Falice 2

House

A lot has changed since the devastating conversation in his office. On his own birthday, of all days. What he had done had been replaying in his mind since then. The heartbreaking look on her face was too much to easily forget. How could he forget the tears streaming down her face? The ones he tried to keep from falling? The way he broke both of their hearts? He spent the rest of that day trying to not think about how much he wanted to share his birthday with her. Instead he was stuck forcing a smile for his estranged wife.

It had been different since then with not being able to see her. She was out of his sight and at the Farm. He didn't know whether that made this easier or harder.

He had seen the smiles on his kids' faces that same morning at the trailer. That's when he knew he had to do what he did for their sake.

Now he was trying his best to smile through it. If it meant he could see those smiles of theirs, then he didn't care how much it hurt him to do so.

Jughead turned the corner at the end of the stairs in the morning. His father was in the kitchen taking Jellybean's used plate to put in the sink.

Jughead stepped in and tugged on one of Jellybean's braids as he walked to the refrigerator. She sent him a glare.

"Jug," FP warned him.

Jughead grabbed a piece of toast from the counter instead. "Did mom leave already?"

"Yeah," FP looked down at his watch. "We all should be heading out soon, too. You two have to get to school before you're late. Jug, take the truck." He tossed him his keys. "And drop your sister off first."

"Daddy, I want to get there in one piece."

"Would you rather walk then?" Jughead took offense to her comment.

"Just take her to school." FP pointed at him. He then pointed at Jellybean. "And you, you will be fine."

"Can I at least get lunch money?" She pouted and batted her lashes.

He perked up a smile. His little girl knew the tricks into his heart. He reached for his wallet in his back pocket to pull out a few crisp bills. "Here," He held it out for her. He pecked a kiss on the top of her head as she claimed it. "Now go to school."

"What about me?"

"What about you?" FP arched an eyebrow.

"I need lunch, too."

"Your eating habits are too expensive for me," FP took a twenty dollar bill out for him next. "Make that last."

"No promises," He cheekily smiled. He bit into his toast. "Bye, dad." He pointed Jellybean to the door. He picked up his backpack from the couch on his way out.

FP waved them goodbye. His smile, as genuine as it was, faded when they walked out. He let out a sigh. It was the house. It had to be, he thought. It held too many memories. Good and bad. A part of him felt guilty about it.

He knew that two decades ago his dream would have been to live on this street, but now that he has been gifted the opportunity he doesn't seem to like it anymore. It wasn't the same. The way he got it made him feel worse about it. This was Alice's house not his. It didn't feel right to him. Even though she claimed that it was her way of straying away from everything it stood for when she let it go, that was what made it hurt. It was what she said and how she looked at him when she did. This house is my past. I just want to be done with it.

It was the fact that he was already planning to break things off with her after that incident that made him feel worse. She knew that with Gladys back things weren't going to be easy between them. The house meant nothing to her, but she couldn't say the same about him and his wife. She was hoping for him to choose her over the woman that abandoned him and his son. As much as FP knew that she was right and about how much pushing her away was going to hurt he still did what he did.