having her boyfriend at her side gave Betty a strength that had slipped away beginning with Jughead’s absence.
Next was the nausea and vomiting. At first, she had been terrified that she may be pregnant. It would have been horrible timing, and not just because of her being a high school sophomore. Luckily, the arrival of her period had thrown that theory out of the window, yet she was no closer to figuring out what was wrong. Like the headaches, Betty had flagged these new symptom as the flu. After all, it had been going around her school.
Harder to explain was when Betty walked into English class one day and found herself unable to read what was on the whiteboard. Even in her front row seat, the words seemed to blur together. This along with her inability to balance at cheer practice, and her first time forgetting an assignment made it impossible for her to just brush it away. There was something wrong, she could just feel it.
Betty inhaled a sharp breath, the action causing a jolt through her body. She was alive, breathing. Yet she was barely holding on. The idea of a sickness taking over her body seemed to flood her conscience. She could hardly find the strength to breathe, barely catching the doctor tell her about her brain tumour.
Never had she predicted that when she first came to terms with having a darkness inside her, it was anything but metaphorical. It was real, tangible, and killing her silently.
She just couldn’t stop being perfect, could she. The perfect girl next door. Although perfect was no longer the only word that could describe her. Sick was now added to the list.
Without a word to the doctor who was oblivious to her lack of attention, she bolted out of the office. Betty continued her quick pace out of the clinic, not stopping when the receptionist tried to catch her attention. In fact, it was not until she stood outside of Jughead’s foster home that she finally took a deep breath.
As if he could sense her presence, Jughead stepped outside of the house just in time to see his girlfriend distraught and on the verge of a panic attack.
“Betts, what’s wrong? Did something happen to you?” He reached out to her, resting a hand gently on her arm.
That was all it took for Betty to completely crumble, sinking into her boyfriend’s embrace. Sobs began to rack her body as Jughead stroked her hair. He didn't question her, instead allowing her to let out all of her pent up emotions.
As they stood there, clinging onto each other as if their lives depended on it, Betty felt herself begin to relax for the first time in weeks.
She was still sick, but that didn’t matter. The only important thing was that Jughead was here for her. She would be ok.