Every Little Thing|Slazo

01; Where it begins

"Billie," a voice calls. The voice is my older sister Carter's, but its far and distant. It keeps slipping away, farther and farther. "BILLIE- GOD DAMN IT." She gives me a hard shake and I fully bolt up. "Goodmorning, asswipe." I groan, rubbing my eyes with my fists. "Hello to you too, bitch." She snaps. I smile and open my arms for a hug, which she gladly excepts. She lets go of me and heads out the room and down the stairs, to presumably the kitchen. I open my closet... First day... First day... I flip through random tee-shirts and sweaters before ultimately deciding on a gray tank top and light wash skinny jeans. I throw on a hoodie, one that says, "I feel dead" in swirly white letters on a yellow background. I pull on my shoes and grab my new backpack. "Nervous?" Carter asks, greeting me at the bottom of the stairs with a piece of toast.

 "Honesty?" 

She nods and I sigh, "I mean... A bit. Everyone's been going here for like- Ever with each other... I'll just be a middle of the year outcast." I take a bite out of my toast then walk into the kitchen. "Oh, Bills, there's no reason to be nervous." I sigh again and I can feel by the change in vibe from her shes tense and scared... Much like I am. "I'm still getting used to this, okay? I tried letting you do online school... but... D's and F's just aren't acceptable. Bills, I'm only 22 and raising a 17-year-old hooligan..." I groan, "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not a hooligan?"

She shrugs, "A million maybe," I roll my eyes thickly and stare at the marble island in the middle of the kitchen. "It'll be okay," She says softly, walking over and rubbing my shoulder. "That's what mom used to tell me... exactly how you said it..." She smiles lightly, "That's an honest compliment, yeah?" She raises her eyebrows. "Yeah," I whisper, "Yeah... It is... You're just like her, Carty." She smiles a bit more. "Thank you, Bills. You have so much dad in you it's insane," I look up at her and smile a bit. "I know I'm not mom... or dad... but, I promise I'll take care of you the best I can okay?" I feel hot tears in my eyes and I nod, "Okay." She pulls me in and kisses my forehead. "Let's get this show moving, yeah?" She loses her grip on me and heads to the door. "Yeah," I whisper slightly, following behind, "lets."

--

I show up to school late, but the office doesn't scold me. The receptionist only smiles and hands me my schedule, "Have a good day, kid." She says lightly. I give a slight thought about why everyone's speaking to me so softly recently, but instead of overthinking in an empty hallway, I make a mental note to over think it LATER. And by later I mean in maths, where I'm heading now.

Mr. Greenfeild's class. I walk down the empty hallways, letting my hand brush and bump against the cold metal lockers. I listen intently to my own careful breathing and soft footsteps. I'm looking for B-129. All I can find are the A's. I count them off as I pass. A-233. A-234. A-235. A-236. I start to hear footsteps behind me, in which I turn around to see who it is. It's a blonde boy, he's quite tall, but not yet 6ft. Maybe 5'10-5'11. I then realize I'm spending too much time staring intently at this boy, not letting him move past me. "Can I, uh, help you, miss?" He asks with a calm, shy voice. I shrug, "Suppose not- I just heard you following me- and... I... actually-" I start to realize I'm rambling and clamp my mouth shut. "You actually?" A smile curls at his lips. "Wheres B-129?" I ask. He smiles even wider. "Complete other direction," He says, pointing behind him. I groan, basically throwing a mini tantrum in the hall. His smile keeps getting wider. "I'm there too, but I'm running an errand. Just head that way, pass the atrium, take a right, then you'll reach the bathrooms. The class is parallel to the 'family bathroom'." He puts air quotes around family. "I'm guessing people go in there to make out?" 

He touches his own nose, "Bingo." 

"Thank you! I, uh, didn't catch the name." I say. There's a special sparkle in his blue eyes for a moment. "Right, it's Micheal. And you are?"

I return his wide smile, "Billie." He stares into my eyes, "This means we're friends now, Billie?" I shrug, "Sure. I'd love for you to be my only friend."

"And I'd love for you to be my only friend too," He winks at the end but there's a tinge of sadness to his voice. "See you in maths, Mikey." "Bye, Bills." I walk away, although oddly I dont want to. I follow his directions. Let's see, I was only 2 minutes late for school, then spent 10 in the hallway... Classes are 90 minutes, I should be fine. I reach the door and immediately panic. What if he makes me talk in front of the class? What if I have to- Oh no- Oh nonono. I turn around instantly, making a bolt for the ladies room. I push the door open and swing it shut hard behind me. I pace the floor for a while, then I count the floor tiles. After about 10 minutes, I think I'm ready. I walk over to the sink, staring into my reflection. I see nothing but a scared little girl. A girl who lost her parents and has to start over again. A girl with a story she doesn't want to share. I look down at the faucet, its stuffed with brown paper towels and ripped up bits of toilet paper. I try not to think about flooding the school just for a way to get out of here. I move my eyes to the wall. "Call Marky for a good time 555-555-5555" is scribbled on the wall. Its obvious someone tried to wash it off, but no dice. There are smudges and other doodles around it but its still readable. I look back to the mirror, then down to the sink. I turn the cold water knob, cupping my hands underneath it and letting it pool. I splash it in my face, letting the icy burn chill me before running my hands underneath the water again. 

This time, I pull my wet hands through my hair and look back in the mirror. "Still scared," I mumble, pressing my palm to the mirror. The door swings open and I rip away from it, turning off the water and heading for a paper towel. "You new?" The girl asks, stopping in the doorway. I nod silently. She shrugs, heading to a stall. I dry off my hands, taking a deep breath and swinging the door open. I open Mr.Greenfeilds door. He looks absolutely furious. 

"Who are you?" He practically hisses at me. 

Micheal catches my eye from the back of the room, but I try hard to remain focused at Mr. Greenfield. "Billie Emerson, Sir. I- I'm new." His eyes narrowed into dark slits. He waits a moment before speaking, "Mrs. Emerson- as it is your first day, I will not count you tardy, but tomorrow if you are late, excuse or not- detention. Got me?" Mr.Greenfeilds eyes pierce through me. "Yes, sir," I say in a quiet voice. He stares harder at me like he's trying to gaze into my soul, "Speak up, Billie." He spits out every word. "Yes, sir." I try and say it loud and clear but my voice cracks and warbles. "Go take a seat next to Micheal," He snips. He says it like he expects me to know Mikey. I mean, I do... But... that's not my point. I head to the back of the room, dropping into my seat and flinging my bag to the floor. "You have really pretty eyes," Micheal says, leaning on his desk to catch my gaze. "Oh, yeah?" I ask, pulling out my notebook and a pencil. "Yeah. Are they your moms or dads?" He asks. I feel a knot tighten in my throat, "My dads," I choke out. I'm trying not to cry. 

I think he can sense I dont want to talk about it anymore because he shuts his mouth and turns to the whiteboard, "I'm sorry." He says, once again softly. I turn to him, cocking an eyebrow. "For?" 

"Your dads obviously some cunty dickbag who cheated on your mom and threw his life away,"

"No," I whisper, "He's not- Er, he wasn't-" Micheal cocks an eyebrow at me this time, "Tell me about him?" 

"He was so fun to be with, he was like... my role model. He was amazing at everything he did, and I guess he just had a spark, a glow about him." I end off with a sad sigh, "What happened,"

Damn, he's so nosy-

I stare blankly at the boy in front of me, "He passed," I finally choke out. "Fuck... I'm so... So, so sorry." I shrug, I dont care much for sympathy, yet I keep going. "Mom's gone too. My 22-year-old sister's raising me." He puts a hand on my shoulder, "How long ago was- Shit, no... I'm asking too many questions." 

"No... It's okay. About a year and a half. Died together... peacefully." I smile a bit at the word peacefully. "It'll be okay... You got that, Billie?" He asks. I nod, "I do."

I stare deeply into his eyes. They mesmerize me, the blue-gray color is so pretty and fitting for him. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asks. I shrug, turning back to my notebook, "You have pretty eyes too, Mikey."