FP Jones parked his motorcycle outside Shankshaw Prison. He was a bit early but he hadn't wanted to run the risk of being late. God forbid. He removed his helmet and tried to style his shiny brown hair in the bike's filthy rear view mirror.
After he gave up with his uncooperative mop, he dusted off his serpent jacket. Maintenance of his pride and joy was key.
He eventually had nothing left to fix and was becoming extremely bored.
In his solitude, FP reflected on the events that had led to him waiting for his girlfriend to be released from jail.
*24 hours earlier*
FP and Alice were attending Phil Collins' massive Bulldog victory party. Everyone who was anyone was there; the entire football team, the River Vixens, all the usual suspects.
"Do we really have to go?" Alice complained as they were walking from her car up to Phil's house.
"Come on, it'll be fun," he took her hand in his "we'll have fun."
"You and I have fun just fine on our own."
FP smirked ,"You don't want to share me?"
"Don't flatter yourself Jones, I just don't fit in at these stupid high school parties."
"So where do you fit in? Retirement home parties?"
Alice's glare was enough to make him backtrack fast.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. It's just, I'm kind of expected to show up at these things and because you're my girlfriend you sort of are too."
Alice sighed, "I know, and I want to support you but honestly FP, who gives a damn about what other people think?"
"You might care one day."
Alice scoffed, "as if I'd ever become that shallow."
They were greeted at the house by wasted teenagers falling around the front lawn. Alice shuddered at the thought of what might greet them inside. FP saw how disgusted she was and pulled her closer to him.
"Look, if you really don't want to go we could always go to Pop's for a shake and some fries. My treat?"
She forced a smile, "thanks for the offer but you deserve this, to spend time with your friends. You did win the game for them after all."
He tilted his head down and kissed her, "you're the best, you know that?"
"And don't you forget it."
They walked up to the door, hand in hand. As soon as FP entered people started whooping and cheering. Phil handed him a beer, "drink up, captain!"
FP grinned and let himself be whisked away by a mob of his burly teammates, who directed him to the kitchen where there was, without a doubt, more alcohol.
Alice sighed, this was why she hated these things. Now she was alone in a house full of people she hated, despised even.
As soon as the word despised entered her mind, Alice saw Hermione Reyes walking in her direction. How apt.
Hermione plastered on her signature fake smile, "Alice! How are you?"
Alice didn't even make an effort to look pleased, "good."
"That's great! How are things going between you and FP? No bumps in the road I hope!"
Alice gritted her teeth. Hermione had always envisioned that her and FP would be Riverdale High's power couple, Alice was merely an obstacle to her goal. She was always stirring the pot, trying to cause a rift in their relationship.
"Good, thanks for asking."
"That's so great! You two really are the cutest. It's amazing how well you have him trained!"
Alice didn't take the bait, she really didn't need a public row with Hermione Reyes of all people.
"It was nice talking to you Hermione, have a good night."
Alice walked away from the nosy Queen Bee and tried to find a quiet spot where she could sit undisturbed for the next few hours.
She had offered to be FP's designated driver because she never really drank much at these parties. She was now regretting her decision. How the hell was she supposed to get through this sober?
The house was packed and Alice knew that she wasn't going to find a peaceful place, so she decided to go outside for a cigarette. Standing against the Collins' garden wall were three of her fellow serpents, smoking and drinking. She beamed when she saw them.
"I didn't think this party would be your kind of scene guys."
Tall Boy laughed as he saw her approaching, "hey! I care about school spirit just as much as the next guy, so does Penny, right Penny?"
Penny sniggered, "oh yeah, I live for these things. Best days of our lives right?"
It suddenly clicked with Alice what they were doing at Phil's, "are you guys working right now?"
Sourpea nodded, "we're trying to sell all the dope we can before the feds do a sweep of the Wyrm tomorrow."
Penny caught Alice's uncertain reaction and scoffed, "don't worry sweetie, we aren't dealing any of the hard stuff to your Northside chums."
It was Alice's turn to scoff, "these people will never be my friends, I don't understand how FP doesn't see that."
Tall Boy stubbed out his cigarette, "the guy hasn't been corrupted yet, he still sees the best in people, even all those stuck up rich kids."
Sourpea nodded, "and it helps that they see him as the second coming of Jesus Christ."
Penny shook her head, "Jones doesn't care about that sort of thing."
He raised his eyebrow, "no? Why's he at the party then?"
Tall Boy was conscious of the fact that Alice was privy to this debate, "knock it off you two. We have business to take care of."
He distributed the pot evenly between the three of them. Penny looked at Alice challengingly, "you wanna help out Smith? Or are you chicken?"
Tall Boy shook his head firmly, "no way, she has no experience."
Alice glared at him, "how hard can it be? You guys do it. What's it going for?"
Tall Boy sighed and admitted defeat, "40 bucks an ounce."
"That's ridiculously overpriced."
Sourpea chortled, "Welcome to the Northside."
The four took off in different directions, each having been allocated a specific area of the party. Alice had been given instructions to work the dining room. Her method was simple: approach the drunkest people, strike up a conversation with them and casually mention that she had some dope on her. Their eyes lit up when they heard this declaration, they didn't even flinch when they heard how much it was going to cost.
Towards the end of the night she had almost sold it all. She only had enough left for a single joint, which she intended to smoke herself. She trusted herself enough to be able to drive while high, she'd done it before. Her only problem was going to be hiding the smell from FP, who she hoped would be blackout drunk and unable to use basic cognitive functions.
She lit up under one of the Collins' shrubs, enjoying the peace and quiet of the secluded area. She also enjoyed the weed. She had always favoured getting high over getting drunk, the sensation appealed to her more. Also, there was no hangover after pot, sure you had to experience a horrible come down and a bad case of the munchies, but that paled in comparison to a pounding headache and getting sick all over the bathroom.
She thought about life, love, the Illuminati and a bunch of other things while taking slow and steady drags. She was well and truly cooked when she stubbed out the last of it, a successful night in her books. She dragged herself up and walked carefully back into the house.
The noise and the brightness was a lot to take in at first but her bleary eyes soon adjusted. Her goal now was to find something to cover the smell. She stumbled into what she presumed was a bathroom but it turned out to be a bedroom, an occupied bedroom at that. She mumbled her apologies and backed out of the room.
She eventually found the bathroom and went to work looking for some air freshener. She completed her task and went on a search for her idiot boyfriend who she hadn't seen all night.
Alice had interrogated half the house by the time she found him, sitting on a couch with his friends watching a tape of their football game. Typical jocks.
She smacked the back of his head lightly, indicating that it was time to leave.
He turned around to smile at her, "coming dear."
FP stood up and the whole couch groaned. They practically begged him to stay, if their fearless leader left the party would soon disband.
FP laughed, "sorry boys, it's getting late."
While Alice appreciated the fact that he hadn't thrown her under the bus by making a suggestive comment like 'I am needed elsewhere' or some presumptuous bullshit, she was disappointed to find out that he'd only had two or three beers. She was going to have to be very careful how she acted around him.
They left as they'd arrived: hand in hand, much to Hermione's dismay. Neither of them spoke on the stroll to the car, maintaining the comfortable silence they always managed to hold. Alice made certain not to look him in the eyes because hers were a dead giveaway: red and unfocused.
When they sat into the car FP leaned over to kiss her but she leaned back further into her own seat, away from him. She couldn't let him smell her.
He frowned, "what's wrong? Is it my beer breath?"
Alice turned the key in the ignition and breathed out as she felt the engine kicking to life, "I'm just not in the mood right now."
Looking disappointed, he fell back into his seat, "that's fine, there's no pressure."
Alice felt bad for him, but then again he had totally ditched her at that party. She then reminded herself that she was driving him home while high so she let it slide.
FP wasn't very drunk, barely even buzzed. He kept winning at beer pong so he wasn't forced to drink anything. So when the car started to veer from right to left he noticed and grabbed the wheel.
"Alice what the hell?!"
His sudden shouting brought her back to reality. She got control of the car again. She couldn't help it, every cell in her body was telling her that this was the funniest thing FP had ever said, so she burst out laughing.
"Well that was a close one!"
He stared at her for a few seconds before realisation dawned on him, "holy shit Alice! Are you stoned?!"
She continued to giggle, she found his reaction hilarious.
FP, on the other hand, was not at all amused.
"Pull over right now!"
"What so you can yell at me?"
"No, so you don't kill us both!"
"Babe, calm down okay? This isn't my first rodeo."
"Maybe not, but it's certainly your last! Pull over!"
"Will you lighten up? You're killing my buzz here."
If FP's nagging was killing her buzz, what happened next was surely buried it completely. A red and blue siren wailed from behind them.
Alice had no choice but to pull over, thinking that FP wouldn't be too impressed with her if she instigated a high speed car chase.
"Shit Alice, swap seats with me!"
Before she could even move Deputy Keller tapped on her window. She rolled it down.
"I'm going to need you to step out of the vehicle ma'am."
"Of course deputy, I'm always happy to oblige an officer of the law."
FP muttered a silent curse, she could at least act like she wasn't baked.
Alice got out of the car and Keller immediately shone a torch in her eyes. That told him all he needed to know.
"You're coming down to the station with me young lady, driving while under the influence of drugs is a very serious crime."
He handcuffed her and while she was being led to the squad car she exclaimed, "I will always love you: FP Jones! I hope you break me out of prison!"
FP couldn't contain his laughter. He loved her too. That was the first time she had said it to him and, honestly, it was typical Alice to say it in such a dramatic fashion.
His laughter abruptly stopped when Deputy Keller tapped on his window.
They stared at each other for a few seconds. Eventually Keller spoke.
"That was a darn good game tonight FP."
He was flabbergasted that he was discussing football with him right now.
"Thank you sir."
Keller looked pleadingly at him, "you should know better than to get in a car with someone under any kind of influence."
"Yes sir."
"You can't be putting that throwing arm of yours at risk."
"No sir."
Keller nodded at him and tapped on the roof of the car, "get this hunk of junk back to wherever it came from will you?"
"Yes sir, also if you don't mind me asking: when do you think Alice will be released?"
"Probably tomorrow morning, it depends on whether someone pays her bail."
FP nodded.
"Goodnight son."
"Night sir."
FP knew that the serpents would chip in for Alice's bail money, they'd done it many times before for other members of the gang. No, he wasn't worried about that at all. What he was worried about was that Alice now had a criminal record she couldn't make go away.
Then again, maybe she could. She was Alice Smith after all, if she set her mind to something she usually ended up getting what she wanted. This thought made FP smile.
He parked Alice's car outside his trailer, he didn't want to disturb her parents. He barely slept a wink thinking about Alice in that prison. Thinking about Alice in general, and how firmly she had him wrapped around her little finger.
*Present*
The metal gates clanged open. It seemed like forever to FP, who had been waiting in the same spot for the best part of a half an hour. FP marvelled at how, even after a night in the slammer, Alice still managed to look like a million bucks.
"Is it true what they say about women who have just been released from prison Alice?"
She smirked as sauntered towards him, "what do they say?"
"That they're incredibly sexually frustrated."
Alice proved to him later on that this was an accurate statement.
