You're Still the One

When I awoke the next morning all I could think about was Billie. How his lips felt against mine, and the way he tasted. Had last night really happened? I thought. I reached up and touched my nose.

“Fuck!” I cried.

My nose felt like it had been smashed in with a hammer. I slowly got out of bed and walked towards my bathroom. My nose was swollen slightly and thankfully I had no black eyes. I decided that a shower was definitely in order, because I reeked of alcohol. The warm water made my nose a little less full of pain, but not quite. The slight hangover I was beginning to feel had miraculously vanished. Vision's of the night before flashed through my mind and I realized today was the first time in months since Billie left that I had woken up feeling alive. I couldn't believe what was happening. One kiss from Billie had gotten me out of the slump I had been in permanently for months. Was I pathetic? I wondered. I never thought I'd be the girl that depended on a guy for happiness, but Billie wasn't just some boy. He was my everything.

When I finished getting dressed I laid across my bed with a sigh. I was nearly back to sleep when my phone rang. I sat up with a groan and reached to answer it.

“Hello?” I mumbled.

“Jules! Was last night great or what!?” The caller yelled. It was Sid. I sat up and leaned against my headboard.

“I don't know, Sid. I was too busy getting elbowed in the fucking face!” I spat. He gasped.

“Oh my God. Julie, are you okay!?” He asked quickly. I chuckled.

“I'm great actually.” I replied.

“What do you mean you're great? You just said you got hit in the face.” He stated.

“Well, since you were God knows where, Billie had to come to my rescue.” I replied nonchalantly. Sid gasped into the phone once more.

“What!? Damn it! I miss everything!” He exclaimed. I chuckled.

“Well that's your fault now isn't? Where were you anyway?” I inquired. Sid grew quiet.

“Um, well I met this girl and we decided to go have our own party.” He explained thoroughly embarrassed. I sat up quickly.

“You little shit. You mean you were getting some while I was getting my face bashed in!?” I exclaimed while laughing. Sid cleared his throat.

“Yes, now enough about me and my sexcapades. What happened with you and Billie?” He asked. I bit my lip, trying not smile.

“He kissed me.” I replied. Sid gasped loudly.

“What? No. Your lying.” He said. I laughed.

“No, Sid, I'm not. He really did kiss me.” I explained.

“Wow. So does this mean you guys are back together?” He questioned. I sighed.

“I don't know, Sid. We were in the middle of a fight when he kissed me. I'm not sure if he even meant to do it, but he asked me to come back to Gilman's tonight.” I replied while biting my lip again. Sid sighed.

“He obviously still cares about you Julie. If I were you, I'd go.” He encouraged. I smiled.

“Thanks Sid. You'll be the first to know if anything happens.” I replied.

“Don't do anything I wouldn't do!” Sid yelled as I hung up. I chuckled to myself and laid back against my pillow while letting out a heavy sigh.

~***~

After my conversation with Sid, I made my way downstairs and into the kitchen where my mother was drinking what appeared to be her second cup of coffee. I sat down across from her as she looked up.

“Hey there Jules. Did you have fun last night? I didn't hear you come in.” She asked. I contemplated telling my mother of the events that happened last night, but decided to wait, purely because I didn't want her talking me out of it.

“It was great, mom. You were right. I really did need to get out.” I replied, smiling while pain surged through my nose. Mom grinned from ear to ear. She loves being right.

“See, you just needed to get out and get your mind off things.” I smiled while running my fingers through my damp hair.

“Yeah, I was actually planning on going back tonight.” I replied. She looked at me surprised.

“Really? That's great!” She exclaimed. “Be careful though, I heard some poor girl got hit in the face last night. Did you see who it was?” She asked while taking a sip from her mug.

I froze.

“Um, no I was in the bathroom when it happened.” I said quickly. She shrugged.

“Alright, just be careful. I wouldn't want anything to happen to that gorgeous face.” She said while tapping my nose. I wanted to fucking scream. I masked the pain until she left the room, and when she did my hands instantly flew up to my aching nose.

“Son of a bitch.” I moaned.

~***~

My nerves started to unravel as I pulled into the parking lot of Gilman's. I yanked the keys out of the ignition and took a deep breath. “You can do this Jules.” I whispered while getting out of my car. My heart was in my throat as I opened the door to go inside. I couldn't remember a time when I was this nervous. I was surprised to see the place was just as crazy as the night before, if not more. My eyes scanned the room as I searched for Billie. I suddenly had a sickening thought. What if he didn't show up? It wasn't like Billie to do something like that, but who was I to know anymore? I made my way over to an empty table and sat down. The music was blaring as I watched sweaty bodies move to the beat. Twenty minutes passed and I was seriously considering that I had been stood up. I was ready to get up and leave when I felt someone touch my shoulders.

“Looking for someone?” He whispered in my ear. I turned to see that it was Billie, standing behind my seat. I sat back down slowly and watched as he sat across from me.

“Well, I was waiting on someone.” I replied. Billie raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, really? Who would that be?” He asked playfully. I smirked.

“Oh, just some asshole from the band last night.” I replied teasingly. Billie furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his jaw.

“What about you?” I asked sweetly, trying my best to keep a straight face. Billie sighed.

“Well, there was this girl here last night, she's kind of a klutz, but I think she's cute.” He explained. My cheeks blushed crimson and I looked down at the table beneath me. “Thought I'd try my luck in her pants too.” He added cheekily. My head snapped up and I glared at him.

“Jerk.” I spat. Billie burst into loud laughter.

“Oh c'mon Jules, I'm joking. I'd never try and get in your pants.” He commented. Hurt spread across my face instantly.

“Ouch. Gee, thanks.” I replied not looking directly at his face. Billie's face blanched.

“Oh shit. Julie I didn't mean it like that, I was just joking.” He replied seriously. Even though I knew he had been joking, it still cut pretty deep that he even said it. I was beginning to think this had been a bad idea and that I should leave, when I heard it announced that the band was about to come on stage. I looked to Billie, who was already standing.

“Are you guys playing tonight?” I asked. Billie nodded.

“Think you can manage not smashing your face in tonight?” He joked. I scowled at him.

“If all you're going to do is make fun of me tonight I'm leaving. I don't need this shit.” I spat as I brushed past him. Billie quickly reached out and grabbed my hand, making me stop in my tracks.

“Hey, wait.” He whispered. I rolled my eyes. He took a step closer to where we were face to face.

“I'm sorry, okay? I just don't know how to act around you anymore.” He replied sheepishly. I felt a pang of guilt wave over me. I hadn't really considered Billie getting nervous around me, but the truth of the matter was that he's going into this just as blind as I am. I sighed and forced a smile.

“Okay, I'll stay, but for the love of God try and relax.” I said while pushing him playfully. “I can't handle all of these awkward pauses.” I joked. Billie smirked.

“I think I should say the same to you.” He informed. I looked down timidly. Would I be able to take my own advice? I thought. I looked back up at him and heard a loud roar from the crowd. I looked towards the stage.

“I think that's your cue.” I whispered. Billie nodded.

“Hey Jules, I want you to have fun tonight, alright?” He placed his hand on my arm and pulled me close.

“Don't go running into any elbows.” He whispered in my ear. I chuckled.

“I'll let that one slide!” I called out as he ran toward the stage.

~***~

The crowd was crazy tonight. People were jumping off stage, surfing the crowd, the mosh pit was getting bigger and bigger as time went by and I was loving every minute of it. Tonight, watching Billie play was different. Tonight I was wanting to see him. I danced around and even got into the mosh pit, avoiding all contact with my nose of course. The set was starting to wind down when I felt someone come up behind me.

“Hey baby, wanna dance?” I heard a deep voice ask. I turned to see what appeared to be a forty something year old man, staring down at me with a disgusting grin on his face. He looked way too old to be here. I backed away from him.

“No thanks.” I mumbled as I went to walk away. I felt him snake his hands around my waist and pull me back to grind against me.

“C'mon girl, I can make you feel good.” He whispered in my ear, making me frozen in fear. I pushed him away.

“I said no!” I yelled while hoping somebody would notice and stop him. I stared in horror as he leaned in to try and press his lips to mine. I peered toward the stage and looked at Billie with pleading eyes. His eyes locked with mine while rage spread across his face. He stopped playing and motioned for Mike and Tre to cease.

“Hey!” He shouted. The crowd grew quiet and looked towards him. “Get your fucking hands off her!” He screamed. The stranger chuckled and attempted to put his arm around me.

“Hey man, chill out. We’re just having a little fun.” He explained. I squirmed while trying to break free, but he tightened his grip. Billie growled into the microphone and jumped down off the stage, parting the crowd as he walked through. I felt his hand grip my arm tight as he pulled me out of the man's grasp and stepped towards him.

“I said get your fucking hands off her. I meant it.” He snarled. The man chuckled.

“And just what are you going to do about it?” He asked. Billie let out a loud growl, and I watched in awe as he leaned back and punched the creep directly in the nose. The man crumpled to the floor instantly with a loud thud. He held his nose tightly as blood oozed between his fingers. Billie crouched down and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

“If I ever see you around her again, it'll be more than your nose I break. Got that? ” He threatened. The man nodded quickly and continued laying on the floor. Billie stood up and grabbed my hand, leading me towards the exit. “Let's get out of here.” He demanded. Tightening his grip with each step we took towards the door.