Paper Lanterns

"And what is that s'posed to mean?" I had a sharp tone to my voice, and Jeff didn't like it.

"Don't you talk to me like that! I'm not some child." He raised his voice just below a shout.

"I don't need to listen to you, because I'm your older sister. So take a step away, and back the fuck off."

"Okay, now that's enough," Billie told Jeff once he'd come into the room.

"Don't you have some weed to smoke?" he added.

"Don't you have some whore to bang?" Jeff retorted.

"Sorry, I'm a good guy unlike you. Now get out of Grace's room, or I'll make you."

Jeff shot one final glare at the both of us, then waltzed out, downstairs, and left the house.

"Thanks Billie Joe. It seems like you're my bodyguard or something. You're always there in the nick of time."

He flashed a lopsided grin, "Always have been, always will be."

"Billie, stop it! I'm not kidding!" My cheeks once again flushed pink.

"Stop what?" he asked innocently.

"Saying cute things and making me blush."

"But I like being cheesy once in a while," he whined.

"Fine, but keep it to a minimum," I smiled, kissing his cheek.

"Can I have one more?" he pouted, and as I tilted my head up, he turned his and my lips came into contact with his.

Before I could let myself forget everything, I pulled away.

"You cheated!" I fake glared.

"Why, me? I've never been accused of such a thing in my life!" he laughed, and I couldn't help but laugh along.

"Oh man.. It's getting kinda late," I groaned, looking at the clock. It was well past 1:30 in the morning.

"Yeah. I guess that means I'll be going." Billie made to move to the door.

"Billie Joe.. Wait. Do you want to stay the night?" He stopped, and a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips, but he kept a glum expression.

"Nah, I don't want to be a bother."

"Beej, it's okay. I don't like the thought of you driving while you should be on those crutches, and off your foot. Plus, it looks like your pills are wearing off."

"You had me at 'wait'," he laughed, pulling a bottle of prescription painkillers from his pocket. It looked about a quarter full.

"Billie.. How many of those have you had today?" I snatched the bottle from him, reading the label.

He shrugged.

"Whenever the pain started to come back, I took two more."

"You're only supposed to take one every four hours, or as needed. You can't go around popping pills like they're skittles!" These were some pretty strong little pills..

"I know, I can read, thank you very much. Who are you, my mom?" he grabbed the bottle from me, and opened it.

"You don't know what happens when you become dependent on pills, do you? Those painkillers are so addicting.. Sooner or later, at the rate you're going, you'll be doing anything you can to get a prescription so you can get some more. If you try and get out of it then, and detox, you'll either end up in a rehab, or dead.."

"Yeah? I'll try and remember that."

"Well, then why take one before bed? You wont feel anything in your sleep.. And, I'm not trying to nag you or anything.. I know that's what you're thinking."

"Then what're you doing?"

"I'm trying to watch out for you. Do you think I want you to end up in the hospital again?"

"Okay, now can we go to bed?" Billie set the bottle on the desk, raising his hands as if he were surrendering.

"Yeah.. Uh, I'll go change in the bathroom, and all that." I grabbed a pair of pj pants and a tank top, then went into the bathroom. Once I'd finished, I came out, and saw Billie all snuggled up in my bed. Shaking my head, I left my room, and went into the hall closet, grabbing a sleeping bag.

When I reentered my bedroom, Billie shot me a confused look.

"Dad would kill if he came in and saw us in the same bed.."

"Yeah. He probably would," he laughed, clutching onto Ralph. After laying the bag on the floor, I took a pillow from the bed, and got into it.

"Do you want your bear?"

"Nah, he can keep you company tonight," I replied, reaching up, and switched off my lights.

It took me over an hour to realize that I wasn't going to be getting any sleep. I sighed, and got up. Billie was fast asleep, and looking very adorable.

'He looks so innocent and sweet,' I smiled.

He reminded me of when we used to have sleepovers. Billie always slept on one side, usually his left, but if he couldn't get to sleep, he'd lay on his stomach. His mouth was open, but not very wide, and he let out little snores every now and then.

I crept down the stairs, though neither Jeff nor my father were home. Dad was in the 'traveling business man' career with his office, and therefore he's gone usually for a week or two at a time during most of the summer.

In the kitchen, sat the previous day's newspaper, just waiting to be read. I sat at the counter with the lights dimmed, and found the want ads.

Being summer, I know I'll have way too much time on my hands. I can only give lessons part time, every few weeks, because my regular kids are on vacation, so I'd need an actual job. After rifling through some drawers I found a pen, and sat back at the counter.

'Hmmm...' I thought, reading the ads carefully.

'No babysitting anymore. No Rod's, no grocery stores. Mmm.. Top Dog! Ew, no. Why would I get a job there? I'd just be tempted to eat everything in sight... Then I'd get fatter than I already am,' I told myself. I know I'm not fat. People tell me I'm not all the time. But I think I eat like a pig, and need to think healthier.

'Ooh, now here's something. Amoeba needs some cashiers/shelf stockers,' I circled it a few times, and continued my search. I circled a few ads from shops in San Francisco, and finished with the paper.
I shut off all the lights, and tiptoed back upstairs, and into my room. I got into the sleeping bag, and counted backwards from five hundred. The last number I remember before falling asleep was sixty-two.

When I woke up, I got out of the bag, ready to wake Billie up, but he wasn't there.

'Great,' I thought, wandering downstairs, not bothering to change and whatnot.

"Alone, yet again," I said to myself as I went to the kitchen.

"You're finally up!" I heard from the living room.

"Yeah, g'morning Billie Joe," I smiled, blushing slightly. I went into the room, and sat on the couch, at the end furthest from Billie.

"Are you some sort of insomniac?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I heard you get up, and you didn't come back till after four."

"Oh.. I guess you could say that. But I did accomplish something!"

"And that would be..?"

"I found a possible job in the paper's want ads," I smiled proudly.

"A job..?" Billie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I know. Amazing, right? My lazy ass getting a job?"

Billie Joe laughed, saying that nothing about my ass was lazy, but he was surprised that I was taking the initiative to get a job.