Still Time / Billy Hargrove

── 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐖𝐎

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧

EMPTINESS WAS ALL Addie felt the next morning. Not sad, angry, or confused. Just... empty. Her plan to tell Billy everything after the party, which would've been today, backfired. Because now he hated her and thought something else completely different was going on. And as much as she wanted to reach out, she was also really hurt by how he treated her.

Maybe... maybe it was better this way? It seemed like things were getting bad again with her and Will. If all of this stuff really wasn't over, at least Billy would be spared from it.

Addie had woken up before Nancy so she slipped out of bed and headed to the kitchen, and she saw Will and Mike sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal. Mike kept quiet even though he had a ton of questions.

"You know we have to tell mom, right? We don't have to mention we went our separate ways for a little while, but we have to tell her what happened." Addie asked quietly. Will nodded, not making eye contact.

She guessed that Mike had told him that she also had an episode. As she sat at the table with the 2 boys, she was thankful that Mike pulled Will into a conversation about the candy they'd gotten last night. She sat there, thinking about Billy.

It already seemed like a lifetime ago that things were so good between them even though it had only been a day. And now... they were nothing according to him. All because he was so stubborn that he couldn't listen to her. Addie also hated herself, because she was so close to blurting it out last night when they were in the bathroom. I almost died last year, she wanted to say.

Despite his anger at the misunderstanding, deep down that fear was there. That fear of the small possibility he'd think she was lying or that he'd leave her. And he did, anyway, so it looks like she was right not to tell him.

She's finally pulled from her thoughts when Mike shyly asks if Addie will drive them to the arcade so they can meet Lucas and Dustin due to their unexpected day off from school.

"You might have to ask Nancy, I was dropped off here so I don't have my car."

"The arcade will be closed by the time she's finally out of bed."

Addie thought for a minute. "Well I'm not making the call, because you guys want to go. One of you call Jonathan and ask him to come pick us up."

Half an hour later, the boys and Addie exit the house and get into Jonathan's car. He says he's going to meet a friend later, and if he takes them to the arcade he won't be able to pick them up. Addie says to just take them home, and she'll take them to the arcade. Part of her wants to do nothing but lay in bed and just be sad and cry, but a bigger part of her needs a distraction.

"Give me half an hour to shower and change, then I'll take you both and you can stay as long as you want. Deal?" Addie laughs when neither boy looks up from the t.v., and she heads to her room to grab clothes before taking a shower.