2000 Light Years Away, chapter 2
I woke up early the next morning. I slipped on my slippers and my big grey dressing gown and made my way downstairs. I could hear Amelia's snores from the kitchen. I wish she'd stop getting so drunk each night. I mean, she's got work this morning. It was okay for me as it was my day off but I'd asked my boss if I could collect some clothes to work on. I worked in a recycled clothing store in Minneapolis ever since I started my fashion career at the age of 17. My boss, Cindy, lets me take some spare clothes home to work on. It's my dream to become a fashion designer and for the past few years, I've been wrecking so much cool stuff trying to make things. I have had a few successful items that I'm proud of, but not many. I usually design clothes. I have a huge folder of my drawings of t-shirts, skirts, dresses, hoodies and jewellery.
I went to the cupboard and poured myself some orange juice. I shuffled across to the lounge and snuggled down on the armchair. As soon as I switched on the TV, I heard yelling from Amelia's room. Soon enough, Mom came bursting out of her bedroom. Mom and Dad's room in downstairs and it leads through the lounge. Mom flung open the door into the lounge and saw me.
"Is that Amelia?" she asked me.
"Yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. "Of course it is; it wouldn't be Steve or Aaron, would it?" I said. Steve and Aaron are my much-loved brothers. We three are hardly ever in trouble. Amelia is the total opposite.
"You're right," said Mom, "Of course it wouldn't be any of you three." I laughed. "So, do you know what the problem is?" Mom asked. "I mean, you know how bad Amelia is at telling the truth."
"I sort of know." I said, "Amelia came in at midnight after that concert, even though it finished at 9:30. She came in, drunk as ever with this guy. She brought him up to meet me, his name is Billie and he's the lead singer and guitarist of the band she went to see. He's a really nice guy, so I think it must be the alcohol talking up there." I said, trying to talk over Amelia's cries and shouts.
"Okay," Mum said, storming through the door to the kitchen, "I'll sort this out!" She carried on and started thundering up the stairs. I carried on watching TV.
"RIGHT! WHAT THE DEVIL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? FIRST, AMELIA, YOU COME IN DRUNK! THEN YOU BRING HOME THIS GUY, THEN YOU LET HIM STAY WITHOUT ASKING ME OR YOUR FATHER, THEN YOU WAKE US UP AT HALF SIX IN THE MORNING!" I heard Amelia's shouts turn into sobs. She was nearly 19 and she still thought that the 'pretend crying' was going to work. "DON'T TRY THAT FAKE CRYING ON ME YOUNG LADY!" Mom said. Amelia stopped straight away. Mom calmed down a bit as she turned to Billie. "Now, Billie is it?" she asked him.
"Yeah, Mrs.Nesser."
"Well, I'm sure you're a lovely young man but please get out of my house and never see my daughter again!" She had lost her patience by the end of the sentence and was shrieking.
"Yes, Mrs.Nesser," Billie said. I heard him shuffle around Amelia's bedroom, probably collecting his things up ready to leave. I heard him start walking downstairs. I got up and met him at the bottom.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry about my Mom," I said, putting my hands over my face. "I mean, I thought she'd just shout at Amelia, I didn't think she'd turn on you!"
Billie pulled my hands away from my face and held them. I felt my body tingle.
"It's okay," he said softly, "It's okay. I deserved it anyway, it was my fault Amelia started shouting."
"Okay, that doesn't really make sense!" I laughed. Billie smiled but Mom was already coming downstairs. "Quick!" I whispered. "Outside!" I got his wrist and pulled him outside and shut the door behind us. "Anyway, you were saying?"
"Yeah, I made Amelia start shouting. After I met you, I kept going on about you and Amelia was asking me questions about my life and things but I really didn't want to tell her as I wasn't too keen on her at first. I just kept asking questions about you because you're really nice and Amelia's really not my type of person. I mean, she's okay but a little blonde girl who likes hip-hop music and wears teeny pink skirts--she's not really my sort of girl. Whereas you..." he stopped.
"Here, you really have to go, don't you?" I asked. "Are you okay getting back to California? I mean, it's ages away!"
"Nah, it's okay. My best friend, Mike, he's in Minneapolis too so he said he'd meet me at the airport and we'd fly back to California."
"Oh, that's good," I said, relieved. "Here, have my phone number. Then we can keep in touch and I know you're alright." I went back into the kitchen a got a piece of paper. Billie ripped a bit off and wrote his phone number down and I wrote mine. We then swapped them and went back outside.
"Call me when you get to the airport and when you land!" I said, smiling. Billie laughed.
"Of course." We then hugged goodbye before Billie started walking down the road.
"I'll miss you!" I laughed.
"I'll miss you too!" he said waving. I waved back and then shut the door and went back into my bedroom.
I went to the cupboard and poured myself some orange juice. I shuffled across to the lounge and snuggled down on the armchair. As soon as I switched on the TV, I heard yelling from Amelia's room. Soon enough, Mom came bursting out of her bedroom. Mom and Dad's room in downstairs and it leads through the lounge. Mom flung open the door into the lounge and saw me.
"Is that Amelia?" she asked me.
"Yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. "Of course it is; it wouldn't be Steve or Aaron, would it?" I said. Steve and Aaron are my much-loved brothers. We three are hardly ever in trouble. Amelia is the total opposite.
"You're right," said Mom, "Of course it wouldn't be any of you three." I laughed. "So, do you know what the problem is?" Mom asked. "I mean, you know how bad Amelia is at telling the truth."
"I sort of know." I said, "Amelia came in at midnight after that concert, even though it finished at 9:30. She came in, drunk as ever with this guy. She brought him up to meet me, his name is Billie and he's the lead singer and guitarist of the band she went to see. He's a really nice guy, so I think it must be the alcohol talking up there." I said, trying to talk over Amelia's cries and shouts.
"Okay," Mum said, storming through the door to the kitchen, "I'll sort this out!" She carried on and started thundering up the stairs. I carried on watching TV.
"RIGHT! WHAT THE DEVIL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? FIRST, AMELIA, YOU COME IN DRUNK! THEN YOU BRING HOME THIS GUY, THEN YOU LET HIM STAY WITHOUT ASKING ME OR YOUR FATHER, THEN YOU WAKE US UP AT HALF SIX IN THE MORNING!" I heard Amelia's shouts turn into sobs. She was nearly 19 and she still thought that the 'pretend crying' was going to work. "DON'T TRY THAT FAKE CRYING ON ME YOUNG LADY!" Mom said. Amelia stopped straight away. Mom calmed down a bit as she turned to Billie. "Now, Billie is it?" she asked him.
"Yeah, Mrs.Nesser."
"Well, I'm sure you're a lovely young man but please get out of my house and never see my daughter again!" She had lost her patience by the end of the sentence and was shrieking.
"Yes, Mrs.Nesser," Billie said. I heard him shuffle around Amelia's bedroom, probably collecting his things up ready to leave. I heard him start walking downstairs. I got up and met him at the bottom.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry about my Mom," I said, putting my hands over my face. "I mean, I thought she'd just shout at Amelia, I didn't think she'd turn on you!"
Billie pulled my hands away from my face and held them. I felt my body tingle.
"It's okay," he said softly, "It's okay. I deserved it anyway, it was my fault Amelia started shouting."
"Okay, that doesn't really make sense!" I laughed. Billie smiled but Mom was already coming downstairs. "Quick!" I whispered. "Outside!" I got his wrist and pulled him outside and shut the door behind us. "Anyway, you were saying?"
"Yeah, I made Amelia start shouting. After I met you, I kept going on about you and Amelia was asking me questions about my life and things but I really didn't want to tell her as I wasn't too keen on her at first. I just kept asking questions about you because you're really nice and Amelia's really not my type of person. I mean, she's okay but a little blonde girl who likes hip-hop music and wears teeny pink skirts--she's not really my sort of girl. Whereas you..." he stopped.
"Here, you really have to go, don't you?" I asked. "Are you okay getting back to California? I mean, it's ages away!"
"Nah, it's okay. My best friend, Mike, he's in Minneapolis too so he said he'd meet me at the airport and we'd fly back to California."
"Oh, that's good," I said, relieved. "Here, have my phone number. Then we can keep in touch and I know you're alright." I went back into the kitchen a got a piece of paper. Billie ripped a bit off and wrote his phone number down and I wrote mine. We then swapped them and went back outside.
"Call me when you get to the airport and when you land!" I said, smiling. Billie laughed.
"Of course." We then hugged goodbye before Billie started walking down the road.
"I'll miss you!" I laughed.
"I'll miss you too!" he said waving. I waved back and then shut the door and went back into my bedroom.
