Forever Greener, chapter 5
‘I don’t believe you guys are up for assault’, Steph said as she helped Mike wash away the last drops of blood off of him. Billie head he’s head buried in a towel. He lifted it up to see Steph and then hung he’s head down again.
‘Its not like we really did anything’, Mike said ‘it was just a boy fight’. Steph grabbed an extra towel and put it around the top of Mike, while Tre sat placing bandaids all over everyone’s cuts.
‘Well the thought was there I know, but next time just don’t fight for revenge, please’, Steph finished, and walked over to Billie, who was sitting in the bathtub. She got in (it had no water in it), and inspected his cuts. He was still bleeding quite badly. They could hear Billie’s mother in the kitchen cooking for them. Steph made sure to contact her, and inform her about what had happened even though Billie tried he’s hardest to talk her out of it.
‘Kids your foods ready’, Mrs Armstrong called out from the kitchen. Tre and Mike got up and walked out leaving Steph and Billie alone in the bathroom.
‘You know, you shouldn’t have gotten yourself into a fight at school for me’, Steph said, crawling out of the tub. Billie followed her up.
‘Yeah, but I don’t want my best friends being hurt, by jerks like that’, He said, putting the towel covered in blood, up on the sink.
‘Best friends?’, Steph asked him turning around, and blocking the door way.
‘Yeah, I haven’t told my mum yet’, Billie told her, kissing her quickly before anyone saw.
Steph smiled and walked with Billie to the kitchen. His mum was already serving up meals and dishes she had prepared.
‘Wow, that was quick’, Billie said, sitting down. He and Steph held hands under the desk.
‘Well’, Mrs Armstrong said sitting down at the head of the table ‘Would you like to all tell me what happened?’.
After an hour of trying to explain the full story, Mrs Armstrong got up and walked over to the phone. She patiently waited on the line, and told the kids to go into the lounge as they had finished.
‘Who do you says she’s calling?’, asked Tre. Everybody was silent. Steph eventually looked up at him.
‘The school most likely’, she said, as Billie put his arm around her. Tre nodded and turned on the TV, so that they wouldn’t be sitting in silence.
‘Let me see your cuts’, Billie asked, as she grabbed Steph’s hand and pushed up her shirt. Steph still had blood on her. She was still in pain. He wondered about how she must have felt going though it. Mike eventually got sick of the silence and went to his room, to play his bass. Tre got up and sat in the spare seat. Steph noticed Billie was getting awkward with Tre being next to her.
‘Is there something you two should sort out?’, Steph asked, breaking away from Billie, ‘You two haven’t spoke in a while. Its not normal’. She looked at both of them. Trepidation, horror and anger were swelling up in their eyes.
‘Well?’, She asked looking backwards and forwards between the both of them. Once she knew she wouldn’t get an answer from being around she excused herself and walked to Mike’s room.
‘Whats happening out there?’, Mike asked from his bed. He was hidden behind his bass, strumming slowly.
‘I wouldn’t have a clue’, Steph replied, taking a seat on the floor. She slightly left the door open so she could see what the other two were up to. They were talking. It was a good sign.
‘You know Billie’s becoming awfully protective’, Mike said. Steph paused and wondered what Mike meant by that. She knew he wouldn’t give her a straight answer, so she thought carefully before speaking again.
‘Do you know why?’, She asked trying to convince him into giving her a full story. Mike looked down at her.
‘Cos your special. He hasn’t had anyone like you that he could trust over the last few years. He doesn’t want to loose you. He wants to make sure you don’t leave him, and that your alright and it’s the only way he knows how to’, Mike told her. Steph’s mind started racing again. She looked out of the door to see Tre and Billie, giving a brotherly hug to each-other. They must have sorted something out.
‘You know Mike, something you said might actually have gotten to me’, she said before walking out back to the lounge room.
‘Steph’, he called her back. She returned and stood at her door.
‘The convo we just had, never happened’, he told her winking. She smiled and closed the door to let Mike be in peace.
As she walked to the lounge, Mrs Armstrong came in.
‘Okay kids, I have to go down to your school for a meeting that they’re holding because of what happened, and then I’m going home to finish off, something’s, so I wont see you guys until tomorrow’. She kissed Billie goodbye and said final farewells to everyone before leaving.
‘Oh this is just great’, Billie let out, ‘My mother has to talk with the school’.
‘Well at least you have a mother’, Steph said looking at him, ‘If I did, I would be so happy that she was this concerned about me and my friends’.
Billie slumped into his chair for a while before he headed off to his room. Tre and Steph sat silently on the couch together watching tv.
‘So are you going to see that band tonight?’, Tre asked to break the ice.
‘Yeah I might. You going?’, Steph asked. Tre’s eyes wandered the room. After the talk he had just had with Billie, he wasn’t expecting a question like that.
‘Well are you?’, she asked again.
‘Oh yeah I might. I don’t know, I sorta wanna keep a low profile for now’, he said. Steph new exactly what he was talking about. She let Tre be alone for a while and went to Billie’s room.
‘What is that smell?’, she asked as she walked in. Billie lay on his bed. Joint in his hand. Eyes closed.
‘Here’, he said offering the smoke. Steph reluctantly declined the offer, and sat beside him.
‘You know, you shouldn’t be smoking that shit. Not now anyway’, she said, trying to take it away from him.
‘Why not. It gets me in a good mood’, he replied, offering it again. This time, Steph took it. It wasn’t the first time she had tried it, even though Billie thought it was.
‘Isnt it relaxing’, he said. Steph got up and headed for the door. ‘Oh Steph don’t leave, stay with me’.
Steph turned around and looked at him.
‘Why?’, she asked turning back to him. He searched around the room, trying to find something to talk about. ‘You going to that band tonight?’, he asked.
‘Yeah I am, but your not if your going to get stoned’, she said before walking out.
Billie whacked his head down against the bed again. He’s phone started ringing. He looked at who the caller was. It was Sarah.
‘Why would Steph’s sister be calling me?’, he wondered before he answered..
‘Its not like we really did anything’, Mike said ‘it was just a boy fight’. Steph grabbed an extra towel and put it around the top of Mike, while Tre sat placing bandaids all over everyone’s cuts.
‘Well the thought was there I know, but next time just don’t fight for revenge, please’, Steph finished, and walked over to Billie, who was sitting in the bathtub. She got in (it had no water in it), and inspected his cuts. He was still bleeding quite badly. They could hear Billie’s mother in the kitchen cooking for them. Steph made sure to contact her, and inform her about what had happened even though Billie tried he’s hardest to talk her out of it.
‘Kids your foods ready’, Mrs Armstrong called out from the kitchen. Tre and Mike got up and walked out leaving Steph and Billie alone in the bathroom.
‘You know, you shouldn’t have gotten yourself into a fight at school for me’, Steph said, crawling out of the tub. Billie followed her up.
‘Yeah, but I don’t want my best friends being hurt, by jerks like that’, He said, putting the towel covered in blood, up on the sink.
‘Best friends?’, Steph asked him turning around, and blocking the door way.
‘Yeah, I haven’t told my mum yet’, Billie told her, kissing her quickly before anyone saw.
Steph smiled and walked with Billie to the kitchen. His mum was already serving up meals and dishes she had prepared.
‘Wow, that was quick’, Billie said, sitting down. He and Steph held hands under the desk.
‘Well’, Mrs Armstrong said sitting down at the head of the table ‘Would you like to all tell me what happened?’.
After an hour of trying to explain the full story, Mrs Armstrong got up and walked over to the phone. She patiently waited on the line, and told the kids to go into the lounge as they had finished.
‘Who do you says she’s calling?’, asked Tre. Everybody was silent. Steph eventually looked up at him.
‘The school most likely’, she said, as Billie put his arm around her. Tre nodded and turned on the TV, so that they wouldn’t be sitting in silence.
‘Let me see your cuts’, Billie asked, as she grabbed Steph’s hand and pushed up her shirt. Steph still had blood on her. She was still in pain. He wondered about how she must have felt going though it. Mike eventually got sick of the silence and went to his room, to play his bass. Tre got up and sat in the spare seat. Steph noticed Billie was getting awkward with Tre being next to her.
‘Is there something you two should sort out?’, Steph asked, breaking away from Billie, ‘You two haven’t spoke in a while. Its not normal’. She looked at both of them. Trepidation, horror and anger were swelling up in their eyes.
‘Well?’, She asked looking backwards and forwards between the both of them. Once she knew she wouldn’t get an answer from being around she excused herself and walked to Mike’s room.
‘Whats happening out there?’, Mike asked from his bed. He was hidden behind his bass, strumming slowly.
‘I wouldn’t have a clue’, Steph replied, taking a seat on the floor. She slightly left the door open so she could see what the other two were up to. They were talking. It was a good sign.
‘You know Billie’s becoming awfully protective’, Mike said. Steph paused and wondered what Mike meant by that. She knew he wouldn’t give her a straight answer, so she thought carefully before speaking again.
‘Do you know why?’, She asked trying to convince him into giving her a full story. Mike looked down at her.
‘Cos your special. He hasn’t had anyone like you that he could trust over the last few years. He doesn’t want to loose you. He wants to make sure you don’t leave him, and that your alright and it’s the only way he knows how to’, Mike told her. Steph’s mind started racing again. She looked out of the door to see Tre and Billie, giving a brotherly hug to each-other. They must have sorted something out.
‘You know Mike, something you said might actually have gotten to me’, she said before walking out back to the lounge room.
‘Steph’, he called her back. She returned and stood at her door.
‘The convo we just had, never happened’, he told her winking. She smiled and closed the door to let Mike be in peace.
As she walked to the lounge, Mrs Armstrong came in.
‘Okay kids, I have to go down to your school for a meeting that they’re holding because of what happened, and then I’m going home to finish off, something’s, so I wont see you guys until tomorrow’. She kissed Billie goodbye and said final farewells to everyone before leaving.
‘Oh this is just great’, Billie let out, ‘My mother has to talk with the school’.
‘Well at least you have a mother’, Steph said looking at him, ‘If I did, I would be so happy that she was this concerned about me and my friends’.
Billie slumped into his chair for a while before he headed off to his room. Tre and Steph sat silently on the couch together watching tv.
‘So are you going to see that band tonight?’, Tre asked to break the ice.
‘Yeah I might. You going?’, Steph asked. Tre’s eyes wandered the room. After the talk he had just had with Billie, he wasn’t expecting a question like that.
‘Well are you?’, she asked again.
‘Oh yeah I might. I don’t know, I sorta wanna keep a low profile for now’, he said. Steph new exactly what he was talking about. She let Tre be alone for a while and went to Billie’s room.
‘What is that smell?’, she asked as she walked in. Billie lay on his bed. Joint in his hand. Eyes closed.
‘Here’, he said offering the smoke. Steph reluctantly declined the offer, and sat beside him.
‘You know, you shouldn’t be smoking that shit. Not now anyway’, she said, trying to take it away from him.
‘Why not. It gets me in a good mood’, he replied, offering it again. This time, Steph took it. It wasn’t the first time she had tried it, even though Billie thought it was.
‘Isnt it relaxing’, he said. Steph got up and headed for the door. ‘Oh Steph don’t leave, stay with me’.
Steph turned around and looked at him.
‘Why?’, she asked turning back to him. He searched around the room, trying to find something to talk about. ‘You going to that band tonight?’, he asked.
‘Yeah I am, but your not if your going to get stoned’, she said before walking out.
Billie whacked his head down against the bed again. He’s phone started ringing. He looked at who the caller was. It was Sarah.
‘Why would Steph’s sister be calling me?’, he wondered before he answered..
