Mean Boy | Billy Hargrove

18 - Truth Hurts

Shortly after hanging up, Amber stood up to walk out of the house. Her legs were too weak, and she almost fell at first—but she forced herself to regain balance and proceed to the front door. Everything felt like one big blurry imagery—people were staring at her funny, the music booming out of the speakers, the smell of beer and bong water...

"Hey, where are you going?" the Munson guy asked with a concerned expression on his face, but she ignored him and kept walking. It felt like a million years when she finally walked out of the house.

She was out of breath, so she had no choice but to sit on the freshly mowed grass of Tommy's front lawn, hugging her legs, trembling out of control. Her mind was racing, but she couldn't move a single muscle.

"Amber," somehow, Billy had finally found her. "Hey, what's going on?"

He quickly realized that something was wrong. He'd never seen her like this before. She was sitting below a tree, basically curling into a ball. She was shaking, and even though her eyes were open, they looked—vacant.

"What's wrong with her?" People started to gather around them, yet keeping their distance by a few feet.

"She probably got too high or something," others giggled. "Isn't she with Billy?"

"Amber," Billy called her once again, only to get ignored. "Stop this. You're embarrassing me."

The kids were still muttering with low voices, but he swiftly gave them an intense glare. The crowd stepped back reluctantly and left them alone outside.

"Talk to me, Amber. Come on." He insisted, but it just felt like he was smothering her.

"Stay away from me," she used all of her might to push those words out of her mouth. They came out hoarse and distant, as if it wasn't her voice.

"I don't understand," he started feeling irritated. "Just—tell me the truth. You're fucking scaring me, I swear to God."

All of a sudden, they were blinded by a bright light. A BMW stopped just a few feet from them, its tires screeching loudly—completely ruining the perfectly mended grass. It was Steve.

"Get your hand off her, Hargrove," Steve warned as he stepped out of the car hastily.

Billy looked up at him, almost in disbelief. "What the fuck are you doing here?" He growled, getting ready to knock him out if needed.

"Come on, Amber. Let's get you home." Steve stepped closer to grab her other arm and help her stand up, but Billy moved faster and pushed him away forcefully.

"Stay away, Harrington," he snarled. "This is between me and her."

"What did you do to her, Hargrove?" Steve taunted. "I knew you were an asshole, but I never thought you could hurt her like this."

"You don't even know what you're talking about!" Billy yelled. He threw a punch and hit Steve right on his jaw.

"Fuck!" Steve almost fell to the ground. He looked up to Billy with a hateful stare, preparing to strike back.

"STOP!"

Both of them froze. The girl was finally able to stand. She couldn't bear to just stay still and watch it happen. She was still shaking, but her breaths had become steady.

"You wanted the truth, Billy? Fine, I'll tell you the truth."

She took a step closer and locked eyes with him. "Almost everything I told you about my past was a lie. The reason I moved here—I said I was sick, right? Well, it's not one hundred percent true. I was sick—but not the kind of illness you'd think."

Billy stayed quiet as he listened to her attentively.

"I overdosed on coke. I almost died. I had to go to rehab. That's why I had to repeat junior year—why I moved here. There. That's the truth. Is that what you wanna hear?" She struggled to spit the words out, as she was resentful of herself.

Her words hurt him like a blade. Why—why would she lie in his face like that? He almost couldn't believe it—just when he almost fell for her.

"You—you knew about it. You knew what was waiting for you at this party. I asked you about it and you said you didn't know. I—I'm out of words. You're a liar."

After a moment of silence, he scoffed. "Me? A liar?" Then the chuckle turned into a cynical laugh. "You are the liar, Amber Jones. I thought you were different. I hoped you were different. Turns out, I was wrong."

"Maybe you are," she replied coldly and walked towards the car. "Let's go, Steve."

Although still befuddled by her unprecedented explanation, Steve complied and got into the car.

"You promised," Billy muttered in a low, hurt tone. "You promised you wouldn't leave. If you get into that fucking car, whatever this thing is between us—it's over. You hear me? You'd never hear from me again. It'd be as if we had never met."

Amber froze just as she reached the handle to open the door to the passenger's seat. She hesitated. She looked up at Billy—his face was red from rage and betrayal. She knew he meant what he said. She knew it all would be over, yet—she got into the car anyway.

Billy stared at her in disbelief. His fists were still clenched, but after the realization hit him, the hurt and sadness had gone away. There was only bitterness left.

"Goodbye, Amber Jones," he murmured and turned to get back into the house.

Steve backed out onto the road and started driving. Beside him, the girl stared down at her hands in silence—and when Tommy's house was finally out of sight, she broke down in tears.