In the Woods When First We Met

137. The Telephone Game

Josie was the first of their clique to arrive at school, except for Jane, but several other students were milling around talking. Prissy was sitting at Jane's desk, talking to Jane about the new dresses their mother had ordered in.

Billy was in the back of the room with one of his pals.

"See," he was saying. "If you write the formula right here, on the edge of your shoe, then during the test you'll be able to glance down at it and Mr. Phillips will be none the wiser."

Josie stormed up to Billy.

Billy said, "Hi, Josie."

Then he took another look at her. "What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me? What's the matter with you?!" She said angrily, trying to keep her voice down so that she wouldn't alert the attention of anyone else in the room.

Billy's pal laughed and said, "'I'm outa here," getting up and leaving Billy all alone to be faced with Josie's wrath.

Josie dragged Billy into the cloakroom.

"Anne seems to be planning a wedding. With Gilbert. Do you know anything about that?"

That information shocked Billy, but he kept his face calm and tried not to show any reaction. "Why would I know anything about what she's doing?"

Condescendingly, Josie said, "Why don't you think about it for a minute. Think hard."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Josie looked disgusted. "Anne said that you were...involved with her."

Billy looked like he was trying to figure out how to talk his way out of it, but finally just said, "Whatever she said to you, she's lying."

"You don't seem very surprised to hear about it," Josie snapped. "I think you're lying. Why would she even say something like that?"

"Because she's a freak!" Billy said, "She's obsessed with it. She couldn't wait to tell the whole school everything she knows about it, and then accusing Prissy of nasty things?" Billy got angrier, his voice rising, "You shouldn't care what that dirty piece of trash does!"

"I don't care what she does," Josie snapped, "except when it ruins lives! She's trying to rope Gilbert into marriage- she's using him!- and she's absolutely destroyed Ruby!"

"I had nothing to do with that!"

"Really? Are you sure? She said she was involved with you first, and from the story she told, it sounded like you're backing out on her, and that's why she's sinking her claws into poor Gilbert now! Apparently she told him some sob story and got him feeling sorry for her."

"There's nothing for anyone to feel sorry for!" Billy said angrily. "No one should be feeling sorry for her! I never attacked her. She threw herself at me, not the other way around! This was her fault!"

Billy and Josie stared into each other's eyes with shock- both realizing that Billy, in his rising anger, had just admitted to having done something.

There was a long moment of dead silence.

Finally Josie sneered at him, looking thoroughly disgusted. She said, "Why would you tarnish yourself with her, when there are much more beautiful girls you could have pursued? Were you just that desperate to have intimate relations?"

Billy stared at her.

"You must have been extremely desperate to take the first girl to put out! And we know that wicked girl puts out!"

Billy didn't know what to say.

Josie hissed, "But you know what? You're just as revolting as she is, Billy Andrews. Defiling yourself at your age, and without being married! I can't believe I ever liked you. I'd never want to court you, now, after knowing where you've been!"

Billy's heart sank. He hadn't thought about what he'd done as being of any consequence when it came to him liking Josie.

But Josie wasn't finished with him yet. "How do you like the end result- was it worth it?"

"What do you mean?" Billy asked, still almost too stunned for words.

"She's expecting." Josie hissed.

"...Expecting what?"

"What are you, slow or something? A baby, that's what!"

Josie gave him one last look of disgust and then walked briskly to her desk.

Billy leaned against the wall of the cloak room, beginning to sweat even as the door opened and a crowd of students came bustling in, bringing the brisk wind with them.

This is bad. This is bad.

He tried to breath, trying to calm himself.

They can't pin this on me. She could've done that with anyone. Everyone knows she's full of knowledge about intimate relations. She's probably done everything there is to do, with boys in every town she's ever lived in.

No, he thought. They can't pin this on me.

But he felt lightheaded as Mr. Phillips called class to order.

He was terribly aware of Anne walking to her desk and sitting down on the girl's side of the room, but he wouldn't look over at her.

He had tried to make Anne afraid of him. And it had worked.

But now he was the one who was afraid.