Book 1: You Could Be Mine (Izzy Stradlin FanFic)

Ch. 13: Sisterhood of the Traveling Fans

I felt fingers being combed through my hair, massaging my scalp and tickling me lightly. I sighed and turned over, pushing my face into the mass of warmth I felt beside me and inhaling the familiar scent of cigarettes and cologne.

"Izzy," I sighed, trapped somewhere between wanting to fall back asleep and wanting to wake up. But I kept my eyes closed. I knew that if I opened them, I'd be forced to wake up and stay awake, even if I wasn't ready to face the day. That's just how my body has always worked.

"Hey, sexy thang."

That definitely wasn't Izzy. my eyes popped open and I looked up, seeing Jasey smiling down at me. It was a giant Cheshire cat kind of smile that made me feel like she was internally laughing at me.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

She giggled. "Disappointed, much?"

I continued to gawk at her. "How come you smell like cologne?"

She winked. "I woke up to a mouthful of Slash in the middle of the night. It kind of escalated from there."

"Gross, Jasey!" I whined like a child. She simply laughed and shooed away my distaste with a flick of her wrist.

"Don't be upset just cuz you were hoping I was someone else."

I clenched my jaw and stared up at her.

"Yeah. I heard what you said," she teased. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I was the one spooning you all night."

I raised an eye brow. "Why?"

She shrugged, looking down and twirling my hair in between her fingers. "Just had one of those nights...."

I nodded my head and instantly understood. Jasey may seem like a wild and crazy party girl, but truth be told, I'd grown up with her and had seen what had caused her to become the woman she was today.

I know, I know. Upper-middle class sob story, right? Yes, Jasey was better off than most, but her parents were constantly working, which took a toll on Jasey. She hated being alone. She would have panic attacks just from being alone in her home for long periods of time. I would spend the night at her house as often as I could, but there were only so many nights I could stay over in one week.

Her parents' workaholic behavior caused a gap between the spouses and when her parents divorced due to her dad's affair with another woman, Jasey just kind of snapped. She began throwing parties, doing drugs, drinking, having sex...anything to fill the hole that had been left by her father's departure.

Last night, something must've triggered her anxiety, causing her to come and crawl into bed with me. I reached out to her and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on my shoulder and heaved a sigh.

"I'm glad you're here to do this with me," she whispered. "I'm sorry if I kind of dragged you into it."

I chuckled. "It's okay. It's been fun."

"I love you a lot, Abby," she admitted.

I grinned. Jasey wasn't much for the touchy-feely stuff, so whenever she gave you some affection, you were pretty much required to accept it. "I love you too, Jace."

She grinned and hugged me tighter before pulling away. "Ready for Europe?"

I beamed. "Hell yeah!"