The Babysitter

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“You’re going where?” Matt Parker stared at his girlfriend and tried to remember why he was still dating her.

“I’m going to New York,” Ava’s voice was calm, matter-of-fact, even though she’d already explained this twice. “It’s for three days and I won’t be missing any school, dad, since it’s over that long weekend.”

“Remind me why again?” He sat up, reaching over the side of the bed for his boxers and pulling them on underneath the blankets. Ava shoved the ugly yellow plaid comforter down around her knees and rolled on her side, speaking like she would to a child.

“Because I’m getting paid damn good money and because I don’t mind being an au pair if it means free tickets to Wicked, a first class hotel, and my free time in Soho.”

Matt ignored Ava’s nudity, tossing her a tee shirt as he stalked into the bathroom. His parents wouldn’t be home for hours so it wasn’t like they had to be careful, he just needed some space. “I thought you didn’t like the guy.”

“I don’t. This is about cash. And do you have any idea how phenomenal the concept for that musical is?” She rolled off the bed, sick of talking to an open door way.

He turned mournful eyes to the mirror, “Ava-“

“Ma-att.” She was playful, but she was getting irritated.

“If you go-“

“Then you’ll do what?”

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Ava stared mutinously at the No Smoking sign above the seat in front of her. The flight was going smoothly. They were in first class. She had absolutely nothing to bitch about. But she was in a foul mood. Absolutely foul.

Joe was asleep in the seat next to her, Jake in the seat by the window and she wished desperately for the stash of percocets that Cara kept in an empty lipstick tube. She should be in a good mood, dammit. Tom gave her his AmEx for the trip, not to mention the fact that she was going to see a play she’d been dying to see for months, and okay fine, she had to baby-sit for a couple of hours each day, but really it was only one full day and an evening. The rest of the three day trip she was cut loose on the unsuspecting Big Apple and dammit she should be looking forward to it.

Ava hadn’t even seen New York since Ma moved to Japan, but before that they used to go all the time. Emma had all sorts of gallery openings and things to go to and she’d taught Ava all about where the cool places were.

Someone’s finger brushed her forearm and she jumped violently before turning in the seat to glare. Billie held up his hands in mock surrender before grinning. Ava didn’t smile back. He laughed.

“What’s eatin’ you?” Then he winced at his word choice and she could swear he blushed. Weird.

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

“Whattayou care?” She crossed her arms over her chest and shoved her magenta colored hair back from her face. Billie shrugged.

“I don’t, I guess.” He sighed, “Listen, you should probably know the itinerary for tomorrow, since you’ll be taking the kids. Where are you going, again?”

“Central Park. Probably a movie. I dunno. We’ll find something to fill the time.”

Billie sighed, “Ava look, you’re going to have complete control my kids in New York City. You’re gonna have to give me a little more than ‘we’ll find something to fill the time’, okay?”

She rolled her eyes. “We’re staying at The Benjamin, right? It’s on the Upper East Side, the park’s right there, if for some absolutely ungodly reason they should get bored at the park we’ll probably go back to the room and see a movie. Or the pool. Or the restaurant for ice cream. Trust me there’s stuff to do at the hotel.”

“Fine, but you’re calling my cell phone if you do anything more than that.”

“When did you turn into a dad,” she muttered under her breath. As soon as she said it she knew she shouldn’t have. She heard the quick breath intake beside her and mentally cursed, but damned if she was taking it back. Billie was out of his seat in half a second.

“Come on,” he grabbed her by the upper arm, hauling her up. Ava stared up at him, surprised.

“Ow,” she pulled her arm back and looked at him, confounded. He gestured down the isle.

“Come on. I’ve had enough.” He grabbed her wrist and hauled her none to gently down the isle. Ava followed because she didn’t have a choice, but now that she was snapped out of her mood she was wondering exactly what she’d done to warrant the treatment she was getting.

They edged past the flight attendants and he jerked open the door to the tiny air port bathroom. Ava thought with a smirk that if she was older and he weren’t so obviously peeved off, everybody would assume they were going off to fuck. As it was, it looked like she was about to get a huge blessing-out by her older brother. Or maybe uncle. She never could decide if he looked his age or younger.

He shoved her in the bathroom first and then followed her in, having to get right up on her so he could close the door and then slamming it closed with his back against it, his arms over his chest. “Okay, you’re going to tell me exactly what the fuck right fucking now.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?! And who the freak do you think you’re fucking talking to?” Ava put her hands on her hips, then hand to cross her arms over her chest too. Airplane bathrooms were not meant for physical confrontation of any kind.

“I think I’m talking to my fucking babysitter, but you won’t be for much fucking longer if you keep the attitude up. You’ve been bitchy since we picked you up. Out with it.”

“I have not been-“

“Stop acting like a seventeen year old and tell me what the hell is wrong, Ava, I’m sick of the teeny bopper O.C. bullshit.” She’d have to remember to tell Cara he wasn’t so bad looking with anger making his cheeks flushed and his jaw stuck out like that.

“Maybe I’m acting like a seventeen year old because I am seventeen! There’s no freaking problem, okay?!” She tried to shove past him.

Billie waited. She sighed, falling back. Then felt the prick of tears and then just got mad all over again.

“My boyfriend dumped me, okay?” Ava tightened her arms under her breasts and dared him to be sympathetic.

Billie would probably have been less surprised if she’d told him she was pregnant with Elvis’ love child. That was why she’d been acting like a kicked tiger since they’d picked her up? Granted she’d been cool with the kids, but that sorta was her job. The boyfriend dumped her? That was not how he would have seen that drama going down.

He had a sudden thought.

He was a very, very bad man.

“Why’d he do that?” he asked finally, making sure his voice held absolutely nothing but curiosity. Ava shrugged, the shirt she was wearing was impossibly tight, and if she were anyone other than Ava he would have said she did it for effect, but the teal tight-ass button down and the pinstriped black pants that went with it were hot. Even if the shirt was so tight it showed glimpses of the silver bra underneath.

“Because he’s a fucking moron who thinks that since I’m your god-damn babysitter of course I must be fucking you.” She turned her back on him to stare at the wall, “And because there are about fifty other girls at my high school who’ll do anal.”

Billie almost laughed out loud. “You’re kidding.”

She didn’t answer. He stared at her back for a long moment. Bitchy Ava he could handle, Pained Ava, with hurt pride rolling off her in waves… well he didn’t have a clue. He just prayed she wasn’t going to cry. Throw teary females in the mix and he usually just left.

“He just… dumped me. I mean, he’s been bitchy for the past few weeks, mainly cause he thinks I’ve got a thing for you. But I think that was just a cover. He was really good at guilting me into shit and then he couldn’t guilt me into butt-sex and all of a sudden I’m totally cheating on him and a skanky whore tease,” she furrowed her brow, “I’m not sure how I’m a whore and a tease but you know, live and learn.”

“Ava-“

She plunked herself down on the toilet, resting her hands on her knees. “I mean, he didn’t even… and then all of a sudden he’s dating Missy Thompson who’s a total slut and everybody at school’s treating me like the whore because god knows what he told them and I’m the new girl and the ones who know are all way to sympathetic.” She looked up at him with silver lined eyes, “I mean Jesus, I don’t even really care that much and everybody’s just-“

“Ava,” he put a hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry.”

She blinked, “Why? It’s not your fault.” Understanding dawned and she rose, “Oh no. I’m not upset, Billie, I’m fucking pissed off! Okay fine, the jackass doesn’t want to date me any more because I’m not as adventurous as he thought I was, but that is no fucking reason to blame me for something I didn’t even do!”

He smirked, leaning painfully against the sink. Nice to know she was taking it well. “Boys can be pretty stupid.”

She looked at him oddly, “Naw, shit.” She sighed, tossing her hair, “I dunno, I just figured he’d be different is all.” All of a sudden Ava felt all kinds of vulnerable and she wasn’t sure she liked it. Right on up until that second she’d been nothing but angry. When Matt dumped her she decked him. Damn near broke the shmuck’s nose.

Then had an hour long bitch fest with Cara later. She was already supposed to baby sit so it wasn’t like she needed the escape, but her dad didn’t shove the credit card in her hand until he heard about Matt. And then all of a sudden she wasn’t taking Joe and Jake to the afternoon matinee of the musical, but going by herself that evening so, according to Billie, she could get as much as she could out of it. She was sick of everybody waiting for her to fucking break over a breakup. Yah, it’d been like forever, but it wasn’t like she was in love with the guy. Only with Billie looking at her like he understood something she wasn’t saying she all of a sudden had this huge lump in her throat.

“What, already? Have I grown an extra ass?” Ava willed him not to say anything stupid. Her friends treating her like somebody died was one thing, they didn’t know her. Actually, he didn’t know her either. But he was a grown-up so he was supposed to be smarter. Or something. Billie rolled his eyes and then made a show of poking her nose with one finger.

“You’re not as tough as you think you are, Ava Monroe.”

Ava stared at him and then did something that surprised herself as much as him.

Without conscious thought she was throwing her arms around his shoulders, burying her face in his neck and shoving him hard against the little bathroom door. After a split second his hands slid around her back, returning the hug albeit a little hesitantly. Ava rolled her eyes against his neck. It always cracked her up when guys got all weird about hugging. She shoved her body as close to his as possible just to make a point. “Thanks, Billie.”

Ava’s breath was hot against his neck and he held her, part for reassurances and part because once he’d accepted that he was a bad, bad, dirty man, suddenly he wasn’t afraid of the touching thing. Although between her breath and her breasts he was getting an all too familiar sensation and was just about to disentangle himself before the situation got to embarrassing before Ava suddenly sprang back, a look on her face that he wasn’t sure how to interpret.

“We should, uhm, get back to the seats,” she crossed her arms back over her chest and stared up at him, waiting. He got the message, opening the door and leaving the bathroom. Ava followed him back to the seats, her thoughts whirling in her head.

When was he all of a sudden not Mister Armstrong?

And, did she feel what she thought she felt?

And finally, I’ve got to fucking call Cara about this.