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Okay maybe she should have gone home already but a part of her didn't want to. No, she was sick of the routine she followed daily. Sick of the always repeating days that seemed to always be the same. Well, it should be same that is why there was a routine. But now, now she was quite sick of it and wanted to break the pattern. She ignored the calls of her husband, muting her phone as she sat in pure silince in her car, thinking. Or kind of thinking. She didn't really know. How could she break the pattern? Well, there were quite some options but there was this little voice that called most of those stupid and reckless ideas which she could agree with. Yet she felt the need to do one of those. Maybe a part of her wanted to go back to her roots. To the life she used to live, one were breaking the rules was the main goal and damn how she used to love that. She wasn't stuck somewhere back then. No, she was free. 

Now she had to put on a smile and live the happy life at the Northside where everything was so perfect and unchanging that it made her sick like now. Sometimes she wanted to just simply breakthrough it all, become for just one moment back her younger self and not give a fuck about everything around her or that things could go possibly wrong. Maybe that is why she made up her mind and drove to the Southside. If she wanted to be back her younger self, well, than she could start at the Southside and maybe it will help her to just break the routine for a moment. Just for a night. One single night. 

"Alice Cooper, lost your way?"A curious FP Jones asked when she walked inside the Whyte Wyrm, looking around at the bar that hadn't changed a bit since back in the days. "I came for a drink."She answered shortly, making her way towards the bar where Hog Eye was making her usual drink, hoping it was still her favorite. "All the way in the Southside? I believe there are some fancy bars back at the rich side."FP threw back yet following her as she took a seat, trying to ignore him which proved to be harder as he sat down next to her. "Maybe I wasn't looking for a fancy bar, Jones."She said with a roll of her eyes. Couldn't he leave her alone for a minute? "Lowering your standards, Ali?"He asked, a smile on his lips. "Guess that is why I'm sitting next to you."She threw back as he placed a hand on his chest, acting hurt at that comment. "You hit me right in the feelings, babe."He said, slightly dramatically, waving at Hog Eye for a drink who just came to put her drink in front of her. "Go cry in your office, Forsythe."She hissed, drinking her drink up in one go. "Oh so you heard I'm the king now?"He asked, slightly surprised that she knew that as she just pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm a journalist, what did you expect?"She asked back with a raised eyebrow. "It's my job to know things."She added. "So you know it to drag me through the dirt than?"He asked as her blue eyes looked at him for a moment. "I wouldn't do that."She muttered. What did he expect from her? That Hal did that, alright there she had no say in it but she would never publish a negative article about him. She still cared about him. "I'm just teasing you."He said when an awkward silince hung in the air between them. He didn't want the conversation to end like that. No, he liked to have her here, even when it was just for a night. "You know I'm married."She said sternly, trying to draw the line between them as he just chuckled at that. "So am I."He said back, holding up his hand to show his wedding ring to her. Well, she knew that obviously. "Can't we just talk like friends?"He asked, studying her as the words hit her. Friends...

Well, it was true. They were just friends, nothing more but yet it kinda stinged hearing that word from his lips. Did she miss him? Did she miss what they had? Isn't she happy? How would it have been? 

That would have been the not so predictable lifestyle that she was now chasing to break out of the shell of the bored Northsider. "Want to lose another game of pool?"She asked, wanting to change the subject really badly, not wanting any awkwardness in the air even when it was already present. "I never lose, Alice."He said, accepting the competition she was putting on, raising from the barstool he sat on. "You lost plenty of times."She threw back with a smirk as he laid the balls on the table, eyes holding hers as he did so before putting the white ball on the dot. "Ladies first."He said, handing the cue to her with a wink as she just shook her head. 

Was this how it was supposed to be? Friends playing a game of pool? She asked herself, wondering about it but somehow with him it always felt different yet she couldn't keep away from him. She had the option to walk away and leave him behind but she did not. No, she always managed to find her way right back. She could feel the buzzing of her phone in her pocket as she bowed over the table, aiming before shooting seeing a few balls roll in the holes. "Still got it, Ali."He said, clapping his hands as she just smirked at that, more she couldn't do. 

As they played, she couldn't help but look at her phone, seeing all the missed calls from Hal but the text message was what drew her attention. 

Betty: Mom, where are you?

Friends, that is how it is supposed to be.

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