IMAGINES ▹ ROSS BUTLER

↳ hurt

( HURT ) 
by loveseries

You and Reggie had met at a party thrown by the one and only Cheryl Blossom. There, Reggie and you hit it off immediately, him being really nice when you two were outside at a rather quiet spot, letting you see the real him and not the facade he kept around everybody else.

"So, Y/N, I never really had the chance to really talk to you. Yes, we exchanged a few words, especially when you were new to town and I flirted with you constantly.", he smirked at this point. "But, I'm really serious about this. I want to get to know you and I want to show you that there is more to know about me than the fact that I'm a footballplayer with some complexes who flirts with every girl at school." He took your hand into his hesitantly, waiting for your reply. "I'd like to get to know you better too, Reggie. Because as you already said, I'm pretty sure there is so much more to find out about you." You smiled up at him, him also having a smile plastered on his face. "Then, let's go out tomorrow evening. How about a delicious milkshake at Pop's?", Reggie suggested happily. You agreed and talked to eachother for a little longer until it was time for you to leave.

The next day after school, you went home directly and started getting ready immediately, being really excited and nervous at the same time, since this would be your first date ever. After quite some time sitting in only a towel on your bed, trying to calm down your nerves, you finally got up and tried to decide what to wear. On the one hand you didn't want to look like you were trying to hard, like you had just the one thing in mind, on the other hand you also didn't want to seem like you were already regretting to have said yes to going out with him by not putting enough effort into your outfit.

In the end you chose to wear your 'go-to outfit' whenever you couldn't find anything else you wanted to wear. Then you made your way to Pop's to meet Reggie.

When you arrived there, Reggie was already waitingfor you in the driveway, casually leaning against his car. You parked next to him and saw him smiling widely at you. He got to the driver's door and opened it for you, offering you a hand to get out of the car. You placed your hand into his and he pulled you upwards slightly, putting both of his hands on either side of your waist when you stood in front of him.

"You look really beautiful, Y/N", he said after having looked you up and down, with a smirk plastered onto his face, making you blush at his compliment. "Thank you. You don't look too bad yourself.", you replied in a joking tone. You then proceeded to make your way inside the diner.

Taking a seat across from you, Reggie already ordered your milkshakes, guessing exactly the right flavour. You talked for hours, not even noticing that almost all the other people had left already, for you there was just the person on the opposite side of your booth. To say you had never felt happier and more alive was the best description for anything you ever had to characterize.

After some more dates, some at Pop's, some at your or at his home, you had officially become a couple. No one had seen that one coming, someone like you dating Reggie Mantle, but most people were happy for the two of you.

One evening, Reggie had come to your place to help you study for an upcoming history exam. You weren't particularly bad at the topic but whenever you studied with him, you felt like you knew everything you had to know for the exam by heart. You sat down at the table in the living room, taking your things out. Reggie then told you he would make a small snack for you, which you didn't decline.

Taking one of Reggie's books he had laid down on the table but underneath some others, you opened it, not expecting the content you were met with. On the inside it read "The Playbook" and the names of all the boys on the football team were written in block capitals. Also Reggie's. First you halfheartedly hoped it just had to do something with football, like scored points in a game, or the team's secret rules, but when you read a few pages, you realized what this actually was.

A shiver ran down your spine, followed by your cheeks heating up with your anger and feeling of betrayal. The football team had a record with all the "accomplishments". Furiously you flipped through the pages, hoping you were wrong but knowing almost for sure that you were going to find your name in there, too. When you came across the page that was about Reggie's conquests, you sadly found your name listed there as well.

Y/N Y/L/N, looks: 8/10, + 5 points for being her first 'partner', - 5 points for developing feelings.

Tears began streaming down your cheeks. How could you have been so stupid?! People had warned you about him but you thought deep down he was the right one for you, that you could make him a better person. But you were wrong.

After almost 20 minutes, Reggie came back with the snack he had cooked. You just sat there like a statue, not moving or acknowledging his presence. He sat down on the chair next to you, raising an eyebrow when looking at you. "You okay, Y/N?" He asked, wondering why you were so quiet. Then he saw what exactly you had been reading while he was gone. The Playbook was laying right in front of you, opened at the page with your name. Reggie's eyes grew wide and he looked at you. "Y/N, please listen to me. I -" "No, don't say anything. I don't want to hear any more lies.", you spat at him, and interrupted his explanation.

Reggie took a hold of your hand and pressed it to his chest, where his heart is, making you shiver. "I know you're hurt, how could you not be. God, I was so stupid. But hear me out.-", he pleaded with you then, making you look at him slightly. "I made a mistake, all of the boys from the team did by creating this book. We were so damn silly, just wanting something else where we had 'competition'. This is no excuse for it, believe me, there's nothing what I could say to make this less terrible."

To say you were furious and utterly hurt and disappointed wasn't even close to matching how you really felt right now. "Reggie, stop!", you exclaimed, snatching your hand away from him and standing up abruptly, taking the devilish, disgusting book with you. "You're right, you can't say anything to make me forgive you. Leave. Now.", you said with a monotone voice, not wanting to show how hurt you were, knowing you'd break down otherwise.

He didn't say anything else and left, looking down with tears streaming down his face. You closed the door behind him, sliding it down with your back, finally breaking down, crying and screaming for a long time.

How could he have done this to you? Were you just a toy to him, another person in the Playbook?