"Guys me and Mike are making progress!" Mae squealed to us happily, as we all sat in Kennedy's living room for a sleep over since her parents were out of town for the night.

"Really?" Layla asked her in the same excited tone.

"Yes! Yesterday we was texting so much and he said he wants to take me out somewhere!"

"Aww, congrats Mae!" Kennedy smiled. "How's things going with you and Mr Armstrong Echo?"

I blushed a little just at the mention of his name. But I wasn't quite sure how to reply to it. "I guess we're okay?" I shrugged in a questionable manner.

"What did you guys get up to at his then?" Layla asked interested as she sat up from her lying down position on the sofa.

"Nothing much, we made cookies? It was his moms recipe he told me, but! At one point he came behind me with his arms around me and his hands over mine and his chin resting on my shoulder showing me how to form the cookie dough into cookies. And then! I burnt myself trying to get the cookies out and he did the same thing putting my burn under the cold running water!" I gossiped to them like I was a girl in the seventh grade showing them the burn on my wrist too. They all made 'oohs!' at me.

"Sounds to me like someones flirting with you," Layla spoke up playfully teasing. Getting up from the sofa and joining me and Mae sitting on the floor. Kennedy stayed seated in her teal coloured bean bag. They all agreed with Layla immediately. Apart from Mae, who sort of stayed silent.

"Everything okay Mae?" Kennedy asked her as I nodded also wanting to know. She looked as if she knew something she wasn't telling. But Mae was the easiest to squeeze a secret out of, unless it was one of ours, she's amazing at keeping our secrets. But not from us.

"Yeah," She shook her head in a top over exaggerated happy tone.

"What's going on? You look like you know something we don't?" Layla asked her. I elbowed Kennedy's shin that was behind me getting her attention, as she looked down on me I pointed my head to Mae and widened my eyes. She nodded knowing what I was saying as we both started at her intensely. Layla caught on and joined in as Mae sort of stuttered for something to say.

"G-guys I'm fine- I don't even know anything I don't know- how- why even, why you guys would think that,"

"How!?" I shouted quoting. "You said how and then changed it to why- so there is something you know!"

She sighed in defeat. "Okay yeah there is," And the three of us cheered knowing we was right, but only to quickly get cut off by Mae "-But I can't tell you guys!"

"What!?" I asked.

"Why not!" Layla added.

"Come on we're your best friends! We won't tell anyone!" Kennedy joined in.

"But guys really, I promised Mike- I- I mean-"

"-Mike!? What did you promise Mike!" Layla smiled, satisfied we were getting more out of her by the second.

"N-nothing!"

"You've got to tell us Mae! If it wasn't for me you wouldn't even be talking to Mike," I protest. "Please." I pouted. The rest of them joined in as we watched her finally give in.

"Fine! But only because it's thanks to Echo I'm even talking to Mike."

We all scooch into the circle eagerly ready to hear her, even Kennedy got off her bean bag and joined the three of us on the white rug as all our eyes were plastered to Mae.

"Mike said to me that he's got a big feeling Billie Joe is developing feelings for you."

The two girls beside me squealed. But I myself wasn't exactly the squealing type. But my face heating up was probably enough to explain how I felt about that. "No way," I shook my head in denial. 

"Wait really!?" Layla exclaimed as Mae nodded. I felt myself become more... hyper and somewhat happy hearing what Mae had just said. But, I had to remember that Mike only 'suspected' he did.

"What gave him that idea?" I asked.

"Mike said that when the three of them first come into the cafeteria, Billie pretends to look around. When actually he's looking for you. Because once he spots you he doesn't stop staring or something and zones out." Mae explained. 

He really did that? There's no way he looks for me when he first enters the cafeteria.

"I have noticed he always stares at our table when they're in line." Kennedy confesses. No way is he looking at me through, right?

"Oh and!" Mae says quickly. "When he first met you he wouldn't shut up about how important his dilemma was. Of meeting a-'hot and beautiful'- girl," Mae began adding air quotes to show those were his exact words "And not knowing her name. That and apparently he wouldn't shut up about how 'cute' it was when you was clueless on how to make homemade cookies and kept asking him questions or needing assurance that you was doing it right." Mae said sort of giggling as she looked up to see mine, Layla's and Kennedy's reactions. My mouth was gaped and my eyes wide in disbelief. The fact that he found me cute on it's own made me smile. I smiled, more to myself then anyone else.

"Wait a go!" Kennedy cheered punching my arm softly, sort of almost... congratulating me. I smiled to her, Layla and Mae.

"He really thought I was cute?" I asked, my voice low but happiness creeping through.

I wasn't sure if I should let myself believe it. I don't want to, or planned on for that matter, getting trapped at thoughts of Billie like every other girl was if I was going to be treated like every other girl he had, or they had, tangled with.

Again, Mikes sentence from the other day made me feel uneasy. It was sticking with me. 'Another one of Billies girls.'

But Mae nodded and despite my paranoia, my smile got bigger.

"You should call him." Layla told me.

"I can't." I said quietly. It didn't exactly mean to come out at that volume. Layla gave me a face as it to say why not but before she could say anything I explained. "I don't have his number."

"I'll ask Mike for it!" Mae smiled grabbing her phone quickly and typing at it. After a few minutes she told me his number as I punched it into my phone.

"Are you sure?" I asked. They all nodded quickly as I pressed call and brought the phone up to my ear to hear it ring. The girls gave me hopeful smiles and thumbs up as I cringed to them, showing I was nervous.

"Hello?" I heard his voice on the other line say, strangely giving me goosebumps as I widened my eyes to the three girls sat around me.

"Hi Billie, it's just me Echo." I tried to casually tell to him, trying my hardest to tame my nerves speaking to him.

"Oh hi Echo," I heard him say, "Was you talking about me at your sleepover?" He asked me, my heart dropped. I could hear him smirk.

"Wh-what! No! Of course not I-" He cut me off.

"-You sure? Because I don't exactly remember giving you my number and I know you're all having a sleep over right now." I gulped listening to him. "Was you talking about me then had the bright idea to ask Mae to ask Mike for my number?" He teased. Enjoying this.

"Did Mike tell you!?"

"No? But he did mention you all was having a sleep over tonight and Mae asking Mike for my number is the only way I can think you got it, and with your reply I'm strongly guessing I'm right." I could tell even just from his voice he was loving this. And maybe it was cause I was embarrassed or nervous but I began to think he was being a real ass.

"Well actually I-" He cut me off, yet again.

"If it makes you feel any better princess, I may have been talking about you too." The way he called me princess made my checks turn red and my stomach feel some sort of way.

"Wait, you was!?" I asked worried.

"No-not in a bad way!" He quickly assured me. As I imagined that big, obnoxious but hot smirk had been whipped off of his face, and now it was my turn to do the teasing and let him stutter like an idiot down the line.

"Oh really?" I asked, sort of playfully ignoring the girls smiles. "What was you saying?"

"Well- erm- I don't if I- erm- I'm not telling you!"

I couldn't help but laugh, and my mind about him had already changed, again. I didn't think he was an ass anymore. But instead I found him quite cute. But I guess that's all just in the package of interwinding your life with Billie Joe's.

"Why not? I won't tell." I teased.

"Neither will I." 

"You're so annoying Billie Joe."

"You've already grown to love me," He said playfully. "And it's Beej to you."

"I have not!" I protested. Had I?

"Oh really? Getting Mae to get Mike got my number?" And then again, my face heated.

"Yeah but I-" He cut me off, again. A thing he must love doing.

"-Don't worry about it princess, I was meaning to ask you for your number soon anyway." He said, in a sort of serious and sort of flirty tone of voice. "So I can spam you with texts and calls, and ring you at stupid hours at night when I can't stop or help but think of you."

"Wait did you just-" Cut off again.

"-Oops, gotta go." He cut off, "Bye Echo, see you tomorrow."

"But I-!" The call ended.

As I looked up at the three girls who heard everything, I sighed. They squealed, they repeated every word he said, they analysed every noun he said, they were going crazy.

"But why did he say 'see you tomorrow'?" I asked questionably, obviously thinking they wouldn't know the answer. "It's Saturday tomorrow?"

"Well," Layla smiled. Looking over at Kennedy and Mae, also sharing the exact same mischievous grin.

"What?" I asked, even more confused then I was before.

"We are meeting up with the three of them tomorrow." Kennedy finally revealed still grinning.

"What!?"

"All of us." Layla added. Still also smiling.

"Why!?"

"Me and Mike arranged it." Mae announced proudly speaking up.

I guess that was a good thing? Because fuck, I can't stop thinking about Billie fucking Joe.