I Liked it Better When They Were Young

*Anna's P.O.V*

I walked up to the park, where I could see Billie’s so called friends, smoking. I strode towards them,

“Yo! Brotherin’!” I yelled venomously. They looked behind them and down at me, standing at the foot of the climbing frame they had claimed for their own. Sean slide lazily down the slide, upside down, fag in his mouth.

“Hey Anna. How’s your bro? Man, he sure knows how to PARTAE!” The rest of the guys laughed. I despised Sean. Even when he was stoned, he was sharp and quick with his insults. I shook my head.

“I don’t know what happened last night, but here’s what I do know; you guys are teenage wrecks, getting stoned, drunk, smoking away your future, if it can even be called that. And now you can another gleaming achievement to your college scholarship; you almost killed my little brother.” Sean smirked.

“No. He did that himself.” I felt myself going red with rage.

“He was depressed and you took him to a bar!” I said, raising my voice slightly, but determined not to shout, lose the rag completely, “It’s BILLIE, guys. What the fuck do you expect?” They all just shrugged. I shook my head at them, “Last night was basically for your entertainment. But you won’t get the chance to relive it, because you’re never going to see him ever again.” They all got off the climbing frame and walked up to me, Sean in the lead, Jason and Dillon following behind.

“And who’s gonna make us? You?” Sean sneered, “Look around, Anna! You don’t exactly have bodyguards!” I snorted and leaned in close.

“I have friends too, you know.” I said dangerously quietly, “Friends with jobs, friends with tattoos, friends who would kick little teenies like you into oblivion. So don’t come near me, or any of my family ever again if you want to avoid the emergency ward.” And with that, I turned around and walked back to my house, without so much as a backward glance.

*Mike's P.O.V*
I got back home, and slammed the door, taking my anger on Billie out on it. I walked upstairs to my bedroom. I opened the door and frowned. On my bed was a medium sized black suitcase. I went and found mom. She was in her bedroom. There was a similar sized suitcase on her bed too.

“What the hell is this?” I shouted, pointing at the suitcase. She turned around and smiled.

“Mike, Mike, this place is no good for us. We’re going to move back to Oakland. You could start your old school again, get all your friends back.”

“I didn’t have any friends in Oakland!” I pointed out truthfully. She shook her head at me.

“You’ve always known that this was in the back of my mind. Why don’t you want to go?” I thought about it. Oakland was bigger than Rodeo, there was a lot more to do. My sister and my dad were in Oakland, my old life. There was only one reason I didn’t want to go. I had the best friend I could ever have wished for here in Rodeo. Well, if he was still my friend.

“Well?” Mom brought me back to earth. I didn’t answer her question. I went through to my room, picked up the suitcase and ran down the stairs, ignoring her pleas with me to stay. There was only one person I wanted to see right now.

*Anna's P.O.V*
When I got in, I found Billie, sitting on the couch, a glass of, something in his hand.

“Hey.” I said softly, walking towards him warily. He looked up at me and acknowledged my appearance with a raise of his eyebrows.

“Where’s mom?” I asked him.

“Gone.” He replied simply.

“Mike?”

“Gone.” Billie said again, a small smile crossing his lips, but not his eyes. He was unusually calm.

“Are you drunk?” I asked him. He thought about it for a second, then shook his head.

“No. No, not yet. I’m not far from it thought...” I snatched the glass from him and set it down on the table. He looked up at me with the same lazy smile.

“What did you do?” I asked suspiciously. He put a hand to his head and sighed dolefully.

“Mike.” He murmured. “I...” He sighed again, “I kicked him out.” He said wearily. I frowned.

“You did what? Why? Why did you do that, Billie?”

“He deserved it.” Billie said, pouring himself some more drink. I read the bottle. GORDON’S GIN. I sighed heavily. Billie took a sip of it and continued.

“He said I was like Brad.” I raised my eyebrows. Now that was overstepping the mark, as far as Billie was concerned. I didn’t think Mike was as nasty as that. But I guess everyone can be nasty when they want to be. Billie fiddled with the edge of the glass.
“Or words to that effect. That I was becoming him,” He laughed softly. “Isn’t that the craziest damn thing you’ve ever heard?” He paused, staring into space. “No. No it’s not.” He looked back at me, smiling that weird calm smile again, “And that’s why I kicked him out.” He drained his glass and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He was talking rubbish, he wasn’t anything like Brad.

“You are drunk.” I said pointlessly. He nodded slowly, looking at the empty glass in his hand.

“Now, perhaps, yes...” He snatched the packet of cigarettes on the table and lit one up. I shook my head.

“You shouldn’t have kicked him out. He’s having trouble at home, even you know that.”

“He asked for it.” Billie said, drawing hard on the cigarette. “I’ve been letting him stay here every other night, letting him sleep in my bed because of his so called “trouble at home”. I’m having trouble at home too, you know. And all he can do is compare me to it.” I sighed.

“Ok, that was out of order...”

“You don’t say.”

“But kicking him out? I mean, nobody deserves that.” Billie rolled his eyes.

“It’s not like I’m kicking him out on the street. He lives with his mom, he doesn’t live with me. He’s a big boy, he’ll get over it. Me, on the other hand....” He shuddered and took another drag. “No, I know what he doesn’t deserve. And I know what I don’t deserve. And I don’t deserve him as my friend.” I sighed.

“That’s not true, Billie.” Billie didn’t answer. He got up off the couch and handed me the bottle of gin.

“Finish this off, will you? There’s nothing worse than half drunk, two day old gin.”

*Mike's P.O.V*

I knocked on the door. There was a brief pause and Billie answered it. He looked at me, his eyes hard.

“What do you want?” He asked. It wasn’t scornful as much as it was interested. His eyes then travelled downwards to the suitcase on his door step. He looked up at me, demanding an explanation. Billie was like that. He could talk with his eyes. One look could explain so much about what he was thinking without him having to go to the trouble of saying it. I looked away from his piercing gaze, tears filling my eyes again.

“Mike?” Billie asked. I could hear the annoyance in his voice. “It’s fucking freezing, if you want something, make it quick!” I was now silently crying. Billie’s eyes softened. “Mike?” He asked unsurely, as I started to sob uncontrollably. “Pritchard?” I collapsed into his arms. He hugged me. “Hey, hey. It’s ok. It’s ok.” He looked at me. I wiped my eyes. He put two and two together.

“She‘s leaving, huh?” I nodded.

“I don‘t wanna go with her!” I sobbed. He nodded.

“Come in.” He said simply, taking my suitcase. I walked up the stairs to his room and threw myself on the bed. “I’ll be up in a minute!” Billie yelled up the stairs.

*Billie's P.O.V*

I walked into the living room, where Anna and my mom were sitting.

“Ok, just so everyone knows, Mike’s gonna be staying here from now on....” Anna almost spat out her coffee.

“What?!” I mimed to the door.

“Shhh! We will discuss it in the morning....”

“There’s nothing to discuss!” Anna said, getting up and looking at mom to back her up on this. “He’s not living here...”

“In the morning!” I sang, leaving the living room and running up the stairs.

“Billie...!”

“IN THE MORNING!” I yelled. I opened the door to my bedroom, where Mike was sitting on my bed, his face stained with tears. I sighed.

“Oh Mike...” I approached him, but he flinched away from me.

“I’m sorry!” He sobbed, “What I said to you... I... I didn’t mean it...”

“I know.” I said gently. “I know.” I paused. “It still hurt, like...” Mike started crying again. I put my hand on his shoulder. “Hey, hey! It’s means nothing. Ok? It was a stupid fight. We said all of it to hurt each other.” Mike looked at me, tears clinging to his eyelashes.

“So, kicking me out...?”

“Terrible idea.” I said, smiling. He smiled too, weak though it was. I sighed. “I know I’ve been hard to live with lately....”

“You’ve been a great roommate.” Mike said. I grinned.

“Thanks.” Mike shivered.

“When you’re upset, you scare me....” I frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“When you were crying earlier, you scared me. You don’t normally cry. I knew I’d really got to you....”

“It only got to me coz it’s kind of true...” I said softly.

“No, no, it’s not, Billie. You’re not like him, you’ll never be like him. It just came out. I wanted to hurt you.” I nodded.

“Well, if that’s all it was...”

“Absolutely. Nothing else.” I nodded. Mike shook his head.

“And now I have to go back to Oakland, just when things are finally getting a bit better....”

“Not if I have anything to do with it.” I said smiling. Mike smiled too. I held out my arms.
“Hug?” He nodded.

“Yeah, why not?” I smiled and we hugged, holding each other close.

“Promise me we’ll never fall out like this again.” Mike said. I nodded.

“I promise.” I then heard a knock on the door.

“Billie?” Anna’s voice came through the door. Always one to ruin a moment...

“IN THE MORNING!” I yelled, not moving a muscle. I didn’t want Mike worrying about this. Not tonight. She battered on the door again.

“Billie!!!” I sighed.

“Persistent little bitch, aren’t you?” I muttered, uncoiling from Mike. “Just a sec....”

*Anna's P.O.V*

I knocked on the door, again. Billie won’t answer. He’s crazy if he thinks Mike could actually live here. We’re broke enough as it is without another mouth to feed. Just then, a note came under the door and stopped at my feet. I picked it up and unfolded it. The note said, “IN THE MORNING!!!” I rolled my eyes and scrunched it up. Brothers.