Living Next Door To Alice

21/ Toledo

It had been two weeks in Toledo. Two weeks since he left Riverdale behind, for good. And every day he was soaked into his negative spiral more and more.

FP wasn't happy, and he wasn't sure he would be in this town, with her. But his kids, he did everything for them. Including being in a city that didn't feel like home and sleeping next to a woman he didn't really love.

"FP, can you come out of bed already? It's been after 10." Gladys had knocked on the door for the second time. She sighed deeply annoyed.

"I'll be there in a sec." FP mumbled, still lying under the sheets, his eyes closed and his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Why is Dad still asleep?" Jellybean asked curiously, as she was eating a bowl of cereal.

She had always known her father as an earlybird before he got sick. He was better now, wasn't he?

"Because he pities himself." Gladys scoffed.

She tried to make breakfast for her and Jughead, but every movement she made indicated that she was tense.

Still no movement from the bedroom door.

"FP, seriously. Get your ass out here now. I didn't ask for you to come back so you can pull this shit again!" She yelled through their small house.

Jellybean tensed up a little. Why did her mom talk to her dad like that? Weren't they supposed to get back together instead of fighting all the time like they used to?

"Calm down, Mom. He said he'd be there in a bit." Jughead defended his father, as he felt that she was crossing a line.

It stayed silent at the other side of the door, where FP was still lying in bed. He pushed himself up a little, his head spinning. His surroundings were blurry as he was trying to open his eyes. He rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands and sighed deeply.

Jughead quietly poked his head inside. His eyes met those of FP. His sight was clear now.

"Dad? You okay?" He asked with concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'll go get changed. I'm fine." FP croaked out, as he gathered his jeans and flannel from the floor.

"Jughead, stop babying him. He's a grown man." Gladys snarled from the kitchen.

Jughead turned his head back and shot her a stern look. She didn't notice. Instead, the insults would go on and on.

"So what he has a bad day? We all have one every now and then and you don't see us laying in bed around the clock. He's an adult, it's time to get over that bullshit." Gladys spat bitterly, taking the change to glare at FP now Jughead had opened the bedroom door that made their barrier disappear.

"Stop talking to him like that! You know that is not fair, Mom." Jughead suddenly exclaimed. His blood had slowly started to boil until he couldn't listen to it any longer.

"You know what's not fair, Jughead? Us having to deal with all that." Gladys whispered dangerously low, as she came close to her son's face.

"You asked him to come back to save the family but all you do is make things worse." Jughead scoffed, finally telling her what was on his mind since day one. The longer his dad was in Toledo, the more he realized how big of a mistake this was.

This wasn't the happy father he had back in Riverdale. He was breaking, crumbling, until there was nothing left of him. He didn't want to see that once more. Maybe this time he wouldn't be so lucky to survive.