Blondie Wannabe: A Billy Hargrove Fanfic

The Painting

Thanks for everyone who waited patiently for this chapter, I know it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, I hope you enjoy!

By the time I arrived at Billy's house, I'd realized my cigarettes wouldn't be enough to calm my nerves; I needed Mom's pills. I'd tried to cut back on taking them since the side effects were unpleasant and they interfered with me doing my job properly, but this wasn't a 'want' anymore- I needed them.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Billy asked, dropping his coat on the floor.

"Like... alcohol?"

He cocked an eyebrow, grinning unabashedly. "Um, sure, if you want. I have some beer."

"And your parents definitely aren't here, right?" He nodded, smile never fading. "Okay, yeah, I'll have a beer." I felt like a teenager going over to my boyfriend's house for the first time. Shut up brain, shut up! "Uh, I have to use the bathroom, be right back."

I scurried up the stairs, tiptoeing into his parents' bedroom to use the master bath. No matter how rich or how poor, housewife or working woman, suburban white ladies always had some little helpers on hand. I rifled through the medicine cabinet as quickly as possible, dreading the idea of Billy finding me in here. Eventually, I found a bottle that looked promising: Codeine, 60 mg. Susan Hargrove must have one hell of a back problem.

Placing one under my tongue, I scooped a handful of water into my mouth and swallowed, grimacing at the taste. I hustled back dowstairs, Billy greeting me with a cold beer, already opened.

I accepted the Falstaff, toasting him. I'd never taken Codeine before, certainly not at this dose, and I prayed mixing it with alcohol wouldn't generate any adverse reactions.

"Do you want to show me your painting now?"

"Don't you want to finish that first?"

"I don't know; I wouldn't want to be too drunk to judge it properly."

He polished off the rest of his beer, tossing the can into the bin. "Are you telling me you'll get drunk off one beer?"

"What, no, I'm not a lightweight. I had about ten vodka sodas the night we first met. That's probably why I had to pee so bad."

His eyes went wide, then he diverted his gaze, blushing profusely. Wait, did I make the might Billy Hargrove blush? I must be Jesus. Maybe the booze was going to my head... no, it must be the painkillers. Why didn't I break it in half? Why did I take it at all? The last place I wanted to be inebriated was Billy's house all alone.

"Let's go up now; I'm all done." I shook my empty can as proof before chucking it out.

"Come on, we haven't been alone in ages." His hands found my hips; I looked down at his touch with confusion- my reactions delayed. "Don't you want to catch up a bit?"

I pushed him away, his hands falling from me. "No, I don't."

"What's wrong? Am I too sweaty for you, cause I can shower." He caught his lower lip between his teeth. "Or we could share a shower. To save water, of course."

I shook my head, the world listing from side to side like a thick stew sliding around in a Tupperware. I pressed my fingers to my forehead to ease the discomfort, but it did little good. "I came here because I thought you wanted my advice on your final project. If I knew this was just an excuse to get in my pants, I wouldn't have bothered coming. Actually, I wouldn't have gone to the game at all- I fucking hate basketball." He didn't speak, eyes a mix of a thousand emotions, anger chief among them. "Well, do you want me to see it or not?"