California Secrets (Billy Hargrove)

- 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗 -

- Billy Hargrove -

After buying James that toy, I felt unexplainably happy. However, it didn't cover up the anxiousness I felt over what is going to go down tonight. I didn't let my father know that I was going out, nor that I wouldn't be back in the morning. The note he left didn't help me relax. It read;

Billy-

Go get dinner from the store. We will have a talk when I get home from work.

And the anger that is all over Neil's face when he walks into the front door says it all- he is absolutely pissed, and I am going to pay for it. There is practically smoke coming out of his ears, and his face is the color of a fire hydrant.

With no hesitation, he presses me against the wall of the living room. His fists have a tight grip on my shirt, and I'm sure if he yanked it, the fabric would tear. My head is against the wall, thrown back so that my eyes are narrowing down at him. Neil's hot breath blows in my face, and I cringe at the heat.

"Where were you last night, hm?"

"I had to study with-"

My lie earns me a harsh blow to the jaw, and I take in a sharp breath to push through the pain. "You were with a whore again, weren't you?" he asks me, and I close my eyes to try to push the pain away. "Answer me!" He screams in my face, causing droplets of spit to splatter across it.

"No, I was-"

He cuts me off yet again by punching me straight in the rib cage, and I curl up slightly at the intense hit. "Don't lie to me, boy," he sneers uncomfortably close to my face. "I know you were out with some bitch, and I think you owe me an apology for sneaking out like that." I take a deep breath before opening my eyes.

"I'm sorry," I mutter out.

"I don't think I can hear you," he says, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"I. Am. Sorry." I say, word-for-word, and Neil smiles.

"Much better," he praises before letting me go, walking off to his room. I look over to see Maxine standing in the hallway, wearing a look of sympathy. I make eye contact with her for a split second before going over and pushing past her to my room. I light up a cigarette and let a single tear fall that I quickly wipe away.

🌊🌊🌊

"Tiger sharks are typically found in the Atlantic-"

I let out a quiet groan, bored at the presentations we have had to sit through all class period. All the sharks seem to mix together at this point. I mean, why do we even need to have so many? A shark is a shark. Katherine seems interested, though. Her head is high and her eyes seem squinted as if she was focusing real hard on what the girl up front has to say.

"Interested, beautiful?" She snaps her head to me as I get her attention.

"Hm?"

"You seem very interested in the presentation," I whisper, leaning towards her a little. "It's adorable." She rolls her eyes at me before slouching back in her chair.

"You should listen to this stuff. You're the one who likes to surf. You could get seriously hurt by one of these sharks." I smile at the fact that she remembers that little detail about me that I had told her all those years ago.

I shrug. "A shark is a shark." That gets me another eye roll along with a smile.

"They're not all the same."

"They are to me."

"Hey, lovebirds," Mr. Winfrey calls from the front. "How many times do I need to tell you to shut the hell up?"

"I apologize," Katherine smiles to him before looking over to me. I wink at her and a small blush comes across her cheeks, reddening them.

I pull out a ripped piece from a sheet of paper from inside the desk, and luckily there is a pen in there too. I write a small note on it;

Pool, Saturday, 10am. Bring the little man with you.

After class, I slide my hand with the note in it inside of the back pocket of Katherine's jeans. She scolds me for putting my hand on her ass, but she doesn't move it away. I chuckle at her slight embarrassment, and I walk her to 4th period.

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if anyone is suffering with domestic violence, I wish you the best. try to get help if you can. you're insanely strong. I could not imagine what you go through. I love you all

-Liz<3