Meet Your Match | Billy Hargrove

Six.

Beth POV

"Lizzie! You finally picked up!" My mom screeched into the phone.

I took a deep breath, feeling myself instantly fill with dread. I'd been doing my best to dodge her calls for the last few days, and unfortunately the time she caught me, Billy was in the room with me.

"Mom..." I replied through gritted teeth. My eyes darted to the ground as I felt Billy's eyes burn into me.

"How have you been?! I've been trying to call you for days!" She whined. I could hear a slight slur in her voice, letting me know she'd been drinking long before she called.

"Yeah, just busy with school and work... I actually just got home," I lied, keeping my eyes glued to the white shag rug sitting next to my bed.

I was hoping Billy would stay quiet as I grabbed the clear phone base and set it on Julie's bed. I walked over to our shared dresser, picking out a pair of black dolphin shorts and a matching tank top.

"I could've got that for you," Billy whispered.

I glanced over my shoulder with a half smile, giving him a shrug. I quickly slipped on my outfit as my mom continued.

"Oh, okay. Well, I have some news..." she trailed off, her voice filled with excitement.

I rolled my eyes before looking over at Billy, who was eyeing the posters we had plastered on the walls. He was still only in his boxers, and I was sure he wouldn't want to sleep in his tight jeans, if he even planned on staying over.

"Oh?" I asked, opening the bottom drawer on Julie's side. I grabbed a pair of Steve's gray sweatpants and a white t-shirt, tossing them to Billy. Confusion spread across his face as I walked over to sit on Julie's bed.

"Yeah, I wanted to tell you in person, but since you left me and moved halfway across the country..." she trailed off.

I pulled the the phone away from my ear, throwing my head back as she started her too familiar guilt tripping spiel.

"I'm getting married!" My mom sang. 

My jaw dropped as the phone fell to my lap. Billy's eyes narrowed as he watched the dramatic display taking place in front of him.

"Honey?" My mom finally said, pulling me back to reality.

"Y-yeah," I coughed, bringing the phone back to my ear. "To... Rick?" I asked, hoping I wasn't right.

"Of course to Rick! Who else?" She giggled.

"Didn't you just meet him? Like a few months ago?" I knew my mom could be impulsive, so I'd be lying if I said this truly surprised me.

"I know, I know, but it just feels right this time." I could hear the thoughtful smile in her voice. "So, what do you think?"

"I- that's great," I forced a smile. "Congratulations."

"Thank you!" She squealed. "It's in a couple weeks and I would love it if you could be here. You can even bring a date... I know Jesse misses you."

I felt my chest tighten at the mention of his name. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ward off the memories that were threatening to come flooding back.

I took a deep breath, "I-I don't know, Mom. School has been really demanding, and don't know if I can miss a bunch of classes this early in the year-"

"Elizabeth, please. I really need you to be here," she snapped. "I did so much for you growing up, you could at least show up to this one thing for me. It would mean the world to me if you were here."