New Beginnings

Deadbeat Dad

Betty remained unimpressed by her fathers attempt to sway her.

" C'mon! Give your old man a hug." He coaxed, opening his arms wide and ready for her to fall into, but she didn't reciprocate. Her only response was mocking laughter.

"You're old alright. What's with the snow top?" She asked gesturing to his hair.

Polly came down the stairs with Tyler on her hip. As soon as Brody laid eyes on the tot and tired teen, he beamed, rising from the couch and happily running his hands together

"So this is my little grandson then?"

"You let him stay?!" Polly scolded, turning to her mother as disgust crossed her features.

Alice removed her coffee from her lips, raising her hand to halt Polly and defend herself. "Just for the night. He's not gonna make a habit of it." She added, tightening her eyes his way.

"Speaking of last night, I meant what I said." Brody reminded them all sternly. "I'm sticking around, I want us to be a family again." He said with a hint of sincerity, almost swaying Alice and causing Polly to scoff. Betty however, wasn't sure how to react. One part of her was reminding herself of what a trouble making waste of space he was while the other was telling her that he was still her father, and despite the mistakes he's made, he was around now with plenty of time to fix and make up for them.

Alice strolled over to Polly, taking Tyler out of her hands and holding him on her hip. "Shouldn't you guys start getting ready?" She added, wanting to change the subject to literally anything.

Within the hour, the girls had gotten dressed and both left the house for school, leaving Alice and Brody alone.

Alice continued to pay as little attention to him as possible as she placed Tyler down in his playpen. She then turned around to find him leaning against the wall, a cocky grin on his face as his eyebrow as raised in excitement.

She cocked her head to the side, narrowing her eyes his way. "Don't!" She said to him sternly before walking over to the couch.

"Don't what Al? Afraid you can't handle yourself around me?" He joked before following her down to the couch, sitting in the other end as he knew she was pretty pissed off at him by this rate.

She playfully rolled her oval sapphire eyes as she reached for her cigarettes on the coffee table, trying hard to reign in laughter. As much of a pain in the ass he was, there was no doubt that he always knew how to make her smile.

He observed her closely as she lit her cigarette, watching the flame hit it as she pursed her lips around it. She inhaled deeply, slowly releasing the smoke from her lungs before pulling the cigarette out of her mouth and holding it between her fingers.

"So?" She coaxes, eyeing him up and down. "Where have you been?" Alice questions as the corner of her lip flicks upward.

Brody pursed his lips in thought, rocking back into the couch to tell his story. "Just around, trying to sort my life out, get my shit together."

"Hmm." She hummed in a judging tone. "More like you got into some trouble and now, your punk ass is in the run. So what was it this time? Drugs? Robbery?"

His face pulled into a suggestive smirk before chuckling lightly. "Why do you always think the worst of me?"

"Because you're always involved in some bullshit antics." She answered sassily

"Oh drop the act!" You know you've missed me." He grins smugly, slapping her knee lightly before she taps his hand away.

"Maybe the sex, but not you." She jested with a smirk.