Snakes and Ladders - Falice

Dust in the Wind

I close my eyes only for a moment and the moment's gone. All my dreams pass before my eyes, a curiosity. Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind.

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            FP and Alice were in a weird place. Neither of them really knew what came next with respect to their relationship. Their fight had been epic and a long time coming, but the definitive words had not been spoken; the words that would have brought an end to whatever it was that they thought they were doing together. Whatever the case was, it was apparent to both of them that if were they to break up, it wouldn't be because they no longer had feelings for each other. Alice Smith and FP Jones would likely never stop loving each other; their affection was written in the stars.

            But, FP was going down a dark path. He wasn't living at home, his shifts at Pop's weren't enough for him to make a living, and he was getting involved with dangerous people. On the Southside, if you're desperate enough, odd jobs are easy to come across. But, they're also risky to everyone involved. When dealing with unscrupulous people such as the ones FP had begun to associate himself with in order to earn more than a nickel, everyone he loved suddenly was put in danger. It was no small matter.

            And, unfortunately for the both of them, Alice was the only person that FP could be certain he loved. He couldn't have that. He couldn't have her life at risk because of his own unfortunate circumstances. Not only did she mean more to him than that, she was destined for more than that. But, Alice wasn't stupid. She knew that FP was wading deeper and deeper into shark-infested waters, but she was also ready to ride or die – she always had been.

            But, her loyalty was unacceptable to him, and that would lead to their tragic demise. In his mind, FP had only one option. He needed her out. So, he did what he had always been ever so good at and pushed her away, hoping that it would make their inevitable separation easier on the both of them. Of course, Alice didn't buy any of his bullshit for a moment, but the tensions then lead to weeks of endless fights and bitter arguments. In the end, whenever anybody asked what exactly had happened between them, FP would simply state that their relationship ended due to irreconcilable differences.

            After their fight outside the Whyte Wyrm that left Alice standing alone in the dark with the rain of the evening mixing with the tears on her cheeks, neither of them knew exactly where they stood with each other. They weren't broken up, per se, but they weren't exactly together either. They were both at a crossroads and while there were many factors involved, they knew exactly what they really wanted. They wanted each other, that was the bottom line. But when danger and pride and money and logical thinking came into play, that wasn't enough to save them.

            They hadn't even spoken since the fight, not even over the phone. And, of course, they were on spring break, so school couldn't even force them together. FP's talents were selective, and being avoidant was certainly one of them. But, he'd forgotten just how persistent Alice was when it came to getting what she wanted. And right now, what she wanted was to find out what the hell was happening and how she could fix it so that things could just go back to the way they were when everything was good.

            She didn't want their relationship to end, it was likely the only real thing she had in her life. And she was no idiot, she knew that she meant the world to FP, just as he did to her. If the two of them could only sort out whatever issues they had and learn to communicate. Unfortunately, that was something that they'd never been good at when it came to each other.

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Alice Smith and FP Jones's epic fight had gone down on Mary Bentley's seventeenth birthday, when they'd snuck her into the Whyte Wyrm along with Fred Andrews, who had recently broken up with Hermione and was in desperate need of a night on the town. FP and Alice hadn't had a pleasant conversation with each other in days, constantly arguing about the different paths that they seemed to be taking. Alice had been hoping that they could all just cut themselves a break for the night and celebrate with Mary. It was as if they weren't even kids anymore. Like their days of root beer floats at Pop's and popcorn at the drive-in were already behind them. How they had managed to grow up overnight would forever be lost on them.