Not A Lightyear Away, chapter 2
A sharp ring stung my ears, as I pulled myself out of bed. I looked at the clock- it was 9:30. I groaned, as I picked up the phone.
"Hello?" I asked, groggily.
"Erica?" a voice asked from the other end of the phone.
"Oh my god, Rae?" I replied in disbelief.
"Erica, where have you been?" my sister asked, a twinge of fear and worry in her voice.
"I'm with Billie. Where are you? Are you alright?" I threw out a long string of questions.
"I'm at Tarren's house, her mom's letting me stay here for a while, but I don't know how long," She replied, letting out a heavy sigh of frustration.
"Rae, do you need a place to stay?" I asked her.
"I don't know. I'm scared, Erica. I miss dad," she confessed, her voice quivering.
"I know, I know. Look, see how long you can stay there, then call me tomorrow. Maybe you could move in with me and Billie," I offered.
"Alright. I'll talk to you tomorrow," she replied. I couldn't tell if she was alright or not- she always had a great way of hiding how she felt. I just hoped that she would be alright.
"Ok, Love you,"
"Love you, too,"
***
Billie walked into his living room to find Erica on the couch with the phone sitting in her lap.
"Good morning," he chirped, trying to cheer me up.
"Hey. I just got off the phone with Rae. She's at her friend's house right now, and I'm not sure if she'll be able to stay there long. I told her to call me tomorrow to see how things are going," she explained to him.
"Do you think she'll be ok?" He asked, sounding a little worried. Billie knew Rae pretty well, and they were good friends.
"I hope so," she answered, trying to be optimistic.
"Well, you know that she could always stay with me," Billie assured her.
"Thanks, that would be perfect," she smiled, looking up at Billie. He sat down beside her on the couch and gave her a hug, and a small kiss.
"Everything will be alright, I promise," Billie whispered in her ear.
***
The rest of the day went normally. The next day, I waited for hours to hear from Rae. She finally called that afternoon.
"Rae! How are you?" I asked into the receiver.
"Not so good. Tarren's mom made me leave last night," she replied, beginning to cry.
"Aww, Rae. Where'd you stay last night?" I asked her.
"I didn't stay anywhere- I just stayed up all night and walked around," she cried.
"Where are you right now?" I asked, my voice filled with concern.
"I'm using the pay phone on the corner of Stuart and Telegraph," she explained.
"Alright, well don't move. We're coming to get you," I instructed her.
Billie heard me talking, and walked over to me. "What happened?" he asked me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Rae has no where to stay. We need to go get her- she's on Stuart and Telegraph," I told him, my words rushed.
"Come on, lets go," he said, grabbing my hand, taking me to the car.
We pulled up to Stuart Avenue, and found my sister sitting on the curb, shivering.
"RAE!" I exclaimed, jumping out of the car and racing towards her. I scooped her up into a hug. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she responded, sounding a little less than fine.
"You're going to stay with me and Billie now, ok?" I told her.
"Thanks, Erica," was all she could say. I could tell that she was extremely weak from the events of the previous days.
I helped her into Billie's car, and we drove her back home.
"You can stay here," Billie said to Rae, pointing to a guest room he had in his house. "Look, if you need anyone to talk to, I'm always here. I know what you're going through, alright?"
"Yeah, I know. Thank you so much," Rae replied, as Billie gave her a comforting hug. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. Rae was never one to let her guard down or show vulnerability.
Billie found me in the living room. Rae was already asleep in her room.
"Thanks for letting Rae stay with us," I told him gratefully.
"No problem, she means a lot to me, too," he agreed. He kissed me, right before getting up to go check on my sister.
I heard a shrill cry come from Rae's room, and a scream for help. I rushed over to her room, and found Billie staring at the ground in disbelief. I followed his glance. My jaw dropped, as I flung my body to the floor.
"Hello?" I asked, groggily.
"Erica?" a voice asked from the other end of the phone.
"Oh my god, Rae?" I replied in disbelief.
"Erica, where have you been?" my sister asked, a twinge of fear and worry in her voice.
"I'm with Billie. Where are you? Are you alright?" I threw out a long string of questions.
"I'm at Tarren's house, her mom's letting me stay here for a while, but I don't know how long," She replied, letting out a heavy sigh of frustration.
"Rae, do you need a place to stay?" I asked her.
"I don't know. I'm scared, Erica. I miss dad," she confessed, her voice quivering.
"I know, I know. Look, see how long you can stay there, then call me tomorrow. Maybe you could move in with me and Billie," I offered.
"Alright. I'll talk to you tomorrow," she replied. I couldn't tell if she was alright or not- she always had a great way of hiding how she felt. I just hoped that she would be alright.
"Ok, Love you,"
"Love you, too,"
***
Billie walked into his living room to find Erica on the couch with the phone sitting in her lap.
"Good morning," he chirped, trying to cheer me up.
"Hey. I just got off the phone with Rae. She's at her friend's house right now, and I'm not sure if she'll be able to stay there long. I told her to call me tomorrow to see how things are going," she explained to him.
"Do you think she'll be ok?" He asked, sounding a little worried. Billie knew Rae pretty well, and they were good friends.
"I hope so," she answered, trying to be optimistic.
"Well, you know that she could always stay with me," Billie assured her.
"Thanks, that would be perfect," she smiled, looking up at Billie. He sat down beside her on the couch and gave her a hug, and a small kiss.
"Everything will be alright, I promise," Billie whispered in her ear.
***
The rest of the day went normally. The next day, I waited for hours to hear from Rae. She finally called that afternoon.
"Rae! How are you?" I asked into the receiver.
"Not so good. Tarren's mom made me leave last night," she replied, beginning to cry.
"Aww, Rae. Where'd you stay last night?" I asked her.
"I didn't stay anywhere- I just stayed up all night and walked around," she cried.
"Where are you right now?" I asked, my voice filled with concern.
"I'm using the pay phone on the corner of Stuart and Telegraph," she explained.
"Alright, well don't move. We're coming to get you," I instructed her.
Billie heard me talking, and walked over to me. "What happened?" he asked me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
"Rae has no where to stay. We need to go get her- she's on Stuart and Telegraph," I told him, my words rushed.
"Come on, lets go," he said, grabbing my hand, taking me to the car.
We pulled up to Stuart Avenue, and found my sister sitting on the curb, shivering.
"RAE!" I exclaimed, jumping out of the car and racing towards her. I scooped her up into a hug. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she responded, sounding a little less than fine.
"You're going to stay with me and Billie now, ok?" I told her.
"Thanks, Erica," was all she could say. I could tell that she was extremely weak from the events of the previous days.
I helped her into Billie's car, and we drove her back home.
"You can stay here," Billie said to Rae, pointing to a guest room he had in his house. "Look, if you need anyone to talk to, I'm always here. I know what you're going through, alright?"
"Yeah, I know. Thank you so much," Rae replied, as Billie gave her a comforting hug. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. Rae was never one to let her guard down or show vulnerability.
Billie found me in the living room. Rae was already asleep in her room.
"Thanks for letting Rae stay with us," I told him gratefully.
"No problem, she means a lot to me, too," he agreed. He kissed me, right before getting up to go check on my sister.
I heard a shrill cry come from Rae's room, and a scream for help. I rushed over to her room, and found Billie staring at the ground in disbelief. I followed his glance. My jaw dropped, as I flung my body to the floor.
