How it Began

|19|

"Oh how horrid," Evelyn Cooper gasped. "Riverdale just becomes more and more twisted as the years go by."

"Indeed it does. It's horrendous, which is why I suggested we all move to Greendale instead but you insisted on Riverdale."

"Well at the time it seemed like the best option."

"Could you two stop bickering while we have company?" Hal interrupts.

"Sorry darling." His mother apologizes, patting his hand. She scours the table and glares at Alice before her eyes land on Hermione. "Hermione dear, how have you been?"

"I've been great, Mrs Cooper, thanks for asking."

"You and Mary haven't been around in a while, I was starting to worry you were sick of us."

"Oh no, not at all, school has just been quite the whirlwind."

"Understatement of the year." Alice mutters under her breath to FP and Evelyn shoots her a glare.

"Alice, I know your parents aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the shed but I do believe they taught you to have decent manners, however I must have been wrong because it's just common sense that you don't speak while another person is talking."

Alice's mouth gapes open and she is about to speak but Evelyn silences her with a wave of her hand and turns her attention back to Hermione. FP places his hand on her thigh and gives it a squeeze to comfort her.

"You were talking about school, dear?"

"Yes, I have quite the work load this year."

"Well I appreciate that you're keeping up with your studies and not engaging in inappropriate activities instead. Or just not showing up at all."

The comment is directed towards Alice and she knows it, so she stands up and throws her cloth napkin on the table. "Excuse me." She leaves the dining room and they all listen as her short heels storm across the wooden floor.

"I'll go check on her." FP offers, standing up to go after her.

"Sit down, Forsythe. You are a guest, you don't need to ruin your evening just because she's throwing a temper tantrum." She tells him and he clenches his fist as she trash talks his girlfriend. "Harold will go check on her." Hal nods and stands up from the table, walking in the direction of Alice.

She wipes the tears from her cheeks when she hears someone knock on the door. She opens it expecting to see FP and is surprised to see Hal instead. "Oh, Hal... hi."

"My mom wanted me to come check on you."

"Check on me? Are you sure she didn't send you to come drown me in the bathtub?"

"She's intense, I know."

"She hates me."

"She doesn't hate you."

"She takes every chance possible to make a dig at me."

"I warned her to be nice to you tonight, I guess she didn't listen."

"You told her to be nice to me?" She's almost moved by the gesture.

He nods. "I've noticed she's not exactly welcoming to you and I wanted you all to come for dinner and enjoy yourselves. And I know Mary kind of forced you into coming so I wanted you to enjoy yourself, even a little bit."

"That's really sweet of you, Hal."

"Well it kind of backfired."

"But the gesture was there nonetheless."

He smiles at her, that pearly white Cooper family smile, and for some reason she doesn't find it as creepy on Hal as she does the rest of his family.

"Were you crying?" He asks her, catching her off guard with the question.

"Oh, um, yeah... I don't feel great. Must have been the chicken."

He raises an eyebrow at her. "Must have been my mother." He thinks for a moment and the smiles slightly. "How good of an actress do you think you are?"

"What?"

"Just trust me." He walks behind her and turns on the faucet, he turns back to her and flicks water at her face.

"Hal? What are you-"

He cuts her off by shushing her. "I told you, trust me." He wraps his hand around her wrist and leads her back towards the dining room with him. "Make it believable." He whispers just as they walk into the dining room.

"Alice? Are you crying, dear?" Hal's father asks her and all eyes flicker over to her.

She tries to think of an answer but fails. "I... um-"

Hal comes to her rescue. "Apparently the Cooper family recipe isn't a friend of Alice."

"It's not a friend of cousin Edie, either. You're not alone." His father comforts.

His mother rolls her eyes. "Well I suppose you can't stay if you're sick, a real shame you'll be missing dessert."

"I was looking forward to it." She tells her.

She honestly was.

"I assume this means Forysthe will be leaving as well?"

FP nods. "I'm her ride." He walks over to her and places his hand on her back. "Thank you for dinner Mr and Mrs Cooper, it was great."

"Yes. Thank you for having us, I had a good time." Alice says with a forced smile.

They walk towards the door and Alice locks eyes with Hal, mouthing "thank you" to him before her and FP leave the house.

"Good one." FP says, dropping his hand lower on her body to wrap around her waist.

"Yeah? You like my acting skills?"

"Definitely. Plus, it got us out of that dragon's den so it was worth it."

"Well credit Hal with the idea."

"Never thought I'd see the day where I'm thankful for Hal Cooper."

She smiles. "Neither did I."