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CHAPTER SEVEN: Not Quite Right

After Betty Cooper drops one of her bombshells, one of her biggest secrets, on her boyfriend before breaking up with him all within a matter of minutes, she gives him one final, pained glance.

"I'm so sorry..."

In the wake of her revelation, Betty doesn't linger around to explain or to answer the multitude of questions that are developing in Jughead's mind.

Instead, with her one last, croaked apology for something that she shouldn't have to apologise for, Betty continues her walk home on her own, feeling just as heartbroken as the boy that she's left standing there on the sidewalk, leaving him to digest her bombshell that just doesn't quite add up.

Really, the only things that Jughead Jones knows for sure in that moment is that his girlfriend, or rather, ex-girlfriend is pregnant and that he has not got a clue who the father of that baby is, seeing as it is not him...

He sees the way that her eyes quickly fill with tears before she has a chance to turn around and walk off, wrapping her arms around her own shoulders as she holds herself and cries her way home.

However, knowing that Betty is still upset and knowing that she has just been discharged from hospital for passing out, Jughead is flooded with a feeling of protectiveness.

While he feels like he could have stayed glued to that spot on the footpath for as long as it takes for things to start making sense again, Jughead forces himself to continue walking the same route that he has to take home as Betty does.

He's several metres behind her and she's just visible up ahead. But, he keeps an eye out, watching her for any noticeable shift in her gait or any sign that she may pass out again. It means only trailing behind her for a few minutes before he can see that she's walked up and into her own home, arriving safely, but it puts Jughead at ease knowing that she's okay.

Then, after making sure that Betty got to her house safely, Jughead continues on to Pop's, spending the rest of his afternoon and evening drowning his sorrows, thinking and processing over a milkshake and burger.

He feels like he should be angry... Like he should feel mad, or outraged at her.

But, he just can't bring himself to be maddened for a reason unknown to him.

In fact, he can't bring himself to feel anything other than confusion...

Confusion, since the only detail he knows for a certainty about Betty and her pregnancy is that the baby she is carrying is not his...

#

That night, Betty Cooper is sitting on her bed, tears in her eyes as she sobs her way through her writing her most recent diary entry that retells her life changing day...

It's the day that confirmed her suspicions and confirmed that she's pregnant and consequently, it's the day that she had to break up with her boyfriend, the love of her life...

After detailing just how hard it had been to dodge the topic during dinner with her parents, Betty concludes her diary entry with a final full-stop. Then, she tucks her diary away and hides it especially well, away from her mother's prying eyes until she has an opportunity to tell her parents.

She crawls under her covers a little, the quilt falling across her lap. She takes a long, deep breath to calm her nerves as she presses a cold hand under her grey pyjama top, laying her hand onto her stomach that feels just a little fuller than usual.

Then, with another deep breath, Betty prepares to finally acknowledge the fact that she's been trying to dodge for almost a month now, when her suspicions were first raised.

In the quietest of whispers, she speaks to her unborn child...

"Hi bubba... It's me."

She speaks to her unborn child that she knows she will carry for what is left of nine months.

She speaks to her unborn child that she knows she will keep and raise and love.

She speaks to her unborn child that she now lives to protect, despite how she or he was conceived.

"So... big day, hey?"

The little chuckle that follows Betty's words is anything but humorous. Rather, it's a reflection of what a big day she had had.

This morning, she had started the day off as someone girlfriend. Now, she is no longer someone's girlfriend, but it has been confirmed that she is set to be someone's mother.

Betty sighs, feeling her heart begin to pound within her as she contemplates that enormous, life-changing role that she is preparing to take on single-handedly.

"I'm so sorry that you're not going to have a father in your life, bubba. But, just know that there's going to be so many other really amazing people that will love you... Your Aunt Polly and Aunt Veronica, your Uncle Archie and Uncle Kevin and maybe, Jughead... if he ever forgives me."

Another sigh.

Betty quickly swipes the single, falling tear off of her cheek at the mention of the man she still loves.

"But, we can do this though... right? As long as you're willing to put up with me and all the mistakes I'm bound to make. I know it might not have been a part of my plan, but I promise you that I'm going to do my absolute best to make a life for us, bubba."

Betty is interrupted from whispering her secrets and promises to her unborn child when she feels a vibration coming from her phone from where it's rested beside her. She glances down to read the message, surprised at the sender.

Jughead
I hope you're okay x

Three small dots appear to indicate that there's more that Jughead wants to say, before another little message bubble appears on her screen, bringing a small smile to Betty's lips.

Jughead
... Both of you.

#

The day after she left school early due to fainting and being rushed to hospital, even Alice had enough of a heart to allow Betty to have the day off school without needing a reason beyond her low blood sugar; half the reason why Betty had passed out.

But, you see, the thing is that the day after someone passes out and the day after that fact has spread to the whole school, everyone wants to know what happened and why.

Your friends care that everything's okay and that it's nothing serious, while Cheryl and the other popular kids are just looking for a story and a bit of drama to gossip about.

So, seeing as Betty is at home, sick for the day, everyone looking for details goes to the next best person, the boy that they deem as being the best source; her boyfriend and the person who had gone to the hospital with her.

After all the times he's been probed for details and information today, poor Jughead just about needs his own sick day...

As soon as Jughead joins his closest friends at their usual table for lunch, three sets of eyes bore into him intently, waiting for him to speak or say something. When he doesn't volunteer any information, Veronica is the first to push the matter, looking for information.

"How's Betty?!" Veronica asks with urgency, asking the question that each person at that table is dying to know the answer to. Betty hadn't exactly been up to replying to the deluge of caring messages from her friends last night.

"She's fine, nothing too serious."

Archie, Kevin and Veronica all give Jughead an equally unimpressed look at his lack of detail that he chooses to elaborate on, leaving them with very little.

However, he deliberately volunteers as little as possible; knowing that if he gives too much ammunition and if he fuels their game of twenty questions, it will go far beyond what he wants his and Betty's friends to know.

Not only does he want to protect Betty's secret that she'd entrusted him with, but he also wants to avoid anything about them being brought up, not keen on the idea of Veronica sussing out that they'd broken up. Not only does he not want their sympathy, but he's not especially keen to have to hash over the details of his fresh break-up. And, just by giving her even the smallest amount of information, Veronica would get to the bottom of it. She has a sixth sense for those sorts of things, he's sure of it.

"Well, did you find out what's wrong with her?! Why she passed out yesterday?!" Kevin asks, pressing for more information and detail.

Jughead just plays with his food that is laid out in front of him. He doesn't volunteer the fact that yes... Yes, they most certainly know why she passed out.

"Jughead!" Veronica snaps when he fails to reply at first.

"It was her blood sugar – too high or too low. I can't quite remember."

Veronica releases the most obvious breath of relief, but both Archie and Kevin share that feeling of being glad that it's nothing serious... Well, nothing deadly, anyway.

"Oh good... I'm glad it's nothing serious. After the way Betty's been acting recently, I was starting to wonder if something was up with her, you know."

Jughead's interest is piqued after Veronica's comment, seeing as he knows more about Betty and her condition than the rest of the group does.

"What do you mean about the way she's been recently?"

"I don't know... I haven't been able to put my finger on it, but there's just something..."


So, Betty's keeping her baby. And, Juggie's not the only one getting suspicious... Betty's not going to be able to keep it up for much longer now, but when her friends and family do know, how they're going to react is going to be the next big question.

Don't forget to drop a review and let me know what you thought and what you'd like to see!

Next chapter: With nothing making sense, Jughead works hard to get to the bottom of Betty's secrets, pushing to learn more about her pregnancy, why they broke up and who the father of her child is. Will he get to the bottom of it before she pushes him away?