Author's Note: So I am writing this the same day I wrote the last update... I don't know if it will make it to the same day, but now you know when my timeline for writing is. Enough awkward author talk, onto the story.
Alicia laid on Reggie's bed, even as he was downstairs receiving a lecture from Mr. Mantle, Coach Clayton had called his father the second Reggie was late to practice. She wasn't even sure if any of the Mantles knew she was in their home. Reggie's mother, Vicky, had always been very clear that if Alicia needed a place to come the Mantle home was always open to her, however if Alicia told Vicky Mantle that she had been sneaking around behind the back of her eldest son, the invitation was sure to be void.
Reggie came back into his room and tossed his coat off onto his bean bag chair, before looking over to Alicia. "Well I've been grounded from my truck for two weeks." He said as he ran his hand through his hair as he crossed over to his bed, Alicia sat up on the bed and looked up at him. She wanted to apologize, but what would she apologize for first, the fact that he was grounded due to her, the fact that she had been crying because she was thinking of Jason Blossom, or the fact that she was laying in Reggie's bed while thinking about Jason's touch. He sat down next to her and smiled at her, "feeling better?" He asked as he ran his fingers along her cheek. She nodded, as he pulled her face to his for a soft kiss that made her stomach flip in disgust. She found herself with each moment hating herself more and more. Every part of this was unfair to him, but she found herself wanting nothing more than to find comfort in Reggie. "Want to talk about it?" He asked and she found herself shaking her head, not wanting to admit all of her sins. Reggie smiled at her before kissing her forehead and pushing himself off his bed, and walking over to his closet. "Are you sure you aren't going to join the River Vixens? I mean how hot would we be after the game," he joked as he pulled the shirt he was wearing off over his head and pulling on a clean tank top from his closet. Alicia remembered back to when they started dating, when the sight of him shirtless made her heart skip a beat, wishing she felt that now.
"Cheryl and I had a falling out. I doubt she'd let me back on, no matter how hot we'd look." Alicia admitted.
"She's a bitch, screw her audition anyways. Hell, you should be captain anyways." Reggie said laughing as he walked over to his dresser and back digging out a pair of basketball shorts.
"I wouldn't want to be captain." Alicia said as she pulled her knees to her chest and laid her head on them.
"I wouldn't really want you to be either, it would make you a chaotic uncontrollable bitch." He said as she kicked off his jeans and pulled on his basketball shorts over his boxers. "Get up," He said with a smile as he crossed over to the bed with his hand extended towards her.
Alicia fought the urge to smile back at him, as he waved his hand at her before she reached out and took it, and pulled herself off the bed. "We are going to yours, you are going to change and you are going to kick my ass on the track until you tell me what's wrong." He said with a smile as he lead her out of his room.
"Seriously? You take a girl from your bed to go work out with her instead." Alicia found herself laughing, for the first time in days or was it weeks.
Reggie grinned back at her, "we need to work out that frustration somehow, and as much as I'd love to help you work it out another way, my parents are home." He said as he let her pass him and head down the stairs first, but not before he grabbed her ass with his perverted little grin that made her smile back at him. As she looked away from him, she felt dirty, hopeless, and most of all undeserving.
Moose didn't typically throw parties, but when he did they always were show stopping. Unlike the Blossom house parties, the ones thrown at Mason house were more wild. Cheryl Blossom always ruled the parties at Thronhill, but at the Mason house it was anything goes, like the high school parties one saw on the crappy television teen dramas.
"Ali." Reggie said, catching the blonde's attention as she stared out the window towards the street, it was raining slightly on this April evening. She smiled as she accepted the red cup of whatever warm alcohol Reggie had found her. Reggie sat down next to her, "listen, I know I am an ass... I know I could say sorry a thousand times and never make up for the way we fight sometimes... But thanks for coming with me tonight." Reggie said before taking a drink of his own cup. Typical Reggie, trying to make up for their last argument, that honestly Alicia couldn't tell you what it had actually been about, for Alicia it was her attempt at pushing him away but for him she believed it had been over the fact that the last time they were together she pushed him away.
"Who says I am here for you? Maybe I am just here for the music and warm beer." She said laughing as she took a sip of her drink which wasn't actually warm beer but a sweet punch concoction that she could definitely taste the alcohol in even with the attempt to mask the flavor with punch. Reggie smiled at her and rolled his eyes.
Moments like this reminded her that even in his worst moments, Reggie was better than she was.
"Mantle! I need a beer pong partner!" Alicia heard Moose bark from across the house, the beer pong table had been set up outside, so he had to have come in through the back just to yell for Reggie.
"Come with?" Reggie asked as he stood up, he offered her his hand.
She however shook her head, "I'll find you when I go find some of that warm beer." She said with a smile.
Reggie leaned down to an inch in front of her face. "You better." He said smiling at her with that charming yet devious smile that used to make her knees weak. She was sure he was going to try to kiss her, but he didn't; he pulled away and crossed the room avoiding the countless bodies as he crossed to Moose.
Alicia took out her phone to look for a sign of contact from Jason, he would actually end it with Polly this weekend, she knew he would. Jason Blossom was a lot of things, but a liar... Was exactly what he was. She found herself doubting his words with each passing second she dwell on them, especially when Reggie was behaving. The screen displayed multiple messages, one from Kevin asking how the party was, to which she responded that he should come and find out himself. One from Josie asking if she was even at the party. Clearly Josie hadn't noticed her sitting by the window watching the rain while she danced around in the dining room and kitchen with a cup in her hand. One from mother stating simply, don't do anything stupid and if she needed anything just call; her mom knew what happened at high school parties, she had once been young and that was something she respected out of her mother that she would rather have her children arrive home safe than do something stupid and end up the example of why not to drink and drive. However neither Blossom child had sent her a message.
She brought her cup to her lips as she locked the screen on her phone. "You sure you should be handling your phone? Drunk dialing is pretty awful." She heard someone state, she looked up to see Melody said smiling looking at Alicia, she was leaned against the wall in her adorable party dress.
"First drink, by drink number three I'll be hiding this somewhere, I promise." Alicia said standing up and placing her phone in her back pocket of her tight fitted jeans. "I'm surprised Josie hasn't dug out a karaoke machine at this point." Alicia said nodding towards Josie who was standing in the middle of the crowd that occupied the living area.
"Val stopped her. Told her no freebie performances for dumb drunk high schoolers." Melody said laughing. "You okay? You seem a bit out of it." Always perceptive Melody.
"Yeah, just a lot on my mind, you know Reggie is trying to win me back again." Alicia said which was partially the reason she was so out of her normal sorts.
"You are too good for that boy, I mean sure he has muscles for days, amazing hair, and well okay he is pretty just good looking in general but you could find someone who doesn't play with you." She said taking a large gulp of her drink. Alicia thought about her comment, how could Alicia agree she didn't want a boy who didn't play with her feelings when that was exactly what she did with the boys in her life. "Find a man, and stay away from these boys." Melody said as she grabbed Alicia's hand. "Now come dance with us, you look like you need to loose yourself in the music." With that she was being pulled away from her window and out into the middle of the fray, being greeted by warm smiles and hugs from her slightly intoxicated friends and for a moment she felt happy.
It was later on in the night when that feeling of euphoria began to melt away. Cheryl made her appearance before her brother did, she spoke sweetly to Alicia, almost like they had never had their disagreement, but Alicia knowing Cheryl well saw through her facade. Cheryl took over the living room for her games, so Alicia kept her distance. Within an hour of Cheryl's arrival, Jason arrived with the gorgeous Polly Cooper on his arm. Polly was radiant, almost glowing when they arrived and the way Jason smiled at her made Alicia's stomach flip in disgust. At that point she began to avoid the dining room where most people stood conversing because that is where they perched themselves.
Alicia found herself unwillingly going outside to the covered overhang that was behind Moose's house. It was where the beer pong table was set up, and though she always detested the game found herself playing along side Josie McCoy against the host and Reggie. Surprisingly she seemed to catch a stroke of beginners luck, though not enough to beat the seasoned opponents even though she was sure they had probably wen through half of one of the kegs themselves.
Reggie came around the table and scooped her up in his arms laughing which shocked her as she let out calls of protest she he walked out into the rain with her in his arms. The cold rain washing down over the two of them as he spun her around in a circle in the rain to the cat calls coming from under the awning. It would have been perfect if when Reggie placed her back on the ground and pressed his lips against hers if when she had her eyes closed she could imagine it was Reggie. If when she opened her eyes, and Reggie's smile hadn't sent a cold chill down her spine. She wasn't sure why anger took control of her body but she found herself pushing Reggie away and storming past him back into the house. With the calls of her name coming from behind her, she pushed past the people in the kitchen through to the dining room when she caught his glance. It stopped her in her tracks, his expression a mixture of softness and happiness as he looked at Polly's smile. "Ali!" Reggie's voice caught everyone's attention. She felt his hand wrap loosely around her wrist, as she watched Jason look towards her. With all eyes one her she felt insecure, she was wet, her blonde hair was clinging delicately to her face as Reggie spun her to look at him. "Sorry, I thought you would think it was funny." He breathed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. "Come on." He whispered into her damp hair and pulled her away from the crowd of eyes that dug into her body. Though the pair of eyes she felt most seemed to follow them through the walls as Reggie lead her away. He took her up the stairs of the house, opening a bedroom door and announcing that the occupants needed to leave. When Alicia came around to being fully aware of her surrounding she was standing in Moose's room, Reggie digging in his closet, and pulling out a one of his shirts with bulldogs logo on it.
There was a soft knock on the door that cause Alicia to look to it as Cheryl Blossoms flaming locks caught her attention. "Buzz off Mantle," Cheryl said firmly as she crossed to him, she took the shirt from his hand and glared at him coldly. "Run along with your tail between your legs and let me fix this mess you made." She glared coldly and though Alicia heard Reggie begin to protest, she turned her back to both of them and walked over to Moose's bed and sat down on the edge of it. It was the sound of the door closing that made he glance back towards where the two of them had earlier stood to see just Cheryl standing there.
"I don't want to fight right now." Alicia found her voice squeak.
"I didn't plan on fighting with you." Cheryl said walking back to the closet and instead pulling out one of Moose's long sleeve flannels he kept in the closet and bringing it over to Alicia and wrapping it around her shoulders as she sat next to her on her bed. "It's been kind of awful not texting you daily," Cheryl said with a smile. "Listen, saying I don't care would be a lie, but I am going to say you are one of my best friends and life without you is a bit of a bore." Alicia tried to fathom the fact that for once Cheryl was being earnest and almost sisterly too her.
"I don't know what to do." Alicia said simply as she found her burying her face into her hands.
"As much as I hate Polly Cooper, I don't see Jason getting rid of her anytime soon. I'd say stop self-sabotaging and fall for Mantle." Cheryl nonchalance attitude struck a nerve in Alicia that pleasantly surprised her. That annoyance she felt as her friend seemed to make her life sound simple was an emotion that Alicia wasn't sure she could still feel. "My suggestion is to move on." Cheryl said pushing herself off the bed. "Now come on and let me help make you presentable again. As much as I ship you and Mantle, he is an idiot. He completely ruined your hair." Alicia found herself smiling as her once and again friend fussed over her appearance, forcing her to strip off her wet shirt and jacket and pull that over sized shirt on and button it up, leaving the top couple undone after a bit of protest from Alicia. Cheryl suggested she strip the pants as well as the shirt was easily the same length as half of the dresses downstairs if not longer than some, however on that point Alicia wouldn't budge as she kept on her tight jeans insisting they were almost dry anyways. Cheryl ruffled Alicia's hair shaking the strands loose and letting them look like styled bed head. Cheryl reached into her bag and began to touch up the minimalist make up Alicia had already had on. "Now come down and have a drink and dance with me." The red head smiled as she allowed Alicia took look at herself in Moose's mirror on the back of his bedroom door. Cheryl's appearance behind her reminded Alicia that at one point these two girls had been the strongest girls at Riverdale High and now thanks to one boy one of them had let themselves fall so far she barely recognized that girl anymore. "Say fuck the both of them and find a boy to distract yourself with tonight, Chuck Clayton was looking hot tonight." Cheryl said placing her hand on Alicia's shoulder.
In moments like this Alicia thought back to her childhood with Cheryl and Josie. Two children of Riverdale's most influential and then was Alicia the daughter of one of a school teacher. Cheryl seemed to always appear strong but in private she was delicate, Alicia let herself be Cheryl's backbone when her Cheryl needed the help. Now the roles were reversed, Cheryl was being that hand to help Alicia stand again. She informed Cheryl she would be down in a minute once she checked her phone, Cheryl eyed her wearily until she explained she had multiple missed messages from Kevin. Which was half true.
I'm sorry.
Jason Blossom, the liar. At least now Alicia could feel secure in her description of him.
Let's talk. Tomorrow. Sweetwater River.
Those messages were all he said. Alicia didn't respond, she wanted too but knew it would be best just to let him be.
The messages from Kevin were asking where she was, and then if she was okay. As she left the bedroom and headed downstairs, she saw Kevin sitting in the spot she had been at the beginning of the night with Betty the girl next door. "Alicia, we were worried." Betty said as she wrapped her arms around Alicia's shoulder. "We came in to see Reggie dragging you upstairs quickly followed by Cheryl." She explained quickly.
"Why were you all wet? Did you get so drunk you decided to play in the rain?" Kevin asked in annoyance.
Alicia found a smile grace her lips. "No but Reggie did." She said trying to simplify what had happen before she went upstairs. "Did you have a drink? Because I don't feel like you get to judge any drunk antics until you have a drink." Alicia pointed out to her judging step sibling.
"Lead the way, you seem to be familiar with where the alcohol is." Kevin's snarkiness was something that Alicia was so used too she simply ignored.
"Betty, does he still sound judgey to you?" Ali said with a laugh as she walked with her arm around Betty's waist towards the kitchen where the booze was.
Alicia would be lying is she said that was the end of eventful moments of that evening.