it started with a follow

12

madison: no you don't

i sit down and isaac grabs my hands, rubbing the back of them in an attempt to calm me down. nobody says anything but billie kneels in front of me, taking the hand i slapped her with. i clench my jaw, waiting for a slap of my own, but she doesn't hit me.

billie: madison, i really do love you. and i promise it will never happen again. that's why i want to give you this.

i hear gasps around the room as she pulls out a small box from her pocket.

billie: this isn't a ring of engagement, but it's a promise ring. and with this, maddie, i promise to cheer you up when you are sad, to be there for you anywhere and everywhere, to love you and make you happy from now on. but most importantly, i promise to make you my wife one day, and give you the life of your dreams. will you take this promise ring into your hold?

i stare at her blankly, not knowing what to do or say. we had been through so much together and we had only met a few weeks ago. but it was too early for me. for a proposal of promises from a girl who couldn't keep her will for even 24 hours. although, instead of explaining it to her and our friends that way, i furrowed my eyebrows.

madison: are you out of your goddamn mind?

her face drops and everybody rings out another load of gasps.

billie: mad-

i cut her off by slapping her again, for the third time within the span of 20 minutes. by now her cheek was bruised purple, and although she had stopped trying to get her point across, she hadn't shown pain for her face at all.

madison: snap out of it! you don't love me and you can't promise that you love me! stop talking about it and start proving it. within 24 hours you have shown me that you don't give a flying fuck about a single thing you say after it's been a few hours. until you prove to me you can love me and say something without going and checking out someone else, i will not take that ring into my hold.

billie: i'm sorry

madison: no you're not

billie: i'll change

madison: no you won't.

boy was i wrong.

for the rest of the month, billie focused on making music. she was way more active on social media and turned down every invite to parties. we hung out more and she normally dragged me into her room to listen to something she created or we would just listen to music while talking. this was one of those nights. it's the middle of the night and we sat in billie's bedroom while she spun around in her wheely chair while listening to music. when the song stopped she got off her chair and dizzily walked to her bed, falling face first into her pillow. i laugh and she looks at me, a small smile on her lips.

billie: what do you wanna do tomorrow?

madison: i don't know, what do you wanna do?

billie: i don't know. but i know what i wanna do now.

she pulls me into a soft kiss.

billie: i know a park just down the road. we can walk there right now and look at the LA stars.

i knew exactly what she meant by that; the air in LA was so polluted you couldn't see the stars at all

billie: we don't have to go if you dont want to

madison: go put a hoodie on or you're gonna freeze

and thus, we went to the park. she took me a little further away, where there was a pond and trees covering where we were. we laid on the grass looking at the sky while she pointed out non existent constellations and we laughed. right now though, i was lying on her stomach as we lay in silence.