Last December

Chapter 18: Dinner and family

TW: There will be talk of anorexia and things that are connected to that in this chapter, nothing too dark though.

March 14th, 2023, 3:26pm.

Oh, what a miserable year
but what a time to be alive.
Sadly some friends disappeared.
It's never been like this before,
it feels like we're at war.

"Can't stop Christmas"
by Robbie Williams.

Someone knocked on the door. Jughead just groaned, which the person took as a sign to come in anyways.

"Hey, I just came back from work. FP will go grocery shopping this evening, do you want something?" Alice asked. Jughead shook his head, pulling the blanket tighter around his body. He was sitting at his desk, currently cutting one of his next videos — back from when he was in Kazakhstan, when everything was alright. He had pretty much locked himself in his room ever since he returned from the Lodge Lodge though, even called off a project because he couldn't get himself out of bed.

He had never spend two months in his new room at the Cooper house ever since they moved in there two years ago, let alone two months in one place ever since graduation.

Alice Cooper was an alright woman, Jughead guessed. Betty had told him countless times how she only started to become this person after she divorced her husband, who was in jail currently, and started dating FP. He easily believed that. Alice had thankfully kept her distance to him until now. Sure, she asked if he was alright or needed anything from time to time but usually she kept downstairs and he stayed upstairs and therefore they barely met — which he preferred to be honest. It's not like he didn't like her but she was just like a friend of your friend, you spend time with them together but never bonded just the two of them.

"No, I don't need anything, thank you"

"Something special you want for dinner?"

"No, why?"

"Because I actually want you to eat it today, unlike yesterday?" Jughead stilled, biting his bottom lip. He hoped, he was out of her view though.

"Jug, your dad told me some stuff yesterday. I just... I just want you to be alright, that's all. I won't pry in your privacy"

"I... appreciate that. Uhm, perhaps some pizza for dinner?"

"Sounds great" She smiled softly and left his room again. Jughead sighed softly, leaning back in his chair. He took a break from his video and instead got out his phone and went on Instagram, searching for a name that he kind of blocked every two days, just to unblock him soon after.

"Guys, you all were so amazing today!!" Archie yelled into his story, being in some backstage room. Around him three people, his bandmates as Jughead knew by now, were packing up their things "Thank you all for coming. I really can't believe how I got so lucky"

Lucky. Jughead scoffed, clicking through the stories of their concert. This did not brighten up his mood. It just made it worse, in fact. He sighed, went to block Archie and then turned off his phone for the rest of the day.

He stayed on his laptop for the rest of the day, at least until Alice called them all for dinner. He tried to avoid going but when his father came upstairs in person, it was hard to just stay in his room (especially with saying that he wasn't hungry since he hadn't eaten breakfast either and FP knew just how much Jughead's stomach could handle). Eventually he dragged himself downstairs and got himself to eat two slices of pizza, feeling the eyes of everyone on him.