couldn't make it any harder, fezco

"I think I wanna go back. Not to get high or anything or whatever the hell you think I'm gonna do but I miss Maddy. And I gotta make some things right with Fez and I can't leave on this note it isn't right. They don't even know I'm here, they probably think my  crackhead ass is dead in a ditch somewhere. I got a new phone- I don't speak to anyone apart from you guys and I think I'll be okay to go there and be sober." The PowerPoint presentation finished and Clara and Daniel looked at eachother before shrugging.

Matty wasn't there to make a decision so it was off to East Highland she went. Probably a really fucking stupid idea considering she was trying to be sober and the first place she planned on going was to see Fez. Airport security gave her a look, making her turn around shyly. Juno wore a sweat set, just all grey and a racing jacket, her hair was now back to brown, her skin was finally clearing up and she felt okay.

Juno decided to Uber to the store where she knew Fez and Ash would be. She felt bad, leaving them, but she needed to. If she would've stayed in east highland, Juno would've killed herself. Whether she was drunk driving or she OD'd. Either way, if Juno hadn't have left that night she wouldn't have ever made it out of east highland alive.

She passed a twenty to the Uber driver and walked into the store. There was no one at the register so Juno absentmindedly grabbed herself a peach iced tea and waited for someone to come. "Ash." Juno breathed out, seeing the boy she loved so much walk out in front of her. "God I missed you so much." She pulled him tight into an embrace, feeling his arms wrap around her waist.

"I missed you Ju. I'm glad you're okay." He sounded a little like he was crying so Juno pressed a kiss on the top of his head and rubbed his back.

"Yo Ash, who's here-" Fez went silent when he saw Juno standing there, her head on Ashtrays as she embraced him. They both knew that Juno cared for Ash like a little brother, she was there for him always and she would kill for him, like he would kill for her.

"Hey.. I think we need to talk." Juno said quietly, putting two dollars on the counter for the iced tea as she followed Fez to the back. There was a moment of silence shared between the two as Fez observed Juno. She was tense in that room considering they were counting up their drugs.

"You okay Juno?" He mumbled, seeing her eyes looking everywhere but at the drugs on the table. "You want sumn? I can spot you for it."

There was that feeling again, wanting to indulge herself with every pill on that table. "No- can we go outside... please."

Fez nodded at Juno, following her outside. She felt like her throat and chest were tight, it felt wrong, being in there in front of all of those drugs but she couldn't blame Fez. That was his life.

"I'm uh- I'm sober now." She muttered, unscrewing the lid to the drink and taking a sip.

"I'm proud of you." Fez replied. "Where did you go Juno. I was worried about you."

Juno took a deep breath, feeling the fresh air fill her lungs, lighting a cigarette and tainting the innocence with dark smoke. "That night I came over crying I fucked Nate." Fez didn't say anything. "That's why I was crying, I was high out of my mind and my head was clouded with judgement. It didn't mean anything it was a pity fuck, something happened with his dad and I clearly wanted to take the pain away."

Fez looked anywhere other than Juno's eyes. "When I walked along the street and everyone said they didn't have space for me to come over I thought it was because I was a drunk, I was an addict. And who would want that in their house. So I needed to change. I went upstate and stayed with my family, went to rehab, got sober and I've been this way for nearly two months now. And I'm proud of myself because that night I realised I loved you. And nobody was gonna top that, but I wanted to be clean for you, and healthy. So I became sober. I'm not asking you to take me back, I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for all of the nights I kept you up late because I wasn't home. I'm sorry for making you wake up in the middle of the night to talk to my manic ass. I'm sorry for making you have to deal with me like this. And I love you and I'm sorry. I was a hypocrite to talk to you that way when I'd done the same thing you'd done and we weren't even together. I really do hope you can forgive me Fez." She pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, putting out her cigarette and waiting to see his reaction.

But he didn't say anything, he just walked inside and started packing all of the drugs away. "I got a new phone um- here's my new number. I'll be here for a little while longer but I'm gonna crash at Maddy's tonight. Thank you for listening to me."

So Juno walked to Nate's house first. She knocked on the door, seeing Nate open it with Cassie next to him. "Can we talk." She asked, looking up at his tall stature.

"Of course."

Cassie wandered off to a different room whilst Juno and Nate sat in the kitchen. He made Juno a sandwich and slid it along the counter, his bare arms leaning against the fridge. She explained the same thing she did to Fez, to Nate and she apologised for making him feel worried sick that she hadn't been there. "I loved you Nate, I have since I first met you but I don't think we can do this anymore. We aren't good for each other, we never have been." Nate nodded slowly. "I'll always be your best friend, forever and ever but we can't do what we did anymore, it isn't fair on Maddy, it isn't fair on Fez and it isn't fair on both of our mental healths. I'm a phone call away when you need someone to talk to okay."

Juno took the sandwich, finishing it off as she slid off of the counter. Something came over Nate, he wrapped his arms tightly around Juno, his eyes watering. "I know we aren't good for each other. I'm sorry I was so bad to you Juno." She rubbed his back slowly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I'm proud of you for being sober. I mean it, really."

Juno remembered what she was there to tell him. "We're not as different as you think, I got a gay fuckin' dad, my mom doesn't care and my brother is fuckin' stupid. Turns out we're the same. That's probably why we were so bad for eachother." When they broke apart, Juno saw Cassie watching them. "And a piece of advice for both of you. Please tell Maddy. Because I know from the looks of both of you that you haven't yet. She doesn't deserve to be treated this way Nate. Tell her." Nate nodded slowly, watching his first love walk out of the door.

Juno made her way to Maddy's house finally, opening the door and walking in. "Juno?" Maddy's chin wobbled at the sight of her best friend.

She thought Juno fuckin' died or something. But she didn't. "I missed you Maddy. More than anyone else."

She spent a couple days at Maddy's house, telling her what New York is like, about being sober, about what she said to Fez. Juno skipped out the part about Nate because she hoped sooner or later he and Cassie would come clean.

"I'm so so so proud of you Juno. So proud." Maddy praised and Juno grinned, laying back on the bed and wondering what she would do next.