The bell over the door to Pop's chimed as more customers stepped into the diner the following afternoon. Riverdale High's infamous trio, Betty, Archie, and Jughead, were having their weekly visit to the diner. With ice cold milkshakes in hand, they continued to discuss the affairs involving their parents. Well, figuratively for Archie, but literally for the other two.

"So your mom and my dad-" Jughead began.

"Yeah. Apparently, they were a fling in high school." Betty added.

"That's really shocking." Archie said, taking another sip of his shake.

"I can't believe they had a fight over money." Jughead shook his head. "Is money the only thing parents care about?"

"Apparently." Betty rolled her eyes. "My mom literally told me and Polly that the only reason she married my dad was so that she and I would have a better life and that she never even loved him."

"Is that a bad thing?" Archie asked, confused.

"Yes, Arch. That's an awful thing. That means that Polly and I are not products of love but of this great big lie. She said that she actually really hated my dad. You know what THAT means?"

Archie looked at Jughead as if to silently ask him for the answer. "That you're-"

"The products of hate." Betty pointed out. "I'm a hate baby. Me AND Polly."

"That may be, Betty, but that doesn't mean that your mom doesn't love you. Or that your dad doesn't." Jughead said, taking her hand across the table.

Elizabeth softly smiled at him before she pulled her hand away from his and she opened her mouth to say something, but the bell above the door chimed again, causing everyone in the diner to turn and see who entered it, whispering a little.

"Whoa!" Jughead didn't mean to say out loud.

"What?" Betty wondered, having been the only one who didn't turn to look yet. She saw the expressions on both boys' faces and turned to look over her shoulder, catching the eye of a beautiful young girl, around their age, stepping into the diner in rich clothing. "Who is that?" Betty didn't mean to ask out loud.

Jughead softly gasped before he whispered, "I bet that's Veronica Lodge."

"Veronica Lodge?" Archie repeated. "Who's that?"

"Hiram Lodge's daughter." Jug spoke as if Archie should've already known. Archie blankly stared at him. "THE Hiram Lodge? You've never heard of him?" Archie shook his head no before looking to Betty who also shook her head no. "He was only the most powerful man in New York City for the past decade. Don't you two read?" His friends both continued to cluelessly gaze at him. "Anyway, I read that Veronica is his only heir and he's planning on giving her his entire company when he retires. She'll become the richest young female in America within seconds once her father signs the dotted line."

Betty turned to look over her shoulder again, raising an eyebrow. "She doesn't look all that special."

"That's because you're judging the book by its cover." Veronica spoke with a small smirk, never turning her head toward them, having heard every word that came from their table the moment she walked in. Betty cleared her throat and turned back around to pretend that she was not the one who said that. Veronica finally turned to face them and walked over to their table. "I'd introduce myself, but it seems you already know my name and everything about me." She said in a sarcastic, sharp tone though she smiled kindly at them. "My mother and father moved me here, hoping that I would finally make some friends considering wealthy teens are honestly the worst. I could never befriend anyone my age. Turns out I may not make any here either."

"Ms. Lodge? Your order's up." Pop spoke, setting her to-go bag on the bar.

"That was fast." Another teen from a different table nearby said aloud.

Veronica glared at them, continuing to smile, nonetheless. "That's because I have so much money." She spoke sarcastically again, sending Betty and Archie condescending smiles before winking at Jughead and she went to the bar, taking her bag of food and she left, the bell chiming once again.

"Wow. She is really rude." Betty said with an eye roll.

"Almost worse than Cheryl." Archie agreed.

Jughead looked at the two of them. "You didn't get it? That was all a joke. New Yorkers have a weird sense of humor."

"And you would know that how?" Betty squinted her eyes at him.

Jughead stood up. "I'm gonna go say hi."

"Are you serious?" Archie asked.

"Jughead, she's gonna eat you alive." Betty protested. "I wouldn't if I were you."

"Well you're not me." Jug grinned and he set a twenty-five cent piece coin on the table before quickly leaving the diner to catch Veronica just as she was about to get into the driver's seat of her bright red convertible. "Excuse me, Ms. Lodge?" He got to her just before she was able to open the car door. "I would like to apologize for my friends back there. You see? This is a small town and they're not used to meeting new people. Especially ones as elegant and put-together as you. We do have this one family here, the Blossoms, who are mighty fancy, but you are still moreso fancier than they are."

Veronica looked him up and down, eyeing his slightly ragged shirt that was missing a few buttons and his trousers that were almost much too short for him. "May I get into my vehicle now, stranger?"

"Oh, I apologize." He smiled sweetly at her. "Let me get that for you." He opened the driver's side door for her and she climbed in. Just as Jughead shut the door, he noticed how expensive the car must be. "Wow. This is nice."

"Thank you." She said, a bit stand-offish before sliding on a pair of perfectly rounded, red sunglasses.

"You know how to drive? You must be eighteen already." He assumed, considering the driving age was no less than so.

"Not yet." She responded truthfully, putting the car key in the ignition. "I have two more months until my birthday and my daddy gave this to me as an early gift. I'm legally not supposed to take it out on my own yet, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"A girl who breaks the rules, huh?" Jughead chuckled. "I do wish I could drive. I won't be eighteen for another five months. And my dad hasn't had time to teach me yet."

Veronica looked him up and down again. "What did you say your name was?"

"Oh, I'm J-" He remembered how elegant she was and bit his lip before grinning and putting his hand out to shake hers. "Forsythe."

She looked at his hand, unsure if she should touch it or not before allowing him to take only the tips of her fingers. "Well, Forsythe?" She pulled her hand away. "Is there anything fun to do around here?"

"Well...There's Sweetwater River. Or the watering hole near the Southside. Though I'm not so sure you'd want to-"

"Take me there." She kindly interrupted with a smile.

"To-..."

"The Southside." Her smile grew.

"I'm not sure someone like your father would approve." Jughead admitted, though it broke his heart to say that about his home.

Veronica tilted her head down a bit so he could see her eyes over her sunglasses and she smirked. "That's why we should go."

Jughead's lips curled into a smile before going around to the passenger seat, hopping over the door to get in without opening it.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Never do that again."

"Oh, uh...I apologize." His cheeks turned red.

The girl softly laughed. "I'm kidding." She turned the key in the ignition, starting the car. "Aren't your friends gonna miss you, Forsythe?"

He looked through the windows of the diner at Betty and Archie who were watching them. Betty's jaw dropped once Jughead hopped into the car with Veronica and her mouth hadn't closed since and Archie just looked confused, as he did almost all the time. Jughead smiled at them and waved before they both uncomfortably waved back. He smirked and looked at Veronica again. "No, they won't."

"Good." The dark-haired girl put the car in drive and followed Jughead's directions to the Southside.