Suburban Blues // Billy Hargrove

XV - hickey

Kat observed the purple bruise on her neck in the mirror, it was faint but it was still noticeable. She traced her fingers over the spot that still felt sensitive as she made a mental note to conceal it for school on monday.

She had spent the night at Eddie's trailer, staying up until the sunrise just talking about anything and everything. While they hadn't gone very far, they had given a few hickies to one another and made out a fair bit. She hadn't intended on even kissing him but after a few hits from the packed doobie he had rolled, she felt herself relax and mellow her body into his.

He was different to Billy and even more so to Jacob despite their similar style and look. He was gentle, which was surprising to her given his attitude around school. He had dropped her home at around 7am before her parents would notice she was gone, she placed a quick peck on his lips before walking away from his van and climbing up to her bedroom. The rest of her day had been spent avoiding Dustin's extensive list of questions about what her and Eddie were doing, if they hooked up, if they were a thing and so on. She dismissed them all and told him it was none of his business which he refute by telling her that she couldn't break his heart and scorn his chances of being an official member of the dnd club next year.

She also didn't want to hurt him, she knew what it was like to have her feelings hurt by unreciprocated feelings. She made it clear to him last night that she wasn't looking for anything serious and he was more than happy to oblige in having a little fun.

Thud.

"Shit!"

She opened her bathroom door to reveal Billy on her floor cradling his knee while groaning in pain. She immediately felt annoyance rise within her at his insistence of showing up unannounced through her bedroom window, she could be doing anything!

"What was that?" Kat's mother shouted.

"I dropped my radio by accident! Sorry" She replied back hoping she didn't try and barge in.

She heard a muffled 'okay' in return and listened for the sound of the living room television to turn back up in volume before turning her attention to the boy on her floor.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my-"

She paused her words as her facial features relaxed at the sight of his face looking up at her. It was covered in blood, a few cuts by his eyebrow as well as one hell of a bruise forming under his right eye.

"What happened?" She replied, her voice more gentle than before.

Though she was upset with him, her heart raced with worry as she examined his injuries. Someone had left him pretty beaten up and she wondered who would dare challenge Billy to a fight, it seemed like everyone at school wanted to be on his good side.

"I didn't know where else to go" He whispered avoiding her eyes.

He felt embarrassed to even be sitting before her looking so weak but he needed out that house before his dad gave him a second round and with how in pain he was, he knew he wouldn't manage to drive or walk far.

"Let's get you cleaned up" Kat sighed.

She put out her arm and helped him up as he tried his best to conceal his groans of pain, she could see more bruises along his arm and she carefully traced them much like she had done to her own bruise moments before.

She got out a medkit from the drawer in her bathroom and got to work on cleaning up the blood as he winced from the sharpness of the alcohol wipe. Their bodies were close from this action and he almost instinctively wrapped his arms around her hips but instead he planted them on the counter behind him for support.