Photographs And Still Frames In Your Mind, chapter 4
The last lesson that day had been maths and Kate had been in their class. As they left the classroom and made their way to the gates, Kate passed them and said, "See you tomorrow then."
"Yeah, see you," said Billie and she went through the gates and walked away down the street. "So, you wanna practice tonight?" he asked Mike.
"Sorry. I said this morning. I'm gonna go say hi to Myla," apologized Mike. (Myla was his sister.) "She's been feeling down since that guy broke up with her."
"Oh yeah, well say hi from me."
"I will. I'll be back before you know it," he said with a smile as they went their separate ways.
As Billie walked home by himself he couldn't help but think of Kate and Staci. Why did Staci hate Kate so much? Sure she was different, but that was no reason to hate her. Well maybe for Staci it was. However he was soon to find out what the real reason was.
He came around the corner of his street looking down at the pavement, deep in thought, when almost bumped into someone.
"Sorry," he muttered, but when he looked up he immediately wished that he hadn't.
"You're finally being nice to me," said Staci in her sickly sweet voice.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Just to talk," she replied innocently.
"When have you ever wanted to talk?" asked Billie.
"Kate seems nice," prompted Staci.
"And?" asked Billie.
"You seem to be really getting along." Billie thought he could see where this was going and he didn't like it. "Do you like her?"
"Yes," he said bluntly. He was really getting bored with this.
All of a sudden Staci's sweet smile fell away to reveal a face of pure hatred. "Stay away from that freak!" she commanded.
"Why should I?" asked Billie. "Because everyone else is? Thank you for that by the way," he added sarcastically.
"Because I said so!"
"And why should I do what you say?" He asked attempting to walk past her, but she side stepped, blocking his way.
"I don't understand you!" she shouted. "Why do you want to spend time with her? Boys would die for me but you don't seem to care!"
"Don't you get it? I want to be with her because she's a friend, has her own opinions, thanks to you, me and Mike are the only friends she's got here and if you haven't caught on yet, you're not my type!" he said and marched right past her, leaving her standing in the street, by herself, fuming.
When he walked into the house Ollie, his mum, shouted, "Hi Billie, Mike, how was school?"
"It's just me mom. Mike's gone to see Myla," Billie informed her from the hallway.
"Will he be back for dinner?" she asked,
"Probably," said Billie climbing the stairs. He walked into his room, dumped his bag in the corner, and slumped on his bed. What the hell was he going to do? Well he couldn't abandon Kate. It was his fault everyone was avoiding her. Why was his life so fucked up?
***
Mike got back in time for dinner with the news that Myla was feeling better. After they had eaten they tried to work on that song Billie had been writing, but Billie's heart wasn't in it. His thoughts were elsewhere. In the end Mike called it a day because they weren't getting anywhere and Billie decided to go to bed. But he didn't get much sleep that night. He had too much on his mind.
***
The next day, without fail, they both strolled into registration late, but the moment Billie stepped foot through the door he stopped dead in his tracks. Kate was sat in his new place, next to James, and worse still, she had turned around in her chair and was talking to Staci! Mike gave him a push, so that he'd move out of the doorway, and they walked to their desk at the back of the classroom. Miss Williams looked up and added their names to the half completed register.
Billie sat down but couldn't take his eyes off Kate and Staci. "What do you think they're talking about?" he asked Mike.
"I don't think it's any of our business," he said casually.
"But Staci hates Kate," he pointed out.
"You don't know that," said Mike. "She's nasty to everyone, even the people she calls her friends. May be this is her chance to finally make some friends other than us." Mike had a good point, but he knew, thanks to him, that would never be the case. Mike gave up and left Billie trying to lip read across the room. He told himself that Mike mite be right, and that Staci had decided to get over it. But Staci had hated her even before she'd hung around with him. He knew he was lying to himself.
***
That lunch time he and Mike sat at the same table they had the day before. Not long after they had sat down Kate walked over to them and asked, "Room for me?"
"Always," said Billie. He couldn't believe she was still smiling. Surly Mike couldn't have been right and Staci had been nice to her.
"Not sitting with Staci then," he asked casually.
"Why would I want to do that?" asked Kate.
"You seem to be getting on OK," he suggested.
"She hates me," said Kate flatly.
Billie frowned.
"She was making fun of me yesterday. I'm not deaf. I think especially my hair. I'm glad she noticed though. Just because she's acting like my friend doesn't means she is. I'd rather sit with you guys any day."
"Why is that?" asked Billie curiously.
"I dunno. You seem cool. And I bet you've got great taste in music," she added. Music. His favorite subject. Mike knew he wouldn't be able to shut him up for hours now. They spent the rest of lunch talking and joking about different bands and songs.
Billie would have been having the best school day ever, he'd met a girl who liked the same thinks as him and they were having a great time, if it hadn't been for the fact that every time he looked up he saw Staci, standing with her gang by the wall, glaring at him.
"Yeah, see you," said Billie and she went through the gates and walked away down the street. "So, you wanna practice tonight?" he asked Mike.
"Sorry. I said this morning. I'm gonna go say hi to Myla," apologized Mike. (Myla was his sister.) "She's been feeling down since that guy broke up with her."
"Oh yeah, well say hi from me."
"I will. I'll be back before you know it," he said with a smile as they went their separate ways.
As Billie walked home by himself he couldn't help but think of Kate and Staci. Why did Staci hate Kate so much? Sure she was different, but that was no reason to hate her. Well maybe for Staci it was. However he was soon to find out what the real reason was.
He came around the corner of his street looking down at the pavement, deep in thought, when almost bumped into someone.
"Sorry," he muttered, but when he looked up he immediately wished that he hadn't.
"You're finally being nice to me," said Staci in her sickly sweet voice.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"Just to talk," she replied innocently.
"When have you ever wanted to talk?" asked Billie.
"Kate seems nice," prompted Staci.
"And?" asked Billie.
"You seem to be really getting along." Billie thought he could see where this was going and he didn't like it. "Do you like her?"
"Yes," he said bluntly. He was really getting bored with this.
All of a sudden Staci's sweet smile fell away to reveal a face of pure hatred. "Stay away from that freak!" she commanded.
"Why should I?" asked Billie. "Because everyone else is? Thank you for that by the way," he added sarcastically.
"Because I said so!"
"And why should I do what you say?" He asked attempting to walk past her, but she side stepped, blocking his way.
"I don't understand you!" she shouted. "Why do you want to spend time with her? Boys would die for me but you don't seem to care!"
"Don't you get it? I want to be with her because she's a friend, has her own opinions, thanks to you, me and Mike are the only friends she's got here and if you haven't caught on yet, you're not my type!" he said and marched right past her, leaving her standing in the street, by herself, fuming.
When he walked into the house Ollie, his mum, shouted, "Hi Billie, Mike, how was school?"
"It's just me mom. Mike's gone to see Myla," Billie informed her from the hallway.
"Will he be back for dinner?" she asked,
"Probably," said Billie climbing the stairs. He walked into his room, dumped his bag in the corner, and slumped on his bed. What the hell was he going to do? Well he couldn't abandon Kate. It was his fault everyone was avoiding her. Why was his life so fucked up?
***
Mike got back in time for dinner with the news that Myla was feeling better. After they had eaten they tried to work on that song Billie had been writing, but Billie's heart wasn't in it. His thoughts were elsewhere. In the end Mike called it a day because they weren't getting anywhere and Billie decided to go to bed. But he didn't get much sleep that night. He had too much on his mind.
***
The next day, without fail, they both strolled into registration late, but the moment Billie stepped foot through the door he stopped dead in his tracks. Kate was sat in his new place, next to James, and worse still, she had turned around in her chair and was talking to Staci! Mike gave him a push, so that he'd move out of the doorway, and they walked to their desk at the back of the classroom. Miss Williams looked up and added their names to the half completed register.
Billie sat down but couldn't take his eyes off Kate and Staci. "What do you think they're talking about?" he asked Mike.
"I don't think it's any of our business," he said casually.
"But Staci hates Kate," he pointed out.
"You don't know that," said Mike. "She's nasty to everyone, even the people she calls her friends. May be this is her chance to finally make some friends other than us." Mike had a good point, but he knew, thanks to him, that would never be the case. Mike gave up and left Billie trying to lip read across the room. He told himself that Mike mite be right, and that Staci had decided to get over it. But Staci had hated her even before she'd hung around with him. He knew he was lying to himself.
***
That lunch time he and Mike sat at the same table they had the day before. Not long after they had sat down Kate walked over to them and asked, "Room for me?"
"Always," said Billie. He couldn't believe she was still smiling. Surly Mike couldn't have been right and Staci had been nice to her.
"Not sitting with Staci then," he asked casually.
"Why would I want to do that?" asked Kate.
"You seem to be getting on OK," he suggested.
"She hates me," said Kate flatly.
Billie frowned.
"She was making fun of me yesterday. I'm not deaf. I think especially my hair. I'm glad she noticed though. Just because she's acting like my friend doesn't means she is. I'd rather sit with you guys any day."
"Why is that?" asked Billie curiously.
"I dunno. You seem cool. And I bet you've got great taste in music," she added. Music. His favorite subject. Mike knew he wouldn't be able to shut him up for hours now. They spent the rest of lunch talking and joking about different bands and songs.
Billie would have been having the best school day ever, he'd met a girl who liked the same thinks as him and they were having a great time, if it hadn't been for the fact that every time he looked up he saw Staci, standing with her gang by the wall, glaring at him.
