Sink or Swim [Billy Hargrove x Gender Neutral!reader]

Chapter Four

You rolled your eyes. Billy had taken the closing shifts almost exclusively for most of the summer. Could she really not help out just this once without complaint? And Billy was sick. The thought made your stomach clench with concern. He had been just fine the night before. Was it something contagious? You were in close proximity for a few hours together and you felt fine. So strange.

All you could do was hope that it was a short-term illness. For his sake and also selfishly for your own. You missed him. Even with your newly-discovered feelings toward Billy and any outcome there may be, you would always wish him well. Hopefully he would feel better and be back at work in a day or two.

Except he wasn't.

Day after day, you wished and hoped and watched and waited. No Billy.

It had been almost a week since the Fourth and you were beyond worried by now. Almost seven days with the other lifeguards filling in and doing a shitty job of closing. Nearly a week of that gnawing pit in your stomach that no one should be sick for that long.

Finally, there was a rainy morning where it was supposed to storm all day with lightning predicted so the pool was closed. After a couple hours of stewing and pacing around your room, you had the thought that maybe you could visit Billy, find out if he was really okay. Almost immediately, you reconsidered that. Going to someone's house when you've never been invited might be an invasion of privacy.

The bigger part of you just didn't care. If there was anything—anything at all—that would help Billy feel better or at least know that you were thinking about him and missing him...then a potentially awkward encounter was something you were willing to risk. Even friends were allowed to worry.

Right?

Waiting for a short break in the rain, you quickly threw on a jacket and hopped on your bike headed to the Hargrove's address listed in the phonebook. A few raindrops began to fall as you hit the brakes and rolled to a stop in front of a single-story house with Billy's Camaro out front. Leaning your bike against a nearby fence, you began to walk up the stone stairs toward the front door.

Taking the last step, you could now hear some sort of commotion going on inside and you hesitated where you stood. Suddenly, the front door flew open and the volume of a male voice shouting reached you just as Billy rushed out and slammed the door behind him.

Billy's eyes flew open in shock at the sight of you, his sneakers skidding to a stop on the walkway.

"I—what are you doing here?" he asked, Billy's face turned to the left as his eyes flitted around nervously. As if he was caught somehow.

He might have been trying to hide it, but you had already noticed in those first short moments that there was a discoloration underneath Billy's left eye and a split in his lip that was healing.

Oh god.

"I'm sorry, I—well, they said you were sick but it's been days and I just...I was worried," you stammered out, your hands fidgeting in your jacket cuffs.

The voice inside was getting loud again, Billy's name easily heard.

Fear splashed across Billy's face as he dug a hand into his jeans, pulling out his keys.

"I have to go," Billy said as he walked swiftly around you and down the lawn to his car.

Frozen a moment, you took a deep breath and then hurried after him, reaching the passenger side door and opening it just as Billy cranked the engine to life. You slipped inside and shut the door, catching Billy's eye a moment, who perhaps was considering telling you to get the hell out. Instead, he put the Camaro in drive and roared down the street.