Bette Porter

Curator at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery, known for its support of up-and-coming artists working in innovative forms who will change the contemporary art space.

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Melting Pot // Alice & Bette

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“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.

“Are you going to Dana’s housewarming party? I would rather be stabbed in the face with rusty scissors, but I’m a good friend, you know? With my luck, Lara will be there pitying me again.”

[bette--porter]

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. 

“Yes, I’m going.” If there were even the slightest chance of Tina being there, she would be certain to make an appearance. “Lara isn’t even in the city,” she added reasonably, even though she actually wasn’t sure if that were true. “Isn’t she still in Paris?”

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Melting Pot // Alice & Bette

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“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?” 

Alice laughed as they sat there, silence hanging over the table. “Look at us, Bette. So fucked up.” 

[bette--porter]

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.” 

The mention of the past made her sigh again. “You’re being too hard on yourself. You weren’t yourself. Everyone understands... besides, I thought you had already moved past that.” Dana and Alice’s revitalized friendship seemed proof of that, but she didn’t want to make any assumptions. 

“I know... and I am the wrong person to ask for advice. Have you spoken with anyone else about this?”

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Melting Pot // Alice & Bette

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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.

“I don’t know. I love Tasha, she’s so strong and direct and doesn’t take my shit. I just feel like, maybe, something’s missing? I don’t have that same desire to spend time with her and talk about my day and find out what’s going on in her head. And yeah, I know that excitement doesn’t last forever and turns into a kind of comfort, but it’s just different than it was with…other people. Maybe it’s me. It’s probably me,” Alice said, defeated.  

[bette--porter]

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.

“It isn’t you,” she said patiently. “She just isn’t the one, however insipid that sounds. It does make a difference.” Bette had no idea what the relationship between Alice and Dana consisted of, beneath the exterior of friendship they both tried so hard to portray. “There isn’t anything wrong with biding your time with Tasha. It doesn’t have to last forever.” She poured herself more tea. “How does Dana feel? She isn’t dating anyone.”

[thisyearsgirls]

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Melting Pot // Alice & Bette

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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.”

“Maybe we aren’t that good. But you know, we’re just getting back into our groove since settling here. She wants to watch TV, I want to go out and see the city. It’s a good balance really.”

Alice sipped her latte calmly, wondering if Bette was buying anything she was selling.

[bette--porter]

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.

“How is that a good balance?” She asked quietly, finding it hard to imagine getting along with someone who was essentially the polar opposite of yourself. “What’s going on? You don’t have to keep things from me, Alice. God knows, I’m not going to look down on you from where I’m standing.” 

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Melting Pot // Alice & Bette

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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. 

“I don’t even know what to say, Bette. I think you’re wrong. Maybe when she drops off Angie with you, you can finally hash this out. I know Tina’s gone MIA, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about you. I’m sure of it,” she said, silently praying that Tina didn’t ask her to be the one to drop Angie off to Bette.

Trying not to seem obvious, Alice was desperate for a subject change. Her friend needed a distraction, so it might as well be something Alice was interested in. “So, have you talked to Dana much lately? I’ve been you know, keeping my distance a little. Don’t want to make things awkward,” Alice said, cocking her head. Such lies. But it made her feel better to think that she was the one in the driver’s seat. 

[bette--porter]

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.

“I can’t talk about it in front of Angie.” She took a sip of her coffee, cringing at how cold it already was. 

Alice’s change of subject wasn’t surprising. She sighed and shook her head. “I haven’t seen her, no.” She looked up and frowned sympathetically. “Is it still hard to be around her? Doesn’t it make a difference, now, with Tasha?” She knew Alice and Dana had dated and the relationship had been intense, but they had come back together again while Dana had been sick and their friendship had seemed stronger than ever. 

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Melting Pot // Alice & Bette

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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. 

“It’s not exactly like that, Bette. You know Tina. She freaked out, and I love you, I love you to death, but she had her…reasons. I really think you guys should just talk.” Alice drew in a breath and sagged in her chair. “Since it’s all either of you ever talk about,” she muttered under her breath. “Aren’t you getting Angie for the summer?”

It was hard. Alice loved her friends with all of her heart, but sometimes she felt like her own life took a back burner. Bette only talked about Tina, Tina only talked about Bette, Shane was a pod-person being held captive by Jenny, and Jenny was…Jenny. The pointless drama of Gabby Deveaux seemed almost…alluring at this point.

[bette--porter]

“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. 

It was only the mention of Angie that made her soften. Gritting her teeth, Bette nodded and folded her hands around her coffee cup. “It makes it easier to date when you aren’t taking care of a child,” she replied coldly. It was wrong of her and she knew it, but it was difficult not to lash out at Tina - and Jenny. She wasn’t sure who she was angrier at. “How am I supposed to talk to her when she refuses to talk to me? Don’t you think I’ve tried? I’ve begged her, I’ve pleaded with her, I’ve done everything but slit my own wrists. This is obviously what she wants. She wants to believe that I cheated on her and lied to her - so much so that she would listen to Jenny before listening to me.” She knew she was repeating herself, but she didn’t care. Shane had heard it, Dana had heard it and Alice had heard it. Alice was the one she felt closest to, who knew her to the core, and perhaps that was part of the problem.

[slayers]

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Melting Pot // Alice & Bette

“What the fuck?” Alice spat, as she was nearly knocked over by a large man in an expensive suit. It enraged her that he didn’t even acknowledge her as he plowed by with a steaming cup of coffee. “That’s right, asshole! Enjoy your day!” She shook her head as she scanned the room until she saw a familiar face. Alice slid into the seat in a frenzied ball of blonde. 

“Bette, you look like shit,” she announced unceremoniously, sipping from her Styrofoam cup. “Are you still not sleeping?” 

Moving to New York was more of an upheaval than Alice expected. Two large entertainment/celebrity meccas, they couldn’t be that different. Wrong-o. She had hoped starting fresh in a new city with a new job would re-introduce the fire with Tasha that she longed for. So far, there was little more than kindling. 

She leaned forward, trying to read Bette’s laptop screen. “So it’s weird, right? That we’re all here? It’s like some unrealistic sitcom plot. Yet here we are. You ever think about moving home?”

[bette--porter]

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. 

That simple act had changed everything. Tina had ended the relationship, without seeming interested in any sort of explanation. For Bette, sleeping was out of the question. She was only a short few blocks from the house she had been supposed to share with Tina, but she couldn’t bring herself to be far from her. What she had wanted to do was refuse to leave the house. She hadn’t done anything wrong. At times, her devastation was overrun by pure fury. How could Tina even think she would do something like that, after everything, and after all they had been through? She had promised her. 

“Is it that obvious?” She asked Alice with a dry smile, making an effort to sit up straight in her chair. Bette was normally perfectly put together, but the break-up had taken its toll. Adding insult to injury, Tina was already dating somebody new. It was infuriating. It was insulting. 

She did nothing to stop Alice from seeing what was on her laptop. It was the official website for the New York City Ballet, stuck on the page of its principal dancer, Tamsin Fitzgerald. “I can’t believe it,” she murmured in reply at Alice’s comment about their lives being a sitcom, then gave a soft, wry laugh. Despite her demeanor, however, her answer was immediate. “No, how could I? Tina would never let me take Angelica. And I didn’t do anything wrong.” She had no idea if Alice would even believe her - who would, if Tina didn’t? “Did you know about her?” She gestured to her laptop screen. “Did you know she’s already dating again? A ballerina.” She said the word mockingly, despite her appreciation for the arts, but her disdain was actually directed toward Tina.

[theautonomoustinakennard]

New York, New Life

[theautonomoustinakennard]

"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. 

Once Tina had buckled Angelica into her booster and waved her off, she turned back into the house. Bette was just standing there, doing nothing, and Tina still felt a tiny butterfly ignite in her stomach. “So…now what?” Tina asked innocently.

[bette--porter]

"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." 

Bette frowned, her hand lowering briefly to stroke the top of Angelica's hair, but then she looked back up at Tina. "I think so. She's a little busy with her new restaurant, but I'm sure she'll take the night off. She's already hired a few new people." She paused by the doorway to watch her partner see Angelica off, then smiled when she looked back at her and held out her hand. "Come here," Bette said softly, her eyes locked on Tina's. 

[theautonomoustinakennard]

New York, New Life

[theautonomoustinakennard]

"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. 

"Angie’s car pool will be here in a little bit," she said, grabbing a brush to fix her daughter’s hair. "And then we have a few hours before I need to be on set," she said in a sing-song voice, waggling her eyebrow seductively at Bette. Things were good. Better than they had been in a very, very long time.

[bette--porter]

"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."

Nodding, she straightened and double-checked the bag she'd packed for her daughter earlier that morning. "She should have everything she needs." Bette's gaze shifted to Tina and she smiled, playing along. "Oh, really? Hours? I'll fill them."

[slayers]

[theautonomoustinakennard]

New York, New Life

A smile crept up Tina’s lips as she silently watched Bette and Angelica on the floor of the playroom, dressing up Barbies and discussing the ball that the dolls would be attending. Tina leaned against the doorway, feeling more content than she had in a very long time. This move had been a good thing for her, for her family. California was wonderful, and it had been her home for a good part of her life. But it was also shrouded in some pretty terrible memories. This was a chance for them to start new. To start over.

"Bette," she said softly, sad to break up the seriousness of the doll posing. "We really have to get our ducks in a row for this party. We haven’t even called the caterer yet. Are you sure you want to do this now? We don’t have to invite everyone over right this minute. We can wait until spring." Tina honestly didn’t care either way, but she knew Bette loved to entertain. She just didn’t want to add any undue stress.  

[bette--porter]

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. 

It wasn't that Bette didn't fully support Shane, she just didn't support Jenny, and it was hard to think of them separately since they had become a couple. Even thinking about Shane's girlfriend gave her a raw, sinking feeling that she had to force herself to push aside. Each time she saw Jenny, it would get easier. Bette was convinced of that.

She had to be.

[bette--porter]

[bette--porter]

Pressure Points || Bette, Molly & Shane

[molly--kroll]

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.  

"Hey Bette," She said extending her hand to shake Bette’s in a professional manner.  "I’m great.  It’s been pretty exciting, moving to a new city and everything."  She pulled her hat off her head, a newly acquired piece to her wardrobe.  She hadn’t needed anything like that in the LA sunshine.  "Thank you.  I never imagined I would be going to Columbia, but I love it so far.

Bette was friendly, which Molly was happy about, but her nature was mostly all business.  This was a side of Bette she had never seen before, but she expected from everything her mother had told her about her new boss.  

"Thanks so much for finding me a position.  It means a lot to me."  

[shane--mccutcheon]

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. 

This time she left while Jenny was writing, without bothering to give an explanation. She took her coat and two packs of cigarettes with her (just in case), since she was buying twice as much in New York as she had in LA. 

Bette’s gallery wasn’t too far from their place. Two miles, maybe. Shane walked it. It saved money and it gave her more time out of the apartment, but by the time she actually reached the gallery she was fucking freezing. She opened the door and rubbed her hands together, then stuffed them in her pockets. Bette was standing a few feet away talking to another girl and Shane hesitated, not wanting to interrupt, and waited to catch her friend’s eye. When she did, she was unprepared for the look she got… at least, until the other girl turned around. 

Molly. 

At first, Shane was convinced this was some sort of surreal dream, brought on by the bizarre run in she’d had with Carmen at the cafe, but after  several long, awkward seconds passed, she realized that she was actually standing in front of another one of her exes. “…Hey…” She cleared her throat, then jerked her thumb back toward the door. “Sorry, I’m… I didn’t mean to interrupt. I mean, I didn’t know you were in the city.”

[bette--porter]

"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.

It was true that Bette hadn't seen Shane as much as she could have since they arrived in the city. She felt surprised (but glad) to see her now, until she belatedly realized the tense situation it might create. Bette had heard about the awkward meeting between Molly and Shane after their break-up, which had seemed amiable enough (compared to Shane's past indiscretions), but it was still a situation she wasn't unprepared for. 

"Hello, Shane." Obviously there was an impending conversation that needed to happen between the two of them, and even though Bette had asked Molly to come into the gallery to start her first day of work, she gave her a small smile. "Go ahead. I only have some paperwork for you to fill out before you get started." She waited until Molly's back was turned before giving Shane a meaningful look, then retreated to give the two of them some privacy. 

[bette--porter]

Pressure Points || Bette, Molly & Shane

The call from Phyllis had been unexpected, but Bette was happy to promise Molly a position at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery. Although there wasn't much more to it than menial errands, it would still be a prestigious job to match Molly's acceptance into one of the country's highest ranking law schools. From what Bette knew of Phyllis' daughter, she was more than just a bright girl - she had been smart enough to step away from Shane before the relationship created irrevocable disaster.

These days, Bette thought as little as possible about Shane - because it also meant thinking about Jenny, a blight in her mind that would not, no matter how much she tried, completely disappear. It was sheer luck that Jenny had forgotten what she had thought she'd seen between Bette and Kelly (something that she still couldn't understand, especially because that night had been entirely platonic in nature), but that didn't mean her memory couldn't inexplicably return. That last conversation they'd had on the balcony also seemed to have been mercifully forgotten.

At least for one of them. Every second was burned into Bette's brain. She found herself exploding at Tina, Kit and even Angelica at the drop of a hat. Her naturally tightly wound nature was at its breaking point. Just two days before, she'd snapped and fired one of her best art movers for not properly measuring the space before maneuvering a brand new piece into the gallery. Her patience was waning. Her sanity was held by a finely strung cord that was slowly but steadily pulled tighter and tighter. For now, Bette explained her behavior to her partner as the natural stress of a new job and the mounting responsibilities of being a curator of such a distinguished collection with a formidable reputation, but she wasn't sure how much longer Tina would excuse her erratic behavior. 

Somehow, she managed a smile when Molly arrived, and even offered her hand. "Hello, Molly. It's been a while. How have you been?" Even though she knew Shane and Molly had dated for some time, Molly was, first and foremost, the daughter of her old supervisor. Bette intended to mention that Shane was also in New York City, but she saw little reason to dampen the first meeting with news that was unlikely to go over well. "I heard about your acceptance. Congratulations."

[bette--porter]

Text || Bette & Molly

Bette: Hello, Molly. Your mother said you've agreed to come work for the gallery. I would need you there monday at 8am sharp. We have a large shipment coming in.