"I don't. I mean...I don't know. He's not all bad. You know! You are his friend."
✿
"The Drive-In closing is just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale." Jughead stares out the window in Pop's from their booth. He uses his hands as he talks, "No, forget Riverdale. In the coffin of the American dream. As the godfather of-of Indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino, likes to say—"
"Please, God, no more Quentin Tarantino references," Kevin begs. He will literally lose all sanity.
Mickey snorts.
"What? I'm pissed." Jughead glances over at Betty, who is staring blankly and not touching her strawberry milkshake. Then he continues, "And it's not just about losing my job. The Twilight Drive-In should mean something to us. People should be trying to save it."
Veronica rests her hand on the middle of the table. "In this age of Netflix and VOD, do people really want to watch a movie in a car? I mean, who even goes there?"
"People who want to buy crack," Kevin says seriously to Veronica.
"Romantics," Mickey says cheekily.
"And cinephiles, and car enthusiasts. Right, Bets?" Jughead looks at Betty again.
The preoccupied blonde snaps out of her trance, "Totally." Her thoughts have just been wrecked with the revelation about Archie and Ms. Grundy.
"Anyway, it's closing because the town owns it, but didn't invest in it. So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy an offer, she couldn't refuse..."
Veronica gives her sister a curious smirk and then sims it at their upset friend. "Anonymous buyer? What do they have to hide? No one cares."
"I do!" Jughead exclaims. He looks at her like she has no idea what she's talking about. With his scrunched up face, he addsX "Also, you guys should all come to closing night. I'm thinking American Graffiti...or is that too obvious?"
"I vote for anything starring Audrey Hepburn. Or Cate Blanchett," Veronica suggests.
"Something from the Brat Pack would make my night." Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez, Molly Ringwald, and Demi Moore all have a special place in Mickey's heart.
Kevin nods in agreement. "Or The Talented Mr. Ripley. Betty, your choices?"
Creases form on Veronica's face as she looks at Betty with concern. "Everything okay, Bee?"
Betty shrugs it off, "Yeah, I'm just thinking. Um...maybe Rebel Without a Cause?"
Jughead shares a look with her.
"Here you go, kids," Hermione gives Jughead and Veronica their food.
"Thanks, Mom."
While Jug continues to rant and Kevin throws movie suggestions out, Cheryl's stuck up voice catches all of their attention.
Cheryl holds on to her money that Hermione is there to collect for her meal. Loudly, for the entire diner to hear, Cheryl says, "Be sure to put all that cash in the register. You are a Lodge, after all, and Lodges are known to have sticky fingers."
Mickey is the first to get up and Veronica follows close behind.
"Cheryl—"
Mickey cuts off her sister and gives Cheryl the bitchiest look she can muster, "Who do you think you are?"
Hermione holds up her index finger to stop her daughters. "Girls, I got this. Cheryl, I went to school with your mother. She didn't know the difference between having money and having class either."
Cheryl's tightens her lips together, clearly not use to being put in her place often.
Hermione takes the money from Cheryl and the girls return to their seats.
The bells chime over the door.
Kevin nods in the direction of the entrance, "Now, that's an odd combo of people."
They all turn to see who he's talking about.
Archie looks over at his friends' table and he seems them all gawking, for a few different reasons. He knows mostly it's because they're surprised to see him, his Dad, and Ms. Grundy together.
"I'll be right back," Betty stands.
"Jug, do something," Mickey tells him.
"Betty," Jughead tries to reason with her, "no. Don't."
She ignores him and walks right over to Archie's table.
"Wait, what's happening?" Kevin looks between Jughead and Mickey.
Jughead looks at Mickey with his wife blue eyes, but she's too busy watching Betty and Archie go outside.
This can't be good.
Mickey decides to join them.
"Jughead knows about this?" Betty is asking Archie when Mickey steps outside. Then she notices Mickey's presence. "You knew about this?"
"It's not what you're thinking." Archie tries.
"So, it's platonic?"
Mickey comments, "Okay, well, maybe it's a little like what you're thinking."
"Archie," Betty deadpans. "Are you and Ms. Grundy, like, together, like, romantically?" She's clearly disgusted and disturbed by the thought.
"Oh, my God. You and your music teacher are having an affair?"
They all turn to see Veronica has joined them outside now.
Archie sighs because this is another person in on something that's supposed to be a secret. "We are...together. Look, I know that sounds bad, but—"
"Bad?" Veronica questions abruptly. "It sounds scandalous."
"It sounds like jail time to me. Illegal!" Betty exclaims. Her eyes are nearly poking out of her head.
Archie screws his face up, "Betty, don't go there."
"Oh, I'm already there."
"Ronnie, a little help here?" Archie looks at Veronica.
Ronnie stammers, "I-I mean, technically, Betty's right. And ethically...well, what is Grundy to you, anyway, your girlfriend?"
Archie squeezes his eyes shut, clearly exhausted by this conversation.
"Your booty tutor?"
"I don't know, I don't know what to call her."
"Guys," Mickey finally joins the conversation. "Archie's a big boy. He knows what he's doing."
Veronica points her index finger at her sister, "You kept this from me!"
Betty crosses her arms. "You said you were at the river alone. You lied to Sheriff Keller, to all of us. Why? To protect her?"
Archie admits, "She believed in me when no one else did."
"Okay, we get it," Mickey stops him when she notices Betty looking like a wounded puppy.
Archie starts to beg Betty to say something, but before anyone can get another word out, a car pulls up and honks.
Mrs. Cooper tools down the window. "Get in the car, Betty. Now."
Betty complies. She doesn't have anything else to say to Archie or any of her friends anyway.
"Oh, Archiekins. You really did it this time..." Veronica turns and goes back inside.
"Mickey," Archie turns to her. Without even thinking about it, he buries his face into her shoulder.
Mickey wraps her arms around him, "It will work out."
"Really?" He relaxes into the hug. "How do you know?"
Mickey pulls away so she can look him in the eye. "Betty just needs some time. She wouldn't do anything to hurt you."
"I hope you're right."
✿
Mickey is so thankful when the bell rings the next day, dismissing her math class. Everyone quickly files out, but she takes her time because she's in no rush for her next class.
Reggie is leaning against a wall outside of the class.
"Were you waiting for me?"
"Maybe." He walks beside her. "What are you doing Friday?"
"Why?" When all he gives her is raised eyebrows, she tells him about closing night at the drive-in. She pulls out the flyer from her bag and hands it to him.
Jughead decided to go with Betty's suggestion of Rebel Without a Cause.
"It's important to Jughead."
Reggie rolls his eyes at the mention of him. "Do you want to go together?"
"Like a date? Are you asking me out on a date, Reggie Mantle?" she teases. If she's being honest with herself, she expected this any day now, considering all the flirting he does.
"Unless you turn me down, then I'll just deny it."
Mickey accepts his offer. She thought she'd just end up going with Veronica and friends, but this seems like a more interesting alternative. Maybe it's the dimple.
"Pick me up an hour before the movie starts. I want a good spot."
Reggie celebrates in his head. It's a victory.
✿
Mickey walks into Veronica's room without knocking. She goes straight for Veronica's desk, looking for her calculator that Veronica always steals.
"I need to talk to you about Mom," Veronica sits up on her bed, putting her phone down.
"Ronnie—"
She holds her hand up to shut Mickey up before she protests. "Listen! Cheryl showed me a picture of Mom talking to some Southside Serpent."
"Isn't that a gang?" Mickey remembers Jughead mentioning it briefly during one of their late nights at Pop's.
"Yes. When I talked to her about it, she made it seem like it was no big deal. She said they used to be friends when she lived here before."
"So?"
Veronica rolls her eyes. "Do you even care?"
Mickey chooses to be honestly blunt. "Not really. I don't want anything to do with Mom's affairs. You never know when she's telling the truth, Ronnie."
"I'm just trying to keep you updated with what's going on. You know I don't like secrets between us." Then she adds, "You don't feel the same though because you kept Archie's little secret."
Mickey finds the calculator in a draw and then looks at her sister. "Ronnie, that's different."
"How?"
"It just is!"
Veronica gets out of bed and walks over to her bedroom door, holding it open, hinting for Mickey to get out and leave her alone.
✿
"Archie!" Fred Andrews calls up the stairs. He turns back to Mickey with a smile, "You look just like your mother. You've turned into a beautiful young lady."
"Thank you," Mickey smiles.
"You like our small town? I know it's nothing like the big city, but it's home."
Mickey laughs softly. "Riverdale's interesting. I'm glad my family moved here. I've met the best people, including Arch."
"Mick? What're you doing here?" Archie descends down the stairs.
Fred says, "I have some paperwork to finish in the kitchen. It was nice seeing you, Mickey." He disappears into another room.
"I came to check on you," Mickey tells Archie.
He presses his index finger to his lips and grabs her hand, leading her up the stairs into his room.
Mickey stands in the middle of his room, taking it in. She doesn't know what she expected. He is a teenage boy. Then she sits on his bed, "Why do you seem upset, Archiekins?" She hates the nickname, but Veronica insists on using it.
Archie sits next to her. "Betty and Veronica are really on my case about Geraldine."
"How so?"
"I just can't believe them!" He jumps up abruptly and starts pacing. "You know, they broke into her car. Isn't that a little extreme?"
She plays devil's advocate. "Did they find anything that might justify it?"
He stops to look at her, his facing giving the answer. "They had all this information and it makes me kind of curious, but...I don't know."
"Then ask her about it."
"Maybe you're right," he scratches the back of his neck.
Mickey's phone makes a noise and she reaches for it in her bag. "One second." Then she opens the new message from Reggie.
Can't wait until tomorrow night xx
"What are you smiling at?"
She doesn't even realize she's smiling until he says it. "I'm going on a date tomorrow." Mickey puts her phone back in her bag. "With Reggie." She slips off the bed so that she's sitting on the floor.
Archie smiles at her blushing cheeks. "I didn't know you liked him." He sits in front of her on his floor.
"I don't. I mean...I don't know. He's not all bad. You know! You are his friend."
"Wow," he puffs out his cheeks. "I always thought..." Archie trails off.
"You always thought what?"
"Never mind."
Mickey ignores a thought that pops into her head because there's no way that's what he was going to say.
"You wanna stay for dinner? We're having leftovers."
"Sure. Sounds great."
✿
"So you ran from the police?"
Mickey covers her face with her hand, feeling embarrassed now that she's retelling the story. "Police in the big city are a lot more intense than the Sheriff. And they're fast."
Reggie laughs.
Their date is going better than Mickey expected. Reggie has been the perfect gentleman. He even brought a blanket for them to share. They're barely paying attention to the movie because they're so wrapped up in conversation.
"You probably had the best times in New York. I want to know all about them...and all about you. The good and the bad."
"The bad?"
"I don't know," he shrugs. "You know, like, if you ever want to talk about anything, you can come to me. Like your dad...—"
"Um." Mickey pushes the blanket off of her and climbs out of the car quickly. There's no mistaking her exit as anything other than a way to get out of the direction that conversation was heading. "I'm going to get some popcorn."
Jughead is standing in line at the snack booth. He could easily skip and get something, but this is the last night. He wants to enjoy all of it, even the annoying lines.
"Closing night is a success."
He turns around and smiles at Mickey. "That's all I could ask for at this point."
"Don't worry so much about things, okay?"
Jughead looks like something heavy is on his mind, but he doesn't dare bring it up. Instead, he says, "I guess I was right about Reggie being into you."
"It's no big deal," she shrugs. "Just—"
"A date, right?" His mouth twists sourly.
"Here, Jug," the boy in the booth holds out a soda and some candy for Jughead, knowing exactly what Jughead would want.
Jughead takes his snacks and then faces her again. "Have fun on your date, Mick." He moves past her, disappearing into the dark.
Mickey makes her way back to Reggie's car.
"What happened to the popcorn?" he questions.
She blanks for a second, but then realizes that was her excuse for leaving the car. "Wow, I totally spaced. I was talking to...Kevin and I just wanted to get back to you."
Once they're both settled in the car again and underneath the blanket, Reggie takes her hand in his. "You look amazing tonight."
"You know, if you keep looking at me, you'll miss the movie."
"I'm not really into the movie."
Mickey turns her head to look at him and he's leaning forward. She expected the kiss to happen, but then something happens suddenly just before their lips touch. She turns her face and his lips land on her cheek.
"I'm sorry," is the first thing she says.
Mickey notices the mood change immediately. His eyes remain on the movie and his jaw stays clenched. She thinks that she should've just let him kiss her. She's kissed plenty of frogs in New York. She likes kissing. For some reason, it just didn't feel right now.
After the movie, she tries to make up for it by kissing him on the cheek, but it does nothing. She tells him she's going to find her sister to catch a ride just to send him away.
As the final cars leave and the lot empties, Mickey notices Jughead slipping into a small building on the lot. She makes her way in that direction.
Jughead jumps when the door to the booth opens.
"Relax. It's just me."
"What are you doing in here?!" He's raising his voice, something he's never done to her before.
"What's the big deal? Why are you..." she trails off as she notices the makeshift bed in the corner. Then she sees his belongings are sprawled all over the place. "Jug..."
"Don't," he snaps. "Not everyone can be rich and have everything they need."
"Why are you living here?"
He crosses his arms defensively.
Mickey closes the space between them, uncrossing his arms so that she can hold both of his hands with each of hers. "You know you can tell me anything. You know that. Do you really think I'd ever judge you?"
In the short amount of time that she's been in Riverdale, Jughead has easily become her favorite person. The two of them care about each other a lot. She just hopes he knows that he can trust her.
His features soften and he moves to sit on the bed. "My dad fell into a dark space. I lost my home, my family..."
Mickey scans the desk, picking up a picture of a young boy and girl. "I never knew you had a sister."
"Jellybean," he tells her. "She moved with my mother to live with my grandparents." He chuckles, "We use to sneak in the drive-in in the trunk of our car when we couldn't afford tickets."
"Why have you never mentioned her?"
"It would've opened up a whole can of worms. I don't want your pity, Mickey. Yeah, my dad isn't the greatest, I'm not the wealthiest, and I get taunted at school by jerks like Reggie Mantle, but I get through all that."
She's sure she hears a hint of jealousy when he says Reggie's name. "Where are you gonna go now?"
"I'll figure something out."
"Stay with me."
Jughead shakes his head furiously. "I don't need to be a charity case. No offense, but I don't need your sister gossiping about me being homeless. I don't want anyone knowing about this." He stands from his bed and moves behind her, looking at the picture still in her hand.
She can feel his breath on the back of her neck.
"You should go, Mick. It's late."
Mickey sets the picture down and spins around so that they're face to face. All she wants in this moment is to see him smile or to crack some dark joke, but the pain in his eyes doesn't go away. "I don't want to leave you alone."
"Just go," he says harshly. "Mickey—"
"Please don't make me go away." She hates how pathetic she sounds and, even more, she hates the feeling inside her chest as their eyes remain locked.
Jughead surprises her by wrapping his arms around her torso. He lets out a sigh as the side of his face brushes with hers.
She hopes he feels as safe with her as she does with him.
Jughead ends up giving her one of his sweatshirts to sleep in. Of course, he turns around while she changes.
She lies in his bed while he sits in a lawn chair, typing on his laptop for a little bit. They don't talk, but the silence is comfortable—exactly what they both need.
Then, out of the blue, he asks, "Do you talk to your Dad?"
"Sometimes. For my Mom and Veronica's sake."
"What do you mean?"
She says, "Everything seemed so perfect in New York until the police took away my Dad. I haven't found a way to forgive him for putting our family in jeopardy."
"Is that why you're angry with your Mom?"
"She couldn't have been clueless. The fact that she still stands by his side, it makes me so mad. But I could never express that. Ronnie would never speak to me again."
He proceeds to close his laptop, kick off his shoes, and climb into bed, making himself comfortable behind her. "Is this okay?"
"Mhm." She shifts her entire body so that she can look at him. "You did a good job with closing night."
"Did you have a good time on your date?"
Mickey snorts. "It was good until he tried to kiss me and he ended up kissing my cheek."
He starts laughing uncontrollably and when he composes himself, his mouth sets into a line. He searches her face curiously before asking, "Why didn't you let him kiss you?"
Earlier, Mickey could barely form a reason why she didn't let Reggie kiss her. In this moment, as she lays there with Jughead, the reason becomes very clear.
"I guess I want my first kiss in Riverdale to be with someone who really cares about me. Someone I really care about."
As he gulps, his Adam's apple bobs.
Feeling a surge of bravery, she continues. "I guess I thought my first kiss in this town would be...with you." When he doesn't say anything in return, she turns her back to him and says, "It's okay, Juggy. Goodnight."
"Night."
It surprises her when he wraps his arm around her side and pulls her into him. Of course she says nothing against it.
✿
Mickey wakes up the next morning to the sound of movement. When her eyes adjust, she sees Jughead packing his things. She sits up. "Are you going to find somewhere safe to stay?"
"Yes." He looks at her, "I have to do something, but I'll be right outside. Get dressed," he throws his duffel over his back and moves over to the bed. "Mickey, about last night, I, uh—"
"Jug, it's really okay. We do not need to—"
He leans down and presses his lips to hers.
The kiss is soft, gentle, and very sweet. Their lips are a little chapped from the cold, but that doesn't take away from anything.
They both pull away with sheepish grins playing on their faces. Then he steps out.
Mickey sits there for a moment, taking it in. As she quickly pulls on her clothes, she's nervous that the smile on her face won't go away. It'll give her away.
Then her phone dings and that's her reality check. She stayed the night out and didn't tell Veronica or her mother. Quickly, she texts Veronica thats she's okay and exits the booth. To her surprise, Jughead's talking to a Southside Serpent, which is clear by his leather jacket.
The man notices Mickey and gives her a once over. "Hey. I'm FP, Jughead's old man."
"Mickey Lodge," she introduces herself. "I'm a friend of Jughead's."
"A 'friend,' huh?" He looks over at Jughead with a smirk.
Jughead rolls his eyes.
"Where you gonna live now, boy?"
"I'll figure it out, Dad. I always do." He grabs Mickey's hand and pulls her past his Dad.
Mickey looks over her shoulder to get one last look at FP and notices the graffiti on the side of the booth.
JUGHEAD ♛
JONES WUZ HERE