MELANCHOLY [S.T. B. Hargrove]

1

I hang my head in my hand as Billy patches up my arm.

"Do you need anything? A drink?" the young girl asks.

"Max, just piss off," Billy scoffs. 

"Who are you?" Max asks.

"Max!" Billy snaps.

Max storms off into another room and slams the door shut behind her. I massage my head with the tips of my fingers. There's a sudden pain in my arm from Billy wrapping the gauze too tight.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "Fucker.."

He puts the tape on the end to hold it together and I jerk my arm from him.

"Where's your mom? Who's the kid?" I ask.

"No, man. You gotta tell me what the hell you're doing here and how you found me."

"Your neighbors said you moved a few months ago," I blame. "I was pounding on that door for a goddamn hour."

"Dad remarried."

"'Re'?" I repeat. "Where's-"

"They split. Just.. don't, all right?"

I roll my eyes as Billy stands up to grab a pack of cigarettes.

"Didn't know anything happened. Last time we talked-"

"You were on the run from the cops," he cuts me off ."Yeah. I know."

 "Neighbors said you bailed a couple of months and said something about Neil mentioning 'Hawkins'. It took me forever to find this place. This place is shitty, how did you end up here?"

"I'll let you know as soon as I figure that one out."

Billy holds the cigarette out for me. I take a long drag- my lipstick leaving a stain before I hand it back to him.

"The brat is dad's wife's kid," he says in regard to Max.

"Blended family. Gross," I mutter.

"Tell me about it," he sighs, plopping down on the couch beside me. "So, you wanna tell me what all this is about?"

"Pinche gang, man. Shot up the bar during a deal."

"You got shot?"

"No, dumbass. I ran through the back and cut my arm trying to get out a window."

"God, Roc," he throws his head back. "I told you to leave that wetback gang shit alone."

"Say that shit one more time, Will, I fuckin' dare you," I warn.

"You're really gonna shit talk me when I helped your ass out?"

"Pinche gringo.. I didn't have anyone else to go to! Fuckin' Javie got his shit popped like twenty times and they knew where I lived. It's not like I had another plan."

I roll my arm around a couple of times, grimacing in pain.

"My dad's gonna be back soon. You should lay low. You can stay in my room if you want, but you gotta be quiet."

"He still an asshole?" I wonder.

"Worse. I think his new bitch made him worse."

"See, it's the white devils, man!" I clap my hand on my leg a few times. "White bitches be psycho."

"They make for a good lay."

"Maybe if your dick is desperate."

Billy cracks a smile and hands me the cigarette back.

"It's cool to see you, Roc. This place is shitty. But, it's cool to have a piece of Cali back."

I stretch my neck with the cigarette in my mouth. "Maybe you should bring your pasty ass on back to Cali, then. You look like 

"You gonna go with me? Get your shit popped?"

I make a disgusted face.

"It only took you three months to realize I was gone."

"I was on the run from the cops, dude. I told you I had to lay low or else the sons of bitches would deport me again."

"Keep forgetting you're an illegal ali-"

I slap my hand against Billy's chest again. "Pinche gringo."

Billy smiles. My chest aches from how much I've missed the asshole as well as how goddamn tired I am.

I lean back and rest my head on Billy's chest. He wraps his arm around my back and massages my shoulder.

"If I go back to Cali.. I'm done for," I admit. "Hell, those jackasses are probably trying to track me down now."

"Great, so you'll get us both killed."

I laugh and turn so my face is burrowed in his jacket. "You always said I'd kill you one day."

I feel Billy's chin rest on my head and his chest expands under me as he takes a deep breath. "'m just glad to see you, Roc."

𝒶𝓊𝓉𝒽𝑜𝓇 𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒷𝓁𝑒𝓈--

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