monsters | riverdale

American Dreams

"I know, I know," Mickey cuts her off. "It's just weird. But what're you gonna do?"

"I don't know..."

"You can stay at the Pembrooke."

"Really?" Betty and Jughead ask simultaneously.

"Yeah, of course." Mickey looks between the both of them. "You guys up for breakfast with a marked man?"

✿

Jughead waits until after Delores takes their orders to talk. "Here's the deal, Archie. I checked with my dad, I pulled all the files on Warden Norton after he committed suicide, and I cleared out his office, and I found this." He holds up a plastic bag with the G&G card inside.

"It's a Quest Card," Mickey states. "So what?"

Archie scoffs, taking the plastic bag from his best friend. "'Kill the Red Paladin,'" he reads. "Like the one Ricky had."

"Those two cards are identical," Jughead continues. "That's the same design, same card stock. To me, that indicates that someone printed out multiple 'Kill the Red Paladin' cards and put them out into the world."

"We need to find out who," Betty says.

Archie stops looking over his shoulder suspiciously and leans back in his seat. "I know where to start."

"Where, Arch?"

He turns to face Mickey, "Your dad." Then he winces, reaching to touch the area where he had been stabbed.

Betty stands from the table when she sees the pain on his face. "I think I should take him home."

Mickey softly kicks Jughead's leg under the table when they're alone. "I hope you like Polly's room because that's where you'll be staying."

He chuckles, but it's very short. Then there's this grave look on his face. "I just want to know where my mom got the money to buy the Cooper home."

Her blood runs cold as the real answer comes into her mind. Drugs. Still, she leans on the table and tries to say the right thing. "Maybe you should just ask her, Jug. Look, I know talking about your mother is sore for you, but—"

"Then let's not," he rests his hand on top of hers. "I don't want her to be the cause of another argument. And I'm sure she can iron out all of the details without them being shady."

✿

"Mickey!"

She stops walking down the hall at the call of her name and turns. "Reggie..."

He stops in front of her and asks, "Do you think I've put in a lot of time working for you and your sister?"

"Of course, Reggie," she assures him. "You've been the bartender, bouncer, delivery man, pit boss, and the list goes on."

"I've also made sacrifices, like giving my car to Gladys."

She lifts her eyebrows, "Why does this sound like a pitch, Mantle?"

"Because I've been thinking," he raises his chin.

"That's never a good idea."

"I want to be you and Veronica's business partner." He looks at Mickey hopefully, optimism clear in his eyes.

She places her hand on his shoulder with a sigh. "Sorry, Reggie. If you came to me a few days ago, maybe I could've done something. I'm not even Veronica's business partner anymore," she informs him. "Especially not at that speakeasy. "