The Ghost Town

Chapter Four

TW: Abusive language, fighting, alcohol abuse, alcohol addiction, underage drinking, vomiting, potentially upsetting content.
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Veronica thought she must've heard Tia wrong. Pip may have been or done many things, but hitting Ellie? There's no way she would've hit Ellie, she couldn't, especially if Ellie was Ellie instead of Dirty Diamond. At least, Veronica hoped that she wouldn't.

"I'll be right back." Veronica mumbled quietly. Tia nodded, she would've asked Veronica to stay, but she was too scared. She just hoped that nothing would happen to Ronnie while she was gone. Veronica slipped out of the door and walked downstairs, her mind going a hundred miles a minute.

Pip wasn't even home. That definitely put a wrench in her plan. Knowing Pip, she was at the pub. Veronica wasn't going to let that slide. She knew Pip had a problem, but she also knew that she wouldn't get help for that problem.

She sighed to herself. Pip was destroying herself, slowly tearing herself apart from the outside in. And even if no one would admit this, it still hurt to watch. They all cared for Pip. Even Tia, who Pip had been nothing but cruel to since the moment she got here.

Veronica knew that they had to do something. This couldn't go on anymore. But she says that almost every day, it seemed. Tia was probably wondering where Veronica was. It was already almost dinner time. Lozza would be coming downstairs to make dinner soon. Maybe Veronica would help them out.

After a few minutes, Lozza stumbled down the stairs. They looked like they had been crying. Veronica didn't like that at all. Their face was red and tear streaks were staining their cheeks. Lozza was supposed to comfort Ellie, but they probably just ended up crying and holding each other.

Veronica got off the couch and followed Lawrence into the kitchen. Lozza didn't seem to notice that Ronnie was even there. The way their eyes were looking at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing in the fucking world inclined Veronica to believe that Lozza was crying.

"Hey, hey, Lozza, Loz, are you okay?" Veronica couldn't make her voice any louder. It felt wrong to be any louder than her current volume. She couldn't make herself be louder. It wouldn't be right to be any louder. She didn't want to scare Lozza. But nothing could scare Lozza.

But nothing could scare Ellie.

That's what she always said. But Ellie seemed pretty scared right now. And Veronica didn't like that. And it was all because of Pip. Veronica didn't like Pip very much right now. It was now only a matter of time before someone got really hurt.

Slapping was inexcusable, but that wasn't the only thing Pip was could do. The mere thought of any of them getting hurt scared Veronica more than she could ever put into words. But then again, Awhora was hurting herself with all her smoking. And Pip hurt herself with her drinking.

"Ronnie? What are you doing down here?" Lozza murmured. Veronica debated telling them the truth. They'd go into overprotective mode. Lozza decided to just make spaghetti for dinner that night. It was simple enough to make and Lozza didn't want to make anything super complicated. Pip still wasn't home yet.

"I'm waiting for Pip to get home." Veronica sighed through her teeth. Her teeth were gritted. She had no reason to grit her teeth but they were gritted anyways and Veronica didn't like that at all. She wanted them to stop being all gritty. She wanted it to stop now.

But she also wanted Pip to stop drinking, and that wasn't going to happen, so she could let her teeth be gritty. One was much worse than the rest. Veronica could handle gritty teeth. At least she wasn't destroying herself from the inside out. Unlike Pip. Pip was destroying herself.