betty ↳ conrad fisher

twenty-three.

Betty Graham was laid across  the couch, her face pressed against the cushion as she stared at the floor. She had no idea how long it had been, she had caught sight of an irregular piece of the rug  that met the edge of the couch, and she hadn't been able to take her eyes off of it. It was a weird way to pass time, but it gave her the ability to keep her mind off of other things.

There were only a few things that had been able to weasel its way into her brain, one was Adam, it wondering what it was about him that made Conrad so happy he was gone, and  so disappointed her had come back.  Another was wondering  if she'd ever be able to get over Conrad, if she'd ever be able to live her life without being hounded by the memory of him. It was—

"What are you doing?" The voice was obviously Conrad Fishers, the girl not bothering to looking up from the spot on the rug that she had fixated on for however long she had been laying there.

"Spiraling." She said honestly, the boy looking at her in confusion as she admitted it. His lips tightened into a straight line and he sat the trash bag in his hand down, the one he had used to clean up with outside. He slowly made his way towards the couch, crouching down beside her face and getting a good look at her hazy eyes. She could not handle her alcohol.

"You cant move...can you?" Conrad asked, the girl letting out a small hum that told him everything he needed to know.  "What if I move you upstairs and you sleep it off a little bit? How's that sound?"

"I like that." She said in a slurred voice, the boy nodding his head and standing back up. He considered all the ways to do this before he finally decided on wrapping his arms around her and pulling her up from the couch, the girl helping him the best she could as he dragged her up the stairs. The comfort of his bed was the motivation to get there, the girl relaxing into it in an instant. She let out a relieve sigh, her eyes closing as he sat at the edge of the bed. He looked back at her before his eyes caught her shoes, the boy quickly reaching for the strap of her wedged shoe. He pulled at it and quickly slid the shoe off, knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep in shoes.

"You want a shirt to change into?" She hummed in approval again, the boy walking towards his dresser and pulling out the first t-shirt he could find. He handed it to her, his back turning to her as she struggled to get the dress off. Finally she got into his shirt, the girl pulling the ribbon out of her hair and really settling into the bed.

"Oh yeah...this is great." She said, her lips turned up into a small smile as he sat at the edge of the bed. He looked down at her, unable to stop himself from smiling. "So what did I miss?"

"Well what's the last thing you saw?"

"Last thing I saw was you and Jeremiah playing football. And then I went straight inside."  Betty said, her eyes heavy as he looked up at him innocently.

"The debs left because Belly told Shayla about Steven and Taylor. Belly was so drunk she knocked my mom down the steps and broke the cake stand and uh...my mom yelled at my dad in front of everyone. And then I came inside and found you." Betty processed the information slowly, not realizing so many things could have happened while she was out.

"What's up with your mom and dad by the way?" Betty asked, Conrad's face falling as he looked away from her and down at the floor in front of him.

"You should sleep."

"You told me we would talk about it later.
I want...I need to know that you know I'm here for you, okay? You cant just keep everything in all the time." Her hand slid onto his back, Conrad looking back at her with glazed over eyes as she turned onto her side to look at him. Her stomach pressed against his back and she was so close to him, he wanted to lay with her and just tell her everything, he wanted her to hold him.

"My dad cheated on my mom. And I just cant stand to look at him. There...now I don't want to talk about it anymore. I want you to rest." He said, Betty not reacting dramatically or anything. Instead she just gave him an understanding look, her lips in a small frown as she looked up at him.

"Okay...thank you for trusting me." She whispered, the girl closing her eyes and curling up against him. He just sat there in silence, his thoughts racing and his heartbeat accelerating as he thought about how doomed his life was, how shit his family was, how many huge decisions he had to make.

Betty slid her hand into his, holding his hand as she fell asleep, her mind clearing at his touch. It was soothing for the both of them, Conrad only being able to focus on the softness of her palm pressed against his. He wasn't sure how long he sat there but by the time he looked at her again she was lightly snoring, his lips parting as his eyebrows furrowed. He reached out with his free hand, his fingertips pressing against the skin of her cheek. He traced her cheekbone and pushed hair away from her face, relieved to be able to look at her without anyone watching or judging him. He felt a tightness in his chest as he considered laying with her again, he just wanted to be surrounded by her warmth, but he knew that would be too much, and too obvious, and he didn't know how she would react if she woke up with him in bed with her again.

What challenged him the most about being around her was the fact that no matter what he did, she always seemed to take the centerpiece of his brain. Ever since he had seen her at the party he had been unable to get rid of the thought of her. He knew falling for his ex was not okay, but he also knew that he had never fallen out of love with her. He knew that looking at her now, seeing her peacefully and wholly, that that love had never gone anywhere. It was why he was so drawn to her, it was why he just couldn't stay away.

"I can't do this right now." Conrad whispered to himself, the boy pushing up from the bed and letting go of her. She stayed there and he sent one more glance back at the girl before he decided he didn't want to be caught up in his head anymore, the boy disappearing into the hallway and leaving her there alone.