FP makes his way towards us and Jughead sighs. His heart was crushed. Within a matter of seconds he had crushed the hope Jughead had for his family. Once again. "What happened to retiring?" He asks FP. FP pulls him into a hug quickly.

"I know about the Snake Charmer. And the delivery you did and the debt you owe her," He whispers to Jughead, "It was the one thing, son. The one thing I asked you not to do." I back away from their moment. 

 "I can fix this. Let me just talk to her," Jughead stammers.

"No. No. I'm in, you're out. Penny's my problem now........" FP says and places his hands on Jughead's cheeks, "You broke my heart, Jughead." He kisses Jughead's forehead.

"Shots, let's line 'em up!" Someone yells. FP gives his son one more look as people gather around us. People were cheering and screaming. Not realizing a family being ripped apart again. Except this time. It was Jughead who caused it. Not FP. Jughead sat with glassy eyes in pain. So much pain.

"Hail to the king!" FP says staring down his son. He downs the shot and walks away. 

" - To the king! - To the king!" People cheer. I catch the look in Jughead's eyes he was broken.

"Jug," I mumble.

"I'm leaving," He says pulling away from me. 

"Jug," I say following him out. When I catch up to him I gently take his hand and lead him outside. It was raining and people where moving past us. We reach the bikes and when finally he stops. The sounds of drunk people parting filled the air. 

"What?" I ask him as he turns to face me. He pulls the beanie off and clutches it.

"Why?" He asks angrily.

"Why what?" I ask him taken back from his tone. The loving boy from before gone.

"Why did you encourage Betty to get up there? To embarrass herself like that?" He asks harshly, "Why?"

"I didn't," I say. He looks at me and I roll my eyes. "I didn't encourage her. And Why do you even care?"

"Did you tell her?" He asks trying to get something I didn't even do out of me.

"Yeah Toni and I both did, and only because she was asking about it," I tell him, "she wanted to become apart of the serpents. I assume she did it for you.... Its always for her with you."

"Oh don't play the victim card," He groans, " you let her do it because you're jealous,."

"No. I'm not jealous!" I say, "and I didn't 'let' her do anything. She's a big girl. She can make her own choices. Which is what she did. She decided to do this. She was the one who walked onto the stage."

"Why? Why the hell would she do that?" He asks again. I was getting tired of him blaming me.

"Because she's secretly fucking crazy? Or she's in love with you I don't know!" I yell.

"Why are you so against her?" He yells.

"Because she causes this!" I yell back, "every damn time she does stupid shit like this we fight. We always fucking fight because of her."

"Obviously its not her!" He yells, "if I'm yelling at you not her!"

"Really?! Really? Because think about every time we've fought. The dance. Her lying about me defending your dad, After Betty got the letter. Because she wouldn't let me tell you about it. And now! Jughead I don't like her because she causes this! It might not be here directly. But something about her makes you turn on me!" I rant.

"I do not!" He yells back.

"She could tell you anything," I choke out, "anything. And you would believe her over me." He steps back. "Think about it. Every time Jug."

"N/n," He softens realizing everything. He steps towards me and grabs my hands and I pull away.

"Why Jughead? Why?" I ask him already knowing the answer. He stays silent.

"I don't know," He says softly, "I.... maybe I... She's just...." It felt like someone had shot me in the chest. My heart shattered into forty million tiny little pieces. 

"No Jughead," I say, "no I'm done.... I'm done with this..." I turn and start to walk off.

"Y/n," He says grabbing on to my arm. I yank away from him and turn back. Both of us crying.

"I think we should break up... ," I tell him as I wipe away my tears. "I just can't do this right now. And neither can you..... we need to do this..... I need to do this."

"No," He says.

"Jughead please...." I beg, "please don't fight me on this..." He looks at the ground. And nods.

"You're right," He says still avoiding my eyes, "I can't have you around me right now. I'm not going to destroy you, too. I took down by dad. But not you..... I can't do that to you..."

"No Jughead," I say, "you already did......." I turn and walk off leaving the boy. Sobbing. I had to. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't stay there. And just like that, everything we had was gone, and knowing that hurt more that anything. 

******** 

  I sob into the pillow as my face rests against my knees. I hear the door to my bedroom open as Lily slides in. She sits beside me and strokes my back calmly as I continue to cry. Deep down I knew it would end up like this. Why date the broken mess when you can get the perfect princess?  

"Sweet heart what happened?" She asks.

"I broke up with Jughead," I choke.

"Why?" She asks patting my back.

"He's in love with someone else."

********

Jughead's POV

 "That night, I realized it was like we'd been playing a game of Snakes and Ladders.

Me, Betty, Archie, Veronica, Y/n.

 And in one fell swoop, we all slid off the board and into free fall and not just us, other people. Maybe innocent, maybe not, had been dragged into our game, as old wounds reopened.  And as feelings that had long been buried shook loose. 

The boy looked out his window at the girl next door as if for the very first time.

The broken girl packed her things and left the trailer, leaving the boy she so desperately loved, to cry alone, to break even more.

The princess suffering her pain alone in silence for how she felt.

5 hearts broken that night."