The Correlation Between Peppermint and Eyeliner

Reunited (And it feels so good...)

Okay, before you start groping at me because I haven't updated in like 2 weeks, I would just like to say thanks for being loyal readers. But, I'm sure since you guys are nice and loyal readers, y'all will understand that all that matters is that I'm updating now. A lot of weird things is going on around me, seeing as how I'm SICK. AGAIN. Yeah, I know. That's like, three or four times this year...Anyways... My friends are getting pretty impatient me, seeing as how I haven't made Billie and Alex, ahem, do it yet. Seriously. They're all like, "You can see the chemistry and connection and it's all building up, the tension is getting so hard you can't even bear it any longer, leaving us no choice but to grope at you until you finally understand that the sexual tension between Alex and Billie is growing stronger and stronger as we speak. God, Tori! Can't you just make them!" and however I answer back, "I can't make them do it!" which leaves them with the WTF-faces on. So, sorry guys. No secks yet. Hehe.. I feel powerful. Go ahead and read. I suppose that if you read the last paragraph of the last chapter carefully, you all should have an idea of what is happening. *gives you cookie*

Part 26

Alex yawned and stepped out of bed. She stood there for a moment, trying to register the eerie feeling. But it wasn’t eerie; it was just…plain weird.
“Billie?” she yelled, seeing as how he wasn’t in the bed beside her.
“Yeah, babe?” he shouted from downstairs.
“Oh.” She said to herself. She cringed as she turned towards the door, being nearly blinded by the morning sun.
She went out and down the stairs.
She was on the second to last step when the doorbell rang.
“Billie! Someone’s here!” she said and skipped into the kitchen.
“Can you go see who it is?” he asked, smiling and pouring a cup of coffee.
“Sure.” She shrugged and ran to the door.
She opened it, and there was a Fed-Ex man holding a clipboard.
“Package for Mr., er, Stench?” he looked at her.
She giggled and turned to the kitchen. “There’s a package here for a Mr. Stench!”
“Yeah, just sign the papers and have them bring it in.” he yelled and resisted the urge to peek over at her.
Alex signed the paper and two men with big biceps came in carrying a big, long box.
Alex looked at it. “Billie? What did you order?”
“Just some stuff.”
“Uh huh.” She said and watched the men bring it inside the house and setting it beside her.
Alex nodded thanks and they were off.
“Hey, Alex?” Billie yelled.
“Huh?”
“Can you open it and see if it’s the right order?” Billie smiled to himself, excitement building up.
“Uh, sure.” She said awkwardly. She sat down and opened the box, laughing when seeing the address being filled out to a “Mr. Stench.”
She tore through the box lid and threw some bubble wrap to the side.
She came to another layer of wrapping, covering the whole figure.
She quickly ripped it off, and sat there and stared at what was underneath.

There it was, the cherry red 1957 Hot Rod Stratocaster.

Billie snuck around the corner and watched her trace her fingers over the cursive letters of ‘Peppermint’ printed cross the bottom.
The emotion flowing through Alex at that moment was all overwhelming, that all she did for the next minute was stare at it, hoping that she wasn’t dreaming.
For the last two years she’d lost it, and there it was, right in front of her.
She tried to speak. Nothing. She covered her mouth and sat there, looking for some type of way to just… move.
“Billie.” She squeaked, almost inaudible. She ran her fingers down the frets, touching so lightly. Mid way down the neck of the guitar, it hit her. The tears built up behind her eyes.
When it became too much to bear, she let it all out. She cried, not because of sadness, but from relief and happiness and all of the other feelings flowing through.
Billie watched her for just a second, and then he sat down next to her.
“Billie.” She cried onto his shoulder. “I thought I lost it.”
Billie held her tight. “I know.” He kissed her head and she sobbed again.
She looked up at him, and then turned to her guitar. She sniffed. “Is it really it?” she asked hopefully.
Billie nodded.
She let out a short scream, then cried again. “It’s mine?”
He nodded and smiled. “It’s yours. All yours.”
She reached out to touch it, but then caught herself and yanked her arm back. She sniffed, her eyes all puffy and her nose running.
She looked at him with childish, pleading eyes. “Can I touch it?”
He laughed. “It’s yours.”
She reached in and wrapped her hand around the neck of the guitar. She gently pulled it out of the box, holding back more tears.
She held it in the position on her lap, admiring it all over again.
Another tear fell down her cheek and drifted onto the glistening guitar.
“Thank you…” she whispered, almost to quiet to hear. “Thank you so much…”
She placed her fingers on the frets and ran her other fingers down and strummed.
She gasped and closed her eyes, just taking in the sound.
She looked over at him. “How did you find it?” she asked quietly.
“The music shop in Texas. The guy never sold it. Said he knew you’d be back for it.”
She bit her lip, holding back another sob. She couldn’t cry too much, but oh how she wanted to.
There was a silence, and Billie sat behind her and watched her try and control how much she wept.
She wanted to cry so much more.

*

The guitar was a gift from her grandfather, on her thirteenth birthday. He was her grandfather, her Poppy. He took her in when her father died, when her mother left her for the drugs. He was the one who tried to paint the attic lime green when she was abandoned, to help her feel more at home. He was the one who taught her to never settle for boys who are only with her because they want to ‘pop her cherry’. He was the grandfather that gave her lessons. And, he was the one who gave her encouragement when no one else did.
He was Poppy, the grandpa who always smelt of peppermint.
He was the only family Alex had, the only one who believed in her.
Until one night when he was on his way to watch Alex’s band play at the local club.
A drunk driver hit him.
After his death, Alex went into depression, while also going to college. This was when she started doing drugs. At first it was just getting high a day or two during the week. But then it became more often, and soon it became an addiction, an obsession.
Cocaine became her best friend.
It was her escape, her way to get away from worrying about finding a publishing company or forgetting about Poppy.
Sure, she had Jen. Jen was pretty oblivious for a while, but then she realized what her friend was doing to herself.
And friends help each other, right?
And so Alex cleaned up. Slowly, but surely, going on about a year now.

*

The whole day was spent down in the studio, Alex and Billie showing off their skills.
Billie had no idea what to expect, in aspects of her playing. But as soon as she hooked it up to the amp and stood straight up in a super-hero stance, she was BAM. Awesome.
She wasn’t just good. Her playing was…superb. Like the next Hendrix material. Chyeah, she was.

Yes, I finally wrote this chapter! *has been waiting since prologue to write chapter*