Billie The Bully, chapter 8
As Lucy pulled her pyjama top over her head, Mike's words circled through her mind. She did want to know what was causing Billie Joe to be so fucked up, and she didn't doubt that he'd probably tell her, but . . . she was sort of scared. What if he was being abused? Or had been attacked or raped or something? What if what he told her was so dumbfounding, so unbelievably horrible that the very thought made her shrivel up and erupt in tears? Would she be able to help him then?
No.
She'd just been lucky that night. Discovering the cuts on his arms, having him threaten her. Though at the time she was petrified, she saw it now as a blessing, a stroke of luck.
She turned her CD player off and sighed as she sat on her bed. She was going back to school tomorrow, back to the work and the timetables and the comments. She fucking hated it.
She was about to turn off the light when she heard something. A small, almost unaudiable clang.
Then again, a little louder.
She made her way to the window, thinking it was Mike or Tre. They'd done that a few times, though most of the time they just knocked on the door (her sister would let them up).
When she pulled back the curtain she saw not Mike or Tre but Billie, stood there, about to make another throw. He was wearing black jeans, his black Converse and a black hoodie.
She opened her window and leant out.
'Lucy!' He hissed. 'Are you coming out!'
Lucy rolled her eyes and closed the window. She pulled on her trainers and a black zip-up jacket and paused to look around the room. She stuffed some clothes under her cover, which she doubted looked like her but it didn't really matter as she also doubted anyone coming up to check she was in bed.
She crept down the stairs and peered round the living room door. Her older sister Rachel was curled up watching a movie. She grabbed her keys silently and headed out of the door, not making a sound.
'Out for a walk are we?'
Billie Joe jumped as Lucy appeared. He smiled. She had her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets and looked slightly pissed off.
'Oh yeah,' Billie said.
'So what's up?' She asked softly. He watched as the cold wind blew her hair all over her head and made her shiver.
'Dunno.' He shrugged. 'I haven't seen you for ages . . . so I figured . . . maybe we should go for a walk or something.'
Lucy laughed. 'Well. Eleven p.m is a good enough time as any, right?'
So they went for a walk around the block.
'Mike said you'd been asking about me,' Billie said as they shuffled along.
'Yeah,' Lucy nodded, 'I got pretty worried. I'd have been round to see you, but . . . y'know, with Jess, and stuff . . .'
Billie Joe smiled. 'I get it.'
It really is fucking cold, Lucy thought. Trust Bill to choose this time of night for a heart-to-heart and a stroll.
'Sorry for dragging you out,' Billie said. Lucy looked up at him, and he looked down at his shoes.
'It's OK,' She said. She gave him a smile and linked her arm with his.
'You're kinda tall.' She said, looking at him. 'Cause, you look small, but . . . you're not really are you?'
He smirked. 'I am.'
'Are not.' She giggled.
'Hey Billie?' She said after a few minutes. 'Are you . . . are you better now?'
She saw him bite his lip and squeezed his arm. She didn't want to pressure him or hurt him, but she needed to know if he was OK.
'I guess.' He said quietly. 'I'm, uh, sorry, y'know. For putting you through that. And I'm really sorry I threatened you.'
Lucy leaned against his shoulder. 'It's fine BJ.'
'I just felt so helpless.' He continued.
'Why?'
'Oh, I dunno,' He sighed. 'My mom doesn't give a flying shit what I do with my fucking life, my stepdad boots me all over the place for no Goddamn reason, calling me a fag-'
'That's a fucking stupid insult,' Lucy cut in. 'I hate it when people call each other fags and gays and stuff.'
She saw Billie blush a little. 'Well, uh . . . he kinda has a right to . . . I'm bi.'
Lucy raised an eyebrow. She was a little surprised. She figured maybe Tre was bi, because he was really calm about his sexuality and wasn't afraid to act the same way towards guys as he did to girls. She wasn't sure about Mike. He seemed pretty straight-forward (pun intended) to her.
But Billie?
He really didn't seem the type.
'Oh . . .' Lucy said. She realized they had stopped walking and she was staring at him. 'Oh. Erm. Well . . . it doesn't bother me.'
Billie's face filled with a huge smile. 'Really?'
Lucy shook her head. 'No. You are who you are, Bill, and I like who you are, so there's no problem really, is there?'
Billie Joe was thrilled. He had told Mike and Tre, and Tre had been fine but Mike had been . . . sort of reluctant to accept it.
But Lucy was fine with it? Great!
'Come on,' He said, unlinking his arm and putting it around her, 'We'd better get home.'
'Aww,' Lucy smiled, 'I like walking around in the dark.'
'Fool.'
Lucy smiled. She still hadn't asked him why he had done what he had, but she figured he had in a way already told her. She hoped he was going to be OK.
They stood on her front steps.
'I'll see you tomorrow, then, Billie.' She smiled.
'Yeah, I guess.'
She looked awkwardly at him before leaning in for a hug. She hugged Mike and Tre all the time, but Billie was different, as she already knew.
As they pulled apart, Lucy tilted her head to smile at him and Billie moved his to do the same to her. Their lips brushed together for a second.
'Uhm,' Lucy mumbled, 'Oops.'
'Yeah,' Billie said, quickly untangling himself. 'So, um, see you tomorrow. Bye Lucy.'
'Bye BJ.'
She watched him sprint home, then silently let herself in and went up to her room unnoticed. She took off the trainers and jacket and slipped into her nice warm bed, throwing the clothes she'd put under across the room.
No way was that a kiss, She thought to herself. I mean, that must happen all the time. Right? It wasn't a kiss, we just sort of . . . clashed. Yeah, we just clashed.
But why did it give her such a strange feeling?
Maybe it was just the fact that she'd been in such close quarters with someone she considered a friend.
Yeah. That must be it . . .
No.
She'd just been lucky that night. Discovering the cuts on his arms, having him threaten her. Though at the time she was petrified, she saw it now as a blessing, a stroke of luck.
She turned her CD player off and sighed as she sat on her bed. She was going back to school tomorrow, back to the work and the timetables and the comments. She fucking hated it.
She was about to turn off the light when she heard something. A small, almost unaudiable clang.
Then again, a little louder.
She made her way to the window, thinking it was Mike or Tre. They'd done that a few times, though most of the time they just knocked on the door (her sister would let them up).
When she pulled back the curtain she saw not Mike or Tre but Billie, stood there, about to make another throw. He was wearing black jeans, his black Converse and a black hoodie.
She opened her window and leant out.
'Lucy!' He hissed. 'Are you coming out!'
Lucy rolled her eyes and closed the window. She pulled on her trainers and a black zip-up jacket and paused to look around the room. She stuffed some clothes under her cover, which she doubted looked like her but it didn't really matter as she also doubted anyone coming up to check she was in bed.
She crept down the stairs and peered round the living room door. Her older sister Rachel was curled up watching a movie. She grabbed her keys silently and headed out of the door, not making a sound.
'Out for a walk are we?'
Billie Joe jumped as Lucy appeared. He smiled. She had her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets and looked slightly pissed off.
'Oh yeah,' Billie said.
'So what's up?' She asked softly. He watched as the cold wind blew her hair all over her head and made her shiver.
'Dunno.' He shrugged. 'I haven't seen you for ages . . . so I figured . . . maybe we should go for a walk or something.'
Lucy laughed. 'Well. Eleven p.m is a good enough time as any, right?'
So they went for a walk around the block.
'Mike said you'd been asking about me,' Billie said as they shuffled along.
'Yeah,' Lucy nodded, 'I got pretty worried. I'd have been round to see you, but . . . y'know, with Jess, and stuff . . .'
Billie Joe smiled. 'I get it.'
It really is fucking cold, Lucy thought. Trust Bill to choose this time of night for a heart-to-heart and a stroll.
'Sorry for dragging you out,' Billie said. Lucy looked up at him, and he looked down at his shoes.
'It's OK,' She said. She gave him a smile and linked her arm with his.
'You're kinda tall.' She said, looking at him. 'Cause, you look small, but . . . you're not really are you?'
He smirked. 'I am.'
'Are not.' She giggled.
'Hey Billie?' She said after a few minutes. 'Are you . . . are you better now?'
She saw him bite his lip and squeezed his arm. She didn't want to pressure him or hurt him, but she needed to know if he was OK.
'I guess.' He said quietly. 'I'm, uh, sorry, y'know. For putting you through that. And I'm really sorry I threatened you.'
Lucy leaned against his shoulder. 'It's fine BJ.'
'I just felt so helpless.' He continued.
'Why?'
'Oh, I dunno,' He sighed. 'My mom doesn't give a flying shit what I do with my fucking life, my stepdad boots me all over the place for no Goddamn reason, calling me a fag-'
'That's a fucking stupid insult,' Lucy cut in. 'I hate it when people call each other fags and gays and stuff.'
She saw Billie blush a little. 'Well, uh . . . he kinda has a right to . . . I'm bi.'
Lucy raised an eyebrow. She was a little surprised. She figured maybe Tre was bi, because he was really calm about his sexuality and wasn't afraid to act the same way towards guys as he did to girls. She wasn't sure about Mike. He seemed pretty straight-forward (pun intended) to her.
But Billie?
He really didn't seem the type.
'Oh . . .' Lucy said. She realized they had stopped walking and she was staring at him. 'Oh. Erm. Well . . . it doesn't bother me.'
Billie's face filled with a huge smile. 'Really?'
Lucy shook her head. 'No. You are who you are, Bill, and I like who you are, so there's no problem really, is there?'
Billie Joe was thrilled. He had told Mike and Tre, and Tre had been fine but Mike had been . . . sort of reluctant to accept it.
But Lucy was fine with it? Great!
'Come on,' He said, unlinking his arm and putting it around her, 'We'd better get home.'
'Aww,' Lucy smiled, 'I like walking around in the dark.'
'Fool.'
Lucy smiled. She still hadn't asked him why he had done what he had, but she figured he had in a way already told her. She hoped he was going to be OK.
They stood on her front steps.
'I'll see you tomorrow, then, Billie.' She smiled.
'Yeah, I guess.'
She looked awkwardly at him before leaning in for a hug. She hugged Mike and Tre all the time, but Billie was different, as she already knew.
As they pulled apart, Lucy tilted her head to smile at him and Billie moved his to do the same to her. Their lips brushed together for a second.
'Uhm,' Lucy mumbled, 'Oops.'
'Yeah,' Billie said, quickly untangling himself. 'So, um, see you tomorrow. Bye Lucy.'
'Bye BJ.'
She watched him sprint home, then silently let herself in and went up to her room unnoticed. She took off the trainers and jacket and slipped into her nice warm bed, throwing the clothes she'd put under across the room.
No way was that a kiss, She thought to herself. I mean, that must happen all the time. Right? It wasn't a kiss, we just sort of . . . clashed. Yeah, we just clashed.
But why did it give her such a strange feeling?
Maybe it was just the fact that she'd been in such close quarters with someone she considered a friend.
Yeah. That must be it . . .
