What happened next was something I didn't expect. We were T minus twelve hours, on heading to New York. Polly had gone to her parents and urged them to meet with Betty and I to discuss the engagement. So, here we were, sitting once again around this cursed dinner table. I was regretting wearing this stupid tie. It was as if I could feel it slowly choking the life out of me as I sat there rigid. Betty and I both had not really wanted to come to this dinner, but we figured that we should respect Polly and go anyway.

"Thanks for having us over, Dad." Betty said breaking the heavy, awkward silence that hung over the table.

"Mmhm." He mumbled, "Thank your sister. She seems to think that all of this is a good idea."

"Let's just jump to the chase." Alice Cooper said as she set her fork down and brought her elbows up on the table.

"Mom." Polly said quietly, almost as if she was reminding her that she wouldn't just tear the two of us to shreds.

"You have to understand, Jughead. Our family now has a reputation to uphold. We can't just send out wedding invitations with the name 'Jughead Jones' printed across the top. You have to understand the appearances that we must keep up with." She said smiling so sweetly it made me sick.

"With all due respect, Mrs. Cooper. I have a tough time believing my name is the only issue you have with me." I said trying not to get upset. I owed it to Betty to keep a cool head and try to make them understand.

"Hal and I have worked very hard to make sure that our daughters had only the best. I need to make sure that we continue to do that. I just don't feel that you're the best fit for Betty. She's a hard worker, she's bright, and professional. You're from the south side Jughead. That's not a legacy that we can have in our family tree." She finished.

"What are you even talking about, Mom?" Betty piped up eyes wide. "You're from the south side! You're being such a hypocrite!"

"While Alice's reasons may be a bit more…selfish. I'm just worried that you may not be able to provide my daughter with everything she needs. I don't want her living in that trailer park for the rest of her life." Hal stated calmly.

"I don't want her to live there for the rest of her life either." I said looking him straight in the eye.

"How do you plan to make that happen?" He said going back to his dinner.

"I've started sending out my manuscript about the Blossom murder. If that doesn't pan out with any publishers, I plan to get a job in New York and start saving all the money I can. I'm not going to just sit back and wait for things to come to me if that's what you're getting at." I said trying to make him understand that I did have plan.

"How do you plan to take a full course load and work a job as well?" Alice asked me, apparently she decided to play along with Hal.

"The same way as any other college student, with very little sleep." I said trying to make a joke, Betty and Polly stifled their laughter.

"Should we give you our permission, and I'm not saying that we are. Should we decide to do that, how long are you planning on being engaged before getting married? I believe that your mother and I are concerned that you may be jumping into things."

"We haven't decided, Dad. We're not in a huge rush. We have so much going on, we might just wait until after graduation. Who knows? Besides, we've been together for almost three years, I'd say we're not rushing much of anything." She said looking at me for approval.

"I assume that you're sexually active?" Alice asked popping a piece of meat into her mouth.

"Oh god." Betty said her entire face turning red as Polly almost choked on the food in her mouth. I spit the water in my mouth out from the shock and instantly I felt myself slide down a bit in my chair, wanting to disappear. I was not about to discuss my extracurricular activities with Mr. and Mrs. Cooper's daughter.

"I don't think that really matters...does it?" I said my voice cracking slightly.

"Yes, it does. Polly here thought she'd run away and have grand adventures with that Blossom boy after he knocked her up. I can't have Betty trying to do the same." She said looking me in the eye. She knew this was making me entirely too uncomfortable, she was enjoying it.

"The two situations are completely different, Mom. You know that." Polly said trying to change the topic.

"Not so much, Polly." Hal interrupted. "I'm interested to hear the answer to your mother's question."
"Dad. We're in a committed relationship. I graduated high school, with honors, might I add. Yes, we have."

"Are you pregnant? Is that why you proposed, Jughead?"

"WHY does EVERYONE think I'm pregnant?!" Betty said loudly from the other side of the table.

"Because you're a pretty girl in a small town, who's engaged to her high school boyfriend at eighteen." Polly said sarcastically. "Been there, done that." She said taking her napkin from her lap and placing it over her plate. "Stop comparing her to me, Mom. It's not fair to Betty, or Jughead. Who I rather like." She smiled, "I'd be very happy to have him as part of the family." She said getting up and grabbing her plate. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Lizzie and Jason are waiting at home for me."

"Mr. Cooper? Mrs. Cooper?" I asked tentatively, the last time that I'd asked for their attention they had torn me to bits.

"What is it, Jughead?" Alice asked, I was confused by the fact that she actually looked interested.

"I've done nothing but beat myself up over the last few weeks. Wondering why no matter what I do with my life, you will never be pleased. I've spent a lot of time wondering why the fact that I love Betty more than anything in this world isn't enough for you. Watching her work so hard these few weeks at the diner, and then feeling like she should take care of me on top of that...I'm sorry that I'm not from a wealthy family. I'm sorry that my dad is serving time. I'm sorry that I'm not who you imagined your daughter being with." I took a deep breath before continuing. "Betty has always been a bright spot in my life that I could gravitate towards when everything else was grayed out. I don't know if you think I'm wanting to marry her for the money or the social status, but those things don't matter to me. What does matter to me is that Betty doesn't lose her family like I've lost mine." I felt the tears start to well up in my eyes, but I tried to fight them off the best I could. "Over the years, I watched my mother leave my father, then take my sister to Ohio, and then I watched my dad be hauled off to prison. I want to make something of life. I don't want to be another one of Riverdale's tragedies. I want to make a life with your daughter that you both can be proud of. I want us to build a life together that we both can be proud of. I want to prove to myself that I don't have to be a product of my raising, and I don't have to stay a guy from the wrong side of the tracks. I love Betty with all of my heart and I don't want her to be alone on her wedding day because her parents are holding a grudge against a guy that loves their daughter and wants to treat her well." I finished. Betty looked at me across the table and smiled, before either of her parents could speak Betty started talking.

"I need you both to understand something. Jughead may have started out as a kid from the wrong side of the tracks, but that's not who he is anymore. He's not his father, mom. He is not FP." She said pointing at me, "He is not that boy in high school that broke your heart before you met dad."

"Betts…" I started to say, but she held a hand up. She didn't have to defend me, this was the other shoe dropping. This was when her parents forbid her from seeing me and when all the memories I had of her would remain just that, memories.

"Just stop. Both of you." Hal said sitting up straighter in his seat. "You have a trial basis, Jones." He said wiping his mouth and setting his napkin back down.

"I do?" I said shocked, I wasn't expecting that.

"You have three months starting tomorrow morning. Show me you can provide for my daughter, show me you can balance school and a full-time job. Then we will re-visit this discussion." He said.

"You mean part-time and school, right?" I said confused.

"You said part-time, I'm saying full-time. Do you want the offer or not?" He said.

"Of course, Mr. Cooper. I can do that." I said trying not to get too excited. He could have asked me to go on a hunger strike for three weeks. I would have done it if it meant that I could have a chance to gain his blessing.

As we walked out to the car, Betty and I didn't even know what to say to each other. We both sat in the cab of the truck in silence, neither of us sure what exactly to say.

"Looks like you've got a rough three months, Jones." She said slightly smiling at me.

"I can do it." I said. Of course, I was happy with the opportunity, but how was I going to handle five classes, homework, and now forty hours a week? I could already feel my heart start to race and my palms sweat. I'd worked so hard in my last years of high school to actually make it to college. To keep my scholarship, I needed at least a 3.5 GPA or I would be dropped from the program.

"We haven't picked out classes yet. Maybe you'd be able to get night classes? Work during the day and then take your classes at night? Do your homework on the weekends. It's doable, people do it all the time." She said putting a hand on my arm as I started the truck.

"I know. I think I'm just in shock." I said still not being able to shake the feeling that Hal might be messing with me. "I felt like even if I did everything right, he still would find a reason to keep us apart." I said gripping the wheel as we drove down the driveway.

"We will go through the class schedule together and we will figure something out. Maybe if I work too we can trick my dad into thinking you were full time."

"No, Betty. He has a point. I need to show that I can take care of you. Just let me try to prove that to him, ok?" I said.

"Whatever you say, Juggie." She said scooting over on the bench seat of the truck and putting her head on my shoulder. My mind was racing as we drove down the road, slowly passing through streetlights and stop signs. You can do this, Jug. You might only have to keep this up Freshman year. Only long enough to prove to Mr. Cooper that you can do this. Just a year. Then you'll get married and finish school, and then move on. You can do this, Jug. You've already proven so many people wrong by graduating with honors. This is just another bump in the road.