Wayfarer [Bill Cipher x Reader] [REVISED]

Chapter 10: The Good, The Bad, and The Dirty

A/N: Happy Halloween, everybody! I know that today isn't a Sunday, but I'm posting a chapter anyway in honor of the holiday (and also to belatedly celebrate my birthday, which was on the 21st). Remember, I'll be on hiatus in November because of NaNoWriMo, so this will be the last chapter I post for a while. :) See you all in December, I hope!

After that, everything became a rage-tinged blur: salvaging your phone, cleaning your purse, wiping yourself down, apologizing to Spencer, driving home. You dumped Bill on his motel room's doorstep, muttering a few choice words to yourself before heading to your room.

The door clicked behind you as you made your way in, throwing your purse onto the desk. With a sigh, you peeled off your wet clothes and wiped your skin down, the chill of air conditioning wafting over your skin, before you changed into clean pajamas. The soft, subtle warmth of dry clothes engulfed you, and you sighed. Ah, comfort.

Chucking the wet clothes onto the armchair, you glanced back at the still-soggy purse on the desk. You fumed. Talk about a way to ruin your night!

Of course, what else should you have expected? You'd gone to a party. Those never went well for you! What, did you think that the universe was going to be magically generous for once and let you have a social experience that didn't leave you feeling like trash? You? You, of all people? Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid! You should've never let Bill rope you into coming with him!

Seething, you grabbed your phone and pulled up Mabel's number. God, did you need to vent. You jabbed "call".

A few rings later, she picked up. "(Y/N)?" she said, an air of bewilderment in her voice.

"Mabel! Mabel, I'm sorry, it turns out you were right, I was an idiot for picking that guy up—"

"Wait, wait, what?" she said. "Slow down! (Y/N), what the heck are you talking about? What happened? Did that guy you told me about hurt you?"

You snorted. "Hurt me? He got me shoved into a pool. That idiot! Getting drunk and picking fights. I should have never picked him up!"

An audible sigh rang out on the other end of the line. "Oh, that's all? Whew! I thought that you were saying that he, like, stabbed you or something. Or robbed you blind."

"What do you mean, that's all?" you demanded. "He ruined the entire damn party for me! I mean, I was actually having fun and everything, and then he decided to be a dumbass and get us both kicked out!"

"A party? Having fun?" Mabel's tone brightened. "Really?"

"Well, okay, I was able to have a decent conversation with someone, and I got to pet a cute dog, but that doesn't change the fact that it's ruined now! There's no way I'll ever be able to talk to Spencer again, not when I brought that—that asshole to the party!"

"Oh, well... I'm glad you had fun! I mean, you're always so touchy about coming to parties with me and all... "

"Mabel, that's not the point here. The point is that this bastard is bad news! Wasn't that what you were telling me just a few days ago?"

"Yeah, well, no offense, (Y/N), but you're not exactly the best when it comes to talking to people. I don't think that you should spend your entire life avoiding people and hanging out with dogs—even if dogs are the best! I just want you to get better with that, that's all. Is that really so bad?"

"Hey, it's none of your business who my other friends are," you said. "So what if I'd rather hang out with Rufus? You're not my mom. You can't tell me what to do!"

There was a pause. "Well, I mean, yeah, I get that. And I don't want to be your mom, you know," she said. "But (Y/N)! Is it really healthy to let that one tiny thing ruin that whole party for you?"

"A tiny thing? A tiny thing?" you spat. "Mabel, my phone was almost ruined because of what he did. My phone! You know how much that cost?"

"Well, yeah, but like you said, he was drunk! Drunk people do dumb things all of the time! I mean, remember when I swallowed that live goldfish at that one party? And I was sad and sick for three whole days? Or that time I lost my apartment keys at a frat house and had to fish through someone's underwear drawer to find it?"

You snorted. "That's different," you said. "Yeah, that stuff was dumb, but it didn't really hurt anybody—except that goldfish, I guess. This did! He slugged a dude and chucked him into the pool! And he threw me in, too!"

"Hey, I'm sure that he wasn't planning on getting you chucked into a pool," Mabel said, her voice becoming a steady murmur. "I'm sure that it's just a honest mistake."

"Well, then so is this whole travel buddy thing!" you hissed. "I swear to God, once he's sober, I'm going to dump his ass—"

"Hey, don't do that!"

"Don't?" you hissed back. "Don't? Why shouldn't I?"

"Because he's paying you!" Mabel yelled, her voice jolting you through the phone line. "You said it yourself, he's giving you ten grand just to take him along. That's, like, half of tuition! I mean, you've dealt with Karens for a lot less, right? Just—keep your eyes on the prize, girl!"

You paused for a long moment. "Well..." You flashed back to the woman who'd insisted that your coworker Danielle's barely-visible bra strap was 'tempting' the woman's husband. And that man who spat in your face for telling him that his two-year-old expired coupon didn't apply to his purchase. And that creepy old dude at least twice your age who'd called you "baby" and asked for your phone number... five minutes after meeting you. And—well, you didn't want to dwell on it. "... you do have a point. But how do I make sure this doesn't happen again?"

"Easy-peasy! Just tell him you'll dump him on the side of the road the next time it happens. I mean, he must really need a travel buddy if he's paying you ten grand to ride with you, right? Take advantage of that. Get that money!"

You took in a couple long, deep breaths. "You know what? You're right," you replied. "Yeah, sorry for being kind of dense. I was really freaking pissed at him..."

"That's okay! Everybody gets worked up sometimes," Mabel chirped. "Still, like Grunkle Stan always tells me, if you want a sucker to pay up, a couple twists of the arm never hurt. Or a nice time out in a trunk."

You chuckled weakly. "Well, I hope it won't come to that. I'd hate to have to explain to anyone why I'd be putting him in there..."

"And remember, if he's being a pain and you have to kick him, aim for the kneecaps!" she added. "People can't run well when you hit 'em there. Or the shin! The shin works okay, too. Or stomping on his toes."

You smiled. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Self-defense 101."

"Yeah, and so unless he's, like, a super-secret Russian spy or a pirate ninja or something, you should be able to deal with him. You'll be safe! You don't have to kick him out, really. You can just take care of his silliness by yourself, right?"

"I guess," you said with a sigh. "Still, he better not try anything!"

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure he won't, once you've had a... little chat with him."

You sighed again. "I guess you're right. Sorry about all that. I'm sure that's not what you wanted me to talk to you about... "

"No, no, it's fine! I'm not mad or anything. I mean, what else am I here for?"

"Well, thanks for being a great listener, anyways." You clicked your tongue and glanced at the bedside alarm clock, noting the glowing numbers. "And, um, it's almost twelve, so I better get to bed. Have to get up early for that free breakfast, you know? Tell your grunkle hi for me."

"Yeah, sure! Talk to you later. Bye!"

"Bye!" The click of the call disconnecting sounded out. Listening to it echo in the silence of the room, you flopped down on the bed and sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

Well, no more playing nice. It was time to crack down.

Writer's reminder: Hey you guys, here's a friendly reminder that writers love feedback! Remember to vote or comment on this chapter to let me know how you feel about this chapter or the book so far. :)