Same Drugs (Billy Hargrove)

how very

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After three weeks, Sam and I had fallen back into our inseparable ways. We went nearly everywhere together and Decker, Libby, Sam and I were back to our dynamic quad. Billy and Max went away with their family, back to California, to visit their grandmother for a few weeks, and I assumed they'd be there for longer considering they weren't at school that day. I walked into school after Sam parked his car in the senior parking lot. Steve started to drive by himself more, which was fine considering he started going early to get extra help. He had really been trying to better himself, attempting to get better at his scholastics. I was proud of him, but our dad wasn't. He expressed so much doubt about Steve getting into college, and I hated that he constantly put him down about his capabilities. I tried tutoring him, but he just got frustrated. 

Sam and I walked into first period and sat down next to each other. He had a lot of the same classes as me, but not all of them. We had first, second, and sixth period together on a normal school day. The school day dragged on and on, every teacher seeming to purposefully try to bore each student. By the end of the day, I was bored out of my mind. I was trying my best to stay awake during my classes all day, and once we were done for the day, I was more than happy. Sam, Oliver, Decker, Libby,  and I all went to the diner in town for a bite to eat. As we sat down and ordered, something in the corner of the diner caught my eye. Billy, Max, Neil, and Susan were all sitting in a booth with solemn looks on their faces. Max and Susan looked nervous while Billy and Neil had faces wore with pure hatred. 

I wondered what they could possibly be talking about to make Billy so angry. They were clearly home from their trip for a reason, but before I could think harder, Sam got my attention again. "Hey, the food's here," He said with a chuckle as I looked up, shocked, at the waitress. "Sorry, I spaced hardcore," I said with a laugh, hoping he wouldn't notice what had captivated my attention. "Yeah, welcome back sailor," Oliver joked, mock-salutngSam seemed to not be even a tiny bit suspicious, so I turned around and began to eat my food. I turned slightly though, taking another peek at Billy's table, and to my surprise, Billy's eyes locked with mine. I couldn't seem to tear them away, something was making them stay glued onto his ocean blue irises. He looked away eventually, but his eyes landed on Sam, something not so good in my case. Sam was new to Billy, a threat maybe, seeing how much Billy cared about his rep. 

But, not wanting to start a fight, I was guessing, Billy simply scowled back at me and turned back to his family. Something in the back of my head wanted desperately to talk to him, to try to understand why he was constantly so angry, but I knew this wasn't the time nor the place to do it. I told myself I'd go to his house later tonight to talk things through with him. I felt like I needed to. Billy treated me so differently from everybody else, and it made me miffed sometimes. He was overly-protective of me, which was weird because I wouldn't even really consider us friends. I knew he liked me, and I knew I felt something for him, however temporarily minuscule it might've been. I wasn't dumb, I could see that he liked me, but I always thought it was for a quick fuck. Now, I wasn't so sure. Seeing him get possessive over me with Oliver was one thing. I felt like he knew there would never be anything with Oliver and me, but when he saw Sam, something in his eyes lit up. I'm really not even sure what differentiated Sam and Oliver, but I knew for a fact that Billy would hate Sam. 

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At around eleven o'clock that night, I decided to do something risky. I pocketed Steve's keys and headed outside to the car. Steve was dead asleep, but I still tried my best to be quiet. There was nothing to be done about the engine noise, so I simply prayed he couldn't hear it. I drove to the Hargrove's house, very recklessly I might add, and when I got there, I swear I could hear angels singing. I didn't have my license for a reason. I failed that damn test three or four times in my lifetime. I didn't park in their driveway but in the street, far enough away so that I wouldn't be detected by anyone awake in the house. The lights were off though, so it seemed like they had all gone to bed. I snuck around to Billy's bedroom window and knocked softly twice. After a minute of silence, I knocked a few more times. I heard shuffling from inside and soon the window was open. "Jamie?" Billy asked, clearly surprised I was standing there in the cold air. "Yeah, hey," I answered bluntly. "What are you doing here?" He asked, and I shook my head, "Can I come in?" I asked, wanting to be somewhere not so open so we could have this discussion. 

"Wait, how'd you get here?" He asked, and I held up the car keys. "I drove," I answered. A subtle smirk played across his face, which he quickly covered up, and I crossed my arms with a fake pout. "It was wicked dangerous, and I don't get any form of appreciation?" "Blow me," Billy scoffed, resting his hands on his hips. "Oh, wouldn't you get a kick out of that?" I asked rhetorically. "Seriously, why the fuck are you at my house right now?" He asked, getting more and more hostile. "Please don't be mad at me," I asked meekly. There had been so much back and forth between the two of us, and I only knew one thing for sure. I felt something for Billy Hargrove. "What's been happening with you lately?" I asked, trying to make my point clear as to why I was at his house so late. "You came here for an impromptu therapy session?" Billy said with a cocked eyebrow, which wasn't a good sign. It was a sign that he wasn't taking me seriously. "Billy, I'm serious. What was up at the diner today?" I asked. He quickly remembered the encounter and began to walk past me. "I don't want to talk about it," He muttered. He walked to Steve's car and got into the passenger seat without another word or explanation. 

"What are you doing?" I asked him, wondering what he planned on doing in a parked car right outside of his parent's house. "I'm teaching you how to drive, get in," He simply stated. I rolled my eyes and looked for a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, but saw nothing. "You're serious?" I asked, not sure why we were doing this at close to twelve in the morning. "I'm serious," He reiterated. I got into the driver's seat and he began to tell me how to reverse out of the driveway. This was going to be an interesting night.