𝐋𝐎𝐌𝐋², jack champion

005, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝

005, 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐝
irl + social media
(song for this chapter is 'comfort
crowd' — conan gray)

THIRD PERSON +
july 10, 2024

Juniper had always loved the idea of spending her birthday with the people who mattered most, but this year was different. Tomorrow she'd turn twenty-one, and instead of looking forward to a day of laughter, celebration, and being showered with love, she'd planned on spending it alone, wallowing in heartbreak.

Jack had shattered her world just a few days ago, walking out of her apartment without so much as a backward glance. The emptiness he'd left behind felt like a gaping hole in her chest that no amount of ice cream or Netflix marathons could fill. She had already resigned herself to spending the next twenty-four hours in her pajamas, curled up on the couch with Ben & Jerry's as her only company.

But her best friend had other plans.

It was July tenth, the day before Juniper's birthday, and the apartment was eerily quiet. She hadn't left her couch since that morning, the same blanket wrapped around her since the breakup.

Her phone sat on the coffee table, silent except for the occasional check-in text from her friends or her sister, which she ignored. She wasn't ready to talk about it, wasn't ready to face the world or the gravity of what had happened.

Then came the knock on the door.

Juniper stiffened on the couch, her heart pounding faster than she'd like to admit. A tiny, desperate part of her hoped—prayed—that maybe it was Jack. Maybe he'd come back to fix the mess he'd left, apologise, hold her, tell her it was all a mistake. But that hope was immediately crushed by the rational part of her brain.

Jack wasn't coming back, not today, not tomorrow, maybe not ever.

She took a deep breath, her body heavy with the weight of exhaustion and sadness, and slowly made her way to the door. Her fingers trembled as she gripped the handle and pulled it open.

What she saw on the other side of the door nearly sent her spiraling into another wave of tears.

Jenna stood front and center, holding a large bag of snacks and drinks, with her typical stubborn, determined smile. But it wasn't just Jenna. Behind her was an entire crowd—Louis, who had skipped filming to be there; Mason, Devyn, Conan, Lila, Jasmin, Liana, Gracie, Chappell, and, standing off to the side with a soft smile, her little sister, Lola.

They had all come. All of them.

Juniper choked on her breath, her throat tightening as tears welled up. Before she could utter a word, Louis stepped forward, pulling her into a bone-crushing hug. His arms were so familiar, so comforting, that it broke down the last of her walls.

A sob escaped her lips, and within seconds, the rest of the group had piled in, wrapping her in a massive group hug. She cried against Louis' shoulder, feeling the hands of her friends patting her back, rubbing her arms, holding her up.

"I can't believe you're all here," Juniper whispered between sobs, wiping her tear-streaked cheeks with trembling hands.

Jenna, who had tears in her eyes as well, smiled at her. "What, did you really think we were going to let you sit here all alone on your birthday?"

Juniper sniffled, glancing at the group of people who had flown in, skipped work, and canceled plans just to be with her. The love that poured from each of them was overwhelming. They knew her, really knew her, and they knew how broken she was. Their presence was a gift she hadn't even realised she needed.