“Oh come on Billie! It’ll be fun I promise,” Janice said enthusiastically as she slapped her niece’s knee.
“Says the woman who has done nothing but travel for the past six years. Having a stable home sounds great for you,” Billie spat bitterly. It sounded great to Billie as well, but she knew this wasn’t going to be it. She hadn’t had a stable home for four years.
“I know this isn’t what you want. But you’re still a minor, and it’s your parents’ decision. And they have decided that you need to get out of California.”
“Then why not send me back to Grandma and Grandpa?” she snapped. Janice sighed and gripped the steering wheel tightly. The flesh over her knuckles turned white.
“This will be a fresh start for both of us.” Billie rolled her eyes and stared out the window at the pines that were growing thicker the closer they got to this tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Her body shivered and she pulled her jacket closer around her. She had gotten used to the warm California air over the past four years. Montana was just freezing compared to that.
“It is fucking freezing up here,” Billie hissed under her breath as she turned the heat all the way up.
“It’ll take some getting used to,” Janice told her. She glanced at her aunt. It had been a long time since she had seen her, nearly three years. She came to visit them after they moved to California. Crow’s feet spread out from her eyes and gray hair streaked the auburn color. She was her only aunt, the only one that was ever kind to her anyways. She suddenly felt guilty for being so short with her their entire trip up here. Janice was patient but Billie could tell she was starting to wear thin on her. It wasn’t her fault that her parents decided to rip her away from everything she knew and loved, for the second time in her short sixteen years.
“I guess it will,” Billie agreed with a smile. Janice glanced at her from the corner of her eye and warmed. She loosened her grip on the steering wheel and the tension melted from her body. They rounded a big curve and the town came into view. It was God-awful tiny. There was one main street, with absolutely no stop lights. Billie was almost certain she was going to go insane from boredom. Auntie Elm’s sewing, a diner, and few small artesian shops. There was not a mechanic or car shop in sight. She was going to have to order parts and have them shipped.
Fucking perfect.
She turned to look at the trailer being hauled behind the pickup. She had fought long and hard with her parents to let her take it to work on. Janice agreed with her that was the only reason she had it. Janice told them that it would help keep her out of trouble if she had something to occupy herself with. They couldn’t argue that. Billie found it kind of telling that everything they owned, the both of them, fit in the flat bed of the pickup. Neither of them was one for keeping things apparently.
“It’s made it this far, I think it’s okay,” Janice said. Billie realized she was still turned around looking at the car.
“I just worry,” Billie said as she turned back toward the front. They had already exited the downtown area of the town and were heading for their house. Janice jumped as the GPS told her to take the gradual left. Ten more minutes and they were turning down a long dirt driveway. Billie leaned forward along with Janice as the house came into view. The pickup came to a stop and they stared up at the monstrosity in front of them.
“Something you aren’t telling me?” Billie said as she tried to bring her jaw up from the floor.
“What?” Janice asked looking at her.
“We housing a football team?”
“Oh ha ha,” Janice said as she turned the truck off. She gestured for Billie to get out of the truck. They both grabbed boxes and headed toward the door.
“Seriously though,” Billie said as she stared at wrap around porch on the first floor, “Why do we need such a huge house?”
“The company gave it to me,” she jiggled the keys in the door and it finally popped open, “I guess it was just what they had available.” Billie still, to this day, did not know what her aunt did for a living. She just knew that it had involved a lot of travel and she got squirmy about it when anyone asked what she did. Billie glanced over at the garage before following Janice through the door. It was at least a four car garage. There would be plenty of room for tools and still have room for the pickup. She followed Janice into the house but stopped short in the foyer. Janice moved toward the kitchen, unfazed by the majestic-ness in front of her. The door they came through led directly into a fully furnished open living room, the far wall was floor to ceiling windows. That was going to be a bitch to clean. There was a door leading out to a porch overlooking the river that ran behind the house. She stepped into the living room and stared up at the ceiling, cathedral ceilings.
“I think I’m in love with a house,” Billie muttered to herself. She looked over to where Janice had disappeared, there was a kitchen, also fully furnished. Dishes and everything. Janice didn’t seem at all surprised. She unpacked some little objects, dish rags and things of that nature. Just off the kitchen was a dining room, also fully furnished.
“It’s pretty right?” Janice said as she unpacked.
“Yeah,” Billie looked at the stairs, “Which room is mine?”
“Whichever. I really don’t care,” Janice said as she threw the empty box by the door and headed back out for another box. Billie climbed the stairs, she glanced down the hallway, and she counted five doors, all ajar. Light streamed out of the door on the way end. She moved for that room and hip checked the door open. The second she stepped into the room she knew it was meant for her. She was almost certain that it was the master bedroom. It had its own bathroom. But that wasn’t what drew her in. Just like in the living room, the wall on the outside of the house was all windows. It had a balcony attached to it. She dropped the box and opened the door of the balcony. She stepped into the open air and took in a deep breath. The crisp air bit into her lungs, making her feel alive. She leaned against the railing and stared out at the landscape. There wasn’t another building in sight, just nature. It made her happy. She hadn’t been surrounded by nature in four years. Concrete. That’s all she had to look at in Los Angeles. She leaning over the railing and looked at the patio below her. It jutted out at least ten feet farther than her balcony. It was at least a thirty foot drop. She had jumped worse. She swung her legs over the railing and balanced on the small ledge on the other side. She gripped the railing and breathed in deep again.
“Hello?” a voice called from her room. She didn’t bother turning around to see who it was, “Hey! Whoa! What are you doing?!” It was a man that much she could tell.
“Enjoying the scenery,” she said to him.
“You should come off of there. You could hurt yourself.” She rolled her eyes and tensed her legs. She gave a chuckle and released the railing. She loved the feeling of free falling, there was no control. She landed hard on the patio, one knee on the ground, the other bent.
“Holy shit,” he said as he rushed to the railing. She straightened, and looked up at him. He was cute. The patio doors were ripped open.
“Billie!” Janice screeched. A small round woman with dirty blonde hair followed her through the doors, “What is wrong with you?!”
“Nothing, I didn’t hurt myself,” she said plainly.
“You nearly gave Mrs. Locke a heart attack!” Janice yelled as she gestured to the other woman. Billie leaned around her aunt.
“Sorry,” she said with a smile. She had gotten used to apologizing for things that didn’t have a chance of hurting anyone but herself. Mrs. Locke walked out to the edge of the patio by Billie and looked up at the boy leaning over the railing.
“How did you survive that?” she asked as she looked from the balcony to Billie.
“I always land on my feet,” Billie said with a chipper attitude.
“Not always,” Janice mumbled under her breath. Billie took in a deep breath and counted to ten in her head. An exercise her therapist had taught her.
“Anyway, I hope it’s not an intrusion,” Mrs. Locke said to Janice as she handed her the bottle of white wine she had been holding, “We saw you pull into your driveway and I got curious.” Billie looked back up and the boy was gone. Seconds later he emerged from the patio doors.
“Not at all! It’s really quite nice of you to introduce yourselves. We don’t know anyone here,” Janice said as she nodded with her head for them to go back inside. They continued chatting, Billie could hear them all the way into the kitchen. The boy closed the door behind him and Billie eyed him up. He was taller than she was, only by a few inches. She was five foot eight, to be fair to his height. He had broad shoulders, the kind of shoulder you got from working outside. His skin was a sun kissed tan, and his eyes a chocolate brown that shone in the sun. His raven black hair was chin length, making his cheekbones pop.
“I’m Christopher, but you can call me Chris,” he said as he extended his hand to her. She took it in a strong shake as she noticed how wonderfully full his lips were.
“Willow, but you can call me Billie.”
“It’s nice to meet you Billie,” he said. She smiled and sighed.
“Christopher! Come in here and talk with me and Janice,” Mrs. Locke cried as she opened the patio door.
“You’ve been summoned,” Billie said as she smirked at him. His shoulders slumped and he turned on his heel toward the door. Billie admired this side of him as well. She followed him through the door but instead of sitting at the island in the kitchen she moved for the front door.
“Hey! Where are you going?” Janice called to her.
“I want to unpack the Impala before it gets too late.”
“You need to come talk to Mrs. Locke and Christopher,” Janice said, glass of wine in her hand.
“It’s Chris,” he corrected her.
“I’m fine really,” Billie said as she turned back for the front door.
“No!” Billie stopped at the harshness in Janice’s tone, “You will not isolate yourself here. I will not come home to what your parents did.” Billie clenched her jaw and tried counting to ten. It stopped working right around four.
“First off,” she said as she spun around, “they isolated me. That was not my choice. Second of all, go fuck yourself Janice. I’m going to go unload the fucking car,” Chris moved to stand up, “Alone!” He sat promptly back down and she stormed off toward the front door. She slammed it as hard as she could after hearing Janice start apologizing for her behavior. She was not in the wrong, Janice had been. She had just promised a fresh start, for both of them. Seems as though she hasn’t forgotten about the past.