Snakes Don't Shed Their Skin So Easily
The Coopers were sat around the table sharing a family meal in silence. Ever since Alice killed a drug dealer for Chic the family wasn't quite the same. Alice found herself moving her food carelessly around the plate while she watched her children get into another argument. "I'm sorry Chic but it's a little hard to believe that you can be completely fine with letting mom take the rap for you. I mean look at her this is not mom. You broke her!". Betty screamed across the table. Her and her mother were just getting themselves in a good place and she'd be damned if Chic ruined that for her. Especially if it was because he hurt her mom. Chic said nothing, just smiled blankly as he drank is water, staring ominously into Betty's eyes. Just as Alice was going to yell at Betty, Hal stumbles drunkenly into the house, knocking over one of the vases in the foyer. "Hal what the hell do you think you are doing? you smell like a brewery threw up on you". Alice complained getting up from her steal to help keep her husband stable. " What's he doing here?" Hal grumbled as he tried to make his way over to Chic. " He. Lives here unlike you Hal. "Why aren't you staying over at the incest bunches house, with the half-melted candle of a mistress you have?" Alice quipped as she walked Hal over to the couch and let him down. Hal pulled Alice down on top on him as he fell back and tried to kiss her. She tried to pull herself back up but Hal grabbed onto her arm. " Get the hell off of me you drunken imbecile, and I rather you wouldn't try anything with me I know where you've been and I'd rather not catch anything." Alice slapped Hal hard across his face. She turned around and made her way back to the dinner table. " I think it's time you both went to your rooms. Don't you?" Alice asked as both of her children got that it wasn't a question and rushed upstairs. Alice tided the kitchen before heading up to bed herself. She removed the rather tight clothing she had worn all day and traded it for a rather sexy nightgown. There was no particular reason for this choice in attire, it's not like anyone would even see it. But on the odd occasion it made her feel nice to wear some flattering lingerie to bed. Once Alice had climbed into bed she checked her phone to reply to any important correspondence. While she was replying to an email from Mayor McCoy, Alice noticed a text pop up from her least favourite serpent. "Hi so I know you're mad at me but I just wanted to say sorry if I crossed a boundary or overstepped the line and made you upset" She read his message and felt like crap. She was rude to him for no reason and he's the one apologising. Why is she like this? Why does she push away everyone who cares about her who tries to help her? Alice began to type out a message but everything she said just didn't seem quite enough "You don't need to apologise I got scared about everything, didn't want to seem too suspicious which is kind of stupid now I'm thinking about it. Maybe we could grab some coffee tomorrow and chat?" As she pressed the send button she felt anxious. Her heart and stomach were fluttering, at first she thought she was having a stroke, until she remembered the last time she felt like this. The day she decided to tell the bad boy serpent she liked him. She can recall it so vividly.
He was with the group of Southsiders that hung around at the drive-in movies. It took her about half the movie to muster up the courage to go and talk to him. She knew FP liked her and wanted to be with her, he has made that abundantly clear the times they have been together, but she was too damn stubborn to admit to him, hell even herself that she had feelings for him. As she made her way over to FP her heart was racing, her tummy doing somersaults, and all the possible scenarios running around her head. Once she was a few metres away their eyes locked, she saw his eyes light up as he gave her the most genuine smile she has ever seen. " Hey, there pretty lady. What brings you to these parts of the woods?" He asked so casually it almost calmed her down. "I.. Uh, well - umm. Can we talk about... the project for chemistry please I can't stop stressing about it and its due in a week". She felt like an idiot. CHEMISTRY! You came all this way to ask about chemistry. She could see his facial expression change to something of concern. She'd blown it. She hadn't even told him how she felt and she'd already fucked it up. "Yeah. Sure thing. Do you wanna go to Pop's and discuss it?" He asked knowing the drive-in wasn't the best place to discuss whatever was actually going on with Alice. She gave him a small nod with the faintest of smiles, looking more distressed by the second. "Awesome. Hop on." He exclaimed passing Alice his helmet. For some reason, she didn't fight, didn't make a jab at him about how dangerous it was. She just grabbed the helmet and mounted the bike, wrapping her arms around FP's waist. FP set off and Alice had never felt so alive, yet so safe at the same time. She wrapped her arms a little tighter around FP just so she could feel him closer to her. She looked around at the night sky above them was the most transcendently beautiful thing Alice had ever witnessed, which just made this night even more special.
They finally arrived at Pop's and Alice got the butterfly feeling all over again, this time, however, it was more intense. She felt like she could pass out any second. She just needed to tell him to get it over with, because any answer would be better than this feeling right now. They got a booth at Pop's and both ordered root beer floats and some fries to share. They sat in awkward silence as they both sipped their drinks avoiding eye contact as much as possible. "So, chemistry?" FP began wondering why it was so important for Alice to talk to him about this now, even if it wasn't about their project which he has a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't. "Right, yeah. Umm... well I was just wondering how you felt about maybe doing the total alkalinity and ph of personal care products?" She was an idiot, alkalinity and ph really. Why couldn't she just tell him she liked him it's not like anything bad would come of it. " Uh sure Alice, whatever you think would get us the best grade, but what did you really want to talk to me about? because I don't believe for a second you were anxious about ph levels" She was busted, there was no more skirting around the subject. She just had to tell him and tell him straight and deal with whatever the aftermath later. " Okay, here's the thing FP. Over the last few weeks you haven't exactly been subtle about the fact that you like me, and well what I wanted to say was..." She saw his face drop, and panic set in, he did like her anymore she knew it, knew this was going to be a big mistake and never should have even thought about telling him how she felt. " You want me to stop trying to pursue you. I get it don't worry, I knew I was punching way above my weight trying it with a girl like you anyway." FP got out of the booth and began to leave the diner, Alice didn't know what to say to get him to come back, and words seemed to be failing her tonight anyway. She got out from the booth, threw a twenty on the table and chased after him. "FP, wait!" She practically screamed as he was about to mount his bike. She ran over to him, without warning wrapped her hand around the back of his head and pulled him into a long and passionate kiss.
She waited for FP's response as she continued to reminisce about the day they first kissed. After 10 minutes Alice decided to give up waiting for his reply. She placed her phone on the nightstand and tried to go to sleep, as soon as Alice was about to doze off she heard her phone vibrate; quicker than a bolt of lightning she sat up and checked the message. It was from FP. "Sure thing see you at Pop's at 11. Night Ali" The widest smile graced her face as she read the message from him. She felt like a teenager again, felt the same way she did on the day she finally got some courage to ask her soulmate out. " See you then Forsythe xxx" Shit. She put kisses. Alice was so used to sending three x's after her messages it became a force of habit and now she's gone and sent them to the goddamn serpent. She hopes he realises it was just habit, hopefully, thinks it's friendly because as much as she is enjoying the memory of what once was she sure couldn't start anything with him. There were too many complicated factors.
The next morning Alice woke up rather promptly to get ready for her date with FP. Not that she was going to call it a date, of course, it was just a meeting of sorts. Once she dressed herself in her usual pastel attire, she made her way downstairs to get some coffee and being breakfast for her children. Once Alice reached the bottom step she noticed something peculiar in the living room. She figured Hal would still be here this morning with what she imagined to be quite a harsh hangover, but she didn't expect to see him standing there with his with his tongue down Penelope Blossom's throat. " Please get a room that isn't in my house before I vomit" Alice quipped as she made her way down the stairs. "... and you know what Hal. I am done with your bullshit I've put up with it for 20 years and I'm not dealing with it a day longer. I want a divorce. Then you two can live in sin peacefully, but I would just make sure you check to see if Miss Scarlett A over here isn't actually Blossom blood, because you never know with that family." Before either of the two could say anything Alice was out the door and on her way to meet FP.
Once Alice arrives at Pop's she claims the booth in the back corner, she was never one for prying eyes. Especially not with the way gossip spreads around Riverdale. It only took FP a few short minutes to arrived and joined Alice in the booth. Just as Alice was about to begin her chat with FP her phone rang, she checked the caller ID and noticed it was Hal. She didn't want to pick up couldn't bear the thought of talking to him right now, but he was home with the girls and Chic. Which she knew would probably end badly. Alice gave a small sigh "I'm sorry. I just quickly need to take this." Alice apologies as she excused herself from the table heading out to the parking lot. After a few minutes, Alice storms back into Pop's in a full on rage. "What happened? That seemed like a pretty intense phone call." FP asked innocently seeing if he could help her out in any way. "Hal sold the register to Hiram Lodge. Said he needed the money now I've asked him for a divorce to get a decent lawyer" Alice huffed. She couldn't believe that scum bag would sell one of the most important things to her no matter how much they hated each other. "What a bastard! Does this mean you need a job?" FP asked not wanting to pry too far into her for fear of getting Alice even angrier. " Yes! If I want to keep a respectable roof over my children's heads." She was furious and could not control her anger, she was seething, her blood was boiling. There was no calming her down. " May I make a suggestion? and please don't fly off the handle at me...but what if you got your old job here back?" It wasn't the stupidest suggestion and she wasn't going to get mad at him, it wouldn't be fair. None of this was his fault, but she really had thought her waitressing days were over. " I don't know FP. I would be a laughing stock. Imagine the fun remarks had at my expense." Her tone changed. She was no longer made, rather upset and disappointed in herself. "What happened to the old Alice the one who didn't care what anyone thought of her. The one that could brush anything off her shoulder." He was right and she knew it. She had to suck it up and not let some idle chit-chat ruin her life. Alice walked over to the bar where Pop Tate was standing and nervously began to ask for her job back.
After what seemed like hours of negotiations Alice finally sat back in the booth with FP. " Sorry about all of this we were supposed to be talking." She apologised realising how much time she had wasted on trying to sort out her life. "How did it go? Did he hire you back?" Fp asked secretly hoping the answer was yes. "How could he turn down his favourite ex-serpent?" She laughed, happier than she had been in a while even with all of the craziness going on in her life right now. This moment felt like the past, all the good things about it anyway. "That's amazing let's celebrate. What do you say I take you to visit some old friends back at the old place?" Alice didn't quite know what to say, and she was sure that if she wasn't on such an adrenaline high she would have point blank refused. "Let's do it! Pick me up at 8?" She asked playfully. "It's a date," FP replied with a mischievous smile on his face.
