chapter twenty seven , D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E

a/n : it's not just Gus that's going to be in pain this season 🤞

━━━━━━━━━━

Fallon was alone in her house.

Her mom was working late once again. But, her father was working in his office upstairs, which practically felt like the daughter was alone. She hated when that would happen.

Thankfully, her parents gave her the green light to have her friends come over. So, Fallon was inviting Gus, Nancy, and Robin over again. Her mom doesn't know Gus is coming over. And hopefully, it'll stay like that. Fallon had everything planned (like always). The Price girl was a control freak. It was hard for her to let someone else take over something. Especially if it came to things she thought were important like movie nights. She usually was the person who bought the snacks (since she always knew what everyone likes), volunteered to be the hostess, and picked out the movies (once again, she knew what everyone liked). Fallon looks at the bowl of snacks on the coffee and places her hands on her hips.

"Perfect."

Fallon's eyes catch the bowl off the edge of the coffee table. Fallon starts to tap her fingers against her thigh. She knew the bowl wouldn't fall, but it still made her overthink. Then Fallon wouldn't stop thinking about it and she wouldn't be concentrating on having fun. Fallon slightly pushes the bowl onto the coffee table, so it was balanced. A smile forms on her lips and she exhales a breath of relief.

"Okay, now everything is perfect." Fallon holds her hands out. She looks at the clock on her wall and inhales a soft breath. She makes her way over to the laundry room and grabs pillows and blankets. The curly-haired girl folds the blankets and sets them on the couch. She sets the pillows on top of the blankets and sighs.

Every time Fallon had her friends over, she was able to relax and have fun. It was nice not having to worry about college, school, and her parent's marital issues. Fallon looks back at the clock and she raises a brow. "Okay, 5 minutes late...not a bad thing." she presses her lips together. Then the girl starts to do it. She starts to overthink. Fallon thinks about Barbara. Leaving her friend alone to walk home was stupid of her. It wouldn't hurt to call, right?

Fallon makes her way around her house and gets to the landline in the kitchen. She picks up the phone. Before Fallon could dial Robin's home number, she hears muffled voices coming from the phone. She presses the phone against her ear.

"Okay, what else would you do?" A woman's voice inquires.

"Oh, now that's a surprise."

Fallon pulls her brows together, hearing her father's voice.

"Oh, come on! You can't leave me hanging like that." The woman's laugh was airy. Fallon's breathing silently quickens. She recognizes that tone because almost everyone at school uses it to flirt. Fallon didn't want to assume anything, but this was becoming pretty fucking clear.

"When am I gonna see you again?" The woman asks.

Fuck.

"Soon. Cynthia has to meet a client in Colorado Wednesday."

Fallon's eyes fill with tears and she covers her mouth.

"And your daughter?"

"She's probably going to be buried in her books." Greg sighs. "That's all she cares about, because of..."

"Because of your wife."

Fallon takes her hand off her mouth. Whoever is on the phone, knows exactly what she is doing. She knows he was taken.

"Yeah...I keep telling her to enjoy life, but...she never listens."

"Well, I can't wait to see you--"

Fallon hooks the phone back onto the wall and she shakes her head. Something rises in her throat and she runs to the bathroom. The girl closes the door behind her and sits on the ground with her hands in her hair. Whatever Fallon heard was her worse nightmare. Her parent's love was a mirage. Her father wasn't happy and instead of doing the brave thing, he decided to lie and cheat. Fallon hits the back of her head against the wall.

The doorbell rings throughout the house and a small whine leaves Fallon's lips. How could she even pretend for everything to be okay when she barely processed this information? Fallon knows her parent's relationship wasn't the best. But, she didn't think it was so bad that her father would have an affair.

The doorbell rings again.

"No, August."

"What? Guys, she could be in trouble." Gus looks at the two girls. "I'm either gonna kick the door down or pick the lock."

"Pick the lock," Robin speaks.

"Neither," Nancy speaks.

Nancy looks at Robin and the Buckley girl opens her mouth. "I meant...neither—I was going to say neither the first time..." she scratched the back of her neck.

Gus raises her leg and the door swings open. Fallon looks at Gus' raised leg. "Were you gonna...kick my door down?"

Gus freezes, but her leg was still in the air. She then holds her hand out and lets out a nervous chuckle. "Nooooo..." Gus slowly lowers her leg. "I was gonna...rub the mud off my shoe. Because there's...mud on it."

Robin leans toward Gus. "Nice save."

Gus looks at Robin and they bump fists. Nancy knits her brows together, "Fal, you okay?"

Simultaneously, Robin and Gus look at Fallon. The curly-haired girl wipes at her eyes. "Yeah, I just got a bad grade on my test and my parents don't know about it yet."

Robin shrugs her shoulders. "Well, then that means we have a few hours until you get in trouble." She raises her arms. "Let's watch some—"

"Star Wars!"

Everyone looks at the brunette. Gus raises her brows.

"I'm pretty sure Fallon already has the movies picked out, right Fal?" Robin looks at the girl with a smile.

Fallon manages a small smile. "Yeah, I do. But, I'm sure if we have enough time we can watch Star Wars or something else."

The girls all keep a suspicious eye on Fallon and the girl raises her brows. "What? What did I say?"

"I might have wax in my ears or something, but..." Gus sticks a pinky in her ear. "Did you just kinda say that we weren't not gonna follow your hang out itinerary entirely?"

Fallon presses her lips together. "If that's where the night takes us. Yeah." She holds a hand out, motioning for the girls to enter. Fallon walks through the house and Robin grabs Gus and Nancy's wrists. They both turn to the worried girl.

"Okay, so, are we just going to pretend like there isn't something wrong with Fallon?" Robin whispers. "I mean she's basically saying 'Y.O.L.O.' And we all know Fallon isn't a 'Y.O.L.O.' kind of person."

Gus scrunches her lips together. Picking up on the certain kind of worried Robin was feeling for Fallon. Gus looks at Nancy and arches a brow. "We've noticed, Robin. We just...have to be patient, until Fallon is ready to talk."

Robin nods her head. "Okay, okay—yeah, that's cool." She lets out a dry chuckle. "We just have to wait..."

She slightly opens her mouth. "But, what if we wait so long to the point that Fallon breaks down and accuses us of never caring for her since we didn't ask her how she was?" Robin looks from Nancy to Gus. "That's bad. That could be bad, right?"

Nancy slightly tilts her chin up. "That...would be bad—yes."

"But, that won't happen," Gus interjects. "We'll give Fallon by the end of the night. And if she doesn't tell us. We just ask her what's wrong."

"And if she lies?"

Gus frowns, "We can't exactly...make her tell the truth." she shrugs a shoulder. "So, whatever answer she gives us we have to be okay with it."

☆

Fallon looks at each girl, as they sit in silence. Gus' mouth was hanging wide open, not able to chew the popcorn anymore. Nancy's eyes were trained on her hands. She didn't know what to say to Fallon, so how could she look at her? And Robin just had her eyes on Fallon's. Sympathy heavily weighing in them. Robin wasn't great at helping others sort through their emotions. But with Fallon, she wanted to be there for her. In any way possible.

"I am so sorry, Fallon."

Fallon slowly nods her head, "Yeah, so am I..." she wipes her nose.

"Jeez...are we sure me and Nancy should be considered the sluts in town, because your dad--"

"Hey, Dingus." Robin snaps.

Nancy pinches Gus' arm and the Gus lets out a yelp. She looks back at Fallon, "I really am sorry, Fal. I shouldn't joke in a time like this."

Fallon presses her lips into a small line. "I would've laughed if...the joke was made months from now. Probably..."

Gus' shoulders sag, knowing she just made the situation worse. "I think...I should go..." she scratches the side of her neck.

"Actually, I think you should all go."

Gus' mouth hangs open. "Oh, shit. Did I ruin it for everyone else?"

"No, Gus. I mean, I have to talk to my dad. Alone." Fall shrugs a shoulder. "Also, my mom is going to be here soon, and...I've gotta clean this up."

"We could stay and help you clean up," Nancy suggests with a small smile.

Fallon manages a smile, "Guys, I'm fine. Seriously." she inhales. "And I will call all of you if I end up not being okay."

Fallon meets Robin's eyes. It was obvious the short-haired girl didn't want to leave Fallon. The curly-haired girl smiles softly, her eyes reading 'I'll be okay.'

Robin reluctantly relaxes. She grabs her shoes and points them and puts them on. Nancy and Gus follow suit. Before Gus put her second shoe on, she points it at Fallon. "If you don't call me, I'm going to be one upset friend, Fallon Price."

Fallon lets out a soft chuckle and Gus smiles softly. She was glad that she got Fallon to laugh. Fallon holds a hand up, "I promise, I will call you."

Gus lets out a breath. "I'm really sorry about my joke that ended up being a bitchy comment." she tilts her head.

"It's all right, Gus. I'm not mad." Fallon presses her lips into a small smile. Gus' watch beeps and she quietly curses. "I need to skedaddle."

"Okay, but never say 'skedaddle' again." Robin grimaces.

Gus slips her van on and she rolls her eyes. "Oh, come on! That sounded awesome! Nance?"

Nancy presses her lips together and shakes her head. "Sorry, but—no."

Gus' mouth hangs open and she quietly scoffs. "Unbelievable." she points at the two. "One day, you will appreciate what I bring to the table."

"Yeah, in like the year 'never going to happen'." Nancy voices.

Robin laughs softly. The three girls walk over to the front door and Fallon watches them leave. Robin looks back at Fallon, "Good luck, Fal."

Fallon smiles softly and waves her hand. "Thanks."

As soon as the door closed behind the three girls, the house fell silent. Fallon's smile falls and her hand drops into her lap. She inhales a shaky breath and stands up. Fallon takes her time cleaning up the front room. She sits on the couch in silence, anxiously waiting for her father to come down from his work office. As minutes went by, Fallon starts chewing on the asking of her fingers. Her stomach started to turn in a painful manner. She was afraid to confront her father, but she couldn't walk around this house like everything was okay. That would hurt her even more.

A small clatter is heard beside her. She turns her head and looks at her dad's dark silhouette moving through the dark room. Greg inches toward the front door.

"Going somewhere?" Fallon voices, her tone hoarse.

Greg quickly turns to the couch. He flips the light on and sees his daughter sitting on the couch. Greg lets out a soft breath, "Christ, Fallon! You scared me." he chuckles. "Why are you just sitting in the dark.

Fallon keeps her eyes on her father. "Dramatic effect."

"Well, it was dramatic, all right." Greg chuckles.

"I thought you would be in your room--"

"With my head buried in my books?" Fallon raises her brows. "I mean, I thought about doing that, but then I thought 'why not just catch my dad doing the walk of shame instead'?" she shrugs.

"I'm sorry?"

"It's weird how you're going out right now." Fallon shrugs. "Especially since you said you would be meeting Ashley when mom goes to Colorado."

Greg's confused smile drops.

"Fal--"

"You're a whore."

Greg's nose flares, "Fallon Lee-Anne Price--"

"Do you prefer slut?" Fallon stands up from the couch.

"Talk to me like that again--"

"I heard you on the phone with Ashely!" Fallon snaps, she walks toward her father and stands in front of him. Greg's heart drops into his stomach as Fallon's eyes with tears.

"You lied! You lied to me and you lied to mom!" Fallon cries. "How could you do this? Do you not care about us?"

"I love your mother--"

"No, you fucking don't!" Fallon bites. "If you loved her, you would've talked to her about your issues. Or you would've divorced her! But you took the coward's way out--you're disgusting!" she wipes her eyes. "You're a disgusting piece of shit! And you should be ashamed of yo--"

Greg slaps Fallon across her face. Fallon's head snaps to the side, her eyes glued to the ground. Silence filled the living room and Fallon touches her face. Greg's angry-filled expression changes into a shocked one. He looks at his hand, then his shaken daughter.

"Fallon, oh fuck. I am so--"

Fallon slaps her father's hand away from her. She keeps her teary eyes on his. "You can tell mom the truth. Or I will." She turns on her heel and quickly walks up the stairs to her room. Fallon's breathing starts to become ragged and she enters her room. She quickly closes the door behind her and goes to her bed. Fallon lays under her covers and her eyes stay glued to her alarm clock. A painful lump forms in Fallon's throat and instead of swallowing it, she allowed it to rise and escape her lips. She lets out a soft cry and it quickly changes into a quiet sob.

And just like that. The perfect image the Prices have tried so hard to build now started to crack.

...

"You son of a bitch!"

Fallon's eyes fly open as glass shatters. Her breathing quick. She stumbles out of her bed and follows the screaming that was downstairs. Fallon grips the banister and cautiously yet quickly, made it to the first floor.

"I gave you everything!"

Fallon speeds into the dining room to see her mom tossing a vase to the ground. The curly-haired girl flinches as she watches her mom hit her dad's chest. "M-Mom?!"

"Get out! Get the fuck out!"

"I'm sorry, Cynthia--please!" Greg's voice starts to shake. "It meant nothing--"

"Shove it up your dickhole, Greg!" Cynthia shoves him toward the door. "Go!" she grabs another vase and chucks it at the door. Fallon flinches again. In all her 18 years, Fallon has never seen her mom scream or cry. Not like this. There was one specific moment when her mom was crying. That was etched into Fallon's brain forever.

Cynthia's mom had passed due to lung cancer. Cynthia comforted everyone else and took care of all the arrangements without shedding a tear. Fallon just happened to be passing her mom's room that day and she heard her mom's muffled wails. Her mom's wails was something Fallon never wanted to hear again. It made Fallon want to cry just as hard. Like right now.

"Cynthia, I love you--"

"No, no, no--you have to go!" Cynthia pushes him toward the door. "I'll mail you your shit."

"Don't do this, Cynthia! We can come back from this we're a family--tell her Fallon!"

Cynthia turns to her daughter, finally noticing her there. Fallon had tears practically flooding in her eyes and she was pinching the back of her hand. Cynthia looks back at Greg with wide eyes. "Don't you do that! Don't you dare guilt her into agreeing with you!" she opens the front door and shoves the begging man out.

"Cynthia, please--"

Cynthia slams the door shut and bangs her hands against it while sobbing. Fallon's mouth slightly opens, "Mom, stop!" she runs over to her. Fallon wraps her arms around her mom and pulls her away from the door. Cynthia's breathing quickens and she sobs harder than before. Fallon softly cries as Cynthia collapses to the ground with her daughter.

All this time, Fallon thought that her father was her hero. She thought she was the most similar to him. But at this moment, understanding how much pressure her mom had to endure on a day-to-day basis. Fallon understood how much a hero her mom was. Even though her mom would set unfair expectations, it's because she knows Fallon can reach them. She has that much faith in her daughter. Tears roll down Fallon's cheeks and she rubs her mom's back.

"Hey, I'm right here." Fallon quietly reassures her mom. "I am not going anywhere. I am right here."

Fallon sat with her mom for hours, until she went to sleep. The daughter didn't move once. She wanted to be there for her mom. It was just them now. They had to look out for each other. Fallon was ready to take on the world for her mom. Only if her mom wanted it too.

Fallon cautiously places a hand under her mom's head, keeping it up. She then moves her legs from under her mom's head and gently places her mom on the floor. Fallon walks to the linen closet, grabbing a pillow and blanket. She walks back into the living room to see her mom slowly waking up.

"Fallon?" Cynthia looks at her daughter.

"Hey, ma." Fallon sits on her knees in front of her mom. Cynthia sits up and rubs her eyes.

"Did I really sleep on the floor?" Cynthia asks.

"Yeah." Fallon nods. "There was...a lot going on earlier."

Cynthia looks around the house, seeing the broken glass and chairs on their sides. "I can't believe I acted like that. And in front of you." She covers her face with embarrassment. "I am so sorry, Fallon."

Fallon shakes her head. "You don't have to apologize for being human, mom." She holds the pillow and blanket out to her. "I was going to let you continue sleeping, while I cleaned—"

"Oh, sweetheart—absolutely not." Cynthia stands up. Fallon follows suit. "Mom, you were working all night and with everything happened earlier this morning, I'm guessing you didn't get much sleep." She folds her arms. "You need to get your rest. Today's your day off, right? Before Colorado."

"Colorado—I can't go to Colorado." Cynthia lets out a soft cry. Fallon's throat tightens and she touches her mom's arm.

"Mom, you can't let him win." Fallon says softly.

Cynthia looks at her daughter.

"Dad, wants to keep this family together. Despite what he did, he wants to stay a 'family'." Fallon states. "And if our lives go in the toilet after he leaves then...that means that he's right. That means we need to stay a family even after everything he did."

Fallon shakes her head. "I can't do that." She presses her lips together. "Can you?"

Cynthia felt it in her heart. A part of her wanted to welcome Greg back with open arms. She wanted to forget everything that was revealed. Cynthia wanted to stay oblivious to the entire thing. Because, at least, everyone was together. They were a family. Then she starts to think about everything she put Fallon through. After everything Cynthia had put her daughter through, she was still standing in front of her; reassuring her that they could handle being alone.

And that made Cynthia hopeful for their future. The new chapter that started off with a heart wrenching discovery.

Cynthia manages a small smile and Fallon lets out a breath of relief.

"Hell no."

━━━━━━━━━━

author's note.

Men...am I right?

Fallon and her mom's relationship mending is going to add years onto my life

I love Robin worrying about Fallon sm!

I think this chapter was a bit shorter than usual, but next chapter we're going to be officially be following the season 2 storyline!

Now back to the regular scheduled program!

Words : 3479