Girl 236

7

(Billie)

The next day school seemed to go by slow. It always does with the name calling and what not. My arm hurt from being pushed into my locker twice. I was back home and watching TV. Tre was too busy with his parents so we couldn't have practice today. I wasn't really in the mood to anyway. I was angry. I hate school. I hated everybody else; Especially Randy! 236 was sitting beside me eating popcorn. I don't even know what we were watching, but it was some chick flick. Mom was in her room talking to some relatives on the phone. I was replaying today's events in my head and it was making me even more upset. I felt 236 lean her head against my arm. I turned to her. "You ok."

"I'm ok. Are you ok?" She asked chewing popcorn. I don't know if she even knew what she was really asking.

"I'm ok." I lied.

"Good." She kept watching. I heard her hand scraping the bottom of the bowl. We looked at it to see it empty. "Can I have more?" She held it out.

"Yeah," I grabbed it and walked to the kitchen. I seen the half full bag on the counter. I guess mom wanted to be sure she liked it before giving her the whole bag. I dumped the rest in the bowl and took it back to her. I handed it to her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." I sat and figured I could play a little guitar to let off a little steam. I stood and headed to my room.

"Billie leaving?" She reached for my arm and looked sad.

"No just going to my room for a little bit. It's ok, just watch TV." I patted her hand and she lowered it nodding. She continued watching and I went on to me room. I closed the door half way and then sat on my bed. As I did I dropped my hand down and slid out my guitar. I grabbed my notepad and pen that had been laying by it and sat it on the bed. I opened the note pad where I had left off and thought before strumming a soft melody. I heard my door creak open and saw 236 standing peaking in. I smiled and patted the bed by me. She smiled and hurried over sitting.

"More. More," She said hugging my arm. I chuckled and started again. She laid her head against my arm. I started singing a little and she looked at me amazed as I did. After my song she smiled. "Good. Good voice Billie. Pretty." I chuckled and sat my guitar beside me.

"Thank you. You're very sweet."

"You're sweet!" she hugged my arm again shaking it back and forth. I was actually starting to feel a little better. I gave her a good bear hug and she giggled.

"Where's your popcorn?" She pointed to the living room. "Come on. You better finish it. We wouldn't want mom to get mad for wasting."

"Wasting bad?"

"It is when you're on a budget."

"On budget?" She looked down at me feet.

"Never mind. Come on." I stood and held my hand out to help her up. We walked back to the couch and I picked her bowl up and sat. She plopped beside me and I handed her the bowl. She continued eating happily watching her movie. As I sat I saw the girl kiss the boy on tv in a romantic way. "What is this?" I turned to her but before I knew it she kissed me. Her hand rubbed the side of my cheek and her eyes were closed. I couldn't help but close my eyes and kiss her back. I realized what I was doing and pulled back pushing her.

"Bad? I'm sorry! I'm Sorry!" She whined. I still had my hands on her shoulders pushed back.

"No, just..I..." I closed my eyes and shook the thoughts from my head. "That only happens on TV." I relaxed my hands and she looked at the TV. "That's not real it's fake. Plus you don't just go kiss people on a whim. You do it to someone you love."

"Love? Ollie loves me?"

"Yes, but in a different sense, you only kiss her on the cheek though."

"Oh." I pulled my hands to me. "I love you," she said.

"No, no you don't." I shook my head.

"Yes I do," she said casually putting some popcorn in her mouth. I chuckled.

"No we're friends."

"Best friends?"

"Yes," She smiled and nodded.

"Best friends Billie, and I love you, and I love Ollie, and Mike, and Tre. But Billie and Ollie more." I chuckled shaking my head.

"Alright, you'll learn later on what love is."

"Teach me!" She said.

"I can't," I lowered my head.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't even know what it is." I confessed. I slowly looked to her. She was just giving me the blank stare as always.

"You go to school to learn."

"Yes but they don't teach you that, and I don't know why." I knew she'd ask why. She nodded, and continued watching TV. "Lets watch something else." I flicked the channel. Of course it would be a guy calling a girl his best friend and then kissing her. She pointed and looked at me. "It's fake!" I changed the channel to cartoons. "We'll watch this." She nodded and giggled at the TV. The phone rang. I guess mom was off of it but picked it back up. Ten minutes passed and I heard her walk in.

"Billie, um. Can you get what stuff she has together?" I turned.

"Why?"

"Well that was the Sheriff, they found out everything about her and need us to bring her down town." My heart dropped. I looked to her as she laughed at the TV. I didn't want her to go, but I did want to know more about her.

"Ok," I said back. She didn't have much stuff to begin with.

We got to the police station and the Sheriff pulled us to his office. 236 sat between me and mom. "Ok so let me see where to begin," he opened a file. "Ah, here's a picture of her as a child. Age 6" He slid a picture over and it looked just like her. She was so cute. 236 just stared at it. "That was the last picture taken of her." She lifted it and ran her fingers over it as if trying to remember. "Her name is Violet Leanne Hoffman." Such a beautiful name. She smiled and looked to me.

"Violet?" She pointed at herself.

"Yes, Violet." She smiled excited.

"Violet, Billie, Billie Violet. Ollie! Sheriff!" She said pointing at each of us. We giggled at her excitement.

"It seems she was kidnapped at age 6 while playing. She's been missing, well till now." He said. "Violet," she looked up, "do you remember where you came from." She pointed at me.

"Billie's house." He chuckled.

"No before Billie's house?" She looked at me.

"Remember when I found you in that building?" I asked. She thought and then nodded. "Where were you before that building?" She thought for a minute looking down a bit. She squeezed her eyes shut and then opened them and looked at me.

"I don't know," She said sounding like she was going to cry.

"Don't cry." I pulled her to me. "Do you remember anything?"

"No." She said sniffling.

"It's ok." The sheriff said. "We've contacted her parents, come to find out they live not too far away. She'll live with them, and go under some intense therapy to get her back to how she's supposed to be. Poor girl seems to be stuck at 6 years old."

"how old is she anyways?" I asked.

"Seems she'll be 16 in two months." I nodded. She looked at me. I smiled. She pointed at me.

"I'll be 16 in five months." I smiled. She smiled back. "So we are both 15 right now, your just a few months older." She hugged me.

"Where's my baby!" I heard someone in the hall say. It sounded like a crying woman.

"Ma'am you have to be calm, she doesn't remember anything so you'll scare her if you rush in." I heard an officer say. My heart pounded. I knew her parents had arrived. I saw the door knob turn and it opened.