Betty's Phobia, chapter 2
<p>Betty was wide awake now. She had almost flipped off the side of her bed when she heard the news. <br />
"Are you serious? You can't be serious!" she cried. She hated him with all her heart and soul but they wouldn't let her stay there alone. She wouldn't be 18 for almost 2 years... She didn't know what to do. She wasn't going to an orphanage. She wouldn't. Not as long as she lived. <br />
"We're telling the truth, ma'am. Now I need you to get out of bed so we can talk," the man told her.<br />
"Wait--talk? What happened to him? Do you think I had anything to do with it?" Betty asked in a hurry. She was frightened he might think she did anything because of her situation. <br />
"No, sweetie, he had a heartattack. I'm just going to talk to you about maybe... Your dads lifestyle, so to speak." Betty was relived to hear this. She was happy for two main reasons. The first one was he died of a natural cause, so she knew they couldn't stick her with anything everyone knows she couldn't have done. The second was that he'd died a painful death.</p>
***
<p>Betty had lived with him since her mother died when she was 12 by a drive-by shooter and justice was never saught. She loved her mother, and it wasn't right that her life was taken for no reason at all. Bettys' father, on the other hand, was always an alcoholic. He was constantly verbally and physically abusing Betty, and she couldn't take it anymore. She was free of the tourment.</p>
***
<p>It was now 12:11 in the afternoon. Betty and 2 officers had arrived at the police station about an hour ago. Betty was sitting in a maroon and grey chair in front of one of the officers sitting at a desk. <br />
"How did you find out about my dad?" she asked. She couldn't help but wonder how they figured it out. The man answered her. <br />
"A solicitor came to your door. She heard the television on inside the house, but no one answered the door. The woman looked into a window and saw your father laying on the floor face down. She panicked and dialed 9-1-1 on her cell phone. Everyone was suprised you slept through it all. <br />
"Yeah... I had a rough night. I needed the sleep," Betty told him. She didn't want to hear what he said to her next.<br />
"Speaking of rough, how'd you get that bruise on your cheek? That must have been pretty painful, eh?" Betty drew in a deep breath and explained it to him.
<br />
"I stayed at school an hour late helping my chemistry teacher clean up a mess my friends and I made. When I got home, my father didn't belive I was at school that whole time so he yelled hurtful things at me and slapped me across the face. He was drinking again. I even saw him with a beer can in his hand." She was relived she had told someone her father had a drinking problem, and she was concerned about it. The only other people that knew were the people he used to work for, and they fired him for it. <br />
"So your dad drinks, right?" <br />
"Yes sir," Betty replied looking down for a second, then back up instantly.<br />
"He has been for as long as I can remember. Like, probably even beofer I was born sir. But most likely not as heavily." The officer didn't look suprised. He saw a few beer cans laying about the house, empty. He asked another question after scribbling something down.<br />
"Has your father hit you ever before, may I ask?"<br />
"Yes sir. Maybe sometimes when he'd been drinking and I'd tell him he shouldn't... Or when someone rings the doorbell and I don't get it at that very second. Usually little things, I guess," Betty once again told him. Thinking back on it, he never really had a reason to hit her. It wasn't her problem he didn't belive her about anything.<br />
The man stopped taking notes and leaned back in his chair. Betty looked down at her hands and started peeling the black nail polish from her thumbnail. That was a bad habbit of hers, especially when she was nervous.<br />
"Okay then... Since your mother is dead and, well, your father is as well... That makes you--" Betty stopped him.<br />
"An orphan," She finished, looking up and pulling on her index finger.<br />
"Not necessarily. I got a hit from a family looking to adopt. The mother is quite nice... They agreed age of the child doesn't matter. If it's alright with you, they're coming to check you out tomorrow," he told Betty. She looked at him suprised.
<br />
"Wow... Already? Perfect timing. Saves me from the difficulty of living in an orphanage till I'm 18." <br />
"Yeah of course. Now listen. They have a son your age. Is that okay?" he asked her. Right now, anywhere with good parenting was all she wanted. Kids would be a plus.<br />
"Of course that's alright!" Betty was suprised he even asked that. He knew how bad her life was with her dead mother and abusive father. She's take anywhere. But at the same time, she worried if she grew too attached, something bad would happen to one of them. After all, look what happened to her mom. <br />
"Great! I'll just call 'em and tell 'em you're ready for them," He told her.
<br />
"Thank you, officer!" she thanked him with a grin. She never thought she'd be this happy. When she stopped thinking about how she was going to be part of a better family, her mind got sidetracked to the pain in her cheek.<br />
"Ow," She kind of whispered, like before. <br />
"What's the matter?"<br />
"Oh nothing... It's just this bruise," She told him.<br />
"Oh, do you want an icepack?" he offered, getting out of his seat and heading for a door.<br />
"No thank you, sir. Thank you for your kindness, though!" She smiled again, noticing the pain, but she didn't say anything.<br />
"It's my job!" he smiled back. She was happy to be with this guy, but excitement was still bubbling within her. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.</p>
"Are you serious? You can't be serious!" she cried. She hated him with all her heart and soul but they wouldn't let her stay there alone. She wouldn't be 18 for almost 2 years... She didn't know what to do. She wasn't going to an orphanage. She wouldn't. Not as long as she lived. <br />
"We're telling the truth, ma'am. Now I need you to get out of bed so we can talk," the man told her.<br />
"Wait--talk? What happened to him? Do you think I had anything to do with it?" Betty asked in a hurry. She was frightened he might think she did anything because of her situation. <br />
"No, sweetie, he had a heartattack. I'm just going to talk to you about maybe... Your dads lifestyle, so to speak." Betty was relived to hear this. She was happy for two main reasons. The first one was he died of a natural cause, so she knew they couldn't stick her with anything everyone knows she couldn't have done. The second was that he'd died a painful death.</p>
***
<p>Betty had lived with him since her mother died when she was 12 by a drive-by shooter and justice was never saught. She loved her mother, and it wasn't right that her life was taken for no reason at all. Bettys' father, on the other hand, was always an alcoholic. He was constantly verbally and physically abusing Betty, and she couldn't take it anymore. She was free of the tourment.</p>
***
<p>It was now 12:11 in the afternoon. Betty and 2 officers had arrived at the police station about an hour ago. Betty was sitting in a maroon and grey chair in front of one of the officers sitting at a desk. <br />
"How did you find out about my dad?" she asked. She couldn't help but wonder how they figured it out. The man answered her. <br />
"A solicitor came to your door. She heard the television on inside the house, but no one answered the door. The woman looked into a window and saw your father laying on the floor face down. She panicked and dialed 9-1-1 on her cell phone. Everyone was suprised you slept through it all. <br />
"Yeah... I had a rough night. I needed the sleep," Betty told him. She didn't want to hear what he said to her next.<br />
"Speaking of rough, how'd you get that bruise on your cheek? That must have been pretty painful, eh?" Betty drew in a deep breath and explained it to him.
<br />
"I stayed at school an hour late helping my chemistry teacher clean up a mess my friends and I made. When I got home, my father didn't belive I was at school that whole time so he yelled hurtful things at me and slapped me across the face. He was drinking again. I even saw him with a beer can in his hand." She was relived she had told someone her father had a drinking problem, and she was concerned about it. The only other people that knew were the people he used to work for, and they fired him for it. <br />
"So your dad drinks, right?" <br />
"Yes sir," Betty replied looking down for a second, then back up instantly.<br />
"He has been for as long as I can remember. Like, probably even beofer I was born sir. But most likely not as heavily." The officer didn't look suprised. He saw a few beer cans laying about the house, empty. He asked another question after scribbling something down.<br />
"Has your father hit you ever before, may I ask?"<br />
"Yes sir. Maybe sometimes when he'd been drinking and I'd tell him he shouldn't... Or when someone rings the doorbell and I don't get it at that very second. Usually little things, I guess," Betty once again told him. Thinking back on it, he never really had a reason to hit her. It wasn't her problem he didn't belive her about anything.<br />
The man stopped taking notes and leaned back in his chair. Betty looked down at her hands and started peeling the black nail polish from her thumbnail. That was a bad habbit of hers, especially when she was nervous.<br />
"Okay then... Since your mother is dead and, well, your father is as well... That makes you--" Betty stopped him.<br />
"An orphan," She finished, looking up and pulling on her index finger.<br />
"Not necessarily. I got a hit from a family looking to adopt. The mother is quite nice... They agreed age of the child doesn't matter. If it's alright with you, they're coming to check you out tomorrow," he told Betty. She looked at him suprised.
<br />
"Wow... Already? Perfect timing. Saves me from the difficulty of living in an orphanage till I'm 18." <br />
"Yeah of course. Now listen. They have a son your age. Is that okay?" he asked her. Right now, anywhere with good parenting was all she wanted. Kids would be a plus.<br />
"Of course that's alright!" Betty was suprised he even asked that. He knew how bad her life was with her dead mother and abusive father. She's take anywhere. But at the same time, she worried if she grew too attached, something bad would happen to one of them. After all, look what happened to her mom. <br />
"Great! I'll just call 'em and tell 'em you're ready for them," He told her.
<br />
"Thank you, officer!" she thanked him with a grin. She never thought she'd be this happy. When she stopped thinking about how she was going to be part of a better family, her mind got sidetracked to the pain in her cheek.<br />
"Ow," She kind of whispered, like before. <br />
"What's the matter?"<br />
"Oh nothing... It's just this bruise," She told him.<br />
"Oh, do you want an icepack?" he offered, getting out of his seat and heading for a door.<br />
"No thank you, sir. Thank you for your kindness, though!" She smiled again, noticing the pain, but she didn't say anything.<br />
"It's my job!" he smiled back. She was happy to be with this guy, but excitement was still bubbling within her. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.</p>
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