Only a Matter of Time // Veronica Sawyer x Fem!Reader

three

"It's okay." She pauses. "Sometimes people do things without thinking."

"Yeah." I step on the gas. She seems to want to say something, but doesn't. It's a while before I speak up. "Shouldn't we have reached it by now?"

"Um, yeah. We just passed." She clears her throat. "I just don't feel like heading home just yet."

"Why?" She doesn't reply. I pull over to the side of the road after a few seconds. I turn to face her. "Are you okay? Are you safe at home?"

"What- Yes. Yes, I am." She doesn't meet my eyes. "I don't know. You seemed like you needed company." We fall silent. I feel a smile tug at my lip. It's a few seconds before I burst out in laughter. She looks at me, confused.

"You are so..." I giggle to myself, burying my face in my hands. "You're so innocent, Veronica."

"What?" She demands. I shake my head.

"I didn't mean that to offend you!" I bite my lip. "What I mean is you're just... Everyone's an asshole. Apathetic. They'll say they care for me and some random bullshit like that, but I know it's not true. But you... You genuinely care. Without even saying it."

"Y/n..." She purses her lips. "You just seem like a good person, and no one else notices. Isn't that a shame?" I drop the smile.

"Maybe."

"Everyone but like, JD." I nod.

"I know." She doesn't say anything for a few seconds, then meets my eyes.

"I think you need more than one friend." I raise an eyebrow.

"Is that an offer of friendship?"

"If you want it to be." I look down at the steering wheel. Friends, huh? I don't have friends outside of another loner. Barely even acquainted myself with people. But Veronica is willing to be that for me. JD is good, sure, but she's right. One friend isn't enough.

"Okay."

"Yeah?" I glance over at her, seeing a bit of a hopeful smile on her face. I smirk.

"You're so much nicer than your friends. How did that happen?" She smiles.

"I forged a hall pass for them."

"Oh? A rule breaker? I wasn't expecting that." She shrugs.

"I have many talents." I grin.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Am I making you feel better?" I look out into the night.

"I guess."

"Good." I start up the car.

"Where do you wanna go?"

"Hm... I dunno. You decide. Pick a random direction."

"Alright." I put the car into drive and pull away. I hear the crinkle of a chip bag and look over at her. She pops a chip in her mouth. "Hey- I paid for that! Don't eat them all."

"I can eat some of them, though." I give her a look. She eats another chip. "Since we're friends now, I think it's an obligation to steal food."

"You're such a weirdo," I say. She smiles.

"Your weirdo, now." I roll my eyes, turning my attention to the road as I snag a chip. "Hey, I think you should be fully aware of what you're getting into before you agree."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't get too comfortable with this food stealing business."

"No promises. Now, onward, noble knight."

"Your wish is my desire, fair lady." As we continue driving, we start to talk. It's kinda nice talking to her. She suddenly looks ahead.

"Pull over." I slam on the brakes.

"What?"

"Pull over, there's something up ahead." I raise an eyebrow.

"A good something?" She smiles.

"Definitely." I pull over as she says. She unlocks the car doors, and gets out. I follow her, locking the doors. I blink.

"It's a playground," I mutter.

"Going to a playground at midnight is a transformative experience, l/n. Come on." I smirk, following her over to the swingset. We sit down.

"You're so weird," I say, pulling my leg over so I straddle the swing and face her. She smiles.

"Says the lone wolf type who drives around at midnight to escape her feelings."

"Wh- I do not do that!" She smiles.

"Sure." I sigh, looking out into the night. It's quiet. Calm. Nice. I feel a small smile on my face. It's nice to slow down like this. Sit down beside someone and let the world do its thing around us.

"Thank you."

"Of course. Now, smile!"

I look up from my phone to stare out the window as the plane slowly trundles to the runway. It's a seven hour flight. Then a two hour drive. But I really hope it'll be worth it. I really hope I can find what I need.

I tap on my phone, opening the gallery. There's a picture of Veronica. Us on a swing set, grinning at the camera. That was that first night, the one where we went on a drive and she became my friend. I last saw her four years ago. We were seventeen. I turn off my phone, leaning back on the headrest and closing my eyes.