Reggie Mantle imagines

The one who left (Part One)

Many people think that being friends with everyone is something great, well I'll tell you a secret, it's not. Being friends with everybody feels lonely, you see how people have their best friends and you just hang out with everyone and come back home alone.

That's how my life is since I started high school, I'm friends with Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Kevin and Archie, on the other hand I'm friends with Cheryl, I'm also friends with the Pussycats and some boys on the team and on top of that I'm the captain of the dance crew, where I have more friends.

I'm always smiling and laughing, but is it how I fell inside? Not at all, but I couldn't tell that to anyone, they have their own problems and in times like this is when I miss having a best friend.

One day, when I was walking home alone, feeling free of my happy façade I burst into tears, I felt so stupid every time I cried, because I didn't even have a reason to feel like this, I just hated it so I tried to stop, which it wasn't happening.

When I finally came home I ran into my room and I locked me inside, luckily my parents weren't home, even though they wouldn't have care about my problems if they were.

I made myself stop crying just to pay close attention to something I heard, like someone throwing something to my window. I waited until I heard it again and this time I actually saw it.

I went to my window and when I opened it and look outside I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"What are you doing here Reggie?" I asked trying to hide my flickering voice.

"Can I come in?" I just nodded, it wasn't the first time he climbed to get inside my room, he did it a lot when we were younger, their house was next to mine so every time our parents went to dinners or things like that he just came to my room and we had a lot of fun, I kind of miss that.

I looked myself into the mirror and wiped some tears from my eyes so he wouldn't see I was crying and when he came into my room I just turned around with the best smile I could give him right now.

"Hey Reginald"

"Hey (Y/N/N)"

"What brings you here? Are you up to a slumber party?" he just gave me a half smile for my joke and he was avoiding eye contact so I erased my smile "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything's fine" he replied fast, realizing I was worried "I'm actually here to ask you that question, is everything ok?"

I frowned and turned around, getting my bag and doing like I was looking for something inside "Of course everything is ok, why would it not?"

"I don't know. That's what I want to know." I heard he was coming closer "I know you and I can tell when something goes wrong" I couldn't help it and I just laugh at that.

"Do you really know me?" I asked turning around to face him again "Because if I'm right we haven't had a real talk since middle school, so you should reform that sentence and say you think you know me instead"

"Are you mad at me for us drifting apart? Because all this time I thought we were still friends, it's not like we have stopped talking or something"

"Yeah... never mind Reggie, I told you, everything is fine so you can leave"

I left the room with him still inside and I went to the kitchen to grab some water, but what I was actually doing was runaway.

Before I could even drink the water the tears came back to my eyes and I could feel my throat tighter, at any second I would start sobbing and I won't be able to stop.

"(Y/n)?" I heard Reggie's voice at the door and when I saw he had followed me I looked through the window, avoiding his eyes.

"I told you to leave!" I couldn't hide my broken voice this time.

"I'm not leaving you like this"

"Do you really want to know what happens?" I said looking at him "I feel alone, ok? And I-I feel stupid for feeling like this, now you know it, you can carry on with your life"

"Why didn't you tell me before?" he came to me in a second.

"Because this is your fault! You were my best friend, I told you everything and you made me feel like I wasn't the only one with crappy parents, like you were my partner in crime, but you left Reggie, when we started high school you get into the team, you made new friends, you stopped coming into my room and I just stand there watching it happen and I thought it would be ok because we still talked in the halls, we greeted each other at pop's and now you come here asking me what's wrong"

We stayed in silence for what it seemed an eternity, he looking at me and me looking at him, finally free of all my chains.

"I wasn't the one who left (Y/N)" he said calmly "When we started high school you were the one who get in to the dance crew and made a bunch of new friends, you were always busy learning a new dance or helping someone with their homework and I just felt like I was bothering you every time I came into your room and you were in your own world, so don't try to put all the blame on me"

His words felt like ice in my veins, I could even feel how my body was shivering. I didn't know what to say, because all the time I was seeing what he did that hurt me, but I didn't even think about what I did to hurt him and break this friendship.

The truth was that we both let this get worse every day, both thinking the other would suddenly come and fix all the damage and it finally happened, later than I expected which means a lot of time wasted.

"I guess I didn't think about that" I felt so stupid right now, I did this to myself "I'm sorry for being such a bad friend Reg, I guess I needed someone to blame for my problems" I said in a soft tone, he was really close so I didn't need to say it louder.

"It's not your fault, we both let this happen, so I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have let this get so bad"

We remained silent for a few seconds until he smiled and I mirrored his action, feeling better and hoping that I really had him back.

"Do you want to go to Pop's?" he finally asked.

"Sure" He started walking to the door but he stopped when I wasn't following and turned to look at me.

"(Y/N)?"

"Yes, sorry, I got stuck in my mind" I replied with a laugh and following him.