Chapter Text
your soulmates name is inked on your skin the second they fall in love with you.
Betty was pregnant, very very pregnant. Eight and a half months to be exact. And to top it all off, the father wasn't her soulmate.
She had expected him to be, hoped him to be, but he wasn't. He admitted to being in love with her, he told her a million times, but his name didn't appear on her skin. Not like it was supposed to.
And so, instead of marrying him, she ran away with a big pregnant stomach. She bought a bus ticket to the first town that came in her sight, Riverdale.
She believed in soulmates, believed that everything in life happened to find that one person.
She had a backpack strapped to her back, desperately trying to find a place to crash.
She wandered through the town, knowing it was late and everyone was probably asleep already. When she turned her head, she spotted a light somewhere in the distance.
The girl basically sprinted over there, hopeless and in need of food and coffee. As she neared closer, she noticed it was a trailer.
Well, better than nothing, right?
Betty knocked loudly on the door, hoping for someone to hear her. To help her.
A boy, around the age of 17, came to answer the door. He had on sweatpants and a t-shirt, having clearly been asleep.
"What do you want?" He asked grumpily. Only then his eyes wandered down and he spotted her huge stomach.
"I'm so sorry to bother you, but I've been travelling all day and I haven't had anything to eat or drink and I really need a place to sleep." Betty started rambling, desperately.
The boy's eyes widened and he immediately pulled her inside. "Yeah, of course, come in. It's freezing outside." The tone of his voice had taken a 180 turn. He sounded kind, sincere.
"What are you doing by yourself? I mean you're.." He hesitated to finish his sentence, "pregnant."
"No kidding." Betty mocked, grabbing a chair and sitting down on it. "I'm Betty by the way. Oh and please tell me you have some kind of coffee here..? I need it to survive."
"I'm Jughead," The boy answered, flustered by her directness, "and I have some coffee I think." He went through some cupboards and eventually managed to fix her a fresh cup of coffee.
Betty took it eagerly and slurped it down. "Thanks." She said with the prettiest smile Jughead had ever seen. Her eyes formed a slight sparkle and her cheeks had a tiny dimple.
"You're welcome." He couldn't help but smile back. "Do you want something to eat, maybe some fruit?"
Betty pulled an ugly face, "no, but I'd love some pop tarts if you have?"
"Weirdly enough, I think I do." He went through another set of cupboards and found a box full of pop tarts.
Betty's eyes lit up as she took the box from him. "You're an angel! You've got wings baby!" She squealed, stuffing the food in her mouth.
Jughead couldn't help but laugh. She affected him.
"You're kind." She said when she finished her first pop tart.
"I try to be." He said, still smiling. The two fell silent for a while.
"Do you want to talk about why you're here, all glowy and pregnant? I-I mean y-you don't have to if you don't.."
"Honestly? It's complicated. All I know is that I had to get away from my life, and I ended up here." She bit her lip, "I want to start a new life with this one." She held her stomach with her hands.
"Well, then you picked the right place." Jughead said.
"Really? This town good?"
"This town is crazy, but everyone loves everyone. And I'm one hundred percent sure you'll fit right in."
"Oh, so now you're calling me crazy?" She mocked, giggling as she spoke.
"I definitely am." He laughed, smiling from ear to ear.
Through the rest of the night they talked, laughed, but kept it light.
Jughead knew one thing for sure, this woman, was the woman he has been trying to find for forever.
—
He was awoken by the sound of his blaring alarm. Rapidly he turned it off, craning his neck to watch the bed a few metres away.
Betty was still soundly sleeping, even snoring ever so lightly. A small grin formed on his lips at the sight of her.
Quietly he got up from the couch and dressed himself, even making breakfast for her, before deciding to wake Betty.
He shook her gently to which she instantly responded. Her eyes flickered open as her arms stretched. "Morning." Jughead whispered.
"Hi." She smiled swiftly but it quickly turned into a small frown. "What time is it?" Jughead let out a shameful laugh.
"Early." The blonde groaned loudly.
"Hate early. Must kill early." Jughead laughed again, but his face showed real guilt.
"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to leave you here without saying anything. I gotta head to school—" He was cut off by Betty.
"You go to school?"
"Yeah, I go to Riverdale High. You don't go to school?" He wondered, his brows frowning.
"A pregnant teenage girl wasn't really appreciated at the private school my mother used to send me to." Jughead swallowed, unsure of how to respond.
"That makes sense, I guess. I just wanted to say that I'll lock the door, but there's a set of keys on the table for you. I also made you some breakfast and there's coffee in the pot."
"Oh god, thank you. That's really sweet of you." She smiled ever so genuine.
"It's no problem. Uhm, I also left my phone number on the table if you need anything. You can go into the town or something, do whatever you want. I'll be back around 3."
"Yeah, I'll probably go check out this crazy town. Thank you Jughead, good luck at school."
"Thanks, see you later!" And with that he was out the door.
Betty stayed in the cozy bed for 20 more minutes before deciding that she needed to eat. With some struggle she got out of her bed and moved to the table of the apartment.
She'd never seen a trailer like this before, barely enough space for one person.
Once she reached the table her jaw almost dropped at the deliciousness in front of her. A plate filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes and a side of blueberries.
Betty dropped down on the chair, inhaling the food like a shark. After finishing the food and downing two cups of coffee she finally decided to get dressed.
She hadn't packed much so her clothing choice was limited, but she decided on a simple black top with a pair of denim jeans.
After gaining some courage, the blonde decided to head into town to meet some people and possibly find a job.
Once outside, the stares were instant. It didn't necessarily surprise Betty, a pregnant teenager is not an everyday thing.
She noticed the school Jughead must probably go to as she walked. It was quite big and quite filled with teenagers.
Some more walking and some more stares later she arrived at a diner. It was lit up with bright red lights, even when it was the middle of the day.
The blonde walked in, instant comfort coming over her as she entered. The atmosphere was nice and kind.
"Oh, hello there, I don't suppose I've seen you before?" The man behind the counter said to her. She walked over, a smile playing over her lips.
"No, I just got here today. I'm Betty."
"Well it's very nice to meet you, Betty. I'm Pop Tate, would you like to order something? First order is on the house." Betty had never seen someone who was so genuinely kind as he spoke. It amazed her, how different life could be if only everyone were that kind.
"I never say no to a free milkshake." She exclaimed joyfully, sitting down by the counter.
He turned to prepare it before handing the delicious milkshake in her hands. "So, what brings you to Riverdale?"
"Well, this, I guess." She said, pointing out her obvious pregnant stomach. "My parents always forced a life onto me that I never wanted, so when I got pregnant with this one I decided I didn't want that life for her. Now I'm here."
"That's quite a decision to make."
"I know. I hesitated, stayed with them for the first eight months but I just couldn't take it anymore." Her free hand roamed over her stomach, exhaling.
"Well then I think you picked a good town. You seem like you fit right in here."
"Jughead told me that too yesterday, actually." Pop Tate looked up at the name.
"Jughead told you that? You know him?"
"Yeah, I came upon his trailer yesterday. He's letting me stay there for a while." She sipped some more on the milkshake.
"That's.. quite unlike Jughead."
"It is? He's very kind."
"Oh I know he is, dear, he is definitely one of the good ones. He's just very to himself mostly, but I guess I could see him do something like this." Betty didn't know what Pop meant but decided not to search into it.
Instead she finished the delicious milkshake and thanked the man for it. When she turned to walk away his voice stopped her. "Are you searching for a job, by any chance?"
Betty turned, her eyes lighting up. "Definitely! You need help here?"
"I always need extra servers to take shifts, and you'd seem like a good one."
"I'd love to be a waitress! Thank you so much." She said, walking back to the counter and smiling.
"It's no problem, Betty. You can come by tomorrow to pick up your clothes and we can talk some more." The girl wrapped her arms around the man over the counter.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." She squealed happily, pulling back.
"I hope you find a home here Betty."
"I hope so too." She beamed, turning around and leaving the diner with a smile across her lips.
As she walked back to the trailer, past the school, she saw Jughead standing outside. With the joyful smile still on her lips she hobbled over to him.
"Jughead! Hi!" The boy looked up, his eyes brightening as soon as he saw her.
"Hey, Betty." He answered, startled when she pulled him in for a hug, her stomach barely making it possible.
"So this is your school, huh?"
"In all its glory." She giggled at his words, staring at the building.
"It's pretty."
"It's been here for a million years and it's covered in graffiti paint and vandalism of high school kids." He told her, laughing.
"That's what's pretty about it." She said back, beaming with sunshine as she spoke. Jughead couldn't comprehend how pure and filled with joy she was.
"How's Riverdale treating you?" He asked her, changing the topic.
"Great, actually." She squealed, "I went to the diner and Pop Tate offered me a job. Can you believe that?"
"Wow, that's wonderful!"
"I know! He was so kind, he gave me a free milkshake and he didn't even judge me for being pregnant. I don't think I've ever seen someone be that kind." She started rambling about her experience and noticed Jughead looking back at the building ever so often. His absent attention made her stop talking.
"I'm sorry, I know I talk a lot, I didn't mean to bore you." She apologised and Jughead immediately turned to face her completely.
"No, I like listening to your stories, it's just that my class starts in a few and I don't want to be late." Her face seemed guilty and so innocent at the same time, it drove Jughead crazy.
"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to hold you back. You should go, I'll be fine."
He stared at her for some time. "I'll be free soon, I'd love to hear your story when I get back."
The smile crept back on Betty's lips and it made Jughead's heart stutter. "Thanks." She whispered before giving him one quick hug and leaving the school property.
—
"Betty? You here?" Jughead asked as he entered the trailer. He heard a muffled sound come from the bathroom.
His eyes widened and he jumped to make his way over there. He found her on the ground, clutching her stomach.
"Sorry, I tried to go to the toilet but I slipped and I can't get up." Her face scrunched into the most hopeless look.
"Here, let me help." He said, wrapping his arm around her and probing her off the ground. When she finally stood to her feet he could see the tears in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a bother." She mumbled, hobbling out of the bathroom to sit on the bed.
"It's no problem, I promise. How long have you been sitting there?" He wondered, following her.
"Just about, half an hour, I think."
"Jesus Betty, you should've called me!" He tried to keep his voice low but it made him frustrated that this woman had been on the ground for so long.
"You were at school and I was fine. I can handle myself." She fought back, standing up and walking to the kitchen. He sighed, following her.
"You seem like you can, but still. There's no wrong in asking for help, especially when you're eight months pregnant." She exhaled, but didn't protest more.
Instead she grabbed the box of pop tarts from the cupboard and prepared herself a few. "You don't want something.. I don't know, more nutritional?"
"I don't see why." She answered simply, biting down on the pastry and smiling as she did.
"You are really something else." Betty looked back to face him, a twinkle in her eyes.
"I try to be."