This chapter gets pretty dark, but it had to be done...so I'm apologizing in advance lol. To answer a quick question, Priscilla's rehab program is 14 months long, so it's coming to an end. She'll be back home soon, and she lives with Lamar (remember, he brought their new house mainly for her, before they even started becoming serious). Hope that cleared up the confusion, and feel free to ask me any other questions you guys have. Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty Eight: Homebound
1 Week Later
Jupiter looked down at her small, half-filled bag on her bed and checked to see if she had everything she needed. 3 bras, 3 pairs of underwear, 1 pair of jeans, 1 dress, 1 jumpsuit, 2 t-shirts, 1 pair of sneakers and 1 pair of ballet flats. This should be it...she thought as she sat down on her bed next to the bag. She was still waiting on Franklin to pick her up, and take her to the Los Santos International Airport. Her flight was scheduled to leave an hour later, and it was non stop.
In 4 more hours, she would be back in Liberty City.
The past week felt like Hell to her. She could barely eat or sleep, and she was beginning to sport light bags under her eyes. It wasn't the fact that she couldn't fall asleep...she was too afraid to actually fall asleep for a long period of time. When she did accidentally slip off into dreamland, a nightmarish flashback woke her back up almost immediately. The only thing she could do is tell herself not to think about her new found revelations, and focus on getting back to Liberty City first. Then, she would tell Kimberleigh what she found out...and then they would confront their father.
It was only going to be for two days, but she felt like those two days were going to be the most important days for her in a very long time.
A few minutes passed, and Jupiter stood back up and continued to pack her other hygiene essentials; shower gel, wash cloths, her toothbrush and toothpaste, her hair care products, her feminine hygiene products (just in case. It was almost that time of the month for her), and the chargers for her cell phone and her tablet. Franklin had arrived minutes after that, and they were on their way to the airport shortly after.
They had walked into the busy airport and made their way towards the front desk. The ride for her apartment to the airport itself had been an terribly awkward and quiet one, but Franklin thought it was best to just not say anything to her. He was worried sick about her, it was almost like he felt every single emotion she felt. This was probably the worst he had seen Jupiter since they first met, and he knew he couldn't do anything about it. He knew she had to go back home to find answers, but he was afraid for her. Going back to Liberty City would be giving Rodrigo exactly what he wanted. But both Franklin and Jupiter made it their goal to not tell anyone that she was leaving. Jupiter wasn't going to tell Kimberleigh she was there until after she arrived at the Francis International Airport.
But, they had got to the front desk and Jupiter gave the essential information that was needed. While her boarding pass was being created and printed out, she turned and looked at Franklin, who was looking directly at her.
"You okay?" She asked him.
"I should ask you that." He answered.
She answered by giving a light sigh and turning back around, taking her boarding pass from the person working at the front desk. They both thanked her and made their way towards the security checkpoint. Before they got too close, Franklin pulled her back into a long hug.
"You know what you gotta do." He told her, and she nodded. "I love you...please be careful."
"I will, I love you too." She said back. "I'll call you when I land."
He gave her a kiss on the forehead, followed by a kiss on the lips, and she let go of him. Jupiter made her way past the security check point after getting her things checked, just as the announcement of her plane getting ready to board soon had came over the airport's intercom. She turned around and looked at Franklin one last time, who was waving to her, and she waved back and smiled. After getting her boarding pass checked, Jupiter made her way inside of the plane and put her bag above her seat, finally sitting down afterward.
"Tiana, I only ask you this because I love you. Please just at least try to be cordial with Rodrigo."
"Daddy, he cheated on me...he continued to cheat on me while I stood there. That is unforgivable."
"It's been over a year...please just do this for me? You don't have to get back together with him, please just at least talk to him. You know I'm really good friends with Boris, and its putting a strain on our friendship."
"...Alright. Fine."
The entire car ride from Varsity Heights to Beachgate had been silent, and Jupiter was still seething inside. Why her father wanted her to be friends with the man she thought loved her, the man she thought wanted to be her only, really bewildered her. But she tried to put herself in his shoes...being friends with someone who has helped them financially for years, only to have the friendship strained by your kids ending their own relationship on a really bad note. The guilt kind of hit her, and she felt sorry. She continued to convince herself that it was the right thing to do. It was for her father.
Now they sat in the Elric mansion, on their couch, pretty much silent. Well, Jupiter was at least. Boris and Malcolm continued to talk and laugh as friends would, and she sat there playing with her fingers. Rodrigo was no where to be found, and she was secretly hoping he wasn't home. 30 minutes passed, and Jupiter was pretty much at the point where she was ready to go back home.
"Tiana, you've been silent for quite some time. Are you okay?" Boris asked her.
"Um, yeah. I'm okay, thanks for asking." Jupiter smiled at him. Rodrigo may have been a complete dick, but his father was always sweet to her...or so she thought.
"Well that's good to know." Boris smiled back. "I hope you don't mind but, I forgot to stock up on some drinks for my company. I was just going to head up really quick to buy some bottles."
"Oh, I'll come with you if you want." Malcolm said almost immediately. Jupiter looked at him with surprise, but saw that he was pretty serious.
"Are you sure? Tiana you can come to if you want." Boris said.
Before Jupiter could answer, Malcolm did it for her. "Uh, I think she should stay here. It'll only be a couple of minutes...do you mind, Bumblebee?"
Jupiter gave in, and just sighed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I'll stay. It's not a problem."
"Okay. We'll be back soon."
Boris and Malcolm were gone, and Jupiter was alone in the living room. She began looking for the remote to the television, but couldn't find it and gave up. She laid back on the couch and sighed again, this time louder.
Why am I even here? I should've just stayed home...she thought.
Her thoughts were cut short by the sounds of someone walking down the stairs behind her, and she froze. She didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. She continued to look down at the floor as the footsteps came closer to her, until finally Rodrigo sat on the couch next to her. He was so close to her, his leg was practically on top of hers. Jupiter moved over slowly so that there could be distance between them.
"Well it's good to see you too." Rodrigo smirked. Jupiter still said nothing, and he rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You look good...and your hair looks even better grown out, and you still have that sweet smell..."
"...Thanks." Was all she said.
"No problem...so how have you been?"
"Fine. You?"
"I've been better..." He rubbed her arm with his hands softly and she quickly moved it away, causing him to suck his teeth. "Seriously Tiana? You're still mad?"
"Why wouldn't I be? You cheated on me, Rodrigo." She answered.
"It was a mistake, and I've been trying to apologize for a year now. When are you going to get over it?!" He yelled.
She looked at him with disgust. "You can't be fucking serious right now."
"I definitely am."
"You cheated on me. You were cheating on me for the longest, even though you claimed you loved me. And you want me to just get over it?!"
"I wouldn't have cheated on you if you didn't just give me what I was asking for. You should've respected me enough to at least do that."
"You should've respected me enough to wait! Sleeping with other girls showed me that you had no respect for me, or for our fucking relationship!"
"It's over and done with! I cheated, who the fuck cares?!What man doesn't cheat?!"
"A man who loves his other half enough to not give into cheap, slutty temptation." She spat, standing up. "I'm over this, I'm going home. You're a no good bastard that's never loved me from the jump. You thought you could sleep with me easily because our fathers are friends. I'm done."
Jupiter turned to walk out of the door, only to be stopped in her tracks. Rodrigo pulled her back over to him and held her waist.
"Talk to me." He said.
"No, I'm leaving. Get off of me." She said. She tried to get out of his grip, but couldn't.
"You're not going anywhere." He said darkly.
Jupiter looked at him with surprise, and saw a different expression on his face. He looked demonic, menacing...she knew she had to get away from him. He grabbed her and threw her against the wall, and she cried out in pain. He grabbed her face and tried to kiss her, but she pushed his face away. Trying to get away from him again, Jupiter tried to make her way towards the door, only to be grabbed by Rodrigo and thrown on the floor. He immediately got on top of her, pinning her arms by her head.
"You're gonna give me what I want, even if I have to take it from you." He growled.
Leaving one arm on top of hers to keep them pinned, he began ripping at her shirt until it was ripped down the middle, exposing her blue lace bra.
"My favorite color, and your wearing lace." He sneered, feeling on her chest with his free hand. "You must really want me to do this."
"Get off of me!" Jupiter cried out, her eyes filling with tears quickly as she still tried to fight back.
He went from feeling on her chest, to making his way to her shorts with his free hand, and began attempting to pull them down. Jupiter managed to suddenly knee him in the groin, causing him to groan in pain and roll over. She quickly stood back up and ran towards the door, her adrenaline rushing like crazy. She grabbed both door handles and tried to open it, but it didn't. The door moved, but it never opened fully. It had felt like something was blocking it from the other side, preventing it from opening. She pulled it at for a couple of more seconds, before beginning to bang on it.
"Hey! Help me! Is somebody out there?!" She cried out, as she continued to bang on the door desperately. "Somebody help me!"
Rodrigo struggled to get back up, but finally did. He staggered his way over to Jupiter and grabbed her hair, yanking her back. Jupiter cried out in pain and tried to reach for the door, but he began dragging her away from it. She was still calling out from help when he turned her around and punched her across the face, hard. She fell to the floor, on her stomach, and felt blood trickling down her nose. Rodrigo, still holding his manly parts, stood over Jupiter and finally got on his knees, still above her. He grabbed her hair again and pulled her head up, so that her ear was near his mouth.
"You wanna play like that huh? Otlichno (Fine)." He said coldly, slamming her face back onto the floor.
Jupiter continued to scream and cry out for help, as he held her head down with one hand, and pulled her shorts down with the other. The tears fell like a waterfall, and she began calling out for her father. She felt sudden, excruciating pain in the lower part of her body and started screaming and crying louder.
"No! Please, stop!" She begged and cried over and over, but it was like she was talking to herself.
The pain continued for minutes, although it felt like hours for her. She felt like she was about to be ripped in half, and her voice had begun to get hoarse. Jupiter fell silent, and she closed her eyes tight. Please...please make him stop...please...she thought.
The painful, ripping sensation suddenly stopped. Jupiter felt her body shaking uncontrollably, and Rodrigo began laughing. He grabbed her hair up again and pulled her up, breathing heavily.
"See?" He panted. "Was that so hard?"
He threw her head down on the ground again and stood up casually, pulling his pants up. He went to his stairs and looked back at her one more time, before walking up the stairs and going to his room.
Jupiter heard his bedroom door slam shut, as she continued to hyperventilate. Her breaths were short, her body was still shaking, and she was quickly beginning to be surrounded by her own blood. She didn't even bother moving from that spot, her body and her mind were destroyed at that moment. The sound of the front door finally opening made her look up, and she saw two figures walking inside slowly. One familiar pair of sneakers walked in front of her, and she saw two arms coming down to pick her up, before her hazy vision faded to black...
"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have arrived at Francis International Airport in Dukes, Liberty City. Thanks for flying, and we hope you have a fantastic day!"
The pilots chipper voice woke Jupiter out of her nightmare and she quickly looked around. The plane was landed, and everyone around her was exiting. Once her heartbeat had finally slowed down, she stood up and reached the compartment above her seat, taking her bag out of it. She exited the plane, and made her way towards the front of the airport.
Walking outside and smelling that familiar, dirty Liberty City air instantly put memories inside of her head. They were good memories, memories of her worry-free childhood, and it made her smile. The hustle and bustle of the airport, and the rude people walking by made her miss her hometown a little bit more. After calling Franklin to let him know that she landed, she dialed Kimberleigh's number.
"Hi sis!" She said as soon as she picked up on the other line. Jupiter didn't say anything for a couple of seconds, and she continued. "Tiana, are you okay? Hello?"
"I'm...I'm home." Jupiter finally said.
"You're...home?" Kimberleigh said, surprised. "Like home home?"
"...Yes." Jupiter answered. "I just landed."
"Seriously?" Kimberleigh practically yelled. "I'm on my way, stay right there!"
Kimberleigh hung up the phone before Jupiter could even answer, and she chuckled and put the phone in her pocket. Her sister arrived in front of the airport 20 minutes later, and immediately got out of her car. The two sisters stood and looked at each other for a couple of seconds, neither one believing that they were staring at the other, face to face, for the first time in a year. Jupiter walked closer to her, and Kimberleigh literally ran the rest of the way to her, giving her a big hug. Nothing was said for the next minute, as they both continued to cry and hug each other tight.
Finally, Jupiter broke away and wiped her face. "Not even back in LC for five minutes and you already got me crying." She joked.
Kimberleigh laughed as well. "I'm sorry...what the hell are you doing here? I know you're not back for good."
"No, just until Saturday..." Jupiter said.
"Did Dave say it was okay for you to visit?"
"Uh...he doesn't know I'm here." Jupiter said, looking at the ground.
Kimberleigh made a face. "Before I even ask anymore questions, let's get out of here."
"Okay...I already booked a room at the Grand Majestic hotel in Middle Park—"
"What the fuck made you do that?" Kimberleigh cut her off. "If you think I'm gonna let you spend money on a hotel, you've seriously been smoking too much of that San Andreas weed."
Jupiter laughed and said, "But I don't wanna intrude on you and George..."
"Please T, I'm over that nigga." Kimberleigh said.
"Seriously? Posh you was only with him for like a month." Jupiter laughed.
"Yeah but he's been with his wife for 3 years." Kimberleigh said.
"Oh...ooh." Jupiter scrunched her face.
"Exactly...why can't more guys be like Franklin?" Kimberleigh said.
"Yeah, no. One Franklin is enough." Jupiter joked.
"Whatever you say. It's just me and Mocha Pup in that apartment, so you're staying with me. Let's go." Kimberleigh said.
They got into her car, and she started it up. "Team" by Lorde began playing immediately on the radio, and she pulled out of the parking spot she was in, driving towards the highway leading towards Algonquin.
"So...how's the quiet Alderney life treating you?" Jupiter asked.
"I didn't tell you? I moved to President's City like two weeks ago...the apartment in Alderney City was falling apart." Kimberleigh said. "But, are you gonna tell me why no one knows you're out here? I bet daddy doesn't even know."
"I haven't spoken to him..." Jupiter said.
"You too? I've been trying to call him for weeks...I hope he's okay. I mean, money keeps going into my account so I'm guessing he's fine."
"Yeah, mine too." Jupiter said. "Posh, I really came out here to confront him." She admitted.
"Confront him? About what?"
"About everything. I found out something...something so unbelievably crazy that you might not even believe it when I tell you."
"Is it bad?"
"Very, very bad." Jupiter shook her head.
"Okay. Before we talk, I just want you to get some rest up and get some food when we get to my place. I know you're tired from the flight." Kimberleigh said.
"Sounds good..." Jupiter said, leaning her head back on the seat.
