Flatline ((Jughead Jones)) 3

22

Jughead POV

Cynthia had looked at me, a far off look in her eyes and I knew she wasn't seeing me. When she screamed, it was one of pure fear and horror. If you heard that scream without seeing it, you would immediately think she was under attack, mauled by a bear or maybe confronting a demon. She wasn't seeing.

I quickly tried to pull her off stage as I saw my dad standing up, ready to help. I knew that the clapping wasn't helping, that it had been that noise that had sent her into a spiral.
"Thia!" I called out, trying to shake her to stop the screaming. By this point, the clapping was dying down and Archie was by my side. Now, my arms that were wrapped around her were the only things holding her up as she started to pound on my chest, trying to push herself away. Betty was then by her side, trying to hold back her arms.
"Shut the curtains!" I shouted and Sweet Pea quickly ran to the side of the stage, moving the junior out of the way. Said junior was meant to drop the curtain but instead stood staring at my girlfriend as she began to break down.

Fred and my dad slipped through the curtains, telling me to bring her backstage so I was away from everyone else.
"Maybe I can help her." Evelyn suggested, trying to move next to me and pull Cynthia out of my arms as she continued to cry and try and get away from me.
"No offense, but she doesn't need your farmie bullshit, Evelyn!" Betty snapped, pushing her away from me and I lifted her into my arms and ran her thrashing body backstage.

When we were there, Fred got a chair for her while Betty and Ronnie went to get her a drink for when she came around. I was knelt in front of her, my dad standing at the door to the room, watching everything with a very worried Sweat Pea and Fangs, while Archie and Cheryl knelt either side of their sister, a hand on her shoulder.

I blocked out everyone else and the chaos surrounding me and focused on my girl. Putting my hands on either side of her face, I forced her to look at me. When she closed her eyes and began to shake her head, I brought her forehead to rest against mine.
"Thia, baby, look at me. You're safe. It's just me." I whispered to her. She began to cry more, but her loud shouting and screaming had stopped now. All that remained was her weak fighting and flowing tears. "I'm not going to hurt you, Thia. It's me. You're okay, no one's going to hurt you." My tone was soft, gentle, like she was a broken animal and in so many ways she was.

Her breathing began to slow, her body no longer tense. She opened her eyes and when they landed on me, her arms were around me in an instant, sobbing into my shoulder as I gently comforted her, rubbing my hands up and down her back like I always did when she awoke from a nightmare, whispering soothing things in her ear. My eyes, however, were exchanging very worried glances with her dad and everyone else in the room. So much for an uneventful musical.

Cynthia POV

After the ordeal of opening night, Weatherbee cancelled the rest of the shows. That didn't surprise me.

I had spent that night clung to Jughead, no matter how much he tried to move. I refused to let go of him, because if I did, then the Black Hood would come back and he'd be able to get me. Jughead probably didn't understand, but he didn't seem to mind.

Even nights after, I hadn't slept alone or even considered being away from Jughead's side. In fact, when he went to his deputy training with his dad and the Serpents, he had left me in Jellybeans room to teach me how to braid her hair and start to do her makeup. It had been a peaceful evening, even if I was technically being babysat by my boyfriend's younger sister. Still, it made me feel like I had a little sister.

When we sat around the breakfast counter in the morning, Jughead had me sit on his lap, one arm around my waist while the other was digging into his breakfast. I was looking at Jellybean, eating an apple when FP finally came down.
"One of my deputies found our old trailer, or what was left of it. It was burnt to a crisp." I immediately looked to Jug and we both shared congratulations. We had completely succeeded. The trailer was gone, along with the contents of it, and it seemed FP didn't suspect a thing. Although, his mother definitely knew what had happened. "They found, uh, drug cooking material inside."
"Oh my. In our trailer?" Gladys replied, looking at her son who simply glared back at his mother, pulling me a little tighter to him. It was a clear demonstration of power, a show that proved I was under his protection still, despite her threat.
"Our little town can't seem to catch a break." Jughead added, looking at his dad. I could see the hurt behind FP's eyes that he was trying to keep hidden. "You remove one cancer, another one takes its place."
"Come on, dad. We're missing the Saturday morning cartoons." Jelly Bean said, changing the subject. FP quickly picked up his plate and followed her into the living room. Gladys then looked to me, sending me a pointed glare, one I know that Jughead caught.
"Wait for me." I called, joining Jelly Bean on the couch as she changed the channel, glad I was out of the kitchen and away from Gladys.