"Beep!"
The alarm clock blared angrily, jostling the two occupants in their shared bed out from their deep slumber. One of the two girls was quicker to arise than the other, and soon made her displeasure at her girlfriend's choice in alarm ringtone quite clear.
"..."
"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!"
"..."
"Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!"
"..."
"Elena for the love of all that is holy, will you turn that thing off?!"
The girl in question fumbled for a few seconds before finally managing to turn off the alarm on her phone. She furiously rubbed the heels of her hands into her eyes, her bizarre dream already slipping away from her half-awake state. Seconds later she was back under the covers, eager to soak in the last of the cozy warmth underneath them. She sighed contentedly as Cheryl wrapped her hands back around her waist, patting them gently. "At ease banshee."
"Good god you're lazy in a morning."
"And you're incredibly shrill."
"I'm a perfect volume, thank you!"
"The miniature earthquake you caused somewhere in the world would beg to differ."
Elena could practically see Cheryl's eyes rolling at her. She snickered as she shifted on to her side, reaching out with her forefingers to lift her girlfriend's scowl up into a smile. "You're soooooo pretty." She stared dreamily at Cheryl, her childish giggles only intensifying as Cheryl gently shoved her hands away.
"Buffoon." Cheryl smiled fondly, reaching forward to kiss Elena. A sanctuary full of butterflies made themselves known in Elena's stomach the moment her lips touched the redhead's, the rest of the world falling away within seconds. Elena savored the sensation, soft and warm as Cheryl tenderly cupped her face in her hands. It lasted only for a moment, but left Elena feeling just as dazed as the first time she and Cheryl had kissed.
"Wow, you're really good at that! Do you wanna go out some time?"
Cheryl shook her head, a perfect smile splitting across her face as she pulled away. Cheryl proceeded to grab a hold of her pillow, tossing it on to Elena's face. "It's too early for you to be this cheesy Ellie. I demand you stop!" Though Cheryl intended for her words to be firm and authoritative, her tone was pure adoration.
"No seriously," Elena stared, eyes comically wide as she threw the pillow aside. "Oh my god, is there someone else? Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Yes! And she's completely deranged before she's had her morning coffeeeeee!" Cheryl shrieked, throwing herself out of bed to avoid the pillow Elena threw back at her.
Elena couldn't help but marvel at the girl she was with. This charming, eccentric, stunning wonder of a person was her girlfriend. Hers! Somewhere along the way Elena figured she must have accidently consumed some liquid luck, which had led to her somehow working up the courage to ask her out. Theirs was a long and convoluted story filled with homophobic parents, Elena's anxiety, emotional repression from both sides of the relationship and not to mention Elena's soap opera worthy past, but they'd made it through. Elena was happy. She felt safe and at home with Cheryl, feelings which she'd been searching for her whole life. And all because she'd decided to move to Riverdale purely out of nostalgia for a happier time in her life. Go figure.
"What?" Cheryl tilted her head, her brow furrowing as she took note of the faraway look Elena was wearing on her face.
"Nothing." Elena threw off her bed covers, silently mourning their warmth as she joined Cheryl out of bed. She wrapped her arms around Cheryl's waist, coming to rest her head on her shoulder. "I don't wanna go to schooooool!" she whined tiredly. It was the first day back after summer break and the dread in her stomach had slowly but surely been mounting with each passing day. It meant more pressure, more people, more things to schedule around her two wonderful but tiring jobs. Not to mention it felt like only five minutes had gone by since she had come home from her night shift at Pop's the previous night. However, she had no time to feel sorry for herself. She had to get up and get on with her juggling act, so she could have an actual life after high school. One that all being well, would have the girl beside her in it.
"Neither do I," Cheryl admitted, equally unwilling to move as she ran her fingers through Elena's tangled hair. "I can hardly wait for the next round of questions about JJ." Cheryl's shoulders sank along with Elena's stomach at her words. God she hated not being able to help her. Cheryl's twin brother Jason had ran away on July 4th, having had enough of his and Cheryl's parents. Cheryl had helped him fake his death, a fact that would seem rather overdramatic if not for the fact that his parents made Elena's look like actual human beings. With emotions and everything! But Cheryl hadn't heard a word from him since, a fact that had been causing her a significant amount of anxiety.
"He's probably laying low somewhere." Elena met her worried gaze as she attempted to assure her, squeezing her hands gently. "Maybe he's waiting for the shockwave of his "death" to die down." She theorized, ignoring the small morsel of doubt that had been growing inside of her for some time now. She really hoped the reason he hadn't contacted his sister was something along those lines, but it just wasn't like him. It had been more than evident in the first weeks she'd spent getting to know the Blossom twins that Jason loved his sister. Plain and simple. He wouldn't have wanted her to worry about his safety unnecessarily. They'd made plans for him to call once he was safe and for Elena to take Cheryl to visit him under the guise of a girls trip, but it had never come to fruition. Something had to be wrong, and Elena knew that the concern Cheryl was carrying along inside of her wouldn't entirely ease until she could hear from him again. Elena couldn't blame her a bit. She would have been the same if it had been her sibling.
Elena felt a painful lump in her throat begin to form at the thought of Veronica. Though she tried not to think about her too much, Elena knew that her absence would always be felt, like the first page in her life story had been ripped out never to be seen again.
It had been one of the first things she and Cheryl had bonded over. They were both disappointments to their parents when held up next to the achievements of their golden child siblings. Elena could recall her own parents vocalizing to her more than once what they thought of her in comparison to themselves and Veronica. Why can't you be more like your sister mija? Why can't you just knuckle down for once mija? Did you know I went to Harvard Elena? I only mention it every chance I get to rub in the fact that I don't think you'll ever be as smart as me, perfection personified. Say, why's your self-esteem so shitty?
Elena grumbled at herself for her thoughts, inhaling deeply. Why was it that her most self-critical inside voice always sounded just like her father?
"You're right," Cheryl breathed deeply, mustering up the most enthusiastic smile she possibly could for her. Oh Cheryl. Elena thought, squeezing her hand in support.
"Come," Cheryl waved the issue off, beginning to tug Elena insistently to the door. "Breakfast awaits!"
And what a breakfast it was.
Once everything was ready the intertwined scents of toast, bacon and eggs greeted her like old friends, setting her stomach off and causing it to growl impatiently. "You do make an excellent breakfast," Cheryl enthused, draped across her seat at the iron lawn table that served as the apartment's official place to eat. She'd provided conversation as Elena cooked, telling her all about her plans and schemes for the forthcoming school year. It was an oddly domestic routine they had every morning after Cheryl stayed over, something Elena treasured more than anything in the world. They could talk or Elena could simply listen, knowing at the start and end of each day she'd have the redhead by her side. The one person in all the world who wanted her for her, and would not have anything less.
"High praise." Elena's chest warmed at the compliment as she sat down their respective plates, settling into her own plastic lawn chair across from her girlfriend. She hadn't been able to afford a real chair or table set to dine on when she first moved in, (Nell had been resorting to eating on the couch like a heathen) so her friends Sweet Pea and Fangs had gone out of their way to get her some. Elena was ninety-nine percent sure that they were stolen from a nearby IKEA store, but it was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for her. A fact that Elena never would have foreseen herself saying about two gang members. "Though don't think I don't see your plan."
"Hmph?" Cheryl looked up from her phone, mid-way through replying to a text. Her bed hair fell over the side of her face, her tired eyes drooping. It made for quite the adorable picture. And God was Cheryl a picture. She radiated beauty and grace without a drop of makeup on her, carrying herself so effortlessly that she made Grace Kelly look like a slob to Elena. She would never get over how beautiful she was.
"Making me your live-in housewife," Elena shook her head in mock disapproval. "I wait on you day in, day out!" She threw a hand to her forehead dramatically. "I'm basically Betty Draper!"
"It's true, I'm picking out your apron this week." Cheryl snorted, sending a pointed kick to Elena's leg. "I'm thinking of a darling little blue number that'll go with those god awful Cookie Monster pajamas you always insist on wearing."
Elena glanced down at the pajamas in question, a shit-eating grin tugging at the corner of her lips. "Each and every one of my pajamas are carefully cultivated works of art Cheryl!" She insisted as seriously as she could, wagging a mocking finger at her. "Now that you mention it, I really think it's time I try and get some new ones." Cheryl's disgusted look caused Elena to shake with boisterous laughter, earning herself another kick to the leg. She couldn't help herself. Cheryl's face was basically free entertainment.
The pair tucked into their breakfasts, scrolling through their phones but still talking. Elena was mid-way through lamenting about how many terrible classes she had all on a Monday, when she came across an article in her news feed. Her heart stopped. A sickening feeling of dread steadily creeped into her body, threatening to drag her down and swallow her whole. It wasn't the first article about her father's arrest she'd stumbled across, and it likely wouldn't be the last.
While Cheryl had been helping to send Jason on his way to a Blossom free life in July, Elena's father Hiram Lodge had been arrested by the FBI for fraud and embezzlement. She'd found out about it purely by accident, having gone round to her friend Toni's for a movie night. They'd had to pass by her grandpa who'd dozed off watching the evening news in the living room, when her dad's story came on screen. Toni had noted the shared last name, jokingly asking if they were related. Elena had simply stared for a moment at the TV, gathering every morsel of information she could before they'd switched to another story.
And then she'd began to roar with laughter.
God how she'd laughed.
Toni had probably thought she was having some kind of breakdown, judging by the looks of bewilderment and alarm she'd started shooting towards her. But her laughter was like an overload of champagne bubbling over the rim of the glass, it just couldn't be stopped. Fraud and embezzlement? That was it? It was Al Capone levels of irony, but it was glorious to hear about nonetheless. Something had finally gone wrong for him. For once in their rocky relationship, things were going better for her. The dose of satisfaction she'd gotten from the news had been dizzying and wonderful, and it had been pretty petty of her but the news had been just so fucking funny.
And then she had remembered her Mom and Veronica, and came right back down to Earth. Her father would be shielded from the outside world in prison, whereas they would have to deal with the brunt of the public's anger. They'd be the ones harrassed by paparazzi and stalked by a boat load of journalists. It had been almost two years since she'd last seen them, without a day going by where she didn't feel guilty over how much she had gotten wrong with them. Yet he had fucked them over without a second thought. How could he have done it? And she knew, she just knew he wasn't thinking about them, or even her for that matter. He would already be scheming, coming up with some way to weasel out of facing justice. Hiram Lodge was the blueprint for cockroaches.
Elena clicked on the advertised article, the page loading up to reveal her father's face staring back at her. The site seemed to have obtained a mugshot of him from when he was freshly booked into prison. He appeared to be rather grim-faced and was dressed to the nines in a suit, probably already scheming about who he could pay off to weasel his way out of the charges. She scrolled downward, reading through the details of his arrest that she'd already practically burned into her brain. I have a serious fucking problem.
She'd vowed not to look up anything to do with herself or her family after Don Vito had kicked her out, and she had somewhat succeeded. Yet here she was, sucking up every morsel of information she could about them like a crack addict who'd gone cold turkey. She knew why, deep down. Elena wished her father every misery known to mankind, but the same couldn't be said for her mom and her sister. She'd gleaned whatever information she could about what had happened to them, only getting a few sentences about how they'd been seen a few times looking miserable around town after the arrest. The blurry paparazzi pictures she'd found of the two of them had made her heart hurt, clenching so badly that in the end she would have to leave whatever shithole of a gossip site she'd found herself on. She'd never liked seeing the two of them sad. It always made her want to fix things for them, but even she knew this situation was beyond repairing. Elena desperately missed them both, even though things between them had ended on a sour note. She'd never got a chance to say goodbye to either of them, and the fear of picking up a phone and getting told to go fuck herself was too great for her to try and conquer. Her anxiety would whisper reminders of all the things she'd done wrong, of all the hurt and anger she had and would continue to cause them if she tried to make things right. There was no going back. She'd made her bed and now she had to lie in it.
I bet they're lying low at Abeulita's. Elena thought, smiling sadly at the thought of the woman who'd taught her Spanish and introduced her to old movies. She was the one who'd shown her the godsend that was Casablanca one rainy afternoon when she was ten, which ever since that day had been her favorite movie of all time. She was another family member she'd probably never see again. She could already see her force-feeding Veronica every food known to man from the cornucopia that was her kitchen, all while locking her Mom into some kind of conversation about this cousin who never went to church, this niece who only got a B- for a test at school or this great nephew who had dropped out of college to join a rock band.
Elena was drawn out of her thoughts by the sound of Cheryl sighing deeply, grumbling like an old lady as she put her phone away. "Ginger is so inane."
Elena followed suit, hitting the backwards button and then sitting her phone on the table. "And the grass is green." She retorted, hopping to her feet. She proceeded to sit herself down on Cheryl's lap, booping her nose in greeting. "Your hair is red too." She swiped a curl between her fingers, twirling it like a child with a hula-hoop.
"You're the pinnacle of comedy Elena."
Audacious as ever, Elena openly grinned, reaching for Cheryl's plate to steal a slice of buttered toast. Cheryl gaped, open-mouthed at the audacity as Elena took a bite out of it. "You fiend!" She protested, slapping her free hand. "I was going to eat that!"
"Snooze you lose."
"I'm dating a thief!" Cheryl accused, her voice reaching a comically squeaky pitch.
"That you are Cher," Elena laughed softly, planting a brief but tender kiss on her lips. "That you are."
Thoroughly unimpressed with her, Cheryl snatched a slice of toast from Elena's plate. She smoothed over a healthy amount of maple syrup on to it -a substance Elena often likened to the taste of vomit- and took a bite out of it.
"Oh, that's evil right there." Elena glared theatrically, narrowing her eyes before making a series of gagging motions. "Most people refrain from putting poison in their body babe."
Cheryl grinned evilly, a wicked idea forming in her mind. Elena realized where she was heading a second to late, cringing in revulsion as her girlfriend began to wave the half-eaten monstrosity in Elena's face. "Open wiiiiiiide!"
"BAH!" Elena hopped out of her seat in alarm, eyes wide with disgust as Cheryl began to follow after her. "GET BACK WOMAN! KEEP THAT THING AWAY!" But the redhead was undeterred, laughing like an unhinged supervillain as she and her slice of maple toast began to chase after Elena around the apartment.
1,2,3,4,5,6.
1,2,3.
1,2,3,4,5,6.
Elena inhaled and exhaled slowly and deeply, counting to herself mentally as she weaved her way through the ant-hill of students crowding the halls of Riverdale High.
Cheryl had left her only minutes earlier, departing to go track down her sidekicks and plan for the upcoming cheerleading tryouts later on in the day. "Preparation is key for those bimbos Ellie!" She'd explained cheerfully, unfurling her hand from hers as the first of their classmates came into view and blowing her a kiss as she headed in the opposite direction. They were only gal pals in public, as Cheryl was still very much in the closet due to her family. Just one loose-lipped person from school could fuck up her life and send word back to her parents, so they were mostly relegated to innocent displays of affection when they weren't alone.
God she missed her already.
When they had classes together Cheryl was kind of her extroverted security blanket, who guided her to the best and most secluded places around school. But they had different classes that morning, and so Elena was forced to walk to her English class solo. Which meant dealing with a shit ton of people on her own, crowding around her and making her feel as though she was about to drown under the weight of their presence. She kept back the urge to run in the opposite direction by focusing on her end goal, silently reminding herself that even the motherload of anxiety-inducing events were temporary. She would be home, blasting her music and baking the new ginger cookie recipe she'd found online before she knew it.
I hate people.
I hate people.
I hate people.
Oooooo Betty!
Just up ahead was Betty Cooper, a girl Elena knew through her friendship with her sister Polly. Polly god bless her soul, had taken on the heavy burden of being her history tutor the previous year. She'd been the picture of patience with her when it came to her learning style as well as her personal struggles, something Elena had been completely unused to. They'd ended up becoming good friends, with Polly even going on to date Jason. Things were great for a while, amazing even. But then a screaming match between Polly and Jason had ended with them breaking up, sending Polly into a downward spiral. According to Betty she'd been packed off to a group home after having a breakdown, and Elena hadn't so much as gotten a chance to say goodbye. She'd lost her first real friend after New York, and she couldn't help but wonder sometimes if she could have done more for the other girl.
All of this information had come via Betty after Elena had tried contacting her friend to no avail. The two of them had kind of bonded over the summer, the both of them equally wishing to strangle Jason for the state he'd left Polly in as well wishing desperately to be able to see her. Sadly, Mr and Mrs Cooper wouldn't so much as tell people where it was exactly they'd sent her, keeping to cryptic words about "doing what's best for her" and particularly frosty looks that Elena was certain were reserved especially for her.
Elena missed her. Her funny ways of getting her to remember all the important names and dates for exams, her Care Bear like attitude, her blasting Taylor Swift songs whenever they were in her car, and that laugh of hers that sounded like a cat on helium! She'll be okay. Elena assured herself, unwilling to let herself get emotional at school. She's in the best possible place she can be. All the doctors wherever she is will help her. But she couldn't quite shake the feeling that she might have lost her friend for good. Alice Cooper was nothing if not controlling, and Elena was positive that if that woman had her way Polly would be in a home for the rest of her life.
Elena shook off the thought as she came up from behind Betty, grinning as she puffed up her chest and mustered up the most prim and proper voice she could.
"ELIZABETH COOPER!"
Betty jumped at the sound of her mother's voice coming from behind her, ready to offer up a million different explanations as to why she was stood outside the girl's bathroom. She soon stopped in her tracks however as she caught sight of Elena Lodge snickering at her like a demented clown, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "You're the worst Elena."
"How's my impression of your mother coming along?" She queried, her grin alight with what could only be described as a psychotic glow.
"It's eerily uncanny." Betty snorted, shaking her head as she smiled fondly at the other girl. Currently they were in a weird not-quite-friends but not-quite-strangers stage that Elena wasn't certain how to navigate. Was Betty sick of her coming to ask about Polly? Did she enjoy the little chats they'd have here and there, or was she just humoring the anxious girl? Did she want to be friends? Hell, did she even like her?
It was safe to say that Elena had been overthinking it a lot late at night.
Before Elena could attempt to respond a funny look passed over Betty's face, causing her to look between Elena and the bathroom door. "What?"
"Lodge." She frowned, puzzling over the name aloud. "Are you related to the new girl?"
"What new girl?"
Elena felt her entire body freeze as a familiar dark-haired figure came out from inside the girl's bathroom. She was clad in a designer dress and heels, with a handbag draped across her arm that Elena recognized as the one their father had bought for her the last Christmas she'd spent at home. Her breath caught as the other girl came to a sudden halt, her face equally surprised as she realized who was in front of her.
"Veronica?"
"Elena!"
Veronica was in Riverdale. Her little sister, who she hadn't seen in a year and half was standing right in front of her. Elena knew what she was seeing, but her body couldn't quite register it. All of the memories washed over her like a wave -good and bad- seizing a hold of her and forcing her to relieve it all. Veronica. Veronica was here and she looked happy to see her?
Elena tensed as Veronica threw her arms around her, enveloping her in a tight hug. It seemed as though Veronica was scared if she let go, she'd vanish into thin air. However, Elena felt bile rise to her throat at the unexpected action as Veronica squeezed her so hard, her body uncomfortably close to Elena's. 1,2,3,4,5,6. 1,2. 1,2,3,4,5,6. She breathed deeply, willing herself not to throw up as she hugged Veronica back. This is Veronica. She gently reminded herself, tears forming in her eyes both of happiness and embarrassment at herself. She doesn't know, she's the most wonderful sister in the world and she would never hurt you. You can do this.
"You're here!" Veronica exclaimed; her voice barely audible but bursting with emotion.
"What-" Elena felt herself relax, her voice trembling as she tried to make sense of it all. Tears obscured her vision, turning the raven head that was buried against her chest into one big blur. "Ron what are you doing here?"
"Me?" Veronica pulled away from her, eyes and nose red-rimmed and her mascara running. Elena smiled fondly at the sight, pulling out a tissue from her pocket for her to take. She'd always joked when they were little that Veronica looked like she had a cold whenever she cried. Her dumb sense of humor had always made her laugh.
Veronica took the tissue, barely noticing as the wide-eyed Betty slipped away to give them some privacy. "I could ask you the same thing!"
"I live here."
"You're kidding!"
"Nope. Got an apartment and everything." She shrugged, struggling to meet Veronica's awed gaze.
"For how long?" Veronica queried; eyes trained on Elena like she was some kind of phantom made flesh.
"I re-did my freshman year here," Elena replied, wilting internally at the uncomfortable amount of staring from her sister. How was she here? Hadn't Betty said she was a new student? Was she mad at her? Where was their mom? Why wasn't she in New York? It was like seeing a dolphin in a desert. Never in a million years could Elena have pictured her poised, elegant, never-wear-anything-other-than-designer sister in little old Riverdale. She had never come along with Elena to visit their other grandparents in the town when they'd been alive, so what could have possibly brought her here now?
"How come you're not in New York? Is-" Elena hesitated, her heart leaping half hopefully and half fearfully. "Is Mom here?"
"Yeah-" Elena's heart began to hammer against her chest violently, forcing her to count once more. Oh god, oh god, oh god. Internal panic ran through her body like an air-raid siren, but she schooled her face into something resembling calm and neutrality. "Mom decided we should come here to get away from the circus in the city. Did- Did you hear about Daddy?"
Temporarily forgetting her panic at the fact that her mother was now living in the same town as her, a smile tugged at the corner of Elena's lips. She'd almost forgotten Veronica's rather funny quirk of still calling their father ''daddy.'' Thank fuck he's not here.
"Yeah, it was kind of hard to miss." Veronica's lips formed into a grim line, a sad look forming in her eyes that made Elena want to track down whatever prison their father was in and deck him in the face. You had to be the worst kind of person alive to make Veronica look that unhappy.
"So..." Elena drawled awkwardly, rocking her arms from up and down for something to do. "How's life slumming it with us peasants so far?" She wasn't at Stonewall Prep, which spoke volumes about her and their mom's financial situation. "How long until you think you'll catch poor?"
Veronica let out an incredulous laugh at her queries, eyes widening comically. "Elena!" She protested, shoulders shaking. "Shut up! People will think I'm a total snob!" Elena simply snickered at her in response, getting a gentle shove to her arm as a result. "You're such an idiot."
"I know, I know." Elena laughed along with Veronica, a pleasant feeling of comfort washing over her at the action. It was nice talking and joking with her, it just was so simple and good and free of complications. She'd missed it more than she'd realized. As the laughter began to fade Elena took a tentative step forward, pulling out a tube of mascara. "Want me to re-do your makeup?"
Veronica took her up on the offer, following her back into the girl's bathroom. Once they managed to find the cleanest looking mirror, Elena wiped away the mascara her tears had ruined with her own. "That's $60 down the drain, you know it specifically said on the box that it was 100% waterproof!" Elena shook her head to herself, unable to believe spending that kind of money on non-necessities was once a normality to her. Despite this she found herself chuckling through her work as Veronica berated the mascara company, insisting that she was going to file a complaint as soon as school was over.
"There, done!" Elena popped the mascara wand back into the tube, slipping the item back into her bag. Veronica turned to properly inspect herself in the mirror, raising her brows at the result. "Wow!"
"I know, I didn't poke your eye out or anything!" Elena gaped jokingly, making herself as equally wide-eyed as her sister.
Veronica snorted, rolling her eyes as she turned back around to face her. "Thank you, you officially saved my face."
Elena bowed theatrically before her. "You're welcome."
"When did you get so good with makeup?" Veronica wondered, brows creasing together in puzzlement. "The last time we had to go out for an event together, your face looked like a cross between a clown and a Picasso painting."
"Ouch." Elena gaped, holding a hand over her heart. She was right though. Before she'd met Cheryl, she'd pretty much had the same ability to properly apply makeup as a toddler. Cheryl had been outright appalled when she had discovered the fact not long after they'd met, insisting that she teach her everything she knew. Do you not know how to ride a bike? Do you not know how to swim? It's an important life skill Elena! She still wasn't as good as her girlfriend was, but she'd certainly inherited a more precise skillset after her tutorage.
"My g- My friend Cheryl, she kind of helped me out." Elena laughed sheepishly -and a little too loudly- as she avoided Veronica's curious look. "She insisted I let her teach me how to properly use an eyeliner or she wouldn't be able to live with herself."
"Sounds like a hell of a friend." Veronica commented.
"You have no idea."
Silence swept between them, causing Veronica to look at her expectantly. There was no avoiding the elephant in the room anymore. She had to rip off the hypothetical band aid. "I'm sorry." Elena apologized, bowing her head shamefully.
"For not saying goodbye or not so much as bothering to pick up a phone?" Veronica asked, her voice brimming with long hidden emotion.
"Veronica-"
"Y-You left!" Veronica's voice trembled accusingly, forcing Elena to stare even harder at the floor. God she was the worst kind of asshole. "Me and Mom go on one trip, we get back and you're just gone! Do you know what that was like? Mom was a total mess, daddy refused to tell us what happened when we were gone and the only person in the world I could talk to -reallytalk to- had left me behind. What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing! I-"
Elena forced herself to look upwards and meet Veronica's angry stare, seeing the after-effect of her actions perfectly encapsulated into one person. "I had my reasons. I-I-" Her thoughts crashed together, a messy and emotional jumble she struggled to sort through. "Things were bad Veronica. There were things going on with me that you don't about, things I can't-" Elena caught herself, a lump forming in her throat.
"Can't you tell me?"
Elena shook her head vehemently, a firm look passing over her face that told Veronica it wasn't up for discussion. "I'm still sorting through it all up here." She explained, tapping the side of her head. "One of the many joys of coming from that Brady Bunch family of ours."
Veronica's eyes widened in alarm. She offered out a hand for Elena to take, gently squeezing it in affection when Elena enveloped it within hers. "Are you okay?" She murmured, looking like she was afraid to let go off her hand lest something bad happen.
Elena plastered on the brightest mega-watt smile in her arsenal, pushing back at the bad memories that were chomping at the bit to be let back in. She didn't want Veronica to ever have to worry about her. "I'm fine. Really. Time, therapy and living on my own does wonders for my mental health."
Elena found herself at the cliffs edge, ready to take a leap of faith even as a sliver of doubt whispered into her ear. What if she says no? But the more logical side of her brain spelled out what was now so obvious to see. Veronica cared. She was pissed and hurt at Elena for leaving, but she had never stopped caring about her. "Can we just leave the past where it belongs and move on? If you're staying here for the time being then- Well would you want to-"
Veronica opened her mouth, appearing as though she wanted to say more, but then thought better of it. She beamed as she realized what Elena was getting at, throwing her arms around her sister in a much more gentler manner than before. "Of course I want a relationship! What, did you think I was just gonna ignore you for the whole school year?"
The thought had crossed her mind, but Elena chose not to voice it. She instead let out a laugh, half bewildered and half pure joy at the bizarre turn the day had taken for her. It was something straight out of the bizarro dreams her mind had been cooking up for her lately. "You don't hate me?"
"No!"
The two sisters pulled apart, still holding hands as they simultaneously tried not to fall into another fit of uncontrollable crying. "I love you dummy. I just- I missed you and everything's been so horrible since you left! There were so many times I really needed you. I'd really like you back in my life, do you-" Veronica's voice broke. "Do you feel the same?"
"I do! I do!" Elena insisted as she beamed at Veronica, tears filling in her eyes once more. "More than anything. I missed you too."
Veronica burst into tears once more, full of emotion as she embraced Elena again. "Oh god not again!" She chuckled in between sobs, rivalling Elena's own. Elena rubbed circles into her back out of habit, breathing easy at the thought that maybe, just maybe, things could work out well between them.
"Veronica?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you too."