Stuck with me

trois - loudmouth

Valerie

"So, your little run in with Billie turned out to be more than a simple run in, huh?"
I payed no mind to anything Jasper had just said, and kept looking straight ahead as I walked to French.
"Valerie?" Cam asked.
I turned to her, becoming irritated. "What?"
"You coming over later?"
"Of course I am. I come over everyday, why wouldn't I?"
Jasper shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe you want to hang out with Billie for a change."
I rolled my eyes. "Look, you guys. I'm not gonna start ditching you for Billie. Yes, he's my friend. Maybe I will hang out with him sometimes. You're both still my best friends, nothing will change that. Okay?"
Cam smiled. "Well, I'm glad. But.. Val, don't push him away, alright?"
I looked to Jasper.
"She's right. You can't push people away all the time. Don't do that to him," he said.
I nodded. "I-I'll try. But I have to get to French so I'll see you guys later."
They'd told me that a million times since I told them about Billie. It wouldn't work. Nothing would.

∝∝∝

"Val, what is up with you?" Cam asked. "You said you'd come over."
"Not today!" I argued. "I fucking told you a million times, I have too much homework."
"Since when do you, of all people, give a shit about homework?" Jasper retorted.
I bit my bottom lip so hard it began to bleed, turned on my heel sharply, and ran for the doors. Someone jerked me back by my hand.
"Hey," Billie said softly. "What was that about?"
"It doesn't matter," I stated, making an attempt to go the other way, only to be yanked back again.
"What do you want?" I almost screamed.
"You're upset."
I rolled my eyes, retracting my hand out of his. "Go fucking figure."
He only grabbed my hands again, green eyes sparkling, showing he was trying to get me to chill out. "Calm down, wouldja? God, your lip is bleeding all over the place."
I sighed, wiping my chin. He was right, it was running all down my hand.
"Let me go," I said, flinging the blood off my hand and onto the floor.
"I want you to meet me at Rudy's tonight."
He completely ignored my statement, and I was getting irritated.
"We'll take her home," Jasper offered from behind me. "Val, we have to leave. You can't just hang around the school because you're mad."
"I was trying to leave, but Billie Joe asshole here wouldn't let go," I snarled.
"I was trying to get you to chill out," he said softly.
"Holding me back does everything but make me chill out," I sneered again.
"Val," Cam said. "Can we please just go home?! You can yell at us all you want once we get there, alright? Don't take it out on him. He didn't do anything."
Billie dropped my hands, frowning, and walked out the doors.
"C'mon, let's go."

∝∝∝

"God, why do you assholes always have to be right? I fucking hate you both," I whimpered. "Don't you know I know I push people away? God! Why do you always bring it up?! If I could stop it I fucking would."
Tears ran down my flushed cheeks, mixing with the coppery tasting liquid that was still gushing out of my lip.
"You've been doing this for years," Jasper sighed. "Ever since your mom died. We think you should go see a therapist. And your dad agrees."
I shot up from my seat, my fists slamming into his chest and throwing him backwards. "You fucking told my dad about this? Who in the hell do you think you are, my fucking guardian angel?"
He gripped my forearms, throwing them back towards my thighs. "Don't hit me like that."
Cam tuned out our little quarrel, taking yet another hit from her pretty pink bong. She was completely smacked; it was no wonder she'd been paying no mind.
My hands reached up to smear the wetness off my face, and stormed over in her direction, snatching the bong out of her hand. I took a long, fulfilling drag, collecting the smoke in my lungs and exhaling it back out.
"hey," she spoke. "you got blood on my fucking bong."
"And?" I said, coughing. I took another hit.
And another. And another. And another.
And then another, until I couldn't count any more. The room became hazy and for a while, I almost didn't want to cry anymore.
Then I got sick of being cramped up in their room, so I waited it out before finally deciding to get the hell out.
"I'm fucking leaving this dump."
By the time I got out onto the concrete, I got stares of disapproval, probably because I seemed like a freak; reeking of dope and blood dribbling down my chin, fucked up makeup and all.
I wrapped my arms around myself, sliding over some ice, and falling right on my ass.
Naturally.
"Val?"
The familiar voice caused and abrupt stop to my rubbing my ass, in pain, and I glanced upward.
You guessed it. My favorite, Billie fucking Joe.
"Whaddya doing, klutz ass?" He snickered, offering me a hand. I took it and he gracefully pulled me back up off the ground.
"Shut the fuck up, wouldja?"
I wiped the blood off my chin.
"Val, what the- your lip is still bleeding?" He asked. "And you're clearly faded as hell. How very."
"Didn'tcha hear me say shut the fuck up, you dickwad?" I spat. "Jesus, you're annoying."
"And you're one hell of a loudmouth. C'mon, if I take you inside I can get you cleaned up."
I scoffed, accidentally sputtering more blood. "No, okay? I'm not in the damn- hey!"
He completely disregarded what I said, tugging me away inside Rudy's.
"Goddammit Billie Joe, what're you- let go of me! What the hell, man?" 
Everyone turned to stare at the sudden commotion; the screeching of the soles of my converse against the hardwood floor, me yelling at Billie, and him ignoring me.
"Son," Ollie sighed. "I need you to-"
She scrunched her face up at the sight of him dragging me away and my grip on one of the tables, desperately trying to get away from him.
"Billie," she said, taking her apron off. "Would you let go of the poor girl? Jesus. The shit I have to put up w- Valerie? Your lip is-"
"Yeah yeah yeah, I know! My lip is bleeding, we need to clean me up- can you just get your son the hell offa me, for chrissake?"
Ollie glared hard at her son, and he immediately let go of me, causing me to slip backwards, right on my ass, for the second time now.
"Ow.. God-goddammit. My whole life is a shitshow, I swear to god," I admitted, rubbing my ass as I got back on my feet.
"Okay, what's going on?" Ollie said.
"Ma, look at her, she's bleeding everywhere. And she's been bleeding ever since we left school. I'm just trying to fix her lip and she's being stubborn as shit," he explained.
"Because I'm godddamn capable of doing it myself, fuckface!" I nearly screamed at him.
"Okay, stop, both of you. Billie, you don't need to have your hands on her every five seconds, Valerie, please just let him clean up your lip, for gods sake."
My tantrum died down, and I finally let Billie lead me into the bathroom and clean up my lip.
"Are you okay?" He asked, after he'd done my lip.
"Yeah, my lip feels f-"
He silenced me. "No, not your lip. Are you okay?"
I blinked. "Whatddya mean?"
"You know what, never mind."
He went to leave but I tugged him back. "Why wouldn't I be? Why are you concerned?"
"Because you had a whole huge ass bitch fit earlier, this was only the second part of it. A-and maybe I care because I was beginning to consider you friend material."
His face turned a light shade of brick red, and he turned away from me slightly.
"Okay.. well I'm.. I dunno. I'm alright, I guess," I shrugged, still holding onto his wrist. "Just had a meltdown..."
"Clearly," he said, looking back at me.
There was a moment of silence, not the comfortable kind, but more of the kind where you're searching for what to say next.
"Anyways," he coughed. "Look, my band and I, we're playing a gig on Saturday. I'd really want you to be there."
I blinked again. "Why do you want me to come?"
"Oh my god, does it matter?" He asked impatiently. "God, can you please just come? For me? Christ."
"Yeah, yeah sure," I said.
"Good. Don't blow me off, alright? I'm being serious about this," he held me by the shoulders. "Alright?"
"I'll be there."
That night, I was left wondering what I'd really gotten myself into. But it sure as hell wouldn't disappoint.