18 Years of Bonnie & Clyde

[9] The School Bus

The following morning, Alice was getting ready to take out the trash, but as soon as she opened the front door of her trailer she stopped in her tracks. Someone was sitting against the wall, looking both sleepy and a little purple.

"FP? What are you still doing here?" Alice asked confused, her voice snapping him out of his half-slumber.

He immediately sprung up, ignoring that his joints were hurting from both the cold and sitting in the same position for hours.

"I wanted to talk to you, about last night." He said softly, still feeling immensely guilty about what had happened.

"Did you stay out here all night? Aren't you freezing now?" She noticed the color of skin that made it perfectly clear that he had been outside all night, something that was worrying her immediately.

"It was the only way for you to actually listen to me." He confessed, to explain his reason to do so.

His guilt had been stronger than his will to go home and lay under his warm bed sheets. If being in the cold was what it would take to save their friendship, he'd do that in a heartbeat.

"I like the sentiment, but this heroic act isn't going to change that you made a bet that earned you money if you had sex with me." Alice stepped off the small porch to take away the thrash, followed by FP closely behind who wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Please, listen to me." He took her arm into his hand in a gentle attempt to make her turn around, but was rewarded by Alice angrily yanking it back.

"No! I thought we had an unspoken promise to stand up for each other, no matter what. Wasn't that what this friendship was built on?"

There were tears swimming in her eyes as she looked at the boy that she had thought she had a mutual understanding with, that after last night she suddenly had to doubt.

"We grew up together FP, we've known each other for almost fifteen years but now I'm just a piece of meat to you?"

She shook her head in disgust, barely able to comprehend the fact that someone she called a friend would do something like that to her. Sleeping with him had been special to her and finding out that to him it was nothing but a bet broke her heart into a million pieces.

"Alice, it's not like that! Look at me and tell me that you truly believe that I would ever treat you that way." He called after her, before she could reach the door of her trailer.

She froze, and a flash of doubt was noticeable on her face. She slowly turned around to meet his eyes, and when she did, she saw that he was hurt, too. Had she judged too soon?

"I'm listening." She said quietly, wanting to give him a chance to explain himself.

FP took a breath before taking one step into her direction to come a little closer, but not as close for her to push him away.

"It was the night you were at the Wyrm. They hadn't seen you before and asked me who you were. They wanted to make it a challenge. I refused. I promise you." He pleaded, hoping with his whole heart that she would believe that he would never agree betting on her in any kind of way.

Alice sighed in defeat, her eyes filling with tears. It wasn't just about the bet, it was about so much more.

"FP... you're my best friend. You were the last person I would have ever expected to do something like that to me. I know we haven't put any labels on... us, but at least I thought I meant a little more to you." Her voice broke just slightly, betraying more emotions than she wished to show.

She was even more afraid to develop feelings for him than she had before, afraid that she'd be nothing more but a fling to him. Maybe this had to happen, for her to realize that maybe they weren't as in sync as she thought they were. FP took her vulnerability as a sign for him to slowly come further, to really talk about what had gone down.