Crossroad
It was unusual for FP to be early at any event, but it was even more unusual for him to be earlier than Alice Smith. The Alice Smith who insists on penning down every single event in her planner.
He sat himself down in the booth that was next to the window, because he knew Alice liked sitting next to the window. He waited patiently for a couple of minutes, but as his patience became as thin as a thread he started tapping his fingers on the table.
She didn't ditch him, did she?
He knew that this rendezvous was an impromptu idea, but Alice has never turned him down. Especially when he offers to pay for her milkshake. Ever since he started helping Fred at the construction site, Alice has been insisting that he treated her out because she had always treated him out. Figures, she kept a tab on that too.
"Would you like to order now?" Pops had finally approached him, feigning innocence to as of whom his date was. He reached for his pencil and pressed the nib of it on the paper, ready to take his order.
"Umm…." He hesitated for a bit. "Actually, yeah, I'll have some fries with cheese on top, and a chocolate milkshake."
"And a vanilla milkshake?" Pops suggested, smiling softly at the flabbergasted teen.
FP chuckled nervously and nodded. "Yeah. And a vanilla milkshake."
"Coming right up."
FP reclined back against the leather booth and sighed. Just as he was about to peer outside of the window, he heard the soft bell at the door. He looked over the booth, and there she was – at the door, scanning the diner for him.
"Allie!" He called, raising his hand up.
Her azure eyes met his immediately and she walked up to him. "Sorry I'm late," she apologised. "Hal –"
There it was. Hal. He was always the reason these days.
"Hey, don't sweat it." FP interrupted softly. "I'm still winning in tardiness – a thousand to one."
Her lips curled upward into that smirk he found so damn cute. He fought to stop himself from grinning but that seemed impossible to do when she was looking at him. He let out a chuckle as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I've ordered for you."
"Oh, wow. Am I wrong to assume that you'll be paying?"
"You'll be paying for our next round, though. I may have work, but I'm not rich."
Alice's eyes seemed to drop when he said, 'next time'. FP eyed her facial expression thoroughly and frowned. "What? What did I say?"
"N-Nothing," she stuttered, flicking her blonde locks behind her shoulder.
"Allie…."
She gave out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes. "Fine…." She crossed her arms and looked back into his eyes. "I'm going to move to Boston after prom."
"What?" He hissed.
"I'm moving—"
"I heard. I'm not deaf. But…. Boston? W-Why? And s-straight after prom? Allie, that's two days from now!"
"I know I should have told you this sooner."
He scoffed back. "You think?"
"I wanted to."
"But, let me guess, your boy Hal didn't want you to tell me?"
"No! I didn't want to tell you. I just…" she huffed and looked back down at the dining table. "I didn't know how to tell you."
"Here you are." Pops placed their orders down on the table and smiled. "You kids enjoy your food." His mirth, however, faded as soon as his senses picked up on the rising tension between the two Southside teens. He shared a look at FP then with Alice before he sheepishly excused himself.
He was too old to deal with teenage drama.
FP mussed up his hair in annoyance. "Why can't you just stay here? There is a community college in the next town over. You can go there. You'll be close to home." 'Close to me', he had wanted to say, but he knew he didn't need to. After all, Alice was fully aware of his feelings for her. He wasn't the type to bury his emotions like Fred Andrews, after all. He was selfish, he knew.
"That's the problem, FP. I want to move far away from this town. I want to start fresh, you know? I want to go somewhere where people will see me as me and not some Southside brat –"
"You mean a Serpent?"
"No. I mean a Southside. I've always known that I'll be moving away from Riverdale, FP. That has always been my plan, you know that. You of all people should know that."
"Yeah, but we were kids back then. I didn't think that you were actually serious about leaving Riverdale. I mean, we said stupid things back then. We even promised that if you were to leave Riverdale, you would be taking me –" His voice trailed off when he saw hurt flash in her eyes. So, she remembered that promise too. He took a sip of his milkshake to refrain himself from saying anything stupid.
Alice stirred her straw around her glass, mixing the cream with the shake, with a forlorn expression. "Hermione is also leaving, you know. She's going to New York with Hiram. Mary is also thinking of –"
"What are you getting at?"
"I'm just saying, people are moving on from Riverdale. You should, too, FP. We're more than this town. The world is bigger and better outside of Riverdale." She placed her hand on top of his. "You can escape this town, too."
FP slipped his hand away from her warmth. "Riverdale is not some sort of prison, Allie. This is our home. This is who we are – we eat at Pops and catch the drive-in movies every Saturday –"
"We can't just keep living like teenagers, FP! We're graduating two days from now. We can't always eat in Pops, we can't always go to the drive-in anymore. We need to stop living in this bubble that is Riverdale. This town –"
"What if I asked you to stay, Allie?" FP asked with a tinge of bittersweet hope. He watched as her facial features softened. It was his turn to take a hold of her hand, and he leaned in. "Will I be enough for you to stay?"
She looked like she blinked her tears away, but he wasn't sure. "You're being unreasonable, FP."
"Haven't I always? I haven't changed. You have."
Alice's jaw tensed because she knew exactly what he was insinuating. After all, he was never good at sugar coating his words. Like a serpent, his strikes were sharp and precise. "Wow…" she finally said. "It's called growing up, FP. What do you want me to do? Stay with the Serpents for the rest of my life?"
"No, I want you to be true to yourself. I mean, come on, Alice, this is not you." He gestured at her outfit that consisted of a pastel pink jumper layered with a cardigan, and a pair of white skinny jeans, as opposed to her standard black shorts, fishnets and cropped top under her black leather jacket. Her hair was styled differently now, too. It used to have more volume with more waves, but now, it was tamed with loose, soft curls.
If anything, she was starting to look like Mrs. Cooper.
Alice's eyes narrowed. "And you would know who I truly am?"
"Uh… yeah." He replied confidently. "This – the outfit and the hair – is all because of Hal. You just want to appease him. Let's face it, you have become as dull as that vanilla milkshake you're drinking. Y-You have become vanilla."
She stopped drinking her beverage and just looked at him.
"C'mon! Your go-to shake used to be vanilla with soda. You used to make a float! But now… you're just having plain vanilla."
"Are you really critiquing me about what I drink?" she asked, baffled.
"You know what I'm getting at; you're a writer, read between the lines." He slung his arm over the booth and sighed. "Well, I guess there is a silver lining with you going to Boston: you'll be away from Hal, and you'll be able to find your real identity."
Alice cleared her throat, making him side-eye her.
"What?"
"Hal and I are moving to Boston, FP."
Had they been in the Whyte Wyrm, FP would have flipped the table over, but since they were at Pops – a very public place – he resorted to balling his hand into a fist, instead. Of course they would be going together. Why didn't that possibility eclipse his mind for a moment?
"His parents have a place there that we are going to rent while we attend college. It's in this perfect neighbourhood and it's not far away from the main campus, too. It's got this –"
"And you think you'll live happily ever after with him? Get this fancy house, be this perfect suburban wife, and just live blissfully in Boston?" He had meant to keep those thoughts to himself, but he couldn't contain his shock any longer.
"I love Hal, FP. So, yes, I do think I'll live happily with him." It was her turn now to retreat her hand away from his. "I know you don't see eye to eye, but Hal is a good man. If only you tried bonding with him –"
"We're not in third grade, Alice. I'm sorry I don't like your boyfriend, but that's life. I've made my friends, I don't need more."
"You mean you've made friends with Fred."
"And you." He was sure to add. "And that's enough for me. I mean, Mary is a great addition to the group, but she's still new to me. I've never gotten along with Hermione, because she is too stuck up for my liking. Don't even get me started on Hiram; that guy is in another league. And there's Penelope…."
Alice clicked her tongue. "She's the biggest bitch of them all. I still don't know how she was able to catch Clifford's eyes, you know. You'd think he'd know better than to choose a harlot who's probably slept with the entire football team."
"Hey!"
Realisation fell onto her immediately and she was quick to correct herself, "I didn't mean you. Knowing you, you would rather get bitten by a snake again than to sleep with the likes of her."
"Even if we were the only ones left in this world, I would not lay a finger on her. She's the only one who could eternally turn me off."
Alice laughed, and FP's eyes immediately gazed upwards to capture every contour of her face as she carelessly laughed, and he smiled. She may have only laughed for a second but that second became his world for a moment.
"So, are you going to remove it?" he suddenly asked.
"Remove what?" she raised her brow.
"Your tattoo."
She shook her head. "It's not like anybody else is going to see this tattoo." That was true since the placement of her ink was in a very intimate region. Only two people have seen that serpent ink on her skin – FP and Hal.
Alice looked at her watch for the tenth time since she had sat down. "Do you have plans?" he asked.
"Yeah. Mrs. Cooper and I are going to pick up my dress for prom." She took one last sip from her milkshake. "I'm sorry, FP. I –"
"It's fine. You can't really choose me over the Coopers now, can you?"
She gave him that look which made him rethink his choice of words. "I've got to go." She slipped out of the booth and straightened out her clothing.
FP slid out of the booth, too, and finally allowed for his doleful expression to break through his façade. "You know, you didn't really answer my question, Allie."
"What question?"
"Am I enough for you to stay?" He asked again, taking her hands into his. "I know Riverdale is small, but there is still more of this town than you think, Alice. We can move from the Southside, too. We can find a place in the Northside, you know?" His lips thinned when he noticed her avert her gaze away from his. Still, he had to give it a shot. "What do you say?"
She took a deep breath and snatched her hands back. "I'm sorry, FP, no. I've already promised my future with Hal. I can't stay in Riverdale…." She then added in a whisper, "I can't stay for you."
It took five words – those damn five words – to break FP's heart. He quickly wiped his eyes and flicked back the strands of his hair. "Right."
"FP…"
He grabbed his leather jacket from the booth and placed his pay down onto the table. "I've got to go. I just remembered that I promised Fred that I would help him at the construction site today." An obvious lie. She knew it, too, but she didn't say anything.
"It would mean a lot to me if I saw you before I left, though." She confessed, stepping closer to him. "It'll be the perfect way to say goodbye, you know?"
"Perfect way to say goodbye". Sure. "See ya, Allie." He slotted his arms into his Serpent jacket and walked out of the diner.
Two days later….
In between packing the final boxes into the back of Hal's car, Alice couldn't help but steal glances from behind her to see if FP had ridden down to see her off. She knew she was asking for a lot, but she knew she needed to do this. She had envisioned a life for herself and Hal that she was told she couldn't have back in the Southside.
And if her friendship with FP was the sacrifice she had to make to see her dream come to fruition, then she would cut ties with him. He would understand. He of all people should understand her motives.
"Is that box heavy for you, Al?" Hal asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
She smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, I was just zoning out."
He nodded. "Is everything okay?" His arm was now around her waist and he placed a delicate on her temple as she leaned against him. "We can always visit Riverdale, you know."
"It's not that…"
"Then what is it?"
"It's…."
"Does this have to do with FP?"
She craned her neck and looked up at him. "Hal –"
"I noticed that he was awfully distant at prom. Did something happen between you two?"
"I told him that I was moving to Boston." She confessed. "We had our disagreements. But I thought he would at least talk to me before I left, you know?"
"It'll be okay, honey…" He said soothingly as he rubbed her arm in comfort. "Come on, we still have two more boxes to go." Much to her dismay, Hal pulled away and rushed back into his house.
"Okay…" She tucked her hair behind her ears and pushed her box into the backseat of the car.
They had to leave soon. Still, she couldn't help but give one final look at the barren streets behind her. He wasn't coming. That was the choice he made.
As she turned to assist Hal with the remaining boxes, she heard a very familiar sound of a motorcycle's engine roaring through the quiet neighbourhood, disturbing all of the neighbours who were still asleep, no doubt. She walked down the steps and approached FP who had just parked his motorcycle.
"I thought about what you said…." He said, meeting her halfway. "A-And I think this is actually a good idea for you. You have always wanted something bigger. Something more than Riverdale. And it was selfish of me to ask for you to stay – to abandon your dream. I'm sorry, Allie."
She shook her head and choked back her sob. "Just shut up," she cried before she pulled him in for a tight embrace. "Thank you, FP," she whispered solemnly, letting her tears meander down her rosy cheeks. Her fingers entrenched themselves into the softened leather of his jacket as she cherished his presence against her. "I know I said I'll never miss Riverdale, but I'll miss you, Forsythe Pendleton."
He pulled away slightly and cradled her cheek in his palm. "I'll miss you, too, Alice."
"You better…." She tried to smile but her emotions overwhelmed her once more.
"And I was thinking about what you said about leaving Riverdale. I'm not leaving Riverdale, but I'll try to make a good future for myself here. I'll quit being in the Serpents and I'll find a good job. So, when you come back to visit, I'll have enough money to treat you to all of the milkshakes you'd like."
She let out a weak laugh. "I thought the next one was on me."
"Nah. With everything you've done for me, Alice, I haven't nearly evened out our score." He dried her tears away with his thumb and tried to smile for her. "I love you, Allie."
"I know…" she said softly. "I'm sorry, FP."
FP leaned his lips against her forehead as his fingers laced through her golden tresses. "It's quite alright. There's plenty of fish in the ocean, right? I know Riverdale is a small place, but I'll find someone at the right time." He rested his chin on her head as he embraced her. "Just promise me one thing, though."
"What?"
"Promise me you'll kick some serious butt in Boston. Don't let those pretentious city-people walk over you. I'll be waiting to see your name in articles. Now, that would be something to see. A scoop by none other than Alice Smith; from writing for the Blue and Gold to one of the biggest publishers in the country."
Finally, she smiled. He was going to miss that bright smile. "Don't start jinxing me now, Jones."
"Al…" It was Hal, coming out of the house with the boxes in his arms.
FP acknowledged his presence with a single nod. "Need some help with those boxes, Coop?"
"Nah. I've got it." He looked back at his girlfriend. "We don't want to be late, Al. My parents have already set up the place for us."
"One second." Alice turned and tiptoed up to FP, kissing him on his cheek. "I'll see you around…."
"Before five years, I hope."
"Don't forget about me."
"There's no way I will, Allie."
Alice flashed another smile his way, and this time, FP made sure he took a mental photograph of that smile. It was the only thing he was going to have of her, so he was sure to ingrain that fragment of memory into a capsule in his consciousness.
FP stayed to see them off, until Hal's car was but a speck in his vision. He stood in the empty streets for a moment and took a breather before he got back on his bike. He glanced one last time over his shoulder, as if to make sure that she was really gone, and rode off in the opposite direction – back to his home, the Southside, while she ventured off to find her new home. Away from him.
"She'll come back to visit…." He told himself.
He wouldn't see her again until the smile he had ingrained into his brain was long forgotten.
A/N: Because I'm into angst.
I subscribe to the idea that Alice left with Hal because she loved him, and not because he was her ticket out of the Southside. And that FP soon found his love as he finally matured in Riverdale. I don't like the idea that "they have always loved each other but because of circumstances, they couldn't profess their undying love for each other". Nah. That would just be disrespectful to their significant other of twenty years, as well as their children.
Also I got the the idea of them going to Boston from beware of trips (because I have subconsciously turned their fanfiction of the Riverdale parents into my headcannon).
xox