Today, Amethyst's, the most popular on campus cafe didn't feel like it always did.

There wasn't as much sunlight pouring through the windows, the typical warmness and buzz that followed you as soon as you entered was missing.

Veronica's seat was cold under her skin and the music playing from the small stereos scattered across the coffee shop seemed unfamiliar. Sakura and Odeta sat in front of her, digging into their food while Veronica settled with a black coffee. No cream no sugar.

The last thing on her mind was food.

Huge sunglasses sat on her face, hiding obscene dark circles and she leaned against the wall, sitting sideways with legs stretched in front of her.

Veronica's fingers held the coffee cup tightly like she was gonna lose her grip anytime.

"We saw you two, you know." Odeta pipes up after finishing the last of her pancakes, untouched bacon left to the side.

Veronica's mouth remained shut as she picked a blueberry off of Sakura's plate. She didn't mind having this conversation with a seemingly understanding Odeta, but as soon as the words left her mouth anyone could sense Sakura's tensed shoulders.

"Wanna talk about it?" The question came from Sakura however she kept her eyes on the fruit in front of her.

Veronica straightens her body so she can face them clearly. "No, not really." She adjusted the designer sunglasses.

"Ver, say the words and I won't ever push you, but you've been out of it since last night." Odeta speaks truthfully, hands reaching out to hold Veronica's.

She in turn gives a tight lipped smile. "I just need a bit of time, what I let happen last night was wrong and reckless. No more of it."

Sakura stills at the exchange between her best friends. "You gotta take that seriously though Veronica." She hated seeing this thoughtless cycle between Ace and Veronica, when would it actually be enough?

"I'm trying my best S." She let's out a deep breath.

"And we get that." Odeta gives a pointed look to Sakura after the unimpressed glimmer settles in her eyes. "We just really don't want you hurting. You know better than all of us what's healthy and what's not."

Veronica smiles at that. Her parents' relationship hadn't always been the best or so they say, but she had the greatest example of marriage and rapport. She'd heard countless of stories of their fights and make ups and each time their communication skills got better and better. They still to this day had healthy and needed arguments, sometimes in the heat of the moment saying things they didn't mean, but at the end of the day, the amount of love they shared was unmatchable.

"You're right, I do, but sometimes I don't even think of it as wrong. That's how consuming he is." Veronica's eyes find her sandals. "It sucks all the time, not being together and then pulling crap like last night, but he has my entire heart." She looks up at Odeta. "That's the messed up part."

Odeta bites the inside of her lip at Veronica's confession. She didn't always indulge as deep as this when it came to hers and Ace's relationship. Maybe last night really made an impact on her soul.

"I don't wanna give you false hope, but if you really mean that, maybe it's not the end for the two of you. That's not to say that you should keep doing whatever you're doing. Take a real break from him, in every aspect."

"But don't forget what put you in this situation on the first place." Sakura reminds instantly making Odeta sigh.

"Saks, come on." Her back pushes against the booth.

Sakura raises her eyebrows at Odeta. "What? I'm being honest. Maybe you should try to move on. Don't let everything to open interpretation, it's not getting you anywhere."

"I don't want to be a sissy, but you have to get how hard it is for me." Veronica's eyes cloud with months of heartache. She couldn't just snap her fingers and make it disappear.

"And I don't want to be a bitch, but I feel that it's what you need. I can take you being mad at me if it means finally setting yourself free."

"Setting myself free?" Veronica laughs but the sound dies on her throat. "What are you even talking about S?"

"Veronica you gotta realize how self destructive you keep on being. I don't think Ace is the best person to keep in your life right now. You lose yourself to him every time. And I'm here each one of those times, trying to tell you to not do it again." Sakura's eyebrows furry and she doesn't meet either of the girls' eyes at the end of her sentence.

"So, is that it? Are you tired of us? Because as far as I'm concerned none of this involves you. I get that you're trying to be there for me, but maybe you should stop psychoanalyzing me and start having my back." Veronica sneers as she pushes the coffee cup away from her. This is why she never wanted people tangling themselves into parts of her life where they didn't belong.

"I'm not psychoanalyzing you. I'm being your friend. I have your back all the damn time Ver, that's why I'm saying all of this. If you don't want my advice, if you just want me to sit back and support any of your decisions without giving my opinions, I'll do just that. I'll be a puppet in the background."

"Guys, let's take a step back," But Odeta doesn't get to finish her sentence.

"So what? You're the victim now? You literally have nothing to do with any of this. I deal with my shit however I deal with it. I'll take your advice when you start giving it as advice and not as an order." Veronica snatches the sunglasses off her face and stares at Sakura.

"Oh my god Veronica, you're so caught up in your head that I don't think you realize how ridiculous you sound right now. I'm not victimizing yourself, I'm not involving myself in anything that has to do with the two of you, trust me I don't want to pile on the issues. We all know there's enough already." Sakura bites back, pushing her phone to the side.

"Great Sakura, you really hurt my feelings with that one." Sarcasm drips in every word. "You think I sound ridiculous? How about the fact that all of us don't talk about Ace, not because of me, but because it bothers you so much? Doesn't that sound ridiculous?"

"Yes! Because it's all we talk about! Sue me for being annoyed, sue me for wanting to not mention him once! I get it Veronica, I really do. It blows that you're hurting all the time but maybe if you opened up your perspective, you'd see that if you cut the cord a long time ago, this wouldn't suck as much as it sucks. You're going down the same road every time and asking why you always end up in the same place." Sakura speaks every thought she'd held back for Veronica's sake, fearing she couldn't take it. But if she was willingly making her the villain, than maybe she wasn't as fragile as everyone thought.

"I'm sorry." Veronica's voice is sickly sweet. "I'm sorry you have to deal with the burden that is me-"

"You're not the burden, your relationship with him is. A sinking fucking ship and you want to take all of us down with you."

"Oh my god Sakura! This is exactly it! I'm not taking you, you're fucking inviting yourself." Veronica was done with argument. It wasn't going anywhere and both of them were starting to say things just for the sake of the words stinging.

"Hey, seriously, neither of you mean half of the stuff you're saying. We're hungover, let's just head home." Odeta tries to make peace but neither of them will have it, opting out for staring each other down.

"I was invited the second you tangled me into your webs of lies about Ace. And to him. I know you understand each other's fuck ups, but in case you forgot, he's my friend too. Not just your boyfriend. Or whatever fucked up relationship you have nowadays."

"Well that's a slap to the face, those were low times in my life, you'd know that better than anyone else. How dare you throw that back at me?" Veronica's nostrils flare and teeth grind against each other. She knew it was stupid the moment she asked Sakura to cover for her,but she'd grown since then. No more childish games like that entered her mind.

"Yeah? You keep forgetting I did that and more shit for you. And now you keep spewing some shit about me not having your back?" The black haired girl disapprovingly glowers and is ready to get up and leave the table. She was tired of treating Veronica like she was beyond reach glass that could shatter to the touch.

"If I'd known I was requesting so fucking much of you then trust me you'd be the last person I'd ask." Veronica's vision doesn't leave Sakura's resentful figure.

Surprising her friends, Sakura gets up and stands near the edge of the table. "When you remember that I'm your fucking friend and you get this narrative that everyone's out to get you, away from your mind, call me. I want the old Veronica back." With that cliche line she deserts the cafe, leaving Odeta with no words and Veronica with an angry frown on her face.

Veronica is quick to look up at her friend, ready to further debate on why that was unacceptable and how she's totally right, but Odeta is quick to speak.

"I just saw two of my best friends talk shit to each other like you don't mean anything to one another. So I'm sorry and I know you're pissed but I'm not getting in the middle or taking sides. Let's pretend I wasn't even here to listen to that argument."

That leaves Veronica speechless because what more was there left to say?

With a final sigh, she places her sunglasses back on her face and asks for the check.

Hangovers were a bitch.

And so was Sakura.