𝐅𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 ¹

|𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓕𝓸𝓻𝓽𝔂-𝓣𝔀𝓸 | 𝓘 𝓗𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓘 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓨𝓸𝓾|

Chapter Forty-Two - I Hate That I Love You

Every night I'm calling your name, 

Here with the ghost of you, haunting feel close to you,

Wonder if you're feeling the same, do you remember me? Or are you replacing me?

If I call you will you pick up? Guess I'm drowning in the liquor 

Yeah, I thought that I was sick of you, show me what to do,

How do I breathe when you're not with me, how do I sleep in the space you leave,

Swear that my heart don't beat when you're gone, can't let go,

If you're not here with me, how am I supposed to breathe?

-Little Mix, "Breathe,"

***

Archie

The sound of soft whimpering is what wakes me a mere two hours after I'd managed to drift off to sleep, after hours of managing the after math of the fight, Mike and his friends were all stationed at his trailer he'd thanked me for getting Ronnie out of there and asked if I could escort her home the next morning I'd agreeded knowing she wouldn't want to spend even a single second here after her eyes reopened, the next couple of hours after that were spent listening to reggie rant about the pesky southsiders, a virus he'd called them going on and on about how ever since they arrived all they'd done was cause trouble, I listened and nodded, opting to keep my mouth shut as to not cause myself more problems even if in a way I envied Mike wishing I'd been the one strangling my best friend for disrespecting Veronica, extreme maybe but as previously established I'd do anything for her, I couldn't help but think back to that night in the locker room and how after when I'd asked why he hadn't faught back Mike replied that it was because he wasn't intrested in getting in trouble turns out he didn't find himself a worthy enough cause to risk said trouble but he thought defending Veronica was, which I highly comend him for, though I know she woudln't, lastly I had to deal with Betty and her incessant screaming about how I'd left her stranded and if it wasn't for chuck then she wouldn't have made it home safely, she even went as far as to demand I cut Veronica out of my life for good, I didn't exactly protest as she herself had done it she'd alienated herself from me all by herself, holding onto her seemed pointless when she clearly wanted nothing to do with me, but still part of me was percestant and refused to let her go, 

I reach out in search of the petite frame that'd been laying beneath me a few hours prior but my fingertips catch nothing besides the cold patch where her body used to lay, a small groan makes its way past my lips as my legs swing over the side of the bed and I pull my body up into a sitting position I remain silent attempting to decipher where the quiet cries are coming from getting up from the bed I slowly stalk toward the closed bathroom door, though before I'm able to make it there I run into something and I find myself toppling to the ground, 

"Ow," I hear a quiet groan followed by sniffling, 

"Ronnie?" I question swatting at the air in attempts to search for her, 

"Yeah?" she responds cautiously, 

"What are you doing on the floor?" I sigh managing to get to my knees flicking on the lights though only the fairy lights come on casting a soft royal blue glow on the room, allowing me to finally catch a glimpse of her in doing so I see she's clutching a small blanket in her arms, I can make out our last names written in gray lettering in one corner and immediately recognize it as Scarlett's blanket, "How did you get that?" I ask knowing it was in my room, I'd slept with it under my pillow since I returned from the hospital, I wasn't inclined on seeing a piece of the child I'd lost every day it'd only serve as a reminder that I'd lost her thus furthering my pain but knowing I had a small piece of both my girls with me every night was comforting,