Forever Greener, chapter 9
The next morning on the way to school, Billie-Joe and Steph didn’t say a word. They didn’t even walk together. Instead Tre walked with Steph and infront of them Mike and Billie. They kept their distance, which allowed the boys to have a one on one talk with both of them.
‘I saw what you wrote yesterday’, Mike told Billie.
‘How did you see that?’, Billie asked his friend in a state of shock.
‘It was on your bed, when you fell asleep’, Mike replied to him.
‘So you came in?’, Billie asked again.
‘Yeah, Bill we were worried about you’, Mike said caringly ‘Well are you going to give them to her?’.
‘Give them to who?’, Billie asked, trying to cut the convo short.
‘Oh come on Billie. Don’t be like that. Are you gonna give them to her?’, Mike asked again.
‘I don’t know. I might’, he whispered.
Behind them, Tre and Steph were talking along the same lines. Tre still hadn’t convinced Steph though that the song was about her.
‘Come on it says –Don’t leave me-. He’s talking about you’, Tre told her trying to prove his point.
‘But he could be talking about anyone’, Steph said back quietly.
‘But its about you’, Tre said, forcing the idea into her.
‘Tre I’d like to believe it but at the moment I cant’, Steph said as she walked away from them as they entered the school.
The 3 boys stood and talked.
‘She wants to think their about her but she’s not convinced’, Tre told Mike and Billie.
Billie muttered some words underneath he’s breath.
‘They are about her aren’t they?’, Tre asked.
‘Yeah. Yeah they are’, Billie let out slowly.
‘Well then I don’t see why you don’t give them to her’, Mike said, trying to persuade his friend.
They stood in silence for a minute and let their eyes wander. Sarah and Tina walked past. Mike tried to start a conversation with them, but Sarah walked straight off straight away. She felt guilty and she knew she had hurt people.
‘Well Bill?’, Tre asked, once the girls had left.
‘Yeah what?’, Billie replied.
‘Are you gonna do anything?’, Tre asked.
‘I don’t know’, Billie said, putting his hands in his pockets and wrapping his fingers around the pieces of paper he had written on.
‘What about I don’t know, you put music to them and sing them to her’, Mike suggested vainly.
‘You know Mike, that’s not a bad idea’, Billie said, before turning and running off to the music room.
‘You think what I sad worked?’, Mike asked.
‘We can only hope’, Tre said before the two parted and went to their classes.
The whole day, Steph and Billie managed to not run into each-other. They didn’t even run into each-other on the way home. Instead Tre took Steph straight home under strict guidelines and Mike with Billie to his place.
‘Hi mum’, Billie said, as he walked into the lounge room.
‘Hi honey. Hello Mike, how are you both today? Oh I’m sorry that I didn’t get to see you before school today. Did everything go well?’, she asked.
‘That’s what we’re here to speak to you about Mrs Armstrong’, Mike said, pushing Billie to speak.
‘Is everything alright?’, Mrs Armstrong asked concerned.
‘Ahh mum, there’s this problem’, Billie started ‘A girl problem’.
‘Oh a girl problem. Come sit down and the three of us will talk about it’, she coaxed taking a seat.
On the other side of the suburb, Steph and Tre sat outside by the pool talking about everything but the subject Tre was trying to push forward.
‘When do you think they’ll come?’, Steph asked, anxious about wether or not she’s see Billie again. She was starting to miss him. She knew her tantrum had caused her trouble.
‘I don’t know, soon I guess’, Tre told her, trying not to give away, that he knew where the boys where.
‘I hope so’, she whispered lifelessly. She looked up at the sky. There was not a cloud. It was perfect.
‘Happy its Friday?’, Tre asked her, trying to get her to talk about anything and eventually the way she felt.
‘Yeah, the weekend should be good. Could clear some things out’, she muttered softly. She sat together in silence for a quarter hour, thinking about everything that had happened.
‘I just wanna talk to him’, she whispered under her breath.
‘Talk to who?’, Tre asked hearing her.
‘Oh no one’, Steph said ending the conversation. Tre knew exactly what and who she was talking about, but he didn’t push the subject, he just sat back and smiled.
-BACK AT BILLIE'S PLACE-
‘Now remember the box I gave you do you know where you put it?’, Mrs Armstrong asked as they boys were making their way to leave.
‘Yes I remember mum’, Billie said happily.
‘Okay run along. And remember tell me how it all goes’, She yelled as the boys started running down to Steph’s place.
‘Your mums the greatest’, Mike told Billie.
‘Yeah she can be cool like that sometimes’, he replied as they continued running to where they had to be.
They hobbled up the pathway and into the house.
‘Sounds like them’, Steph told Tre, becoming alert of what was around her.
She pulled him up and ran him inside, to find Mike sitting alone on the couch.
‘Mike where’s Billie?’, Steph asked enthusiastically.
‘In he’s room’, Mike said, with a small grin.
She got up and ran to his door. She slowly tried to open it, it was locked.
‘Billie can I come in?’, she asked. There was no reply. Steph continued to knock hoping he would eventually open. She put her head against the door and began to listen. There was no noise.
She made her way back to the lounge and stood infront of Mike.
‘I thought you said he was in he’s room?’, Steph asked wanting an answer.
‘Yeah isn’t he?’, Mike asked pretending to know nothing.
‘Mike it isn’t funny, I wanna talk to him’, Steph said impatiently ‘I have to talk to him’.
Mike gave no answer. She looked at Tre. Maybe Mike had told him. Tre just glanced at her, blankly and rolled he’s eyes.
She shrugged her shoulders and walked to her room. Before she walked in, she stopped and leaned against the wall, taking in a deep breath.
*Maybe its just fate-she thought- Maybe it was meant to happen*
She slowly pushed her door open and started to hear the voice of Billie starting to sing……..
‘I saw what you wrote yesterday’, Mike told Billie.
‘How did you see that?’, Billie asked his friend in a state of shock.
‘It was on your bed, when you fell asleep’, Mike replied to him.
‘So you came in?’, Billie asked again.
‘Yeah, Bill we were worried about you’, Mike said caringly ‘Well are you going to give them to her?’.
‘Give them to who?’, Billie asked, trying to cut the convo short.
‘Oh come on Billie. Don’t be like that. Are you gonna give them to her?’, Mike asked again.
‘I don’t know. I might’, he whispered.
Behind them, Tre and Steph were talking along the same lines. Tre still hadn’t convinced Steph though that the song was about her.
‘Come on it says –Don’t leave me-. He’s talking about you’, Tre told her trying to prove his point.
‘But he could be talking about anyone’, Steph said back quietly.
‘But its about you’, Tre said, forcing the idea into her.
‘Tre I’d like to believe it but at the moment I cant’, Steph said as she walked away from them as they entered the school.
The 3 boys stood and talked.
‘She wants to think their about her but she’s not convinced’, Tre told Mike and Billie.
Billie muttered some words underneath he’s breath.
‘They are about her aren’t they?’, Tre asked.
‘Yeah. Yeah they are’, Billie let out slowly.
‘Well then I don’t see why you don’t give them to her’, Mike said, trying to persuade his friend.
They stood in silence for a minute and let their eyes wander. Sarah and Tina walked past. Mike tried to start a conversation with them, but Sarah walked straight off straight away. She felt guilty and she knew she had hurt people.
‘Well Bill?’, Tre asked, once the girls had left.
‘Yeah what?’, Billie replied.
‘Are you gonna do anything?’, Tre asked.
‘I don’t know’, Billie said, putting his hands in his pockets and wrapping his fingers around the pieces of paper he had written on.
‘What about I don’t know, you put music to them and sing them to her’, Mike suggested vainly.
‘You know Mike, that’s not a bad idea’, Billie said, before turning and running off to the music room.
‘You think what I sad worked?’, Mike asked.
‘We can only hope’, Tre said before the two parted and went to their classes.
The whole day, Steph and Billie managed to not run into each-other. They didn’t even run into each-other on the way home. Instead Tre took Steph straight home under strict guidelines and Mike with Billie to his place.
‘Hi mum’, Billie said, as he walked into the lounge room.
‘Hi honey. Hello Mike, how are you both today? Oh I’m sorry that I didn’t get to see you before school today. Did everything go well?’, she asked.
‘That’s what we’re here to speak to you about Mrs Armstrong’, Mike said, pushing Billie to speak.
‘Is everything alright?’, Mrs Armstrong asked concerned.
‘Ahh mum, there’s this problem’, Billie started ‘A girl problem’.
‘Oh a girl problem. Come sit down and the three of us will talk about it’, she coaxed taking a seat.
On the other side of the suburb, Steph and Tre sat outside by the pool talking about everything but the subject Tre was trying to push forward.
‘When do you think they’ll come?’, Steph asked, anxious about wether or not she’s see Billie again. She was starting to miss him. She knew her tantrum had caused her trouble.
‘I don’t know, soon I guess’, Tre told her, trying not to give away, that he knew where the boys where.
‘I hope so’, she whispered lifelessly. She looked up at the sky. There was not a cloud. It was perfect.
‘Happy its Friday?’, Tre asked her, trying to get her to talk about anything and eventually the way she felt.
‘Yeah, the weekend should be good. Could clear some things out’, she muttered softly. She sat together in silence for a quarter hour, thinking about everything that had happened.
‘I just wanna talk to him’, she whispered under her breath.
‘Talk to who?’, Tre asked hearing her.
‘Oh no one’, Steph said ending the conversation. Tre knew exactly what and who she was talking about, but he didn’t push the subject, he just sat back and smiled.
-BACK AT BILLIE'S PLACE-
‘Now remember the box I gave you do you know where you put it?’, Mrs Armstrong asked as they boys were making their way to leave.
‘Yes I remember mum’, Billie said happily.
‘Okay run along. And remember tell me how it all goes’, She yelled as the boys started running down to Steph’s place.
‘Your mums the greatest’, Mike told Billie.
‘Yeah she can be cool like that sometimes’, he replied as they continued running to where they had to be.
They hobbled up the pathway and into the house.
‘Sounds like them’, Steph told Tre, becoming alert of what was around her.
She pulled him up and ran him inside, to find Mike sitting alone on the couch.
‘Mike where’s Billie?’, Steph asked enthusiastically.
‘In he’s room’, Mike said, with a small grin.
She got up and ran to his door. She slowly tried to open it, it was locked.
‘Billie can I come in?’, she asked. There was no reply. Steph continued to knock hoping he would eventually open. She put her head against the door and began to listen. There was no noise.
She made her way back to the lounge and stood infront of Mike.
‘I thought you said he was in he’s room?’, Steph asked wanting an answer.
‘Yeah isn’t he?’, Mike asked pretending to know nothing.
‘Mike it isn’t funny, I wanna talk to him’, Steph said impatiently ‘I have to talk to him’.
Mike gave no answer. She looked at Tre. Maybe Mike had told him. Tre just glanced at her, blankly and rolled he’s eyes.
She shrugged her shoulders and walked to her room. Before she walked in, she stopped and leaned against the wall, taking in a deep breath.
*Maybe its just fate-she thought- Maybe it was meant to happen*
She slowly pushed her door open and started to hear the voice of Billie starting to sing……..
