White Lines, Euphoric Highs and Trying Times

Giving and Recieving

"Thanks for letting me tag along." Alice expresses gratefully as the two of them step out of the truck.

"No worries." FP sweetly assured her. "Was grateful for the company."

"So, 40/60 split?" She keenly suggests as she folds her arms over her chest and leans against the bonnet. "Seems fair seeing as it was originally your job and I just hijacked it." Alice notes briefly. The job involved more license plate stealing, which the two had carried out befire, however, this one wasn't as sketchy as the other, and invovled far less danger, so Alice was willing to settle with a smalled sum than usual.

As FP accepted her suggestion and reached into his back pocket to pull the cash out, he briefly caught the little defeated look that crossed her features. By now, he was all too familiar with it. It was the scarily similar to the look she had as she entered the car begging him to tag along. She hadn't gone into detail behind the reason for her worrisome expression, and he didn't want to pressure her either, but he could tell it was rough. They had reached a point in their partnership where he could read her like a book, and he took pride in it.

He halted his count and softly shook his head at her, earning a furrowed brow from the blonde as she wondered why, only for her look of bewilderment to transform to pure surprise as he handed her the entire amount having a change of heart.

"Nah, you keep this one. There's more where that came from." He insisted, practically beginning to place the multiple bills in her soft manicured hands.

Alice is speechless, her mouth agape, titling her head and Avery her gaze up and down between his sincere cocoa brown eyes and the money he was laying in her hands.

"FP, no. I can't." She softly rejects, before being softly interrupted by him.

"You clearly need it more than I do right now, it's cool." He warmly assures her with a charming smile. "And you don't have to tell me what's going on either, not if you don't want to."

"Thank you."

Words couldn't describe how touched Alice felt right now. She wasn't used to or familiar with men in her life giving genuine kindness or gestures without a hidden agenda on their minds, so FP's selflessness and gentleness had her seeing him a very new and positive light, and had her considering that maybe there was more to him that meets the eye, something deeper than the mysterious bad boy vibe he had going. Whatever it was, she curious to dig deeper.

Her attention was diverted when the sound of a familiar expensive car pulling up onto the grass was heard. The two newly born criminals turned their heads in perfect sync, expressing very different reactions to finding Hal step out of the luxury vehicle.

He shut his door rather aggressively than normal, immediately locking eyes with a straight faced and clenched lipped FP before making a brisk walk towards Alice, making his cold and uninviting presence well known the second he stepped onto the grass.

There was something so dissatisfying and unbelievably smug about the Hal trotted around on this side of town as he owned the place, flashing his riches and luxuries and fancy car and designer shoes around as he was someone to aspire to be that really rubbed FP the wrong way, and he had every valid reason to think that way because he was right.

Hal absolutely presented himself in the way of a self righteous and smug upper class prick, and FP with his observant and hyper focused nature was the only person around that had managed to pick up on that behavioural trait that Hal believed he disguised so well.

"Hey." Alice awkwardly greeted as she looked him up and down. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't at school, so Hermione said you'd probably be here." He explained before giving FP a brief smirk as he wrapped his arms around Alice's shoulder. "Was I, interrupting something here?"

FP didn't give the rich brat the satisfaction of knowing he had rubbed him the wrong the second he got out of his car, and just ensured he remained cool, calm and collected. And of course, Alice was oblivious to the high stake tension between the two boys.

"Oh, he was just helping me carry some groceries inside." Alice lies, thinking quick on her feet. The less Hal knew about their illegal activities the better.

"Mmhmm, just wanted to give a helping hand." FP confirms, playing along.

"So what's up?" Alice asks Hal, drifting her focus towards him as his grip on her shoulder tightened and began to steer her around.

"Let's talk in the car." He blankly states, turning fully around with Alice in tow and making his way to his vehicle, happy to be moving further away from FP's presence.

"Oh!" Alice chirps before turning around once more to face a mildly frowning FP as he leaned against the front of his truck. "Thanks again, for the, groceries." She adds suggestively and sneakily with an eyebrow quirk, hinting at the money, and earning firm head tilt from her partner in crime.

The couple quickly approached the vehicle and prepared to enter and make their way out onto the road, but Hal's sudden appearance was still proving to be questioning to Alice, especially as he hadn't even acknowledged what day it was.

"Isn't there something you wanna say to me?" Alice sassily prompted him as she made herself comfortable in the drivers seat, her perfectly shaped eyebrow rising up as she awaited an answer.

"Nice weather?" Hal answered in a chirp before turning his keys into the ignition, obviously making a sad attempt at a joke but Alice wasn't amused. He had never been the comedic type to her.

"I'm kidding!" He swears as he starts the engine. "Check the back seat."

Alice knit her brows briefly before a pleased smirk crossed her face once she saw a small white gift bag with a matching ribbon before her eyes. She eagerly reached for it, impatiently opening it up to reveal a small bottle of designer perfume, but her joy turned to apathy once she realised it was a brand she had already lifted from the mall a month ago, but how was he supposed to know.

"What? You don't like it?" Hal wondered in a mildly displeased tone.

"No I do." Alice softly promises him, trying to mask her displeasure. "I just, can't believe you went all out for me like this. Thank you." She concludes with a hint of uncertainty in her tone that Hal was luckily too stupid to pick up on.

"Why don't we go out to dinner with my parents tonight to celebrate?" Hal surprisingly offered, and the suggestion instantly had Alice's hair rising on the back of her neck. Spending her birthday evening with Coopers? Heck, pulling out her belly button ring would be more pleasuring, however, that wasn't her only problem with Hal's wild idea.

"Not tonight. Hermione's throwing me a sleepover? I already told you this."

"Jesus Christ Alice." Hal spits as he slams his foot onto the pedal. "You're with them everyday, when's the last time we spent any time together?"

"You've known about this for weeks!" Alice practically shrieks in annoyance, her eyes bulging wide as she looks at him in discontent.

"No I haven't!" He cleverly lies. He remembers exactly when and where Alice mentioned the sleepover Hermione had planned on hosting for her birthday, he just figured she'd consider what he wanted over anything else. As usual, his entitlement was getting the best of him.

"Yeah, you have? You just never listen to anything I say. Don't get pissy at me because you've got selective hearing." Alice remarked strongly as she tugged onto her belt. "Matter fact? You drive me back here to pick up my stuff and then drop me there. Problem?"

A narrow eye roll was the only reaction Hal could muster up before finally beginning to drive out onto the road. He wasn't in the mood to argue with her today, so this battle was better off yielding to. "No."

"Good." Alice ended. A pride filled smirk danced over her expression when she got her desired answer, filling her with a heavy and powerful warmth as it served as just another reminder that she had him wrapped around her little finger.