Favor // A Falice story

Chapter 34

Alice got on her car and started it. She went in her head over and over again about how she was gonna tell Jellybean about Betty. Jellybean probably wouldn't be very affected by it because any kid her age would love to have a big brother or sister. Alice pulled into the school's parking lot and waited for Jellybean, five minutes later the eleven year old got into the car. "Mom, guess what."

"What honey?" Alice asked as Jellybean buckled her seatbelt.

"Mark hugged me." Jellybean said excitedly and Alice smiled. Jellybean had been telling Alice about that boy in her class, how she started tutoring him and they had fun together.

"Really? How did it happen?" Alice asked looking at the road. She wanted to listen to Jellybean's happy story before breaking the news.

"We had that math test and like always I got an A, but this time he got an A and he came to me and hugged me." Jellybean was smiling ear to ear then she noticed Alice's eyes sparkling with tears. "Mom, are you ok?"

"Yes, yes I'm ok." Alice looked at Jellybean for a second somehow to prove that she was fine, but it only proved otherwise.

"Then why do you look like you're gonna cry?" Jellybean asked Alice who chuckles. Sometimes Alice wished Jellybean wasn't that smart.

"Your dad, FP. It turns out he has a sixteen year old daughter." Alice said and Jellybean looked at her confused. "When we were in high school he dated girls, a lot. And one of them got pregnant, but didn't tell FP a thing. She died a little while ago and that's when a social worker came with Betty, FP's daughter and he-we decided that she is gonna live with us, in your bedroom, you're gonna share it."

"Is she nice?" Jellybean asked Alice and she blinked a few times. She expected Jellybean to ask a lot of questions but that wasn't one of them.

"Yeah, she is nice." Alice smiled at her daughter and Jellybean returned the smile.

"Ok." Jellybean was satisfied with the answer and Alice didn't say anything as they got home. "Dad, I heard you have a daughter." Jellybean said as soon as she saw FP.

"I have two." FP smiled at Jellybean as she went to hug him. "What do you think about this?" FP was anxious about Jellybean's reaction.

"I think I need to meet her. Where is Betty?" Jellybean asked excitedly and FP told her she was upstairs in their bedroom so Jellybean wend there immediately.

"I made chicken." FP said to feel the awkward silence between him and his wife.

"The girls will come here when they're hungry." Alice told FP as she took off her shoes and jacket. "They need some time to get to know each other."

"Don't you wanna eat?" FP asked Alice and she shook her head no. "We can't do this."

"Do what?" Alice asked with a tired look in her eyes. She didn't want to fight with FP again.

"Not talk about the giant elephant in the room." FP said and stepped closer to Alice. "This is a huge thing that is happening. We can't ignore it."

"We're not ignoring it." Alice said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "We gave her a room, you signed your name on the birth certificate, we're gonna buy a bed for-"

"That's not what I mean and you know it." FP took another step towards Alice. He hoped he could wrap his arms around her and help her through everything because she was the one affected most by it. FP was happy that he had a daughter, Jellybean was happy she had a sister, but Alice didn't even know how she was supposed to feel.

"Don't do that." Alice shook her head and walked past FP. "You don't get to hug me then everything will be ok. I need to figure out what I'm feeling and I can't do it with you bugging me." Alice said firmly but with tears in her eyes which FP didn't see because she turned her back to him. Alice wanted to say more but her phone started ringing. "Yes Penny. What? Ok, how about we meet tonight and you'll tell me everything. Your place at seven? Ok. Bye!" It was a small conversation between the two of them but a very important one. "Penny needs me for the night."

"What happened?" FP asked Alice. He could practically hear tears and concern in her voice.

"She has some personal stuff going on and wants some help." Alice lied to FP. "Take the girls to Pop's tonight and maybe Wendy or Hermione and Fred can watch Charles. I will be at Penny's."

"Are you sure you wanna go alone? Maybe I can-"

"We don't need you." Alice said firmly and FP didn't say another word. Alice stepped towards the stairs and FP saw her wiping away her tears and she went upstairs probably to their bedroom.

FP laid down on the couch and covered his eyes with his hand. He was thinking about how he and Alice were supposed to get through that, how Alice was supposed to get through it. FP thought about how everything would've gone if he knew about Betty from the begging, but it would have probably been the same, except the fact that Betty wouldn't have been fatherless for the first sixteen years of her life. FP knew eventually he and Alice would have got together.

About an hour later Betty and Jellybean came into the kitchen and FP placed their plates with food in front of them and one in front of him before he sat down. "Isn't mom coming for lunch?"

"She is resting because she has a long night ahead of her with Penny." FP smiled even though he knew it wasn't entirely true. Alice was probably upstairs cuddling with Charles because that was making her feel better.

"If it's me-"

"Of course it's not you." FP smiled at Betty. "Penny is a tiring person so Alice needs all the sleep she can get."

"Ok." Betty gave FP a small smile before she took a bite of her food. Lunch was pretty quiet then the girls returned to their bedroom. FP decided he'd take Charles to Pop's too so there was no need to call Fred or Hermione and Wendy could have the night to spend with Tommy so he went upstairs to tell Alice that. FP slowly opened the door to their bedroom and just as FP assumed Alice and Charles were on the bed and Alice's arms were tightly wrapped around the baby.

"Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna take Charles with us to Pop's tonight." FP told Alice and she just nodded her head. "Do you hate me for this?" FP asked all of a sudden and Alice frowned. He only asked that because if he were Alice he would've hated himself for that, at least for a while.

"I don't hate you." Alice said simple and FP smiled a little at her.

"Ok."