Speak To Me

Behind Bars

*One Week Ago*

FP sat on the side of his prison bed, staring at the gray floor below him. His cellmate lay on the top bunk, snoring away. While FP had decided to spend his days in prison thinking about how he should change his life, his cellmate had decided to spend his days sleeping as much as possible to pass the time. FP rubbed his hands together, leaning his elbows on his knees. He was beginning to wonder what life had been like had he known about his son with Alice. He'd hoped their relationship back then was healthier and not ruled by their involvement in the Serpents. The gang basically tore them apart. 

His love for her never left but her love for him...he couldn't tell. Their small infatuations had eventually grown at Southside High and they spent months completely head over heels for one another. But once he became involved in his father's gang, things changed. They found themselves fighting almost everyday and she eventually made the decision to join the Serpents herself...something he had refused to allow her to do. She ignored his wishes and took part in the female Gauntlet anyway, causing him to not speak to her for days. 

She finally approached him and made him aware that all she wanted to do was let him know that he did not own her nor did she want to be apart from him. He found himself falling harder and harder for her everyday and the more popular she became with the Serpents, the more she seemed to forget about him. Or at least...that's how he felt. She had gained more guy friends and other teen girls at school seemed to be afraid of her, which Alice liked a little too much. Eventually things got out of hand and she let her power over other members get to her head. Even her power over FP seemed to overshadow her love for him. Their arguments became more frequent and eventually more nasty. Soon, their breakup became inevitable and more than expected. But FP refused to let her go. Until one day, she slithered away and slipped right through his fingers.

"Ay, FP!" The sound of an officer's baton hitting the jail cell bar startled Forsythe out of his walk down memory lane. "You got a visitor!" The guard unlocked his cell door and came in to handcuff him, taking him out to lead him to the visitor's hall.

"Didn't think I'd be seeing you here again after your last visit." He said the moment he sat in the chair across from Alice. "I told you everything my guy could get on him."

"I know. That's not why I'm here." She sat up in her chair, looking at him with unsure eyes.

"Well, then. Why ARE you here, Alice?" He paused. "Did you find him?" 

"No, but I...." She stopped, feeling the need to cry, but she fought it. "I called him."

"You what? Did he answer?" Now he sat up in his chair.

"Yes, but...I didn't know what to say. The moment I heard his voice, I froze. What do I say? Like, 'Hi, this is your mother, sorry I gave you up twenty years ago, would you like to come meet me and your criminal father?'"

"Well, I wouldn't say it exactly like that." He smirked. "I'd also throw in the part about us both being former gang members. That part might persuade him to come visit." His smirk turned into a smile and they both let out a small laugh.

Alice let out an audible sigh as she looked to the corner of the glass between them. Then, she realized something. Looking at him, she furrowed her brows with curiosity. "Wait...'both being former gang members?' You-"

"That's right." He interrupted. "I'm thinking once I get outta here, I'm done with the Serpents. For good. I'm gonna get my act together."

"Oh." Her expression was hard to read. "Well, good for you."

"Yeah..." He looked down, almost disappointed in himself. "If only I had left them years ago...I wouldn't be in this situation. And maybe we'd have our son." He looked back up to her and saw her beginning to say something, but he continued. "Maybe we'd still be together." Right away he knew he shouldn't have said that. Her head moved back a bit and her eyes grew sad, shocked, and confused.

"FP, I..." She smiled, hoping that didn't mean what she thought it meant. 

He deeply inhaled while his leg began to bounce up and down under the table. "Maybe you wouldn't have stopped loving me." He noticed her uncomfortable position and decided to finally say what he's been thinking for the past twenty years. "Come on, don't act like you didn't know."

"Know what, FP?" She started to sound a bit irritated.

"I never stopped loving you, Alice. And I still haven't. Now, I don't blame you for moving on so fast after that night, but-"

"FP, are you kidding me right now? You're gonna tell me this while you're behind bars?" She leaned forward, bringing her face closer to the glass. "You're damn right I moved on after that night. Transferring to the Northside was the best thing that ever happened to me. While you were the worst thing."

"Alice, I-"

"Telling me you still love me? Is that the truth or is this just you're stupid way of saying you're sorry for everything that happened?" A few tears of anger rolled down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away, looking around to see if anyone was watching them.

"It's the truth, Alice. Why do you think I spent the last two decades drinking myself to death? I hated myself for letting things get so out of hand. I hated myself for losing you." He was now the one trying his best to fight back tears. "It's no wonder my marriage failed."

"Okay, well I'm not you! I didn't become an alcoholic and I'm not gonna let my marriage fail all because I sometimes think about the love of my life." She quickly hung up the phone and stood. She turned to leave, but before she did, she gave him one last look of grievance and pain before heading toward the exit.