Eighteen Candles (you will remember me)

40.

Blake

I can hear them talking on the phone.

Billie arrived one hour ago. She greeted my parents and my mother helped her unpack her stuff. Now I'm supposed to get her for dinner but she's been talking to Flynn for like half an hour now.

"You know you could clean my room when you're sleeping there anyway." I hear my sister say and I can just imagine her playful smile right now.

"If you pay me enough," Billie answers her and I catch myself smiling a little.

Chris never appreciated Billie's humor. I don't even think he understood it. If he even tried.

I'm gonna be honest, if you glance at Billie without knowing her, the first thing you notice is probably her beautiful face, which is not the typical girl face you see everywhere. I understand why people rather call her hot and sexy than pretty.

Her features are not rough or anything, at least that's not how I would describe it, but she does have those eyes that dart straight into your soul and I swear you feel a smirk in your chest when she looks at you. Nothing like those innocent, brainless looking eyes. Special.

I knock on the door in front of me.

"Yes?" Billie answers from inside and I open the door.

Billie is sitting on the floor in front of Flynn's small table where she usually puts all the schoolbooks she's supposed to be studying. The IPad in front of her connected to the socket behind the table.

"Dinner is ready. I'm supposed to tell you," I explain my visit.

Billie nods and Flynn squeals at the same time. "BLAKE! My lovely brother how I've missed your face! Come on in, tell me how you've been," Flynn rambles through the screen.

I roll my eyes and walk closer to Billie. "Have you not talked at all since Flynn went away?" the pretty brunette next to me asks. She turned her head towards me and I need all my strength to concentrate on the words she's speaking rather than the lips she's moving.

"We are talking now, are we not?" I answer, not looking at my sister though.

"How am I supposed to talk to my brother when he's all busy starring at my best friend?"

Billie and I both turn our heads towards the IPad, my sister in dark blue sweatpants and a small black top -both clothes definitely not hers- on the screen, and gasp. "What?" we both ask shocked at the same time.

Flynn starts laughing. "Relax, I was just kidding."

Billie coughs in embarrassment the tips of her ears turning red. Adorable.

I'm busted.

"Whose clothes are you wearing?" I ask my sister to change the subject, cause the ones she's wearing are definitely not hers. I don't even think she just bought them recently, it's just not something she would wear.

"Aren't you supposed to have dinner?" Flynn changes the subject.

I raise an eyebrow.

...

"Where are you going?"

It must be half past 10 by now. My parents are already asleep but apparently Billie isn't. She's standing in front of me in the doorframe of Flynn's bedroom, wearing a grey sweatshirt and a black pair of shorts.

I think my eyes got stuck on her bare legs cause Billie clears her throat and suddenly I remember her question. "Skating," I answer, moving my eyes back to her's.

Her hair is not in a bun, not braided, just down. It looks ruffled through. Like she tried to sleep but just couldn't. Or maybe I woke her up. I hope I didn't wake her accidentally. "I'm sorry if I woke you up," I apologize just in case.

"It's half past ten. Why are you going skating?"

"Cause my father isn't around at half past ten. You wanna come with me?"

I don't actually expect her to agree-

"Do I look like I know how to play ice hockey to you, Blakey Boy?" she asks me and I smirk, looking her up and down again, this time on purpose. "You know what, don't even answer that."

I chuckle slightly and notice how Billie's lips tuck upwards for just a second.

Sometimes I wish things would have went differently back then. Maybe Flynn wouldn't have such a big problem with me dating her friends and maybe Billie wouldn't hate my company that much.

"Come on, get yourself a warmer pair of pants and come with me, Biscuit. Or, I'm always down to borrow you my clothes, if you want," I suggest but Billie just rolls her eyes.

To my surprise she actually walks back into the room and picks up a pair of sweatpants and just pulls it over her shorts. "I don't have skates, so I can't skate with you but I can't sleep either so I'm coming with you anyway. I'll just laugh at you or something," she tells me and walks pass me.

I follow her downstairs and smile. "Your company is all I need."

Billie doesn't respond to that and I don't say anything else either. We both put on our jackets, I swing the bag with my skates over my shoulder and we both leave the house.

"You doing this often? Escaping your house at nights to run around on ice?" Billie asks me. I open the door for her to the passenger's seat of my Pick up as soon as we reach it and nod.

"I enjoy playing hockey but with my father watching and judging me I just can't enjoy it as much as I used to. When I go skating at night I don't practice hockey, I just skate. For fun," I add and close the door.

I walk around my Pick up and get in as well.

"So you still want to be a Hockey Player? Like a professional one," Billie asks and I turn on the car.

"Kinda. I don't know yet. I love it and I know I will be successful if I continue but I don't want my father to torture the fun out of me. You know?"

I can see Billie nodding in the corner of my eyes.

Then she starts playing with the ring on her little finger. And then I realize. Of course she knows. Billie's been skipping her music classes, the one she used to love, the ones she used to be so good in. It's not fun anymore if her mother's not around enjoying it with her.

I take my phone out of the right pocket of my jacket and hand it to Billie. "Choose any song you like. But I need a happy one, one you would dance or scream to. We need to be in the right mood before our skating time starts," I tell her and Billie starts scrolling through my phone.

"Any song?"

Now I nod.

I turn the steering wheel to the right and the car drives around the corner. The streets are completely empty, even though it's not that late. It's dark outside, only some street lamps making the street and our surroundings visible.

Billie stuffs my phone back into my pocket, the movement of her hands on my jacket creating tinkles in my chest. Billie leans back in her seat and rests her arm on the car door, her finger now tapping the melody of Mama Mia.

_ _ _

Be prepared for the next chapter guys!

I just hope I don't take three weeks for publishing it again. Sorry for that.

I just wanted to thank you for all the support and comments guys! Even though I have times where I am not active at all you keep reading this book and apparently are still liking it and it's just warming my heart. You have no idea how much!

Also, I recently read an old chapter of this book and found a lot of grammar mistakes or like forgotten letters or just wrong words and I'm sorry that this probably still happens a lot.

I hope all of you are doing great!

<3