Their fights have never been this bad. Probably because the stakes have never been this HIGH. She remembers fights with Archie –– the lipstick incident had split her unbroken heart in half, leaving her with scars that still sometimes ached. But this was… it was different, y’know? It was Reggie, and it was different. She was so used to being the one to mend bridges, she’d had to find somewhere she could be alone, to figure out if she wanted to mend something that so, so, so many people believed would c r u m b l e right under her feet.
She didn’t believe that. She saw the best in Reggie, and believed in it like a little girl believed in pixie dust and neverland and straight on till’ morning. Maybe the problem, despite everyone’s uninvited opinions, wasn’t Reggie. Maybe it was HER.
Betty was the one poking holes in herself, trying to see through to flaws that she’d been convinced existed. Reggie didn’t seem to see them, but to her, they were neon-bright and hard to ignore. She wasn’t girly enough; or sexy enough; just not… enough.
Just as she’d come to this conclusion, the monster at the root of this horrible night, there he was. Shadowed in the headlights of his car, a fancy model that made dried her throat ( though, not as much as its ever-handsome owner ), he stood, then walked over to her. He didn’t get on the swing-set beside her, but kept his eyes on hers. Betty somehow, found it in her to not look away. Nerves of STEEL came with a heart of GOLD.
“ You mean that? ” She stood, the chains rattling beside her. She didn’t expect his jacket, but it came regardless. It smelled like the things she’d never expected to love: leather and oak and mint and expensive cologne. Him. Him. It smelled like him. “ Thank you for… I didn’t even…” She swallowed a deep breath. “ You came. No one ever comes. ” Timidly, she took his hand, let her fingers curve around his. “ I’m sorry. It was a stupid fight. Somehow you saw through me. ” Wearily, Betty shot him a small smile. “ You’re more empathetic than you know, Reggie Mantle. You should be a psychologist or something. ”
EMO AS HE
LLCK || accepting
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