Meet Me Halfway

Chapter 1

July 1992

He had been ogling her at this party all night, not that she was surprised, she knew how hot she looked in her thigh high leather boots, see through black crop top putting her red lace bra on full display for all to see and black denim shorts with the fake diamanté studs and frayed bottoms.

She had originally come to not only get totally smashed but to show some of these Northside boys exactly what Southside girls like her had to offer, in more ways than one.

She just wanted to get out of her head, out of her mind and it started with downing multiple red cups of liquor and grinding her hips to the beat on any guy in her proximity.

She had no idea where the night was going to take her or what it would lead to other than a raging yet worth it hangover the following morning, so imagine her surprise when she later found herself in bed with the Forsythe Pendleton Jones, Riverdale High's resident ladies man, the BMOC, total stud, quarterback, fellow Southsider (not that the rest of the school was aware of that final detail.)

Despite knowing most of Riverdale High's students from kindergarten, she knew FP in a different way, much more to say, inside and out seeing as they both grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. Only difference was one of them was proud of it while the other did everything in their power to hide it.

They'd see each other around the neighbourhood every now and then, even had the odd play date when they were children. Their parents knew each other, they frequented the same bar, lived in the same trailer park and somewhere down the line, her feelings for him began to expand into something more. One day, he stopped being the annoying neighbour she was forced to play with and became the total charming smoke show she desired, and she imagined it was the same for him vice versa, especially when she grew a pair of tits.

Only in her wildest dreams did she think she'd manage to score sleeping with him yet to her surprise, it happened, she succeeded, and as she expected, it was amazing, which is what she thought to herself as she sat up by the headboard of, whoever's bedroom this was, and sparked up her cigarette, taking a long drag and blowing out the smoke as she watched him lie down opposite her, staring up at the ceiling.

"You good?" She questioned as she tipped off some excess ash.

He shifted his deep brown eyes back towards her before speaking. "Yeah, just thinking about Junior year, what's in store, you know?"

"Yeah, but I haven't really thought much about it."

Despite his background, FP was driven. He knew what he wanted out of life. He knew he wanted to get out of the Southside, get a football scholarship and go off to college straight after graduation. It had been his plan for as long as he could remember. Alice however, had no idea where her future was headed. She was lost. She had already settled on the fact that she would end up like every other girl in her neighbourhood a long time ago.

"You're not regretting it already are you?" She asked. She was no master in the bedroom but surely she couldn't have been that bad. She had enough references to prove otherwise.

"No. Of course not, don't be daft." He assured before getting up and placing his pants back on. "You were great. Trust me, I have enough experience." He joked.

She raised her eyebrows at him. Surely he wasn't joking about all the girls he'd been with this year alone, and people called her a slut? "Oh, I know you do."

He turned back around and looked at her with a sad smile before finishing up with his trousers.

"But not good enough to stay right?" She asked rhetorically

He paused putting his shirt on and turned back around to face her

"What did you expect Alice? That I'd ask for your hand in marriage after?"

"No I just, I just thought maybe you'd consider going further, perhaps? Thought I was more to you than a hole."

"Don't say it like that Al." He begged

"Why? Isn't it true? I mean you wouldn't be the first guy to think it." She expresses angrily.

"Look, you're a great girl Alice but, this was just us messing around, I thought you got that. Sorry if I gave you the wrong impression." He explained before putting his shirt on over his head.

She ignored him and continued to glare out of the window, releasing the smoke from her lungs as she did.

He placed a hand on her knee, hoping to get her to turn around. "Look, I gotta go."

"Yeah, back to your Northside buddies to keep up appearances." She snapped back.

He didn't say anything to her, just quietly left the room, leaving her on her lonesome to contemplate further. Little did she know, the next nine months would change her life forever.