Waking Up, chapter 6
"I'm calling in sick," Ella announced as she washed the dishes. "I'm way too tired too do anything,"
Billie nodded again. After drying the last dish and placing it in the cupboard, she walked up to Billie and pinched him in the arm.
"What is wrong with you?" she asked playfully.
"I'm tired..."
"Oooh... We got a liar! You aren't tired!" she giggled.
"How the hell do you know?"
"Cause you were fine until you talked to Mike... well, almost." She responded, poking him in the chest repetitively. "So what did he say?"
"That we were leaving tonight, for Philadelphia... "
"That's all? Cause that doesn't seem harmful... " she smiled and continued poking.
"It's not, really. What happened to you being tired?" he asked irritably.
"Oh... I forgot... " she grinned. "I want some ice cream. You want some ice cream?"
Billie shrugged. "Sure... "
She socked him in other arm. "No. You say, yes or no. Okay? No more shrugging shit either,"
"Why not?"
"Cause its not you... " she replied, as though it explained it all. "I'm getting my shoes,"
"You don't have any ice cream here?" Billie asked, confused. "What about Ana?"
"I'm gonna drop her off at my mom's. My mom is going to have a fit cause she hasn't seen her 'ickle babykins granddaughter' today anyway."
She came back a few minutes later with Ana by her side. "You coming or not?"
"Yeah... "
Waiting in the car, Billie watched as Ella and Ana walked up the stone steps to a huge white house, with columns and everything. At the door they talked for a bit, then Ana went inside and Ella turned and ran down the steps, laughing. She jumped in the car.
"What happened?"
She flashed him a grin. "Nothing. It's just nice... To feel like a kid,"
Billie grinned back. "I totally understand... "
"So..." They walked slowly down the street, both holding slowly melting ice cream cones. "You leave tonight?"
Billie glanced worriedly at the ground. "Yeah... I do."
Ella grinned. " 'Kay..."
"What was that about?" Billie asked, bemused.
"Nothing. So you goin to Philly?"
"Yes. Why are you asking so many questions?"
Ella just shrugged. "I dunno."
"Ana is amazing." Billie said quietly after a pause.
Ella grinned again and nodded. "She's my baby,"
"You were only 16... "
Ella nodded. "Yeah... It was hard." She stopped and looked at him. "Can we not talk about it right now?"
"Yeah, of course. I'm sorry... ."
"Turn right. Here. HERE!" Billie yelled. Ella sighed. "You missed it. Turn around."
Ella started giggling.
"What?"
"Why did you choose this hotel? It's way out of the way,"
Billie shrugged. "It's cheap."
She giggled more.
"Turn here."
"Yeah, yeah... "
"Room what?"
"22" came the shout from flights of stairs below.
"It's this way," Ella said, turning left.
Finding the room, Ella knocked loudly. Then cursed equally as loud about her knuckles. A short brown haired guy answered.
"Bill—" he stopped. "You aren't Billie."
Ella giggled. "Nope. He's coming. He's being sluggish... . I'm Ella."
"Yeah, I'm Tre, come in."
"Oy! Billie! Run, Forrest, run!" Billie flipped her off. "I think he's in a bad mood," she giggled. Tre joined her in her giggling. Ella went inside.
"Hey. You Ella?" a guy on the couch asked.
"Yeah... You Mike?"
"Yep... ." Billie walked in.
"I'm so fucking tired." He said, throwing himself onto the couch.
"You just ate ice cream, idiot. Why aren't you hyper?"
"Cause I went up and down already," Billie responded, not completely paying attention.
"We gotta leave in... four minutes," Mike said.
Billie looked at Ella. That weird desperate feeling came over him again.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked softly. She nodded, as though she had been expecting it. She followed him to the door and into the hall.
"Um... I'm leaving."
Ella nodded with a smile on her face.
"But I don't want to..." Billie said, realizing how stupid he sounded.
"I know... " she said quietly.
"I-want-you-to-come-with-me" he blurted.
"I know that too."
"Will you?"
Ella smiled. "I can't. I have Ana, school and a job here."
"Bring Ana. Not just for a few concerts. For... a while..." Billie stammered. He didn't know what he was doing.
Ella's eyebrows went up. "I don't know you. I like you, though. A lot. But I don't know,"
Billie looked at the ground for the second time that night, thinking. "Will you visit me?"
She nodded. "Of course."
"Okay. As soon as we get off tour, I'm... I'm sending you tickets."
Ella laughed. "Okay,"
Billie leaned in a kissed her softly. "It's weird..." he murmured, after parting slightly, though Ella was still in his arms.
"What?"
"I'm gonna miss you..."
Billie nodded again. After drying the last dish and placing it in the cupboard, she walked up to Billie and pinched him in the arm.
"What is wrong with you?" she asked playfully.
"I'm tired..."
"Oooh... We got a liar! You aren't tired!" she giggled.
"How the hell do you know?"
"Cause you were fine until you talked to Mike... well, almost." She responded, poking him in the chest repetitively. "So what did he say?"
"That we were leaving tonight, for Philadelphia... "
"That's all? Cause that doesn't seem harmful... " she smiled and continued poking.
"It's not, really. What happened to you being tired?" he asked irritably.
"Oh... I forgot... " she grinned. "I want some ice cream. You want some ice cream?"
Billie shrugged. "Sure... "
She socked him in other arm. "No. You say, yes or no. Okay? No more shrugging shit either,"
"Why not?"
"Cause its not you... " she replied, as though it explained it all. "I'm getting my shoes,"
"You don't have any ice cream here?" Billie asked, confused. "What about Ana?"
"I'm gonna drop her off at my mom's. My mom is going to have a fit cause she hasn't seen her 'ickle babykins granddaughter' today anyway."
She came back a few minutes later with Ana by her side. "You coming or not?"
"Yeah... "
Waiting in the car, Billie watched as Ella and Ana walked up the stone steps to a huge white house, with columns and everything. At the door they talked for a bit, then Ana went inside and Ella turned and ran down the steps, laughing. She jumped in the car.
"What happened?"
She flashed him a grin. "Nothing. It's just nice... To feel like a kid,"
Billie grinned back. "I totally understand... "
"So..." They walked slowly down the street, both holding slowly melting ice cream cones. "You leave tonight?"
Billie glanced worriedly at the ground. "Yeah... I do."
Ella grinned. " 'Kay..."
"What was that about?" Billie asked, bemused.
"Nothing. So you goin to Philly?"
"Yes. Why are you asking so many questions?"
Ella just shrugged. "I dunno."
"Ana is amazing." Billie said quietly after a pause.
Ella grinned again and nodded. "She's my baby,"
"You were only 16... "
Ella nodded. "Yeah... It was hard." She stopped and looked at him. "Can we not talk about it right now?"
"Yeah, of course. I'm sorry... ."
"Turn right. Here. HERE!" Billie yelled. Ella sighed. "You missed it. Turn around."
Ella started giggling.
"What?"
"Why did you choose this hotel? It's way out of the way,"
Billie shrugged. "It's cheap."
She giggled more.
"Turn here."
"Yeah, yeah... "
"Room what?"
"22" came the shout from flights of stairs below.
"It's this way," Ella said, turning left.
Finding the room, Ella knocked loudly. Then cursed equally as loud about her knuckles. A short brown haired guy answered.
"Bill—" he stopped. "You aren't Billie."
Ella giggled. "Nope. He's coming. He's being sluggish... . I'm Ella."
"Yeah, I'm Tre, come in."
"Oy! Billie! Run, Forrest, run!" Billie flipped her off. "I think he's in a bad mood," she giggled. Tre joined her in her giggling. Ella went inside.
"Hey. You Ella?" a guy on the couch asked.
"Yeah... You Mike?"
"Yep... ." Billie walked in.
"I'm so fucking tired." He said, throwing himself onto the couch.
"You just ate ice cream, idiot. Why aren't you hyper?"
"Cause I went up and down already," Billie responded, not completely paying attention.
"We gotta leave in... four minutes," Mike said.
Billie looked at Ella. That weird desperate feeling came over him again.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked softly. She nodded, as though she had been expecting it. She followed him to the door and into the hall.
"Um... I'm leaving."
Ella nodded with a smile on her face.
"But I don't want to..." Billie said, realizing how stupid he sounded.
"I know... " she said quietly.
"I-want-you-to-come-with-me" he blurted.
"I know that too."
"Will you?"
Ella smiled. "I can't. I have Ana, school and a job here."
"Bring Ana. Not just for a few concerts. For... a while..." Billie stammered. He didn't know what he was doing.
Ella's eyebrows went up. "I don't know you. I like you, though. A lot. But I don't know,"
Billie looked at the ground for the second time that night, thinking. "Will you visit me?"
She nodded. "Of course."
"Okay. As soon as we get off tour, I'm... I'm sending you tickets."
Ella laughed. "Okay,"
Billie leaned in a kissed her softly. "It's weird..." he murmured, after parting slightly, though Ella was still in his arms.
"What?"
"I'm gonna miss you..."
