Riverdale - When Life Goes Wrong...

The News

"Wha-what do you mean you're pregnant?" Jughead asks in a sudden panic, not that it's particularly surprising why.

"I mean, we were pretty drunk, I doubt there was any protection involved but I don't even really remember all that well..." I say, trailing off, almost slightly ashamed of the situation I'm in all of a sudden. "But look, I don't know you all that well, and you're Veronica's brother! I just wanna let you know that you don't have to be involved if you don't want to, like you shouldn't feel any pressure or..." he cuts me off before I can finish.

"Look Betty just stop. Okay? I know what it's like to grow up with an absent parent, whether it be a mum or dad, and it sucks. I'm not gonna be that person, okay? I'm going to support you, this is both of our problem, not just yours. And in terms of Veronica and everyone else, we can tell them when you're ready," he says, pushing any and all existing worries to the side. I smile at him, trying to show how glad I am of everything he's just said without needing to say anything else.

"But..." he continues, "... we should probably tell our parents first, before we tell anyone else," he suggests, treading carefully around the thought.

"Yeah. And I think sooner rather than later.

After school, we went straight to my house, because it didn't matter who was there, but Jughead's dad would take a bit more co-ordination so that we tell him when V isn't there, as much as it kills me to go behind her back. We were gonna be telling people together, because anything that we need to deal with we're gonna deal with together, and we're gonna have this baby, together.

"Mom, I need to talk to you. Well, actually, we need to talk to you..." I say, trailing off as my entire family enters the living room; both my parents and my sister.

"What is it honey?" my mom asks.

"You guys should probably sit down," I say ushering them towards the sofa as me and Jughead begin to stand together in front of the coffee table that they sit behind. They all look at us blankly, waiting for someone to say something. "Well, um, everyone this is Jughead, he's Veronica's brother and works with me on the blue and gold at Riverdale High," I say trying to introduce the nice person that Jughead really is to them, "and, uh, we're pregnant." I say, while everyone's eyes open even wider than before, even Jughead turns to look at me, as if to say ' why would you do that so bluntly?'.

"I'm sorry, what?" my dad asks, a mix of shock and anger race through his voice.

"Betty? What happened?" Polly, my sister, asks. I want to answer her question, and I will. I will explain everything. But the tears seeing through in my eyes don't stop me seeing my dad heading for Jughead, and Jughead trying to back away from him.

"Look, I want to explain everything to you guys okay?" I say, wiping tears and trying to pull my dad away from Jughead.

"So, tell us. What happened Elizabeth." my mom says as my dad goes to sit down again next to her, and Jughead returns next to my side.

"Look, I just want to say, I wasn't lying to you guys. It's not like he was my secret boyfriend or anything, we weren't dating, but there were some feelings in the air between us," I say turning to look at Jughead as he looks at me, "and so when I went to that party on the south side the other night with everyone, we started talking about everything, our feelings for each other, we were on our own, and it just kind of.... happened." I explain, both of us looking down at the floor, probably both equally as scared as each other of the people sitting in front of us.

"Betty! That's great!" Polly exclaims running over to hug me as my mom and dad start to stand up, although I was never particularly worried about her reaction.

"Thank you, Polly." I say, pulling out of the hug to turn to my mom and dad, as Polly goes to reassure Jughead. "What do you guys think?" I ask, scared of what I've just asked.

"I mean are we happy about it? Not really. Will we accept it and support you? Absolutely." I see a smile crack across my parents face and I go to give them a hug, while Jughead comes over to shake their hands, treading very carefully. After all, this is the first time they've met him.

The next day at school, me and Jug are talking in the blue and gold offices.

"So that's my parents done, what about your dad?" I ask.

"I'm really not sure. If you're insistent on avoiding Veronica for now, I'm not sure when a time like that will pop up."

"I mean think about it Jug. What about V's extra curricular activities? When are they? We could do it then, even if it has to be at the Whyte Wyrm."

"Okay, okay. Umm, Veronica has vixen practice after school I think, so we could always tell him them because he isn't working so he'll be at the Wyrm," Jug says, finally giving an actual idea.

"Okay. That's what we'll do then."

Later at the Whyte Wyrm, we walk in together and it's busy, but it's not like it's overly crowded. We start looking for Mr Jones, but then he finds us.

"Jug! What are you doing here?" He asks coming up to us in the doorway.

"We need to talk to you," Jughead says, a vulnerability in his voice that I've never heard before, "in private?"

"Sure, sure. Yo guys, give me a minute will you?" He asks, calling out to the rest of the serpents in the bar, who all begin to leave immediately.

"Wow, talk about authority." I mutter under my breath towards Jug.

"So? What's up?" He asks us.

"Umm, dad this is Betty, she's new at Riverdale and she works on the blue and gold with me and some of the serpents..." already I can see that he's following a similar path that I did, the only difference is that Mr Jones is already shaking my hand, "... this is Betty, and uh, we're pregnant." Multiple portrayals of shock come across his face, until her finally says this...

"Wait a minute. Boy, is this the same new girl that your sister won't stop talking about. The one she refers to as B?" He asks, anger seeping in deeper each time.

"Yes," Jughead says, looking towards the floor.

"BOY!" Mr Jones shouts. "You gotta tell your sister."

"I know Mr Jones, and we will. It was my idea to keep it a secret from Veronica until we told our parents, not Jughead's, he wanted to tell her the minute it happened." Although I wasn't trying to achieve anything with what I said, it seems to dissolve his anger.

"Are you going to tell your mother?" He asks Jughead, thinking about it all.

"I dunno, maybe," Jug replies, looking away.

"Okay well, whatever you guys decide to do, I support you, and I'm sure Veronica will too."

"Thanks dad."

"Thanks Mr Jones." Jughead and his dad hug for a minute and then we leave the bar, allowing the other serpents back inside, and although Mr Jones and Jughead were certain Veronica would be okay about this, there was something in me that told me otherwise.