DANCIN' ► DUSTIN HENDERSON [1]

4/4

JASPER AND ELEVEN rode home that night in utter silence. Both girls were going home with broken hearts. Broken hearts caused by boys they cared about so deeply.

But Jasper was wounded far more fiercely than Eleven. While Eleven's bond with Mike only lasted on three days, Jasper's connection with Dustin was a part of her. It ran through her veins like her blood did. He was her other half, and it had been that way for years.

Jasper's eyes were trained solely on the road ahead, her lips glued shut and her nose stuffy, red like her hair. She hardly made any noise, completely holing herself up from showing any emotion.

It's what she always did when she was in an immense amount of pain. She blocked it all out, burying it deep inside of her, waiting for it to erupt later. The only two people she ever allowed to break down in front of was Ruby and Dustin, and now Dustin hated her and Ruby was always too preoccupied with her job.

She felt as though she had no one, so she switched the pain off. She pretended their was a lever inside her body that controlled whether she felt emotions or not. And right now, the switch was off, and it planned on staying that way until it wouldn't hurt anymore for it to be on.

"Jasper..." Eleven finally mustered up enough courage to murmur the redhead's name.

Jasper paused, gathering the words in her mouth and preparing herself to speak. "Yeah?" she answered back, her voice sounding bland and emotionless. She continued pedaling forward, focusing on the night skies ahead of her.

"I'm sorry," Eleven apologized, sniffling. She was still crying, weakened from the sadness that had sprung from tonight.

Jasper didn't respond. She didn't feel any sympathy for El. She felt nothing. Her switch was off, and no emotions could get through to her now.

Eleven must have realized this, because she remained silent for the rest of the ride. When they arrived home, Jasper clambered off her bike slowly. She moved at a gradual pace, her face stony and cold.

El watched the redhead curiously as she turned the key to unlock the door, shuffling inside.

"Ruby will be coming home soon," Jasper announced in the same bleak tone. "We can't have her finding out about you. Come on," she gestured for El to follow.

Jasper and El trailed into the bathroom, shutting the door and turning on the light. El let out a wobbly breath as she gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her cheeks were stained with tears and makeup, and her wig was tilted sideways.

Noticing the girl's discomfort, Jasper carelessly fixed the wig and offered El a wet rag to clean herself with. "Come in my room when you're done," she huffed, opening the door and closing it behind her.

El finished cleaning off the makeup in a few minutes, feebly walking into Jasper's room. The redhead was sitting on the edge of her bed, holding a gray hoodie in her arms. It was Dustin's, but he had given it to her long ago.

She never gave it back to him. She loved the way it swallowed her whole, and how the sleeves went past her hands and the end reached all the way to right above her knees. It was her favorite item of clothing ever, and she slept in it almost every night.

Eleven sensed the grief wavering off Jasper. "I'm sorry—"

"I'm fine," Jasper cut her off, looking up at El with a forced smile. Her face seemed like plastic as she held the same expression for several moments.