Aiden
I lean my head against the door to my room, taking a moment to breathe. Sleeping here doesn’t seem like the worst thing a person could do.
The door opens, and I stumble forward, throwing my hands out to catch myself on the doorframe.
“Hey! I thought I heard someone out here,” Billy says, his eyebrow raised. “What are you doing, man?” He’s wearing just a white tank top and a pair of gym shorts. His skin shifts between different shades of brown with some random blue mixed in, and his hair is disheveled, like he may have been laying down.
“Just taking a moment.” I sigh. “It was a long day.”
Billy steps aside. “Apparently. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you stuck your finger into an electrical socket. Your hair is a mess.”
I enter our room, shuffling by the growing piles of clothes on Billy’s half, and collapse on my bed. “Ember and I practiced a little after we got back, and things got…” The thought of her abilities charging my own causes the hair on my arms to stand up. “A little intense.”
“Oh?” Billy wiggles his eyebrows. “A little intense, eh?”
I roll my eyes. “Shut up, man.” Though the memory of kissing Ember underneath me is a welcome thought. “It was just a long day, and we wanted to distract ourselves from everything.”
Billy continues with the stupid eyebrow wiggles. “I bet it distracted you.”
“C’mon, man. We haven’t gone that far, okay?”
“Why not? You guys have known each other for a while.”
“Seven months is not that long. Plus, we’ve only been dating for the last few.”
“So, that’s it, then? Because you guys haven’t celebrated your diamond anniversary?”
I scowl. “No, but if we wanted to wait until we were together longer, that’d be okay, y’know.”
Billy shrugs nonchalantly. “But what are you waiting for?”
“We just want to take… precautions.” I sit up slowly. All my muscles ache, even ones I didn’t know I had. “Make sure we aren’t responsible for another human being in nine months. That seems reasonable; don’t you think?”
“Totally, but why haven’t you guys figured that out yet?”
“We’ve talked about it… a little.” Fear balls inside my stomach. Even if I know I want to be with Ember, it’s still an area I have practically no experience in. “It’s a little scary to take that step, I guess.”
“Believe it or not, I get it. I was terrified my first time,” Billy says a little more thoughtfully.
“Are you serious? That’s all you bragged about senior year.”
“Yeah, but,” Billy says a little more softly. “To be honest, Alice was pressuring me, because she had done it with her ex, and it kind of made me feel like if I didn’t, she’d tell all the other girls something was wrong with me.”
I frown. “Billy, you never told me that.”
“Yeah, but live and learn, right?” Billy tightens his lips together. “So ignore me and my shit, man. Take your time with Ember. Make sure you want to do it before you do.”
“I–I do.” I rub the back of my neck. “Like I said, that’s not the issue. She’s the one for me.”
“It’s not fair,” Billy jokes. “You got so lucky with your first relationship.”
“Sure. Lucky. Let’s just ignore my complicated ties with her parents,” I say with a tired chuckle.
“That reminds me. How did everything go today?” Billy sits in my desk chair and rests his arms on the back. “Did she find out that Eliza…” He glances around like he’s looking for an intruder. “Is related to Black Mold?” he whispers.
“You know, as long as you don’t shout it, no one will hear you.”
“Man, I know! But it still makes me uncomfortable to say it out loud.”
“Why? Do you think his name shouldn’t be spoken?” I laugh. “Maybe we can call him the-one-who-shall-not-be-mentioned if that makes you feel better?”
Billy purses his lips. “No, but you can’t deny it’s creepy that the lady who has been taking care of Ember all these years could be related to her mother’s murderer.”
His statement smothers my humor. “Well, unfortunately, Eliza confirmed everything.”
Billy’s mouth drops open, and his skin’s color shifting accelerates, adding red, blue, and black, mimicking the colors of my books behind him. “Oh, man.”
“Yeah.” I stare at my schoolwork on my desk, somehow feeling more exhausted. “I’ll tell you the full story later. I don’t want to get into it tonight.”
“I get it. I mean, that had to be a hell of a tale.”
“It wasn’t even just that.” I massage my sore, tired eyes. “The press showed up at Ember’s place.”
“Oh, shit! They did?”
I nod and drop my hand hard on my thigh. “Worse yet, it seemed like they were there because of me.”
“What?” Billy’s eyes grow round with shock. “They must’ve figured out why you were at the press conference with Ember.”
“What do you mean?”
“You must’ve missed it. There was an article in the newspaper this week questioning why last year’s YAC champion was helping Ember during the press conference. They must’ve put it together that you guys are a couple.”
“Great,” I murmur. “I read a little about the article regarding Ember, but it was such bullshit that I didn’t care to read what other crap they wrote.”
“So…” Billy smacks his lips together. “How do you feel about all of this?”
I rub my forehead. “To be honest, I’m not exactly thrilled, but Ember is beating herself up over it, and I didn’t want to worry her anymore, so I tried to blow it off.”
“I get that,” Billy says with a frown. “But, you know, they’ll dig into more about you. You should give your parents a heads up.”
My mouth turns sour. “You’re right. I hope they leave them alone.”
“Do you think there’s a possibility…” Billy’s voice trails off.
“What?”
“That the press can uncover what happened with Emerald Blaze and Digger?”
An ounce of anxiety pricks me. “I thought about that on the ride back to campus, but if it wasn’t uncovered during the height of the investigations around their murders, I don’t see how it could be now.”
“Yeah, but the focus was on Ember’s parents then.” Billy’s face creases with concern. “Not you.”
I lay back on my bed and stare at the ceiling. “There’s nothing I can do about it.” I glance at Billy, feeling hopeless. “It’s out of my hands. If something happens, I’ll deal with it then. My main concern right now is to keep a handle on myself so I don’t end up expelled from the Defender program while helping Ember get into it. The press can screw themselves, for all that I care.”
“That’s fair, and the Defender test is coming up fast.” Billy stares at the floor. “Which Stella made sure to point out,” he mumbles.
I grab onto the opportunity to change the subject. “How did practice go? You guys were going to meet up today, right?”
“Well…” Billy rubs the back of his head. “We were, but things got complicated.”
“Complicated?” I furrow my brow. “How?”
“I talked to Carly earlier, and…”
“And?” I sit up, feeling hopeful.
“We didn’t break up, if that’s what you are thinking.”
I flop back onto the mattress. “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“And why the hell not?”
Billy huffs and his skin shifts quicker, matching the white brick behind him, the browns of my desk, and the colors of my books. He and his clothes blend into the surroundings, disappearing right in front of me.
I must’ve really upset him since he took the extra focus to even camouflage his clothes, but his actions seem a tad dramatic. “Dude. It’s going to be like that?”
“Man,” Billy says, clearly annoyed. The chair scoots out seemingly on its own, squeaking against the linoleum. “I’m not going to talk to you if you’re going to be like that. I told you before that I need your support with this, and if you can’t give it to me, then we’re done here.”
Billy’s right. Even if I’m not thrilled about his relationship with Carly, he’s been there for me through all my tough moments with Ember. I guess being so tired is making me cranky. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’ll be more respectful.”
He reappears, standing next to my dresser. His skin is a whirlwind of colors ready to blend back in at any moment. “Are you really?”
I slump, feeling fatigued in every inch of my body. “Yes. I’m just tired, and it surprised me, that’s all. What did Carly say, then?”
“She admitted that she still has a tiny crush on you.”
I try to say something, but Billy places his finger over his lip, signaling for me to stay quiet.
“We talked about it, and she said she likes me more and wants to keep seeing me. Plus, we just want to have fun. It’s not like we’re looking to settle down. Little crushes are bound to happen.”
I feel my questions oozing from my stare. “So, are you guys in an open relationship now or something?”
Billy shrugs. “Not really, but if we want to see other people, we’d probably talk about it.”
Maybe if Carly liked someone else other than me, I wouldn’t care as much, but I don’t like the situation she could be creating. “Are you really fine with this? You’ve never been okay with your girl wanting to be with another guy, let alone a friend of yours. I don’t want this to cause some kind of problem between us later.”
“Well, you don’t like her, and I trust you.” Billy narrows his eyes and smirks. “So, I have nothing to worry about, right?”
“You know I’m with Ember two hundred percent,” I say, almost defensively. “Carly was the one who was lying last semester and told Ember that she was dating me because she’s in—”
“Watch it.”
“—sensitive.”
Billy glances away and swallows hard. “I know it’s not an ideal situation, but I do like her. I’m willing to give her a chance. She’s had a hard go of it.”
“She has?”
He nods. “Her father abandoned her when she was barely two. No child support. No birthday presents. Nothing. Her mom tried her best I guess, but she got wrapped up in her own relationship problems, and Carly had to defend herself most of the time.”
I feel my face softening at the thought of Carly having a difficult childhood, but it shouldn’t be an excuse for her to try to manipulate people. “Oh.”
“Yeah. You should know it better than anyone. Just because someone can put on a good show doesn’t mean there isn’t a mess behind the curtain.”
“Are you calling me a mess?”
“Nah. Man.” Billy chuckles. “You’re a spring-cleaning project in progress.”
A laugh sneaks out. “Thanks. I think?”
“But anyway…” Remorse drags down Billy’s face. “Talking things out with Carly took a lot of time, and I kind of forgot about Stella until the last second.”
“You didn’t.”
Shame tugs down on his large frame. “I did, and she wasn’t happy.”
“I bet not.”
Billy rubs his eyes. “I feel absolutely horrible, and I told her I’d train with her all day tomorrow, but she didn’t want my help anymore. She said that… that I’m unreliable.” A deep sadness penetrates Billy’s voice. “Man, I just lost track of time. I’d never purposely do that to Stella. She means too much to me.” Billy swallows loudly, and his skin rushes between colors of pink and red. “I mean, I’ve been helping her for the last couple months now. I care about how she does on this test.”
“Just because you were late one time doesn’t make you unreliable. Stella’s just upset right now.” I soften my stare. “But you like her. Don’t you?”
He shakes his head, but his skin continues to be a sandstorm of colors. “Nah, man. She’s too good for me anyhow.”
“Why do you say that?”
“A girl like that wouldn’t want a guy like me.”
“What? You’re a great guy, and in the Defender program to boot!” I say, hoping to nail a point home. “Have you ever thought about asking her out?”
He laughs, but it’s laced with regret. “Dude. I’m with Carly, remember? And I highly doubt Stella would entertain the idea of an open relationship.”
“Probably not.” Billy’s dating life suddenly seems more complicated than I could’ve imagined, and I’m not sure what to say. “Well, it seems like you’re free tomorrow, then, right?”
Billy chortles but grimaces. “Yeah, Stella basically told me to f–off.”
I frown sympathetically. “She’ll come around.”
“Nah, man.” Billy shakes his head. “You should’ve seen the look in her eyes when I told her why I was late. Lime actually pouted and turned his back to me in a huff.”
“Damn.” I run my hand over my head. “You upset Lime too?”
He smacks his lips together as he says, “Yep.”
“Yeah, good luck, dude. You’ll need it.”
“Thanks,” he says flatly.
I check the clock on my desk and stifle a groan at seeing the late hour. Gravity pulls on my body, begging me to surrender to my bed, but I want to give Billy something to look forward to. “How about we play that new game you got tomorrow? I think it’d do us both good to just chill.” I smile. “What do you say?”
Happiness pulls on Billy’s cheeks. “Sure! Good thing I brought back my console last weekend.”
“You took it home?”
“Yeah, for my brother. He still can’t do much because he’s still healing from spinal surgery. I thought he’d have some fun with it, and it’s not like Mom can buy another one, but he ended up not touching it, so I brought it back.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” A solemn thought comes to me. “It seems like everyone is still recovering from the attacks, aren’t they?”
“Yeah.” Billy stares at the floor. “Thankfully, the section of the house that was destroyed is almost rebuilt, but Ian is still going to have a rough go of it for a while, but Ember really came through after talking with Eliza after everything happened. Eliza helped us get in with some of the best doctors.” He sniffles loudly and plasters on a smile. “But you should get some sleep. You look like shit.”
I snort, picking up on the hint Billy wants to drop the topic. “Thanks.”
“Hey,” The corner of his mouth rises into a small smile. “Thanks, man. For listening to me about all of this.”
“Yeah. Of course. And don’t worry about Stella. I’ll talk to Ember and see if she can help buffer things out.”
Billy sighs; his stance falls like weights were placed on his shoulders. “I sure hope so.”