My Everything

Chapter 12: Paint Spray and Bon fires.

Takisha and Mike had left a couple hours ago and so had Tre and Emi. So now for the first time since I met him I was alone with Billie with exception of his boys.

“Does Adrienne know that you have two stray girls living with you?” I asked as I walked up behind Billie in the kitchen. He was standing at the sliding glass door watching the boys play in the swimming pool.

“No, I didn’t say anything about you guys. She might not have let them come over, but then again she promised that she would always let me see them whenever.” He looked at me with a sad look, I know the divorce had to be hard on him. To be with someone for so long and just have them drop you like you were nothing, that’s rough. I walked over and gave him a hug which he accepted.

“Okay now why don’ t you go play with you’re boys. They’re only here for the day right?” He nodded so I continued talking. “I’ll hang out around the house, you play with the boys. I’ll get to know them later. Today is your day.” I finished before he could say anything. He ended up nodding and going outside.

I walked into the living room and sat on the couch wondering what I was going to do for the next couple of hours. I looked around for a bit before something caught my eye. I stood up and walked over to a set of drawers that were holding god knows what and reached under it and grabbed a wadded up piece of paper. I stood up and looked outside to see Billie in the pool with the boys. I knew I shouldn’t but my curiosity got the best of me. I uncrumpled the note as I sat back down on the couch to read it. It was a note from Adrienne.

Billie,
I’m sorry that it had to happen this way. I just hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. I’m giving the photo album to you . All of our pictures. Keep all our memories safe. Please keep this. Like I said last night you’ll find a great girl for you one day. Don’t forget that I do still love you. Never forget.
Adie.

I put the note down and looked back outside at Billie. I had always thought that Adrienne and Billie had a perfect life I mean they were together for 15 years. They always looked so happy in the pictures from the magazines. I guess you can’t always believe what you see or read. I looked back down at the note and sighed. I set it down on the table next to what looked like a photo album. That definitely wasn’t there last night. I gently picked it up and looked at the front cover. It was a picture of Billie and Adrienne on their wedding day. I began looking through all the pictures. I didn’t realize how long I had sat there until I felt someone sit next to me and speak.

“Those were great times.” I looked up sharply to see Billie’s face next to me looking at a picture of him and Adrienne at some BBQ. He was standing behind her holding her around the waist. They were both smiling.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been nosey. I’ve always thought that pictures always tell a story about people. You know like things they can never actually say, things that are hard for them to say sometimes show up in pictures. But I should have asked first. And here I found this under those drawers.” I closed the photo album and handed him the now uncrumpled note. I started to get up when I felt him grab my wrist.

“Hey don’t feel bad. I don’t mind that you looked. I probably would have showed you sometime.” He held up the note. “Did you read this?”

I had to be honest. “Yes.”

He shook his head and it looked like he wanted to say something but there was a knock at the door. I kept Billie from getting up.

“I’ll get it.” I walked over and opened it thinking it was probably Mike or Tre with the girls in tow. I looked up shocked. There stood Adrienne in all her glory. I couldn’t speak. I just opened the door wider and let her in. She walked right past me to the living room where Billie still sat looking at the note.

“Who is she?” Was her only question and the only way she let Billie know she was there.

No hi no fuck you go to hell nothing. Just a question. I shut the door and walked into the living room standing off to the side behind her.

“A friend Adrienne. She staying here with one of her friends for awhile.” He said standing up to face her. I had a feeling it was the first time he had seen her face to face since she left him. I stayed in my place.

“Your new girlfriend? You didn’t say anything about having girls over.” She said eyeing me closely. I knew she was judging me. She didn’t even know me.

“She’s a little young don’t you think, Billie.” She turned back to him obviously waiting for an answer. I interrupted, I could tell Billie was actually at a loss for words.

“Yes, I’m a little young. I’m 25 actually and we are just friends.” She looked at me surprised like she didn’t know that I could talk. Yes people I do have vocal cords.

We were all interrupted by the sound of feet running from upstairs. A few minutes later the boys came into view.

“Come on boys. Say bye to your dad and his friend, we’ve got to go.” Adrienne began walking away. I watched as Billie said bye to his sons.

“Adrienne can I talk to you?” I asked quietly. I knew that Billie heard since he looked up at me. She nodded and I followed her outside.

“I’m Juliet and just so you know I’m not trying to get in the way of anything.” I took a breath before continuing. “I just want to be here for Billie. He’s a really good friend and I stayed in the house while he played outside with Jake and Joey, and if it would make you feel better I could always leave when there here.”

“You love him don’t you?” It wasn’t really a question but more of a statement. I looked back at her surprised.

“What?”

“You love him, Billie, I mean. He just doesn’t know it.” She stated. I didn’t say anything but shook my head slowly.

“It’s hard not too.” She sighed and continued. “You’re okay. You’ll be good for him. I may not know you but I’m usually a good judge of character. Don’t hurt him. I did. He doesn’t deserve it again.” At that point the boys came running outside towards their mother. “Between you and me. Billie always deserved someone more than me. Maybe that could be you. Just don’t give up on him okay.”

I shook my head in agreement and watched as her and the boys drove away. I walked slowly back to Billie.

“What did she say?” He asked. I just shook my head and walked past him and went up to my room. I couldn’t understand why she was expecting me to be the one to put Billie’s heart back together. I could barely keep myself together. For another thing was it so obvious that ,in the little amount of time that I had known Billie, I was in love with him. Got I’m am so transparent. Probably to everyone except Billie. I laid back on my bed thinking. I heard the phone ring a few times before it stopped. A few minutes later I heard a knock on my door, I didn’t move. I heard the door open then I felt the bed shift.

“Hey are you okay?” Was the only question he asked. I looked over at him and shook my head.

“Yeah, I’m okay. She just shocked me a little that’s all.” I replied looking away for a second before looking back.

“You want to talk about it?” I shook my head in a definite no.

“Maybe sometime later when the time is right, but not right now.” I sat up. “I heard the phone ring. Was it important?”
“Nah, it was just Mike wondering when we were coming over to Takisha’s to help her unpack.” I nodded.

“You want to go now?” I asked getting up. He nodded and left the room. It didn’t take us long before we were pulling up to Mike’s house. We walked over to Takisha’s.

“JEWELS! I THOUGHT WE HAD LOST YOU TO THE DARKSIDE FOREVER. I PRAYED THE YOU WOULD COME AND HERE YOU ARE!” Emi yelled from the front porch. I just shook my head. There was gonna be some trouble later.

It didn’t take Takisha long to give us all jobs to do. I still couldn’t believe that she gave Emi and Tre a job together, and even one that involved paint. I knew she would regret that later. I was busy unpacking her living room with the help of Billie. I have no clue what Mike was doing.

A little later I heard footsteps coming from the front hall. I looked up in the door way just in time to see Emi. She had a spray paint can in her hand. I looked over at Billie who just raised his eyebrows.

"Emi where are you going with that?" I asked her pointing toward the empty can of green spray paint. She looked at me innocently before walking over to me and whispered.

"Wait until you see Tre!" She didn't say anything more as she quickly turned away and walked out the back door. I looked over at Billie and smiled. Trouble was definitely brewing. A few minutes later I heard Mike burst out laughing in the front hall.

"HOLY FUCK TRE! WHAT DID YOU LET HER DO TO YOU?" I was currently putting all of Takisha's movies and cd's in her entertainment center. Hearing Mike yell I put down the movies in my hand and walked to the front hall. I turned the corner and couldn't help but laugh, there was Tre standing in all his glory spray painted from head to toe. I looked behind him and saw his body outlined on the wall. I laughed harder and soon began to cry.

Tre grinned and looked behind him.

"Yeah we thought that we would give Takisha a little gift. From us to her. Something she would always remember." I couldn't say anything all I could do was laugh more. Mike was still laughing leaning up against the wall trying to breathe. I finally stopped laughing enough to talk.

"Yeah until she has you paint over it." I was still laughing as I walked back into T.K.'s living room. I quickly went back to what I was doing before when I heard a boom from the back yard. I sat up and waited knowing that trouble was brewing. A few seconds later my suspicions were confirmed.

"OKAY! WHO THE FUCK THREW THIS IN THE BON FIRE?" I sat there staring at Takisha as she was covered with black soot from the small explosion. It was hard for me to keep from laughing again especially when I looked at the object in her hand. It was the green spray paint can. At this I let a small laugh out but one look from Takisha put a stop to that.

"It wasn't me, but you should look behind you and you might find the culprit." I stood up and looked behind Takisha as she slowly turned around. Emi was trying to silently sneak into the house and pretend to do something else. She had stopped moving at my words.

"You tattle tail." Was Emi's only reply as she took off running away from Takisha who looked ready to kill.

'Yep just wait until she sees the front hall. Green Day might be missing a member of their band.' I thought to myself as I sat back down smiling. I saw Takisha chase Emi into the front hall. I sat back and waited.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY WALL?” She yelled and I heard Emi laugh. “Is that Tre’s body outline?” I heard Takisha asked calmly.

“Yeah, we thought it would be a great reminder of the first day you moved into your new house. It was perfectly beautiful and then you asked your crazy new friends to help unpack. Now we know that you’ll never ask again.” Emi replied calmly like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“SURPRISE!” Tre jumped out at her from behind some plant that was there. I saw Takisha jump about ten feet into the air. Mike came into the room smiling.

“See told you that you didn’t know what you were getting yourself into.” He said making us all laugh. Yeah we were a bunch of crazy people.