"Just hear me out!"

Vee crossed her arms, her eyebrows raised as she looked at me ready to hear. "Go on," she smiled slightly, a smirk tugging slightly on her lips. She tried to force it away, but it was noticeable.

I looked around the girls school bathroom, where I had dragged Vee in to explain myself in 'private', for anything that would give me a good excuse. But alas, of course, nothing.

"Waiting..."

"Alright," I breathed in, looking back at her. "Alright- fine. I don't- I don't have an excuse,"

"So let's get this ironed out," she smiled, uncrossing her arms. "You criticised me for thinking the guy was hot. 'Ooh he's our teacher vee!' But you've been seeing him since he left school?"

"It's not like that-"

"-Like what? I didn't say it was like anything?" She smiled.

"No- no that's not what I meant. It's just- Billies- I mean- fuck sake-"

"-Billie?" Her smile was wider. "Y'know his real name?"

"Well- course I do- it wasn't like I kept calling him Mr Armstrong that'd be annoying,"

"So youre with him?"

"What? No! No! We're not a thing!"

"So what are you?"

Wish I could tell you. "We're just- friends. If you could even call it that,"

"And there's absolutely nothing going on? Between you?"

"Nothing- but- I mean... you can't tell people you saw us together... well- you won't. Right?" I looked over at Vee for a few seconds nervously. She stared at me as a whole, figuring out by my body language I was nervous.

"Well- its not like you guys are hiding in secret... you was at a public cafe,"

"I know that Vee," I sighed. "But- I just- we're so close to graduation and I can finally leave please please please please please please just promise me you won't gossip about this to anyone? I really mean that, like... no one,"

Vee gave me a sincere smile. Different from the other ones I'd been given, which were her enjoying how on edge I was about the situation. She smiled softly at the ends of her lips as she nodded her head. "Course not Mal," And that's how I could tell, she was a friend.

Not an 'acquaintance'.

"Thanks Vee,"

"What are friends for?"

Definitely a friend.

~

"So what did she say?" Billie asked, looking over at me away from the road.

"She promised she wouldn't tell anyone," I shrugged.

I watched his expression turn to a morph of trying to be serious and wanting to smirk. He pulled back the urge so painfully as he bit his bottom lip continuing to drive and looking at the road.

"Don't even say it Billie,"

"I wasn't!" He laughed boyishly looking over at me.

"I could see it!"

"See what!?"

"You!"

"What do you mean me!?"

I shook my head laughing slightly. "Y'know exactly what,"

He tried not to laugh as he pulled into the drive way in front of his house. "You mean the 'I told you so?',"

"I said don't say it!"

"That didn't count I was just asking!"

Billie was now in a secret habit of picking me up from school, it saved me from walking. He mostly picked me up everywhere and anywhere, sometimes I didn't even know he was picking me up until he'd ring me and tell me he's outside.

It was tricky though, having to pick a student up from school as a former teacher. As to why he never parked in the car park, instead I had to walk a street or two down to find his black car.

Once he parked, we got out making our way into his house. Down straight into the basement.

Billie was really surprisingly in a good mood today, he'd been annoying me ever since I had climbed into his car. Which did mean, he was in a good mood.

He pressed his hands on my back as we walked down his basement stairs. Pretending to get ready to push me.

"Billie don't you dare-"

"-What if I slipped?"

"Even if you slip and accidentally push me I'll kill you when I get back up,"

"Alright alright," he sighed, feeling his hands taken off my back as I reached the basement my floor.

Billie went straight for one of the guitars on the guitar wall, taking off an acoustic before he walked back over to me with it.

"I've been trying to think of song ideas to write about for forever now," he told me sitting down, the guitar placed on his lap. "But it's weird... I seem to keep losing the ideas I get,"

"Why don't you just write them down?"

"I try," he shrugged, nodding his head after over to the note book on the desk in the corner. "But when I write it out it doesn't sound write either. How am I suppose to write about something I can hardly understand?"

"I don't get writing songs, I won't lie to you Billie," I confessed sitting beside him. "But if there's anything I know about songs it's a meaning. Just write about something you know you understand,"

He gave me a lob sided smile, a random one.

"What?" I asked, slightly confused.

"Gosh- when did you ever turn into teaching me about music huh?"

I laughed. "I'm trying to help you!"

"Alright- so what about if... I do understand something. But I don't?"

"How does that work?"

"Well... y'know? I understand some parts, other parts confuse me,"

"Maybe you should just try to focus on the parts you don't get first," I suggested. "They might end up being crucial,"

He nodded, looking down at the guitar. "It scares me when you're right,"

"It scares me too,"

He did a chord, starting off with a random rhythm as I watched his fingers easily slid into different chords. Like they had done it a million times before. He plucked the strings with his fingers playing a riff.

Compared to the way my awkward fingers would press the wrong strings, the sound of the buzzing and strings being accidentally muted would secretly kill Billie when he tried teaching me to play.

I wasn't made for playing guitar. Billie on the other hand, was born to.

He was truly great at it, why he wanted to waste it was beyond me.

He paused looking over at me as I watched him. I realised, looking up at his eyes. "Wanna go?" He asked, referring to the guitar.

"No way- I'd rather sit and watch and listen to you. Guitars weren't made for me,"

"All it takes to learn guitar is patience y'know? No ones born a guitar legend,"

"Sure- but I wasn't born with patience. Some people are just born with the right requirements for playing an instrument. I on the other hand, wasn't quite lucky,"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "You did really well on that music test,"

"Thats just writing. But playing a guitar? I would never like to pick up a guitar ever again unless I was handing it to you,"

He gave me another smile, before looking back down at the guitar. He finger picked some random strings, looking down seeming a entertained. "Y'know how you mentioned you were gonna start looking for a job?"

"Mentioned? I think I spit balled it once,"

"Eh, well I remembered. Well- theres a flyer up in that café, pretty sure they're hiring,"

"I couldn't work in a café," I laughed slightly.

Billie paused with plucking the few strings looking at me confused. "Heh? Why not?"

"First of all it's a doubt they'd even hire-"

"-Course they would- I mean, you go there all the time I'd be a good chance for you,"

"You really think that?" I asked him tiredly.

He nodded, a serious face before I could breath out.

"Alright... I'll check it out tomorrow, you coming with me?"

Billies face tightened slightly. He looked over at me awkwardly. "No can do." He mumbled, setting the guitar on the floor as the neck of it leaned beside his leg.

I looked at him for a few seconds, confused. "How comes?"

"I don't know how often I'll end up seeing you these next few weeks, but Tre, Mike and I are gonna start frequently working together and spending more time for this new album. Y'know? We gotta think about songs, rhythms, the album cover, title, you understand though... right?"

Of course I understood, having him use his talents was what I wanted the moment I realised he had them.

But as it's known, I don't think things through.

"Course I do," I smiled, feeling a little bittersweet. I budged up to him, feeling his thigh against mine as we sat on the sofa together. I rested my head on his shoulder, looking up at him. "As long as you still text me, I'll be fine,"

"Course I will,"

"Promise?"

"Promise," He whispered, kissing my forehead.

We stayed silent for a moment. Not doing anything in particular, he was thinking. I was thinking. None of us voiced what we thought about for what felt like a few minutes.

When Billie wasn't going to be around every day, and he would slowly fall out of my routine and I would his, I wondered if I'd change again. Maybe Billie had changed me for good. If he was to walk away right now and leave me forever, If i'd stay the person he showed me to be. Or if with out him I'd fall back into the familiar life of being an annoying little asshole.

There was no way to tell, but tomorrow wasn't looking promising.

"Are you okay?" I heard Billie whisper.

I took my head from off his shoulder and nodded. "Yeah.. why?"

"You were quiet, it was scaring me,"

"You were quiet too,"

"I was thinking,"

I laughed slightly. "Well so was I,"

"What you thinking about Mallory?"

I thought for a second, before I could give a reasonable answer. "Just school," I lied.

"School?"

"Y'know- graduation. Just school," I shrugged.

Billie took one look at me before he stood up, he picked up his guitar and took it back to the wall where it had originally been. After that, he leant me a hand pulling me up from my seat. "You don't seem yourself," He noted, as he pulled me up.

I took his hand, once to the floor he wrapped his arms around my waist as I gave another shrug. "I dont know," I mumbled slightly, as I leant my arms over his shoulders. "I'm just thinking too much,"

"What about?"

"Everything. It's gonna be weird not seeing you so often,"

"I know," He pouted, leaning his forehead against mine. "But once you graduate and I don't have to focus so much on the new album. the times all ours. I could- I could take you to our concerts- y'know? You could be back stage- and- and well- well I mean you and I can go out and do more things other than drinking caffeine,"

"You've thought that much into the future?" I smiled slightly as I pulled my head away from hin, happily surprised.

"Course I have Mal," He smiled back, before beginning to worry. "Haven't you?"

"What? Of course- gosh yes of course I have Billie. I just- It surprised me you have too,"

His smile reappeared and slowly faded again. He looked away from my eyes as he scrunched his face up slightly. I could tell he was thinking. "Y'know..." He started off.

"Y'know...?"

"We could... just go out on one big limb and maybe... you could just... well I dont know, spend the night tonight,"

"The night?" I asked surprised.

"Yeah, I mean- I could get you to school by morning. That's of course- if you wanted to,"

I smirked slightly. "I may just be able to lie to my parents,"

"So you will?"

"Gladly,"

-

When morning had come to it's time, I felt a warm hand press against my shoulder as it shook me lightly.

When I managed to batter my eyes open, I was surprised to see Billie Joe for a few seconds. Before remembering of course.

"Hate to break it to you love," he smiled slightly. "But I think someone's got school... and it's not me,"

I pulled myself up, sitting up in his bed as I grunted. "Shut up,"

I heard him chuckle as the bed sunk beside me, he sat down looking over at me. "Just a few more weeks, that's all it takes and it's over,"

Billies hair was frizzier than I had ever seen it. There were pieces sticking up in all different directions. He had kinks in parts of his hair from me the way he had slept, some parts seeming straight, others curly and some more frizzy. And in a strange sense, I thought it was cute.

"What are you smiling at?"

"Your hair," I whispered.

He gave me a smile before running his hand through it a few times. "Don't laugh- it does this all the time." He told me before getting back up off his bed. I watched him as he walked over to a smallish mirror hung on his wall. He looked at himself through it messing around with his hair as I watched.

"I wasn't laughing!"

He sighed, giving up before he rotated to look back at me. "You're welcome to get changed in here- I'll wait downstairs,"

"I don't wanna go to school Billie,"

"You gotta do what you gotta do,"

"But I really don't wanna go,"

"What can I do?"

I realised, breathing out. "Nothing,"

"Exactly, now get up- before you're late,"

"Alright- alright," I mumbled, blinking a few more times. My eyes stung, I was too tired to be getting up. I needed more sleep. "I'm getting up- you sound like my mom in a morning,"

He left the room as I heard his footsteps go down the stairs, I made myself half decent for school. On normal occasions I didn't try anyway, but today I really couldn't care less. So if I looked worse than normal, it couldn't of bothered me more than wanting to sleep could.

After I decided I was 'decent' enough to show myself into school, I left Billies room making my way down his stairs where I had found him on the sofa.

His hair had been played with, a poor attempt at making it look less messy. It had worked particularly, but Billie didn't seem as bothered about presenting himself today as I did.

"Don't make me go," I begged, dropping to the empty sofa space beside him as I rested my head on his shoulder tiredly.

"I'm sorry Mal- I can't do anything,"

"I'll drown myself in the school bathrooms,"

"It's not that bad-"

"-It is! And what makes it worse is after you drop me off I don't know how much often I'll see you,"

"I'll still call and text,"

"I guess," I frowned.

"Look... you'll be okay. okay? Just a few hours of the day, then you can call me and tell me how terrible your school day was." He encouraged slightly, getting up as my head slipped from his shoulder. Billie picked up his car keys from where he had left them when we had gotten into his house yesterday, the coffee table. "And pick up that flyer on your way back home too,"

"The cafe one?"

"The cafe one,"

"Billie," I whined.

"Mallory, trust me. You'll be just fine," he smiled thinly at me. "Okay?"

I let out a breath of exhaustion, pushing myself back up to my feet. "Okay Billie," I gave in.

"Aww come on- don't be angry with me,"

"I don't wanna go to school-"

"-I know you don't but-"

"-can you drop me off at home instead?"

"No. Mallory- you're going to school,"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Fine." I mumbled, before making my way to his front door. I picked up my converse, sitting on his stairs as I began to tie them back up.

He leaned on the wall beside the stairs watching me. "C'mon Mal,"

I let go of my laces looking up at him. "But Billie I-"

"-I love you,"

I let out a breath, trying to bite back a smile. Before I continued to tie up my laces grinning slightly. "You're lucky I love you too,"

A/N: Hey it's me :)
I'd just like to say, I read all the comments that are posted. They're truly so fun to read and they make me so happy.
I love that you guys love this book and you take your time to comment. Sometimes I can't reply because the comment has 'cuss' words in, so it doesn't give me the option. But please know I'm not ignorant and your comments truly mean so much to me.

On this note, I'd like to apologise for the very late update. I've been pretty brain dead. I already have the next chapter planned so it won't be a long wait, it's already a quarter of the way written.

So as always- thanks for reading! Stay safe and wear your masks :)