Waking Up, chapter 16
It was empty. The whole house. Except for Billie's guitar room.
Billie wandered a bit. Going in to Joey's room. Then Jakob's. Then his and Adie's.
He didn't try to contact Adie. He didn't cry. He kept it all inside. Mike stopped by, but Billie didn't answer the door. Both he and Tre began calling a few times a day.
It had been nearly two weeks when Billie came out. He had been living on Chinese take-out and beer. He smelled like shit and looked like it too. There were black circles under his eyes and his skin was the color of milk.
He wandered the aisles of the grocery store, pulling random things into his cart. At the checkout, the girl eyed him carefully.
"You okay?" she asked, looking worried.
"What? Oh. Yeah... "
"I don't think so."
Billie laughed. For the first time in what seemed a very long time.
"Seriously!" she smiled. "Wait out back. I'm off my shift in five minutes,"
It wasn't a question, and Billie didn't want one. He smiled without hesitation.
"Okay," he said, grabbing his bags and walking out of the store.
She came out of the metal door, and let it slam behind her. Lighting a cigarette, she spotted Billie lying on his car hood.
"Hey," she said, walking up.
Peeking through his eyes, Billie smiled back. "Hey,"
"So. What happened?" she asked, climbing on to the hood too.
"What?"
"What screwed you so bad that you look like... " she paused. "Uh. That."
"My wife left me," Billie said simply, staring at the bleak grey sky.
"You fucking serious?" she asked, as though not surprised, but merely curious.
"Yes,"
He wasn't sure why he did, but he ended up telling her the whole story, from the very first time he met Adie, to now, with all the parts with Ella in it.
She just nodded along, frowning and smiling, and Billie felt comforted. He didn't feel stressed, or even the necessity to do anything. And shit, it was great.
As he finished the last part about mopping around his empty house for over a week and a half, she reached out and held his hand. Gently.
"I told you." She said simply.
"Told me what?"
"That you weren't okay," she smiled. "Well. Now that you've just spilt your life to me, I probably should say something about me. My name is Gemma, I'm 20 years old, my job sucks, I dropped out of college, my mom hates me and my step-brother proposed to me last night,"
"Did you just say that in one breath?" Billie asked, trying not to laugh.
"Probably." Said with a shrug.
"Did he seriously propose?"
"Hell yeah. It was the most fucking disturbing thing I've gone through. For one thing, he was like my brother ever since I was twelve, another, he wanted me to marry him. Ew."
Billie laughed loudly. Gemma elbowed him.
"Not funny."
"Kinda funny," Billie corrected, smiling at her.
She just sighed.
"I gotta go. Do you have a car?"
His answer was a laugh.
"Noooooo... "
"Do you need to be anywhere?"
"Nope,"
Billie grinned. "Will you come with me?"
Gemma eyed him suspiciously. "Maybe. Where are you going?"
"No idea,"
She smiled. "Okay,"
"Can you think of anywhere?" Billie asked, after an hour of aimlessly speeding down the freeway.
"Nah. But Mexico sounds pretty good,"
Billie laughed. "Passports?"
"Nope." She smiled. "We could sneak through. And pretend we are little immigrants,"
Billie laughed harder. "People get arrested for that you know,"
"Jail-shmail. I've been there before,"
"Oh? Should I be worried?" Billie asked, still smiling.
"I dunno. It was only overnight. Apparently I was 'trespassing'. Meh. Not realllllyy. And I was only sixteen, so it didn't matter that much... "
"Sixteen?"
"Yeah. You should have seen mom. You'd have thought I killed somebody or something." She gave a bitter laugh. "I wanted to kill her, but, of course, she's probably some weird vampire and an un-dead thingy."
Billie grinned. "I see... "
They didn't go to Mexico. They weren't sure where they went, but at one point, they turned around and kept driving until things were slightly familiar.
"I've seen that McDonalds before," Gemma said sleepily.
"All of them look the same, dumbass,"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever... " she yawned.
"You hungry?" Billie asked after a while. No answer. "Hello?"
Billie sighed. She was asleep.
Gemma woke up in a hotel room. Billie was sleeping in the chair, with his head flopped to the side.
She smiled. He was sweet. And married, she reminded herself. Playing with her nose ring she wondered why she wasn't running from him.
He seemed exactly what she should avoid.
Billie wandered a bit. Going in to Joey's room. Then Jakob's. Then his and Adie's.
He didn't try to contact Adie. He didn't cry. He kept it all inside. Mike stopped by, but Billie didn't answer the door. Both he and Tre began calling a few times a day.
It had been nearly two weeks when Billie came out. He had been living on Chinese take-out and beer. He smelled like shit and looked like it too. There were black circles under his eyes and his skin was the color of milk.
He wandered the aisles of the grocery store, pulling random things into his cart. At the checkout, the girl eyed him carefully.
"You okay?" she asked, looking worried.
"What? Oh. Yeah... "
"I don't think so."
Billie laughed. For the first time in what seemed a very long time.
"Seriously!" she smiled. "Wait out back. I'm off my shift in five minutes,"
It wasn't a question, and Billie didn't want one. He smiled without hesitation.
"Okay," he said, grabbing his bags and walking out of the store.
She came out of the metal door, and let it slam behind her. Lighting a cigarette, she spotted Billie lying on his car hood.
"Hey," she said, walking up.
Peeking through his eyes, Billie smiled back. "Hey,"
"So. What happened?" she asked, climbing on to the hood too.
"What?"
"What screwed you so bad that you look like... " she paused. "Uh. That."
"My wife left me," Billie said simply, staring at the bleak grey sky.
"You fucking serious?" she asked, as though not surprised, but merely curious.
"Yes,"
He wasn't sure why he did, but he ended up telling her the whole story, from the very first time he met Adie, to now, with all the parts with Ella in it.
She just nodded along, frowning and smiling, and Billie felt comforted. He didn't feel stressed, or even the necessity to do anything. And shit, it was great.
As he finished the last part about mopping around his empty house for over a week and a half, she reached out and held his hand. Gently.
"I told you." She said simply.
"Told me what?"
"That you weren't okay," she smiled. "Well. Now that you've just spilt your life to me, I probably should say something about me. My name is Gemma, I'm 20 years old, my job sucks, I dropped out of college, my mom hates me and my step-brother proposed to me last night,"
"Did you just say that in one breath?" Billie asked, trying not to laugh.
"Probably." Said with a shrug.
"Did he seriously propose?"
"Hell yeah. It was the most fucking disturbing thing I've gone through. For one thing, he was like my brother ever since I was twelve, another, he wanted me to marry him. Ew."
Billie laughed loudly. Gemma elbowed him.
"Not funny."
"Kinda funny," Billie corrected, smiling at her.
She just sighed.
"I gotta go. Do you have a car?"
His answer was a laugh.
"Noooooo... "
"Do you need to be anywhere?"
"Nope,"
Billie grinned. "Will you come with me?"
Gemma eyed him suspiciously. "Maybe. Where are you going?"
"No idea,"
She smiled. "Okay,"
"Can you think of anywhere?" Billie asked, after an hour of aimlessly speeding down the freeway.
"Nah. But Mexico sounds pretty good,"
Billie laughed. "Passports?"
"Nope." She smiled. "We could sneak through. And pretend we are little immigrants,"
Billie laughed harder. "People get arrested for that you know,"
"Jail-shmail. I've been there before,"
"Oh? Should I be worried?" Billie asked, still smiling.
"I dunno. It was only overnight. Apparently I was 'trespassing'. Meh. Not realllllyy. And I was only sixteen, so it didn't matter that much... "
"Sixteen?"
"Yeah. You should have seen mom. You'd have thought I killed somebody or something." She gave a bitter laugh. "I wanted to kill her, but, of course, she's probably some weird vampire and an un-dead thingy."
Billie grinned. "I see... "
They didn't go to Mexico. They weren't sure where they went, but at one point, they turned around and kept driving until things were slightly familiar.
"I've seen that McDonalds before," Gemma said sleepily.
"All of them look the same, dumbass,"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever... " she yawned.
"You hungry?" Billie asked after a while. No answer. "Hello?"
Billie sighed. She was asleep.
Gemma woke up in a hotel room. Billie was sleeping in the chair, with his head flopped to the side.
She smiled. He was sweet. And married, she reminded herself. Playing with her nose ring she wondered why she wasn't running from him.
He seemed exactly what she should avoid.
