Bette Porter

“No, I haven’t spoken to anyone else about this! Who? Dana? Shane? She’s a living, breathing, Stockholm Syndrome. So no, no one else.” Alice debated on talking to Tasha about everything, but knew herself well enough to know she would chicken out.

Bette laughed, but the sound was forced. The thought of Shane with Jenny used to amuse her, before she took it seriously, but now she felt nothing but lingering pity for Shane. She had no idea how Jenny had wormed her way into that relationship. What seemed harmless in the beginning was now festering into something toxic. 

“Biding my time with Tasha? God, Bette, that makes me sound like a such a fucking sleaze. How is that fair to do to her?” Alice covered her face with her hands and brought them down slowly. “Dana has no idea. Besides, she and I were a trainwreck. Remember the whole cardboard cutout debacle?” Alice shuddered. “Ugh, I was so gross. I don’t think she would ever go there again. And could you blame her?” 

Bette sighed. She didn’t think of Alice as a sleaze, how could she? She had done the same thing. It hadn’t been on purpose, but that didn’t make it excusable. “What if Tasha feels the same way? This hardly sounds one-sided. She’s perceptive enough to have picked up on it on her own, I’m sure.” 

Alice looked at her friend, feeling more connected to anyone than she had for a long time. Everything was so fucked up. Moving east was supposed to be a life-altering change for the better, but everyone was mired in their own misery. Only the scenery had changed, nothing else.

Bette listened sympathetically as Alice talked about what she had with Tasha. It didn’t surprise her; she had felt the same thing with Jodi. Yes, she had loved her, but it didn’t compare to what she had with Tina. Even while she was with Jodi, Tina continued to occupy her thoughts - and when she had the choice between the two of them there had been no hesitation.

Alice shook her head forcefully. “No, it’s not difficult to be around her! That would be stupid,” she scoffed, looking everywhere but directly at Bette. “Tasha and I are good. Good, good, we’re good. We’re good.” Alice leaned back in her chair and pursed her lips, clamped in a smile. “We’re good.”

Bette raised her eyebrows as she took a sip of her ice cold tea. She knew Dana and Alice’s history was, perhaps, more complicated than anyone else’s (besides the relationship between her and Tina). Her doubt was magnified by the number of times Alice said good in one breath and she had to resist the urge to laugh.

Alice sat silently, letting Bette rant without interruption. For the most part, Bette was right. Tina reacted exactly the way Jenny expected her to, and they both did so without any proof or discussion about what really happened. Just one more reason to hate the self-important douchebag. 

Bette shook her head when Alice said that she was wrong. She didn’t at all think she was wrong. To her, Tina’s actions proved everything she’d said, including her quick jump to a new relationship. She hadn’t met the girl and didn’t want to, but she knew it was inevitable. Tina still saw Shane, Alice, and Dana - and she had no right to cut her off from her own friends. She would stand her ground. Tina would see her. There was no reason that she should make her feel comfortable this time around.

Alice sighed heavily. Yes, she did know about Tina’s ballerina. She had talked to Tina extensively since the shit hit the fan, but she couldn’t tell Bette. She promised she wouldn’t. 

“Freaked out? I can understand if she freaked out, but freaking out does not mean you end a commitment without getting the facts straight. What she thinks happened makes absolutely no sense. Never once did she even ask me, Alice. She believed that contrived bullshit that Jenny fucking Schecter came up with, whatever it was. I have no idea what she told her or what she sent on her phone, but nothing happened. I cannot say that enough. I would scream it from the rooftop if I thought it made one iota of difference in the cataclysmic delusion Jenny dreamed up.” Unnecessarily defending herself was dehumanizing and demeaning. Bette hated it because only guilty people did it. The fact that she was innocent of any wrongdoing made Alice’s sympathy for Tina all the more infuriating. 

Melting Pot // Alice & Bette

Even though she normally would be able to muster a calming, even amused smile, Bette’s expression was haggard and her greeting was more of a grimace. It had not been an easy day. It had not been an easy week, or weeks - it had not been easy since their move to Manhattan. What had started as an opportunity to start anew ended in the worst way possible. Jenny had sent Tina the innocuous video of Kelly and her, the exact video she had held over Bette’s head for days on end. 

"They won’t be ruined," Tina said, cocking her head to the side. "I just wish things weren’t so weird between them. The awkwardness is…" Tina shuddered. "But I do miss everyone else. Do you know if Kit is going to make it?" Tina asked, taking Angelica’s hand. She walked her daughter to their front door, still registering surprise at seeing snowfall scattering the street. Lot of changes. 

"I don't think it's possible for things to be anything but weird with Jenny," Bette said, then sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose. "I didn't mean that. That sounded horrible, didn't it? I just feel bad for Shane. And Molly. I forgot to tell you, she's in New York now." She gave Tina a meaningful look. "I know that won't bode well." 

"No, you’re right. I just didn’t want to add anything to our plates if we didn’t need to. But if you’re up for the planning, then let’s do it," Tina smiled. It was such a nice change of pace to see Bette relaxed, even though she knew the fast-paced business life was something that Bette relished. "Do you think Jenny and Shane will come? Jenny has been MIA for a while. I still can’t believe everything that happened back home. It’s surreal," Tina said shaking her head. It wasn’t something Bette liked to talk about, but Tina couldn’t help it. The events of their last night played in her head like an old time movie reel. 

"I think it might be good for us," Bette said absently, latching the little drunk that was overflowing with Barbie clothes. Her movements slowed at the mention of Jenny and Shane. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, then forced a half-smile and shook her head. "I don't know. Granted, I would rather they not come if Jenny insists on bringing any drama." Bette purposefully avoided talking about what had happened in LA. It was impossible to deny that Jenny had changed after the... incident... but that sort of change unnerved her, for reasons she couldn't afford to consider. "Things have been so much better here." Bette smiled at Tina, unable to help herself. "I just don't want that to be ruined."

New York, New Life

The new job gave her more time than she knew what to do with. Bette was used to being busy, sometimes even frantic, and the downtime was often more stressful than having a packed schedule. She liked having the opportunity to spend time with her family, which always would be her first priority, but hosting a party was something extra to do that she was actually looking forward to. "We don't have to if you would rather wait," she said, folding Barbie clothes and tucking them back into the pink trunk. "I thought it would be nice to see our friends all in one place." Since they moved to New York, Bette had gotten the chance to see everyone fairly often, but usually at separate times because of their opposing schedules. She wasn't especially looking forward to the awkwardness that was Shane and Jenny, but they were adults, and if this was the relationship they wanted, then she would have to accept that. 

Molly walked into the gallery unsure of what to expect.  She was glad her mom had gotten her a job, but she hadn’t exactly been very nice to Bette when they had first met.  Bette had taken her to a movie set and showed her around, but Molly had barely even bothered to thank her or act nice in any way.  She was sure Bette wouldn’t remember or hopefully wouldn’t blame her for her actions back then.  It had been a hard time for her, finding out her mother was gay and watching her father wither away during their divorce.  

Leaving the house had become like a strange ritual. Shane usually rotated different reasons, because it was always suspicious to use the same one twice. It wasn’t as if she actually did anything - she hadn’t cheated on Jenny once, not since Niki - but sometimes she just needed to be by herself. The clinginess and neediness was breaking down what little patience she had left. The last thing she wanted to do was snap at her girlfriend, who was fragile enough, and the only other option was to just… get out. 

"I'm sure you'll do well." Bette wouldn't have agreed to hire her otherwise. It actually felt as if the position would be beneath someone like Molly, who should be able to handle more than routine office work, but at least it would give her something to do and it would take the weight off Bette's shoulders. She was about to say something else, but then became distracted when a familiar person walked right through the front doors.