monsters | riverdale

Brave New World

We're all searching for someone whose demons play well with ours.

✿

The dim lights of Jughead's hospital room is equivalent to the overall atmosphere in Riverdale. Even the open window fails to provide illumination to the room because of the gloomy weather.

All of his friends visited him together the first couple of times. They all knew how much they needed to lean on each other during such a fragile time. Unfortunately, the group visits stopped the day Betty asked about Jughead's phone call to Mickey the night he was left for dead. Things became awkward after that and Mickey definitely didn't want to endure the uncomfortable vibes coming from Betty—or put anyone else through it.

"Why did he call you?" Betty's big blue eyes go from Jughead's face to Mickey's. "You told FP it sounded like he was saying goodbye, but why would he call you?"

"Let's not do this now," Veronica interjects from by window. "This isn't the time."

"I think it is," Betty stands up. "I want to know why my boyfriend called your sister."

Mickey wraps her arms around herself, glancing at an unconscious Jughead. She silently swears at him for putting her in this position. Then she looks back at Betty and lifts her shoulders to shrug. "You would have to ask him that. I'm going to get some air or something."

Kevin and Veronica share a look before following Mickey out of the room. The three of them don't stop until they're outside of the hospital.

Mickey leans against the railing and releases a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.

"Why did Jughead call you?" Kevin breaks the moment of silence.

Mickey spins around to face the two of them. She shrugs just like she did in the room. "We were fighting and he felt bad about leaving things the way we did, I guess."

"What were you fighting about?" Veronica quirks her brow. "Daddy?"

"I have been hanging out with Sweet Pea and Jughead was not a fan of that."

"'Hanging out?'" A mischievous smirk spreads on Kevin's lips. "Wait. Why would Jughead be upset about that?"

Mickey rubs her eyes tiredly, sick of this conversation. "I think things have been crap all around, so everyone's looking for someone to be mad at. That night Fangs was shot, he was on edge and he let it out on me."

Veronica hums apprehensively. "Why Sweet Pea?"

"Why not? He was a friend and I needed to see what other fish were in the sea."

Kevin snorts, "You don't spark me as the type to be into fish. You're more of a shark kind of girl."

"Jughead was no shark. More like a dolphin." Veronica's eyes widen when she realizes what she said, "I mean—too soon?"

Then they all burst into laughter. Inappropriate laughter, but still, it felt good to feel something other than negativity and darkness.

Ever since that day, Mickey went to see Jughead at night when nobody else was there. It's pretty easy to sneak into his room after visiting hours because the receptionists leaves her desk at the same time every night for a snack, a smoke, or a coffee. The night time is the most convenient time to visit Jughead anyway, considering Mickey hasn't been able to sleep. If she did close her eyes, she'd just have reoccurring nightmares about Jughead or the man who tried to kill her, Veronica, and their mother.