Piano Man

First Date

Lyla's Pov

Mr. James and I had called twice since his initial contact with me. He said he would get me around 7 pm. I was going to be picked up at Billie's house as I wanted his "advice" if you could even call it that. And I didn't want to explain to my mom what was going on.

"It feels a little fucked up to wear this on a date with a guy."

"Why?"

I rolled my eyes and he pouted his lips.

"Because it's your shirt."

"Well, if he likes you he's going to have to get used to me."

I looked at myself in the mirror. I was wearing Billie's Pabst beer shirt that I often stole, but it always ended back in his hands. I had a black long-sleeve under the shirt and a mid-length flowy skirt. Billie came up behind me and put his hands on my shoulders, smirking at me looking in the mirror.

"Yeah but, you can at least wait for him to smell your musk on me until our 3rd date."
"Y'know, I think he'll be okay."

I turned around and looked at him and pushed him away. He gave me one of his signature toothy grins.

"What am I going to do with my hair?"

"Spikey bun?"

Billie had become my personal stylist, in clothing and hair. I think because he had sisters growing up he learned to do hair. Then I came along and forced him to help me. I would always steal Anna's hair stuff, Billie's clothes, and Marci's jewelry. Luckily the boys and Hollie were safe from my theft. I practically was a member of the family. Spending the night all the time, growing up with them, and confining in Ollie.

"It's 6:45."

"Okay?"

He had that snobby know-it all the tone.

"Well he said he's going to be here at 7 pm and we don't know if he's going to be early and I-"

"A lady never rushes."

Billie mocked my mother when she nearly killed me for running to the door when Ollie had picked me up as a kid to hang out with Anna and Billie.

"Fine."

He ran out of his room into the hallway bathroom next to Anna's room. I stood up and looked at myself again in the mirror before following him into the bathroom. In his left hand, he helps up a box of black box dye.

"Billie, time."

"C'mon dye your hair, it'll be fun!"

"No."

"Fine."

He put his hands on the back of my shoulders and pulled me over to sit on the toilet so that he could do my hair. I was never able to do my hair, I could brush and straighten my hair. It was rare that I ever did that. I liked it when Billie would dress me up and do my hair. I felt like a Barbie doll. He brushed my hair out. The waves in my hair are still present but more tamed. I hated my hair. It would always be puffy when I brushed it but go flat and now curl when I tried to care for it. I had given up at this point with my hair. Billie teased my ends before he swept it into a mid-way bun.

"You are so gay Beej."

"So are you!"

I rolled my eyes. He had made his way to stand in front of me. He was teasing my hair. My hair was long and for one reason Billielikede to pull it up high when he teased it. He would tease and twist my hair then bobby pin each part. He was about halfway through my head when was just close to my hair like with his stomach. His shirt lifted just a little and I saw that he had a tattoo. There was the number 80. I knew that Billie had tattoos I'm not dumb. But I had never seen these. I had seen Billie shirtless when Swimming only a few months ago. When did he get these and not tell me?