Radiate

"So you did it on purpose?" Leslie questioned endlessly. "You knew the car was not stolen and you panicked all day only to make your performance believable?" Billie merely glanced at her through his dark glasses. "You didn't have to go to such extremes, you know." She sighed as she slowed down and turned into Billie's driveway. "I could give you her phone number or---"

"I don't care about her phone number or anything."

"Oh, boy. You do. You care so much it hurts." she snickered. "If only guys knew they'd--"

"If I knew what happened to my car I wouldn't freak out like that." he replied in an annoyed tone and got out of the car. Leslie followed him with a big grin on her face.

"It's so funny that you didn't even think once that Sydney could have the car!" Billie walked into the house not even paying attention to the girl talking to him. "I mean, who else would take that piece of junk?"

He stopped dead in his track's making her almost walk into him. She rolled her eyes and patted him on the back before he could yell at her about his beloved car and went straight for the living room. "Holy shit! What a mess!" she exclaimed and looked around disgusted. "How can you live in here?" He opened his mouth to say something, but she was faster. "I know, you live in that piece of junk outside cause it's cleaner than here. You're worse than Tre!"

"Leslie, don't you have anywhere to go?" Billie asked taking of his sun glasses.

"No. Why?" he rolled his eyes and headed upstairs. She followed him there too. "Billie!"

"What...?"

"Nothing." she sighed. "You're so boring lately. You should consider doing something fun and you should--"

"Who are you? My mother?" he growled. "Just leave me alone!"

"Not until you promise to stop acting like the whole world owes you. Not until you promise to stop acting so depressed." he stopped and turned around to face her with a stern look on his face. "Billie, I mean it. You need to stop this. It's not doing you any good!"

"Do I care about that?" he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Promise me." she said in demanding voice, eying him with her eyes narrowed. "Promise."

A smirk crawled on his face and his eyes rested on her hopeful ones. "Promise." With that he continued his way to the bedroom.

"Liar." Leslie followed him, but before she managed to utter another word Billie slammed the door in her face. "Asshole!"

The afternoon sun was glaring down at people spending their free time in the park. It seemed peaceful and the laughter could be heard everywhere. Sydney and Allison walked slowly with Sheena sitting in a pushchair. The little girl was trying to get herself free from her prison, but it looked like a lost battle no matter how hard she tried.
They were supposed to meet up with Tre, who seemed desperate to do so for some reason. It almost seemed like an order that they meet him in the park.

When they’ve reached a vacant bench they sat down and Sydney let out Sheena, who immediately ran off onto the green grass with her toy. Sydney kept an eye on her, while Allison scanned carefully their surroundings.
“I bet he’s already spying somewhere on us.”

“You think so?” Sydney looked up at her. Her gaze directed at the fountain and she leaned back on the bench. “I hope he won’t keep us waiting too long in here...” she trailed off. “It’s way too hot today.”

“You’re complaining.” Allison groaned. “It’s better than rain, cold…or that annoying wind or pretty much anything that is annoying.” Sydney chuckled and glanced at her daughter sitting on the grass with her toy tossed to the side for some reason.

“If that guy with in those ridiculous clothes wasn’t making out with that blond, I’d think its Frankie.” Allison said, nudging Sydney and pointing at the two. Sydney rolled her eyes at first at the couple, but she double looked at them when something seemed odd to her. She stared intently at the two. The guy was Tre. That was for sure. But the girl? Tre didn’t say he had a new girlfriend and another thing was that the girl was somewhat familiar. Perhaps too familiar.

Sydney got up still staring at the two. She watched them grinning at each other like mad, holding hands and talking about something before they turned towards them. When Tre spotted them he waved and started running towards them, forcing the girl to run with him. The couple reached them slightly out of breath, but laughing.

“What’s up?” Tre exclaimed grinning. He looked to the side at little Sheena still oblivious to what was going around them as she was busy collecting flowers around her. “What did you do to her?” He furrowed his eyebrows and gave Sydney a suspicious stare. “Flowery skirt?”

“I bet you don’t have matching clothes then?” Allison smirked. “And who’s your friend?” Tre’s grin widened and he looked at the smiling girl.

“Leslie.” Sydney said automatically.

“Hey.” The girl gave her a brief hug before walking up to Allison, who had a puzzled look on her face. “It’s so nice to meet you here. “ Leslie said to Allison.

“Yeah. Finally!” Allison replied hastily and glanced at her friend who seemed surprised, but there was also something else that she couldn’t place. “Hey, Tre…How about we race with Sheena to the fountain? The loser buys the ice cream for all!”

“So go get the ice creams, loser!” Tre exclaimed, taking off in the direction of the fountain.

“Hey! You’re cheating, Cool!” Allison ran after him trying to catch up.

“She’s not going to make it now.” Leslie chuckled.

“Yep,” Sydney replied. “Tre won’t let her win. He doesn’t know the word ‘lose’.”

“Anyway, you seem really surprised to see me here.” Leslie looked at Sydney with a small smirk on her face. Sydney looked at her suspiciously and crossed her arms around her chest.

“I’m just wondering what kind of game you play.”

“I don’t play any game.” She replied surprised. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know.” Sydney snapped. “I’m not stupid and the guys are not stupid either!”

“Calm…down?” Leslie raised her eyebrows in wonder as Sydney glared at her. She didn’t believe in the blond girls acting. “What exactly do you mean?”

“I’m not stupid and neither are guys! Do you think that you can trick them like that? Do they even know?” Sydney exclaimed. “The last time I saw Billie…” she shook her head and looked at the girl a little calmer. “He doesn’t deserve any of this, got it?”

“No, not one thing, Sydney.” Leslie glared at her offended. “I’m not the way you’ve pictured me and you sure as hell got the wrong impression.”

“Wrong impression?” Sydney huffed. “I see what’s up!”

“No, you don’t!” Leslie yelled making the few of the passerby’s look at them in wonder. “You have no clue what’s going on!” she hissed and Sydney frowned and felt surprised by the outburst. “If I were you I wouldn’t judge others if you know nothing about them.”

“So, you say I know nothing?” she replied with confidence. She glanced at her daughter who was looking at them curiously. Leslie glanced at the little girl too and sighed.

“Listen,” she looked back at Sydney feeling a little calmer, but angry enough to tell her what bothered her ever since she met her. “It’s you, who left Billie when he wanted to finally make things better. It’s you who ran away like a coward without goodbye and didn’t give him a chance.”

“What are you-“

“You should consider his feelings and not act so selfishly and then feel sorry for yourself because you were all alone and it was the end. You have no right to judge me and on top of that you have no rights to act like you know what’s good for him or not. Actually, you shouldn’t even expect anything from him or act like he owes you!”

Sydney watched her in shock as the girl told her exactly what she always wanted to ignore. The truth that she was the problem in this relationship and not what Billie did. She was the coward. She was the one responsible for her daughter not having a real family. Leslie eyed her with satisfaction.

“I hope that it gives you something to think about.”

“But it’s not what we were talking about.” Sydney said after a moment of silence. “You’re cheating on him.”

“I’m not cheating on Billie, because we’ve never been together.” The girl replied matter-of-factly. “I’m his friends. He needs them…”

“Wait. You’re not…?” Leslie shook her head. Sydney blushed embarrassed and looked down feeling stupid. She mentally slapped herself and scolded herself for yelling at the girl in the first place. “I’m really…sorry. I didn’t know.”

Perhaps I should have told you…” Leslie shrugged. “But to tell you the truth I’m happy you’re worried about him. I thought you were heartless.”

Sydney laughed nervously and went over to Sheena and took her into her arms.

“Noooo…!” the little girl whined and tried to escape, but Sydney held her firmly.

“What about ice creams, sweetie?” her eyes widened as she nodded her head eagerly. “Good.”

“Yep. Let’s catch up with Tre and Allison.” Leslie sighed. “You know, you should really talk with Billie about everything.”

“I don’t know…” Sydney furrowed her eyebrows not considering this idea as the best.

“I hate seeing him like that.” Leslie said. “He’s so miserable and all of this is so hard lately for three of them…and he doesn’t want to talk about anything with anyone anymore.” Sydney listened quietly not even daring to glance at the girl. “Well, except for the booze.”

“Isn’t there anything to do about this?”

“Why don’t you go see for yourself?” Leslie smirked. “He’s going trough a lot since they got so huge…”

But did really Sydney want to find out anything about Billie? How he lived or what kinds of problems were bothering him so much he didn’t resemble himself anymore? But the blame was already there by her side and she knew she had to at least talk to him. At least for their daughter.