Living Life A Bit Differently, chapter 15
Three Months Later
"Billie?" Jess spoke up as she slid through the front door of his apartment quietly.
No answer greeted her ears, newly pierced with a pair of silver pearls (only the most observant of souls would realize they're faux pearls) dangling from silver chains; just one of the few improvements she had made that day.
"... Billie? You here? I want to show you something." She called, a little louder as she walked through the diminutive kitchen area and into the just as minute living room.
Jess swore she heard a low spoken curse coming from Billie Joe's bedroom, and headed that way, pulling the hood of her baggy sweatshirt farther down to cover her forehead. As she drew closer, she knew she had heard correctly. A string of barely audible curses lingered as she poked her head through the door.
It seemed to be empty, but on closer inspection, Jess found the man on the floor, hands and knees, picking up little toothpicks, little parts of a model he had been building for a month.
The women laughed... and laughed once more as Billie was so startled from her sudden appearance, he jumped and his bent back knocked into the wooden table above him, sending another box of toothpicks and months old Crafty Builder magazines down upon his head.
As her friend continued to curse under his breathe, Jess bent down to help him, pulling the hood off her sweat soaked head. She handed Billie one of the magazines, not expecting a simple "thank you" to come, since it was her own fault the magazines were scattered everywhere in the first place. Jess pushed the toothpicks into a large pile for Billie to put them in the cardboard box; when the job was done, they both stood up, and Jess suppressed a giggle.
"I'll fucking shoot—what did you do to your hair?!" Billie asked, shocked.
His hazel eyes stared at the top of her head, cut just below her ears, and straight as could be.
"You like it?" she asked, nervously.
She had already gotten enough stares from people at work, the last thing she needed was her best friend to disapprove.
"Wha-yeah-whoa... I really like it... but why did you cut it in the first place?" Billie faltered, still in utter shock of her sudden will to change her "look."
"I was bored, plus, the salon on 56th street gave me a discount because I let the owner take a few things from the store for free." Jess winked, another one of her ways to get what she wanted for a bit cheaper.
Billie had to hand it to her, she was a smart woman, her antics not always wise, or even legal, but he envied her for them.
"OH! And look at my new shoes." She exclaimed, pushing one foot out towards Billie Joe.
The new shoes weren't anything special, just a pair of sneakers, but he guessed they were nice because she had helped someone else out with their illegal deeds and was being repaid for it.
"They're... nice. Sporty." He smiled, baring his teeth.
Billie had just begun a smoking habit, not entirely used to inhaling, but getting there. His teeth were already starting to yellow.
"So... how's the Toothpicker's Delight going?" Jess asked, grinning back.
Billie sighed, "Stop calling it that! It's a damn boat, not some old dude's tooth cleaner."
"But it's out of toothpicks, is it not?"
"That may be true, but still! Don't call it that!"
Jess snickered at Billie's slight hostility. It was just a bunch of toothpicks glued together, nothing to "Oh" and "Ah" about, right?
"Well...it's doing just fine, I was working on it until you interrupted me." Billie answered, crossing his arms.
"Mmhmm..." Jess rolled her eyes and walked down the hallway and back into the kitchen.
She opened the refridgerator and fished out a few pieces of deli sliced American cheese, and began to nibble at one of the large squares.
"You know, that costs $6 a pound." Billie said matter-of-factly, plopping down beside her at the table.
Jess smiled innocently in response before going back to eating the tasty cheese.
"You look like a squirrell when you eat cheese, you know that?" he continued, resting his head against his folded arms.
Jess turned her head to stare at him smugly, "You know what? I think I liked you more when you weren't the smartest of guys, at least you didn't complain when I ate everything in your house." she joked.
"Hardy har har. Well get used to the intellectual me, Jessilyn," he emphasized her name, "because that's what you're stuck with."
Billie made sure he left out the whole 'this may only be temporary' bit, but he doubted she didn't already know.
"I can handle that, I guess. It's great having a real conversation with you now, and I can take you places." Jess winked again, giggling at her own little joke that he was a house broken puppy, all the while trying not to choke on the last bits of cheese she had in her mouth.
Billie rolled his eyes, but then focused on the amusement of watching Jess choke up American deli cheese.
"Billie?" Jess spoke up as she slid through the front door of his apartment quietly.
No answer greeted her ears, newly pierced with a pair of silver pearls (only the most observant of souls would realize they're faux pearls) dangling from silver chains; just one of the few improvements she had made that day.
"... Billie? You here? I want to show you something." She called, a little louder as she walked through the diminutive kitchen area and into the just as minute living room.
Jess swore she heard a low spoken curse coming from Billie Joe's bedroom, and headed that way, pulling the hood of her baggy sweatshirt farther down to cover her forehead. As she drew closer, she knew she had heard correctly. A string of barely audible curses lingered as she poked her head through the door.
It seemed to be empty, but on closer inspection, Jess found the man on the floor, hands and knees, picking up little toothpicks, little parts of a model he had been building for a month.
The women laughed... and laughed once more as Billie was so startled from her sudden appearance, he jumped and his bent back knocked into the wooden table above him, sending another box of toothpicks and months old Crafty Builder magazines down upon his head.
As her friend continued to curse under his breathe, Jess bent down to help him, pulling the hood off her sweat soaked head. She handed Billie one of the magazines, not expecting a simple "thank you" to come, since it was her own fault the magazines were scattered everywhere in the first place. Jess pushed the toothpicks into a large pile for Billie to put them in the cardboard box; when the job was done, they both stood up, and Jess suppressed a giggle.
"I'll fucking shoot—what did you do to your hair?!" Billie asked, shocked.
His hazel eyes stared at the top of her head, cut just below her ears, and straight as could be.
"You like it?" she asked, nervously.
She had already gotten enough stares from people at work, the last thing she needed was her best friend to disapprove.
"Wha-yeah-whoa... I really like it... but why did you cut it in the first place?" Billie faltered, still in utter shock of her sudden will to change her "look."
"I was bored, plus, the salon on 56th street gave me a discount because I let the owner take a few things from the store for free." Jess winked, another one of her ways to get what she wanted for a bit cheaper.
Billie had to hand it to her, she was a smart woman, her antics not always wise, or even legal, but he envied her for them.
"OH! And look at my new shoes." She exclaimed, pushing one foot out towards Billie Joe.
The new shoes weren't anything special, just a pair of sneakers, but he guessed they were nice because she had helped someone else out with their illegal deeds and was being repaid for it.
"They're... nice. Sporty." He smiled, baring his teeth.
Billie had just begun a smoking habit, not entirely used to inhaling, but getting there. His teeth were already starting to yellow.
"So... how's the Toothpicker's Delight going?" Jess asked, grinning back.
Billie sighed, "Stop calling it that! It's a damn boat, not some old dude's tooth cleaner."
"But it's out of toothpicks, is it not?"
"That may be true, but still! Don't call it that!"
Jess snickered at Billie's slight hostility. It was just a bunch of toothpicks glued together, nothing to "Oh" and "Ah" about, right?
"Well...it's doing just fine, I was working on it until you interrupted me." Billie answered, crossing his arms.
"Mmhmm..." Jess rolled her eyes and walked down the hallway and back into the kitchen.
She opened the refridgerator and fished out a few pieces of deli sliced American cheese, and began to nibble at one of the large squares.
"You know, that costs $6 a pound." Billie said matter-of-factly, plopping down beside her at the table.
Jess smiled innocently in response before going back to eating the tasty cheese.
"You look like a squirrell when you eat cheese, you know that?" he continued, resting his head against his folded arms.
Jess turned her head to stare at him smugly, "You know what? I think I liked you more when you weren't the smartest of guys, at least you didn't complain when I ate everything in your house." she joked.
"Hardy har har. Well get used to the intellectual me, Jessilyn," he emphasized her name, "because that's what you're stuck with."
Billie made sure he left out the whole 'this may only be temporary' bit, but he doubted she didn't already know.
"I can handle that, I guess. It's great having a real conversation with you now, and I can take you places." Jess winked again, giggling at her own little joke that he was a house broken puppy, all the while trying not to choke on the last bits of cheese she had in her mouth.
Billie rolled his eyes, but then focused on the amusement of watching Jess choke up American deli cheese.
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