"Elizabeth lets go." I warned walking into the girls bedroom. "I don't want to go back to school." Betty whined sitting back onto her bed. "You will get to see all your friends. You'll get to see Jughead." I smirked as her eyes lit up. "Ok." She smiled and grabbed her backpack. Hal has already taken Polly to school, so it was just Betty and I...again. "Come on mom!" She ushered me out the door.
Just my luck, FP and Jughead would pull up at the exact same time. I haven't seen or spoken to him since the kiss. "Juggy!" Betty ran to the young boy wrapping her arms around him. FP smiled at the two before turning towards me. He gave me a small smile before rushing the kids inside.
I let out a scoff, for a person who supposedly loves me, he doesn't show it very well. I walked after them taking a deep breath. "Mommy! You remember Mr. Jones right? He sat next to you..."
"I remember Betty." I sighed and glanced at him. "I'll uh, see you after school." I kissed her cheek making a b-line for the door.
"Alice! Alice Wait up." I could hear FP's heavy feet jogging after me. I sighed and turned around. "Yes?" I smiled slightly. "Are we just going to never talk. I mean what we had...or what I thought we had up there...that had to mean something to you." He panted trying to catch his breath. "FP I can't do this here...or maybe ever." My breath caught in my throat.
"Your not going to do this again. Better yet I won't let you...I won't let myself let you go!" He challenged. I frowned and turned around almost running to my car. I could hear his voice, but all that I focused on was my car.
I raced out of the parking lot straight to the register. "Good morning hun." Hal smiled typing away on the computer, not even looking up. "Morning." I mumbled and sat down. FP ran across a school yard for me, but Hal won't even stretch his neck. What the hell am I waiting for?
"I need to take a yearly lunch today for a meeting and then I am heading out of town this weekend, but Polly is staying with a friend, so it's just you and Betty. Love you." He kissed my cheek walking out the door before I could even say I love you, not that I really mean it anyway. I sighed and sunk into my chair trying to forget about this morning.
"Mommy!" Betty squealed and leaped into my arms. "Hi princess." I cooed and brushed her hair back. "Where's Jughead?" I asked looking around for his very famous father. "He left early, something about going to see his mom in Toledo." She shrugged and squirmed out of my grip.
I stood frozen in place. He was going back to Gladys. He tried twice with me and I just screwed everything up! I grabbed Betty's hand dragging her to the car. "What's wrong?" She asked in the tiniest voice I have ever heard. "You um...your going to stay with Fred tonight ok and Archie." I smiled trying to hold the tears back.
"Mary! Fred!" I yelled knocking on the hard wooden door. "God Alice what's wrong?" Mary asked accepting Betty. "Is it Hal?" She questioned seeing that I wasn't answering. "No, no...something much more important."
I ran back into the house to see Hal had already left for his trip. I grabbed the one think I could think of, the ring FP once gave me, he said if I kept this he would always be there for me.
I raced over the tracks and into the all familiar trailer park. I knocked on the door loudly, three times. "Hog eye I told you I'm leaving and there's no one who can... Alice?" He stood shocked. I took a shaky breath closing my eyes. "I'm...I'm..."
"No you can't do this now...not in front of my boy." He growled.
"Oh I'm sorry. So the kids school was appropriate?" I questioned finding myself becoming irritated. "You left. You left and you tore my heart out three times. High school, the mountain, and...and this morning." He sighed closing the door behind him, making me back up in return.
"Better late then ever right? That's what you used to say when you were late for our dates...flirting with some River vixen I'm sure." I huffed looking at the ground. "Why are you bringing this up now?! My wife has accepted my apology and we are going to try..."
"For the kids right? Because I say the same thing to Hal every damn fight...and well, you know what I think of? Every single damn time. You! I yelled letting all my tears surface.
"Why Alice please tell me why you think of me? Because when we were in that chair lift...I said i love you, but you didn't." He broke letting go of his tough guy posture. "I didn't really? Or was your heart to broken to see my tears or hear my I love you?" I growled backing into the small rail.
"You...you said it back?"
"Yes dummy! I love you and I always have! You know how hard it was seeing you happy with Gladys. Yes I was with Hal, but we...we were never happy." I chuckled sadly wiping away my tears.
"Don't do that." He whispered stepping closer. "Do what?" I sighed and looking into his eyes. "Wipe your tears. They show what your thinking and well...right now what your saying, it's beautiful." He whispered barely audible. He placed both his hand on the side of my face. "I love you." He smiled and bright his lips to mine. It was softer then the chair lift, but it meant a whole life worth more.
I sighed contently into the kiss wrapping my arms around his neck. "I love you." I ran my hand through his hair, leaving my eyes connected with his. "I can not wait till both of us are divorced." He sighed and tucked a stray hair behind my ear. "Why?" I giggled. "So I can marry you, have kids with you, to..."
"FP shut up and kiss again." I smirked and he happily obliged to my request.
