Two Pink Lines

31

The air is tense around the small table FP and his kids are gathered at. They had asked to visit Gladys again, and while FP was reluctant to say yes, they have a right to want to see their mother, as horrible as she may be.

The door buzzed and Gladys walks into the room, setting her eyes on FP and the kids. "Well isn't this a surprise? I thought you'd never come visit again."

"I wanted to see you." Jellybean says. "Even though you were kinda mean last time."

"I wasn't mean," Gladys scoffs. "I was honest."

"Mom," Jughead warns. "Don't start."

"Fine. So? Tell me about your lives, what have you been up to lately?"

"Betty and I are still working on the paper, and it's doing really well." Jughead says.

"Well that's good to hear. And how are you and Betty doing?"

Jughead pauses for a moment, looking towards FP and then back at Gladys. "We're good. We're kind of dealing with something, but other than that, yeah... we're good."

"You're dealing with something?" Gladys questions. "What kind of something?"

"Oh, it's uh, it's nothing."

Jellybean rolls her eyes. "It's not nothing, you and Betty are being jerks to dad and Alice."

"Shut up, JB." Jughead grits out.

"Jug, don't talk like that to your sister." FP scolds.

"Well is someone going to explain to me what's going on?" Gladys pries.

"Dad and Alice are dating and Jughead and Betty are too insecure to accept that."

"Oh," Gladys perks up at the statement, turning her attention to FP. "So I take it that means you two told the kids?"

"We did."

"You knew?" Jughead and Jellybean question their mother in unison. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Well it wasn't exactly my secret to tell."

"Yeah and your mother is quite good at keeping secrets." FP adds.

"Clearly so are you and Alice." Jughead fires back.

"Well I can gather how Jughead feels about this new development, but you Jellybean, how do you feel about it?"

"I'm happy, Alice is super nice to me. She took me out shopping the other day, and we got our nails done too."

"I see you still haven't came to your senses about the woman."

"She's not this horrible person you make her out to be. She's a good person, she cares about me and Jughead, and she and dad love each other."

Gladys leans closer to over the table. "Jellybean, sweetheart, the only reason Alice 'cares' about you and Jughead, is because she's sleeping with your father."

"Gladys!" FP barks.

"Well am I wrong? I mean your relationship did start out as a hookup."