Jenna hadn't left Juniper's side in twenty-two hours.
She couldn't.
Every time she thought about stepping out of the apartment—whether it was to grab food, make a phone call, or just get some air—something in her gut twisted, warning her not to. Juniper needed her right now more than ever.
The moment she'd answered that late-night call, hearing Juniper's broken sobs on the other end of the line, Jenna's heart had dropped. Juniper hadn't been able to say much—just gasping and crying, barely able to breathe through the pain of her broken heart. Jenna didn't need details to understand; she knew something had shattered Juniper's world.
When she arrived, the scene she found was worse than she could've imagined. Juniper was curled up on the floor of her living room, her arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to hold the pieces of her heart together. Tears streamed down her face, her body trembling with the weight of each sob. It was a sight that shook Jenna to her core. She had never seen her best friend like this—so utterly broken, so completely devastated.
For hours, Jenna had just held her. She hadn't asked questions, hadn't pushed Juniper to talk. She just sat on the floor with her, cradling her, whispering that it would be okay, even though she wasn't sure it would. When the sobbing finally slowed, when Juniper could finally speak, the words that came out made Jenna's stomach churn.
Jack had broken up with her.
Jack.
The same Jack who had spent the last year looking at Juniper like she hung the stars. The same Jack who couldn't stand being away from her for more than a minute. The Jack who had flown halfway across the world to see her perform, who had held her hand through the madness of fame, who had been her biggest supporter. Jenna couldn't believe it.
"I don't understand," Juniper had whispered, her voice hoarse from hours of crying. "He just... he said he couldn't do the long distance thing. That he needed me to focus on my career, and that the distance would hold me back and... I don't know. He said it was for my own good."
"For your own good?" Jenna had repeated, disbelief and anger mixing in her voice.
She could hardly fathom what Jack was thinking. How could breaking Juniper's heart be for her own good? It didn't make any sense.
Juniper had just shaken her head, tears still slipping down her cheeks. "I don't know, Jen. He... he said he still loves me. He said he always will, but that this is what he has to do."
Jenna had wanted to march straight over to wherever Jack was and demand answers. She wanted to scream at him, to shake him, to make him see what he had done. But she hadn't. She couldn't. Juniper needed her here, not out there picking fights.
So she stayed.
She stayed through the night, holding Juniper as she sobbed in bed, feeling helpless as the hours passed and the tears didn't stop. For the first six hours, it seemed like there was no end to Juniper's pain. It was like a dam had broken inside her, and every tear was another piece of her heart spilling out.
By the time Juniper had finally cried herself to sleep, Jenna's own heart ached. She hadn't moved, hadn't let go of Juniper for even a second, as if her presence alone could keep the shattered pieces from falling apart even more.
Now, as the first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, Jenna lay awake, her arms still wrapped around her best friend. Juniper's breathing was steady now, but her face was still tear-streaked, her eyes puffy from hours of crying. Even in sleep, there was a tension in her body, a tightness in her brow that spoke of the nightmares she couldn't escape, even through sleep.
Jenna stroked Juniper's hair, feeling a deep protectiveness surge within her. She hated seeing her like this. This wasn't the Juniper she knew—the strong, bright, unstoppable force who could light up a room just by walking into it. This Juniper was fragile, raw, as if everything inside her had been ripped open and left to bleed.
And Jack. God, Jack.
Jenna's jaw clenched just thinking about him. How could he do this? How could he walk away from the one person who loved him more than anything? Jenna had seen the way Juniper looked at Jack, how he had become her entire world. And she had seen the way Jack looked at her too, like Juniper was the most precious thing in the universe. So how did that love just end? How did he walk away from that?
Jenna's phone buzzed on the nightstand, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen—her manager, no doubt checking in about the filming schedule. Jenna had called off sick for the next few days, knowing full well she couldn't leave Juniper right now. Work could wait. This was more important.
Juniper stirred beside her, her eyes fluttering open. For a brief moment, Jenna saw the confusion on her face, like she'd forgotten what had happened. But then reality settled back in, and the pain returned, darkening her expression.
"Morning," Jenna said softly, brushing a strand of hair out of Juniper's face.
Juniper didn't say anything for a moment, just stared at the ceiling.
Then, her voice barely above a whisper, she asked, "Is it supposed to hurt this much?"
Jenna's heart squeezed. "Yeah," she said quietly. "It is."
Juniper blinked, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. "I don't know how to do this without him, Jen. I don't... I don't know how to breathe without him."
Jenna pulled her closer, wrapping her arms tighter around her best friend. "You don't have to do it alone. I'm here. We'll figure it out together."
Juniper buried her face in Jenna's shoulder, her body shaking with silent sobs. Jenna held her, feeling the weight of her best friend's grief in every tremor. She didn't know how to fix this—no one could. But she could be here. She could hold Juniper through the worst of it and hope that, in time, the pain would lessen.
But right now, in this moment, it felt like the hurt would never end.
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-redwinesupernova speaks!!
so that's chapter two down!! and we're back to the regular time-frame!
we all need a jenna ortega in our life frfr🥲 their friendship is hands down the best friendship i have ever written, they're just such perfect platonic soulmates :)
the next album is actually going to slap and i am so excited! juni is going to be doing a heartbreak album, and there's a LOT of gracie is all i'm saying!!🤭
as always, please vote and comment all your thoughts and theories as i'd LOVE to hear them!!
