Living Life A Bit Differently, chapter 12
"I saw Jess at the supermarket yesturday," Ms. Nesser stated while pulling out a new text book for Billie to study from, "She works there now."
Billie looked down at the coffee table shamefully, "What did she say?"
"She told me to tell you that she was going to call you some time this week. I know it's not right to pry, but do you mind telling me what happened?"
Billie's eyes brightened, Jess was going to call him, that was a good sign. Maybe she wasn't mad with him anymore, "Jess said she'd call me, really?" he asked.
Ms. Nesser nodded at her pupil, "So...tell me what happened--that is, if you're up to it."
Billie Joe nodded and started, "I told her to stop coming to the hospital because she kept getting me in trouble with Leela. I didn't want to make her mad, I just...I just wanted to be smart..."
He looked down at the table again, and wiped his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears that were forming. His teacher hugged him tightly, "It's okay, Billie. You were doing the right thing, she needs to understand that."
Billie nodded into Ms. Nesser's hair, and she rubbed his back comfortingly. When Billie Joe had calmed down enough, they ended the hug and continued with his studies.
***
When Ms. Nesser was packing up her things, she looked up at Billie Joe, who was reading a passage in his history book about Nikita Krushchev and his rule of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
"You know, yesturday after I got home, I tried cooking dinner for me and Mike's anniversary, and I burned the entire chicken. Not much of an anniversary," she stopped and chuckled, "I was thinking of going out to dinner tonight instead. I don't think Mike would mind, would you like to go out with us?"
Billie looked up from his book and checked the clock above Ms. Nesser's head. He had forgotten to go out to the store and get anything to eat after he had visited Ms. Apocoly. Why not?
"Okay." Billie answered, folding the corner of the page he was on and closed the book.
Ms. Nesser nodded and stood up, "We'll come pick you up in an hour, do you think you could get ready in time?"
Billie nodded in response and stood up, hugging his generous teacher, "Thank you."
"No problem, Bill," she opened the door and stepped out half-way, "I'll see you at six o'clock, bye!"
She waved before closing the door. Billie went to jump in the shower excitedly.
***
"Hey, Billie!" Mike called from the driver seat as Adrienne and Billie walked down the side walk to his car.
Billie waved and plopped down into the back seat, a smile big enough to make Ebaneezer Scrooge happy. He put on his seat belt, and the car went into motion.
"Where is this place, by the way?" Mike asked his girlfriend, his eyes still glued to the road.
"It's new, turn left here, go straight down until the second light..." Adrienne guided him, pointing to where they needed to go.
Billie paid no attention, and stared out the window, cars and traffic lights passed by in flashes of light and sounds.
"...No! No, over there is left, not over there!" Adrienne shouted, pointing in the other direction as Mike laughed at his own stupidity.
Billie giggled as Adrienne put her head in her hands and pretended to be annoyed with the man she called a boyfriend. She turned to her student in the back seat, "This is what I have to go through daily." She chuckled as Mike tore his eyes away from the road ahead and looked at her.
"Let's just hope this place is better than the crap you made last night, what did you make? I didn't know whether to eat it or use it as a weapon!"
Adrienne punched him in the arm, and he turned to look back at the road. Once they had arrived at the little diner, they jumped out of the car, their stomachs growling in anticipation for food.
The three sat at a table in the corner and picked up the menus already placed down. A waiter came to take their drink order.
"I'll have a Budweiser Lite." Mike stated, still staring down at the menu in his hands.
"I'll have water with ice, no lemon please." Adrienne said nicely.
The waiter looked down at Billie expectantly, "Sprite, no lemon please."
The man nodded and left to fulfill their orders. He returned five minutes later with a beer bottle in one hand and the two glasses in the other. He set them down next to their respected customers, "Ready to order or should I give you five more minutes?" he asked politely.
His name tag read "George".
"Five more minutes, the menu is huge." Mike laughed, George nodded and walked away to tend to other tables.
Billie had already chosen his meal (Cheeseburger with onion rings), so he set the menu down near the end of the table so George could take it easily. When the waiter had come back, they had given their orders and their menus to him.
He left to give their orders to the chef. Twenty minutes later, they sat in silence, finding nothing to talk about. Adrienne stared out the window next to their booth, her eyes followed the cars crossing the bridge up ahead. Billie twiddled his thumbs, his stomach growled. He ignored it and looked at the little cards of desserts that was on the stand next to the condiments. Mike had gone to the bathroom, upon returning he had a disgusted sneer on his face.
"What's wrong...what did you do?" Adrienne asked as if whatever had made Mike pissed off, he had started.
"That bastard waiter was sayin' shit to his little buddies in the bathroom. I hid in a stall and listened." he looked over at Billie, for he was the topic of George's conversation with his "little buddies".
Adrienne followed Mike's gaze and sighed, "We'll be right back, Billie. Stay here if our orders come, okay?"
Billie nodded as Mike and Adrienne disappeared to talk more about what had just happened. Billie Joe sighed, bored and hungry, and continued to read the dessert cards.
When the two had returned, Mike was pushing George along roughly, "Say it, make up for your little conversation in the bathroom, you little shit."
Adrienne slapped Mike's forearm for being so vulgar in a public place, but he continued, finding a reason to curse, "Have some respect for other people you little bastard." Mike growled.
He pushed the waiter forward, almost causing George to knock over their table, but Billie steadied it with his hands. He looked up at the frightened 17-year-old, not quite certain why Mike was telling the kid to say something to him.
"Okay, OKAY! Jesus Christ..." George fixed his shirt and looked around at all the stunned customers staring at the small party of four, "I'm sorry for making fun of you, it was wrong, and because of this, your food is free...and I will be fired by my boss..." he said the last line in a mere whisper.
Mike pushed him again, "...and I'm an asshole."
George sighed and walked away, but not before shoving Mike. Mike, who was ready to rip his head off, went to lunge at him, but Adrienne glared at him, telling him to sit down and stop causing a scene.
When their food had finally arrived, it was a different waiter, a waitress named Gina, "I'm so sorry about that, he was new, couldn't keep his mouth shut if his life depended on it." she smiled at Billie, hoping this would make up for everything.
It did, but only because Billie had no idea what was going on and why George was fired for doing something he had no idea happened. Oh well, free meal.
***
Adrienne and Mike waved from the car as Billie went to open the door to the apartment building.
"Bye, Billie! I'll see you tomorrow!" Adrienne called.
"See ya, Bill! Hope we can hang out more often, saves me from being alone with her!" Mike pointed to the women in the passenger seat jokingly.
Billie nodded and smiled, closing the door to the building. He waited for the car to disappear down the road before he began to jog up the stairs to his apartment, three stories up.
He arrived inside of his apartment and walked over to the phone. The red light on his answering machine was blinking frantically, so he clicked it.
"One new message, and three old messages," the automated voice told Billie Joe, "Hey, Billie. It's Jess, I just wanted to say 'hey' and I miss you, so call me, you know my number. Oh, and I'm sorry for being such an ass lately, I'll talk to you later, bye."
The message ended and the automated voice responded, "No new messages, four old messages."
Billie clicked the button again, wanting to hear Jess' voice after over two weeks, "Hey, Billie. It's Jess, I just wanted to say 'hey' and I miss you, so call me, you know my number. Oh, and I'm sorry for being such an ass lately, I'll talk to you later, bye."
The message ended, and the apartment was once again silent. He went to pick up the phone, but decided it was too late. He would call her the next day, first thing in the morning. Billie just hoped he wouldn't forget.
Billie looked down at the coffee table shamefully, "What did she say?"
"She told me to tell you that she was going to call you some time this week. I know it's not right to pry, but do you mind telling me what happened?"
Billie's eyes brightened, Jess was going to call him, that was a good sign. Maybe she wasn't mad with him anymore, "Jess said she'd call me, really?" he asked.
Ms. Nesser nodded at her pupil, "So...tell me what happened--that is, if you're up to it."
Billie Joe nodded and started, "I told her to stop coming to the hospital because she kept getting me in trouble with Leela. I didn't want to make her mad, I just...I just wanted to be smart..."
He looked down at the table again, and wiped his eyes, trying to get rid of the tears that were forming. His teacher hugged him tightly, "It's okay, Billie. You were doing the right thing, she needs to understand that."
Billie nodded into Ms. Nesser's hair, and she rubbed his back comfortingly. When Billie Joe had calmed down enough, they ended the hug and continued with his studies.
***
When Ms. Nesser was packing up her things, she looked up at Billie Joe, who was reading a passage in his history book about Nikita Krushchev and his rule of the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
"You know, yesturday after I got home, I tried cooking dinner for me and Mike's anniversary, and I burned the entire chicken. Not much of an anniversary," she stopped and chuckled, "I was thinking of going out to dinner tonight instead. I don't think Mike would mind, would you like to go out with us?"
Billie looked up from his book and checked the clock above Ms. Nesser's head. He had forgotten to go out to the store and get anything to eat after he had visited Ms. Apocoly. Why not?
"Okay." Billie answered, folding the corner of the page he was on and closed the book.
Ms. Nesser nodded and stood up, "We'll come pick you up in an hour, do you think you could get ready in time?"
Billie nodded in response and stood up, hugging his generous teacher, "Thank you."
"No problem, Bill," she opened the door and stepped out half-way, "I'll see you at six o'clock, bye!"
She waved before closing the door. Billie went to jump in the shower excitedly.
***
"Hey, Billie!" Mike called from the driver seat as Adrienne and Billie walked down the side walk to his car.
Billie waved and plopped down into the back seat, a smile big enough to make Ebaneezer Scrooge happy. He put on his seat belt, and the car went into motion.
"Where is this place, by the way?" Mike asked his girlfriend, his eyes still glued to the road.
"It's new, turn left here, go straight down until the second light..." Adrienne guided him, pointing to where they needed to go.
Billie paid no attention, and stared out the window, cars and traffic lights passed by in flashes of light and sounds.
"...No! No, over there is left, not over there!" Adrienne shouted, pointing in the other direction as Mike laughed at his own stupidity.
Billie giggled as Adrienne put her head in her hands and pretended to be annoyed with the man she called a boyfriend. She turned to her student in the back seat, "This is what I have to go through daily." She chuckled as Mike tore his eyes away from the road ahead and looked at her.
"Let's just hope this place is better than the crap you made last night, what did you make? I didn't know whether to eat it or use it as a weapon!"
Adrienne punched him in the arm, and he turned to look back at the road. Once they had arrived at the little diner, they jumped out of the car, their stomachs growling in anticipation for food.
The three sat at a table in the corner and picked up the menus already placed down. A waiter came to take their drink order.
"I'll have a Budweiser Lite." Mike stated, still staring down at the menu in his hands.
"I'll have water with ice, no lemon please." Adrienne said nicely.
The waiter looked down at Billie expectantly, "Sprite, no lemon please."
The man nodded and left to fulfill their orders. He returned five minutes later with a beer bottle in one hand and the two glasses in the other. He set them down next to their respected customers, "Ready to order or should I give you five more minutes?" he asked politely.
His name tag read "George".
"Five more minutes, the menu is huge." Mike laughed, George nodded and walked away to tend to other tables.
Billie had already chosen his meal (Cheeseburger with onion rings), so he set the menu down near the end of the table so George could take it easily. When the waiter had come back, they had given their orders and their menus to him.
He left to give their orders to the chef. Twenty minutes later, they sat in silence, finding nothing to talk about. Adrienne stared out the window next to their booth, her eyes followed the cars crossing the bridge up ahead. Billie twiddled his thumbs, his stomach growled. He ignored it and looked at the little cards of desserts that was on the stand next to the condiments. Mike had gone to the bathroom, upon returning he had a disgusted sneer on his face.
"What's wrong...what did you do?" Adrienne asked as if whatever had made Mike pissed off, he had started.
"That bastard waiter was sayin' shit to his little buddies in the bathroom. I hid in a stall and listened." he looked over at Billie, for he was the topic of George's conversation with his "little buddies".
Adrienne followed Mike's gaze and sighed, "We'll be right back, Billie. Stay here if our orders come, okay?"
Billie nodded as Mike and Adrienne disappeared to talk more about what had just happened. Billie Joe sighed, bored and hungry, and continued to read the dessert cards.
When the two had returned, Mike was pushing George along roughly, "Say it, make up for your little conversation in the bathroom, you little shit."
Adrienne slapped Mike's forearm for being so vulgar in a public place, but he continued, finding a reason to curse, "Have some respect for other people you little bastard." Mike growled.
He pushed the waiter forward, almost causing George to knock over their table, but Billie steadied it with his hands. He looked up at the frightened 17-year-old, not quite certain why Mike was telling the kid to say something to him.
"Okay, OKAY! Jesus Christ..." George fixed his shirt and looked around at all the stunned customers staring at the small party of four, "I'm sorry for making fun of you, it was wrong, and because of this, your food is free...and I will be fired by my boss..." he said the last line in a mere whisper.
Mike pushed him again, "...and I'm an asshole."
George sighed and walked away, but not before shoving Mike. Mike, who was ready to rip his head off, went to lunge at him, but Adrienne glared at him, telling him to sit down and stop causing a scene.
When their food had finally arrived, it was a different waiter, a waitress named Gina, "I'm so sorry about that, he was new, couldn't keep his mouth shut if his life depended on it." she smiled at Billie, hoping this would make up for everything.
It did, but only because Billie had no idea what was going on and why George was fired for doing something he had no idea happened. Oh well, free meal.
***
Adrienne and Mike waved from the car as Billie went to open the door to the apartment building.
"Bye, Billie! I'll see you tomorrow!" Adrienne called.
"See ya, Bill! Hope we can hang out more often, saves me from being alone with her!" Mike pointed to the women in the passenger seat jokingly.
Billie nodded and smiled, closing the door to the building. He waited for the car to disappear down the road before he began to jog up the stairs to his apartment, three stories up.
He arrived inside of his apartment and walked over to the phone. The red light on his answering machine was blinking frantically, so he clicked it.
"One new message, and three old messages," the automated voice told Billie Joe, "Hey, Billie. It's Jess, I just wanted to say 'hey' and I miss you, so call me, you know my number. Oh, and I'm sorry for being such an ass lately, I'll talk to you later, bye."
The message ended and the automated voice responded, "No new messages, four old messages."
Billie clicked the button again, wanting to hear Jess' voice after over two weeks, "Hey, Billie. It's Jess, I just wanted to say 'hey' and I miss you, so call me, you know my number. Oh, and I'm sorry for being such an ass lately, I'll talk to you later, bye."
The message ended, and the apartment was once again silent. He went to pick up the phone, but decided it was too late. He would call her the next day, first thing in the morning. Billie just hoped he wouldn't forget.
