monsters | riverdale

The Homecoming

Toni leans against the bar. "You're lucky I'm even willing to serve you, Jones."

Jughead's eyebrows knit together. "What? Why?"

"What the hell is he doing here?" Sweet Pea comes out from the storage room with a fresh keg. "No way, Toni. No way."

Fangs sets down the keg he's holding, "Gathering some research for your next book there, Jones?"

Jughead feels uneasy when the two of them move to stand on either side of them. "Hang on. Are you guys actually upset about my novel?"

Toni says, "You made the Serpents look like fools in it."

"You mean the Vipers? The Vipers were the good guys. I didn't use your actual names."

Fangs scoffs, "You think people around here couldn't figure out who Toothy was in your book?"

"Yeah, or Pop Eye?" Sweet Pea questions.

Toni nods, feeling like the guys' feelings are incredibly valid. "You mocked our Serpent traditions and codes, and now you're asking for our help? Okay, I'll help. I'll give you some advice. Watch your back, Jones. You've made a lot of enemies in this town."

"Especially after how you treated Mick," Fangs adds.

Jughead turns his head to see Mickey focusing on the wooden bar top just so she doesn't have to face him. "Fine," he gives in. "I'll just go."

"Why did you guys have to bring me into it?" Mickey asks once he's gone. "It was a tough time for both of us."

Jughead's just about leave the diner when Mickey catches up to him, saying his name. He stops by the door and faces her.

"Are you okay?" she asks. "They're just upset."

"I thought it was about the book, but now I see they're upset about us." He knew that they knew because Mickey stayed close to all of them, but he didn't know they knew the details about the end. He always believed Mickey's loyalty to him would make her keep his dirty secrets.

"No. It is about the book," she tries to convince him.

"Why did you come back here?"

The question shocks her. "For Pop Tate." She knows that's not the answer he's looking for.

His eyes travel up and down her body, taking in her appearance. He's comparing how she looks now to how she looked the last time he saw her inside his head. "The last time I saw you, your hair was black and down your back." Still, she's as beautiful as ever.

"I cut it after...." She decides not to say what she was originally going to say. Instead, she asks a shocking question of her own, "How are things with Jessica?"

"How do you know about Jessica?" He started seeing her a little after him and Mickey broke up the last time.

"I kept tabs for a bit," she confesses. "My therapist said that's how I coped. Plus, I could tell she had a thing for you even when we were together."

"You never reached out."

"You didn't want me to. All you cared about was shutting me out when I needed you the most and trying to write your next book and alcohol."

He frowns, "Now you're going to lecture me about drinking?"

"Unlike you, I'm healthy."

He has to admit, she really does seem healthy. When they first started college and he found out she was drinking again, he was so concerned about her going down a dark path, but it seems like she was right. It really was Riverdale and her parents causing her to drink for the wrong reasons. Still, his pride makes him snap at her, "You know, I'm really not in the mood. I've got debt collectors up my ass and—"