Billies P.O.V

I sat in Tre's living room with Mike, Tre and Violet. They were having a conversation as I zoned out thinking about things in general.

"Billie!" Mike shouted. I shook my head and looked around.

*click*

"What?"

"You zoned out." He said.

"And? You didn't have to deafen me!"

"Sorry," he laughed. I sighed slightly as I tooned back into the conversation that the three of them were sharing.

"You only won that game by default!" Violet shouted at Tre.

"What game?" I asked confused.

"Some stupid game in the arcade he won't stop bragging about," Violet said.

"Oh,"

"Hey, Mikey you'll never guess what Beej did for Payday at the arcade." Tre smiled mischievously looking over at mike, referring to the bear I bought and gave her.

"Don't you dare," I warned.

"What?" Mike asked curiously.

"Don't!" I shouted.

"Well, Billie decided to-" I launched from my place as I jumped on top of him pushing him to the floor. I shoved my hand over his mouth causing his sentences to be muffled as he wriggled from underneath me. I heard violet laughing hysterically next to the both of us and mike was still asking what.

There was a knock on the door, Violet jumped up. "I'll get it!" She sang cheerfully as she walked over to the door. I looked back down at Tre underneath me with my hand still over his mouth.

"I told you not to try and tell him!" I laughed.

He muffled something which I couldn't understand, before there was another click.

Tre managed to move his face slightly as my hand slipped away, he looked up at Violet annoyed. "Do you have to get this on your new camera?"

"Memories." She shrugged as the photo came out, wafting it back and forth before pushing it into her back pocket, before I moved my hand back over Tres mouth. When a knock was heard. "I'll get it!" She sang cheerfully as she made her way over to the door. I looked back down at Tre underneath me with my hand still over his mouth.

"Wow, what did I walk in on?" A female voice laughed. I looked up away from Tre to see Payton stood laughing next to violet.

"Hey, payt- did you just lick my hand!" I shouted looking down at Tre horrified as I moved my hand from his face, he smiled wide as I wiped my hand on my jeans and got off of him and headed over to Payton.

"Hey beej," she smiled.

"Payday!" Tre shouted getting up off the floor and ran over to her swallowing her into a bear hug. She laughed slightly as she hugged him back.

"Hey painton," Mike smiled as she gave him a little side hug.

"Hey Mike."

"Where's mine?" I pouted.

"Hmm, I don't know if you get one."

"What!"

"I don't know..." she smiled.

I rolled my eyes as I pulled her into a hug. She giggled lightly as she hugged me back. "Hi Billie," she said while hugging me.

"Hey, payt."

"Aww!" Violet smiled as we heard a click. Both of us pulled away looking over at Violet.

"Violet," I sighed. She just smiled and shrugged.

"New camera?" Payton asked.

"She's been taking stupid photos all morning," Tre mumbled, walking over to Violet. "Lemme see that."

The photo printed out of the old fashioned camera slowly, Violet took one look at it before laughing richly, passing it over to Tre.

"Aww, you guys look like a couple."

"We do?" Payt asked hesitantly, when I looked over at her- unsure if it was the lighting or her face- but there seemed to be a shade of red across her nose.

"Yeah, you wanna see?" Tre smiled snatching the photo out of Violet's hand.

"Tre!" She shouted. Tre ran over to Payton as he held the photo in front of her. She smiled at it as I walked behind her to get a look.

It was just the both of us, with our arms around each other tight and our faces buried into the hug. Although you could see half of my face, I had a smile on my face. I didn't even realise I had been smiling while we hugged. And they were right: we did look like a couple.

She didn't say anything she just smiled as Tre handed it back to Violet.

"Hey, how did you get out?" Mike asked her. "I thought you said your mom had you grounded?"

"Yeah," she smiled. "She went out, so I snuck out."

"Wow, how rebellious." Tre teased. She pushed tre.

"How long are you grounded for?" I asked her. We all sat down, me and Payton sat on the floor together as mike sat on the couch with Tre and violet.

"I don't know, a week I think?" She said questionably.

"A week!" Violet shouted, "what did you do?"

"I was arguing with her and said she was way too over-controlling."

"So she grounded you for a week?" Mike asked. She nodded.

"When does she go on her next business trip?" I asked her.

"Tomorrow night."

"Can we kidnap you tomorrow night?" Tre asked. She looked at him confused and asked why.

Payton's P.O.V

"Well Nicole is having that big party tomorrow night," Mike told me. "You were gonna come right?"

I was, I use to be really good friends with Nicole until my mom found out and banned me from seeing her. But we still talked and she had actually invited me.

"Well, I guess I can't," I said looking down at the floor.

"What!" Billie shouted. "You gotta come!"

"I can't."

"We can kidnap you! Like Tre said!" He said. "We'll come to pick you up in my car on the way there. And- and we'll give you a ride home- we'll make sure your home safe, come on!"

"But Billie I-"

"Billies right you have to come!" Violet said sitting on the floor next to me as she grabbed my arm. "Please! Don't leave me with these three idiots."

"We aren't that bad!" Mike protested.

She nodded at mike and then looked back over at me. "Please." She whispered.

"Yeah come on Payton." Billie joined in.

I sighed, and realising I didn't really have a choice did I? And even if I did... I don't think I could say no.

"Fine!"

They all cheered as violet hugged me quickly thanking me.

"So pick me up by eight," I said to Billie as he nodded.

"And drop you off by?"

"Whenever,"

He nodded. "Got it."

~

I got ready into my normal outfit: black jeans and an oversized shirt. And of course a jacket. I straightened my hair and didn't really bother with any makeup. My mom had already left for her trip. She didn't say bye but I watched her car as it drove off the driveway.

I waited outside my house waiting for Billie to come to pick me up in the car. I looked down at my phone, he was late by five minutes.

After a while, his car pulled up in front of my house as I made my way over to the car.

"You're late Armstrong." I smiled as I got into the front. Mike, Tre and violet all squeezed into the back.

"It's not my fault," he said looking over at me as he started the car. "Blame Tre cool back there."

I looked back at Tre. "What did you do?"

"I got out billies shower late and got changed," he shrugged. "But it's not my fault!"

"Well, then whose is it?" Mike laughed.

"Yours!"

"Why was it mine!"

"I was waiting for you to get out so I could go in!"

"Okay, but you didn't have to have that long of a shower!"

"You know I like long showers!"

"Guys!" Violet shouted. "Shut up."

"I second that," Billie muttered.

"Agreed." I laughed.

"Sorry," they both muttered looking away.

Once we reached the party, the five of us headed inside as we were greeted by Nicole.

"Payton!" She smiled hugging me. "You came!"

"I did." I smiled as we pulled away.

"How did you escape?" She laughed.

"She's on her business trip tonight so-"

"-we kidnapped her." Tre smiled.

"You kidnapped her!?"

The three boys nodded proudly.

"Sweet, I'm just glad you could finally come to one of my parties!" Nicole said punching my arm. She walked away.

"C'mon," Billie smiled looking over at me. "Let's go get some drinks."

The five of us, me, Tre, Mike, violet and Billie grabbed ourselves some drinks as we headed outside into Nicole's back garden.

I had been here before, it was a huge back garden and her parents took so much pride in it. With the beautiful scenery of the ray of colourful flowers down the sides of the garden. She had a built-in pool, and looking over at it brought back the stupid times we had jumped in together: me and Nicole of course. The time before my mom had learnt who Nicole was, and banned me from being her friend.

"Hey, where's mike?" Billie asked looking over at the now three of us apart from himself.

"He said he went to go find himself a chick." Violet shrugged.

"Good old mike," Tre laughed as Billie joined in for a second.

After a while of us chatting, Tre and violet decided they were gonna head inside to leaving me and bill on our own.

"How much would I have to pay you to jump into that pool right now?" He asked me joking.

"At least fifty."

"Fifty!?"

"Yeah! Do you know how embarrassing that would be for me?"

"But your Payton? You don't care what anyone else thinks, who could possibly see you jump into that pool and you would get embarrassed by what they think."

I paused for a second... I knew who exactly. But sometimes when my heart would tell me to tell him the truth and my brain would think logically and tell me to lie. I had to give them a minute to decide what to do, but my god my brain must hate me at this point because- "you."

He looked at me confused for a slight second. "Me?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Why would you get embarrassed if I watched you?" He laughed.

I shrugged lightly. "I don't know I just-"

I just like you.

Shut up that's is not true.

When are you gonna accept it?

I don't need to accept shit, and even if I did. It would never happen.

"Payt?"

"Yeah?"

"You erm- you zoned out mid-way through sentence there."

"I did?" I asked confused, he nodded slowly. "Oh, I did."

"Both of you!" Nicole shouted excitedly coming outside. "Oh, it's you guys!"

"Well yeah?" I said confused.

"Wow, I didn't realise you guys had a thing going on," she smiled.

Billie spoke up awkwardly. "Actually we erm-"

"-it's cute! Anyway, come on inside we have a group of people playing spin the bottle you've got to join in!" She grabbed us both by the arm causing me to drop my plastic cup outside as Billie held onto his drink. I couldn't go back to pick it up because her grip was too strong. She dragged both of us to a, not really large but round about ten people sat in a circle. Stood next to the circle were mike, violet and Tre.

So she sat us down and sat next to me.

"Aren't you guys joining?" Billie asked Mike, Tre and Violet.

"Bro, my girlfriends right there no way." Tre laughed. Violet nodded.

"Okay then, what about you mike?"

"Actually erm I don't really wanna."

"Well neither did we but we are," Billie laughed as he reached for his arm and pulled him down into the circle. Everyone cheered for mike as he sat down and Nicole spoke up.

"Okay so, someone will start off and spin the bottle, we send them into that cupboard-" she said pointing over to a door in the room "-and leave them for seven minutes."

"Is that some sort of cross between seven minutes in heaven and spin the bottle?" A boy who I didn't actually recognise asked.

"Yeah," Nicole confirmed. He looked around the group slowly before his eyes landed on me. The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile as his eyes met mine.

"I hope I get you," he said to me.

"I-" Nicole cut me off.

"-Okay who wants to start!"

Everyone shouted, and Nicole looked around with the empty beer bottle in her hand.

"Have you ever played spin the bottle before?" She asked me. I shook my head no. "Looks like you'll start." She smiled passing me the bottle. I took it confused as I placed It in the middle ready to spin it.

Oh dear god, this can't end well.

You're telling me.

Can we just chicken out?

I guess I could...

"Okay now spin it," Billie joked explaining for me what to do since I was taking so long.

"I know Armstrong I know!"

I spun the bottle as it spun around, and around and around. And that's when I realised- who did I want it to land on?

Well, I know for sure not that guy who said he wanted to get you.

Agreed.

He gave me the creeps.

Well, who do we want it to land on?

Open your eyes, hello! Billie joe?

No! No way- he wouldn't even go through with it. Mine and his friendship would be ruined.

The bottle began to slow down as it stopped. I bit my lip nervously as I looked up to see who the top of it was pointing at.

Oh no.

Oh no.

I can't do this!

No, you can't!

Not him!

No not him at all! Ask for a re-spin!

"Mike..." I whispered.

Things went silent.

"I think it's probably best we re-spin." He spoke. I could see he didn't want to either and I wasn't offended. He was more like a brother than anything else to me. I couldn't kiss him, it would be so...

Weird.

Yeah.

"Yeah, I can re-spin," I said.

"No re-spins!" Nicole shouted. "Wait- what about your boyfriend?" She said looking over at Billie.

"He's not my boyfriend," I said rolling my eyes.

"Okay, so we're okay!" She got up and pulled me up as the boys around mike began to push him up.

"Well..." I said looking over at mike.

I watched as his eyes went from me... to Billie. I looked down over at Billie who was still sat on the floor, he was lip-syncing something to mike, saying something to him. But from this angle, I couldn't tell what.

But Billie didn't seem thrilled for mike, or me. He seemed out of place. Like... annoyed. The way he scowled at mike made me think he was angry at him.

Nicole pushed me as some boys pushed mike into the closet and soon enough they shut the door.

Which left me and mike in the dark in complete silence. I felt his body pressed against mine, not on purpose. But from the lack of space in the closet.

"Well..." I whispered.

"Don't worry, we don't have to do this."

I let out a breath. "Oh thank god!"

"Thanks," he laughed.

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, and I'm not looking to die either." He laughed.

"What do you mean your not looking to die?"

"I don't wanna be murdered at the hands of- oh shit I really should shut up."

"No no! Mike tell me."

"I can't I promised I wouldn't."

"Mike!"

"I can't!"

"Please! Come on, I'll do anything!"

"Alright alright fine! I'll tell you, but you can not tell him!"

"I won't I won't!" I said quickly. "So who would murder you if we did... well kiss."

"My own best friend!"

"Tre!?" I asked horrified.

"No no! You idiot, Billie joe."

"Billie...?" I asked.

"Oh god yeah, you wait. When we get out of this closest he's not even gonna talk to me."

"He's not?"

"No! He'll hate me! Cause obviously he thinks we've been.... kissing and whatever." He said, the last part awkwardly as I laughed slightly. Despite how confused I was.

"But why will he hate you?"

"Because he-" the closet door opened as we saw Nicole smiling.

"Times is up love birds!"

"Already?" I asked. "That was seven minutes?"

"Wow you must have had fun, but no. That's was two minutes- come on next players!" She pulled me and mike out the closet as we went and stood with Tre and violet, and the other people who weren't playing. But watching.

After a while of everyone going in and out of the closet. Nicole had chosen Billie to spin.

And I realised how sick it made me feel. He was going to go into that closet, and he all over some girl... or guy.

But why did that make me feel sick? Why did I not want to think about that? Why did that sort of make me want to cry?

Because you like him... duh!

"Hurry up and spin dude!" Tre laughed. He sighed and spun the bottle, he was not looking good. He looked so nervous and... sort of sweaty.

The bottle landed on some blonde-haired girl on the other end of the circle. She smiled satisfied and looked up at Billie.

That's when I felt sick even more.

"Well then," she smiled as she stood up. Everyone looked over at Billie.

Please don't do this, I don't even wanna think about what is about to happen between you both.

"Actually erm- I don't think I can." He stuttered.

Oh, thank god.

Suddenly I felt as if I could breathe again. As the air from my lungs was being taken away from me, but his sentence was like a waft of fresh air.

"Why?" The girl asked looking at him, along with everyone else. His eyes nervously dotted around at all the other ones looking at him confused, including mine.

"Erm- well. I- I- erm- I have a- I have a girlfriend." He stuttered. The rest of the circle gasped.

And that's when all the air had left my body again. It was like I was tongue-tied. But in an absolutely painful and terrifying way.

"A girlfriend?" I whispered.

"Why didn't you say so?" Nicole asked him confused.

"I- erm- I guess I forgot."

"You forgot about your girlfriend?" The girl asked unimpressed. With her hand placed on her own hip.

"Yeah." He said.

The room went silent.

"Well then," Nicole spoke up. "Better go stand with those guys." She laughed pointing to the others that had stood out.

"I'm gonna go outside," I whispered to Mike, mike nodded as I walked back outside to see no one else was here. I picked up the red cup I had dropped earlier on and leant with my back leant against the wall with the cup loosely in my hand.

My heart.... it hurts. Why does it hurt like this?

"Hey gorgeous," I heard a voice say. I looked up to see the familiar boy from the circle earlier who had said he hoped he gets me. The one that made me feel a little ill.

"Hi," I said nervously as he stood next to me.

"You look upset, what's wrong?"

"I don't really know," I shrugged. "I guess I'm just not a party person." I lied as I stood up

"Ah, you wanna head back to my place with me?" He said standing up.

"Actually no I'm okay."

"You sure?" He smiled as he pushed me against the wall.

Why did I come to this party, why?

I felt his hand slowly grab my waist. I couldn't speak.

"Come on baby,"

"Don't call me that." I finally said.

"Why not?" He smiled. "Baby."

"Stop!"

"Baby baby baby baby," he carried on.

"Oi, you dick!" We heard another voice say. His arm left my waist but his body still had me pinned to the wall. We both looked over his shoulder to see none other than Billie. "She said don't call her that."

He moved and walked closer to Billie. "Why, what you gonna do about it, Armstrong?"

"I'll fucking show you if you carry on."

He laughed sarcastically. "You think you can hurt me? You don't even have the memory strength to remember about your girlfriend never mind hurt-" Billie cut him off as he threw a punch straight across his face. He fell to the floor as Billie grabbed my hand and we ran back into the house.

"Tre!" Billie shouted running over to violet and Tre. "Come on we gotta go!" Billie let go of my hand as he grabbed Tre's and we carried on running.

"Why?" Tre whined.

"Where's mike?"

"I don't know, he went off with some girl,"

"There he is!" Violet spoke up pointing to mike who eagerly had a girl against the wall kissing her. "Gross."

"Mike!" Billie shouted, mike quickly turned around pissed off. But before he could say anything Billie grabbed his hand as we all went out the front door and tumbled into billies car.

Me and Billie in the front, Billie obviously in the driver's seat as he caught his breath. And the three of them in the back.

"Okay care to explain!" Mike shouted.

"I'm not even talking to you!" Billie shouted as he pointed to mike. Mike sighed and closed his mouth.

"Well can someone explain to me?" Violet asked.

"Stevie Rose had Payton pinned up to the wall and was trying to bring her back to his place," Billie spoke.

"Stevie!? I hate that guy!" Tre shouted. "You let me get him I'll fucking kill him," Tre said angrily. I had never seen Tre angry but it was actually scary. Violet grabbed his hand and sat him back down as he attempted to get out.

"Tre," she warned.

"Billie already punched him," I said.

"You did!?" Tre asked. "High five!"

Billie high fived Tre, but he didn't look very happy.

"Billie why would you do that?" Mike spoke.

"I'm not talking to you!"

"Oh sorry, Billie!" Mike said getting annoyed too. "Dear me I nearly forgot to ask you. How's your girlfriend huh!?"

"Well, I don't know mike! How was your make-out session with Payton!"

"Oh, it was great! We had the most interesting time!"

"Oh good! I'm glad!" Billie shouted sarcastically. "And my girlfriend is doing so well! Thanks for asking!"

Ow, that hurt.

"Guys!!" Tre shouted. "Will you both shut up!"

"I second that," I mumbled.

"Agreed," Violet added. "Now just start the car."

Billie rolled his eyes as the car started.

And the quietest they've ever been. The quietest ever. Quieter than you would expect from three hyper teenage boys. Violet could normally be quiet.

The car ride felt long, and hurtful. I just wanted to be home. And crawl into Addison's bed and tell her what happened even though she probably wouldn't be out there listening. But maybe I just needed to listen to myself.

So you're ready to admit it?

Maybe.

The car stopped in front of my house. I looked around at the car.

"Bye payday," Tre said quietly. Not with his normal attitude. The rest of them also said goodbye apart from Beej.

"Bye Tre, bye guys," I said as I got out. I didn't even look at Billie. But that didn't matter because he didn't exactly look at me either.

I picked up the key I left in the plant pot as I heard their car drive away. Then unlocked the door. I walked upstairs as I took off my jacket.

I had been hot the whole time at the party but I couldn't risk Billie seeing the bruises. Or anyone for that matter.

And I got changed. I climbed into Addison's bed as I began to talk to her, just hoping she was listening.

I wish I never went to that stupid party.

"I don't know if you're here right now addy, but I need your help." I sniffed. "There's this boy..."