Good Riddance
Nine
Scarlett's POV
It was so cold outside I nearly kicked the performing arts door to get inside. Why was it so cold? It was supposed to be mild and temperate in California in winter, not minus whatever it was today!
I went straight to the music room Billie liked to call the snug and practically ran for the radiator above the sofa. I sat down on it and acknowledged it was really hot before even saying hello to Billie.
“Cold out there?” he asked with a grin as he turned in his chair to look at me.
“Just a bit” I said, “And I’ve got to go back out for maths in a moment”
“You don’t have to, you could stay here with me” he said, “And listen to our songs”
“But Mr Carlson...” I said tailing off as he shrugged, I frowned, “... already has the wrong idea about my judgement, I might as well cement that”
Billie just grinned and as he did so I shot off the radiator because it became too hot for me to sit on any longer.
“Jess did that earlier” Billie commented while leaning back on his chair. I half laughed and then went to sit on his knee and I put my hands on his shoulder.
“Mmmm you’re all hot” he said nuzzling his face into my neck.
“Why thank you” I said with a giggle because he was tickling my neck. He picked me up so I was hanging around his neck but his hands were at my back and on my bum, he put me down on the sofa and pushed me backwards onto it.
“Aren’t you supposed to be doing music tech?” I breathed to him.
“Fuck music tech” he said before capturing my lips with his. We kissed for a little while before I put my hands on his chest and pushed slightly, he frowned down at me.
“Mike will actually kill you if you don’t get on with those songs” I said teasingly.
“Mike Shmike” he said leaning back down.
“You don’t mean that” I said putting my finger over his lips as he tried to kiss me again, “And absence makes the heart grow fonder”
“Scaaaarrrr” Billie whined as he sat up.
“Biiiillllliiiieee” I said mimicking him. He poked his tongue out at me but then he got up and sat down in the chair in front of one of the mixing desks before poking into his bag and getting out a tape of some sort. I didn’t really understand all this stuff so I was content to sit in the chair next to him and accept the head phones he passed to me. I put them on.
“How do I look?” I asked tilting my head backwards to pose.
“mmm” he said, “Music and hotness, I’m liking this”
I blushed. I had been better with blushes recently, but occasionally I still blushed deep crimson. It was so embarrassing in itself and often made me blush deeper still.
We spent the next hour listening to the songs, we listened to the song ‘1,000 hours’ and Billie fiddled with it. I was amazed by what him fiddling with the dials on the board could do to it, he then split the different parts back down into the original; guitar, drum and bass and then he messed with each one in turn.
The rest of school passed in a blur, I got yelled at by Mr Carlson for missing his maths lesson and he threatened to present me with a letter to take to my parents if I did it again. I quailed a little at this, I couldn’t risk my parents finding out about Billie Joe.
Then it was time for my dance lesson and tonight it was show dance with Miss Hickett. I was the only one who took this class, I used to do it back in England with Zach but there was no boy to haul me up and down these days so I had to do it all on a crash mat and when I found a partner I would do it with him.
Billie was sat in his usual position in the corner when I entered the room. Miss Hickett had gotten used to him being there by now and tended to ignore him unless we were doing something that required the space in the corner, in which case she would ask him to move but most of the time that wasn’t the case.
Miss Hickett, Mandy as she liked me to call her was sat in the splits when I entered the room. She just patted the floor beside her and I sank down to the floor next to her into the splits as well, forwards, it was so much easier.
“Sideways!” Mandy said, “Front doesn’t stretch you enough.”
I made a face and got up again before sinking down into the splits that way. My trackie bottoms were big and baggy which was useful in this because they didn’t protest. Billie used to be amazed I could do the splits with such ease but now he merely looked content to lean against the wall as I stretched all my muscles to I was a supple as a jelly.
“Up!” Mandy said and I got to my feet.
“Today we’re concentrating on the double back flip into the lift in your routine” said Mandy.
“Whose doing my lift?” I asked.
“I will,” she said, “I can lift you easy I might not be able to do the one handed split lift but we can give it a go”
“I’ll get the crash mat,” I said, “Because this could be painful”
***
“Do it again” said Mandy. I sighed in her direction and nearly rolled my eyes.
“Come on, last time and then we’ll call it a day” she said, “You just need to straighten your body in the dolphin swing down and then we’re done”
“Aren’t you getting tired?” I asked her, “Hauling me about?”
“Very” she said, “But I’m used to it, once last time”
I rubbed my temples to focus slightly and then moved back to the do the move. Billie was watching me from the corner. The move I was doing required me to twirl across the room, do a front flip, my hands to catch hers in a cross and her to swing me up around her shoulders and then after a crucifix lift, swing back down to the floor. It was a difficult move and I had already done it about five times tonight and my calf muscles were hurting. We had taken away the crash mat before the last time because, as Mandy had pointed out, in a competition there wouldn’t be a crash mat. I had pointed out that I wouldn’t be doing the competition if I didn’t have a partner.
I started the twirl on my right foot and to get my balance I focused on Billie’s face as he watched me. I spun once and twisted my head around, I leapt into the front flip and landed it, I caught her hands and she swung me up around her shoulders so I was facing the other way to her, we completed the crucifix lift and she twisted me so I had my legs around her neck before moving to swing me back down.
What happened next sort of happened in slow motion. I felt her grab my hands to swing me down but my left hand slipped out of hers as I lost my balance and I fell sideways off her shoulders and crashed into the dance floor studio.
I felt sick.
That was the immediate reaction as I fell to the floor.
“Scarlett?!” I heard Mandy say.
“Scar?” that was Billie’s voice.
My shoulder hurt, I couldn’t move my fingers, I had landed on my side with my arm under me, I had knocked all my breath out and I couldn’t draw another breath in, I felt dizzy and I wretched a few times but wasn’t sick.
“Scar!”
“It hurts” I cried clutching my other hand to my shoulder, “My shoulder, it hurts”
Fat tears started to leak out from under my eyelids as I lay on my side on the floor of the studio.
“Scar, you going to have to roll over so I can see what you’ve done” said Mandy, “Billie, move out the way a second”
I felt her hands on my side and she tried to roll me, I made a strangled noise as she jolted my shoulder.
“Can you move your fingers?” she asked. I tried and I could and it didn’t hurt too much.
“You haven’t broken your arm then” said Mandy, “Can you move your shoulder”
I tried but started to sob afresh as it hurt, “I think I could, it just hurts too much at the moment”
“I think it’s just severe bruising” said Mandy, “Keep it steady for a while and it should be alright”
“Alright” I said.
“Doesn’t she need to go to the doctor?” asked Billie.
“I don’t think so” said Mandy, “It’s just bruised but if it stiffens too much tonight or the swelling is intensely painful you ought to go. Are you going home tonight?”
“No, I was going to a friends and then staying at Billie’s” I said.
“Well just be careful” said Mandy looking at us warily.
“I will be” I said picking myself up off the floor. My tear streaked face was itchy and I was still clutching my shoulder with my hand.
“I’ll be driving then” said Billie.
“Alright, be careful with my new baby” I said to him as he picked up my gym bag for me.
“Well when it’s got my baby on board of course I’m going to be careful” he said kissing me softly on the temple being careful not touch my shoulder which had taken to throbbing painfully.
We got to the car with some amusement and we decided we weren’t gonna go down to Tre’s because I still felt sick and didn’t particularly feel up to it.
“We’ll take a look at it when we get back to my place” said Billie.
“Yes Doctor” I half sobbed-laughed as we backed out of the now empty school parking lot, “Whose in?”
“Just Daniel” said Billie through gritted teeth.
This was the first night I had stayed over at Billie, nothing was going to happen but I was little apprehensive as to how his step dad would take to me sleeping over. Then I thought that he was probably used to girls sleeping with Billie, not that he paid much attention to his step-son. Mum thought I was staying at “Wilhelmina’s” we figuratively I was and now that Billie’s mum Ollie was in on the secret, she had been able to talk to my mum to reassure her.
We reached Billie’s house and he carried my bag in and down to the basement. I couldn’t move my shoulder without a white hot bolt of pain shooting up my arm and making me wince or making a sob noise in pain.
“Here” said Billie making me sit on the bed, “I’ll take a look at it?”
I merely nodded, my hand was still clutched to my shoulder and it was throbbing.
“Scar,” he smiled, “You’re gonna have to take your hand away so I can take your top off”
In any other situation I would have accused him of trying to a get look at my boobs but I didn’t care at this moment as he moved my hand away from my shoulder and slowly edged my top over my shoulder with me crying out as his fingers lightly brushed it. Even the soft material of the airtex touching it made me whimper.
“Shit Scar, that is gonna be nasty in the morning” Billie said to me as he looked at my shoulder critically. I looked down at it and all I could see was the swelling.
“Nice” I commented, “It just aches”
“Aw Baby” said Billie shifting closer to me, “I’ll kiss it better”
I smiled at him and told him to come sit around the other side of me so that he wouldn’t hurt me shoulder. He complied happily. I wonder why...
It was so cold outside I nearly kicked the performing arts door to get inside. Why was it so cold? It was supposed to be mild and temperate in California in winter, not minus whatever it was today!
I went straight to the music room Billie liked to call the snug and practically ran for the radiator above the sofa. I sat down on it and acknowledged it was really hot before even saying hello to Billie.
“Cold out there?” he asked with a grin as he turned in his chair to look at me.
“Just a bit” I said, “And I’ve got to go back out for maths in a moment”
“You don’t have to, you could stay here with me” he said, “And listen to our songs”
“But Mr Carlson...” I said tailing off as he shrugged, I frowned, “... already has the wrong idea about my judgement, I might as well cement that”
Billie just grinned and as he did so I shot off the radiator because it became too hot for me to sit on any longer.
“Jess did that earlier” Billie commented while leaning back on his chair. I half laughed and then went to sit on his knee and I put my hands on his shoulder.
“Mmmm you’re all hot” he said nuzzling his face into my neck.
“Why thank you” I said with a giggle because he was tickling my neck. He picked me up so I was hanging around his neck but his hands were at my back and on my bum, he put me down on the sofa and pushed me backwards onto it.
“Aren’t you supposed to be doing music tech?” I breathed to him.
“Fuck music tech” he said before capturing my lips with his. We kissed for a little while before I put my hands on his chest and pushed slightly, he frowned down at me.
“Mike will actually kill you if you don’t get on with those songs” I said teasingly.
“Mike Shmike” he said leaning back down.
“You don’t mean that” I said putting my finger over his lips as he tried to kiss me again, “And absence makes the heart grow fonder”
“Scaaaarrrr” Billie whined as he sat up.
“Biiiillllliiiieee” I said mimicking him. He poked his tongue out at me but then he got up and sat down in the chair in front of one of the mixing desks before poking into his bag and getting out a tape of some sort. I didn’t really understand all this stuff so I was content to sit in the chair next to him and accept the head phones he passed to me. I put them on.
“How do I look?” I asked tilting my head backwards to pose.
“mmm” he said, “Music and hotness, I’m liking this”
I blushed. I had been better with blushes recently, but occasionally I still blushed deep crimson. It was so embarrassing in itself and often made me blush deeper still.
We spent the next hour listening to the songs, we listened to the song ‘1,000 hours’ and Billie fiddled with it. I was amazed by what him fiddling with the dials on the board could do to it, he then split the different parts back down into the original; guitar, drum and bass and then he messed with each one in turn.
The rest of school passed in a blur, I got yelled at by Mr Carlson for missing his maths lesson and he threatened to present me with a letter to take to my parents if I did it again. I quailed a little at this, I couldn’t risk my parents finding out about Billie Joe.
Then it was time for my dance lesson and tonight it was show dance with Miss Hickett. I was the only one who took this class, I used to do it back in England with Zach but there was no boy to haul me up and down these days so I had to do it all on a crash mat and when I found a partner I would do it with him.
Billie was sat in his usual position in the corner when I entered the room. Miss Hickett had gotten used to him being there by now and tended to ignore him unless we were doing something that required the space in the corner, in which case she would ask him to move but most of the time that wasn’t the case.
Miss Hickett, Mandy as she liked me to call her was sat in the splits when I entered the room. She just patted the floor beside her and I sank down to the floor next to her into the splits as well, forwards, it was so much easier.
“Sideways!” Mandy said, “Front doesn’t stretch you enough.”
I made a face and got up again before sinking down into the splits that way. My trackie bottoms were big and baggy which was useful in this because they didn’t protest. Billie used to be amazed I could do the splits with such ease but now he merely looked content to lean against the wall as I stretched all my muscles to I was a supple as a jelly.
“Up!” Mandy said and I got to my feet.
“Today we’re concentrating on the double back flip into the lift in your routine” said Mandy.
“Whose doing my lift?” I asked.
“I will,” she said, “I can lift you easy I might not be able to do the one handed split lift but we can give it a go”
“I’ll get the crash mat,” I said, “Because this could be painful”
***
“Do it again” said Mandy. I sighed in her direction and nearly rolled my eyes.
“Come on, last time and then we’ll call it a day” she said, “You just need to straighten your body in the dolphin swing down and then we’re done”
“Aren’t you getting tired?” I asked her, “Hauling me about?”
“Very” she said, “But I’m used to it, once last time”
I rubbed my temples to focus slightly and then moved back to the do the move. Billie was watching me from the corner. The move I was doing required me to twirl across the room, do a front flip, my hands to catch hers in a cross and her to swing me up around her shoulders and then after a crucifix lift, swing back down to the floor. It was a difficult move and I had already done it about five times tonight and my calf muscles were hurting. We had taken away the crash mat before the last time because, as Mandy had pointed out, in a competition there wouldn’t be a crash mat. I had pointed out that I wouldn’t be doing the competition if I didn’t have a partner.
I started the twirl on my right foot and to get my balance I focused on Billie’s face as he watched me. I spun once and twisted my head around, I leapt into the front flip and landed it, I caught her hands and she swung me up around her shoulders so I was facing the other way to her, we completed the crucifix lift and she twisted me so I had my legs around her neck before moving to swing me back down.
What happened next sort of happened in slow motion. I felt her grab my hands to swing me down but my left hand slipped out of hers as I lost my balance and I fell sideways off her shoulders and crashed into the dance floor studio.
I felt sick.
That was the immediate reaction as I fell to the floor.
“Scarlett?!” I heard Mandy say.
“Scar?” that was Billie’s voice.
My shoulder hurt, I couldn’t move my fingers, I had landed on my side with my arm under me, I had knocked all my breath out and I couldn’t draw another breath in, I felt dizzy and I wretched a few times but wasn’t sick.
“Scar!”
“It hurts” I cried clutching my other hand to my shoulder, “My shoulder, it hurts”
Fat tears started to leak out from under my eyelids as I lay on my side on the floor of the studio.
“Scar, you going to have to roll over so I can see what you’ve done” said Mandy, “Billie, move out the way a second”
I felt her hands on my side and she tried to roll me, I made a strangled noise as she jolted my shoulder.
“Can you move your fingers?” she asked. I tried and I could and it didn’t hurt too much.
“You haven’t broken your arm then” said Mandy, “Can you move your shoulder”
I tried but started to sob afresh as it hurt, “I think I could, it just hurts too much at the moment”
“I think it’s just severe bruising” said Mandy, “Keep it steady for a while and it should be alright”
“Alright” I said.
“Doesn’t she need to go to the doctor?” asked Billie.
“I don’t think so” said Mandy, “It’s just bruised but if it stiffens too much tonight or the swelling is intensely painful you ought to go. Are you going home tonight?”
“No, I was going to a friends and then staying at Billie’s” I said.
“Well just be careful” said Mandy looking at us warily.
“I will be” I said picking myself up off the floor. My tear streaked face was itchy and I was still clutching my shoulder with my hand.
“I’ll be driving then” said Billie.
“Alright, be careful with my new baby” I said to him as he picked up my gym bag for me.
“Well when it’s got my baby on board of course I’m going to be careful” he said kissing me softly on the temple being careful not touch my shoulder which had taken to throbbing painfully.
We got to the car with some amusement and we decided we weren’t gonna go down to Tre’s because I still felt sick and didn’t particularly feel up to it.
“We’ll take a look at it when we get back to my place” said Billie.
“Yes Doctor” I half sobbed-laughed as we backed out of the now empty school parking lot, “Whose in?”
“Just Daniel” said Billie through gritted teeth.
This was the first night I had stayed over at Billie, nothing was going to happen but I was little apprehensive as to how his step dad would take to me sleeping over. Then I thought that he was probably used to girls sleeping with Billie, not that he paid much attention to his step-son. Mum thought I was staying at “Wilhelmina’s” we figuratively I was and now that Billie’s mum Ollie was in on the secret, she had been able to talk to my mum to reassure her.
We reached Billie’s house and he carried my bag in and down to the basement. I couldn’t move my shoulder without a white hot bolt of pain shooting up my arm and making me wince or making a sob noise in pain.
“Here” said Billie making me sit on the bed, “I’ll take a look at it?”
I merely nodded, my hand was still clutched to my shoulder and it was throbbing.
“Scar,” he smiled, “You’re gonna have to take your hand away so I can take your top off”
In any other situation I would have accused him of trying to a get look at my boobs but I didn’t care at this moment as he moved my hand away from my shoulder and slowly edged my top over my shoulder with me crying out as his fingers lightly brushed it. Even the soft material of the airtex touching it made me whimper.
“Shit Scar, that is gonna be nasty in the morning” Billie said to me as he looked at my shoulder critically. I looked down at it and all I could see was the swelling.
“Nice” I commented, “It just aches”
“Aw Baby” said Billie shifting closer to me, “I’ll kiss it better”
I smiled at him and told him to come sit around the other side of me so that he wouldn’t hurt me shoulder. He complied happily. I wonder why...