No More Mistakes

Chapter 1

As Alice Smith lay back against the large double bed's velvet cushioned headboard, glaring out of the awning windows in her room, well not her room, just the room she currently occupied in the Cooper household until she graduated and she and her boyfriend Hal Cooper would go away to college, staring wondrously at the town's landscape, two things crossed her mind. The first being, Edna, the Cooper's housekeeper, should really clean these windows and the second? How on earth did she end up here?

What was the turning point for her? What step did she take that placed her in this position? 17, 8 and a half months pregnant, no money in a bank account, no family to rely on and having to move in with Hal and his family, who while not as awful as her toxic mother, were still awful people none the less.

She recalled the first time she met him. There she was, on yet another bender at the Wyrm, making a complete show of herself, dancing around on the bar counter-tops under the weak bright red lighting glaring in her face, sweat glistening all over her heart shaped porcelain face, drunkenly twirling around the free poles, the atmosphere of the creepy older Serpents cheering and laughing up a storm, while all she received were snide looks and comments from the women, which surely derived from jealousy. She had always been the centre of attention amongst the gang, particularly with the men. Her life was already falling apart at that point, so what difference did it make if she was willingly hitting self destruct?

Despite the dark and depressive thoughts that were running through her mind, she was determined to have a good time regardless, and then, at the corner of her eye, there he was, entering the infamous Southside bar with his Bulldog clique following behind. Sizing up the place, no doubt feeling a lack of belonging but surge of superiority as they had landed in the poor part of town, looking for cheap thrills of course. She had seen him around school quite often, even caught him staring at her, admittedly for too long at times, but had never really acknowledged him.

She knew that was over stepping, they were from two different worlds, he stuck to his and she stuck to hers, and it wasn't more clear than in that moment where the two of them locked eyes from different corners of the seedy and derelict bar.

And in that moment, she was forced to really think about what she was doing there, where her life was currently going and her and the unborn child in her womb's future. One look at the shoes on his feet and the watch on his large wrist and just like that, she snapped out of it, a light-bulb appearing above her blonde frizzy mane. Some small talk, added with over the top disingenuous flirting, a few dates and an image change and boom, here she was, the girl on Hal Cooper's arm.

Hal's mother, debutante Caroline Cooper, had never liked her, and his father Harold Sr barely gave her the time of day to begin with, but it was a small price to pay for a better future. The minute she finally decided to reveal all and told Hal she was with child, of course his immediate response was abortion, which she refused because there was no way she was going to kill her baby, at the end of the day, it was her body and her choice.

The dreaded option of adoption crossed his mind, which to her, didn't feel any different from the first, however, his attitude towards the revelation and adamant nature to not have this child in his life sparked a new thought. She'd be all alone throughout this, and was she ready to be a single teen mother? Could she honestly provide for it, give it everything they needed on her lonesome? The realistic answer was no, she had no time to be idealistic here.

Naturally the thought of giving her child away killed her, but knowing her baby would be placed with a good family and would grow up in a loving and stable home, healed the pain of losing her child and softened the potential blow just a tiny bit. She wasn't very shocked when Hal brought it up, but she knew she had to side with him on it, he was her ticket out of the Southside, out of this god forsaken town, and if giving her baby away is what Hal wanted, then she settled with the fact that it was what she would have to do. That's why she was here in the first place.

She continued to stare absentmindedly out of the window, rubbing her enlarged stomach as a tear slowly fell down her eye, watching the light drizzle of rain fall from the sky over the town. She looked down, smiling sadly before sighing, but her thoughts were briefly interrupted by Hal bursting into her room without warning.

"Jesus Hal!" She screeched as she snapped up, turning her focus to him, her curly dark blonde hair falling at her shoulders as she sat up.

He kept his back turned with reacting, removing his jacket before walking right over to the closet, without even looking at her. "I thought you were asleep." He mumbles, opening the wide clothing compartment before him and digging through.

"What are you doing?" She asks, mild curiosity present in her tone.

"What does it look like Alice, I'm looking for something." He scoffs, narrowing his eyes as if to say she asked the most stupid question ever.

"In my closet?"

"Christ, what is this? 21 questions? Mind your damn business Alice!" He bellowed, turning towards her and standing at the foot of the bed. She subconsciously moved back, flinching a little as he did, but upon seeing her reaction, he softened himself a little and calmly strolled around to where she was, seating himself by her feet and reaching his hand out, slowly touching her face.

"I'm sorry Alice." He apologised. He'd admittedly been on edge these past few weeks, and it hadn't gone unnoticed by her. "It's just, with this big game coming up and finals, and all the stress of dealing with this...." He gestured towards her stomach. ".....mistake, things are just getting crazy." He softly smiled.

Alice relaxed her narrowed brows, reluctantly smiling back, she couldn't believe he was still referring to her child as a "mistake."

He sprung up off the bed, a little more chirpy than he had been when he entered the room. "Thank God, we found someone willing to deal with it right? Even though I still think the Sisters was the best option, it's a miracle we've been able to hide this." He mentioned as he reached out and touched her leg. Her face remained the same as she kept her hands firmly on her stomach. She suddenly felt out of place as a feeling of rage surged through her. With all this discussion, she was beginning to feel not right about their plans, and began to question if she had made the right decision after all.

"Uhm, Hal, I need to talk to you about..."

"Can't it wait till later? I'm late for practice." He interrupts, reaching for his Varsity jacket and football helmet. Without another word, he exit the room, leaving her alone with nothing but her thoughts.

It was coming up to the end of their junior year so things were a little hectic for them and all Alice could think about was where she would be this time next year. She had spent most of her recent days cooped up indoors as it was the easiest way to hide the fact that she was pregnant, which the Coopers definitely couldn't have anybody know about as it would taint their perfect suburban family image. She couldn't be indoors any longer for the day and she needed fresh air, and the best spot in Riverdale was only ten minutes away, so she grabbed her coat and walked out of the door.