Chic Cooper did not know when enough was enough . Honestly, he was giving Betty a damn headache with his mocking words and cruel tongue. Her older brother knew a thing or two about hitting her where it hurt, and, as he sent a kick straight to her shin, she fell to the ground, crying out. "Chic! I said sorry !"
"That's not good enough, Elizabeth," he proclaimed, sitting down on her knees and shoving her face into the carpet. She struggled futilely against him, but she knew it was no use. He had her truly cornered.
Just then Alice Cooper walked in. "Charles, get off your sister, and Betty, be a dear and set the table."
Chic grumbled but got off his sister and Betty went to go set the table like her mother had asked. Alice only liked asking questions once. She pulled down plates and glasses; got utensils and napkins to set around the plates. Chic was still grumbling when he walked into the kitchen a moment later. "She started it."
"I said sorry," Betty snapped.
Her brother had always been a bully. Had always put a target on her back and shot it at the bullseye. But she hadn't ever learned what she had done to deserve it. It started after their dad, Hal Cooper, had died. Hal wasn't the nicest man by any means, but he was nicer than Alice. Where Alice expected perfection from all three of her children, Hal expected love. So, they were a dutiful family. Perfect grades. Perfect jobs. Perfect lives.
Except, oh yeah, they weren't.
Chic liked to hit for the hell of it because he had a problem with his temper and couldn't take it out on his parents. Polly was blissfully unaware of what went on in their house; she was always out with Chuck Clayton. And Alice...perhaps Alice was the cruelest of them all. Betty's mom simply turned a blind eye when it happened to her daughter. Told her to put some foundation on and to, "cover the bruises, for heaven's sake, Elizabeth! We wouldn't want the neighbors to worry."
No, mother, we wouldn't want that.
C hic hadn't always been a dick. Just when their dad died when he was fourteen and Betty was ten. Something snapped inside of him. And Betty usually met her demise in the form of his fists. Just then, their front door was kicked in, Betty screamed as officers converged on them. "Get down on the floor now! NOW!"
Betty dropped to the ground, with Chic following suit, and Alice wailed as they slapped handcuffs on her. Betty was trembling. "Wait! Wait, you cannot arrest my mom! She didn't do anything wrong!"
"Betty," came a soft voice, and Betty turned her head, realizing there were two guys, around her age, standing off to the side in jackets emblazoned with Serpents. She swallowed thickly, staring at them.
"Who the hell are you?" Betty demanded.
The taller of two walked up to her, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"The name is Sweet Pea Peabodoy, and I'm taking you home."
Betty slumped to the floor in fright, the last thing she was aware of was the guy in the beanie catching her. Then it all went black.