Alrighty then, here's the update i promised would be coming quickly. Guess it wasn't quite as soon as i planned, but pretty quick anyway.
Enjoy and please review...
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Visits
If this is a test
I'm losing my shit
'The Test' by The Academy Is…
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Billy stood against the wall in the long line of people. Not much was going on, some people talked quietly, bust mostly everyone was just anxiously waiting. He wouldn't categorize himself as anxious, though he was starting to crave a cigarette; too bad there was no smoking in there. It's just that he didn't like being there, didn't like how many cops were around; most of them were eying him because, well, he was just infamous like that with law enforcement.
He didn't let it show, though, just lounged there waiting his turn like everyone else. He'd been there to the prison to visit before, so he knew that the name 'Darley' on the visitation forms meant he'd be made to wait just so the guards could be jerk-offs for a while. So plenty of people came and went ahead of him before he finally got his half hour.
"Can't take the coat; leave it here," the guard who had to check his ID informed him.
He shrugged it off and handed it over to be kept at the desk; he was sure the pockets would be searched.
"Got anything sharp on you, Darley? Anything you might start trouble with?"
"Nah, that'd be against the rules," he told them coolly.
"Uh-huh; forgive us if we wanna be sure. Hands on the desk"
He rolled his eyes but complied, splaying his hands on the desk as he was instructed; after all, he wanted to see Joe and he knew they could easily reject his visitation for a number of reasons. He wore a plain, black long-sleeve shirt and ordinary jeans -- nothing against the rules. His name was against the rules, though, so the treatment was really no surprise.
The pat-down began at his shoulders and down his arms to check his sleeves, down his back and sides, and then down to his pants. Hips, thighs, up into his crotch before skipping down his legs. A little violating, but otherwise quick and painless.
"Thirty minutes," the officer grumbled.
Billy smirked at his barely-disguised disappointment; he probably longed for a reason to kick Billy out on his ass. But Billy wasn't stupid; he knew their rules and he wanted in, so he was getting in.
'In' was access to a square room lined with windows. He took his seat where directed in a stiff chair at a small metal table. Other similar tables scattered the room and a number of guards dotted the walls. He sat forward, forearms on the edge of the table, and waited for his brother to be brought in.
Joe was only 19 when he'd been locked up and Billy wasn't sure whether prison made him younger or older; he'd lost some weight making him look scrawnier than before, but he also had a weathered look about him. As Joe headed over in his drab orange get-up, Billy looked him up and down for injury but didn't see anything noteworthy. His little brother sat down and flashed him a smile; it was actually genuine, which served to reassure Billy some that he wasn't getting it too hard.
When Joe went away Billy had worried, unsure if his namesake would keep him a little safer or give him more trouble. In letters Joe assured him he's fallen-in with a couple guys who owed Billy favors, so at least somebody had his back. Joe really was something else, smiling in a place like this….maybe Bodie was right, and he didn't belong in this life. The thing was, even if he didn't, Billy knew Joe wanted it, and now he'd killed so he was in if he still wanted it.
"How's slam treatin' ya?" Billy nodded once Joe was settled in his chair.
"Ah, ya know…three square meals and it made me kick my smoking habit," Joe shrugged; same answer as always.
"Cut that shit out. You okay?" Billy raised a serious eyebrow; he'd only consider Joe's "friends'" debts paid in full if his brother made it his full sentence relatively unscathed.
"I'm as good as I can be…little stir-crazy now and then is all," Joe shrugged.
"You just keep your head on straight…still behavin' so you can get books from the library?"
"Yeah, that passes time," Joe affirmed.
Billy nodded. That was good; it was a habit he, himself, had picked up in his handful of short stints in lock-up. He was no scholar but, when there were no other options, escaping in a book was therapeutic now and then.
"Shit here's boring; what's going on outside?"
"Same shit, different day. Running errands, keepin' on top of the boys"
"Aw, c'mon, nothing exciting? Who're you fighting, who're you fuckin'…give me somethin', man."
"Ya wanna perv on my sex stories?" Billy smirked.
"I don't give a shit; I want stories, man," Joe pressed, ignoring the jibe.
Billy thought over the past month, deciding what was noteworthy that he hadn't already told Joe about. He wanted to give Joe something to take his mind of orange jumpsuits, metal bars, and prison guards, but nothing really out of the ordinary had happened. Well, that wasn't completely true…
"Great. Now you're figuring out how to lie to me?"
Billy snapped his attention back to Joe and frowned.
"Ya itch above your ear when you're not tellin' the whole truth; you know that I know. Spill it."
"It ain't what you're thinkin'; nothin' big," Billy rolled his eyes. "…fine, it's some chick."
"Sounds interesting already," Joe smirked.
"Don't get a hard-on…it ain't like that"
Joe rose an eyebrow high for that comment; since when did his brother have stories involving a girl that wasn't "like that"?
"She's….I dunno. She's somethin', I guess…"
The amused, slightly awed, look on Joe's face told him he shouldn't have started the conversation.
"So…are you, uh, tryin' to say you like this broad? Like…but aren't hookin' up with? Fuck me; have you gotten in a relationship since I been gone?" he grinned slowly.
"Shut up; that's not what I'm saying," Billy snapped. "No I don't 'like' her…I don't even know her."
"So are you stalkin' her?" Joe teased.
"Fuck you. There's just something' about her. First it was….well, never mind," he decided not to tell him about the whole stabbing thing. "She's some well-off girl, other side of the tracks, ya know? I've seen her 'round, talked to her once, then she figured out who I am and didn't go runnin' the other way….ya know what, forget it. I don't even know what I'm talkin' about."
"Well, are you gonna keep "seein' her around" or what?"
"Haven't decided yet," Billy shrugged carelessly; he was ready for this line of conversation to be over.
"Must be nice to be carefree about pursuin' girls and shit," Joe muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Look, I just don't know, alright? Give me a break"
"Yeah, yeah….is she at least hot?"
"Yeah, she's got a hot little body," he smirked, continuing when Joe grinned. "Nice little ass--"
"You would notice that," Joe chuckled, as Billy was an "ass-man".
"And her voice is kindda raspy or somethin'… Sexy as fuck."
"So you are gonna see her around again, that's what you're sayin'," Joe decided.
"Hell if I know…she's just different."
"What's wrong with that," Joe shrugged.
Billy pondered that. Joe, of course, would see it that way; he'd always dated whoever he wanted, paying little head to socioeconomic status. Billy just never went there, never bothered with privileged chicks who thought they were entitled to something. Besides, the last thing he needed was some bitch nagging at him about drugs and guns and fights -- he didn't need a mom.
"I mean…haven't you ever wanted a relationship?"
Joe and his relationships. They weren't necessarily all long-lasting, but they were relationships nonetheless, exclusive and all that. Billy wasn't sure if the kid had ever even had a one night stand…maybe they weren't brothers; Billy had had fuck-buddies, but commitment any further than that just wasn't something he'd ever done.
"With some stuck up bitch? No," he hedged.
"Kindda nice, a chick actually carin'"
"Damn…I knew you'd have mommy-issues some day," Billy muttered.
He really wanted a smoke.
"Fuck you. Bodie has had girlfriends," Joe defended himself.
That was true; Bodie was even living with his girl, Angela, and had been for a few months now.
"Why are we talkin' about girlfriends?" Billy frowned.
"This girl obviously isn't someone you can fuck-and-toss, or you wouldda done that already. Do you know her name?" "Natalie"
"See? You're already a step ahead; ya don't even know the names of some of the girls who hang on you at the bar"
"You're a shit, ya know that?"
"Whatever. I'm gonna find this girl when I'm outta here, and I'll hook up with her," Joe decided.
They sat there quietly for a few minutes and Billy finally sighed and leaned forward.
"I just can't get her outta my head…she's interesting," Billy frowned over at the wall, as if the wall were the source of his problems.
"And here you tried to tell me nothing was happening…fuck, I wanna get outta here. I gotta meet this chick…ya better write me and tell me about her."
Billy rolled his eyes.
"You're like a fuckin' girl looking for gossip"
"Ain't much else around here," Joe shrugged.
Billy nodded slowly, regretting the comment. Of course Joe wanted any news from the outside, especially anything that had to do with Billy. The kid had always looked up to him, for unexplainable reasons, so of course he'd want to keep up with whatever was going on.
"Right…I'll keep you updated," Billy promised dryly.
"So how're the boys?"
They talked about the guys for a while; now that he had Natalie off his mind for a bit, he could actually think of things worth telling, like Heco's trip down the stairs.
"Okay, wrap it up. Say your good-byes," one of the guards announced.
Joey was visibly disappointed and Billy felt the same.
"Alright…keep your head down"
"Right"
"You're could be lookin' at early parole as long as ya keep in line"
"Yeah…thanks for comin' man," Joe nodded, rising from his seat.
"You're my brother; of course I'd come," Billy told him sternly, reaching across the table to grab the back of his neck and pull him forward so their foreheads touched. "Ya just take care of yourself."
Joe nodded and Billy clapped his shoulder before straightening up. That was the end of that.
Billy walked out of the room and back down the hall to the visitor's entrance, grabbing his coat with a cocky grin specially for the desk-jockey.
Once he was back to the city, he continued to drive around as he decided where to go and what to do. He'd given Bodie the reigns for the day, unsure how long it would take to get in to see Joe, and Bodie was actually someone he trusted so he counted on him to keep business running for the day. So when he ended up out in an area he certainly did not live in, he wondered how surprised he was that he'd decided on the action.
It wasn't hard to find the address; after all, he knew the owners name was Chris Shepherd and judges were well-known and easy to find information on, anyway. He did a drive by of the house and was supremely lucky to see an open but empty garage and the only car in the drive was the white one that he's seen Natalie drive away from the park. He parked a few blocks away and, since it was getting dark, walked without real worry of being noticed and cut through some backyards.
Talking about Natalie, actually verbalizing some of this thoughts on the topic of her, made her much more real. Plus, Joe just had to go and be Joe and not truly make fun of him in any way; now he felt encouraged to drop in on her.
He trotted across the evenly cut grass of her back yard and actually caught a glimpse of her through the back kitchen window. He had a feeling she wouldn't be all too pleased with this, and the thought didn't stop him. He made it to her stone patio, with it's clean outdoor furniture, and knocked on the back sliding-glass door. He knocked a second time so she could figure out where the noise was coming from, and looked around, pleased none of the neighbors were out. He heard movement and knocked a third time.
The look on her face when she saw him standing there casually, as if they rendezvoused every day, was about as surprised as he'd imagined it would be. She just stood there, frozen, jaw a little slack and eyebrows raised. He knocked again, slowly for emphasis, with the back of his knuckle, and then pointed down at the lock.
Natalie blinked slowly, sure that this just couldn't be happening. What was he doing there? And why was he just pointed at the lock like she was going to just let him in like it was no big deal. She couldn't just let him waltz into her house.
Well…she could. She was home alone so its not like her parents were there to freak out. Wait, no; she was home alone and that should be a reason not to let him in. Except the idea of it pissing her dad off was very interesting at the moment, because they'd just been arguing before he and her mom went off to a friend's for dinner. She'd been invited but declined because she didn't really like the Hunts, which got her dad started on how she didn't have enough of the "right friends" now that she'd gone away to college and away from her local friends. Not that he "had anything against the inner-city" but she should be making more of the "right kinds of contacts and connections" and should "take advantage of the opportunities his status in the community provided."
That didn't change the fact that the Hunts annoyed her so she still declined, which just bugged him.
Now, here she was, staring at a gang lord on the other side of her door. Great night.
He wasn't taking her hesitation as an invitation to leave and, for reasons she hadn't completely thought through, she edged forward and slowly unlocked the door and nudged it open.
"What?" she asked quickly, arms cross in front of her chest as if she thought she could intimidate him or something.
"Ya always leave guests out in the could?" he asked, smirking.
He let himself in despite the fact that she'd purposefully left little room to do so, which resulted in him brushing against her. She quickly took a step back.
"Guests usually use the front door"
"Details," he waved his hand carelessly at her observation.
As he dismissed her latest piece of logic, he looked around the clean kitchen. It was a large house, though not really the mini-mansion he'd created in his mind's eye; it was nice but not excessive for the size of the family.
Natalie was still watching him, arms crossed to show her displeasure with the situation….or at least discomfort. It was heard to tell if she was actually mad given that she wasn't yelling or trying to make him leave…maybe she jus knew she couldn't'. Why had she even let him in?
Natalie had no idea what she was thinking, or what to do next now that she'd stupidly let him in. What if someone had seen him? He would certainly stick-out in her neighborhood, so he'd definitely rouse suspicion. Worse yet, what if someone had seen him and recognized him?
"What do you want?" she finally broke the quiet.
"You're pretty paranoid…always thinking I want somethin'…" he pointed out, taking a seat on a stool at the kitchen island.
"Well why else would you be here?"
He shrugged and pulled out his pack of cigarettes.
"Uh, don't smoke in here…please," she added, since offending a gang member wasn't on her list of things to do.
Billy sighed deeply but shoved the pack into his pocket and out of sight nonetheless.
"So what stuck ya here all alone?" Billy asked, looking around some more to really take in the room, un-phased by the circumstances -- it may be her house, but he knew he had control in the situation.
"…my parents are out with friends; I was just going to make something for dinner… … do you want anything?"
Her mom had always taught her to be hospitable. She wasn't sure if that etiquette was supposed to extend to making a street thug feel welcome, but he was there and she was hungry. In that moment, she told herself to treat him normally.
Billy rose an eyebrow at this in genuine surprise.
"…yeah, if you're offerin'."
Natalie nodded slowly and began to look through the kitchen for something easy to make. What did drug dealers like to eat…?'
She smiled at that a little and reminded herself that he was a human person and therefore probably liked to eat whatever most people liked to eat. Pizza seemed safe so she took one from the freezer and put it in the oven, willing it to cook fast. Then, instead of taking a real seat, she sat on the counter just to give them some space since she still didn't know what to think.
"Can I ask you something?" she finally spoke-up again after a few long minutes of them just sitting and studying each other.
"Ya gonna ask 'what I want?' again?"
"Not right now," she shook her head, through she wasn't done wondering that. "Why'd you stop in my hospital room that one night?"
Billy exhale heavily through his nose and rolled his eyes; she really didn't know how to lay-off the big questions.
"I dunno," he shrugged -- it wasn't exactly a lie.
"…I don't believe that" Billy frowned over at her.
"Well believe it -- it didn't make sense to me either."
"What didn't make sense?"
He frowned at her some more and Natalie wanted to shrink away under his look, but forced herself to think of him like he was just another everyday person, not some gun-totting hardass. Wait -- did he have a gun?
"My brother was stabbed a while back. Ya made me think of that --- I dunno why," he finally spat out.
"Oh"
"Yeah. Oh"
"…is he okay?"
"Uh-huh," Billy nodded, running a large hand over his unshaven chin.
"That's good…"
He seemed a little more human to her now; he had a brother, like she had a brother.
"Do you have a gun?" she asked her previous thought without thinking it through.
"Yeah," he smirked, letting a small snort escape. "Why? Ya wanna see?"
"No," she answered quickly, kicking herself and blushing slightly.
"Figured. Now, let me ask you somethin'… … the hell ya thinkin' lettin' me in here?" he questioned, narrowing his eyes in her direction.
"I guess I wasn't really thinking… …I don't know why -- you haven't caused trouble or anything, so…I can give you a chance," she replied slowly.
Billy didn't look too convinced with the answer; after all, it was rare that someone not have an agenda. But, then, neither did he, really…this was so abnormal.
Natalie was highly unsure of her answer, thinking maybe it sounded accusing or something, but he didn't comment on it, just gave a short nod after thinking on it for a minute.
"My turn. Why'd you come here? Or to my school?"
"Cuz I can," he shrugged. "And this ain't Twenty-Questions."
"Right," Natalie nodded, though she had many questions jumping around in her head that wanted to be asked.
The situation didn't have Billy nearly as wound-up as Natalie. He was confident there despite never being there before, and the silence that now fell didn't unnerve him.
"How'd you find out where I live, anyway?"
"Phone book and the internet. Ain't rocket science, college kid," he ribbed.
She blushed a little again.
"So no big deal? It's okay with you if I look you up and show up like this?" she asked, half joking.
"…sweetie, you don't wanna go wanderin' down my street alone at night," he smirked in a predatory sort of way. "Anyway, I'm unlisted."
Natalie really had no doubt she wouldn't want to be in his neighborhood alone at night…or maybe ever.
"So what's the name of that friend of yours…that leggy chick?"
"…why?" Natalie asked suspiciously, not wanting to get her wrapped up in this…whatever "this" happened to be.
"She lives in the same building as one of my boys," he shrugged.
"Oh. Her name's Paige," she supplied, still a little hesitant.
Billy filed that information away for any use it might be in the future. What kind of use? Well, he wasn't sure; he was just pleased that he'd placed where the tall, dark girl had looked familiar from. Baggy, apparently, had been eyeing her for a while; she looked a little exotic and Baggy was into it. Personally, Billy was finding he could go for the hottie-next-door look Natalie had going on, so he didn't particularly mind the short cloth shorts she was wearing at the moment.
Natalie wasn't exactly calm enough to fully appreciate what Billy's looks had to offer, but, like at the music store, she was once again looking over his size. Tall and relatively broad…not to mention he held himself confidently and embraced his size, which made him seem more formidable. Were she looking at him for more aesthetic reasons, she might've noticed that his piercing blue eyes could be quite mesmerizing, or that his face (when he wasn't glaring around) was quite attractive with its sloping angles, or might've considered more giddily that his size suggested a muscled physique, especially when considering his rough lifestyle.
But her thoughts were more along the lines of wondering how long he planned to stay. And, maybe more importantly, what they were going to do in the meantime. She was thankful she'd been getting ready to eat, which gave her something to take care of and something for them to do.
She could see that Billy seemed comfortable with the quiet, so she tried to be, too.
Shortly, the timer on the oven went off and she slid off the counter, content to be distracted with something. He remained quiet on the stool where he sat while she retrieved the food from the oven and began cutting it for them. She glanced over her shoulder and caught his eye before turning away quickly. When she looked again he was still staring. Staring and waiting.
"Well help yourself," she ushered him.
As the host she wouldn't have minded getting a plate filled for him but she wanted him to move, to do something other than just sit and watch.
She didn't turn to watch him get up but she heard the stool slide against the tile and then his booted feet carry him around the counter. Without looking up, she handed him a plate and went to the refrigerator to grab pop cans for them while he served himself.
They ended up seated side by side at the counter, eating quietly. It unnerved her slightly because she wondered what he was thinking, what he thought of the situation.
He must've felt less awkward about the situation since he got up after finishing and drifted towards the living room. Natalie watched and waited a moment before slidding off her stool to sort-of follow behind to see just what he thought he was up to. She found him merely giving the place a slow once-over. He spotted some of her school work sitting on the footstool in front of the couch she'd previously been occupying. He thumbed her sociology text book with a frown, completely disinterested.
"Looks like quite the evening you've got goin' here…" he commented dryly.
"It's just another night; I have class tomorrow," Natalie shrugged.
"Homework…" he shook his head with what she deemed to be a mocking grin. "Guess I'll leave ya to it; I've got shit t' do…"
"Right…"
Billy made for the back door again to slip out quietly the way he'd come in.
"Ya hole-up at home every night? Even weekends?" he checked, stopping just as he slid open the door.
"No," she shook her head, crossing her arms and standing back in the kitchen; she wasn't totally ready to relax and let her guard down until he was really gone.
"Good…come out with me and my boys Friday….The Four Roses. Your tall friend will know it."
"Why don't you come to a party with me and my friends?" she challenged, unsure what to make of the invitatino in the first place.
"To some frat party?" he scoffed. "Fuck that."
"Well going to a bar with some strange men doesn't seem so smart…"
"Girls," he shook his head. "I'll see you," he told her confidently with a nod before finally leaving.
Natalie stood there with a frown. What was he even supposed to mean by that? He probably thought she'd be coming by this bar but she wasn't having it. Nope, she wasn't going; it wasn't smart and it definitely wasn't her idea of fun to go out with strange men to drink. Especially when she knew who Billy was…she knew who his friends must be, or at least what they should be like.
Billy was seriously delusional if he was expecting her. What was with him showing up like that and expecting her to go out with him and his guys…..stupid. Confused and exasperated, she made sure to lock the doors. Just in case. She locked the windows, too, just for good measure.