Cigarette Burns // FP Jones

Chapter Ten

The next morning in the household was tense. My mother wore no makeup, something I hadn't been used to, and her eyes bloodshot. I hadn't known whether it had been due to lack of sleep, or whether she'd been crying. My father looked similar, the blank facial expression and little, stiff movements. James however sat, smiling and being polite as usual. He was playing with Mike at the breakfast table, as if everything had been normal. In my pyjamas, my tattoo was visible. Everyone had been staring at it for the past ten minutes, yet no one had spoken up about it. 

After picking at my breakfast, I felt a wave of nausea come over me. No one was talking, no one was reacting. At first, I'd liked the silence, but now I realised it was much worse. I felt like I was going to vomit from anxiety, the uneasiness rising throughout me. Excusing myself from the table, I ran up the stairs, finding my way to the toilet, where I vomited judiciously. Chunks of the oatmeal mix, and also pizza from Toni's erupted from my throat, causing my body to shake. I didn't know what to do, as I could barely hold my hair behind my head. I felt weak, numb. This is what going home was; a mess. 

I'd decided to go back to the Southside today, and just tell my parent's I was seeing Betty. I knew she'd cover for me if they'd called, and quite frankly, I'd needed some support from Toni if I were going to make it through another night in this house. I pushed myself up, flushing the toilet and walking into my room, where I threw on a baggy shirt, some leggings and my Serpent jacket, roughly brushing through my hair and walking downstairs. 
"Where are you going?" My mother walked to the door, stopping me from leaving. 
"I am seeing Betty, mom." I said, anxiously waiting for her approval. "I'll be home tonight." I reassured her, though I wasn't sure how much she'd wanted to hear that, or whether it was something else she was searching for while looking into my tired eyes. 
"Okay." She said, unlocking the door. I hastily walked out of the door, rushing to get to Toni's.

It felt like the journey had taken forever, but when I got to the battered trailer door, I couldn't be more thankful. Toni had been sat on the front step with Jughead, who stood up upon seeing me. 
"God, Jas, when you didn't come back last night we were worried sick." Jughead said, hugging me. He looked as if he'd been tearing up, his icy eyes glassy. I started to cry, bringing my eyes up to my face. 
"My mom found me, God, she almost killed my brother and I." I rambled, confusing my two friends. "She made me go home, and I told her about something my brother had done, to which she started speeding and she wouldn't stop. James had to pull the break on the car." I cried more, picturing what would have happened if he hadn't, and she'd crashed. We would have died, at the rate we'd been going at, and surely killed the people in the other vehicle. I let Toni and Jug hold me against themselves, in some sort of group hug. She too had looked frightened, her usual clean eyeliner wavered due to a shaking hand. 

"Jasmine." FP's voice came from behind us, and I turned, still standing close to my two companions. I couldn't hold him in front of Jughead, but I had really wanted to. "What's this about you running off last night?" He questioned. "Jughead was really upset about that." He frowned at me, for the second time looking disappointed in me. 

"It was my mom." I spoke, quietly. "She made me leave." My voice was a mere whisper, and upon seeing the trauma on my face, FP softened, relaxing his muscles. 
"She went through quite a lot last night, dad." Jughead told his father, coming away from me. "How about she stays with us again tonight?" He questioned. 
"I can't, Jug, I told my mom I'd go home." I explained, and he raised an eyebrow at my remark. 
"Since when do you care about what she tells you to do?" 
"Since I am scared she's going to fucking murder me!" I screamed back, instantly regretting it. "I'm sorry Jug-" I added, but he shook his head. 
"It's okay, it's okay." He moved back to me, hugging me once again. I let myself melt into the embrace, as it felt much like FP's. There was a faint smell of his trailer in his jacket, which made me feel so much safer. I could hear FP's footsteps getting closer, and he whispered something into Toni's ear. I couldn't see exactly what was going on, as Jughead was much taller than I, so his torso covered any kind of sight I could have had.