According to Plan

Chapter 33

The next few days, I sort of quarantined myself. I stayed in my little corner of the world, with my own bed and my own sheets to lie under and never come out. It may have seemed crazy, driving myself into a state of near depression over a boy, but I wouldn't really classify it as depression; more like meditation. School would begin in 2 days and from the texts Billy has been sending me, Cameron is really looking forward to Steve's homecoming from our sick aunt in the hospital. Now, I have to add the stress of grade 12 to that, and somehow keep myself from going awol with the whole Cameron and Leah thing.

"Hey, you," someone whispered into my ear.

I groaned, "ugh, Melinda, go away. I'm not up for it today."

"Woah there, are you calling me a girl?!"

I shot my head up.

Billy Fisher smiled back at me.

"Billy what are you doing here?" I frowned, I will admit that I probably looked like an ogre.

"Well," he shoved my legs over and scooched onto the bed, making himself comfortable, "your sisters let me in to have a one-on-one with you. Since you're acting like a zombie."

I sighed, "Billy I don't really wanna talk."

He chuckled, "right now, I'm gonna be shallow, and straight up say that I don't really care what you want. It's 2 in the afternoon and you're going to get up from bed and talk to me since you've been ignoring my text messages."

"Or what?" I sneered.

"Or else... the TICKLE MONSTER'S gonna come get you!"

I rolled my eyes, "you're kidding right? Billy we're not 9 anymore, it's time to grow up."

"Oh really?" he raised a brow.

Billy attacked me, his fingers flew like feathers across my torso and to my unfortunate demise, I burst out in fits of laughter, so much that I couldn't contain myself and I flew off my bed in a thud.

He blew on his fingers, "works everytime."

Red faced, I stomped back over to him, leaned against the wall, and folded my arms, "fine, what do you want?"

"Well, you kinda just walked out of the cafe the other day. Everyone was a little confused."

"Oh," I said sarcastically, "I'm sorry that I didn't sit there and listen to my BEST FRIEND brag over how she once again won the man! It's like Don Borman all over again!"

Don Borman; the baseball player I was obsessed with in sophomore year; but of course, Leah took that from me as well.

Billy shook his head, "I don't get you girls. Then why don't you just tell her to back off?!"

"No, no," I flailed my arms, "it's not that easy. I mean, I don't want to hurt her."

"Oh, interesting," he mused, "you don't want to hurt her, but in turn, you're hurting yourself. When in reality, you should just 'fess up instead of beating yourself up like this."

I bit down on my lip, he was right, "Billy, I wish I was like you, I wish I could just say what's on my mind and the problems can go away but I'm not. And that's what makes us all different, Billy. You have to understand."

He nodded and was quiet for a while, then he stood, "oh, I understand."

I sighed, "I'm glad."

"I understand," he went on, "that you're gonna let her march all over you like that 'cause you have no guts and don't think what you want is worth fighting for."

Ouch.

"Billy, no..."

"I understand," he added, "that all you're gonna do all your life is live under her shadow, because you're not big enough to be your own person."

Okay? That's a hit below the belt.

"Billy, okay, I get it, just stop."

He shook his head, "I understand that all you'll ever be is that girl that goes by unnoticed because you're too much of a wimp to stand up for yourself."

"Billy," tears threatened, "STOP IT!"

"Why?!" he closed in on me, "why do you want me to stop?! I can do whatever I want! What can you do? You're just Stella Morrison, the tomboy who likes football. The one who lost to Leah Bromwell. You're just the forgotten girl in the shadows who gave up, so what do you care, huh? Why should I stop when I'm just saying the truth?!"

"BECAUSE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, my eyes bulging in fury and my veins pulsed violently through me as I came within inches of his face, fighting the urge to swing my fist, "Because I am Stella Morrison! Because I am a somebody and you have no right to say those things to me or treat me like that! You are not me, so how dare you try to define me, Billy?! I am not invisible! I am not hidden in the shadows and I have people who love me! I may not seem like much, but I will put up one heck of a fight! I'll do whatever I want and no one's getting in my way, you got that Billy?!"

I heaved a thousand breaths as I tried to catch myself before my blood pressure rose to the max. My face was burning hot and all I wanted to do was throw something across the room.

Despite all that screaming and yelling, straight in his face, Billy did not move. He was literally inches from me, and he did not seem one bit phased.

There was still silence as I waited for him to yell right back at me.

A grin cracked along his lips, and it turned into a wide smile. I furrowed my brows in complete confusion.

Is he mocking me?

"That's my girl," he whispered and wrapped his arms around me, "that's what I want to hear. I knew you couldn't give up that easy. I know you're a fighter, and you just proved it to me. Now prove it to everyone else, and go win your battles."

I blinked, only just comprehending his point. Althought just a second ago I literally wanted to slap him across the face, I clung on to Billy, refusing to let him go.