Speak To Me

Pop's

Forsythe Pendleton "Jughead" Jones the Third made his way into the small diner that night, shocked at what he saw when he turned his head. His girlfriend was having dinner with her entire family at Pop's. Something he hadn't seen since little Polly Cooper had gotten knocked up by a Blossom. Betty saw him over her parents' shoulders and she said something to the Coopers before standing and making her way over to her boyfriend in front of the door.

"Hey." She put an arm around his waist and leaned into his chest as he kissed her on the top of her head.

"Hey. Seeing the Coopers all together at Pop's feels like time travel." He joked and they made their way to the other side of the diner to sit in their own booth.

"I know."

"Things are getting better, I presume?" Jug said as they took their seats.

"Not exactly, no." She looked behind her at her mother, father, and sister before turning and whispering. "Mom's hiding something from us."

"Wwwhat else could she be hiding besides having a long lost son?" He wondered, nodding at Pop's behind the counter when he waved.

"I don't know. But remember how I said that lately she's been getting home late or just leaving at random times of the day?" She asked, still in a hushed tone.

"Yeah?"

"Well...it turns out that even Dad doesn't know where she goes. I thought he did, but...tonight they started arguing about groceries-"

"Groceries?"

"Yeah. they were arguing about who does and doesn't pick up the groceries and Dad, very angrily, asked her where she was for two hours after work today."

They paused talking when Pop Tate came over with Jughead's regular, a burger and fries. After thanking him and smiling while he walked away, Jug took a fry and bit into it before continuing their conversation. "Your mom was gone for two hours after work today?"

Betty nodded with wide and annoyed eyes. "Yeah."

"So how did the big unhappy Cooper family end up here tonight?" He asked, eating the rest of his first fry.

"Well, they wouldn't shut up about the groceries and having nothing to eat tonight, so I suggested we all just come here to eat, hoping it would calm them down for a few hours at least." She reached across the table, taking a fry from his plate.

"And? Did it work?"

"So far...I guess so. They haven't spoken much since we got here." She sighed, looking off to the side. "I wish I knew what was up with Mom lately. Or at least knew where she goes when she disappears." Jughead took a bite out of his burger and mid-chew, his eyes widened. "What?" Betty asked.

As soon as he was able to swallow, he put the burger down on the plate in front of him and ducked his head a bit as if the Coopers would hear him. "There is a way to find out."

"What?"

"Where your mom goes when she disappears. Maybe we CAN know." He looked to her family's booth before shrinking down again to continue. "Let's follow her."

"What?" Betty repeated, this time with more shock.

"Yeah. Let's do it. Tomorrow, we go to homeroom at school so we're not marked absent...and then we meet across the street from the Register and we follow your mom when she leaves." He ate another fry, this one dipped in ketchup.

"Are you insane? We can't do that?" Elizabeth shrunk her head down too and spoke even quieter. "We're not spying on my mom, Jug."

"Why not?" He smirked. "It'll be fun."

"But we don't have a car. All we've got is your dad's motorcycle and it's not quiet. She'll eventually figure out that she's being followed."

"True....but we've also got my dad's truck." He couldn't help but continue smiling.

"No. Jughead, we're not illegally driving your father's vehicle without a license or even a permit." She folded her arms and leaned on the table in front of her.

"Come on. I've driven his truck before." He readjusted his hat. "Do you wanna know what's going on with your mom or not?"

Betty sat up straight again and shook her head. "Not enough to break the law, no."

Suddenly, they heard the clicking of heels and two voices struggling to whisper, each one interrupting the other's. Turning to see the commotion, they saw Alice and Hal standing face to face, closer to the exit. What they could tell was another argument had broken out and Betty looked to Polly, alone in the booth. They both strained their ears, trying to hear what they were fighting about. They could only hear little parts here and there.

"I'm so sick of this, Alice!" was one statement they could muster up from Hal as well as, "Yeah, okay, " and something about the Register.

"I'm not talking about this here, Hal." Alice looked around, hoping others wouldn't notice her perfect life crumbling.

"No, we ARE gonna talk about it. Here and now!" Her husband demanded.

Alice shushed him, their bodies eerily close, as she continued to avoid eye contact with him. Finally, Hal said something else that neither Jughead nor Betty could hear, but the next thing they heard was loud and clear. "Fuck you, Hal!"

Betty's jaw dropped instantly as her mother turned and left the restaurant, her father following close behind. She looked to her big sister who was already looking to her. Polly shrugged and shook her head before Betty turned to look back at Jug, whose eyes were also very wide and stunned. "Do you know where your father's truck keys are?"

Jughead nodded, smirking and picking up another fry.

A/N: Okay, this chapter was soooooooo short, but I really liked where it ended. New chapter ASAP!