A/N: Thank you guys again for the reviews! I appreciate the feedback and glad you guys are enjoying it so far! I hope I keep doing the story I'm trying to tell and the characters involved justice!


An hour and thirty minutes had passed as I continued to give Billy the silent treatment. He acted like it didn't faze him, but I knew deep down it was bothering him. Not necessarily because it was me, but because I think he was used to girls fawning over him. Mr. Haines checked on us roughly every thirty minutes. I had finished my homework and not sure what I was going to do with the last thirty minutes of this nightmare. I closed my textbooks and notebooks and started placing them into my backpack.

"Finished already?" I refused to even throw him a glance as he spoke to me again. "Oh come on Eli. You've got to be as bored as I am right now."

"You have no one to blame, but yourself for this." I responded to him and his eyes widened in surprise.

"She speaks." He smirked.

"Yes, and I told you before I started my homework, do not call me Eli." I replied.

"Friends call you Eli too?" He asked.

"No. No one has ever called me Eli before." To be honest, I just hated the way it made me feel when he called me that. I didn't need any kind of emotional feeling toward him. I wanted to finish these detentions and move on without having to talk to him again.

He raised his eyebrows and shrugged as he sat back in his seat. "So shall we get to know each other?"

"Excuse me?" I asked curiously.

"Well, I mean we have about half an hour left. You're done with your homework. You're clearly not ignoring me anymore. So why not?"

I stared at the clock and sighed. "I don't know."

"Very compelling argument, Eli."

"Will you stop with the Eli?" I argued.

"I like it so I think I will keep calling you it." I sighed and rolled my eyes at him and rested my head on the desk.

I heard his lighter flick open and smelled the smoke as he lit it and puffed it out.

"You should be nicer to your sister." I muttered into my arms.

"What did you say?" He asked with attitude and I looked up to see his face matched his tone. I hit a nerve.

"The red head. It's clear she is afraid of you. Pretty messed up man."

"Yeah and what would you know?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't honestly. I'm an only child, but still. Its basic concept to treat your family better. I doubt she has done anything to deserve it." I responded coolly to his rude tone.

"Yeah, well she's a little shit. She doesn't listen." He said as he exhaled smoke again.

I sighed deeply and dropped the conversation. It seemed pretty personal even if I didn't agree with how it seemed he treated her.

There was a solid awkward silence for awhile as he took multiple drags off of his cigarette. I stared at the clock hoping it would move faster. If only I could somehow will it to with my mind.

"Your friend... the blonde." He said before taking another drag of his cig. "She single?"

I knew he was instantly talking about Jess. A weird twinge of jealousy crept in and I quickly pushed it away. "Jess? She's not seeing anyone that I'm aware of."

"Jess..." He said softly and smirked as he blew out smoke again. "She going to this party tonight?"

"Tina's? How'd you hear about the party?" I asked looking at him slightly concerned.

Tina's party had been an every year thing since she grew boobs sophomore year and became popular. She had a giant house and her parents were always gone during Halloween. Parties were the one way for me to really be able to just enjoy myself and dance and forget about all my problems and school worries. The potential of Billy coming made me sick to my stomach. The last person I wanted to see me drunk was him. I was a "loose lips sink ships" kind of girl when drunk. Usually Jess would get me out of there before I embarrassed myself. With Billy there though? That could be a problem...

He raised an eyebrow to me. "Tina. I share third period with her. Gave me this fancy flyer and everything." He pulled the flyer out of his jean jacket pocket. "Sheet faced" He scoffed.

I chuckled along with him. It kind of was a horrible pun.

"Maybe I'll see if she wants me to pick her up..." He seemed to be talking to himself as he put out his cigarette on the desk.

"I'd rather you not ask her."

"Oh? There a problem with me asking her out?" He seemed to question as if he was testing my interest in him.

"No. No definitely not." My cheeks flushed and my ears burned up. "It's just that shes my ride. I'd really rather not ride with you. It's also been pretty chilly lately and walking doesn't seem ideal."

"Ms. Good girl parties?" He turned towards me rubbing his hand across his bottom lip and spoke in a shocked and intrigued tone. "I don't believe it..."

I rolled my eyes. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

"Well considering that you were about ready to cry over detention. I find it very hard to believe you'd do anything to risk that goody two shoes reputation."

"Well, we don't all have good looks and charms to weasel our way out of bad situations."

"So you think I'm good looking." He smirked with a tone of victory in his voice.

"That is not what I meant." I stuttered over my words." And I was not going to cry!" I snapped and he chuckled as he raised his hands up in mock defeat.

"Sure thing, princess." He spoke as he kept that cocky smirk on his face. "So when am I picking you up tonight then?"

"Um what?" I asked confused.

"When am I picking you up?" He inched closer to me as he spoke each word softly. He stopped close enough to my face that I hoped he didn't notice my breathing becoming more rapid and shallow.

"First you try to pick up my friend and now you're asking when you're picking me up?" I questioned and slightly stuttered.

"Come on babe. I'm just trying to get a rise out of you."

"Don't call me babe, Hargrove." I said angrily to him. He was surely getting the rise out of me that he wanted whether I liked it or not.

"It's pretty hot when you say my name angry and flustered." He whispered inching closer. I swallowed hard not realizing the amount of saliva that had built up. "Come on. Don't turn a man down twice."

"A man?"

"I can promise you that." He said with a smirk eyebrows flicking upward slightly. "Let me show you a good time."

The door opened and he backed off into his seat.

"You're dismissed. We'll see you both tomorrow." Mr. Haines said and walked back out.

I grabbed my backpack and headed to the door as fast as I could. Billy beat me to it and blocked the way out with his arm.

"I'll see you tonight. Can't wait to see that costume."

I crossed my arms tight around my body shielding it from his eyes. I suddenly wasn't feeling so confident about my costume. I glared at him slightly, but it didn't faze him. He kept that confident demeanor as he winked at me and walked out the door down the hall.


I leaned up against Jess's car as I waited for the tryouts to finish. I could've waited in the gym, but I didn't want to interrupt and potentially mess someone up.

Come on Jess. Where are you? I muttered to myself as I occasionally glanced over at Billy's car. It was a gorgeous car. My dad always had a thing about really nice cars. I didn't understand them like he did, but I understood the appreciation of them.

I heard Jess's laugh as the front school doors opened. I looked up and saw Billy walking out beside her with that confident strut and smirk.

Fuck fuck fuck I muttered under my breath, but I felt frozen in place.

He carried the boxes over to her car and put them in the backseat for her.

"Thanks Billy." She said in that super sweet tone she uses to wrap guys around her finger.

"Not a problem. Glad I bumped into you to help. So I'll see you there tonight?"

"Yeah for sure." She smiled.

"See ya, Eli." He said smugly and winked as he got into his car and let the engine roar. My face flushed again.

"Jess, what the fuck?" I asked her stunned as I got into the passenger seat.

"What Eli." She retorted as a huge smile filled her face.

"Don't even start with me. What was that about!?"

"We crossed paths and he saw me struggling with the boxes. Thanks by the way for the help." She added sarcastically.

"Sorry." I muttered.

"Anyways, we were talking and he asked about the party tonight and I told him we were going."

"And that was it?"

"No and then we had a quickie in the bathroom. Of course it was Liz what the hell is wrong with you?!" She asked. "You're being super weird."

"I am not..." I said and honestly I didn't really convince myself.

"I don't understand why you're so stand offish with him. Why don't you just give him a chance?"

"I know his type, Jess. I practically dated someone like him."

"Is that what this is about?" Jess asked concerned as she glanced away from the road momentarily to look at me. "He isn't Tommy okay?"

"How do you know?"

"I could ask you the same question..." She sighed as I looked out the window. "Look. I know he hurt you pretty bad okay? It was fucked up, but you can't be afraid to put yourself out there and you can't shut people out just because you think they fit into a certain mold."

"I literally saw Billy flirting with like 20 different girls every time I saw him in the halls and at lunch."

"Okay?" Jess chuckled. "Flirting isn't against the law. He is single. Shit, we did the same thing Sophomore and Junior year if I recall." I rolled my eyes. She wasn't wrong and infuriating as it was to admit.

"It's our senior year, Liz. Come on let's just live a little before we have to be adults okay?! Can we just go to Tina's party and just be stupid for one last time?!" She asked encouragingly. "... or more? We will see how the year goes." She added with a wink.

Maybe she was right. I had been so stressed and fearful from everything going on recently and in the past that I was building up a wall for myself. I was trying to protect myself and it was keeping me from just having fun and enjoying my last year of high school.

"Alright... Alright."

"Yes!" She exclaimed excited. "You gonna give Billy a chance?"

"Doubtful."

She rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head at me as she finished the drive to her house. It bothered me how much I let him get under my skin. He was so determined to get his way with me, but I don't think he knew how determined and stubborn I could be too...


A/N: Also forgot to mention, it will probably be hard for me to update on the weekends, so look for chapter updates during the week!