𝐘𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐘 | b. hargrove

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 𝑇𝐸𝑁

He didn't respond to her. He was too angry to say anything. He didn't want to snap at her for no reason, so he kept his mouth shut.

The girl next to Billy felt the air around him stiffen and she shut her mouth. Jess didn't feel uncomfortable but she did feel guilty. This whole mess was her fault, but she couldn't tell Billy that.

"Wheeler..." Billy mumbled under his breath. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Nancy Wheeler." Billy nodded at Jess's response in recollection. "Fucking slut."

Billy's eyes widened in surprise and awe. "Where did that come from?"

Jess gave an irritated sigh as she threw the paper Mrs. Sinclair gave her on the floor or the Camaro. She didn't want to talk to Billy about it but she couldn't help but let that word slip through her lips.

"Nothing. She just is."

"No, tell me," Billy prodded. "Anything to get my mind off of Max."

"Fine. Don't tell anyone else though," Jess turned to Billy who nodded as his eyes stayed on the road. "I had this friend, Jonathan, and when I needed him most he was off fucking Nancy Wheeler for three whole days."

"Holy shit!" Billy whooped loudly and hit his steering wheel with a gigantic grin plastered on his face. "I gotta meet this Jonathan. Lucky bastard!"

"Billy!" The boy turned to the girl beside him who gave him a disgusted and disapproving glare. Billy cleared his throat at Jess's intimidating face.

"I mean, what a bastard," Billy rolled his eyes. "Sorry."

"Whatever." Jess turned away and crossed her arms as she stared out of the window.

"Jess..." Billy cooed. "C'mon. I'm playing."

"Whatever, shut up," Jess brooded in her seat as she felt the car slow down and eventually enter a driveway. She didn't need to peer out of the window to know it was the Wheeler residence. She couldn't even look at the house without letting hot, angry tears flow out of her eyes.

"I'll be back." Billy unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the car door, half expecting a reply. When Jess didn't indulge him, he shut the door carefully.

When Billy stepped up to the front door, Jess lowered her head so that she could cry and not worry about him seeing her.

Jess knew that her pain was stupid. She shouldn't be mad at Nancy but she couldn't help it. If they hadn't been gone the last week then she maybe could've had answers by now.

Nancy hasn't done anything to Jess to deserve her hate. In fact, she had been nothing but nice, and Jess knew this. She wanted to ignore that fact so bad. She wanted to feel happy for Jonathan and Nancy. She wanted to be able to extend her congratulations to the couple for finally getting together but her anger had blinded her.

The wound was still fresh and the pain hadn't receded the tiniest bit yet, so, until then, she would hate Nancy Wheeler's guts until she was satisfied.

And then there was Billy. Her anger wasn't needed moments before yet Jess had lashed out. She felt horrible, why does she keep on exploding in front of everybody over the smallest things?

Before Jess could finish her thoughts, Billy came sauntering back to the car. She sat up and wiped the left over tears from under her eyes and cleared her vision to see Mrs. Wheeler standing at the doorway, watching Billy's every move.

Squinting her caramel colored eyes, Jess could make out the lip-biting on Mrs. Wheeler's face. With her eyebrows furrowed, she turned to Billy who got into the car with an uncomfortable cough. Before Jess could question what had happened inside, Billy spoke up.