I Liked it Better When They Were Young
"Have you ever been in love?"
Saturday 10th September 7:18pm
In the living room. Mom's watching the news. She does this to trick people into think that she cares about orphans in the third world. Dad came downstairs, a pile of obscure books in his arms, as usual. He's a poet and regularly checks up on the compitition.
"Sophie, will you take out the trash?" He said, skimming through one of his books. I sighed heavily and heaved myself off the sofa. I took the trash bag out of the house bin and heaved it outside to the wheelie bin. "Thank you." Dad said absentmindedly as I shut the door. I rolled my eyes. As I was hoisting the trash bag into the wheelie bin, I heard crying from somewhere. I set the bag down on the pavement and looked around. Someone was sitting on the bench, a few metres away from our house. I sighed and made my way up to Billie. I knew it was him, but the strong smell of alcohol and messy silhouette of black hair confirmed it. When he saw me, he quickly wiped his eyes.
"What did I say to you yesterday?" I asked him, slightly annoyed. He sighed.
"Ok, I'm crying. But you came to me!" I was impressed he even remembered!
"You're sitting on a bench ten feet away from my house." I said slowly, "Don't tell me you didn't mean to come here!" He whimpered slightly, flinching away from me.
"I.. I didn't know what else to do.." He mumbled weakly. I sighed and turned around, walking back to my house. I heard him stand up shakily behind me.
"Soph..."
"I don't wanna hear it, Billie." I said, still walking away. "You are not dragging me into this again. I am in enough trouble already because of you!"
"Soph, I can't... I can't walk!" I stopped slowly and looked behind me. He wasn't kidding! He looked like he was walking with his shoelaces tied together. He swayed forward, just about falling over. I ran to steady him.
"I'm sorry.." He murmured into my shoulder. "I'm really sorry..."
"It's ok. It's ok, I'm here." I looked at him. He could barely hold himself up. He was sobbing pathetically. I walked him over to the bench and consolled him.
"Hey, hey! It's ok, everything's gonna be ok."
"How can you be sho sure? Six years ago, today was his funeral! He'sh not coming back, Soph! He'sh never coming back!" So this was why he was in such a state. Well, a worse state than usual.
"Took you six years to figure that out?" I asked jokingly. He punched me lightly on the shoulder, shaking his head. "I can't stay long." I said to him. "My parents will wonder where I am soon. I have a family that notices if I disappear for a while." He scoffed.
"Well, I'm gonna be in sooo much trouble from mine if I go home..." He said, hinting at me.
"You can't stay at my house." I said flatly, "My dad would freak. He doesn't approve of underage drinking..." Billie sighed exasperatedly. I frowned.
"This is why you came here, isn't it?" He shook his head.
"No. I came here because I wanted to see you. Yes, staying over was in the back of my mind..."
"Well, why not stay over at Al's? Get wasted there and stay the night?"
"Because I can't talk to Al." I couldn't help smiling at this comment. He leaned his head on my shoulder and my smile broadened even more.
"You always lean on me!" I said playfully. He shrugged.
"Yeah, well, you're comfy. You're my human pillow." I sighed. I was cold, tired and dreading what my dad would say when I got back, but I couldn't bring myself to leave.
"Billie?"
"Mmhm?" I looked down at him, sprawled in my lap.
"Have you ever been in love?" I had heard from Mike that Billie didn't fall in love. That he was a free spirit. But then, so was I. Billie yawned almost sorrowfully.
"No. I don't think so. And you're supposed to really know when you're in love..."
"And what do you think love is?" I asked unsurely. I wasn't just curious about him, I was curious for me. Billie sat up a little.
"Well, it's 'bout loving someone for who they are, innit? Not just coz they got a cute ass or... nice lips or, uh.. a pretty face." Ok so he was rambling a bit, but he was sort of making sense. "Or, nice legs.." Billie said, still listing things. I covered his mouth with my hand.
"Ok! Ok, I get the general gist..." He sighed and returned his head to my shoulder, swatting my hand away casually. It was the smallest of jestures, but it hurt me so much.
"What about you? Have you ever been in love?" There was silence as I looked down at him. His eyes were closed, but I could tell he was listening.
"Uhhh... I think I am just now." He sighed dolefully,
"Oh." He looked up at me, "Well, for what it's worth, he's a lucky guy." I smiled. He smiled back and chucked me under the chin roughly. "Is he good enough for you?" I laughed at his question.
"Sometimes I wonder!" I paused, "But, I don't care. I just, can't not like him." Billie sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Hmm. Well, I'd better get home, face the music."
"I'll walk you." I said quickly. I didn't want him stumbling into some gutter. He shook his head,
"No, that's ok. Thanks though..." He stood up, swayed slightly and grabbed hold of me to stop himself from falling, "Uh, on second thoughts..."
In the living room. Mom's watching the news. She does this to trick people into think that she cares about orphans in the third world. Dad came downstairs, a pile of obscure books in his arms, as usual. He's a poet and regularly checks up on the compitition.
"Sophie, will you take out the trash?" He said, skimming through one of his books. I sighed heavily and heaved myself off the sofa. I took the trash bag out of the house bin and heaved it outside to the wheelie bin. "Thank you." Dad said absentmindedly as I shut the door. I rolled my eyes. As I was hoisting the trash bag into the wheelie bin, I heard crying from somewhere. I set the bag down on the pavement and looked around. Someone was sitting on the bench, a few metres away from our house. I sighed and made my way up to Billie. I knew it was him, but the strong smell of alcohol and messy silhouette of black hair confirmed it. When he saw me, he quickly wiped his eyes.
"What did I say to you yesterday?" I asked him, slightly annoyed. He sighed.
"Ok, I'm crying. But you came to me!" I was impressed he even remembered!
"You're sitting on a bench ten feet away from my house." I said slowly, "Don't tell me you didn't mean to come here!" He whimpered slightly, flinching away from me.
"I.. I didn't know what else to do.." He mumbled weakly. I sighed and turned around, walking back to my house. I heard him stand up shakily behind me.
"Soph..."
"I don't wanna hear it, Billie." I said, still walking away. "You are not dragging me into this again. I am in enough trouble already because of you!"
"Soph, I can't... I can't walk!" I stopped slowly and looked behind me. He wasn't kidding! He looked like he was walking with his shoelaces tied together. He swayed forward, just about falling over. I ran to steady him.
"I'm sorry.." He murmured into my shoulder. "I'm really sorry..."
"It's ok. It's ok, I'm here." I looked at him. He could barely hold himself up. He was sobbing pathetically. I walked him over to the bench and consolled him.
"Hey, hey! It's ok, everything's gonna be ok."
"How can you be sho sure? Six years ago, today was his funeral! He'sh not coming back, Soph! He'sh never coming back!" So this was why he was in such a state. Well, a worse state than usual.
"Took you six years to figure that out?" I asked jokingly. He punched me lightly on the shoulder, shaking his head. "I can't stay long." I said to him. "My parents will wonder where I am soon. I have a family that notices if I disappear for a while." He scoffed.
"Well, I'm gonna be in sooo much trouble from mine if I go home..." He said, hinting at me.
"You can't stay at my house." I said flatly, "My dad would freak. He doesn't approve of underage drinking..." Billie sighed exasperatedly. I frowned.
"This is why you came here, isn't it?" He shook his head.
"No. I came here because I wanted to see you. Yes, staying over was in the back of my mind..."
"Well, why not stay over at Al's? Get wasted there and stay the night?"
"Because I can't talk to Al." I couldn't help smiling at this comment. He leaned his head on my shoulder and my smile broadened even more.
"You always lean on me!" I said playfully. He shrugged.
"Yeah, well, you're comfy. You're my human pillow." I sighed. I was cold, tired and dreading what my dad would say when I got back, but I couldn't bring myself to leave.
"Billie?"
"Mmhm?" I looked down at him, sprawled in my lap.
"Have you ever been in love?" I had heard from Mike that Billie didn't fall in love. That he was a free spirit. But then, so was I. Billie yawned almost sorrowfully.
"No. I don't think so. And you're supposed to really know when you're in love..."
"And what do you think love is?" I asked unsurely. I wasn't just curious about him, I was curious for me. Billie sat up a little.
"Well, it's 'bout loving someone for who they are, innit? Not just coz they got a cute ass or... nice lips or, uh.. a pretty face." Ok so he was rambling a bit, but he was sort of making sense. "Or, nice legs.." Billie said, still listing things. I covered his mouth with my hand.
"Ok! Ok, I get the general gist..." He sighed and returned his head to my shoulder, swatting my hand away casually. It was the smallest of jestures, but it hurt me so much.
"What about you? Have you ever been in love?" There was silence as I looked down at him. His eyes were closed, but I could tell he was listening.
"Uhhh... I think I am just now." He sighed dolefully,
"Oh." He looked up at me, "Well, for what it's worth, he's a lucky guy." I smiled. He smiled back and chucked me under the chin roughly. "Is he good enough for you?" I laughed at his question.
"Sometimes I wonder!" I paused, "But, I don't care. I just, can't not like him." Billie sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Hmm. Well, I'd better get home, face the music."
"I'll walk you." I said quickly. I didn't want him stumbling into some gutter. He shook his head,
"No, that's ok. Thanks though..." He stood up, swayed slightly and grabbed hold of me to stop himself from falling, "Uh, on second thoughts..."