Secrets, Deals and Lies

Chapter 21 - And To Think He Was Gone

I wake up with the feeling that someone was watching me and someone was: Billy.  

I roll over to the other side trying to ignore him but he didn't even get off my bed, so I waited for a few more minutes with my eyes closed, but I could still feel his weight on the side of my bed. I obviously couldn't sleep with someone watching me so I rolled over rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and couldn’t help but glare at him.

He smiles, ‘Billy, can’t you see I’m trying to sleep? Don’t you have anything better to do?’ I moan, rubbing my face, ‘yeah, you’re right, I’m sorry,’ he didn’t mean it but he gets up about to walk off anyway, something suspicious and amusing in his voice.

‘Okay! What is it Billy? Spit it out,’ I sit up and stare at him open-eyed, he smiles again and sits back on my bed, but a bit closer to me so we could talk softly.

‘I heard about what happened yesterday with you and Daniel,’ he says. I roll my eyes, ‘of course you did,’ I say bitterly, partly to myself and partly to him.

‘You okay?’ he asks half smiling as if he cared, I look at him serious, ‘okay Billy what are you trying to get at.’

He sighs and looks down, then looks back at me again without a smile for once. ‘Well, you didn't tell him anything about our deal right?’ he asks lowering his voice.

‘No, of course not. I said I wouldn’t tell. So I didn’t. Why, did you?’ he took a while to answer my question before realising I was talking to him, ‘what? No. Of course not.’ He finally answers.

‘Well… about our deal, since I scored you a week or so in the house can you tell me where Jack is now?’

He considers me for a while, ‘I’ll think about it, just not right now.’ He says quickly and then stands up about to leave, ‘what? Billy, why not now? What do you mean you’ll “think about it”?’ I ask but instead of an answer he walks out. ‘Billy!’

No answer.

‘Ugh!’ I lay back down slamming my head against the pillow and just thought about what happened in less than just 1 minute.

A couple of hours later I hear someone coming up the stairs so I pretended I was still asleep. ‘Remiah, time to eat it’s almost 3 and you haven’t eaten yet,’ Nick says a hint of worry in his voice – like he cares, I thought bitterly returning back to my old self.

‘Remiah, I know you’re not asleep quit acting,’ he comes to the side to where he could see my face but I still don’t answer and keep pretending to sleep.

‘Fine, sleep but make sure you come down stairs to eat within 10 minutes.’ He walks out leaving me in my room.

How did he know I wasn’t really sleeping? I wondered.

I get out of bed and have a quick shower, change, do everything else and go down stairs. No one was there so I decided I’d have a normal breakfast instead of the grab-an-apple-and-go plan.

I sit at the table after I made myself some toast and put some butter and jam on it. Before I finish Nick comes out and pours some juice in a mug.

‘Here,’ he says placing it on the table for me, ‘thanks,’ I muttered. He looks at me for a while, like he hasn’t seen me for years and forgot what I looked like. ‘So, uh, how are you holding up?’ he asks, actually smiling for once. Just as I was going to answer him his name gets called across the house by someone.

‘Sorry,’ he shrugs before walking off. I sigh and get up watching Nick walk off, then put my plate in the sink. I stand there for a moment then see Zach walking towards me.