Falling Apart

Chapter 30

A bang. My eyes fly open and I rapidly sit up in my bed. What was that? I hear steps downstairs. I start shaking and grab my phone, climbing under the bed, because it's the first place I think of. I quickly choose Jug's number. He doesn't answer, so I dial FP instead. He answers just as I hear steps on the stairs.
“Yeah?” his tired voice asks.
“Someone's in my house,” I whisper.
“On my way. Hide,” he says anxiously and I hear him grabbing some keys and calling for Jug as I end the call and silent my phone. My room's door goes open, creaking. Fuck, why aren't you here? They left a week ago. It's December 10th.
“Elizabeth?” I hear my dad's voice. I tense up. How is he here? Why is he here? How is he out of jail. “I know you're under the bed piece of shit, come out and face me.”
Fuck. I don't move, I hold onto the bed's frame instead, knowing I can hold on if he starts pulling me out of here.
“Hal, maybe she's not here. Let's look to other rooms,” I hear Clifford Blossom saying. What the fuck is he doing here?
My light goes on. “Oh, she's here bro,” dad says. Bro? I know he squats down and sees me. “Come on, honey. I only want to talk.” He knows my hands are stronger than his and can hold on.
“What are you doing here?” I ask with a scared voice.
“We came to see you. Cheryl's downstairs,” Clifford says.
“Fuck off, Cheryl isn't here. You're here to hurt me,” I say quietly.
“I just think you need to be punished for sending my brother to jail, you know. Or killing your own mommy,” Clifford says.
My eyes go wide. “You’re-“
“Your uncle. Cheryl is your cousin. Now come on out or I'll get you out myself,” dad says angrily. I don't move and feel him grab my legs and start pulling. Fuck. He's stronger than when he's drunk or high. He gets me out with a few seconds and I try to hit them, but he lifts me up against the wall, holding me from the collar of my shirt. “This time I'm not holding anything back,” he says between his teeth and his fist flies into my lower stomach so that I can't breathe. I get limper with every punch and hit they give me. I wanna stop feeling everything. I can't stop the pain and I can't stop my deathly screams.
Suddenly, I fall on the cold floor. I feel the blood on me, it's burning my scars and bruises. The new ones. The new cuts. And I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. I let out another scream and pull away. Someone wraps me in their arms, making me wiggle and cry harder than ever. “Let go of me!” I scream and they disappear again.
“Baby. Baby, it's only me,” I hear Jug's voice now. “Baby, can you hear me?”
“Juggie,” I sob and reach out for him. These are the same arms. How did I not recognize his arms? How did I not hear his voice?
He picks me up carefully, making it hurt more. “It hurts,” I cry, my arms and legs wrapping around him.
“I know, Betty. I'm taking you to the ambulance,” he says softly, kissing my cheek a few times.
“No, don't leave me,” I cry.
“I’m not leaving,” he says softly. I try to open my eyes, but they don't cooperate with my brain. They literally just keep closing and I can't even see his face.
I start coughing. “Jug,” I choke out, informing him about the blood. He doesn't say anything, but I still feel his arms around me. “Jug,” I cry, not hearing anything. His hand goes on my mouth and he wipes it clean with his sleeve, probably telling me that he can hear me. I'm being placed somewhere, but his hand stays in mine and I black out.

Numbness. I'm numb. My eyes go a little open and something starts beeping next to my ear. A hand appears in mine, I start seeing white, I start feeling the hand on my hair, stroking it softly. The hand in mine is Jug's. The hand on my hair is definitely Veronica. She's the only one touching it like this. If it would be Jug, his fingers would be intertwined with my hair, hand against the skin on my head.
I turn my head a little and discover that both my eyesight and hearing are back now. They're talking quietly, but shut up the moment I turn my head to see Jughead. “Hey,” he says softly and leans down to kiss my forehead. “You’re alive.” He never fails to make me smile. I giggle quietly and he kisses both of my eyelids softly. I move his hand in mine under my cheek and hold it there, closing my eyes and snuggling more into his hand. “Hey,” he whispers, making me open my eyes again. “Don’t fall asleep, we need to tell the doctor you're up.”
“I'm tired,” I say with a whisper as well basically just breathing the words out.
“I know,” he says softly. I hear the door opening, so I look there. FP's here with the doctor.
“Thank you,” I say, looking at him.
He looks at me worriedly, his face intense, the same one Jughead makes when he's anxious. “Don’t thank me for that,” he says and kisses my forehead carefully. “It’s good you called.” I give him a little nod and look at the doctor who always seems to be worried about me.
She sighs. “Everything is normal, you won't have more bruises, but you'll get a few scars probably. Do you want to sit up?”
“I'm tired,” I say.
“I know. It will go away with a few minutes, you're just under a hard drug. It will start hurting soon as well, if it does, you have to tell it to someone and we'll get you some medicine.” I nod slowly. Jug moves me to sit up carefully and lets me lean on the cold wall, making my head feel good.
I look at Veronica and smile at her a little. She smiles back the same way and my eyes slip over the room. My whole gang is here. Toni's sitting next to Cheryl, but Veronica doesn't really mind anymore. They've talked their things through and trying to get along.
“The police wants to talk to you, Betty,” FP says after the doctor leaves.
“Why?” I ask.
“Ask you what you remember,” he says softly.
I frown. “I wake up and heard steps and the next moment I was beaten up, what's there to talk about?” I ask madly.
“I know, it's stupid. But they say they need to, so we can't actually stop them.”
I sigh and look at Cheryl. “We’re cousins. And your dad is a dick.” They all laugh at me sadly and she nods.
“I’m sorry,” she says.
I smile sadly. “Not your fault. How did Hal get out of jail anyways?” I ask. They all shrug.
“They’re investigating it,” Sweets says. Me and Jug exchange looks.
“Nu-uh,” FP says. “Keep. Away. Also... Nick can't cancel his concerts again, you're coming with us.”
“Can't you come with me instead?” I ask. “I can't share a bathroom with Jelly, she hugs it.”
“I do not,” she says.
“You do,” Jug says and nods, looking at his dad. “Really, dad. We're practically living together anyways. The trailer is too small for all of us.”
I nod a little, making my head pound. “You could all get normal rooms. And after we go to college, you can live there too.”
“What? Betty, it's your home. We are not gonna live there, especially after you go away.”
“We were supposed to rent it out anyways. You wouldn't have to pay rent, just pay for the charges, water and electricity and everything. I mean we wanna come back after college one day, but until then it would be empty,” I say. Of course he doesn’t agree at first, but soon, I will get him to agree to this.

I sit up rapidly, new tears flowing down my face. Jughead sits up as well and holds me in his arms as I start crying again. I've been waking up so many times tonight. At every single sound, my eyes open and I start crying for some reason. I'm scared of everything.
“Hey, what do you say we go downstairs and watch TV?” he asks me quietly.
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Okay,” he whispers and kisses my temple. We get out of the bed and I grab his hand immediately. I hold it with both of mine and go downstairs with him, really fast because I don't like dark anymore. He puts the floor lamp on what is next to the couch and lies down. I get into his embrace, half lying half sitting as he is doing and rest my head onto his chest as he turns the TV on. We just watch whatever movie it is and cuddle.
“Jug,” I say quietly and look up at him. He looks at me tiredly and smiles a little. “I’m sorry I act like a baby,” I say, really embarrassed.
He sighs. “You don't. It's normal that you're scared and traumatized.”
“I can't even get through the night,” I cry, new tears coming. “And I keep you up, I don't like that. I'm sorry you can't sleep because of me.”
“Betts,” he says softly and his right hands moves onto mine. “See that?” We both look at our rings. “I promised you that I'll always love you. And I'm keeping that promise. I don't care if I can't sleep at nights. I'd rather be here, with you, than let you face these nightmares alone.” He kisses my cheek just below my eye and I close them to kiss his lips.
“I love you,” I breathe out after we pull away.
“I love you too, Betty. So much.”