Welcome to Riverdale (Reggie Mantle)

22

"Dear Diary,

When will the day come where I'll finally say, "I'm free"

Yours Truly,
Roselle."

Reggie couldn't take it anymore.

Since he took Roselle home yesterday, not another word was uttered from her lips. So he thought that taking her to Pop's on a Friday morning would take her mind of things. He thought that ordering her favourite breakfast, which was croissants, would help ease her thoughts, make her less mute. But it didn't.

And so the raven haired girl sat their, in a booth with Reggie, pushing the croissant around with her fork. Reggie watched on intently, too focused on her to be eating his own plate of scrambled eggs and hash browns. She was hurting, and he knew it. But he was so protective over her that he wanted it to stop.

"Stop staring at me like that." Roselle finally spoke, her voice hoarse since she hasn't spoken for around 12 hours. She didn't cry though, she was just in a state of shock. And when she finally spoke, Reggie's ears had perked up. "Stop staring at me like you feel bad for me."

"Rose, I just want you to speak to me." Reggie told her, staring at her concerned while she had avoided eye contact, her jaded eyes stuck on her plate. "I mean, you just started opening up to me. Please don't push me away again."

Roselle's eyes shot up to Reggie's, sighing when she saw how scared he had looked at the thought that she might push him away again. And she didn't want that. But as everyone knows, it was really hard for Roselle to express what she feels. "It's just- I don't know what to think. I don't know what the hell was said."

"Maybe you should talk to your Aunt about it." Reggie suggested, finally taking a bite from his breakfast. "Maybe when she said that he killed your mom, it was figuratively."

Roselle scrunched her eyebrows, looking at him with the 'are you serious?' look. "Figuratively? How can someone mean that figuratively?"

"Like, maybe he killed your mom's self-esteem or like her ego in the past or something." Reggie mumbled, making Roselle shake her head at him, before grabbing her bag and getting up. "Wait, where are you going?"

"To someone who won't make my problems sound like a bloody joke." Roselle muttered harshly, her voice slightly wavering. Reggie got up from his seat, walking towards her as she begun leaving the diner and into the environment.

"Rose! Please stop, I wasn't trying to make a joke." Reggie mumbled, grabbing her arms before she walked any further. "I was trying to think of possible explanations. Because when your head is full of thoughts, it's hard to make the right decisions."

Roselle took a quick intake of breath before she turned around, tears in her eyes. One that Reggie was expecting, even though it had been much later than he had anticipated. But he was ready for it. And so he took her into a warm embrace, one that he knew just how much she needed in times like this.

"I'm so scared Reggie." Roselle whispered as she finally broke down in Reggie's arms at 6AM in the morning. There was no cars parked outside, only Reggie's black convertible. It was silent, but there was a slight cold breeze. "I'm so scared that my whole life I've been fed lies by the people I love."