a work of art

chapter 12: sounds gay, im in

After we washed up a bit, someone scrounged us up some cold dinner, and we sat down to eat with very little time to spare. Billie was so worried about timing that I got out her makeup and started applying it for her while she ate.

Which was, well, difficult, since she usually eats like a pig.

Sitting at the mirror, she scarfed her salad while I tried to apply concealer. I glared at her. "Bill, please. Little bites, like a lady."

She laughed and I had to stop again. I rolled my eyes.

She grinned at me. "Remember the last time you did my makeup? Only a week ago?" She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"It was a different time..." I smirked at her, and moved onto her wriggly brows.

"I already knew then," she whispered in a sing-song voice, her eyes sparkling at me.

I couldn't hold back a silly grin. I remembered how it felt being so into her while I spread foundation across her cheeks with my shaky fingertips. It sent a wave of warmth through my body to think she had felt the same way.

"So, what were you guys doing under there?" Finneas suddenly asked, and I jumped a little. I had forgotten he was there, lounging on the couch, scrolling through his phone. Claudia had left the room to take a phone call, so it was just the 3 of us.

I raised my eyebrows at Billie.

"We were, uh... exploring," she finally said, eyeing me mischievously.

"Exploring," he said dryly. "Under the stage. Three hours before a performance."

"That's what I said, bitch," she confirmed, stuffing her mouth with bread. How the hell was I going to put foundation on this slob? She swallowed, and said, "But speaking of explorations, I have something to tell you, Finneas."

He raised his eyebrows, and so did I. Now?

She nodded at me slowly, confident.

But before she could speak, Finneas said, "Billie if you're about to tell me that you're gay, I hate to break it to you, but I've known that since you were 10."

"Shut the fuck up, dude, no you haven't."

He grinned. "Yep. I knew it the minute that chick moved in across the street."

"What chick?" More bread. I was having a hopeless time. I brushed the crumbs from the corner of her mouth, and she snapped at my hand with her teeth. I sighed.

"The 12-year-old, I think her name was Vanessa or Victoria or some shit."

Billie swallowed and smiled slightly. "Ohhhh, yeah. Vanessa. She was cool. She had great... style."

"I think the word you're looking for here is 'boobs,' because that girl had zero style," he laughed. "But she was hot and you followed her around all summer until she finally told you to fuck off. And then you cried for like a week."

She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about, dude." But she was grinning with her mouth full.

I wondered if there were photos of Vanessa anywhere, because now I was curious.

"Alright, so you're not gay, then?"

She kept smiling. She looked up at me, her blue eyes glittering. My heart started pounding, like it always did when I stared into those flawless eyes of hers. "Nah, I'm pretty gay."

Finneas was smiling at her, too. "I knew it."

"More importantly, I have a girlfriend. That's what I really wanted to tell you." She was still looking at me, her eyes seeing through to my soul.