Disclaimer: Totally not mine.

Author's Note: I hope no one gets mad at this... the characters made me do it.

Changes
Part 10: Party time confessions

Reggie inhaled deeply as he stood outside the office of Coach Clayton. He was about to knock on the door when it opened and the face of his coach was looking at him, somewhat surprised.

"Reggie, what brings you here?"

"I was hoping to talk to you before you left for your convention."

Nodding, Coach Clayton held open the door and followed Reggie inside. "What did you want to talk about? I don't often see you in my office."

"Well, we graduate in a couple months and I've been giving a lot of thought to what happens after that. I was wondering if you could tell me about some University scouts I've heard about...

Midge and Veronica stood looking into Betty's closet while the blonde sat on her bed watching two of her best friends with amusement.

"What do you think you're going to find in there?"

"Hopefully something that is sexy and that will make Reggie and Jason want to fight over you that still says Betty Cooper."

"I don't feel right using Jason. He's really not that bad of a guy."

"Do you want to be with Jason?"

"No. I just don't want to hurt him."

Midge smiled and sat beside the blonde. "Betty, you aren't going to be using him or leading him on, we're just using him being there to our advantage. Just be yourself around him."

She frowned. "It still doesn't feel right..."

She spotted him, sitting in a corner of the noisy room, nursing an overly strong drink. Frowning, she made her way across the room and sat on the couch beside him.

"Can I hide here too?"

Reggie looked up and swallowed. "Sure. What are you hiding from?"

"I was told Jason would be here. I didn't want to risk that conversation. What are you hiding from?"

"The looks that everyone was giving me, seeing if I noticed that you were here or that Jason was watching you as you walked over here."

She nodded. "How are you Reggie?"

"I've been better. Why did you do it?"

She looked around. "I don't really want to have this conversation here Reg."

Without a further word, he gabbed her hand, ignoring how soft it was, and led her through the noisy room, through the kitchen and into the garage. "Better?"

She nodded. "I was scared."

"Scared?"

"Of what I felt, of what that could mean, what I could lose. I wasn't ready for that."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking since Archie and I talked..."

"You talked to Archie?"

"Yesterday. He made a lot of things clear to me. I'm not who I thought I was, and its because of you."

"Reg..."

"Betty, I love you..."

"I love you Reggie."

He ignored the jump his heart made at hearing her say those words. He had practiced this since he visited Coach Clayton, he knew what he had to do. No matter how much it hurt them both. "But you deserve better than me."

"What?"

"Archie helped me. He wants to see you happy. So do I. I can't give you anything. You were right Betty, I am stuck in my brother's shadow, and while I'm here in Riverdale, there is no way I can ever get out."

She swallowed hard. "Reg, what are you saying?"

He couldn't meet her eye, this was more painful than he had thought it was going to be. "You loved Archie enough to let him go and be happy. I need to let you go so I can make myself happy. So that someday, if you still love me, I can deserve you and your love. I can't do that now."

She closed her eyes, fighting back tears that were aching to release themselves. "So... what are you planning then?"

"I'm leaving right after grad. There are sports conferences happening that have some of the best Universities scouting out players. I'm going to try and get picked. Go to school, make you proud of me."

She lost the fight. "Reggie..."

He swallowed and wiped her cheeks dry as his own started to dampen. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you again. I know that as soon as you leave Riverdale, you will be overrun by men who will see how beautiful and talented and special you are, and one of them will work their way into your heart and win you away, and give you everything you deserve to have. I want you to be happy and if you find someone before I can come back to you, then be happy. I just want you to know that I love you and everything that I've done to be a better person, from taking the pictures off my wall to stopping the practical jokes, have all been for you, and because of you.

"But until I know who I am, I can't give you what you need, what you deserve." He strained his neck to meet her eyes. "Can you forgive me?"

His answer came in the form of a kiss. It was soft and gentle, shaky and yet reasuring. They held each other close together, not wanting the moment to come where what they had said would come true and they would have to part ways.

Six months later.

She sat at the base of a hill, leaning against the soft grass, soaking in the warmth of the early September sun. It was the end of her first week of classes at St. Mary's University, and while she was missing everything from Riverdale she was enjoying the change her life had taken. She closed her eyes, enjoying the sun, when a shadow fell over her. Opening her eyes, she smiled upon seeing whom the shadow belonged.

"Reggie. Rumor had it that you might be coming to school here." She sat up as he sat beside her.

"I got offered a full football scholarship and this school is one of the best for athletics, so, it seemed a natural choice. I didn't think you were coming here."

She shrugged. "I wanted to come to Canada. Its so beautiful. So I checked scholarship programs and got a full one here. It has what I want so..."

He smiled. "I'm glad you're here."

She beamed her famous smile back at him. "I'm glad you're here too."

So I am a very bad person. But I hate high school and thinking that life and happy ever afters end there. Most of the time they don't. So I'm bringing them and their story into University. I chose St. Marys (SMU) because that is where I go and it seems like a place both Betty and Reggie could be themselves. Besides Halifax (the city where SMU is at) is so beautiful and I really don't know how the States schools are run enough to believably write about them.

So, the characters have had their way, and this story is going to continue.

Please R&R and tell me if this is a good thing or should I just leave it here?