tick tock

seven

the last thing I remember is lying down with billie, her arms wrapped securely around my waist. I had snuggled into her body, absorbing her body heat as my head rested on her slowly rising and falling chest.

my eyes had closed and I was teleported to a dark universe where faceless entities threaten my life. I struggled to pull myself out of the universe, knowing that i wasnt able to calm down by myself.

when my eyes finally opened again, i was hugging my pillow to my chest. my shoulders shake violently as sobs wreck my vocal cords. I hide my face in the pillow, letting my tears stain the thin fabric.

I feel arms wrap around my waist, and my body is tugged into a slightly smaller body. my eyes stay closed tightly as I hear soft whispers into my ear.

"viv, take deep breaths," the voice whispers softly, one hand running through my hair as the other runs soothing circles into my hip. "I'm right here - I wont let anything hurt you."

slowly but surely, my breathing calmed and my tears came to a stop. I hide my face in billies neck and grip onto her shirt tightly. "th-thank you."

"that's what I'm here for," she says quietly, her lips pressing firmly against my forehead. "I'll always be here if you need me."

I pull myself away from billies neck slightly, looking over her shoulder to look at the glowing red alarm clock on the bookshelf.

5:57.

I groan softly, moving my face back into her neck. "I dont want to get up yet."

"its saturday, viv," billie says softly, her fingers rubbing my scalp slowly. "sleep a little longer."

"i cant," I whine, squeezing my eyes closed. "I have choir practice at eight."

I can feel billies body vibrate as a chuckle leaves her lips. "you're in choir?"

"at my dad's church," I sigh deeply, hearing my alarm begin to scream. "he wont let me skip it."

"I'm sorry, bro," she says in a mumble, turning over to shut the alarm off.

"will you come with me?" I ask her, pulling my body into a sitting position.

please say yes.
please say yes.
please say yes.

"church isnt really my scene," she says, her lip twitching slightly as her neck jerks to the side. "but for you, ill go."

a grin spreads across my lips as I wrap my arms around her neck in an awkward hug. "you're great, thank you."

she rolls her eyes with a smile and shakes her head slightly, "what does one even wear to a choir practice?"

"just something youd wear daily." I reply, climbing out of my bed and stumbling to the closet. "just no upside down crosses or crop tops - they hate that shit."

billie rolls her eyes once again and groans as she pulls herself onto her feet. "does that mean I have to run home and get new clothes?"

I shrug, looking her body clad in my clothes. "they'll probably suspect that those are my clothes - I wore them last week."

she nods once, pulling her bulky white shoes onto her feet. "send me the address?"

I nod at her words, a soft smile spreading across my lips as my neck jerks just slightly. "wait - I dont have your number."

"I saved it when you were sleeping," she says, taking three steps toward me. she wraps her arms around my slightly taller body and presses her lips to my cheek. "you should really put a lock on your phone."

I let out a soft laugh and nod at her words, looking down at her. "I'll be sure to do that."

she presses one last kiss to my cheek before pulling away from the embrace, quietly stepping toward the window. "I'll see you later, viv."

I watch as she climbs out of the window, her feet touching the ground. she takes one last look through the window, her right eye dropping in a wink as a grin spread across her lips, her tongue sticking out of her mouth.

I let out a soft laugh as she looks around her, jumping over the chain link fence and running toward the back alley.

walking toward my closet once more, i go through my small variety of clothes. being the preacher's daughter, i had to look nice at any church function - even choir practice.

i pull on a pair of black leggings and a burgundy colored tank top, tugging a black jean jacket over my shoulders. I fasten a heart shaped diamond necklace around my neck and pull my hair into a very curly mess of a ponytail.

I look at myself in the mirror, my neck jerking slightly as nerves began to build up.

about an hour later, my father and i are pulling into the church parking lot. the silence between us was awkward and i couldnt stand it.

as my father puts the car in park, i see billies sexy ass Dragon parking directly in front of us. a grin spreads across my face as I practically jump out of the car, walking up to billie as she carefully closes her car door. out of the corner of my eye, I see my father speed-walking toward the entrance of the building.

"hey, billie," I say softly, pulling the girl into a tight hug. her arms wrap around my waist firmly and she hides her face in my neck.

"hey, gorgeous," she mumbles into my skin, a soft laugh leaving her lips. "I thought you said I could wear what I usually do."

"you can," I reply, adjusting my neckless. "I cannot, seeing as my dad is the preacher."

she nods in understanding and grasps my hand, intwining our fingers. "shall we?"

I nod and squeeze her hand, my neck jerking slightly as we get closer to the doors. i do my vocal warm-ups under my breath as billie opens the door for me, allowing me to walk into the building before her.

I keep a tight squeeze on her hand as we make our way into the chapel, the immediate warmth of the large room.

"this place is fire," she says softly, her voice still echoing.

the sound of her words fills the chapel, and the scattered people standing around and chatting amongst themselves turn toward us. my heart begins to race as my neck jerks slightly.

I pull her into a pew and sit beside her, my head leaning on her shoulder as she mutters under her breath, "damn, wrong choice of words?"

"maybe a little," I reply quietly, squeezing her hand tightly as almost silent curse words leave my lips.

"you're gonna be great," she tells me, her lips pressing against my forehead. "I'll bet your voice is beautiful."

I shrug slightly at her words and sigh deeply, sitting up in the pew as my father steps onto the stage.

"is everyone ready to get your gospel on?" he says, his arms raising above his head. the small crowd of people mumble a response but he scoffs and says again, "I said, is everyone ready to get their gospel on?"

this time, the choir members raise their voices and reply to him. I stand up and make my way toward the stage, leaving billie to sit in the back pews by herself.

I stand in my assigned place and wait for the pianist to begin the first song of the set.