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

thirteen

I hurry back to the table after dancing with some random jock. My friends shoot me teasing smirks as I show them a face of disgust.

"You're pretty popular here, huh?" Duke asks, gently elbowing me.

"I don't want to be." Her eyes flit over to Veronica, who leans on the table as she watches Mac get dragged off by another jock. I glare at Duke. She smiles.

"Don't wanna be?" I sigh quietly.

"Don't do this to me tonight." She scratches her neck.

"Are you okay?" I force a laugh.

"Not really." I can see the slight concern in her eyes. I put a hand on her arm. "I'll be fine, Heather. I promise." She nods.

"Good." She smiles. I return it to the best of my ability. It's hard to pretend I'm okay right now. But I don't want my friends to worry about me tonight. This is supposed to be a big night for them. I won't ruin it.

It's supposed to be a big night for me. Look at how well it's turning out.

"Y/n." I glance over at Veronica. "You okay?" I look down.

"Yeah." She puts a hand on mine. I meet her gaze. She stands up.

"I'm gonna step outside for a bit. Wanna come?" I start to shake my head, then freeze. I only have a limited amount of time with her.

"Sure." I get up, pushing my chair back in and following her to the door.

"Hey, y/n, wanna dance?" Some boy calls out to me. Veronica grabs my hand, hurrying me away. She shoves open the door and leads me out.

"Ronnie- Slow down!" She giggles to herself, glancing back at me. A smile pulls at my lip upon seeing her beaming at me.

"I need some air. Is that okay with you?" I nod. She smiles, pulling open the door. The cool night air greets us, a strong contrast from the muggy dance. She takes a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"Why'd you need me?" I ask, leaning on the railing. She shoots me a look.

"I thought you'd need this." I blink a few times.

"Oh. But prom. But this is your prom night, so-" She puts a finger over my lips, gently shushing me.

"It's also yours. And if you're not enjoying it, then we should probably do something about it." I open my mouth to speak. "And before you say anything, I won't be able to have fun if I know you aren't doing the same. So do me a favour and shut up." I look out at the sky, a pang in my chest. She's too good.

"... Okay." She bites her lip.

"So, is something wrong?" I sigh.

"Yeah."

"Wanna talk about it?" I look over at her. Looking at her right now, I can't bring myself to say it. I can't bear to see her smile drop from her face, or her eyebrows crease in concern, or those gorgeous dark eyes reflecting shock and realization.

"That's okay." I focus on the dim street. "I'm just overwhelmed."

"Ah. Got it." She places a gentle hand on my back. "Well, we don't have to go back inside if you don't want to." I let out a quiet breath.

"Can we get out of here?" I ask softly.

"Where?"

"I dunno. You decide. Pick a direction." She laughs quietly. "What?"