Out for Blood: A Billie Joe Story

I take a deep breath as my mother stares at me, waiting for my answer to her question. As I open my mouth to say something, tears start to form in her eyes.

"It's Billie, isn't it? He's hurting you, right?" I freeze, and the tears streak her cheeks. "Oh my, God, why did I leave you with him? I just had to assume there was something going on between you two, I should've asked you first-," she rambles, but I cut her off.

"If you thought there was something going on between the two of us, why were you so nice to me when you opened the door," I ask quietly. She takes a deep breath, like I did, and more tears run down her face.

"I thought you came here to apologize and tell me everything and tell me Billie wants me back and that nothing really happened and-," she starts babbling again, I interrupt.

"It's getting bad," I whisper. She turns tense.

"What does he do to you?" I swallow back my fear of what her reaction will be.

"He rapes me," I choke out. "And hits me. He calls me things," I say, but I stop myself. "We started going to a therapist, but I don't think it's helping him. I can't live like this anymore." She nods.

"Then we're going to the police station, and we'll tell them-," she explains to me before my cell phone starts ringing. I take it out of my pocket and see my "Home" show up on the screen.

"It's him," I murmur fearfully.

"Answer it," my mother urges me. I press the green button and put the phone to my ear.

"Hello," I ask. I hear my father sigh relievedly.

"Thank God, where are you," he asks. I look at my mother.

"Walking." It's silent for a few seconds.

"I'm coming to pick you up. Where exactly are you?" I think about any street signs I passed on my way here.

"The corner of Bradford Street and Whitney Drive."

"I know where that is. I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't move." He hangs up, so I stand up and put my phone back in my pocket as I walk to the door.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," my mother tells me as she follows me. "You go home, and in about ten minutes I'm going to the police station."

"Why can't you go now," I ask her, panicking a little.

"Joey and Jakob are coming home in a couple minutes, and they're gonna come with me." I nod and she extends her arms. She embraces me in a warm, safe hug. "You'll be okay, honey." We separate and I leave, running the corner that I told my father I was at. Half a minute later, the all-too familiar black BMW pulls up. He leans across the seat and opens the passenger side door.

"Get in," he commands, and my fear for what he's gonna do to me increases. I obey and we drive home in silence. When he parks the car in the driveway and cuts the engine, he turns to me.

"What the fuck were you thinking," he asks calmly. I don't answer. He chuckles darkly and looks at the front door. "Go up to your room. I'll be right behind you."