THE AUGUST BETRAYAL

The august betrayal (Inspired by the Love Triangle inside the Taylor Swift album ‘Folklore’)
by Emma Castillo

Betty was never one for foolishness. She carried a trailblazing haze with her, even though she had just finished grade twelve. She always considered herself more mature, more grown up, than those surrounding her. It’s no surprise that everyone at her school admired her. Her statement piece were cardigans, therefore everyone wore cardigans. She was unlike anyone at her high school. Rare as the glimmer of a comet in the sky. She was known, but kind, she wielded power but held politeness in her words.

It wasn't astounding that someone like James, kept his heart close to Betty’s during his last year of highschool. It wasn't an orchestrated plan that allured James to Betty, simply because he just didn't have the ability to calculate so far ahead. He was as half-witted as any other seventeen-year-old boy.

James as opposed to Betty was the one sitting in dark abandoned corners. He was so enthralled by the crowds and praise Betty captivated. He wanted to be a part of her world so badly even if it meant opposing his character and individuality.

Since the pair of teenagers became official, Betty had very clear James wore his love like his outside clothes . She noticed this pretty early on, when declining every hang out, every party. Even on those special occasions where James didn't appear at Betty’s 16 birthday, where she watched the front door meticulously, waiting for James to show. He didn't. Betty was aware it was the idea of her that enchanted James profoundly.

Betty had made peace with that. She convinced herself that where James lacked compassion for her life, he could offer her the adventure and the calmness her life couldn't give her. It went like that for months. They met up in cars at night under streetlights, and those sketchy downtown bars James knew all too well. It was all Betty needed at the time, she focused on her studies and when she wasn't seeing James she was out with friends. She couldn't demand more from James when she didn't want to give up her life for him. James was used to speaking sweet nothings whenever Betty needed those encouraging words. Warm words that wrapped Betty just like another one of her cardigans.

It was at homecoming where Betty implored and tried everything to get James to come to one of her social events. He hated the crowds and Betty knew that. However James also knew that Betty’s tolerance was wearing very thin. The homecoming had started about an hour ago and James, in trying to tolerate Betty’s love, he shook off the dust of his nicest suit and went to homecoming to find Betty.

As he was walking down the hallway to meet the entrance of the gym he could hear faintly in the background “You’re so Vain”, Betty’s favorite song. Finally gaining the courage to enter the gym, the place where all the people from school he claimed he despised were, he spots Betty, almost as if some gravitational force, guided his eyes to her, even all the way across the gym. At first he thinks his eyes deceive him, but the truth was, Betty can't be mistaken. She was dancing with who she claimed to be “just a friend”, everytime James questioned why she sat beside him at math class. Immediately James turned around, and left. No one even noticed he came in the first place.

Walking out of the school with his skateboard in hand, he sits by the curb near the parking lot and pulls out a cigarette. The cigarettes Betty hated so much. The ones James pretended to throw out when Betty told him she loathed the lingering smell of smoke. While in the process of lighting the stick, the ends of a yellow dress step into his view of the floor.

“Smoking is bad, you know” says a woman's voice. “I'm not in the mood” James says without bothering to look out to discover who the girl talking to him is. “It's not about whether you're in the mood or not, it's a fact” the unnamed girl backfires. “What's your name again?” Eventually James gives in the fact that the girl is not going to go. He takes her in for a couple of seconds. He notices how different the girl in front of him is from Betty,yet how alluring she is. Where Betty had chocolate hair, dark skin and deep eyes. The one in front of him had copper hair, pale skin and light eyes. “I never told you my name, that's why. I'm Agustine though” she sat beside him and extended her hand for him to shake. “I’m James” he takes her hand and introduces himself. He and Augustine spent the entirety of the night making small talk. Betty had completely slipped away from James’ mind.

The next day was the first day of summer vacation, which meant James wouldn’t be obliged to confront Betty, not in person at least. Despite the 13 missed calls from Betty he clicked on the freshly new added number from last night.

Making plans with Agustine became the normal for him for the summer. They always met behind the mall. James too ashamed a friend of Betty’s would see him sneaking around with another girl that wasn´t Betty. He had tried calling Betty a few times but realized she probably blocked his number from when he didn’t answer her for a week.

Augustine wasn't sure how she felt about the clandestine meetings with James in trashed parking lots. She was sure of one thing though, she would rather hide and leave all those perfumes on the shelf that she picked out just for him, than not have him at all.

They spent the first weeks, days after days meeting down by the bay, where Augustine would trace James’ back on hours end, until she knew it like the back of her hand. It was well into August when Augustine would cancel all of her plans just in case James’ contact name showed on her phone screen. She was as hopelessly devoted to James as one can be. Even as James tried to hide Augustine as much as he could. Always keeping a hood over his head and lying to his friends about where he really was. Augustine wasn't oblivious to the fact that James and Betty hadn’t broken up formally, but James never mentioned her in front of Augustine. That was fine by her.

One of the last days of summer, Augustine decided to drive by the skatepark James would hang around, just to get a glimpse of him. As Agustine spotted him she rolls her window down and yells at him “James! Get in. Let's drive around.” At this confusion written all over his face, because Augustine has never dared to interact with him in front of anyone else, he obliges nonetheless.

After driving in silence for a couple of minutes James is the first to break the uncomfortable silence. “Look. I know I haven't called you in a while but I’ve just been very confused with the whole situation with Betty. And I care for you a lot, but I just need you to hang on. I’m not ready for a relationship, but I will be eventually.” Augustine hanging onto every word that left his mouth, finally thinking she had what was left of him. “It’s okay, but promise me you'll call me when you're back at school.” she asked with emotion in her voice. “I will. I promise you I will” James said very quietly just for them to hear. “Are you sure?” She had insecurity in her words. “Yes. How about this Saturday I bring a bottle of wine from my parents and we meet between the Methodist and the old school campus, mhm?” James proposed, and it was the last thing Augustine wanted to do. She was tired of hiding and lying, but she couldn’t say no when the summer days were ending. So she agreed.

Saturday came but James didn’t. Augustine stayed parked between the two torned buildings. She didn't call him once. She trusted he would show, but it was deafening silence from James. So at 11 PM she drove back to her house. Just to find it was at Betty’s 17th birthday party where James had been.

Between the Tuesday where James got into Augsutine’s car and Saturday the day of Betty’s party, on Wednesday night, James finally heard the rumors he was so afraid of. It was Inez, a friend of Betty who claimed to have seen James with another girl in the first weeks of summer. Inez was so close to Betty that there was no doubt that was the real reason Betty blocked him. He had been so focused on forgetting Betty with Agustine, that he hadn't even cared to contact Betty and ask for an explanation since the night at the gym . He had heard about Betty’s party, he hadn't planned on going, he had no obligation to go before, he hated those kinds of events or any social event specifically. But he had to come clean to Betty before they had to see each other in person at school.

It was Saturday and James promised himself he would apologize, leave and be on time for the meeting with Augustine. So there he was James at Betty’s front door steps. Since that Wednesday night James had made scenarios of what would happen when they came face to face again. There were endless possibilities. Would Betty even let him come in?Would she be happy to see him again?Would she tell him to go straight to hell? Right now was the last time he could dream about what would happen when she sees him again.

Betty opens the door as if nothing else mattered. James knew instantly Betty was the one he wanted. He was cursing himself how foolish he had been to get lost with Augustine. Augustine was just a summer thing type of girl, Betty was simply the one. Betty had marked James like a bloodstain. Now that the thrill of Augustine and the adrenaline of her had expired, all he wanted to do was to make it up to Betty.

“You showed up at my party? I thought you hated this kind of thing” Betty says with sarcasm unimpressed by James' arrival. “Yeah I showed up at your party” James says in the most gentle tone possible. “Can I come in? And possibly talk with you?” He asks with nervousness in his voice. At this Betty nods and leads him to her back porch.

Both leaning against the railing James starts talking “I know you heard the rumors from Inez, but you have to trust me when I say it was just a summer thing. I'm only 17 and I don't know anything. I just know I miss you. I know I didnt even reached out to you all summer, but she was like a figment of my worst intentions and the whole time I was with her, I missed you inside”

As Betty and James continued to talk, it was clearer than ever that they just were meant to end up together, they loved the conformity of each other and neither of them would change for the other but it was on their terms. James loved Betty’s cardigans and Betty loved the scarring kisses James left on her. They pair of 17-year-olds agreed August was just a slip in their timeline.