Chapter 416: Unlikely friends
In a different part of the city...
Bettie had gotten up early that morning to prepare breakfast for her father and brother before they left for work.
She was currently making pancakes and a few other things, arranging them neatly on plates as the sounds of movement from the rest of the house gradually reached the kitchen.
A few minutes later, her father came out fully dressed for work, with her brother following behind him. He was ready to leave, and was taking little Mylo along with him.
"Wait." Bettie quickly stepped away from the kitchen table. A smile appeared on her face as she looked between them. "I thought we could have breakfast together this morning."
Her father stopped and turned in her direction. Then he narrowed his eyes slightly at her clothes before returning to her face.
"Why aren’t you ready for work, Elizabeth?"
Bettie’s smile faltered. She opened her mouth, trying to find the right words, but nothing came out.
Her father watched her for a moment before asking. "You got fired, didn’t you?"
She then lowered her gaze and gave a nod.
Her father sighed. "Alright."
He glanced towards the breakfast she had prepared before looking back at her. "I’m fine. I don’t have to eat anything this morning."
He turned and began walking towards the door.
Hearing those words genuinely hurt her deeply that her face immediately flushed as she watched her father walk away.
She lowered her head, trying to keep herself composed.
Her brother stood there for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.
Then his attention got called away by his father, who had already reached the doorway. "Come on, Mylo."
Her brother looked back at Beatrice. Then his eyes moved towards the small plate she had prepared for him.
He then walked over to the kitchen table and picked it up.
"Sis..." Mylo began. "Is it okay if I take mine with me?"
Beatrice forced a smile onto her face and nodded. "Of course."
Her brother smiled a bit before turning and following their father out.
Beatrice watched them disappear. The forced smile lingered on her face for a few seconds, before she sighed, her expression falling as frustration slowly crept back in.
——
Later that morning, at the Arcorys Residence...
By this time, Hayley had already returned from Ethan’s place and was fully dressed, preparing to head out.
But the guard at the gate had informed her that someone had arrived, and when she opened the front door, she found Bettie standing outside.
"Hi." Bettie greeted meekly.
Hayley looked at her for a moment before smiling. "I’m not gonna lie, Liz...this has to be one of the strangest meetups we’ve ever had."
She then noticed the sadness on Bettie’s face almost immediately, which then changed her own expression.
"Wait. Come in, come in." She said, stepping aside to allow Bettie into the house before closing the door.
"Do you want some coffee?" Hayley asked.
Bettie nodded. "Yeah."
"Alright. Give me a minute."
Hayley went into the kitchen and returned shortly afterwards with a hot cup of coffee, handing it to Bettie before taking a seat nearby.
She stared at her curiously. "Okay...what’s going on?"
Bettie lowered her eyes towards the cup in her hands. "I’m sorry. I know it’s kind of unusual for me to just show up like this."
"You don’t have to worry about that." Hayley waved it off. "It’s fine. Just tell me what’s wrong."
Bettie hesitated. "I just...I didn’t really know who else to talk to."
"Lucy is at work, and I’m not even sure about going to see her there ." Bettie sighed. "I just didn’t want to stay at home."
"I know this is probably weird."
"It isn’t." Hayley cut in, leaned back to relax a bit, then added. "You can talk to me."
Bettie nodded.
The two of them weren’t particularly close, but they weren’t strangers either. They had spoken several times and exchanged messages every once in a while.
Their relationship had gradually developed into something close friendship, even if neither of them would have described it that way.
For Bettie, however, the distinction did not exactly matter this morning.
She didn’t have many people she could go to, for situations like this. And staying alone with her thoughts was eating at her.
So she chose to come here.
At the very least, she wanted to sit somewhere she didn’t have to feel like shit for a little while.
Bettie went on to explain how uncomfortable things had become at home. She no longer knew how to navigate around her own family, especially with her father giving her the cold shoulder.
Even her brother had been affected by the general mood in the house, leaving Bettie unsure of how to handle that situation either.
"I just...don’t know how to deal with any of this." Bettie admitted. "I don’t know what I’m supposed to do."
Hayley listened quietly for a moment, then said bluntly. "From what you’re telling me, your father sounds like a judgmental fuck."
Bettie’s eyes widened.
Hayley immediately raised a hand. "Hey, I’m sorry, but the truth is the truth, my dear."
"Besides, why is he giving you so much shit over this? Isn’t he an Awakened too? Has he never used his powers against someone else?"
Bettie sighed. "Not everyone uses their powers for violence. My father is one of those people. He raised us that way, so...I understand why he’s disappointed."
Hayley nodded, and after a moment of thought, she continued. "I don’t know if i’m the best person to give you advice on this, but I’m going to tell you something anyway."
She leaned forward slightly. "You did what you had to do. That’s it."
"Had you not acted when you did, it would’ve been Valerie instead. Would you have preferred that?"
Bettie immediately shook her head.
"My point exactly." Hayley said. "Now let me ask this. If someone came after you and your brother, wouldn’t your father use those same powers to defend both of you?"
Bettie nodded. "He would."
"And if the person he used those powers against ended up dying while he was protecting you two, would you and your brother suddenly look at him differently?"
Bettie shook her head.
"Exactly." Hayley leaned back again. "I think your father is being unnecessarily judgmental."
"Yeah, I know Valerie isn’t your family." Hayley added. "But when someone you care about is in danger, you don’t suddenly stop and decide how far you’re allowed to go simply because they’re a friend instead of family."
She shrugged.
"You chose to save her because she needed someone to step in. That’s the most important thing. You weren’t thinking about whether she was family or a friend. You saw someone you cared about in danger, and you acted."
Bettie listened for a while, then nodded. It went quiet between them both for another minute or two, until Hayley took the opportunity to chip this in.
"I know you’re not exactly on the best terms with the Stark household right now, but you should know something. They hold you in a lot more regard than you know."
"If something were to happen to you tomorrow, Ethan and everyone in that house would stop at nothing to make sure whoever was responsible paid for it."
Hayley paused, allowing her words to sink in.
"You might look at all of it, and think that maybe you’re always being used by them or you’re taking a fall on their behalf. But that’s not how they see it."
"They’re just as indebted to you as you are to them. In fact, I’d say they owe you for a whole lot."
She gave Bettie a smile.
"So don’t ever convince yourself that you’re just someone who keeps doing things and taking risks for the Stark family. You’ve earned your place in their hearts, and they care about you more than you know."
Bettie remained thoughtful for a moment, her expression still carrying some of the sadness.
Eventually, she raised her head and gave a nod. "I should probably talk to Ethan."
Hayley smiled. "Yeah. As a matter of fact, I was just heading out. I’ll take you to him if you want."
Bettie nodded. "Alright."
The both then got up and headed out together.
——
A/N: Hey Guys! I’m sorry I couldn’t meet up with more Chapters again today. It’s been a hard few hours.
I see the tickets and the stones, and i thank you for all of them. I promise I’ll make up for all of it