CHAPTER 3 – MISS AMERICANA AND THE HEARTBREAK PRINCE
~Soundtrack: Taylor Swift – Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince~
Two weeks passed.
Two more weeks of school went by, and the more summer closed in, the more everyone at Hawkins High grew more and more restless. Posters and posters showed up overnight all over the high school walls about the incoming prom, and hundreds of flyers got spread around to seniors about college options. It smelled like new beginnings and happiness. And Billy Hargrove hated it with the power of a thousand suns.
Besides, this entire prom thing was the biggest bullshit Billy had ever seen, with girls going out of their way to hint at him to ask them to it, even his "friends", or what was better put as the group of people he'd chosen to tolerate during high school so he could have better access to parties and women, were asking him if he was going to the stupid prom. Like he had nothing better to fucking do.
So clearly, the past two weeks had been bullshit.
And as if to add to the crappiness, Billy hadn't seen Penelope in two weeks. Not at school, not in the neighborhood, not in the backseat of his car either. It was as if she had just vanished. Which annoyed Billy more than it should have probably, but he didn't want to think about that. Though, after all, where could she have disappeared for so long? He wondered how much she wanted to avoid him if for two weeks he hadn't even caught a glimpse of her in spite the fact that they went to the same school and lived in the same neighborhood.
For two weeks, whether it was involuntarily or on purpose, Billy kept scanning the school hallways for her, or the front porch of her house, and that annoyed him more than anything else. Why did he give a crap's ass if she'd disappeared? The earth could gave swallowed her whole for all he cared. Plenty of bitches in the sea, like he'd told Harrington. And plenty of bitches that wanted him when Penelope Skye clearly didn't.
So Billy let whatever girl wanted to cling to his arm and bat their eyelashes as him do so, as long as the night ended with the two of them in the backseat of his car.
But today was just not sitting well with him. He walked around the hallway, itching to go out for a cigarette but unable to, because in 10 minutes he was supposed to be in calculus class. Fucking calculus. And to add on top of that, he had to go to this stupid class with stupid Tommy H and his group of stupid friends.
It wasn't that he hated the dude. It wasn't that he liked him either. He used him most of the time, either to go to the parties he wanted and initially, to outdo Steve Harrington in terms of popularity. It gained him to keep that asshole around, but in days like today, when all he could do is complain about some issue he had with Carol that Billy didn't give two shits about, all he wanted to do was just smash Tommy's face in.
Still, he let Tommy walk with him to class, and when Billy stopped in front of his locker, he completely tuned out whatever problem with his bitch he was complaining about.
He closed his locker, sighed, thinking about how shitty the rest of his day was going to be, and when he turned around, that's when he saw it.
That's when he saw her.
Penelope Skye came right through the front doors of Hawkins High, wind still catching in her wild brown locks, and as soon as Billy saw her walking down the hallway, he completely lost track of whatever he was thinking about. Because Jesus Christ, did she look amazing.
She wore a black, casual dress that went just a little past her knees, a blue denim jacket over it, and dark, see through stockings, and it was maybe the simplest outfit, but it drove Billy crazy seeing her. Just the way he could still see that pretty little body underneath that jacket, and the way the stockings made her legs look…
He could not tear his eyes away, in spite of the fact that he was aware of how intensely he was staring.
Even her hair, Billy noticed, which was unusual because that would be one of the last fucking things he would notice about a girl, it was caught in an almost messy, one sided braid, with some wild strands hanging loose on the side of her face.
She was putting whatever the other girls of Hawkins had to offer to shame.
And he was so caught up in seeing her looking so damn head-spinning gorgeous after two weeks of radio silence, that for a second, he even forgot he was supposed to be mad, supposed to ignore her. But holy shit, he could not stop staring.
Even as she kept walking towards him. And then, even as she passed by him, without a glance in his direction.
And as much of a pretty view she was from behind as well, Billy could feel that anger returning. This girl was just unbelievable. She had not even looked at him. Two weeks where he hadn't seen her at all, two weeks since he'd found her sleeping in the backseat of his car, and two weeks since she'd wrecked his mind with that short lived flirting, only to refuse him again and walk away afterwards. Now he was not even worth a glance?
"Look at that," Billy startled all of a sudden when he heard Tommy's voice from behind him and felt his hand clap him on the back. "The bad girl and the heartbreaker of Hawkins High. You got your eyes on the prize there, Hargrove?"
Billy tore his eyes from Penelope with a sigh and turned around to face Tommy, who was still looking at her as she went.
"Pretty nice piece of ass, huh?"
And for another reason Billy couldn't explain, he wanted to punch Tommy right there and then.
"She's alright," he muttered under his breath instead, going back to his locker and grabbing his new pack of cigarettes from there for later. Oh, he'd definitely need one.
"Alright? C'mon, man, the way you were looking at her, I could just tell you'd hit that," he nudged him, as if expecting some sort of equally degrading comeback back. And normally, Billy would've said something just along those lines, too. Normally.
"I mean, we've all been there," Tommy said eventually, when he saw that he wasn't getting much of Billy. "Good, ol' Penny, the hot rebel we all tried to take a swing at some point. Can't blame you, everyone wanted a piece of that pussy."
He clenched his jaw and made a fist, almost ready to take a swing himself at Tommy's face. He'd just picked the wrong day for this bullshit, and Billy was confused enough as it was wondering why all of this was getting him so angry. But he imagined any one of Tommy's douches friends or worse, Tommy himself, trying to hit on Penelope, and found his blood boiling.
"I don't care, Tommy." His tone was just cold-blooded.
"Piece of advice though, Hargrove," Tommy ignored him and kept talking, sneering like a fucking pervert now. "Do yourself a favor and stay away from her. She's bad news."
Now that was catching his attention.
He scoffed, trying to sound casual. "Yeah, right."
"No, I mean it. She's as crazy as she's hot. Hitting on her is like a kick in the balls for your ego. Carter Holland tried hitting on her once and he told us all about how she flirted back, even took his number on a piece of paper and then tore it in front of him and walked away. And Holland is a fucking quarterback."
Billy tried to suppress a laugh. Yeah, he could see Penelope doing something like that.
"That doesn't really make her crazy, Tommy."
"Man, I'm telling you. If everyone didn't know she dated Matt from Biology last year, I'd say she's gay. But even after the breakup Matty said she's one crazy bitch. He said she keyed his car when they broke up."
"Well clearly, she hasn't had good dick yet." Billy tried to casually smirk and play cool, in spite of the fact that he knew how wrong that was.
To that, Tommy gave a whole hearted laugh and patted him on the back again. "Still, I'd stay away if I were you, Hargrove."
And to his surprise, Billy had to agree. He wanted to stay away now, and it wasn't because any of the bullshit Tommy had said, whether it was true or not. But there were as many refusals as a guy like him could handle. He was better off without her mind games and stupid mixed signals. No good looking chick was worth all that effort.
So, Billy decided as the bell rang and he headed over to his class, as far as he was concerned, Penelope Skye could go fuck herself from now on.
o-o-o
~Soundtrack: Evolsi - PRBLMS LYRICS (Female Version remix, 6LACK)~
Penelope threw her head back a little, closing her eyes as she exhaled the cloud of smoke and as the slight feeling of dizziness engulfed her and the sensation of burning filled her lungs. She took another deep drag almost as soon as she puffed out her first one, and thought that were few sounds that she enjoyed more than the sound of a burning cigarette. There was just something about it that calmed her down, holding the cigarette between her fingers casually, hearing it burn as she took a long drag that went all the way down her throat and into her lungs, and then letting it all out and watching the smoke dance around her. She figured she was not much of a nicotine addict as she was of the gesture in itself. But today, she just felt like wanted to burn her lungs out.
She'd finished classes after a long, useless day that she'd barely managed to sit through without skipping, and ended up to the conclusion that she shouldn't have come. Because as soon as she'd walked into Biology class, she saw him. Matt Wiezman.
God, she could not wait to get out of this high school and go somewhere else where she wouldn't run into an ex constantly.
And she tried to act normal and ignore the intense looks he gave her the entire class, tried to focus and pretend she wasn't noticing, and especially, tried to rush out of that class before he could talk to her. Because she knew he would try and talk to her. It was getting old by this point.
But Penelope should have known she had no such luck. As soon as she tried to slip out of that classroom, Matt ran after her and even went as far as to try to turn her around when she pretended she hadn't heard him.
Just seeing him reminded Penelope of why she was just not a relationship person. Sure, maybe the case with Matt had been an exclusive one, because he'd ended up being an asshole, but maybe it was time to admit she'd always hated commitment and what it implied. And high school boys had never been even remotely close to decent material, so why was she expected to even bother? They were immature, with a one track mind and who acted like everything was entitled to them, including her attention.
Case in point. Matt Wiezman.
She'd thrown him a look and he'd dropped his arm instantly, knowing damn well what happened if he pissed her off, but still hadn't stopped himself from telling her that he wanted to talk. It had been going on like this for months, with him bugging her and asking for a second chance, and with her running out of ways to tell him "no" that didn't involve violence. But lately, she was considering even that.
Even now, it didn't matter that she'd basically told him to fuck off. He'd still insisted that he would come looking for her after school, and that she should wait for him in the parking lot so they could talk. And Penelope would've told him where he could stick that conversation he wanted to have, had he not left abruptly without giving her a chance to reply.
She wondered for the hundredth time, why did guys have to be like that? He had told the entire school that she was the crazy one after the break up, spreading false rumors, but now here he was begging to be taken back, getting all in her space and on her nerves. She was ready to start throwing threats to prove him just how crazy she truly was.
But then, an idea had struck her, too. A stupid idea in all fairness, but lately she seemed to have only those kind. Matt, just like any entitled, misogynist kid his age, was never going to understand what a 'no' meant. But unfortunately for him and luckily for her, Penelope knew exactly just how to send a message. For the last time now.
So, after all of her classed ended, she made her way towards the parking lot and let her steps lead her to a certain blue Camaro she'd spotted. Crazy idea as it was, she knew it would work.
Now, she was leaning casually against it, with a half burned out cigarette between her lips and a bored mood, waiting for Billy Hargrove to come find her.
Truth was, Penelope didn't know why Billy was her first thought when thinking of a solution. Who knew, maybe going to him for help would make things even worse given that she knew all about his reputation of a ticking bomb. But it was just a reason she couldn't find for why she'd thought about him, especially after she'd decided to completely ignore him at school.
She had seen him this morning, seen the way he had looked at her as she'd walked in, and it had unnerved something in her. She didn't know if it was her head giving her some warning sign or just a bad stomach, but she'd decided in better judgment to ignore it, to ignore him. After all, that was what everyone who was friends with her had warned her. He was bad news, they said, and she wanted to ask, what high school boy wasn't? The only exception she knew about to that rule was Steve Harrington, and that was because he was her friend and she was biased. But even he wouldn't have made quite a fine choice either back before Nancy Wheeler.
But there was something about Billy that set him apart from every other drooling, overly horny teenage boy she'd crossed paths with, and she'd noticed it from the first time he'd hit on her. Like he was one shiny new toy that intrigued something in her, that didn't make her want to throw him in the same old and used pile. He was cocky and temperamental and definitely trouble, but she kept wanting to play this game with him whenever she had the chance. Maybe it was because getting someone like Billy Hargrove thrown off his game was for sure a pleasant sight, or maybe it was just because she was not blind and she could see how incredibly hot he was. Or maybe it was just because she wanted to see for how long he could take the heat without going up in flames.
But then, this strange sort of curiosity Penelope had about Billy intrigued her and scared her at the same time. She wasn't one to be intrigued, she was one to intrigue, and yes, maybe messing with Billy was fun most of the time, but she had to constantly remind herself not to take the game too far. She didn't need another complication.
She puffed out the last smoke of her cigarette as she saw the source of her thoughts heading right towards his car, and as he came closer and saw her, she could notice his expression changing.
But whether he was surprised or happy or annoyed to see her there, she couldn't tell. Because she was too busy being taken aback by seeing him up close again. There came that feeling again, she thought, the unnerving sensation in her body.
And as much as she wanted to, she couldn't help but admire the sight of Billy Hargrove walking towards her. Frankly, he looked far better than any guy at Hawkins High who thought running up some stairs counted as a work out. The white shirt he wore was unbuttoned almost halfway down, and it would have made Penelope roll her eyes usually, had she not been too busy checking him out and wondering about what a sight he would be if she would have been to rip the rest of those buttons off. Even that stupid necklace looked good on him, and she thought about how it would have felt to pull at it, to draw him closer. The next stop her eyes took were his jeans, and how they hung just a little tight around his thighs, sending Penelope's imagination even higher. And she didn't even want to think about that hair, how it would be to just run her hands through the curls and pull at them slightly and…
What was wrong with her, she stopped her contemplation to wonder. She didn't like him, she reminded herself. Billy was just another fucked up kid with enough messy issues of his own and an attitude to show for it, and she didn't want to make this into anything more than what it was: a game. Just a game where she toyed with him to prove to herself and even to him that she could have anything she wanted, all the while he would eat from her palm.
But then again, she hadn't lied with what she'd told him the last time. He was one waste of good looks indeed, but there was no denying those good looks.
So, Penelope put on what she knew was one of her playful smiles and threw her cigarette on the ground, ready for another round of playful banter.
What she wasn't ready for though, was Billy's reaction as he finally reached her and his car.
"Unless you plan on fucking me in the backseat, get the fuck off my car."
His tone was just flat cold, and even his expression seemed angry, so Penelope couldn't help but be taken aback at that outburst. She supposed she had it coming, on a second thought, given that a guy like Billy Hargrove wasn't used to refusals, and she'd given him plenty of those. Still, she wasn't gonna let her surprise show.
"Jeez, someone woke up cranky today."
"I'm not kidding, Penelope."
Penelope? She couldn't remember if he'd ever called her anything else other than "sweetheart" or some version of the same kind of lame pet name. He was definitely in a mood, but she made a challenge out of turning that around.
"Maybe I just came here to ask you to prom," she let one corner of her lips turn upwards, and threw him a mocking look, hoping he would take the bait and play along.
But he didn't. Instead, Billy sighed, took the keys out the pocket of his coat, and headed towards the driver's door. "Get off."
"Who twisted your panties up in a knot, Hargrove? Can't a girl just come here and chat?"
He closed the driver's door back abruptly, surprising Penelope again with the amplitude of his outburst. "I thought you made it pretty clear you don't wanna talk to me."
"I never said that."
"No, you're right, you said worse."
"Maybe I changed my mind."
For a few seconds, he just looked at her, with the same kind of mean, twisted expression she was not used to seeing on him. She didn't know why it bothered her that he acted like this, but it did. Yes, maybe she did deserve this sudden coldness after the mixed signals she'd pulled on him, but she didn't like it when her toys thought that they could decide when to stop playing. She was not done yet.
~Soundtrack: Tinashe – Boss~
Billy threw his keys back in his pocket and walked the distance between them, stopping right in front of her with the same cold expression. "After two weeks of radio silence, you changed your mind?"
She scoffed, finally understanding. "Is that what this is about? You're butt hurt I ignored you for two weeks?"
"Look, sweetheart," he said the last word differently now, making it sound bitter and sarcastic. She didn't like that either. "I'm not dumb. I know you're trying to play some game here, but I'm not biting this time. Go take that shit to someone who'll buy it, I'm sure you'll find plenty."
To her surprise, her lips parted slightly in surprise involuntarily. Whatever was into him, he was not kidding about it, and it dawned on Penelope that today wasn't the day for her to play all flirty and interested, she realized as he started to move away again. He was seeing right through it, so she had to play another card if she wanted her plan to work.
So, she decided against honeyed lies and settled on the truth.
"I need a ride," she blurted out all of a sudden while his back was still turned to her, and heard him give a humorless laugh.
He turned around. "That's rich."
"Okay, fine, I'm not playing anymore, I'm serious. I actually need a ride."
"And what the hell makes you think I'd give you one? Do I look like some kind of chauffeur to you?"
She exhaled a deep breath, resisting the urge to snap at him. "I'm trying to hide from someone."
That, finally, seemed to catch his attention because his eyebrow raised and he didn't look as pissed off. "Who?"
"My ex," she said with another sigh, rubbing with her hand over her forehead and feeling like a headache was about to build. "He saw me today and said he is going to come look for me after school, and I don't wanna deal with his bullshit right now."
"And what makes you think I wanna deal with yours?"
"Nothing," she yelled exasperatedly, getting so close to just dropping it and walking away. "I thought I could come and ask for a favor, but never mind I guess."
It was her turn to start walking away now, convinced that today was not the day to get anything out of Billy, when she felt his hand catch her wrist and stop her.
She turned around angrily.
"Okay so why do you need a ride away from him?" he asked, this time dropping his mean act and getting a strange look in his eyes that she couldn't quite place, but it made their blueness turn almost darker.
"Because he's an asshole," she replied finally. "Ever since I dumped him, all he does is just follow me around and nag me to talk, to give him some second chance, I don't know, but it doesn't matter how many times I keep saying no apparently. All I know is that I'm getting tired of his crap."
"Is that him over there?" he asked, looking at someone behind her, and surely enough when Penelope turned to look too, there was Matt, a few feet away and looking at them in the most murderous way. She tried to resist the urge to smirk when she turned around to face Billy again.
"Yes."
This time, Billy's expression just turned angry again, and Penelope half expected him to start yelling at her again and say this was none of his business. But that was not what he did.
"Then how about I go have a chat with that little asshole?" he said in an even angrier tone, shooting dagger's in Matt direction, and even went as far as to start walking towards him.
"No," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder to stop him and send him back to face her again. "Trust me, you'd just be causing more problems."
"Well what do you think a ride away from him is gonna do, Penelope? You said it yourself, guy can't take no for an answer, he should learn his lesson."
And that was exactly the opening Penelope was looking for to put her actual plan in motion.
"As satisfying as seeing that would be," she smirked up at him, put her hand on his chest and pushed him back slowly into the Camaro, enjoying his taken aback expression. "I have a better plan."
She saw him gulp visibly at the sudden turn of events, and mentally high-fived herself. She still had it.
"And what's that?" he whispered slowly, now looking down at her instead of over her shoulder at Matt, and Penelope wanted to laugh at how quickly they had gone from tension caused by anger to sexual tension.
"Well," she said and pushed him further onto the car until he was leaning on the hood, only to put the heel of her foot between his legs and push them slowly apart so she could place herself between them, all the while maintaining eye contact. "You're Billy Hargrove, everyone knows about your reputation," she used her hands as she kept speaking, with one still holding him pushed back against the car, and the other one running slowly up his almost exposed chest. "If someone were to, let's say, see me with you, they wouldn't dare make a move, would they?"
She stopped and bit her bottom lip while smiling, looking at him between lowered eyelashes and knowing she'd already won. Because the guy looked just completely lost.
And if she were honest with herself, this sudden closeness was taking its toll on her, too. She could smell his sharp cologne enough to notice again how distinctive it was, and was getting a better, full on view of his perfect pink lips. She would lie if she said she didn't find them so tempting right then.
"You're playing with fire here, sweetheart," Billy finally spoke, voice low and making that knot twist again in Penelope's stomach, as if it was warning her that she was getting too caught up in her own game.
Then, in spite of her better judgment, she reached over for the necklace she'd admired earlier and pulled lightly at it, bringing him even closer if that was possible.
"Call me an arsonist then," she whispered so close to his lips, and saw the glint of an idea shining in his ocean eyes, but too late to see it coming.
Because suddenly, Billy started playing into the game too, and his hands finally found her body, at first resting on her hips, and then venturing lower, until one hand reached her ass and then gripped.
And as much as she hated it, she couldn't help but let out a small, surprised gasp. The fucking bastard.
"Better give him a show then," he smirked down at her, clearly enjoying her expression and the way he'd taken advantage of the situation knowing damn well she couldn't protest or slap him.
And because he wasn't done, he took his other free hand to push her hair off her shoulder, exposing her neck, and leaned in unhurriedly to kiss the spot right above her pulse point slightly.
If she felt like she was too caught up in her own game before, now she was completely buried six feet under it. It took every ounce of power Penelope had not to lean into his touch and let out a soft moan, so instead she bit her lip against one again.
He really was a bastard, she thought, taking advantage of the situation like this. But he'd warned her, she had played with fire and hoped Billy wouldn't burst out after pouring gasoline on him. And as his breath still tickled her neck and her nails now dug slightly into his chest, she couldn't really bring herself to regret it. This was one of the hottest situations she'd ever been in, and he had barely even touched her, but she was too turned on right now to pay attention to the alarm bells ringing in her chest, confusing them for the thrill of the rush.
But then, Billy pulled back and spoke in her ear, breaking the spell. "Get in the car."
And almost like she'd been burnt, Penelope pulled back abruptly and realized what she had just done.
He smirked again at her, clearly with a turned around mood and a satisfaction with how things turned out, and she wondered how visibly it was that she was surprised by her own actions.
Had she lost her mind? This was supposed to be just her toying with him, and now she'd let him play along by his own rules. It was getting dangerous, she thought, and she didn't like not being in control for a change. Or getting side tracked and forgetting completely that this was supposed to be just as a sent message to Matt to make him jealous enough to back off.
But now she could still feel the heat in her whole body that he'd left there.
When he turned around with a grin still plastered on his face, and she moved to get in the passenger's seat, Penelope decided this had been stupid of her. Billy Hargrove was too unpredictable to play this kind of games with, and apparently so were her own reactions to him.
From now on, she decided as he drove away and she looked for one last time at Matt's angry expression, she was going to be more careful. She was going to keep her distance.
Or so she hoped.
o-o-o
~Soundtrack: Chase Atlantic – Meddle about~
Billy was on fire.
That was the only way he knew how to describe what was happening to him right now, like his insides were burning, set ablaze by Penelope.
He got in the car and started driving away, praying Penelope wasn't noticing the huge bulge in his pants, and also hoping that he would be able to drive the car with her in it without crashing them. He had a hard time gathering his thoughts after that moment in the parking lot, but once he did, he decided that must have been the hottest thing he had ever experienced. And it had been with clothes on and with just a few slight touches. But it was like he was still losing his head.
He turned on the AC in the car, not daring to look at her yet. How had she looked so composed, he wondered? The only sign she'd given had been that small gasp, and as insanely attractive he'd found that, her face remained just as unreadable afterwards, and even her breath sounded controlled while his was almost panting. The girl was a brick wall if she wasn't affected by that in the slightest.
This was so stupid, Billy thought. He had promised himself he would stay away from her, and at the first sight of her leaning against his Camaro, he'd known he was a lost cause. And he'd tried being angry and mean, tried to make her realize he meant business, but as soon she had mentioned that ex boyfriend, he had lost it. Just hearing about him had caught his attention, and then as soon as she'd started listing her issues with him, all he'd wanted to do was go over there and teach the guy a lesson for bothering Penelope. And he tried to tell himself it was because he had a problem with guys like him, who made a hobby out of being desperate and bothersome, but he felt like it was more than that. And he'd been too caught up in the moment to realize how dangerous that feeling of wanting to protect Penelope was.
He asked himself if he was pleased with how things had escalated, and found that he didn't have an answer. He felt like he had her now, like he'd gotten some reactions out of her, and it took everything he had not to pull over the side of the road and fuck her senseless. His skin was still burning where she'd touched him, he couldn't even imagine what feeling her entire body must have been like. But then, he had always made assumptions like this, and with Penelope they were always wrong. She always gave him something just to watch his face as she took it all away afterwards. He had a feeling this was exactly that.
So instead, he decided against doing anything right now. He let himself cool off before sneaking a glance in Penelope's direction, and found her looking out the window. He really wanted to know what the hell was going on in that crazy head of hers.
And because he couldn't ask that, he settled for the next best thing. "So, do you think he'll bother you again after that?"
She didn't say anything for a while, and resumed looking out the window, long enough that he wondered if she'd even heard him. But eventually, she spoke. "I'll handle him if he does."
Billy let out a huff. "Sounds like you were pretty capable of handling him on your own now, too, then."
From the corner of his eye, he saw her shrug and smile. "Maybe I just wanted a free ride home."
And almost on cue, Billy reached their neighborhood and pulled in his usual spot in front of the house. Without missing a heartbeat, Penelope got out of the car, with him following close by.
So because he knew she was going to go back into her house without another word, and he might not see her again for another two weeks, he decided he wanted to keep this little dance longer.
"What, no thank you?" he called after her. "C'mon, sweetheart, where's my reward for that incredible acting we just pulled off?"
She stopped again and looked at him over her shoulder with the same, unreadable expression. "I think you already got your reward."
He gave a short laugh, shoving his hands in the sides of his jacket leaning against the side of his car again. Just the memory of her body against his and his hand on her ass could drive him crazy again. "Fair enough, I can't argue there."
She seemed to study him for a few seconds, in that way she always did like she was calculating her next move again, and it would have been a lie for Billy to say his body didn't hum in anticipation at what she might do next.
But whatever she decided on, it seemed like it wasn't in his favor.
"Thanks for the ride," she said over her shoulder, before turning around and walking towards her house.
Billy watched her as she walked away, wondering once more why the hell he felt so affected by this situation. This was so uncharacteristic, letting a girl make such a mess out of him without even letting him touch her properly, and he wanted to be angry again at her but he couldn't.
Because it finally dawned on Billy as he lit up a cigarette, that he was willing to play whatever game Penelope was trying to pull on him, as long as he got a few drops of the whole waterfall she had to offer. She had him almost wrapped around her finger and it wasn't even upsetting him anymore.
He decided right then, whatever Penelope wanted to throw at him, he would take it. He would take whatever he could get.
"Anytime," he whispered as the sound of the door closing behind Penelope rang in the silent neighborhood.