7:08 am
FP Jones didn't get the call from Death-Cast because he wasn't dying that day. Sadly, based on the band his son was wearing, he would lose his son that day. Jughead was glaring at him. "How long have you been out of rehab?" Jughead growls.
"Jughead, son," FP says.
"Don't dodge the question," Jughead says, finally making eye contact with his father. "You lost the right to call me son two years ago. When you walked out on me and JB. Now, I'll reiterate the question. How long have you been out of rehab?"
"About three months," FP says. "I've been waiting for the right moment to visit you and JB, but I wanted to wait until I was completely stable. I'm sorry that I missed your graduation, but-"
"You don't even know, do you?" Jughead accuses, tears filling up his eyes.
"No," FP says. "What are you talking about?"
"JB is dead," Jughead said, coldly. "She got the call from Death-Cast last September. She never told me that she was a decker because she never got a chance. You weren't there, so I had to go through losing another family member. And you've been out of rehab for the past three months, and you never even called?"
It was now FP's turn to have tears build up in his eyes. "I'm sorry that I've been a terrible dad," FP says. "But I'm here now. I've been looking at apartments on the Northside, and I'm getting close to being able to afford one. You can move in with me, and we can start over. We can be a family again."
"It's a little late for that, isn't it?" Jughead asks, showing him the bright yellow wrist band. His cheeks were now soaked from the tears. "I can't wait for my death hour because it means I no longer have to live in a world with you."
Jughead storms off towards the bathroom hallway. Betty followed him. "Jughead, wait," she calls. Jughead snaps his head around. Betty hugs him, and Jughead lets go. He began sobbing uncontrollably. He couldn't believe he was sobbing in the arms of a stranger.
"I don't hear from him for two years," Jughead shouts. "I've been going through a dark time in my life, and he wasn't there. Now he's talking about us being a family again. How can we possibly be a family again? How are we going to pick up the broken pieces?"
"Let it all out, Jughead," Betty whispers, rubbing his back. She buried her face in his shoulder, and Jughead rested his head on her left shoulder. He continues to sob. Betty didn't mind how he was soaking her shirt.
After a long twenty minutes, Jughead finally pulls away. "Are you feeling better?" Betty asks. Jugheads nods, and they go to find Toni and Veronica. They found them admiring a replica of the Mona Lisa. They turned and saw that Betty and Jughead were back.
"Sorry, you guys had to see that," Jughead says.
"It's ok," Veronica says. "Are you feeling better?"
Jughead nods. "I saw that the tram is going to start back up in ten minutes," Toni says. "Do you guys want to check that out?"
The tram was said to be the best way to explore the Around-The-World Center. It was a ninety-minute tour, and it took breaks at each area so the riders could explore it. They were allowed to leave the tram so they could have a better experience.
"That sounds good," Betty says. The rest of the group agrees, and they go to the train station. Toni and Veronica buy their tickets, and Betty and Jughead showed the person at the ticket booth their wrist bands. It wasn't uncommon for non-deckers to visit the Around-The-World Center because it was cheaper than actual world traveling.
They wait for the tram to arrive. After a minute or two, it does. They climbed aboard and sat on the read seats on the tram. Betty held Jughead's hand, and she rested her knee against his. They smile at each other as the tram leaves.