What's In A Name?, chapter 2
The morning trailed by, leaving four hours of boredom behind. When the lunch hour finally rolled around, Billie hastily went out of the doors, followed shortly by his two friends, Tre Cool and Mike.
"How're you hanging, 2$ bill?" Mike's blonde head turned to the side to look at Billie, almost puppy-dog style.
"Shut up. Just leave me alone, will you?" Billie stalked off, and disappeared into a dank, poorly-lit coffee shop that rarely had any customers.
"What's up with him?" Tre Cool asked Mike in an almost accusing manner.
"No idea. Hey, what are you looking at me for?"
***
Billie sat down next to Kate, who was slumped in a battered chair in the corner of the coffee shop.
"Hey."
"Hello."
An icy silence followed, leaving Billie to rack his brains for something to say.
"What brings you here at this time of year? I mean, November isn't exactly September, now, is it?"
"My mother died last summer. My step dad put the house on the market and found a place here."
"God, I'm awfully sorry. Is your step dad...nice?" Kate looked Billie in the eyes for the first time.
"No."
"How come?"
"Well...Should I just tell you the whole story and put you out of your misery?"
"If you insist."
"Well, my mother divorced my father in 2004, in November, after she found out that he had slept with five other women. She bought a house soon afterwards, in December. We had a quiet Christmas, and made do with the money we had to buy each other presents. In January she met Paul, and in May she moved in with him. I was happy at first, until the fights started. Around June Paul got abusive.
Kate stopped to swallow back the lump that had formed in her throat.
"One night Paul had got home from work late, and his dinner that my mother had laid on the table an hour was cold. Paul went crazy and slammed my mother against the wall."
Delicate tears were now rolling down Kate's face, but still she continued.
"He screamed at her, calling her obscene names. He slapped her numerous times and threw her on the floor. He then ripped off her clothes and attempted to rape her, but she fought him off. Cursing, he left the house. I left the place I was hiding and crept back into bed, and cried myself to sleep."
Kate stopped again to look at Billie.
"I woke up the next morning and...um...my mother had been found dead in the dining room. I later found out she killed herself an hour after Paul had left the house."
"Kate... I'm sorry." Billie found that he himself was fighting back tears.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. After all, you're not the one who killed her. Paul did, and he's not in the least sorry."
Billie leaned over and took the pale white hand that was shaking on the table.
"Do you want to come to my house after school tonight?" He shrugged.
"To, you know, talk?"
"I'd love to." Kate gripped Billie's hand and leaned in to give him a slight kiss on the cheek.
"I'd love to."
"How're you hanging, 2$ bill?" Mike's blonde head turned to the side to look at Billie, almost puppy-dog style.
"Shut up. Just leave me alone, will you?" Billie stalked off, and disappeared into a dank, poorly-lit coffee shop that rarely had any customers.
"What's up with him?" Tre Cool asked Mike in an almost accusing manner.
"No idea. Hey, what are you looking at me for?"
***
Billie sat down next to Kate, who was slumped in a battered chair in the corner of the coffee shop.
"Hey."
"Hello."
An icy silence followed, leaving Billie to rack his brains for something to say.
"What brings you here at this time of year? I mean, November isn't exactly September, now, is it?"
"My mother died last summer. My step dad put the house on the market and found a place here."
"God, I'm awfully sorry. Is your step dad...nice?" Kate looked Billie in the eyes for the first time.
"No."
"How come?"
"Well...Should I just tell you the whole story and put you out of your misery?"
"If you insist."
"Well, my mother divorced my father in 2004, in November, after she found out that he had slept with five other women. She bought a house soon afterwards, in December. We had a quiet Christmas, and made do with the money we had to buy each other presents. In January she met Paul, and in May she moved in with him. I was happy at first, until the fights started. Around June Paul got abusive.
Kate stopped to swallow back the lump that had formed in her throat.
"One night Paul had got home from work late, and his dinner that my mother had laid on the table an hour was cold. Paul went crazy and slammed my mother against the wall."
Delicate tears were now rolling down Kate's face, but still she continued.
"He screamed at her, calling her obscene names. He slapped her numerous times and threw her on the floor. He then ripped off her clothes and attempted to rape her, but she fought him off. Cursing, he left the house. I left the place I was hiding and crept back into bed, and cried myself to sleep."
Kate stopped again to look at Billie.
"I woke up the next morning and...um...my mother had been found dead in the dining room. I later found out she killed herself an hour after Paul had left the house."
"Kate... I'm sorry." Billie found that he himself was fighting back tears.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. After all, you're not the one who killed her. Paul did, and he's not in the least sorry."
Billie leaned over and took the pale white hand that was shaking on the table.
"Do you want to come to my house after school tonight?" He shrugged.
"To, you know, talk?"
"I'd love to." Kate gripped Billie's hand and leaned in to give him a slight kiss on the cheek.
"I'd love to."
