More Than I Should... (Fp x OC)

Nights Like These

In which she cries...

By the time I make it home, the sun is getting ready to set and my ribs are hurting like hell, my elbow keeps hitting my bruises as I walk and sending jolts of pain through me. I finally walk into the house, I find it empty and dark. I go to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water out of the fridge, there's a sticky note stuck to the door.

Didn't want to tell you and ruin the fun, the hearing was this afternoon, he's going to jail. Dad and I are at the Register. Love you! -Mom

I stood there, staring at the note for about five minutes, then I finally got the idea to see what exactly my mom was at the Register so late for. I call her.

"Hey Honey, what's going on?"

"Why are you and Dad at the Register right now?"

"Well, we're covering that kid's story of course." I slowly exhaled a shaky breath.

"Don't, Mom, I don't want you to write that paper. I don't want people to know what happened. I get enough fucking pity already." I hear her sigh on the other end of the line. She says something to my dad that I can't make out.

"Alright, Honey, we won't cover the story. Your Dad and I will head home, do you want us to swing by Pop's for dinner?" I close my eyes, exhaling a sigh of relief.

"Yes, that'd be nice, I'll have my usual. Thank you, guys."

"Its no problem honey, I'll see you in fifteen."

"See you."

I hear a beep as my mom ends the call. I take the phone away from my ear, dropping to my knees, just wanting all of this to be over, grateful that it nearly is, maybe it'll be less hard when I can finally put all this shit behind me. I grab the vape out of my pocket, inhaling the vapor and puffing out the smoke, trying to slow my racing heart.

I'm on the couch when I hear my parents pull into the driveway about fifteen minutes later, I've been sitting here, staring at the ceiling fan go around since I'd been able to calm myself down enough to move to the couch. I don't look over when my parents walk into the house, walking in, the smell of Pop's food making its way to me as they move around in the entryway, taking off jackets and slipping off shoes. My mom seeing me on the couch and coming over.

"Hey, what's going on Gwen?" she sits beside me, rubbing my arm, a worried look on her face.

"I don't feel okay, Mom." I tell her, feeling some tears prick my eyes, she frowns at me, moving me so my head is in her lap and beginning to play with my hair.

"Don't worry Honey, it gets easier. It just takes time." She says, her fingers working through my hair.

"I just want it to be over...I want him to go to jail and for the things he did and then I want it to stop." I choke on a sob, trying to hold my composure. My dad walks to the couch, crouching and wiping my tears with his thumb.

"Its going to be over soon Gwen." He tells me, resting both his hands on my cheeks. "I promise."

I finally calm down enough to eat about five minutes later. My mom and dad sit with me on the couch, munching on hamburgers, as we watch The Expendables. Betty comes into the house at some point but doesn't stay to watch the movie, instead quickly making her way up to her room. When the movie ended and we'd eaten all our food, I said goodnight to my parents and made my way up to my room. I opened my window (barely remembering Reggie was to be coming tonight) and laid in my bed, waiting for Reggie to let himself in. After about twenty minutes, I hear someone climb through the window, walk to the bed, and climb in, wrapping their arms around me. I relax into Reggie, his scent and warmth enveloping me, making me feel better.

"Hey," he says quietly from behind me.

"Hey," I reply, scooting back into him, he holds me tighter.

"How was your day?"

"Pretty decent actually, I went shopping with Mom this morning, went to Pop's with her for lunch, Jughead was there so we left and had a picnic instead. Then Toni asked me to check on Fp so I went to his trailer...something weird happened while I was there..." I tell him, knowing I could tell him anything.

"What was it?" he asks, urging me to continue.

"There was this...tension? We both had a couple beers and were talking and then we started talking about the day I did the Serpent Dance and he said that he hadn't seen anything like me. when I asked him if it was a good or bad thing, he said, and I quote, 'a really, really good thing' what does that even mean?" I feel Reggie begin to laugh behind me. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"You're getting with Jughead's dad?" he shakes with quiet laughter.

"What?"

"He means basically, you're the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. He likes you. Do you like him?" he asks, finally done laughing.

"I mean...maybe? I don't know...isn't that kinda illegal?" I reply, unsure of myself. I feel Reggie shrug behind me.

"Gonna be eighteen, eventually, right?" I nod, glad to have Reggie as a best friend.

"Goodnight Reg."

"Goodnight G." I fall asleep in the arms of my lifelong best friend, feeling as if the world maybe isn't as fucked as I'd initially perceived.