#prettyliesupdates

PRETTY LIES || REGGIE MANTLE x OC 

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Pairings: Reggie Mantle/Lydia Boyd (OC); slight Moose Mason/Lydia Boyd (OC)

Word Count: 87,257

Warnings: explicit sexual content, language, teen drug and alcohol use, crude/misogynistic language and humor, abusive and neglectful parents, fighting/violence, religious themes (Specific warnings can be found at the beginning of each chapter)

Author’s Note: This fic originated when I thought to myself, why the heck doesn’t anyone seem to care Midge is dead? followed quickly by and how did Reggie get off scot-free for trying to kill Fangs? This fic was the answer to those questions.  Set during the summer after Season 2, this fic is an AU that explores how things might have gone had Riverdale given these poor kids some closure.

Thanks to @rivendell101 for the lovely graphic!

Summary:

Pastor’s daughter Lydia Boyd has been best friends with Midge Klump her whole life.  When her best friend is brutally murdered in front of her very eyes, she is forced to reconsider everything she’s ever known to be true.  Lydia used to think she had it all figured out, that life made sense, but a newfound relationship forged by grief with bad-boy jock Reggie Mantle makes her consider the possibility that the framework of her entire existence might be no more than a pretty lie.

Reggie Mantle knows he fucked up.  He’s made more mistakes than he can possibly count, and now the world is falling apart around him.  From an innocent crush, to a desire to belong, to the only friends he ever had, everything is being ripped away. He doesn’t know how things managed to spiral so far out of control, but he knows that she makes him feel safe.

In a year filled with grief, longing, mistakes, hatred, and doubt, Lydia and Reggie rediscover themselves and learn what it means not only to love unconditionally, but to allow yourself to be loved back.

Preview:

“Lydia,” Reggie asked, unsure if he could trust his eyes. “Is that wine?”

“Sure is,” she replied, unscrewing the top. “The finest off-brand communion wine.” Sighing she leaned back against the wall, her arm brushing against his. “Sometimes, when I feel like absolute shit, I snag some and come up here to get away.”

Reggie watched as she took the first sip of wine.  For a girl that was supposed to be the perfect little pastor’s daughter, she was sure full of surprises.  It wasn’t until she set the jug down and gave him a pointed look that Reggie realized he was staring.  Swallowing hard, he picked up the jug and downed a sip—it was possibly the cheapest wine he had ever tasted, but the effect it had on his headache was near-immediate. “What are you getting away from?”

“Mostly the crippling realization that my best friend is dead, but also my dad sometimes.”

Reggie’s eyes widened, and he attempted to sputter out a reply.  Before he could, though, she started laughing.

“Jeez, man, I was kidding.” She grabbed the wine and took another sip. “My parents are just a lot sometimes.”

“I get that.” Reggie exhaled slowly, running his hand through his hair and doing his best to keep his eyes fixed on the view instead of Lydia. “I really get that.”

“Want to talk about it?” She turned those piercing green eyes on him, and his heart started thudding. “You seem like the king of repressed issues.”

He scoffed, looking away before her eyes sucked him any deeper. “That may be true, but you’re definitely the queen.”

“Oooh, touché, you got me.” She passed him the wine, and her skin felt hot against his when he grabbed the jug. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Pastor’s daughter Lydia Boyd has been best friends with Midge Klump her whole life.  When her best friend is brutally murdered in front of her very eyes, she is forced to reconsider everything she’s ever known to be true.  Lydia used to think she had it all figured out, that life made sense, but a newfound relationship forged by grief with bad-boy jock Reggie Mantle makes her consider the possibility that the framework of her entire existence might be no more than a pretty lie.

Reggie Mantle knows he fucked up.  He’s made more mistakes than he can possibly count, and now the world is falling apart around him.  From an innocent crush, to a desire to belong, to the only friends he ever had, everything is being ripped away. He doesn’t know how things managed to spiral so far out of control, but he knows that she makes him feel safe.

In a year filled with grief, longing, mistakes, hatred, and doubt, Lydia and Reggie rediscover themselves and learn what it means not only to love unconditionally, but to allow yourself to be loved back.

READ CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO ABOVE ON A03

PREVIEW:

Reggie’s hands wrapped around my waist, pushing my back against the side of the building and pressing his body into mine.  The rough bricks were cold even through my uniform, but all I could focus on were his lips on my skin. “You sure you don’t want to keep that on, babe?” he murmured, pressing kisses into my neck.  We were alone, most of the team and fans having already dispersed to various parties, and he was taking full advantage of the privacy.

“I’m sure,” I laughed, resting my palms on his chest in a lame attempt to keep him back. “Not only would I look ridiculous, but there’s also no way I’m paying to have this sucker dry-cleaned when some asshole spills a beer on it.”

“Fine,” he whined, his hands drifting down my back to the curve of my ass. “I suppose that’s a real reason.”

“Reggie,” I warned, trying not to laugh as he started to fiddle with the short skirt, slowly lifting it up. “Whatcha doing?”

“Nothing,” he replied innocently, returning his hands firmly to my ass with a squeeze. “You sure you still want to go to the party?”

I smirked, standing up on my tiptoes and kissing him deeply.  I laced my fingers through his hair, doing my best to pull myself up to his height. “Depends,” I breathed. “What do you propose we do instead?”

Pastor’s daughter Lydia Boyd has been best friends with Midge Klump her whole life.  When her best friend is brutally murdered in front of her very eyes, she is forced to reconsider everything she’s ever known to be true.  Lydia used to think she had it all figured out, that life made sense, but a newfound relationship forged by grief with bad-boy jock Reggie Mantle makes her consider the possibility that the framework of her entire existence might be no more than a pretty lie.

Reggie Mantle knows he fucked up.  He’s made more mistakes than he can possibly count, and now the world is falling apart around him.  From an innocent crush, to a desire to belong, to the only friends he ever had, everything is being ripped away. He doesn’t know how things managed to spiral so far out of control, but he knows that she makes him feel safe.

In a year filled with grief, longing, mistakes, hatred, and doubt, Lydia and Reggie rediscover themselves and learn what it means not only to love unconditionally, but to allow yourself to be loved back.

READ CHAPTER TWENTY ABOVE ON A03

PREVIEW:

Letting his legs crumple below him, he shoved his hand back into his pocket to fish for the half-finished stick of Jingle Jangle. He was already too far gone, too drunk and high all at once, but he needed more, needed to unsee her smile.

Before he could lift it to his lips, though, a soft hand curled around his wrist.

“Reggie, stop.”

He was dreaming—he had to be.  He’d dreamt about it enough, her coming back.

“Reggie, can you hear me?” her voice was worried, urgent.  She slipped the Jingle Jangle out of his grasp, moving her cold hand to his face to hold his head upright. “Reggie, say something, please.”

“I’m dreaming,” he replied, his words slurring. “I have to be dreaming.”

She sighed, and he heard the sound of rustling fabric. “Fuck, Reggie, what are you doing?”

He blinked hard, his vision clearing slightly. “Lydia?”

“Yeah, Reg, it’s me. Are you okay?”

Pastor’s daughter Lydia Boyd has been best friends with Midge Klump her whole life.  When her best friend is brutally murdered in front of her very eyes, she is forced to reconsider everything she’s ever known to be true.  Lydia used to think she had it all figured out, that life made sense, but a newfound relationship forged by grief with bad-boy jock Reggie Mantle makes her consider the possibility that the framework of her entire existence might be no more than a pretty lie.

Reggie Mantle knows he fucked up.  He’s made more mistakes than he can possibly count, and now the world is falling apart around him.  From an innocent crush, to a desire to belong, to the only friends he ever had, everything is being ripped away. He doesn’t know how things managed to spiral so far out of control, but he knows that she makes him feel safe.

In a year filled with grief, longing, mistakes, hatred, and doubt, Lydia and Reggie rediscover themselves and learn what it means not only to love unconditionally, but to allow yourself to be loved back.

READ CHAPTER SEVENTEEN ABOVE ON A03

If you’d like to be notified when a new chapter is posted, please subscribe on A03!

READ FROM THE BEGINNING HERE

Pastor’s daughter Lydia Boyd has been best friends with Midge Klump her whole life.  When her best friend is brutally murdered in front of her very eyes, she is forced to reconsider everything she’s ever known to be true.  Lydia used to think she had it all figured out, that life made sense, but a newfound relationship forged by grief with bad-boy jock Reggie Mantle makes her consider the possibility that the framework of her entire existence might be no more than a pretty lie.

Reggie Mantle knows he fucked up.  He’s made more mistakes than he can possibly count, and now the world is falling apart around him.  From an innocent crush, to a desire to belong, to the only friends he ever had, everything is being ripped away. He doesn’t know how things managed to spiral so far out of control, but he knows that she makes him feel safe.

In a year filled with grief, longing, mistakes, hatred, and doubt, Lydia and Reggie rediscover themselves and learn what it means not only to love unconditionally, but to allow yourself to be loved back.

READ CHAPTER FIFTEEN ABOVE ON A03

Content Warning: explicit sexual content

If you’d like to be notified when a new chapter is posted, please subscribe on A03!

READ FROM THE BEGINNING HERE

Pastor’s daughter Lydia Boyd has been best friends with Midge Klump her whole life.  When her best friend is brutally murdered in front of her very eyes, she is forced to reconsider everything she’s ever known to be true.  Lydia used to think she had it all figured out, that life made sense, but a newfound relationship forged by grief with bad-boy jock Reggie Mantle makes her consider the possibility that the framework of her entire existence might be no more than a pretty lie.

Reggie Mantle knows he fucked up.  He’s made more mistakes than he can possibly count, and now the world is falling apart around him.  From an innocent crush, to a desire to belong, to the only friends he ever had, everything is being ripped away. He doesn’t know how things managed to spiral so far out of control, but he knows that she makes him feel safe.

In a year filled with grief, longing, mistakes, hatred, and doubt, Lydia and Reggie rediscover themselves and learn what it means not only to love unconditionally, but to allow yourself to be loved back.

READ CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE ABOVE ON A03

(content warning: smut)

PREVIEW:

“Were you not even going to try?” The words slipped out before I had time to think them through—my voice barely above a whisper. “When you saw me with Moose—you weren’t even going to try?”

He was shaking his head now, scooping Vader off his chest and climbing off the bed to walk over to me.  His brown eyes were wide, and he couldn’t seem to close his mouth. “I—what—Lydia, what are you doing here?”

“I don’t know.” I shook my head, my eyes getting watery. “Maybe I’m making the biggest mistake of my life by coming here, but I couldn’t not do it.  I love you, Reggie, and I am fucking pissed that we broke up over one stupid fight.” My hands clenched into fists, and I had to fight to keep myself from reaching out for him. “So, I’m here.  I’m here to say that I don’t want to be broken up—I don’t want to go back to that fucking school and try to pretend I’m okay when all I want to do is be with you.”

Pastor’s daughter Lydia Boyd has been best friends with Midge Klump her whole life.  When her best friend is brutally murdered in front of her very eyes, she is forced to reconsider everything she’s ever known to be true.  Lydia used to think she had it all figured out, that life made sense, but a newfound relationship forged by grief with bad-boy jock Reggie Mantle makes her consider the possibility that the framework of her entire existence might be no more than a pretty lie.

Reggie Mantle knows he fucked up.  He’s made more mistakes than he can possibly count, and now the world is falling apart around him.  From an innocent crush, to a desire to belong, to the only friends he ever had, everything is being ripped away. He doesn’t know how things managed to spiral so far out of control, but he knows that she makes him feel safe.

In a year filled with grief, longing, mistakes, hatred, and doubt, Lydia and Reggie rediscover themselves and learn what it means not only to love unconditionally, but to allow yourself to be loved back.

READ CHAPTER NINETEEN ABOVE ON A03

Preview:

“Reggie, what the hell are you doing here?”

He tried to pull his lips into a smile, but it fell flat. “You know, just thought we could…” He trailed off—Josie knew him well enough to put it together.

Her eyebrows rose, and she shook her head. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me, Mantle.  Are you really trying to get with me right now?”

“Maybe?” The word sounding more like a question than an answer, and he immediately regretted it.

“You’re such an idiot.” Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Clearly, you’re out of your mind.” Sighing she pulled open the door and gave him a look. When he just stared back blankly, she gestured for him to come in.

“I thought—wasn’t that a no?”

“Yeah, it was, but you still need me right now, dude, so come in.”

Reggie didn’t argue as he ducked into the house.  No one else appeared to be home as she led him up the stairs to her bedroom.  Once the door was shut, she hopped onto the bed and gestured for him to sit on the desk chair.  He sat with a sigh and looked up at her.  Tonight was absolutely not going according to plan.

Pastor’s daughter Lydia Boyd has been best friends with Midge Klump her whole life.  When her best friend is brutally murdered in front of her very eyes, she is forced to reconsider everything she’s ever known to be true.  Lydia used to think she had it all figured out, that life made sense, but a newfound relationship forged by grief with bad-boy jock Reggie Mantle makes her consider the possibility that the framework of her entire existence might be no more than a pretty lie.

Reggie Mantle knows he fucked up.  He’s made more mistakes than he can possibly count, and now the world is falling apart around him.  From an innocent crush, to a desire to belong, to the only friends he ever had, everything is being ripped away. He doesn’t know how things managed to spiral so far out of control, but he knows that she makes him feel safe.

In a year filled with grief, longing, mistakes, hatred, and doubt, Lydia and Reggie rediscover themselves and learn what it means not only to love unconditionally, but to allow yourself to be loved back.

READ CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ABOVE ON A03