Not Your Baby ║ Billy Hargrove

Chapter Seven

"Billy?" I asked, turning fully around to see him.

"Your night in shining armor, baby." I finally saw his face. His eyes looked softer, almost compassionate.

"I'm", I exhaled. "not your 'baby" I fell back on my ass and stretched out my legs, placing my arms behind me to hold myself up. I grabbed my purse from my side and scrambled for my compact mirror. Flipping the black circle mirror open, I fixed my lipstick with my finger and removed any last remnants of upchucked punch from the corners of my mouth. Clicking the mirror back together, I tried to fumble in my purse for some gum to chew on to get the horrid smell of puke out of my mouth. Finally locating it, I unwrapped the gum and tossed it in my mouth, looking up to see Billy's hand outreached as he was attempting to help me up. "I can get up myself!" I batted his hand away and attempted to get on two feet, only to fall back down. I looked up at Billy to see him laughing at me while still extending his hand. Sighing, I cupped my fingers in his, feeling his force lift me from the ground with ease. Still pretty drunk, I stumbled to regain balance, falling into his chest. At first, I was utterly disgusted. It was hot, wet, and smelled like cheap beer. I felt my hair getting wet with every second my head rest. At the same, I felt oddly relaxed. Hearing his heartbeat with his arms wrapped around mine created a warm energy that pushed back all feelings of chill in the air. 

Who would have thought, the new douchebag in town would be the one to help me not make a fool out of myself at probably, the biggest party of junior year. Suddenly, the thought of Nancy rushed through my head. Her constant remarks of not wanting me to go home without her rang through my head like a church bell, and the party was going to be wrapping up soon as the clock inside read "1:58am" last time I was with Stacey and Josh.

"I need to find Nancy." I slurred, trying to regain balance without Billy's help. His massive hands wrapped around my arms, helping me to find my feet and not step in my pink-hued throw up.

"You need to go to home." Billy replied as he helped me find the cobblestone pavement again, making sure I didn't look like a total mess."
"No," I took a deep breath in. "I'm not sleeping with you." I drunkenly rolled my eyes at him. Billy flashed his teeth in a wide smile, looking back at the ground and then back at me.

"That's not what I meant." He let out a small laugh. "Although one day I'm sure I will change your mind." He stuffed his hands in his back pockets and he leaned on one leg, watching me try and sober myself up with deep breaths. "You look hot." He winked, trying to make me feel less ugly as I brushed some excess puke off of my shoe and on to the grass.
"Thanks?" I gave a little smile. His compliments, while aggressive, were oddly nice to hear seeing as I just made a complete mess in Jess' backyard. I brushed the hair out of my face, looked back at the gigantic house and then back at Billy. "Nance didn't want me to leave without her." I adjusted my top to not look too disheveled. "We uh," trying to find the right word to describe what we heard was a challenge. "heard something in the fields as we were walking to the house. It didn't sound-," I paused, watching Billy's eyes light up with curiosity, "...right." I finished and stared at him to see his reaction. He burst with laughter. Typical... I scoffed and turned from him, beginning my slow walk to the back doors of the house.

"Hey!" I heard him call after me before I felt his hands wrap around my arm. "I didn't mean to make fun of you." He tried to coerce me into more conversation. "It's just hard to believe." Billy turned me to face him yet again. I folded my arms and looked off into the dark abyss of the night.

"I know what I heard." I softly slurred, my sight getting lost in what could be lurking at night. I think Billy sensed the tense feeling around us, as his mood softened to what seemed like a whole new person.
"I'll take you home." He gingerly spoke, his hair blew effortlessly with the crisp air that surrounded us. Billy's hand stroked my arm once more, this time with a certain kindness. "I will get you home." He silently nodded as his hand moved to my back, encouraging me to head inside and inform Nancy.

"Are you okay to drive?" I asked him, slowly remembering watching Billy slam a keg for longer than I had even known was humanly possible.

"Don't worry about me baby." Billy winked as we began shuffling through the crowd of teenagers to get inside and find Nancy.

"Literally not your baby." I reiterated as I watched him seductively roll his tongue around his teeth before sighing and looking off into the distance. We made our way past Jess and her boyfriend who were heavily making out in the corner of the garden and opened the doors to the humid house.