𓈊 A Poppy By Any Other Name

Act VI

WARNING, THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES MENTION AND/OR IMPLICATION OF:
Physical Abuse
Injuries
Alcohol/Drinking
Cigarettes
Panic Attacks
Suicidal Ideation/Action

This is a pretty heavy chapter (as you could probably guess from the TWs). If you can't read it and need to leave, that's perfectly okay, and I understand. I left a synopsis at the end of the chapter so nobody misses any major plot points. Remember to be safe, lovelies <33 /gen/pos

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Jimmy ended up having to sit out of the rest of rehersal, though he had to stay due to Lizzie being his only way home and she was set on staying the whole time. He'd gotten some worried glances from Scott, which didn't help ease his nervous stomach very much. At one point it seemed like Scott was making his way over to Jimmy until he noticed Zach waving Scott over just a few seats down.

The end of rehersal seemed to come later rather than sooner on Jimmy's part, but he was glad when it was finally over and he could go home. He could go home and sleep forever. At least, if forever lasted as long as thirteen hours.

"You doing alright?" Lizzie asked as soon as Jimmy had practically waddled over to her. She frowned when he shook his head, putting a hand up to his cheek. "You don't feel warm. Maybe food poisoning?"

Jimmy shook his head again. "No," he managed, and he felt like he was going to be sick again. "Can we go home?"

Lizzie gave him a soft smile. "We've just gotta wait for Joel and Grian," she said. "Grian should be done in a minute, and Joel's gone to the bathroom."

"'Mmkay." Jimmy leaned into Lizzie, which she responded to by giggling, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a gentle squeeze from the side.

It was odd how out of it Jimmy felt compared to just half an hour before, when his head was empty, his thoughts were clear, and nothing ached. Now, his head was pounding, his thoughts were foggy, and he wanted to lay in bed and cry.

"You all right, Timmy?"

Jimmy blinked, not even noticing Grian standing right in front of him. "Oh, hey," he said so quietly he could barely hear himself.

Lizzie huffed. "He's not feeling well," she told Grian. "Have you seen Joel?"

Grian shrugged in response, turning to the double doors leading to the main hallway of the school. "He went to the bathroom last I heard," he said, and looked back at Lizzie. "You're driving me home, right?"

"Yeah." Lizzie paused. "I'm gonna take Jimmy out to the car so he doesn't have to wait." Grabbing Jimmy's coat, she draped it over his shoulders and slipped her arms through her own jacket. "Wait for Joel, please?"

Nodding, Grian sat down on a pew.

Lizzie whispered a soft, "C'mon," and nudged Jimmy toward the door. He'd managed to drag himself along most of the way, but he had to lean on Lizzie for a good portion of the walk to the car. Luckily for him, they'd taken the van to school that morning, having driven Fwhip, Gem, and Grian.

Jimmy went straight to the very back seat, lying down immediately. Lizzie giggled and clambered back with him to pull his coat over his torso like a blanket. She pressed a kiss to his temple and climbed out of the van, closing the back door and hopping into the front seat to start the vehicle.

He started to doze off until he heard Grian and Joel laughing obnoxiously loud as they climbed into the car. Jimmy could hear Lizzie shushing them, then a couple whispered apologies, then silence.

When he opened his eyes, he was lying in his bed, stretched out like a five-tentacled octopus, and the T.V. was quietly playing Lovejoy's EP Pebble Brain on repeat. Grian sat on top of Jimmy's desk while Lizzie sat on the rolling chair and rubbed a cut on Grian's cheek with an alcohol wipe. He was wearing an over-sized T-shirt rather than his iconic red jumper, and had bandages wrapped around his forearms. Large band-aids were spotted around his arms, shoulders, and neck as well. Jimmy assumed that Joel was either at his apartment or somewhere else in the house.