Baby love, I think I've been a little too kind Didn't notice you walking all over my peace of mind In the shoes I gave you as a present Puttin' someone first only works when you're in their top five And by the way, I'm going out tonight

Best believe I'm still bejeweled When I walk in the room I can still make the whole place shimmer And when I meet the band They ask, "Do you have a man?" I can still say, "I don't remember" Familiarity breeds contempt Don't put me in the basement When I want the penthouse of your heart Diamonds in my eyes I polish up real, I polish up real nice

June 2022. | Graduation

Betty is counting down the days, hours, and minutes till the end of the school year. There are only six weeks and three days left. Veronica won't speak to her. Jughead won't even look at her, Veronica won't approach her, and Archie won't approach her.

Yale calls. They will not let her in, and the same goes for Jug. It would seem that Yale does not look favorably on a candidate who missed several weeks of school during their senior year (and, if she's being really honest, has attended classes on a schedule that, at best, might be described as intermittent over the preceding two years). It should come as no surprise that college applications from high school game shows do not make it into the Ivy League.

Then, though, the admissions office at USC Sunnydale called. She has submitted her application but is still awaiting a response.

They provide her with the opportunity to participate in their Law | Journalism, and she takes it without any reservations. It's a way out, and she tries to think of anything other than working on their own murder board puzzles.

July 2022. | On The Way To Sunnydale.

Betty has seen the near-death of her then-boyfriend, but despite the look of those around her indicating that they think she will collapse any minute now, she has not broken down. She shot her father without shedding a tear during the game once she pulled the trigger. At this point, she thinks that maybe her tear ducts are too proud to break for anybody or anything and that this is why she cannot cry.

As the daughter of the Black Hood goes about her business wearing a flowing tunic and gathering her books, no one says a word about the daughter of the Black Hood. To this point, all that has been established about her is that she is a student, and the role seems nearly suited to her.

As soon as she enters college, high school will seem like a distant memory to her. She will most likely live far away from her family in a dorm, with her father being a distant memory and others unaware of who he is.

August 2022. | Dorm Room.

She found words, but they were no less vitriolic as she recalled the details of the very recent and very brief phone call she'd ended only moments before. She had taken refuge in her dorm room for the remainder of the day after being set up with her Netflix password and have full access to whatever snacks she had in the refrigerator. Unpacking was the first step in her transition to college life.

Betty kicked off her shoes and leaped onto the bed as she rested her head back against the wall for support. Together, they sat side by side, facing the remainder of the little and rather sad stretch of her room that she had tried to decorate over top of beige cinder-block walls. After taking a few deep breaths, Betty heaved a sigh as she leaned over and ripped the bag of chips away from the table where it had been left open.

She huffs as she stuffs the handful of chips into her lips while simultaneously raising the fistful to her mouth. She eats attentively for a while, the loud crunching of the chips providing her some feeling of pleasure for her frustrations until she eventually musters the courage to turn to her left to measure her response. "Am I losing my mind here? Or am I simply an idiot…" Because it was becoming more evident that it might be one of the two or perhaps something worse.