Road To Acceptance
Departure
Kali slowly walked to the park, mentally planning what to say to Jeremy.
When she got there, there was no sign of him. She checked her watch [3:21], sat on a bench, and lit a cigarette. Old women glared at her and quickly steered their grandchildren away. She smiled to herself.
She waited until 4:45, steadily growing more angry. She stood up and put her lighter away.
"Kali! Wait!" Jeremy called. She turned to see him running towards her.
"Hey baby, I'm so sorry. I had this thing I had to do," he said.
"So you figured I could just... wait...?" Kali glared at him.
"Well, I... Yeah... Baby what's wrong?" She shook her head.
"I always come in second, don't I?"
"Wait, no. Baby, you-"
"Stop calling me baby. I waited for you for an hour. What if... I don't know... I'm sick of this, Jeremy! If i have something to say, oh it can wait, but if it's you, God forbid I'm busy! Jesus fucking Christ!"
"I'm so sorry-"
"I don't fucking care! I'm through. We're through." She started to walk away, but Jeremy grabbed her arm.
"Let the fuck go," she said through clenched teeth.
"Just give me another chance."
"No. You don't deserve it."
"Come on Kali. You need me."
"No. I need someone who cares, who puts me first. Someone like..." she trailed off.
"Someone like who?" She looked him in the eye.
"Someone like Billie. Goodbye, Jeremy."
***
She walked to Billie's house with mixed emotions. She didn't like being single... She felt alone...
Kali rang the doorbell, and soon Ollie, Billie's mom, opened it.
"Oh, Kali honey, you don't have to ring the bell! Billie's in his room..." Ollie said and let Kali in. She walked up to Billie's room and quietly opened the door.
He was lying on his bed, his back to her. She heard quiet sobs.
Kali closed the door and lay beside him. He rolled over and buried his head in the crook of her neck.
She momentarily forgot about her problems as she focused on Billie.
"It's almost September..." he whispered.
"I know... Shh, Billie, I know..." She wrapped her arms around him.
September was Billie's least favorite month, because that was the month his dad had died, six years ago. Billie would always become quiet and reserved when that month rolled around, often staring off at nothing.
She kissed his cheek as he continued to cry into her.
"It's okay, babe..." she murmured.
After a while, he slowly stopped.
"I miss him so much..." Billie said as he pulled out of the embrace.
"I know. He was an awesome guy." Billie smiled faintly.
"Yeah. I remember this one time... He got us- me, you, and Mike- out of school early and took us to the carnival."
"That was the best day... And then our moms freaked out."
"Not Mrs. Pritchard, though."
"She was the one that calmed our moms down."
"Yeah... He was the best dad..."
"He'd be proud of you." She wiped the rest of the tears off his cheeks.
She remembered that night all too well. It was her tenth birthday. She was in the middle of her party, but Billie couldn't make it because his dad was really sick...
She was opening a present when the phone rang. Kali's mom answered it, then, with a concerned frown, handed it to Kali. She heard four words...
"Kali... I need you..."
She ran down the street to Billie's place. She had lain beside him while he cried... Just like now...
Billie tried to smile at her.
"So... How was your meeting with Jeremy?" he asked. Kali shrugged.
"Okay, I guess. He made me wait for a fucking hour." Billie raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Yeah. And then he said he had some stuff he needed to do and that I could just wait." his jaw dropped.
"Did you... break up with him?"
"I told him I deserve better... That I deserve someone like you." Billie grinned.
"Why have an imitation when you can have the real thing?" She laughed.
"Good question!" Their eyes locked, She ran her fingers through his now black hair. He gently pressed his lips against hers.
She kissed him back, running her fingers down his chest. His tongue begged for entrance to her mouth, and she obliged it.
She shivered as those calloused fingers held on to her waist, pulling her closer.
He rolled over so he was on top of her. He propped himself up with one hand and caressed her cheek with the other. She traced patterns on his back, sending chills down his spine.
After a while, Billie pulled away. Kali smiled at him.
"God, Kal... You make me so fucking happy." She kissed him briefly.
"I love you, Billie..." He grinned and kissed her forehead.
"Billie Joe!" Ollie called, making both teens jump.
"What!" Billie yelled back.
"Mike and John are on the phone!"
"I'm kinda busy!" There was a pause.
"They say it's important!" Billie sighed, rolled off Kali, and picked up the phone.
"Hello...?" he said.
"Yeah, she's here."
"Do you want to talk to her?"
"Oh Okay."
"A band meeting? What the fuck, John? The last time we had one of those, we just smoked pot all day."
"Okay Okay. My basement of Mike's?"
"Yeah... Okay... Can Kali come?"
"Okay." Billie laughed.
"Shut up, dickface. We'll be there in ten." He hung up.
"So what did they say?" Kali asked.
"Mike says Jeremy came to his house sobbing... And John wants us to have a 'band meeting' or some shit."
"And it's at Mike's?"
"Yeah... I sort of... told them you'd be there..."
"You know me too well."
When she got there, there was no sign of him. She checked her watch [3:21], sat on a bench, and lit a cigarette. Old women glared at her and quickly steered their grandchildren away. She smiled to herself.
She waited until 4:45, steadily growing more angry. She stood up and put her lighter away.
"Kali! Wait!" Jeremy called. She turned to see him running towards her.
"Hey baby, I'm so sorry. I had this thing I had to do," he said.
"So you figured I could just... wait...?" Kali glared at him.
"Well, I... Yeah... Baby what's wrong?" She shook her head.
"I always come in second, don't I?"
"Wait, no. Baby, you-"
"Stop calling me baby. I waited for you for an hour. What if... I don't know... I'm sick of this, Jeremy! If i have something to say, oh it can wait, but if it's you, God forbid I'm busy! Jesus fucking Christ!"
"I'm so sorry-"
"I don't fucking care! I'm through. We're through." She started to walk away, but Jeremy grabbed her arm.
"Let the fuck go," she said through clenched teeth.
"Just give me another chance."
"No. You don't deserve it."
"Come on Kali. You need me."
"No. I need someone who cares, who puts me first. Someone like..." she trailed off.
"Someone like who?" She looked him in the eye.
"Someone like Billie. Goodbye, Jeremy."
***
She walked to Billie's house with mixed emotions. She didn't like being single... She felt alone...
Kali rang the doorbell, and soon Ollie, Billie's mom, opened it.
"Oh, Kali honey, you don't have to ring the bell! Billie's in his room..." Ollie said and let Kali in. She walked up to Billie's room and quietly opened the door.
He was lying on his bed, his back to her. She heard quiet sobs.
Kali closed the door and lay beside him. He rolled over and buried his head in the crook of her neck.
She momentarily forgot about her problems as she focused on Billie.
"It's almost September..." he whispered.
"I know... Shh, Billie, I know..." She wrapped her arms around him.
September was Billie's least favorite month, because that was the month his dad had died, six years ago. Billie would always become quiet and reserved when that month rolled around, often staring off at nothing.
She kissed his cheek as he continued to cry into her.
"It's okay, babe..." she murmured.
After a while, he slowly stopped.
"I miss him so much..." Billie said as he pulled out of the embrace.
"I know. He was an awesome guy." Billie smiled faintly.
"Yeah. I remember this one time... He got us- me, you, and Mike- out of school early and took us to the carnival."
"That was the best day... And then our moms freaked out."
"Not Mrs. Pritchard, though."
"She was the one that calmed our moms down."
"Yeah... He was the best dad..."
"He'd be proud of you." She wiped the rest of the tears off his cheeks.
She remembered that night all too well. It was her tenth birthday. She was in the middle of her party, but Billie couldn't make it because his dad was really sick...
She was opening a present when the phone rang. Kali's mom answered it, then, with a concerned frown, handed it to Kali. She heard four words...
"Kali... I need you..."
She ran down the street to Billie's place. She had lain beside him while he cried... Just like now...
Billie tried to smile at her.
"So... How was your meeting with Jeremy?" he asked. Kali shrugged.
"Okay, I guess. He made me wait for a fucking hour." Billie raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Yeah. And then he said he had some stuff he needed to do and that I could just wait." his jaw dropped.
"Did you... break up with him?"
"I told him I deserve better... That I deserve someone like you." Billie grinned.
"Why have an imitation when you can have the real thing?" She laughed.
"Good question!" Their eyes locked, She ran her fingers through his now black hair. He gently pressed his lips against hers.
She kissed him back, running her fingers down his chest. His tongue begged for entrance to her mouth, and she obliged it.
She shivered as those calloused fingers held on to her waist, pulling her closer.
He rolled over so he was on top of her. He propped himself up with one hand and caressed her cheek with the other. She traced patterns on his back, sending chills down his spine.
After a while, Billie pulled away. Kali smiled at him.
"God, Kal... You make me so fucking happy." She kissed him briefly.
"I love you, Billie..." He grinned and kissed her forehead.
"Billie Joe!" Ollie called, making both teens jump.
"What!" Billie yelled back.
"Mike and John are on the phone!"
"I'm kinda busy!" There was a pause.
"They say it's important!" Billie sighed, rolled off Kali, and picked up the phone.
"Hello...?" he said.
"Yeah, she's here."
"Do you want to talk to her?"
"Oh Okay."
"A band meeting? What the fuck, John? The last time we had one of those, we just smoked pot all day."
"Okay Okay. My basement of Mike's?"
"Yeah... Okay... Can Kali come?"
"Okay." Billie laughed.
"Shut up, dickface. We'll be there in ten." He hung up.
"So what did they say?" Kali asked.
"Mike says Jeremy came to his house sobbing... And John wants us to have a 'band meeting' or some shit."
"And it's at Mike's?"
"Yeah... I sort of... told them you'd be there..."
"You know me too well."