Episode 1x06: Betty and Jughead have breakfast with Betty's mom.

Betty couldn't believe how well the plan worked. Jughead successfully distracted her mother and she got copies of all of her checks from the past month. One of them was bound to lead them to Polly.

Once Jughead had returned downstairs looking worse for wear, Betty hopped right out of the chair she had just returned to.

"Well Mom, Jughead and I have to get to school to finish the layout before going to print."

"But…" her mother started, but Betty had already grabbed Jughead by the arm and started out the door.

"I will talk you after school." Betty shouted as she walked out the door.

Betty couldn't stop smiling as she and Jughead walked down the stairs in front of her house. Neither of them willing to say anything yet, in case Betty's mom decided to listen.

They made it around the corner from her house before either of them spoke.

"You got it?" Jughead asked, grinning almost as widely as she was.

"Yes. I got a ton of pictures." Betty said, practically shouting. "I figured we could head straight to the Blue and Gold and go through them, see if any of them could hint at where Polly is."

"I am glad it was worth it. I am pretty sure your mom thinks I was casing the place." Jughead told her.

"What?" Betty asked, some of the joy in her voice leaving "Casing the place?"

"Yeah. She walked into the bathroom first, took quick glance around, waited for me to leave, then went back in to look around." Jughead explained.

"Oh." Betty replied. She hadn't considered that. "I am sorry, Jug."

"Can't say that is the first time it has happened to me." Jughead admitted. "It isn't even the first time with your parents."

Betty felt horrible. Jughead was assuming she used him as a distraction because he was a loner who would scare her parents. She couldn't let him think that. It wasn't true and she didn't want him to think she thought that of him.

"That is not at all why I thought she would follow you." Betty told him.

"It's not?" Jughead asked, looking relieved.

"No." Betty responded simply.

"What did you think it would be?" Jughead asked. "How did you know she would volunteer to show me?"

"Because I said I would." Betty told him. "And she wouldn't want that."

Jughead wore a look of confusion. He didn't understand how Betty could know her mother's reaction.

"It's because you're a guy." Betty stated, not thinking too much of it. "Mom wouldn't want me to be alone with you upstairs."

"Wait." Jughead said, stopping walking. "You thought your mom would assume we were…"

Jughead motioned between the two of them.

Betty nodded.

"And she was checking the bathroom...?"

"In case I found a way to sneak out of the dining room to meet you in there." Betty told him, suddenly embarrassed.

When the plan first occurred to Betty, it seemed like a no brainer. Her mother would never let her be alone with a guy. The only exception to that rule was Kevin and it took her mother years to get to the point where she believed Kevin wasn't secretly interested in her.

And it worked. It worked out exactly as Betty had hoped it would.

"That's difficult to believe." Jughead pointed out. "That your mother would think that about us."

"Never underestimate my mother's paranoia." Betty stated. If Alice Cooper was anything, she was paranoid and thorough.

"But if you mother even knew you, she would realize that you would never go for someone like me." Jughead speculated.

"What does that mean?" Betty asked, feeling annoyed and wondering what he meant by that.

Jughead looked at her surprised. He clearly didn't expect that type of response.

"It doesn't mean anything." Jughead told her, now staring very determinedly at his shoes.

Betty could almost hear all the words Jughead wasn't saying in his head. However, she decided not to ask him any more about it as they walked further down the street, the school only a couple more blocks away.

Someone like Jughead? What could he mean by that? Someone who was smart and kind and considerate. Someone who would do anything for his friends or in order to seek out the truth. Someone who looks incredibly cute in a suit. Why wouldn't I be interested in someone like him?

"Never say never." Betty told him, her eyes focusing straight ahead.

Betty could see Jughead swallow hard out of the corner of her eye, but she kept looking forward. They had just reached the front of the school.

Betty wasn't really sure what to think in that moment. Reassuring Jughead that her mother had every right to assume she would be interested him was not part of the plan. But here they were, in front of the school, very aware of how uncomfortable things had become.

"Come on, we gotta get to the Blue and Gold offices, before the bell rings." Betty said, picking up the pace, hoping to leave this discussion outside of the school.

She heard Jughead shuffling behind her, but didn't want to look in case she was still blushing.

A couple hours later, Betty and Jughead were in the offices of the Blue and Gold going check by check hoping to find just the slightest hint of where the Coopers sent Polly.

"The Sisters of Quiet Mercy?" Betty asked, zooming in on the next check. "What is that? A church? A charity?"

Jughead typed The Sisters of Quiet Mercy into the search engine, but the results were not that of a church.

"No. It's a home for troubled youths. Where disenfranchised teens will learn such virtues as discipline and respect. Enjoy lives of quiet reflection and servitude."

Well that sounds like hell. Jughead thought to himself.

"Poor Polly." Betty stated.

Apparently Betts is thinking along the same lines.

Jughead looks over at her, not realizing how close she had been standing to him and without her cardigan on to boot.

Jughead clears his throat, not prepared to be this close to her.

"This definitely sounds like the place." He explained, moving away from his chair and laptop.

"Yeah, but it is not like we can just go there." Betty told him, sitting in his vacant seat. "According to the website, the Home is in Greendale."

"Greendale is not that far away." Jughead tried to reassure her. "45 minutes without traffic."

"Yeah, but neither of us have a car, so it is not like that makes it any easier." Betty said, sighing in frustration.

Betty closed Jughead's laptop in a huff and walked over to her desk. She threw her head into her hands and sighed.

"Finding out where she is was supposed to make this whole process easier. How am I supposed to get to Greendale? How am I supposed to save her?"

Betty's voice cracks at the end of the last sentence.

Jughead sighed internally and walked over to her desk.

"We will find a way." Jughead reassured her, placing his hands on her shoulders.

What am I doing? Jughead asked himself. He is trying to comfort his friend who is dealing with the possibility of talking to an alleged crazy sister. She is going through all of this and Jughead can't stop thinking about how much of a spark he felt when his hands touched her bare shoulders.

Betty raised her head up to look up at him. Her eyes are not filled with tears, but what he thinks is curiosity.

Just before he can ask any questions or think of anything to say, there is a knock at the door.

Principal Weatherbee stood in the doorway, looking annoyed.

"Mr. Jones, Ms. Cooper. Your scheduled period for the Blue and Gold is over now. It is time you get on to your next class." he told them, all authority.

Jughead released Betty's shoulders and turned to face him.

"We have lunch right now, Mr. Weatherbee. Betty and I were planning to work through lunch." Jughead tried to explain.

"I suggest you go to lunch instead. Leave the hard hitting journalism for your allotted time after school."

"Of course, sir. We were just leaving." Betty told him, grabbing her cardigan from the back of her chair and rushing out of the room.

Jughead, confusedly, grabbed his books and computer and followed her out the door.

He waited a few minutes after they vacated the room to say anything.

"What was that all about?" Jughead asked, turning behind him to make sure the principal wasn't there.

"I don't know. Sometimes Weatherbee just gets...particular about how things are done." Betty explained

"You mean he gets a bug up his ass?" Jughead joked

Betty giggled. "I guess so. But trust me, it is better to just leave the room, avoid the argument."

Jughead looked at her curiously. What would Betty know about arguing with the Principal?

Jughead walked over to his locker to grab the bag of chips he has stowed in there for his lunch break. He's been cutting corners since losing his job at the drive in and unfortunately his food budget is becoming increasingly smaller. He knew he was running out of time and money. He couldn't keep going it alone. He would have to talk to someone. But he couldn't make himself talk to Archie or his dad. Neither of them knew how bad things were getting for him and Jughead still wasn't ready for them to know. Although, a few more weeks of eating chips for every meal might weaken his resolve.

"Kind of small portions for Jughead Jones." Betty teased, grabbing her own lunch box from her locker across the hall.

"What can I say, I gotta prepare for swimsuit season." Jughead joked, trying to walk away and move past his paltry lunch.

"It's September." Betty reminded him, joining him as they walked outside to their lunch table.

"You underestimate how desperately I need to prepare." he quipped, eliciting another giggle from her.

He hated how much he enjoyed making her happy. This crush was getting out of hand. He could see himself doing literally anything she asked him to do and all he would ask in return is just to have her stick around and laugh. He was totally smitten.

The two of them starting walking towards the table where Archie was already sitting with Valerie, when Jughead had an epiphany and stopped Betty in her tracks.

"Betts, there is a bus that goes to Greendale. I mean, it will definitely take at least a couple hours to get there via bus, but you could probably get fairly close to the place."

Betty's face lit up.

"Juggie, that is brilliant." she exclaimed, beaming beyond recognition.

Betty pulled out her phone and started furiously typing. Seconds later, she had results on her screen.

"There is a daily bus that goes from here to Greendale." Betty reads off her findings "In fact, it seems there is a stop directly in front of the Home!"

"That's convenient." Jughead told her as the two of them start walking again. "When does the bus run?"

"It looks it runs at either 7 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon. There is a 5 pm on Sundays, but I doubt a place called 'Sisters of Quiet Mercy has Sunday visiting hours." Betty says, immersed in her phone.

"Well it looks like you are going have a fairly eventful Saturday morning." Jughead said

"Why Saturday morning?" Betty asked

Jughead clears his throat.

"Because tomorrow, we have school. Saturday night is the variety show, and I know how much you are looking forward to watching Dilton Doiley sniff for squirrels on stage." Jughead explained.

"I can't wait that long, Jug." Betty told him, stopping and putting her arm on his shoulder. "I have to go as soon as possible."

"Ok." Jughead agreed, not sure what he was agreeing to.

"Ok. So I am booking the earliest bus. Two for tomorrow morning." Betty dropprf her arm from his shoulder and begins furiously typing again.

"Two?" Jughead asked her.

"You're coming with me." Betty said, as if it were just common sense that he would be attending.

Jughead was taken aback.

"Unless you don't want to skip school or something." Betty started, looking a bit concerned that she assumed too much. "I don't want to make you do anything…"

"No worries." he assured her "I am sure my reputation can withstand a day away from these hallowed halls."

Betty smiles and pulls out her wallet with credit card.

"How much are the tickets?" he asked, knowing no matter what the price was he couldn't afford to pay her back.

"This is on me, Jug." Betty said, staring at her phone, not noticing how uncomfortable Jughead looked.

"Betty, I…" Jughead began, unsure how he would finish the sentence. He wouldn't tell her about his money troubles, but he also didn't want her to view him as a charity case.

But he doesn't get the chance to try to convince her.

"I need to see my sister, but we are also going there as journalists looking for answers." she grabbed his hand, looking as though she was about to plead "You have to be there and I owe you for being there for me through all of this. A bus ticket is the least I can do."

She thinks she owes me?

"You don't owe me anything, Betts." Jughead replied. "You never could."

Betty smiled at him and he knew there was no convincing her. Once she made up her mind, there was little chance of changing it.

Betty finished typing on her phone and slipped it into her pocket.

"Ok. We have two tickets for tomorrow morning." Betty beamed, walking towards their picnic table.

"Seems pretty straight forward." Jughead said, crouching in his normal position at their lunch table, opening his bag of chips to devour.

Betty sat down, still smiling and began assembling her lunch.

"So about tomorrow," Jughead started, but hesitated. Do I really wanna go there? He thinks to himself but decides to ask anyway.

Betty glanced over at Archie, looking nervous.

Ok, she clearly doesn't want him to know what we are doing. Considering I am trying to warn her about the possibility of her sister actually being crazy, maybe speaking in code wasn't such a bad idea.

"It can be really emotionally trying."

Betty nodded.

"I appreciate your concern, Jug. I really do. But I can handle it."

"I don't doubt it." Jughead told her. "Are you sure you are ready for it?"

"I'm not sure what I am going to find when we get there, but I am ready. I am ready to finally know what is going on."

Jughead was glad his question didn't deter her from her happy thoughts.

"It's been months. There's gotta be a reason my parents don't want me to see Polly. But I don't care anymore…" Betty began, her not being aware how entranced Jughead was just from her talking to him.