Meet me in the woods ~ Billy Andrews

Chapter 4

"Cole I swear. It was as if my heart was about to explode. I just wanted to be closer to him and drown in his eyes. And the way he looked at me! I've never seen him look at anyone that way before."

Cole watched Ruth retell the events of the other day with Billy. She was very enthusiastic and swooned into the side of the school building, sliding down into the grass.

It had been a few weeks since the fire at the Gillis's house. School had finally resumed and Ruth and Cole were reunited. She could finally tell him all about the encounter with Billy that had been occupying her mind for the past two weeks.

"Have you talked to him since then?" Cole asked Ruth, which brought a frown to her face.

"He told me it would be better off if we forgot it ever happened."

Cole mouthed an 'oh' and frowned with Ruth.

"It's Billy Andrews anyways, he's nothing but a bully.  He's not worthy of you."  Cole said, trying to cheer Ruth up.

"You're right.  He is a bully."  Ruth smiled, she scooted over to sit next to Cole to admire his drawings he'd been working on.  "But his eyes..."

Ruth started up again, Cole just looked at her like she was hopeless, and went back to drawing.

The school bell rung, Ruth and Cole gathered their things and went back inside the school. Anne had returned to school a few days earlier, Ruth was once again sitting alone. She sat down at her seat and looked behind her at Billy. He was laughing with his friends and holding a half eaten apple in his hand, she watched him as he made a joke, which sent his friends into a fit of laughter. His eyes glanced over at her and Ruth felt her breath catch in her throat. They locked eyes, till Mr. Phillips called everyone back to their seats and Billy got up to sit in his desk.

Ruth brought her hands to her cheeks to feel the heat on them, she gasped under her breath and tried to take deep breaths to calm her racing heart and cool the blush on her cheeks. She looked over at Cole, who was trying to hide his laughter, clearly he saw her make eye contact and blush over Billy, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Mrs. Jackson." Mr. Phillips voice boomed through the classroom.

The colour drained from Ruth's face and she turned to face the front of the classroom.

"It is no longer time to tease the boys, if you've been paying attention at all during my mathematics class you will be able to solve this problem. Up at the front of the class, now." Ruth felt everyone's eyes on her, her cheeks flushed red again, this time from embarrassment. She slowly stood up and walked to the front of the classroom, taking the chalk Mr. Phillips held out for her.

She looked at the problem and tried her hardest to solve it, but she made one wrong calculation and Mr. Phillips sent her straight back to her desk, sentencing her to clean up after school was over as punishment for "misbehaving".

By the time she was done cleanup, almost everyone had already gone straight home, including Prissy and Jane.  Ruth sighed and put on her coat and hat, she collected her belongings and left the school.

A small shriek escaped her mouth when she came face to face with Billy when she opened the school door, which sent Billy laughing.

"Where you just standing out here to scare me like that?!"  She glared up at him.

"Come on let's go. I'm only here because my sisters told me to wait for you." He huffed and started to walk away.

Ruth quickened her pace to catch up and follow along with him.

"Billy slow down please."  Ruth begged as she tried to keep up with him.

"Sorry Ruth.  We have to get home."  Billy said without looking at her.

"But why.  Billy."  She tried to get his attention, but he just kept walking.  "Billy!"  She reached out and grabbed his hand, finally making him stop walking and turn towards her.

"What Ruth?"  Billy met her eyes.

She burned to ask him about the other day.  About how he told her to forget about what had happened.  She didn't want to forget, she wanted to know what would've happened.

Ruth gathered her courage to finally ask, "Billy.  About the other day.  What were you about to do." 

He let out a small sigh.  "I told you to forget about it.  Whatever was about to happen, couldn't happen.  So just forget about it."

"But Billy it's been on my mind for the past weeks.  Shouldn't that mean something?" 

Billy just stared at Ruth.

"No Ruth.  I said to forget it."  Billy huffed and walked away.

"Billy!" Ruth screamed at him.

He twirled around to look at her completely shocked at her anger and voice. He'd never heard her speak this way before, no one had and the anger and frustration in her voice shocked Ruth as well. However, she did notice how Billy finally stoped to listen to her.

"I'm not a child. You don't have to act like I am, so just tell me!" She stated firmly, her courage started to drain though, when Billy started to walk towards her with a serious face that scared her a bit.

"You want to know what would've happened?" Ruth gave a small nod, and Billy sighed. "In that moment you looked pretty, and for a moment I didn't see you as my sisters friend, but as a pretty girl. I wanted to kiss you, but that could never happen, so forget about it."

Billy turned around, and walked away. He didn't stop to check in Ruth was following, if he had he would've seen her bright red, and shocked.

Ruth couldn't believe what had just happened, what Billy had said.  She finally came to her senses and looked up for him, but he was gone. She frowned, and she tried to run to catchup with Billy, but he was gone.

When she made it home her mother asked what had taken her so long, she didn't feel like she could answer or talk to her mother or her family about the day she had. She brushed off her mothers questions and went right to her room, where she laid in bed contemplating the events that had just unraveled, till she was called down for supper.

"I need to tell Cole."

Those words were ringing through her head all evening and night, till she fell asleep.