"Are you okay?" Rafe asked her as they stood outside his car. His eyes were widened from the adrenaline punching JJ gave him. She didn't reply.

She was trying really hard not to break down, really hard. She had given JJ everything. She was always nice to him, never did anything bad, yet he still treated her like that.

"Fucking Pogue, don't let him affect you" he said as he pulled her into a hug, letting her head rest on his chest due to their height difference.

"Why would he say that to me Rafe?" She asked as she let a tear roll down her eye, hitting his shirt.

"Listen, those people don't know respect, they don't know how to treat others. If anything, you should be laughing at how low he had to go to insult you"

"Kiara? Of all people her?" She said as she buried her head onto his chest

"And he's the one talking about standards" Rafe said as his hand caressed the back of her head, keeping her close to his chest.

"God I'm so stupid" she cried out as she held onto his shirt.

"Hey, you're not stupid. Don't talk about yourself like that" He said, as she completely ignored him and continued crying.

This is what always happened to her. She would give her everything to a relationship, whether it was a friendship or something romantic, and she would never get back the same amount of love that she gave.

Lolla always cared so deeply, about everything. She always put other people's emotions and needs before her own, because at the end of the day that what made her happy.

Seeing the people she loved being happy warmed her heart, despite the fact that she might have suffered in the process.

"Lo look at me" he said as he gently put his hand on her chin, pushing her head up so she faced him.

Despite her tear stained eyes and puffy lips, in his eyes Lolla Brown was the most beautiful woman to ever walk the earth.

"You're not stupid. You're one of the smartest, most caring people I've ever met. Honestly, fuck JJ for not seeing that" he said as he wiped the tears off of her cheeks.

She wrapped her arms around him as she hugged him tightly. He gave her forehead a small kiss before placing his head on top of hers, also wrapping his arms around her.

"Thank you Rafe" she said in a low tone. His hug brought her so much warmth.

"Come on let's get you home"

——

For the next few days, Lolla stayed in her room.

The breakup with JJ had hurt her. It was the first time she had been with anyone like that since Noah. Even though Lolla and JJ never had sex, they did almost everything together.

She felt used, actually used.

But to be honest, somewhere deep down, she excepted something like that would happen.

She always saw the way Kiara looked at JJ when he wasn't looking at her. Always saw the fake personality that Kiara put around her, the looks of hatred.

Even though Lolla and Kiara had never been close, Lolla had been nothing but nice to her.

With all of that, she was also going through with withdrawal.

After that day at Barry's, where she was at the brink of overdosing, she promised that she would quit. Drugs had ruined her. She had become so dependent on them.

She hadn't used for a week.

It had been hard, like really hard. Her fatigue had increased severely, she could barely get out of bed, she slept countless hours, she could barely do anything.

Even the smallest things felt so exhausting for her. And it was so hard for her not to use too.

Her whole body was screaming at her to just use, to do one more line.

But it never ends at just one more line. It would be two, three, then four, maybe even five. And before she knew it, she would have snorted it all.

That's why she fought, she fought to keep her body clear of this substance that she had become so dependent on, as hard as it was.

But there was one person that was there for her. Who saw her through this disgusting stage of hers.

Rafe.

He visited her at least once a day, keeping her company as she went through this. They would talk, about anything. He was trying to keep her mind off of all the shit she was going through.

He still used, and honestly, he wasn't planning on stopping.

Drugs just took his mind off of everything, everything that was going on at home, all of his responsibilities.

It made him feel whole, complete.

He didn't try anything with her as she went through the breakup and the withdrawal. He just wanted to be there for her, even if it was as a friend.

Because his love for her ran so deep, he would never be able to let her go.

-
authors note:
ok i know this is a short ass chapter but bare with me
it was kinda a filler chapter but anyway
things are about to get dramatic
how are yall liking this story so far?
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