Young Blood ⏤ Ponyboy Curtis | ✓

14 | common ground

Billie realises Scott is back at school when he comes to her spot behind the cafeteria during their lunch break. Billie is halfway through her peanut butter and jelly sandwich when Scott rounds the corner, knowing who those hunched shoulders belonged to. 

Before her brain registers what she's doing, Billie is rushing over to Scott and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, hugging him. Billie freezes in her spot when she realises what she's done. Billie is berating herself; how could she be so stupid? Scott and Billie hardly know each other and he is Curly's friend, not Billie's ⏤

Scott's thin arms wrap themselves around Billie's torso, returning the hug. Relief courses through Billie's veins. 

"Are you better?" Billie asks Scott as they break away from the hug. 

"I am," Scott answers, nodding his head. They sit down, their backs against the brick wall of the cafeteria. Billie doesn't realise how close she and Scott are sitting beside each other until Scott's leg brushes against her own as he shifts in his spot. 

"Thanks again for coming over the other day," Scott says to Billie. "Not many people care about me enough to do that," he admits, cheeks flushing. 

Billie gives Scott a small smile. "Not many people care about me either, and you've been nice to me so I thought it was the right thing to do." As Billie admits this, her cheeks start to flush too. She feels like a tomato and wonders if she actually looks like one, or if her anxiety is taking over. 

Billie can hear the sound of footsteps around the corner of the cafeteria, and she and Scott lean forward to see the girl from the other day ⏤ Laura ⏤ round the corner. 

Seeing Billie and Scott sitting together, she stops in her tracks. "Am I interrupting something?" she asks. 

Billie and Scott's eyes widen at what Laura is insinuating. They both cry out, "no!" Scott then adds, "this ⏤ isn't what you're thinkin'. We're friends." 

Hearing Scott say that he and Billie are friends leaves Billie with a foreign feeling in her stomach. It isn't a bad feeling, in fact, it's a good feeling. She's never had a friend, a true friend, anyway. Everybody had stayed away from Billie when she was younger, always drawn to Curly and his escapades in grade school, such as jumping off roofs of classrooms. 

"Okay," Laura says, eyebrows slightly raised, giving the impression that she doesn't really believe Scott. 

"No, really," Scott continues. "I don't see Billie in that way. I've known her since we were kids. She's like a sister." 

"I believe you," Laura says, but from her playful tone and the smile tugging on the corner of her lips, Billie knows that she doesn't believe Scott. "Anyway," she says, changing the topic, "can I sit here? Leo isn't here today and I don't feel like being yelled at by Bob Sheldon and his goons in the cafeteria today." She says it so lightly, so casually, like she isn't affected by the fact that Bob Sheldon and his Soc friends harass her, but Billie can see through the mask of nonchalance. She can see that Laura does care, otherwise she wouldn't be behind the cafeteria with Billie and Scott right now. 

Billie nods her head. "It's fine."

Laura nods her head in thanks to Billie and sits down across from Billie and Scott. Upon seeing Scott's confusion, she explains, "Leo is another Greaser. His parents used to be friends with mine. Normally I'd go into the cafeteria, but I promised Leo I'd stay out of trouble." Pointing to Billie, she adds, "Her sister stepped when Bob Sheldon was picking on me." 

Scott nods his head. "Bob Sheldon's a piece of work." 

Laura snorts. "As well as being a racist piece of shit. Most of what he says to me is about going back to the place I came from, which is fucking stupid as I am born here."