Blondie Wannabe: A Billy Hargrove Fanfic

Christmas Eve

It's been forever since I updated this story, sorry, but this chapter is pretty long, so that's good! Hope you enjoy!

The next morning, a knock on the door woke me from a semi-pleasant sleep. I shrugged on my bathrobe, rubbing crust out of my eyes, ready to tell whoever it was to fuck off, but when I opened the door, my brows pinched together with confusion. "Max?"

"Yeah, um, hi." She twisted a lock of red hair between her fingers nervously. "Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

The young girl hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with what she needed to ask. "So, it's Christmas Eve, and I know we're going to be eating in that fancy dining room, and your family will be there, and everyone will be all dressed up and I- I'm not good at that kind of thing. Normally I'd ask my mom, but she's already out for the day, and you're the only other girl here." She paused, clearly worrying she'd offended me. "And also, you're really pretty and dress nicely!" she added rapidly.

I smiled through my tiredness, throat and mouth sore from the mountain air combined with aggressive morning breath. "Of course, let me just shower and throw something on and I'll come to your room, okay?"

Half an hour later, I was in her room, big rollers in my wet hair to help it dry straight, hot pink leggings sticking to my damp skin. "What were you planning on wearing?" 

Max shrugged, flopping onto her bed. "I don't have anything nice enough."

"Pish posh." I looked through her drawers. "These jeans are super cute; you just need to pair them with a fancy blouse."

"All I have are flannels and sweaters."

"Give me one second." I ran back to my room, searching through my drawers for a specific top I almost didn't bring because it was a bit too small. Thank goodness I did! "What do you think of this?" I asked Max, showing her an emerald lace blouse. "The color is perfect for your hair, and I think the cut will hang well on you, especially since your jeans are high-waisted."

"Thanks, Debbie."

Noticing she didn't seem very happy, I asked, "Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, I was hoping- that is- what I really wanted- would you do my makeup?" She said the last part rapidly, almost ashamed. "My mom doesn't know how to do anything except mascara, not that she needs to, she's so pretty. And I don't have anything besides chapstick."

"Of course," I said, tucking her chin playfully, making the young girl smile. "You know, I always wished I had a sister."

Even though I could tell it made her uncomfortable, Max sat perfectly still while I put on some blush and bronzer (she had perfect skin, god bless, no need for concealer) and dabbed some gold shadow on her lids. I held up an emerald shade that would match her blouse, but her eyes went wide with terror, so I stuck to more natural colors. She asked questions about college, about art, a few about my family, and I answered as best as I could, painting on liquid liner and coating her auburn lashes. When she asked if I had a boyfriend, my hand almost slipped on her lipstick, but I saved it at the last moment, finishing her mauve pout.

"I need to go get ready myself, kiddo," I said anxiously, packing up my makeup bag. "But we'll talk more later."

"You don't have to, if you don't want to." Her eyes fell to her covers, picking a string off the duvet. "It's probably not much fun hanging out with some kid."