Stay Away | BH

Chapter 14

I was listening to this song while writing this :)

"Thank you, again, for meeting with me," I glance up at her. Her hair is longer then I remember, and she still wears her signature color red. God, has it really been that long?

"I know we lost touch," she puts a reassuring hand on my shaking one. "But I'll always be here for you Betty."

Last nights was one of my lowest points in a long time. I really thought I was over blaming myself for his doing. I suck my breath in, trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Tell me what's wrong Betty," she gives me a soft smile.

"I met this guy, he's wonderful but he's also very arrogant, and an asshole," I tap my fingers nervously against the table. "Last night I saw him with another girl and I guess I broke. I got drunk, and the bartender had to call him to pick me up. I told him everything Cheryl, I told how it was my fault for loving someone like him..."

"Oh Betty," she slides into my side of the booth. "Come here." She pulls me into a tight hug. "He was a bad bad man, and it was never your fault at any point in the relationship."

"But-."

"No, buts, how about you give me a tour of this tiny town," she lets go of me, but keeps me close.

"Okay," I sniffle whipping the tears that started to fall down.

For the rest of the day I show Cheryl the small but peppy town, Riverdale.

"This is Veronica's bar," I smile. "I met Veronica while moving in, she's super sweet and nice."

"That's great!" She smiles at me. "I'm glad you're socializing."

"This, this is my favorite place in the world," I point at the local library. I haven't been there in ages due to recent issues in my life. "They have such a great book selection for such a small town." She tugs my arm gently as we walk into my neighborhood. "This is where I live."

Cheryl cheerfully eyes the plants and pots that surround the entrance.

"Damn girl, you amaze me. Did you plant these all yourself?" She gazes at the huge group of pants on the porch.

"Uh, yeah. Not much to do around here, there's also more in the backyard," I scratch the back of my neck flushing.

I glance back at Jughead's house mentally cursing at the sight of it.

"Do you mind if I called Toni? I promised to call her earlier at the café and I don't want her worried," Cheryl turns towards me her phone clutched in her hand.

"Go ahead, why don't you go on inside for some privacy. I need to water the plants anyways," I unlock the door letting her in.

I cup my hand over my eyes looking near the sun. I could not wait to go into my air condition house. I slip off my sweater setting it on the porch swing. Seeing Cheryl again really brought back memories. Like the time her, her girlfriend, Toni, and I ordered pizza and rewatched Friends on Netflix.

As I smile remembering the cheesy jokes Toni was telling us, I grab the hose misting over the delicate flowers. Or the time where we went clubbing and had the absolute time of our lives.  How the air smelled like stale cigarettes, booze and sweaty bodies getting pressed up against each other. It's almost like I could smell the cigarettes right now.

"Your going to drown your plant if you over water it, you do know that, right?" his voice snaps me out of my head. His hair is tousled everywhere and he's shirtless, he holds a single cigarette between his fingers.