Thank You, For Everything

Dinner

"Alice. Alice, wake up," Chic shook Alice awake, who groaned and held her head, "what happened? Are you okay?"

Alice felt like death. She didn't know how she had a hangover, she only had two glasses of wine. Although, she did down them. And cry. And drop the bottle. And cut her hands. Alice shot up from her seat, making Chic jump, and looked at her hands. They had stopped bleeding, but were covered in dried blood. Chic's eyes widened at the state of her hands, and when he turned to get Hal, who he had seen leave the house earlier, Alice grabbed his arm.

"Chic, honey," Alice said, "if I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell anyone. Promise me," Alice led her son into the kitchen, took some painkillers and made herself and her son some coffee. Chic nodded at Alice, urging her to continue, "Hal found a phone on the floor last night. It's that man's phone. Chic, I looked through it, he's got a family," Alice looked down in shame. She smiled and squeezed her son's arm when Chic offered to dispose of the phone on his way to work tomorrow. Alice spent the rest of Monday in bed sleeping and getting over her hangover.

--

Alice looked up from her laptop and took her glasses off when her daughter approached her after walking through the door after a day of school.

"Can Jughead and Mr Jones come over for dinner on Saturday?" Betty asked her mother.

"Of course, honey," Alice smiled at her daughter, put her glasses back on and continued writing, "why'd you ask?" she looked up when betty closed her laptop. Alice was ready to scold her daughter and opened her mouth to do so, but thought twice and, instead, closed her mouth and leaned towards her daughter.

"I wanted to do something for them. They helped us, mom. A lot," Betty took Alice's silence as approval and went to walk away from her, hoisting her schoolbag back on her shoulder.

Alice was silent for a few seconds before she spoke up, "would you like to help me plan and make dinner on Saturday, then?" Alice smiled at her daughter as she walked back to her mother, hoping she'd say yes. She noticed she was fiddling with her hands out of nervousness. Alice filled with dread, disappointment, and sadness when Betty stayed silent. But her daughters face lit up with a smile and she enthusiastically nodded her head, bounding up the stairs and in to her bedroom to tell Jughead.

Now she just needed to tell Hal their plans for Saturday. Alice took one look at her laptop and scrapped the article she had been writing. She didn't want to write about old Mr Pike's cat getting stuck up a tree. It was boring. And besides, everyone already knew the facts. Fred helped him get it down. Alice smiled to herself, thinking about Fred had always been a bit of a pushover. She remembered when both her and FP convinced Fred to try some marijuana at one of Hiram Lodge's parties while they were in high school. Alice made herself a cup of hot chocolate and slowly prepared dinner. There was no rush, it was only 4pm, and neither Hal nor Chic would arrive home until 6pm. She took her time deciding on what to make, opening the fridge and cupboards, and staring into them, chewing her cheek. She had the ingredients for spaghetti and meatballs, and everyone liked that meal. By 6pm, Alice was sat on the sofa reading a book while waiting for dinner to cook. The front door opened and she looked up to see Hal and Chic glaring at each other. She was about to go to her son's rescue, but relaxed back in her seat when Chic walked up the stairs. She blinked twice. Furrowed her brows. Her son had blanked her. He didn't even say hello. Alice looked at Hal in the corner of her eye, he was still glaring at the stairs, where Chic had been moments earlier. Had he said something? Alice wanted to presume otherwise, but now she wondered what lengths her husband would go to, to try and drive Chic away from the family. From her.

--

Chic quietly knocked on Betty's bedroom door and entered his sister's room. He couldn't shake what Hal had said to him outside the house. They both arrived home at the same time; Chic took his time walking so he wouldn't bump in to Hal. He wondered if his dad was waiting for him. Not that Chic believes Hal is his dad, not after what he said to him. Their bickering walking up to the front door had ended with Hal telling Chic that he wasn't his son. Chic had suspected for a while now, Hal had hated him the moment he set foot in the house. Chic didn't know why, Hal had no reason to.