Never Going Back Again
Three
That night, Valencia didn't go home. She went back to her mother's house. Adalae dropped her off there right after Billy kicked them out of his car. Adalae tried to apologize, but Valencia didn't want to hear it. She didn’t say a thing to her on the way there, and she didn't say anything to her when she got out.
Valencia's mother was shocked to see her at the door. She had her arms around herself and she was sobbing quietly, but as soon as her mother wrapped her arms around her, she started bawling like an infant. She told her mom about everything. She was expecting her mother to tell her everything was all right. But she didn't say a thing. She just held her.
The one thing that wouldn't stop bugging her was the stuff Billy had said to her. Prissy little bitch. He didn't know how wrong he was. Valencia took care of herself. She didn't depend on anybody. If she ever saw Billy again, she was going to let him have it... and hoped he wouldn't kill her.
Weeks passed before Valencia managed to sleep at her own home. She stayed with her mother for the longest time. She was just so scared. She had her life threatened, and the only place she felt safe was in the arms of her mother.
Now she was starting to feel safe enough to stay a night at her own home. Of course she had everything locked and left all the lights on at night, but it was a start. She still hasn't talked to Adalae. She refused to. Many times she would feel guilty about it. Adalae was her best and only friend. But she also risked both of their lives just to say hi to an ex. Adalae knew she was upset too, but she continued to call. One day Valencia decided to pick up.
"I'm sorry." Adalae said before Valencia could even say hello. "I shouldn't have talked to Billy that night. I shouldn't have even invited you."
"Yea," Valencia said. "And what else?" She asked.
"I don't know Val," Adalae huffed. "Fuck I'm sorry..."
"Whatever Adalae," Valencia said. "I can't talk right now. I'm trying to study."
"I'm sorry." Adalae said again. "Call me later?"
"I'll think about it." Valencia said just before hanging up.
Valencia did call her, many times, but Adalae never answered. This worried Valencia. She didn't know if Adalae had fucked up and took too much of that shit Billy sold her, or if her phone was just off. Valencia didn't bother to wait and find out. After a while she got in her car and made her way to Adalae's home. She started to feel guilty. What if it was her fault that something happened to Adalae. If she would've been with her maybe she would be all right.
Valencia banged on Adalae's door and rang the doorbell over and over again until she came to the door. "Where the hell have you been?" Valencia asked. "I've been calling you for the longest time."
"I couldn't pick up I-"
"I thought something had happened to you," Valencia said as she hugged her.
"Val you've gotta get out of here," Valencia looked into Adalae's eyes and noticed that she wasn't on anything. Her pupils were perfectly fine, but she looked scared to death. "Val, go now."
"Why? What's wrong?" Valencia asked.
"Adalae I told you-" Valencia's eyes widened as she slowly started to recognize the voice. Now she knew why Adalae haven't answered her calls. Now she knew why she looked so scared. She wasn't in fear for herself, it was Valencia she was afraid for. "Get my things for me, Adalae," Billy said as he walked up behind her.
"But Billy," Adalae began.
"Please," Billy looked down at her, and for a split second, Valencia thought he had a heart. He gave her these pleading eyes, and it seemed like everything about him just softened for a split second. But when he looked at Valencia, he returned to the asshole he was.
"All right," Adalae said. She took one last glance at Valencia and mouthed, I'm sorry. Bill opened the door a bit wider and motioned for Valencia to sit down on the sofa. Valencia looked up at him as she walked in. She folded her arms across her chest and sat down on the sofa. Billy closed to door and locked it before grabbing a pack of cigarettes off Adalae's coffee table. Valencia noticed the gun he pulled on her was sitting next to the ash tray.
"Look familiar?" Billy asked her with a smirk as he reached for his lighter. He slipped his cigarette in his mouth and lit it quickly.
"Why are you here?" Valencia asked. She didn't know why she did. It just slipped out. Billy blew the smoke out into the space in front of him before looking a her.
"Why do you think I'm here?" He asked.
"I think you're hiding out," Valencia said. "I think you might've pulled your gun out on the wrong person."
Billy almost laughed as he nodded. "You're not as dumb as you look," he said.
"Fuck you," Valencia said. For a second it seemed like time stood still. Billy just stood there, looking at her. The smoke in the air seemed to have ceased it's movement. Like it was waiting to see what horrible thing Billy was about to do to her.
"Fuck me?" Billy asked. He put out his cigarette in the ash tray. He eyed the gun next to the ash tray before looking back up at her. For a second, Valencia thought she was about to take her last breath.
"Fuck you," She continued. "You don't know anything about me. I'm not rich, I take care of myself, I could give a shit about where I live right now. I'm trying to get the hell out of here. So yea, fuck you Billy. You're just another thing I have to deal with before getting where I need to go." Valencia looked over at Billy to see him smiling. It was a grim smile. One you often see on bad guys in movies when they think they've won.
"That's twice," Billy said. "You speak to me like that again, and it will be your last."
"Here's your stuff Billy," Adalae said. She walked into the room with the brown bag that he threw at Valencia.
"You all right, Adalae?" Valencia asked. Adalae nodded.
"I'm fine." She said. "Are you all right?" Valencia looked over at Billy, who was still staring at her.
"She's fine," he said to Adalae. "She was about to leave." Adalae looked at Valencia.
"Val?"
"I'll call you later," Valencia said as she stood up.
"I'll answer. I promise," Adalae assured her. Valencia walked over to the door and opened it.
"Call before you come by tomorrow," Billy said after lighting up another cigarette. "Don‘t surprise us again."
"What's make you think I'll be back tomorrow?" Valencia asked. Billy gave Valencia that softened expression he gave Adalae earlier.
"I know you will."
Valencia's mother was shocked to see her at the door. She had her arms around herself and she was sobbing quietly, but as soon as her mother wrapped her arms around her, she started bawling like an infant. She told her mom about everything. She was expecting her mother to tell her everything was all right. But she didn't say a thing. She just held her.
The one thing that wouldn't stop bugging her was the stuff Billy had said to her. Prissy little bitch. He didn't know how wrong he was. Valencia took care of herself. She didn't depend on anybody. If she ever saw Billy again, she was going to let him have it... and hoped he wouldn't kill her.
Weeks passed before Valencia managed to sleep at her own home. She stayed with her mother for the longest time. She was just so scared. She had her life threatened, and the only place she felt safe was in the arms of her mother.
Now she was starting to feel safe enough to stay a night at her own home. Of course she had everything locked and left all the lights on at night, but it was a start. She still hasn't talked to Adalae. She refused to. Many times she would feel guilty about it. Adalae was her best and only friend. But she also risked both of their lives just to say hi to an ex. Adalae knew she was upset too, but she continued to call. One day Valencia decided to pick up.
"I'm sorry." Adalae said before Valencia could even say hello. "I shouldn't have talked to Billy that night. I shouldn't have even invited you."
"Yea," Valencia said. "And what else?" She asked.
"I don't know Val," Adalae huffed. "Fuck I'm sorry..."
"Whatever Adalae," Valencia said. "I can't talk right now. I'm trying to study."
"I'm sorry." Adalae said again. "Call me later?"
"I'll think about it." Valencia said just before hanging up.
Valencia did call her, many times, but Adalae never answered. This worried Valencia. She didn't know if Adalae had fucked up and took too much of that shit Billy sold her, or if her phone was just off. Valencia didn't bother to wait and find out. After a while she got in her car and made her way to Adalae's home. She started to feel guilty. What if it was her fault that something happened to Adalae. If she would've been with her maybe she would be all right.
Valencia banged on Adalae's door and rang the doorbell over and over again until she came to the door. "Where the hell have you been?" Valencia asked. "I've been calling you for the longest time."
"I couldn't pick up I-"
"I thought something had happened to you," Valencia said as she hugged her.
"Val you've gotta get out of here," Valencia looked into Adalae's eyes and noticed that she wasn't on anything. Her pupils were perfectly fine, but she looked scared to death. "Val, go now."
"Why? What's wrong?" Valencia asked.
"Adalae I told you-" Valencia's eyes widened as she slowly started to recognize the voice. Now she knew why Adalae haven't answered her calls. Now she knew why she looked so scared. She wasn't in fear for herself, it was Valencia she was afraid for. "Get my things for me, Adalae," Billy said as he walked up behind her.
"But Billy," Adalae began.
"Please," Billy looked down at her, and for a split second, Valencia thought he had a heart. He gave her these pleading eyes, and it seemed like everything about him just softened for a split second. But when he looked at Valencia, he returned to the asshole he was.
"All right," Adalae said. She took one last glance at Valencia and mouthed, I'm sorry. Bill opened the door a bit wider and motioned for Valencia to sit down on the sofa. Valencia looked up at him as she walked in. She folded her arms across her chest and sat down on the sofa. Billy closed to door and locked it before grabbing a pack of cigarettes off Adalae's coffee table. Valencia noticed the gun he pulled on her was sitting next to the ash tray.
"Look familiar?" Billy asked her with a smirk as he reached for his lighter. He slipped his cigarette in his mouth and lit it quickly.
"Why are you here?" Valencia asked. She didn't know why she did. It just slipped out. Billy blew the smoke out into the space in front of him before looking a her.
"Why do you think I'm here?" He asked.
"I think you're hiding out," Valencia said. "I think you might've pulled your gun out on the wrong person."
Billy almost laughed as he nodded. "You're not as dumb as you look," he said.
"Fuck you," Valencia said. For a second it seemed like time stood still. Billy just stood there, looking at her. The smoke in the air seemed to have ceased it's movement. Like it was waiting to see what horrible thing Billy was about to do to her.
"Fuck me?" Billy asked. He put out his cigarette in the ash tray. He eyed the gun next to the ash tray before looking back up at her. For a second, Valencia thought she was about to take her last breath.
"Fuck you," She continued. "You don't know anything about me. I'm not rich, I take care of myself, I could give a shit about where I live right now. I'm trying to get the hell out of here. So yea, fuck you Billy. You're just another thing I have to deal with before getting where I need to go." Valencia looked over at Billy to see him smiling. It was a grim smile. One you often see on bad guys in movies when they think they've won.
"That's twice," Billy said. "You speak to me like that again, and it will be your last."
"Here's your stuff Billy," Adalae said. She walked into the room with the brown bag that he threw at Valencia.
"You all right, Adalae?" Valencia asked. Adalae nodded.
"I'm fine." She said. "Are you all right?" Valencia looked over at Billy, who was still staring at her.
"She's fine," he said to Adalae. "She was about to leave." Adalae looked at Valencia.
"Val?"
"I'll call you later," Valencia said as she stood up.
"I'll answer. I promise," Adalae assured her. Valencia walked over to the door and opened it.
"Call before you come by tomorrow," Billy said after lighting up another cigarette. "Don‘t surprise us again."
"What's make you think I'll be back tomorrow?" Valencia asked. Billy gave Valencia that softened expression he gave Adalae earlier.
"I know you will."