Secrets, Deals and Lies

Chapter 3 - Trouble Always Has to Follow

‘Remiah?’ someone knocks on the door as I start to change, Jack downstairs. ‘Wait! I'm changing,’ I say walking around with just my bra and jeans looking for my lost top and sweater.

‘Hurry up, I don’t have all day.’ I hear Billy say impatiently.

I walk around still looking for my sweater as I struggle putting on my top, I wasn't concentrating and realised half way through I was stuck as there was another top underneath it. Oh, joy.

‘Hurry up Remiah! You’ve been in there for at least 10 minutes, I know you can change faster than that,’ he says just about to open my door. I hid fast behind the door one arm hanging out of my tee and the other struggling around to find the other arm-hole, whilst my head was somewhere in the middle. Maybe this was the wrong shirt, it felt way too small.

‘Wait!’ I shriek stopping the door with my foot before it opened an inch, ‘don’t come in, not yet.’

I hear him snickering behind the door, ‘why, are you like, stuck or something?’ he jokes. Hearing the word “stuck” nearly made me laugh but I choked it back not wanting him to know I actually was stuck. ‘No, I'm just, trying to find something,’ I say too casually.

There was pause and then strained silence, ‘hmm, alright,’ he says an edge of laughter in his voice that wasn't being let out.

I stand there and bend down a bit trying to pull the top over my head and soon enough it fell to the floor. I let out a sigh as if it’s been strangling me or something and I walk to my closet to look for a long sleeve so I don’t have to bother to find my now-lost-sweater.

‘Done?’ Billy asks opening the door without me knowing and standing at the door watching. When I finally found my long sleeve I spun around on my heels gasping as soon as I saw Billy, ‘Billy!’ I screech holding the top against my chest, ‘get out, jeez!’

I glare at him as a grin stretches across his face. ‘Billy! Out. Now,’ I say warningly and for some reason just standing there glaring and clenching at my top.

‘Alright, alright,’ he chuckles starting to walk off, he stops at the door and spins around for another quick look before shutting the door behind him after winking and saying he wouldn’t tell anyone. I glowered at him and rolled my eyes – boys.

When I finally came downstairs Billy and Jack were in the lounge talking quietly and placidly, I wanted to hear what they were saying but I wasn't close enough and could only hear whispers. I looked at the corner of the wall wanting to just walk around and listen to them but if I took another step they’d easily see me.

‘C’mon, Billy, please?’ Jack was saying quietly. ‘No. I told you already – it’s not my place to say.’ Billy replies calmly. ‘But it’s your father,’ Jack says, ‘please, do it for the sake of Remy.’ There was a long silence as Billy was thinking, voice only a small hush.

I risked a small peek and could see Billy’s eyebrows furrowed and Jack looking at him pleadingly. He was probably asking if he could leave. I looked at a chair near the opening of the lounge and got on all fours; I took a steady breath and crawled behind the couch unnoticeably.

‘I’ll think about it,’ I hear Billy say in a calm whisper. ‘Good. Uh. Thanks. It means a lot.’ There was an awkward silence. ‘I’m gonna go upstairs and check on Remy,’ Jack finally says, the floorboards slightly creaking as he gets up.

‘Alright,’ Billy says, still sitting down even as Jack left, his footsteps a quiet totter as he walks upstairs.

Billy breathes in heavily, tiredly, yielded almost.