"So, what? You were going to just leave without a goodbye?"
✿
Mickey spots Jughead outside of the bus station leaning on the brick wall. As soon as she gets closer, she notices his puffy eyes. "So, what? You were going to just leave without a goodbye?" The last thing he probably needs is for her to be aggravated with him, but he was going to leave!
"I got this stupid ticket," Jughead holds it up. "It was for Toledo, but then..." his eyes well up, "I changed it to Florida."
Mickey snatches the ticket out of his hand and rips it to shreds with no hesitation. "You're not going. Foot me the bill."
"My Mom doesn't want me there anyway," he whispers. He squeezes his eyes shut to stop himself from crying and bangs his head against the wall angrily.
Mickey takes his hand. "Come on. Let's go."
The two end up at Pop's, considering it's one of the very few places opened this late.
Mickey slides her place of fries over to him, hoping it'll cheer him up a little, but he doesn't even look at them.
Jughead just leans his head against the windows dejectedly without saying a word. When his phone rings, he slides it on the table over to her.
She scrolls through his missed calls. There are a bunch from Betty, Archie, and, surprisingly, Veronica. Mickey turns the phone off and looks at him. "Tonight you told me I couldn't run away from my problems and now you're running away from yours. You ever heard practice what you teach?"
He faces her. "My Dad was arrested for murder tonight. I think that gives me a pass."
The bells chime by the door.
"There they are," Veronica points to the table Mickey and Jughead are sitting at. She, Betty, and Archie go over to Mickey and Jughead. "What're you doing here, Mick?"
Mickey glances at Jughead.
Betty sits next to him. "We're so sorry about everything."
"Juggy, we screwed up. We all did," Archie glances at Veronica, who nods in agreement. "Breaking into your Dad's trailer was wrong, but at least some good came out of it."
Jughead keeps his eyes on the plate of fries now just to avoid their stares. "Pretty sure my Dad was just arrested for murder."
Veronica informs him, "That gun wasn't there when we searched his trailer. Someone put it there after we left."
Jughead sits up straight and looks at Veronica and then at Betty for confirmation. "What are you talking about?"
Archie and Veronica explain in detail.
"We have to go to the station and talk to Keller," Jughead insists.
They all go to the station to talk to Kevin's Dad. Archie and Veronica explain to him that the lockbox wasn't in FP's closet when they were there.
Sheriff Keller stops the kids from talking. "Your old man confessed, Jughead."
As if on cue, FP walks by them—handcuffed.
Déjà vu.
✿
"Where's Veronica?" Mickey walks into the dining room the next morning.
Hermione answers, "She left early."
Mickey grabs a granola bar from the middle of the table and notices the passports spread out. "Why are those out? Are we going somewhere?"
"Honey," Hermione sighs. "We should talk."
Mickey shakes her head. "Mom, it has been a very long night."
"I know, sweetheart, but now that FP has confessed to being Jason's killer, who knows what else he'll confess to."
"So you think there's still a possibility that Daddy hired him to kill Jason?"
Hermione shrugs. "I don't know, but regardless of that, we are known associates of the man who killed Jason Blossom. Your father may have had something to do with that. Maybe not. But either way, we need to be ready."
"Leaving Riverdale makes us look guilty."
"Mija, I'm guilty. I bribed the Mayor to get the drive-in land, forged your sister's signature, paid off the Serpents." She grabs Mickey's hand hand. "Just pack a bag and leave it in your closet, okay? We just need to be ready. I told your sister and now I'm telling you. Don't fight me on this."
Mickey sees how scared her mother is. Okay."
✿
Mickey closes her locker to see Jughead walking down the hallway alone. She jogs to catch up to him. "Jughead, I thought you weren't coming in today."
He stops and looks at her. He has bags under his eyes and his lids are puffy, telling signs that he hasn't slept and/or he has been crying. "Keller interrogated me this morning."
"Then why are you here? I'm sure everyone will understand if you take a personal day or two."
"I want to apologize to Cheryl."
"There's nothing you can do for that girl at this point, Jughead. The best thing, and I use the term loosely, is to just leave her to grieve."
Jughead ignores her subtle advice and continues on his path to the cafeteria. He zones out anything Mickey is saying on the way, not budging.
Mickey locates her friends and leaves his side.
Veronica looks at her sister, "Mickey—"
"Look!" Mickey cuts her off and points to Jughead, who is approaching Cheryl.
The mood in the cafeteria shifts and so do all eyes.
Everyone wants to see the murderer's son approach the victim's sister.
Jughead says something and it sets Cheryl off. She slaps him and starts to throw punches at his chest. He just braces himself and takes it.
All of Jughead's friends jump up at this point.
"Archie, do something!" Mickey pushes him toward the pair.
Archie wraps his arms around Cheryl and pulls her away from his best friend.
Principal Weatherbee appears, "Enough! Mr. Jones, you need to come with me. Right now."
Cheryl rushes out in tears.
"He was apologizing," Archie tries to defend Jughead. "He didn't do anything wrong!"
Weatherbee doesn't even cater a response. Him and Jughead make their way out of the cafeteria.
✿
Mickey is about to walk up the stoop to knock on the Andrews' front door. After the scene in the cafeteria, she didn't get to see Jughead because he had to leave school as soon as he was done speaking with the principal. She just really needs to see him, to check up on him.
Jughead comes rushing through the front door, freezing when he spots Mickey. He sniffles, "What are you, uh," he wipes his face with his sleeve, "what are you doing here?"
"Are you alright?"
"I'm just gonna sleep in the garage tonight," he turns away.
Mickey follows him into the garage. She sits on the couch and watches him pace on the other side of the room.
Every few seconds, he has to wipe his tears because he can't stop crying. "Everything's falling apart. My Dad's going away for a long time. What am I gonna do do? I can't stay here because Archie's Dad thinks I'm dangerous and—"
"That can't be true. Fred loves you." If Fred thought Jughead was a bad kid, he wouldn't have covered for him when he did or gave Jughead a place to stay. Fred risked his career and his freedom for Jughead.
"He said it inside, Mickey!" Jughead cries. "Principal Weatherbee kicked me out of school—all because of my Dad! He has let me down so many times, but this...this is the icing on the cake!"
Mickey watches the pain on Jughead's face and it breaks her heart. She knows what it's like to be disappointed by her father, but not to the extent of feeling so low and alone. She doesn't know what to say.
"I was so stupid to believe he was changing. All because he cleaned the trailer, started working with Archie's Dad, and shaved," Jughead laughs bitterly. "He probably didn't even really quit drinking. Just another part of the act."
"You saw the best in your Dad. There's nothing wrong with that," Mickey tries.
A muscle twitches in his jaw. "I asked him and he lied to my face. You were there when I did. And don't try to deny it," he points his index finger at her accusingly, "because I saw your jacket. Mickey, what were you doing there?"
He's talking about the time he went to the trailer with Betty. Mickey was hiding in the bedroom.
"I was just upset at FP for not being there for you. I was just trying to—"
"Stick up for me?" He laughs again in the same sardonic pitch, "To my own father."
Mickey stands up and moves over to him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Jug." She is holding on to his arm to stop him from pacing.
"I was so happy," he says sadly. "Naïve, but happy." He sighs, "I'm not mad at you for talking to him." Jughead presses his lips to her temple, "Thank you. For caring."
Butterflies start fluttering up a storm in the pit of her stomach.
Then he pulls back and his eyes flicker down to her lips. His pupils are blown with a look she's never seen him have before.
The look.
"Jug—"
He smashes his lips on to hers.
Immediately, Mickey notices the difference between this kiss and the kiss they shared at the drive-in. Gentleness isn't what he craved. She grabs two fistfuls of his shirt to pull him closer.
He melts into her when the kiss deepens.
She can't string a full thought together because of how his hands feel traveling over her body. Her focus is shot.
A groan escapes from the back of his throat when she detaches their lips. He guides her backward toward the couch and pushes her down.
Mickey's back hits the cushions and she catches her breath as she watches him throw his jacket on the chair adjacent to them without breaking eye contact. As he strips, she takes the chance to wiggle out of her dress, leaving her in her undergarments.
Jughead gets on top of her, legs on either side of her hips. He leans down and begins to leave trails of kisses from her jaw to her chest. Then he stops to focus on her face. "If you want me to stop, tell me now." He traces her cheekbone and then her lips with his thumb.
She takes it all in for a moment. The veins along his wrist, his lean and toned body, everything. His beanie had fallen off at some point and a few strands of dark hair are falling over his eyes. She just wants to be close to him.
It's what he wants too.
She sits up slightly to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling his weight down on top of her.
"Don't stop."