Sky is the limit / Billy Hargrove

Chapter Two - The Introduction (2)

Steve and I are finally working on his essay, he was right it does need a lot of work. "Okay so you talk about basketball and then your granddad. What's the connection?" I ask attempting to be nice but probably not coming off that way.

"Uh we both won" he smiles back at me, then frowning when I raise my eyebrow in confusion. "Okay..." I begin, "Well, I really like the metaphor of the basketball game. Let's start from there and see what we come up with" I offer, trying to be positive.

"What's the point? Maybe not going to college is what I should do, you know? Stay and work for my dad, get all those adult benefits like health insurance or-or starting a retirement plan. I would be able to stay close to home for Nancy's senior year. It wouldn't be so bad, right?" He asks, looking at me.

"I don't know Steve, who are you trying to convince me or you?" I sigh, running my hands through my hair. "You know my opinion, I just don't think it's worth it to sacrifice anything or put your future on hold for a girl." I tell him honestly.

"She isn't just some girl Sky. She's Nancy and I love her." He fights back, upset I would even say something like that.

"Look Steve, I am just being honest here. You can always apply now and make these decisions later on, right? There is no need to rush. Let's stick to our plan since freshman year of applying to every college together and worry about the details when the time comes." I attempt to compromise, finally breaking our eye contact and going back to edit his paper. 

I hear him sigh, "You're right, sorry I just... I hate thinking about my future" he admits.

"Don't we all Harrington. Let's just focus on right here, right now! We need to show them that you are not only athletic and handsome, but you do have some intelligence hidden away under all those layers of hairspray." I joke, squeezing his hand before getting a new piece of paper out to write on.

Unsurprisingly, we don't get to finish his essay, but we definitely have made improvements. Not wanting him to worry about it, I offer to finish it and he can pick it up after the dinner. He thanks me with a kiss on the forehead and we head to our separate classes.

******

I am currently laying on the hood of Steve's car waiting for him to show up since school has ended. I feel someone block the sun from my face and then I smell some cigarette smoke.

"You actually get to see them in concert?" I hear a voice ask me, I quickly notice it's a voice I've never heard before. The new kid is talking to me, I turn my head to look at him and he points to my Black Sabbath shirt I was wearing under my denim jacket.

"Uh yeah, for my birthday my parents got some tickets. My friends and I were able to road trip to Ohio to see them." I tell him, propping myself onto my elbows, wanting to get a better look at him. I have to say, I was not disappointed with what I saw.

"Cool, you a big fan then?" He asks me while looking at my shirt once again, taking another drag from his cigarette.

"Yeah, I guess they are in my top ten of favorite bands. You like them at all?" I ask, attempting to get the attention off of me. He scoffs before responding.

"Duh, if you have good taste in music you have to like Black Sabbath. What else you like?" He asks, putting all the attention on me once again. Even though he's looking around as if he isn't even interested in this conversation.

"Uh, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd..." I trail off at the end, not sure if he wanted me to continue. He was going to respond until the red headed girl skated up to him. He changes his demeanor completely when she arrives, becoming more stiff and rigid.

"Name's Billy." He says ignoring the girl for a second and finally making eye contact with me.

"I'm Sky." I tell him. He shakes his head in acknowledgment.

"I'll catch you around Sky. Come on Max, let's go." He says before getting into his car. I watch him quickly exit the parking lot, wondering how he manages to drive like that. 

Finally, Steve comes outside and smiles, "Ready to go?" he asks. I shake my head yes and get into the car. I can't get the new kid out of my head, he was just so abrupt and straight to the point. He definitely lacked common courtesy that most of the boys possessed here. I quickly attempt to distract my thoughts with anything but him.