Hold You Down

Chapter 17 - Afraid To Leave You

Veronica wants to believe him, when he says he'll be there, but her guilt is causing her too much anxiety and paranoia about leaving. She can't bare watching her boyfriend cry, again because of her. 

She never thought that Archie Andrews would be breaking down in front of her on almost a daily basis, the past week had been emotionally unbearable. As Veronica manages to stifle her tears, she brushes them off of her cheeks and turns to Archie. His eyes still watery even though he managed to choke back the actual tears.

"I'm not going to go" she says to him, seemingly out of the blue.Archie sighs, he thinks she's being stubborn, "Veronica, you need help" he adds, too exhausted to argue over this again."I need you" she says sweetly, but the desperation and fear are evident in her facial expression.Archie finally turns over to his side, now facing her."I need my girlfriend back" he says sadly, "I don't know how to help you anymore, I thought if I was with you, at least I could protect you, but clearly that's not working! Don't you think I want to be able to fix this?" he pleads with her.She just nods, slightly hurt by the truth, and his tone."I'm sorry" Veronica whispers finally, Archie can't tell if she's conceding or just too broken to argue with him any longer."I know, me too" he says, wrapping her in a big hug. Veronica hugs him back, settling into his chest.

"Ronnie, your mom is still waiting" he says as he feels her getting comfortable.Neither of them want to leave her bed, "She can wait, it's going to be a long conversation anyway" Veronica answers him, but Archie worries that they're on thin ice with Hermione. She had been letting Archie sleepover frequently since Hiram had moved out, and the three of them had become comfortable. 

But now he felt guilt, like he had let Hermione down.

Archie gets off of the bed quickly "I'm going to shower" he mumbles to her without looking back, striding toward her ensuite and shutting the door behind him.It was clear to her that he was trying to force her to speak to Hermione, but Veronica wanted to avoid the conversation as much as she could.

She begrudgingly rolls off her bed as well, picking out something to wear, not really caring about her appearance in the moment.

After she's dressed, she enters the bathroom "I'm just brushing my teeth" she calls out to Archie.Any other day he would have tempted her to join him, but now all he wanted was to know what Hermione's solution would be. 

And where their relationship would stand. 

Veronica was in and out of her bathroom faster than he could come up with the right words. Archie wanted to give her an affirmation, that he wouldn't let go, and that she could trust him while she's gone. 

These thoughts brought him to wonder if he could trust her after all. Archie assumed that she'd be sent to an all girls rehabilitation center like the one before, he felt relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about other guys, hopefully. 

He lets the hot water run all over his body for awhile, deep in thought. He looks at all of her bottles of various showering and hair products and frowns instantly, realizing that he won't be able to smell her if she left, or feel her breathing, or wrap himself around her. 

Archie felt purposeless without her around, he had become so dependent on her to feel good about himself, that now even the thought of not having her by his side was making him insecure. His thoughts became increasingly negative, about himself, about her, and once again getting caught on what had happened between her and Reggie, she had told him everything he had asked. But Archie's mind still swirled with questions and vivid dreams about his girlfriend having sex with his friend. 

The realization that he needed to finally ask about the details makes him feel sick. He continues his shower, taking his time, not wanting to confront the situation between Hermione and Veronica, he imagines it'll be quite the blood bath. 

Things had been going a little too smoothly lately, and Archie feared that Veronica ruined the truce Hermione was agreeing too. He felt a certain sadness, that Veronica always questioned trusting either of her parents, she had only herself to guide her morals for the majority of her life, and now her relationship with her mother was finally nearing normal and supportive.