dollhouse // billy hargrove

six

heather's pov

the hallways have been filled with joys, but empty of billy hargrove for days. i know he told me to leave him alone forever, but he's always getting in fights. what if this one put him in a position he didn't deserve to be in?

i am constantly trying to think of the best-case scenario, but he has never missed this many days of school, especially at one time. he would at least show up for 20 minutes before deciding he wanted to go back home, or wherever he went.

but maybe he is just avoiding me, so i think he's gone. just like he wanted from the beginning.

i run into nancy in the hallway, "hey nance, have you seen billy around?"

"i'm not exactly looking for him every day," she says glancing at jonathan holding her hand, "but i also haven't seen him terrorizing every kid in school either. i will keep an eye out for him if you want me to?" she gestures.

i look at jonathan to see if he had an answer, he shook his head no.

"okay thanks, i will talk to you later sometime," i call out to nancy as she leaves.

i walk the other way to try and find steve. billy is always on his ass about becoming a better basketball player. i run into steve walking out of the gymnasium.

"heather!" he says in his most preppy voice, going in for a hug. i refuse by laughing, noticing sweat dripping from literally everywhere.

"alright, alright i see how it is. so what's up?" he questions.

"billy. have you seen him?" i stare up at steve, his hair hangs down over his eyes.

"hargrove?"

"what other billy do you know?"

"well you see there's billy gemmings, billy shakespeare, billy joel, he has some good songs. slow down, you crazy child. you're so ambitious for a juv-" he started singing vienna and if i didn't stop him now, who knew when he would stop.

"yes, billy hargrove."

"woah, woah, woah. since when did you care so much about billy? is he manipulating you? blink three times if you need help." he jokes, as always.

"steve, i am serious." i look into his eyes, the same beautiful hazel eyes that could sometimes be mistaken for green in the right lighting, the same eyes that first greeted me with a kind hello when i first came here.

"well let me see. has he pushed me in basketball for the past 3 days? no. has he turned off the shower on me in the locker room? no. has he shoved me into a locker in the hallway? no. has he tri-" i cut him off again. i swear he could carry a conversation with himself for hours.

"have you or have you not seen billy?" i say pausing between every word, putting on an angry voice.

"no, i have not. but like, just wondering, why do you care so much? do you like-"

"no, no, no! absolutely not. he's just my partner for a project in one of my classes and we just started working on it and if he's not here or going to at least help contribute to the project i might as well not put his na-" i am lying straight through my teeth until steve is now the one cutting me off.

"so you're telling me," using his fingers to point, "that the stupidest kid in school is in the smartest kid in school's class. aren't you taking all ap classes?"

"you know what it doesn't matter. thanks for nothing," i remarked, flicking his chest.

"hey!" he yells through the hallway jokingly, using his towel to wipe his sweat, as he walks to the locker room.