To Jupiter and back

Chapter 21

A couple of days had passed, and Jupiter was still engulfed in silence. She longed for any form of contact from Billie, but there were no calls, no texts. Her absence weighed heavily on Jupiters heart, and her emotions finally erupted like a storm on Jupiter's face.

Jupiter's reflection in the mirror startled her. Her swollen, red face and eyes, with tears still streaming down, seemed unrecognizable. Her eye bags had become so prominent that they appeared as an additional set of eyes. The pain of missing Billie consumed her, and she couldn't contain her anguish any longer. Screaming into her pillow, she began banging her head against the wall, pacing the room in frustration.

Suddenly, she saw her. It was a momentary vision, a hallucination born out of her distress. The sight startled her, leading to a crash and a bang as the mirror shattered into pieces. Blood dripped from Jupiter's fist, creating a crimson stain amidst the shards of glass scattered across the floor. She sank down, her body surrounded by the fragments, curling up in a ball of despair.

"Jupiter, are you okay?" François, her concerned grandmother, asked, shock evident in her voice. The distressing sight of her granddaughter amidst broken glass shattered François's heart.

"I love her so much, it hurts," Jupiter whispered, her voice trembling, as she pulled her knees closer to her chest, burying her head in the bloody embrace.

"I know, Jupiter. But she's still there. She didn't break up with you. Stand up, straighten yourself, and go back to California. Distance won't do any good," François encouraged, her voice filled with love and support.

"Come on, let's clean up your hands," François said, pulling Jupiter up gently. Guiding her back to the bed, François returned with a bottle of vodka and some bandages.

Carefully, François soaked a cotton ball in vodka and applied pressure to Jupiter's injured knuckles. Jupiter winced at the sting, taking a large sip of the transparent, burning liquid to numb the pain. Deep down, she knew she had to regain control over herself. She couldn't continue down this destructive path—it not only scared her grandmother but also terrified herself.

Why did her feelings weigh so heavily on her? Why couldn't she simply suppress them? Jupiter despised herself for her inability to handle the overwhelming emotions.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, Billie found herself submerged in a whirlwind of anger, sadness, and money. The news reports had thrust her further into the public eye, intensifying the media frenzy. The increased publicity only meant more money, but Billie despised the superficiality of it all.

She spent the entire day in bed, her eyes swollen from incessant crying. Jupiter's absence left an indescribable void in her heart. She missed her partner dearly, the one who brightened her days in unimaginable ways.

Returning to California a day ago, Billie had isolated herself from everyone. She hadn't reached out to anyone, and no one had attempted to contact her either. As the doorbell rang, Billie's mind buzzed with anticipation—was it Jupiter? Had she come to see her?

Opening the door, she was met with the face of Drew, her friend who seemed oblivious to the recent events. "Why are you home? Shouldn't you be living your best life abroad?" Drew asked, realizing that she had been out of the loop.

"Haven't you seen the news?" Billie replied, disbelief etched across her face.

"Nah, my phone broke, and I couldn't check anything. I came here to water your plants, but your door was unlocked.