Jessie with an i | Billy Andrews

Chapter twenty one

School was back in session before we knew it and everything was back to normal. I started to take my new brooch everywhere. Either I would use it to pin together my shawl, or I would put it on my dress if it matched. I would even pin it to my bag, just to have it. I would hold it in my hand when I felt I needed comfort or I was just bored. No one noticed except Jane. And I'm guessing Billy but I have no idea. I sat in class listening to Mr.Philips and following along with the lesson. At lunch I sit next to Jane and listen to the girls say what they got for Christmas. I stayed quiet as I ate my lunch. I'm not sure why but I just stayed silent. I was surprised that Josie wasn't gossiping about me at the party. I'm guessing she was waiting for when I wasn't there. After I finish eating my lunch I get up and rush to my seat. I put away my lunch stuff and take out my book. I was reading more Shakespeare but I was re-reading Julius Caesar. One of my favorites. I began to read the play. I had recently started to re-read it so I was only in the start of the book. I was half expecting Billy to interrupt my reading but he didn't. I kept reading in peace. For a bit. I was brought out of the world of my story when the book suddenly gets taken out of my hands.
I look up. "Hey!" I stand. It was one of Billy's friends. Who payed against me in hockey. I didn't remember his name. "Give it back" I reach for it but he takes it out of my reach laughing.
"I wonder what this book looks like as fire fuel." He said.
"Don't you dare." I say.
He rushed past me to the fire place in the middle of the room. He was too quick. He got there before I did. He stops in his tracks and I stop behind him. In front of the door of the fire was standing Billy. Arms crossed and face mad. He held out his hand and the boy gives Billy my book back. The boy rushed away and Billy walked to me.
"Here" he hands me my book, his face softening as he looks at me.
"My hero" I giggle. "Thank you"
"You're welcome" he said.
The bell rings and we all get back to our seats. I put my book back in my bag.
"Everyone, take out your readers" Mr.Philips said.
I do so and open it to the page that was on the board. We all begin to read as Mr.Phillips goes to the back room.

The rest of the day was standard, lessons and more lessons. I was tired from staying up the night before. I always do that. Stay up late the night before the first day back to school after winter break. Once class was done, I get ready to go by the door.
"Hey Jess" Jane walks up to me. "I'm walking home with Ruby if that's ok" she said.
"Of course!" I smile. We hug and she leaves with Ruby.
I was the last one out when I herd commotion coming from the side of the schoolhouse near the creek. I walk around the corner to see Billy and the boy from earlier fighting. Billy gets shoved to the ground but he gets on top of the boy. He already looked bloody and bruised.
"Billy!" I rush over to them. "Boys stop it!" I say. Billy gets up and gets ready to punch the other boy. I get between the two and Billy stops. The boy brushed himself off and rushed away from us. My focus goes to Billy. I take out my handkerchief and fill it with snow. I hold it to his bruise by his eye.
"Are you ok?" I ask worried.
He nodded softly.
"He didn't hurt you too bad did he?" I asked.
"Not too bad" he mumbled.
"Good" I suddenly get angry. "Then what the heck where you two fighting about?" I ask a bit too harshly.
"Nothing..." he muttered.
"Billy it had to be something" I said.
"I should get home" he started to walk home with my handkerchief with the snow over his bruise.
I follow him all the way home. We didn't speak. I didn't ask him anything. Once he got to his house I follow him inside.
"Billy..." I say softly. He storms to the kitchen. I follow him. He sits down at the kitchen table. I quickly get a towel with some ice and I take away my handkerchief from him. I knelt down so he was a bit higher than me. So I could tend to his face better. And his hands. I didn't see his hands until after I gave him the towel with the ice. I set my handkerchief aside and I grab a tissue to dab at the bloody nose. Once I did, I searched for the med kit. Billy didn't speak. I find it and rush to him. I pull up a chair across from and start to wrap his hands with bandages.
"Why where you two fighting?" I ask.
"Not important" Billy grumbled
"Did he say something to you?" I ask.
"No." He said.
"Did he take something from you?"
"No..."
"Did he do's something to your sisters?"
"No!"
"Then why Billy?!"
"I said it's not important"
"Why can't you just open up to me Billy?!" I say getting upset. "You never let anyone in and it shows. All I want to do is help!"
"Well I didn't ask for your help!" He said.
"Well I help people if they ask or not" I cross my arms. "Maybe you should try being nicer to people. They might like you more" I snap.
He clenched his jaw. "If you weren't a girl you would be trying to talk with a fist in your mouth" he shakes his fist at me.
I stand up suddenly making the chair go backwards. "Well if I was a boy you would be looking at me through one swollen eye!" I held my fist up, holding it tight.
"Oh yeah?!" He stood up and takes my wrist, putting it under his chin. "Take your best shot!"
I growl a bit before my face falls. I remember all of our time together over the past months. I remember his first snarky remarks to me. I remember wrapping the blue ribbon around his head, measuring him for his costume, him trying on his costume for the first time and lighting up. How handsome he looked both on Christmas Eve and at the New Years party, his kiss on my cheek when the clock struck midnight. It all made me realize how deeply I was in love with him. Glancing at his lips, I cup his face with my hands and kiss him.  He wraps his arms around me and kisses me back. My face heats up in the moment before he pulls away from me.
"It was about you ok."He muttered, still his arms around me.
"What about me?"
He sighs. "When he took your book and threatened to burn it....I knew how much Shakespeare and your books mean to you so I knew that you wouldn't be happy. I knew I couldn't stand you unhappy" he concluded.
I just look at him.
"So I told him to never tease you again. Much less touch you. Or else I would hurt him. He didn't believe me"
"You wanted to protect me? From him" I ask. I was still confused.
"Yes..." he said.
"Why?" I ask.
"I..." he sighs. "....Iloveyou..." he muttered.