“You don’t have to.” I twist mine open, the cap hitting the counter.
She hesitates, opens hers, takes a sip, and winces. “Not as bad as I remember.”
I raise an eyebrow. “I’ll take it.”
She shakes her head, her shoulders relaxing a little. Maybe she’s warming up.
I set my bottle down. “You want to talk about it?”
Beth draws in a breath, uncertain. “Where would I even start?”
“Just start.”
She studies the tabletop, tracing the ring left by her bottle. “Clark always seemed too good to be true. My family adored him. He’s successful. Polite. The perfect fiancé.” She looks away. “I wanted to believe it. I ignored the red flags.” Her jaw tightens.“This morning, I caught them. My cousin Stephanie and Clark. In a damn storage closet. Right before the wedding.”
Anger surges. “He’s a coward.”
She lets out a hollow laugh. “Coward. Liar. Take your pick.”
Her expression darkens. “And my family? They’ll probably take their side. Stephanie’s the favorite. I was always the one who played by the rules, kept my head down. Today, I finally did something for myself. That’ll make me the villain.”
“That’s not right.”
She shrugs. “Tell that to them.”
I lean forward, elbows on the table. “You didn’t do anything wrong. And if your family can’t see that, then screw ‘em.”
She blinks, caught off guard.
There’s a knock at the door before either of us can say more.
I exhale. “Pizza.”
I pay Marcy and set the box and knots on the table. Beth hesitates, but the smell is too much, and her stomach rumbles.
She frowns. “Guess I am hungry.”
“Told you.”
For a while, we eat without speaking. Each bite seems to bring her back a little. By the second slice, there’s color in her cheeks.
She widens her eyes. “This is really good.”
I grin. “Best pizza in Riverdale.”
“It’s probably the only pizza in Riverdale,” she counters, with the hint of a smile.
“Well…”
We finish eating, and I clear the plates and rinse them. When I turn around, Beth is lost in thought, fingers picking at the edge of the table.
“You okay?”
She jumps, as if she forgot I was even here. “Yeah. Just…trying to make sense of everything.”
“I’m sure it’s hard.”
She nods, staring at the wall. “I don’t even know what happens now.”
