"Hi, I'm Your Neighbour.", chapter 5
[Recap: "...he lifted that side of my shirt up. Not all the way or anything. He wasn't trying to be a perv; he was trying to find a mark. Obviously, the make-up had worn off in all my busy work today..."]
"Whoa. N-Nikki, h-how did this happen?" he stuttered, too shocked to speak properly.
"Billie, it's nothing. You don't bother it, it don't bother you."
"Oh. It's nothing. That's why your whole side is purple. " He said, a little angry that I had tried to hide it from him. After all, we were the closest of friends. If Carrie would've been able to hide something like this, and I found out on accident what happened to her, I would be real pissed. So I let it go.
"Please. Don't mention this to anyone. Please." I begged.
"I have to! I'm going to find my mom or something..." he trailed off. As he got up, I yanked on his arm, pulling him back to the floor.
"I said don't mention it. Please, Billie. This is the first time I've ever begged you for anything. Just let me have this one, ok? Please."
"But, Nikki, one day it's gonna go too far and you're going to regret not getting help for it."
"Holy shit." I mumbled.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked, panicking slightly.
"That's the exact same thing I said to Carrie."
"And we know how much she's been through." said Mike.
We all knew what this meant. I had the exact same thing as Carrie. I always thought it was better for me, that I had less pain. Wrong. I had just realized that I had no more, no less pain. We had the same exact kind of hurt. Same amount. Same thing Billie saw how desperate I was, and gave in. I broke out crying, and the guys hugged me and settled me down and we went to sleep. In the middle of the night, I heard something in the kitchen. I woke up with a start.
I crept out Billie's door, down the hallway, down the stairs, quietly, with a baseball bat I found in Billie's closet. I saw the kitchen light on. Holy shit! There's someone in there!
"Who's there?" I said, my voice shaking. My shirt was up a bit, showing my bad side. I flipped it down and walked on. I stepped into the kitchen to see Andy and Ollie Armstrong talking to each other. Andy had just gotten home from one of his trucking trips. He had a large box in his arms. He leaned it against the kitchen table and sat down.
"Hey, Nicole!" Andy said. He always used my first name. I never let anyone use my first name, but Andy was a good man. I let it go.
"Hi, Mr. Armstrong." I said.
"Dear, it's awfully late, what were doing awake?" asked Ollie.
"Oh, I, umm...heard you guys down here and thought a burglar or something was down here." I said.
"Oh, no, it's just us sweetie." she said warmly.
"Umm.... Andy? What's in that big box?" said my small voice.
"Hmm...Ol, should I tell her?" he considered.
"I don't know Hun, it's up to you," she answered.
He looked at me deep in the eye and analyzed me. Then he stuck his pinkie fingers.
"Do you pinkie swear to keep this secret. You can't say a word to anybody," he said, childishly lowering his voice so that no one could hear him.
"I swear." I said, also childishly, and we linked pinkies. He sighed, looked me in the eye again, looked at the box, and then back at me.
"Alright. In the box right there is a new guitar for Beej." he said quietly.
At that moment, brightness filled in me. Billie said, and I quote, "If I ever get a new guitar, I'm gonna start a band with Mike and my friend John."
"Oh my gosh, Mr. Armstrong, you're the best father ever. Billie will be so happy. He's wanted to start a band for, like, ever. Thanks!" I said, almost like it was my own.
To tell you the truth, whenever something good happened to Billie, I felt amazing for him. I thanked God for him, anything.
"You say that like it's your own," he said, questioning me.
"I know. To be honest with you, I always feel happy for him whenever something bright comes along. It's just that when I'm see him happy it makes me happy." I said, smiling a bit.
"Well, you're such a sweet young lady. Why don't you go back upstairs and go to sleep now?"
"Ok," I said, "That sounds very nice to me." I said, yawning at my last word. And with that, I went back up the stairs, to the end of the hallway, through Beej's door, and under my sleeping bag cover.
"Whoa. N-Nikki, h-how did this happen?" he stuttered, too shocked to speak properly.
"Billie, it's nothing. You don't bother it, it don't bother you."
"Oh. It's nothing. That's why your whole side is purple. " He said, a little angry that I had tried to hide it from him. After all, we were the closest of friends. If Carrie would've been able to hide something like this, and I found out on accident what happened to her, I would be real pissed. So I let it go.
"Please. Don't mention this to anyone. Please." I begged.
"I have to! I'm going to find my mom or something..." he trailed off. As he got up, I yanked on his arm, pulling him back to the floor.
"I said don't mention it. Please, Billie. This is the first time I've ever begged you for anything. Just let me have this one, ok? Please."
"But, Nikki, one day it's gonna go too far and you're going to regret not getting help for it."
"Holy shit." I mumbled.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked, panicking slightly.
"That's the exact same thing I said to Carrie."
"And we know how much she's been through." said Mike.
We all knew what this meant. I had the exact same thing as Carrie. I always thought it was better for me, that I had less pain. Wrong. I had just realized that I had no more, no less pain. We had the same exact kind of hurt. Same amount. Same thing Billie saw how desperate I was, and gave in. I broke out crying, and the guys hugged me and settled me down and we went to sleep. In the middle of the night, I heard something in the kitchen. I woke up with a start.
I crept out Billie's door, down the hallway, down the stairs, quietly, with a baseball bat I found in Billie's closet. I saw the kitchen light on. Holy shit! There's someone in there!
"Who's there?" I said, my voice shaking. My shirt was up a bit, showing my bad side. I flipped it down and walked on. I stepped into the kitchen to see Andy and Ollie Armstrong talking to each other. Andy had just gotten home from one of his trucking trips. He had a large box in his arms. He leaned it against the kitchen table and sat down.
"Hey, Nicole!" Andy said. He always used my first name. I never let anyone use my first name, but Andy was a good man. I let it go.
"Hi, Mr. Armstrong." I said.
"Dear, it's awfully late, what were doing awake?" asked Ollie.
"Oh, I, umm...heard you guys down here and thought a burglar or something was down here." I said.
"Oh, no, it's just us sweetie." she said warmly.
"Umm.... Andy? What's in that big box?" said my small voice.
"Hmm...Ol, should I tell her?" he considered.
"I don't know Hun, it's up to you," she answered.
He looked at me deep in the eye and analyzed me. Then he stuck his pinkie fingers.
"Do you pinkie swear to keep this secret. You can't say a word to anybody," he said, childishly lowering his voice so that no one could hear him.
"I swear." I said, also childishly, and we linked pinkies. He sighed, looked me in the eye again, looked at the box, and then back at me.
"Alright. In the box right there is a new guitar for Beej." he said quietly.
At that moment, brightness filled in me. Billie said, and I quote, "If I ever get a new guitar, I'm gonna start a band with Mike and my friend John."
"Oh my gosh, Mr. Armstrong, you're the best father ever. Billie will be so happy. He's wanted to start a band for, like, ever. Thanks!" I said, almost like it was my own.
To tell you the truth, whenever something good happened to Billie, I felt amazing for him. I thanked God for him, anything.
"You say that like it's your own," he said, questioning me.
"I know. To be honest with you, I always feel happy for him whenever something bright comes along. It's just that when I'm see him happy it makes me happy." I said, smiling a bit.
"Well, you're such a sweet young lady. Why don't you go back upstairs and go to sleep now?"
"Ok," I said, "That sounds very nice to me." I said, yawning at my last word. And with that, I went back up the stairs, to the end of the hallway, through Beej's door, and under my sleeping bag cover.
