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The sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears drowns out any calls from Ezra as she moves quickly through the back lot. Even outside, she needed air. She needed so much space that it felt like she would suffocate if he got any closer to her.
Billie had spent the last four days trying to piece back together her relationship with the girls. They spent hours talking and rebuilding what had been broken. Sloane and Daria came clean about their hookups and how they'd led to something more. Callie confirmed that nothing had occurred with Jude, and he had been somewhat avoiding her ever since Miami. Billie, finally, went over every last detail of her love affair with Ezra. At the end, she admitted that she had feelings she couldn't ignore, even for the sake of the band.
Things began to heal between all of them as they sorted through their messy love lives, and the girls decided no investor or person would get between their friendship. As if it had all been a test Evelyn was waiting to see them pass, Monica received an anonymous letter addressed to the members of girlcrush.
Inside, there was a confirmation that five hundred thousand dollars was placed into a trust where the girls had been named as beneficiaries. Only a note was attached, typed not written:
"Dreaming is easy. Daring to make it a reality is the hard part. Hope this helps."
It more than helped. It allowed the girls the opportunity to fully make their dream a reality. The Collective would be actualized, and they were no longer tied to Mad Sounds and their demands. Billie and Ezra could do what they wanted. They could be together, even out in public, all because of this money.
But none of that really matters now. She had been so elated by the news, she ignored every sign that he would crawl back to Madison. She refused to believe he could ever do something like that because he promised.
He promised her she wasn't a placeholder.
The words sink in her chest, and Billie can feel herself become sick. She nearly gags at the thought of such deception, heart breaking in two as the image of him kneeling in front of Madison with their hands touching replays over and over in her mind.
Tears blur her vision as she attempts to make it back to her bus, but she can't seem to find her way. Somehow, she's managed to make it to the door of the studio they'd practiced in for soundcheck while the boys got the real stage.
Before she can hide herself, Ezra's hand grips her forearm and pulls her towards him. "Billie," he pleads, "Please, let me explain."
"I don't want you to explain anything," she chokes out, "Leave me alone." She attempts to free herself from his grasp, but Ezra won't let go. His hand firmly, though not roughly, remains attached to her.
"What you think you saw wasn't at all what was going on," he explains frantically, "I would never hurt you like that. She just showed up and I —"
