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Betty Cooper had always grown up with the idea in mind that there were unspoken rules to be followed in life. Go to school, get a job, get married, have children. The key factor being that these steps were to be followed in that exact order.
Her childhood had been sprinkled with daydreams of her and a certain red- headed boy starting a life together; those steps always being kept in mind. To Betty, it seemed inconceivable that a person's life could go any other way.
Of course, that was until her sister ended up pregnant in high school. It wasn't like Polly had deliberately ended up unwed and with child, it was just what life had thrown at the eldest Cooper daughter.
Once Betty saw that her sister's life wasn't ruined because she skipped a few steps on some made-up list, only then did she realize that it didn't make or break your life. You could follow your own rules and end up okay.
This realization didn't stop her from being scared shitless when it seemed possible that she may be following the same path as her older sister.
Betty paced back and forth in her bedroom, trying to give herself a mental pep talk.
Polly had done it, and is still doing it. She has a steady job, the twins are perfect, her life is great. Betty would be able to do it too.
That is, if it is even a reality.
The sound of Jughead tapping on her window caused her to jump up and knock over the pregnancy test box that had been sitting on her nightstand. Even though she had texted her boyfriend to come over, it had still managed to startle her. A sign of just how off she was currently feeling.
She attempted to put on a brave smile as she crossed the room to open the window. Seeing Jughead's face as he climbed into her bedroom, she realized that the expression she had attempted to put on must not be very convincing.
"Hey Betts, not that I don't adore these visits, but was it really necessary for you to summon me here at 4am? Couldn't wait to see me until morning?" He joked, trailing off when he noticed that she wasn't smiling.
Jughead moved closer to her, glancing around the room before reaching out to put a comforting hand on her forearm. "Betty, are you ok? It looks like a tornado came through here, and I know it isn't like you to have your room anything but clean."
Betty looked around, noticing the mess her boyfriend was referring to.
There were papers strewn all around her room, the aftermath of a failed attempt at studying due to having her mind elsewhere. Her clothing littered the floor, and there were tissues in a pile beside her bed; the box discarded beside them on the floor.
Moving towards the pile of tissues, Jughead began to pick them and place them into the garbage.
Betty sighed, "Jug, you don't have to do that, I'm fine, it's just-" she trailed off when she noticed that Jughead had found the pregnancy test that she had accidentally knocked over upon hearing him at her window.
She began to panic, the shocked look on his face initiated any insecurities she had held that he would react badly. Her hands balled into fists at her side, fingernails embedded in her palms.
Noticing his girlfriend's current state, Jughead dropped the box back onto the ground and slowly crept towards her to unfurl the tight fists that had formed. As soon as he did, her eyes snapped up to his, brimming with tears.
"Hey, its fine. I'm not mad, just explain to me what's going on," he spoke softly not wanting to scare her more than she already seemed to be.
She stepped away from her boyfriend to walk over towards the pregnancy test laying on the ground. Picking it up and turning towards him, she took a deep breath before launching into her explanation.
"I'm not sure if I am pregnant, I've just had some of the symptoms so I thought I would take this to be sure. I was just too scared to take it alone." She slowly began to open the test box before stopping to look directly at him, her green eyes locking onto his blue ones, "I'm not trapping you into anything, really this is my problem so if you aren't ready to be a father, I understand. You're off the hook."
Without giving Jughead a moment to digest what she had just said, she ran towards her bathroom and closed the door behind her, test in hand.
She took the test quickly, wrapping it in a paper towel afterwards and setting it down on the counter to wait for the results.
For the second time that day, she was startled when her boyfriend knocked on the door to the bathroom she currently stood inside.
"Look Betts, I'm not saying that it would be ideal for you to have a baby this early, but would it really be the worst thing in the world?" He paused, his silence lasting so long that Betty began to worry he had left in the middle of his thought. Just when she was about to exit the bathroom to check, he began to speak again.
"I know it was never in your plans, hell, I guess it never really is for people our age," he paused again, sighing and leaning against the door, "but you're not alone. I don't care how young we are, or how hard it would be to raise a kid right now. Whatever you decide is fine with me. I'm not leaving you."
Betty wiped away a tear that had formed in response to her boyfriend's speech. She opened the door to an anxious Jughead, as if he were unsure of how she would react to his proclamation.
She slowly moved closer to him, successfully closing the space between them before reaching out to clasp their hands together before speaking softly to him, a small smile playing on her lips.
"There's nobody I would rather be stuck with."
This time, it was Jughead who initiated the next move, crashing his lips against Betty's in a kiss that was both passionate and comforting all at once. He smiled against her lips when she laced her arms around the back of his neck, drawing him in closer. The possibly pregnancy was momentarily forgotten as the two continued their spontaneous (but not unwelcome) make out session.
The two pulled apart when they had finally run out of air. Betty was the first to break the silence with what they were both thinking, but too afraid to voice. "I guess we should find out if our lives are going to change..." she trailed off, retrieving the pregnancy test from the bathroom.
The stick was wrapped up in toilet paper, obscuring the results from the couple's vision. This only added to the suspense as the both moved towards the bed to sit, feeling the need for something to ground them.
Betty then began to slowly unwrap the toilet paper, flinching anytime a rip formed, or it made any crinkling noise. The closer they got to the pregnancy test inside, the more her hands began to shake.
Jughead, taking notice of her shaky hands, felt an overwhelming sense of sympathy for his girlfriend. Although she had seemingly accepted that a pregnancy may not be the worst thing in the world, she was still terrified at the prospect of a positive test result.
He made a move to relieve her of the duty of finding out the results, but Betty just shook her head, "This is something I need to do." And as she uttered those words, the test fell face down into her lap, finally free of the toilet paper.
Betty slowly turned over the test while Jughead waited beside her, feeling as though his head might explode if he didn't find out the results soon. Luckily, his waiting was cut short when his girlfriend let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank god," Betty exclaimed, flopping backwards onto her bed, "I didn't realize I was holding my breath until now!"
Betty paused, confused when her boyfriend didn't say anything. "Juggie, what's wrong?" She sat up to get a better look at his face.
A slight frown graced Jughead's features, he was staring down at the ground as if deep in thought. Betty was shocked to discover that he appeared almost disappointed with the test results.
Thinking that she may have insulted him, she began reproachfully, "I didn't mean it like I didn't want to be stuck with you or anything, I just wasn't really planning on having a baby in high school with you. I mean, with anyone-"
Jughead cut Betty off when he pressed a soft kiss to her lips, chuckling as he pulled away from his now stunned girlfriend.
"And just when I was getting used to the idea of a baby Betty running around." He joked gently, positioning himself to fully face her.
Betty cocked her eyebrows, "So you are disappointed?" She questioned, an amused smile lighting up her features.
Putting on a surprisingly convincing pout, Jughead continued, "Well maybe just a little, I've always known that I wanted kids with you one day. Although I know now isn't an ideal time, it wouldn't have been the worst thing ever...." he trailed off, almost embarrassed at how domestic he sounded.
Betty was both taken aback and touched by the vulnerable confession from her normally closed off boyfriend.
"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about you as a father a few times" she smiled, adding, "but not for another few years at least"
Relieved that his sentiments were shared by his girlfriend, Jughead sighed and pressed his forehead to Betty's.
"I'm definitely holding you to that."