𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 | 𝐉𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 |

Runaway

Chapter twenty-one: Runaway

     Footsteps were heard coming from down the hall. Kevin, Archie's parents, Hermione, and Alice came running down the hall.

"Betty, thank God."

"Not now, mom." Betty told her mother.

"You have to listen. All of you." Alice told the group.

"My dad just told Mayor Macoy about your dad Jughead." Kevin told him. "What about my dad?" Jughead questioned.  "He was just arrested.  For the murder of Jason Blossom." Fred told Jughead. Veronica, Archie, and Drea looked at each other with shocked faces.

Jughead pushed past them all and ran down the hall and out of the school. Drea, Archie, Betty, and Veroncia followed after him, but he ran off.

Drea turned back to them. "Are you kidding me?" Drea stared at her friends in disbelief.  "Guess you got what you wanted."

"Drea-"

Drea ignored Veronica and walked off after Jughead. She knew exactly where he had gone. The trailer.

When she got there, she heard things being thrown around. She took a deep breath and waited outside until it was quiet. Slowly, she walked in to see a crying Jughead on the floor, his head in his hands. Drea let out a soft sigh before kneeling next to him. She wrapped her arms around the boy who looked up but quickly fell into her arms as he continued to cry. Drea took off his beanie and ran her hands through his hair in hopes that he would calm down..

She couldn't believe it. FP Jones couldn't have been the murder. He just couldn't.

Once Jughead calmed down, he slowly pulled away from Drea. The expression he had on his face worried the girl. What was going through his head. The boy quickly stood bringing Drea with him. He walked over to the door, slamming in open and walking out, Drea following closely behind.

"Jughead! Where are you going?" Drea questioned as she tried to keep up with his fast pace.

The boy didn't answer. "Jughead." She grabbed his hand and stopped him. She looked him in the eyes. "Talk to me." She spoke softly.

"I'm going away. To Toledo"

Drea stared at him like he was crazy. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You heard me, Drea." He tried to let go of her hand, but she pulled him back. "No, you can't just leave like that, Jughead." Drea spoke firmly. "Why not Drea? Why can't I?"

"Because you're friends need you. Your dad needs you."

Jughead scoffed and pulled away, but Drea grabbed his arm. "Jughead. I need you." She whispered. Jughead's expression softened at the girl's words. "Then come with me." He spoke up.

"What?"

"It's just to get away. You don't even have to stay long."

"Jughead, I-" Drea stared up at the sad boy. She couldn't just let him go off, but she couldn't just leave without a word.

"I can't let you do this alone." Drea gave him a small smile. Jughead pulled her into a hug. "Thank you."

Who knows, maybe Jughead would change his mind later on.

After getting a change of clothes, Drea packed a bag. The two went off to the bus station. Jughead bought them two tickets to Toledo.

"I'm uh, I'm gonna call my mom." Jughead said. They walked to a phone booth. Drea waited outside for Jughead to finish his conversation. After a few minutes, Jughead came out with a gloomy look, causing Drea to sigh. "She said she doesn't think it's a good idea." Jughead told her. "Maybe it's for the best, Jug."

"Maybe we can exchange the tickets." Jughead said nothing and took hold of her hand.

They went back into the station to the ticket counter. "We changed our minds about Toledo. Can you just put us on whatever the next bus out of town is. I don't really care where it's going."

The woman stamped two tickets. Titusville, Florida, tomorrow morning at six." Drea and Jug thanked the woman. The two looked around at the empty lobby that a janitor was cleaning.

"Lobby closes in fifteen minutes. Re opens at five thirty." Drea and Jughead sighed.

"Pops?" Drea questioned. 

"Pops."

Jughead and Drea made their way to the homie dinner. When they got there, they sat at a booth and ordered coffee. Drea sat next to Jug. It was silent for a moment before Jughead spoke up. "You know I'm surprised you decided to come with me."

"Well, I couldn't just leave you." A tired Drea said as Pops placed the coffee on the table. "Thank you. You know, for not betraying me." Jughead thanked her.

"Jug. I'm upset, too, but they were just worried about you. They didn't mean to hurt you."

"Yeah, well, they did."

The girl smiled sadly. Both Drea's and Jughead hands were on the table. Slowly, Jughead reached for her hand and held it. Drea placed her head on the boys shoulder as he stared out the window.

Earlier today, Drea was getting ready for homecoming. Now, she was planning to run away with Jughead Jones. Well, plans change, don't they.

The bell rang, but the two didn't pay much attention to it. The was until Archie called Jughead and Drea's names. The two pulled away from each other as Veronica, Archie, and Betty went up to them.

Drea was about to stand up from the booth to let Betty sit, but Jughead took her arm. Betty sat on the other side of the booth. "Jug, we're so sorry about everything."

"Juggy, we screwed up. We all did. Breaking into your dad's trailer was wrong, but at least some good came out of it." Archie spoke.

"Are you sure my dad was just arrested for murder."

"That gun wasn't there when we searched his trailer. Someone put it there after we left." Veronica said, making Jughead and Drea look at her.

"What are you talking about?" Jughead whispered.

Drea stared at Veronica in disbelief. Could it be that FP Jones was framed for the murder of Jason Blossom?