Heart & Sincerity

4/ Southside Roots

Jughead walked into the trailer, excited yet nervous to tell his father about his internship. When he entered, FP had his arms pressed against the wall and his head hanging low. There wasn't a bottle in sight so Jughead couldn't guess if he drank more than the one from earlier. He just helped him over to the couch.

"Get some rest. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm just feeling tired." FP laid his head back and pinched the arch of his nose. "Where did you go?"

"That's what I want to talk to you about. I've got good news. I got a writing internship. I'll be getting both experience and school credit by doing work at The Register."

"The Register?" FP furrowed his eyebrows.

"Yes, and before you say anything. This really means a lot to me." Jughead hoped he wouldn't make a huge fuss over it. His intentions weren't to make him feel betrayed. "I sent them my work and Mrs. Cooper said I had talent. I know I'm a good writer. Just think about what I'll be able to voice on the Serpents' behalf. I'd be helping you change things for the better."

"So working at that place with those Coopers is gonna make you happy?" FP could see he was eager to do it.

Jughead nodded ferociously. "Yes and I know they're not really your favorite people-"

"If it makes you happy, then yeah do it. I'm glad you told me instead of feeling the need to hide it from me." FP sadly nodded. It wasn't his favorite thing in the world but he knew when something was good for his son. He'll happily put up with it.

"So will you stop scaring away the paper boy?" One of Jughead's eyebrows perked up.

"Okay," FP would do that for him. "I better start seeing your name credited in the paper then." He smiled at his son.

"I'm working on it." Jughead was glad to have his support. He knew it wasn't easy for him. "Which reminds me, I'll be hanging out at The Register after school most of the time."

"Just be home before it's late."

"Always am," Jughead assured him.

***

Alice came home after locking up the building. She walked into the house and took her heels off at the door. Betty poked a head around the corner. She looked down the stairs to see her mother. The girl jogged down to get to her.

"Mom," She got her attention.

"Hi, Betty. Is your father here?"

"Yeah, he came in looking very angry. He sat at the table for a while-" She pointed to the dining table. "-before going upstairs."

"Thought so," Alice sighed.

"What happened?" Betty asked curiously. "Did you guys fight again?"

"He's not happy with Jughead joining the team because of his writing piece."

"He got the internship?" Betty smiled. She was glad that he did but wondered what upset his father. "What did he write?"

"What matters is that it was well crafted." Alice picked up her heels. "Don't mind your father. You're still joining me tomorrow, right? It'll help Jughead feel more comfortable there."

"Yeah, I can still pop in."

"Thank you," Alice appreciated it.

She started her walk to the stairs but Betty had something else to say, "Mom, Polly called."

She turned to look back at her. "She did?" There was a hint of sadness in her voice. She has been wanting to talk to her. "What did she say? Is she doing okay?"

"She's doing fine. She spoke about this farm she says she's at. I don't really get it but she tried to explain it as it being a community of people." Their chat wasn't very long but it was nice talking to each other. She didn't mention anything to her father when he came home, but she knew she had to talk to her mother. "It was Jason's idea. According to him, they'll peacefully have the baby there....so she finally told me she was pregnant." She wasn't going to get into what Polly said about Alice and Hal for Alice's sake. "It was crazy hearing those words from her, but I did tell her that she has my support. I also did manage to tell her that you want her home too, that you are here to help her through this as well. I tried convincing her to call you next, so hopefully she does."

Alice felt emotional about it. She walked up to her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Betty. You don't know how much that means to me." She eventually let go and proceeded to go up the stairs to her room. She felt shivers knowing she was about to run into Hal.

She pushed the door open to see him sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard. He looked up to see her come in but didn't say anything. She gladly soaked in the silence.

She grabbed her nightgown and pranced over to the bathroom. She put it on the counter and walked over to the shower, turning it on. She looked at herself in the mirror as the water ran. She didn't know who she was staring at. It wasn't herself.

She slowly stepped out of everything on her. Her fingers slithered down her thigh, across her tattoo when it came into view. She looked away from the mirror and walked into the shower. She didn't want to think about anything Serpent related, but it became difficult. FP had a son and he just came into her life unknowingly.

She let the water drip down her. Her thoughts were becoming more transparent. She would be mentoring his son. She wondered how he would take the news. It can't possibly be easy. He was very supportive of his choices though, she reminded herself. She had to make it work. She just had to.

She grabbed her shampoo and squeezed a bit onto her hand. She lathered it into her hair, making sure to get every inch. She got soap in her eyes and sighed. It wasn't helping her case.

What was she going to do, she thought. With Jughead around she was bound to run into or even have to acknowledge FP at some point. Possibly even the Serpents themselves too. The stress of even thinking about that brought her to the idea of Polly. Was she going to be okay? Will she want to come home? What was the purpose of her talk with the FBI man? What did he know about this farm that he wasn't telling her? Why would Jason insist on them going there with their unborn child?

Alice rinsed everything off of her and shut off the water. She grabbed a towel to dry herself off. A lot was going through her mind.