Jason had no idea what Billy did. But whatever it was, it was bad.
His sister hadn't left her room for almost a week now. All she did was play sad old love songs and go to work. She was barely eating and their mother, who was somewhere between worried and ecstatic, cursed Billy's name for it. Jason heard his mother on the phone one day with his aunt. Bragging about how single Reese was now. How free she was of that despicable man.
Truthfully, Jason liked Billy. Billy wasn't the nicest looking person. But Jason could see what his sister saw in him. It was the Billy no one saw. The one who randomly drove past the play grounds Jason played in and left money for him to buy whatever he and his friends wanted.
The guy who drove him home without question if he asked. Someone he figured he could depend on. Just like his sister. But as Jason grew up he learned everyday not everyone was as they seemed. It was a weird lesson to learn at his age but it was true.
Jason only spoke to his sister to relay messages from his mother. Other than that she didn't really seem to have the energy to speak. They'd sit around for a few minutes and watch TV together but it never lasted long before she'd hide back in her room; most likely to cry.
And if there was one thing Jason hated it was to see the women he loved cry. Even girls at school. A boy without a father, learning to be the man of the house so early on developed such protective feelings over his mother and sister. All women. So after a week of hearing her sniffle and sigh Jason wanted answers.
The slight boy was tall for his age and not at all intimidating to anyone even a year older than him. But that didn't stop him from marching right up to Billy on his route home. Jason was with two of his friends; all living within blocks of each other. It was usually during this time at least once a week when Billy would be loitering outside the bodega stand not too far from their house. Today he was leaning against his car, black t-shirt on and jeans with his boots.
"Billy." Jason says cutting his conversation short with whoever was on his phone. Billy looks down at Jason. Just the person he wanted to see.
"I gotta call you back," Billy hangs up the phone and gives Jason his undivided attention. He notices two other little kids a few feet away. He'd let him know they were loyal enough to last, most other kids would have run home by now. No matter how close they were.
"Ayy," he greets the little boy. Assessing the way he glared at Billy and how his tiny fists clenched; the older man knew what he was being run up on about. The woman they both loved.
"What did you do to my sister you asshole?" Jason doesn't yell. He looks Billy right in the eyes and says what he says. It was trippy seeing this little boy behave exactly like his older sister. No fear.
Billy is taken aback, blinking at the boy until he could muster up something appropriate that wouldn't get him kicked in the nuts by a little boy he wouldn't dream of hurting.
"I fucked up." He answers truthfully.
"What the hell does that mean? If you put your hands on her I swear-"
Billy wants to laugh and ask what he'd do. But he decided to let the boy have this moment and simply interrupt his threat.
"I never put my hands on ya sister and I never will. It's…you wouldn't understand ya too young. But I did hurt her."
"Did you cheat on her?" he asks smartly. Jason watched "Cheaters" with his mom enough times to know exactly what he was talking about. And if his sister went through anything like those heartbroken women on the candid camera of "Cheaters" he'd have no choice but to avenge her.
"How old a'you?" Billy asks.
"Old enough to know only an asshole would cheat on my sister!" before he can even think to regret it Jason swings a hard fist into Billy's stomach. It was hard enough to make him flinch and block any more blows.
"You did it didn't you?!" he asks glaring at the older much larger man with so much disdain. Just like his sister. Billy felt just as shitty as he did when she left him. It had been a week and he was starting to wonder if he'd hear from her. He was sure the morning she left that they would make up in a day or two. But 7 days and he didn't hear a thing.
She wouldn't even talk to Tia about it. Through Joe, she was Billy's only source of knowledge and even she was clueless.
Billy sighs and nods, "Look. I know ya wanna punch me into the next decade kid. But that won't change anything."
"It would make my sister feel better though."
A light bulb blinks above Billy's head and he raises a brow at the suggestion. Kid had a point.
"You willin' t'help me out kid?"
"Why would I want to help you?"
"I'll let ya punch me in the face. I'll give you 20 bucks."
And this is how Billy Darley found himself in his mustang with three very prepubescent boys all taking turns wailing him in the face while he passed them each a 20 dollar bill to do so. Billy couldn't help but think that if they were together, Reese would find this hilarious.
When Billy's eye started to get red and swell the boys stopped. He drove Jason's two other friends home before taking Jason. When they were alone Billy looks at Jason who still had a slight smirk on his face from today's turn of events.
"How she doin'?"
Jason looks at Billy and sighs. He looks back at the street and shakes his head.
"She doesn't leave her room. She just goes to work. My mother's mad because she won't eat. She won't talk to anyone and all she does is cry all day."
Billy squeezes the wheel and gets a flash of her face again from the morning she left. He hurt her so bad she wouldn't even look him in the eye. That was the worst part. Normally she was the only one who looked him so deep in the eyes.
This is of course after she became comfortable with him. Able to hold a conversation or his gaze without blushing and nervously looking down. Even then her dark green eyes could knock him on his ass and make him weaker than he's ever felt in his life.
"I didn't mean t'hurt her. I know ya wanna knock my head off."
"My fist kinda hurts now from punchin' you. I'm ok." Jason admits.
Billy cracks a smile and shakes his head.
"Get inside before ya get ya'ass kicked by ya mom."
They were parked outside of Jason's apartment building. He looks at Billy before he puts his hand on the door.
"Maybe you should buy her some flowers or somethin'?"
"Flowers?" Billy asks sounding unpleased with the idea.
"I don't know." Jason shrugs, "I give girls at school flowers I pick from the street all the time. They love it."
Billy chuckles and nods, "I'll keep it in mind.."
Jason opens the door and lets himself out of the mustang. Just as he steps on the sidewalk the apartment building door opens. Reese is standing there looking worried. Probably about to go on a search for her brother.
Billy stares at her from his car for a moment before he decides to get out as well. Jason runs to his sister's arms and hugs her.
"He's really sorry," Jason says to her. She looks down at him not speaking or emoting at all for that matter.
She looks up to see Billy walking toward her from his car. She would have gone inside immediately if she didn't see the bruises on his face.
"Go inside Jason."
Jason does so, knowing she wasn't happy because she used his full name.
Jason gives Billy one last look before heading upstairs.
Billy doesn't move past the bottom step. He just stands there looking up at her, sorrow in his eyes.
"How are ya?" She never heard him sound so nervous. She stares at him for a very long good one before answering.
"What happened to your face?"
"Your brother tracked me down and kicked my ass." He says with a smirk.
"That's real fucking cute Billy," she spits. She hadn't spoken to Billy with that amount of dismay in a while.
"I sweah', he was pissed at me, said he knew I done somethin' t'hurt ya"
"And what you let him punch you in the face?"
Billy nods clutching the hand rail as he stared at her. God he missed her.
"Him and two of his friends." Billy admits.
Reese can't fight her smile. Her smile turns into a huge grin and then she's laughing. Billy feels like a hundred pounds lift from his shoulders watching her smile. She covers her mouth and looks up at the sky as the laughter dies down.
He takes a step closer to her but the moment he does she steps back. He's never felt such pain in his chest, watching her move away from him like that.
"Baby…" he laments
"Billy, leave me and my family alone. I told you it's over. Don't talk to my brother any more you have no fuckin' right to ask him anything about me. You can't do this."
"Ya fuckin' right, I can't fuckin' do this. I need ya back. I get it ok." He laughed nervously, rubbing his hand against his knee as he did.
"No you don't get it. And you don't need anyone."
"I need ya. I can't talk to anyone like you, I miss ya. Dammit I-…fuckin' I'm losin' my mind without ya."
"Did this cross your mind when you kissed her?" I ask.
"No. I wasn't thinkin' about the consequences because I never had to before now."
"You don't get to blame your infidelity on your inexperience. You knew what you did would hurt me."
He attempts to speak in his own defense then realizes he can't say anything.
"Just…give me anotha chance. I can make ya trust me again."
I stare at him for a long time. Just imagining the nights I'd spend alone in his bed. Wondering if jobs were actually jobs. Wondering if he's just out there making a fool of me. I can't even deal with imagining this scenario without tearing up. Living with it would be a whole other torture.
I'm shaking my head before I take further consideration for his feelings and do something dumb like forgive him.
"I have to go."
He remains stiff as a board when I go inside and close the front door behind me. When I get inside the apartment I lean against the door and sigh. Fighting back tears I go to the window in the living room where I could see his car. I expected to see him peel off and speed away but I find him sitting on the trunk of his car just staring up at me.
I move back instantly and gasp.
"The hell is he doing?" I look out the window again to see him still sitting there.
Jase joins me just because he's nosey. We stare down at Billy for a few seconds and he mutters.
"Wow. Dude's got it bad huh?"