Matter of Time(Tom Holland Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty Two

Author's Note: I'm so sorry that I've been off Wattpad for a very long time. I've just been super overwhelmed with school. I took on a lot of classes this quarter so the HW has been nonstop. I've been writing bits and pieces of new chapters for my stories when I've had the chance but it literally took me almost four months to write this chapter because it's so long. I can't promise the next chapter will come sooner but I only have a month until the quarter ends at school and hopefully I can write a lot more during spring break. You know you haven't updated anything in forever when you feel so proud of yourself when you finally finish a chapter. Thanks for being so patient with me and please let me know what you think of the new chapter.

ChapterTwentyTwo|MatterofTime"Billie Madison McCallister, I can't believe you!" Billie's mom screamed into her ear through the phone. She flinched from the volume but continued on her way out of the house she was renting while she filming the new Spider-Man movie in Atlanta. Her friend Matteo was with her too and also flinched at the sound of her mother's raised voice. It was just shy of two weeks since that night at the Met Gala and Billie was finally dealing with the repercussions of it.

Billie had attempted to lie to her mom and Sebastian about what she was doing hanging around an actor eleven-years older than her. She originally said that they were just friends and Michael was trying to convince her to take a part with him in an upcoming project he was producing. The lie was so elaborate that Billie almost it believed herself.

That is, until some asshole with his iPhone managed to get a picture of Billie making out with the older actor outside his apartment building when they thought it was late enough and no one would see them. Boy, were they both wrong. Not only was Billie all over gossip websites but her mom apparently found out and lost her shit. Horrified that her barely eighteen-year-old daughter was running around New York kissing a man over a decade older than herself. The only bad part she felt about was getting Sebastian in trouble. She never meant to do that. For some weird reason, Billie thought that she could get away with hanging out with Michael and no one suspecting them of doing anything less than innocent.

Billie wouldn't say she was exactly embarrassed.

News headlines talked about the former child star, now grown woman, dating an older man. They compared her to the likes of Demi Lovato and Taylor Swift who also dated older men at the same age Billie was now. She didn't care though. She liked Michael. Sure, it might've been a fling but she was having fun.

Wasn't she allowed to have fun?

Billie might've been a recognizable person but she made mistakes and goofed off too. People tended to treat her like a saint sometimes and that was one of the many things she disdained about fame.

Billie liked older men.

She recognized that about herself and was okay with it. Just like how some girls liked men with beards or men with tattoos. Billie liked older men and she wasn't sure why. Yes, you could probably trace it back to her father's abandonment during her childhood in some subtle way but there were other little things too. Billie liked the confidence in which they kissed her or fucked her.

They had also seen more of the world than boys her own age. Teddy had volunteered building houses in South America for a year in between high school and college. Billie thought that was so incredible and she hung on to every word of all his stories about that year spent in Bolivia. Michael had had a lengthy experience in the industry and with him being the first actor she was romantically involved with, Billie was entirely fascinated by his perspective on Hollywood.

In her mind, Billie didn't see anything wrong with dating older men. She was well beyond her years and they were the only men who could intellectually keep up with her. Well, that's what she believed, at least.

"That man you're dating is only a few years younger than myself," Her mother ranted in the phone. "Not to mention you lied to me about dating him. You told me you were working with him on an upcoming project. You lied to Sebastian and told him that you were sleeping over at your friend's place in New York when you were really sleeping over at this twenty-nine-year old's apartment."

"I didn't tell you because I knew you would freak out about this," Billie complained as she and Matteo got into the back of the car Marvel sent for her to take her to the studio. The driver looked at her through the rearview mirror and Billie smiled politely at him, waving at him before returning her attention to the phone call. "I don't know why you're so angry."

"Really? You don't know why I'd be angry?" Sarah snapped and Billie felt her heart pounding in her chest. Her mother and herself never usually fought like this. Sure, they had their disagreements in the past but nothing to this extent. There was also the time they had that fight after Coachella but they never really argued like this.

"I'm eighteen, Mom. I'm not a child anymore," Billie retorted and she could tell how angry that was going to make her mom before she even said the words.

"You turned eighteen a month ago, Billie," Her mom hissed and Billie propped her head against the window, squeezing her eyes closed because she knew there was no way her mom was going to be okay with this. Maybe she shouldn't have even started this thing with Michael. They weren't really even dating. They just hung out a few times and both agreed to go their separate ways since Billie had to go back to work and Michael had some things on his plate too. "And you're suddenly old enough to do whatever the hell you want? I don't even get why you would even be interested in a man that much older than you. You have nothing in common with him."

"We actually have a lot in common," Billie said shortly and her mom scoffed.

"Like what? Acting?" Sarah asked sarcastically. "The only reason a man that old is interested in a girl your age is because he just wants sex without having to actually commit to a relationship."

"Don't be silly, Mom. Michael's only twenty nine," Billie told her mother but it was clear her mom wasn't amused by Billie's carelessness about the conversation. She didn't like that Billie wasn't taking any of this seriously.

"Well, twenty nine is a big fucking age difference when your eighteen, Billie," Her mom told her venomously and Billie realized she really pissed her mother off now. Her mom rarely ever swore. "No. I'm not going to allow this. Not when you're still living with me. You can't date this man, Billie. He's too old and it's not right."

"Then I'll fucking move out," Billie snapped heatedly and there was a long pause of silence on her mother's end of the conversation. "If it bothers you so much how I choose to live my life then I'll get my own place so my lifestyle isn't in your face anymore."

"Billie, you can't just-" Her mom started to say but Billie was tired and upset at this point. She was about start filming a movie and didn't want to have this conversation with her mom right now. She didn't even know why her mom was so upset. She was legally an adult and could date whoever she wanted.

"Yes, I can. I'm eighteen which means I can move out, date who I want, and do what I want and you don't get to tell me otherwise. I'm not a fucking child anymore so just stop," Billie hissed before she hung up on her mother. She glared at the back of the passenger seat as she heaved with anger. Billie had hoped her mom would just accept her life was her own but apparently that wasn't the case. She still thought Billie was a child who needed protecting and Billie was sick of it at this point. She was eighteen and she was still being treated like a child.

"A little too much, Bills?" Matteo told her, clearly in shock at the way Billie talked to her mother. He never heard her speak that way to her mother in the entire time he had known Billie which was pretty much their whole lives.

"I can't deal with her fucking bs, Matty," Billie said, jaw clenched as she glared out the window. She just wanted to forget the entire conversation between herself and her mother. Billie had to focus on her work and she was determined not to let the stuff in her personal life affect her work.

"Maybe it's good you're filming the movie for a couple months. It'll give you and your mom some time to cool off. Maybe she'll come around to you dating Michael and-" Matteo suggested and Billie sighed tiredly.

"That's the thing. I'm not even dating him which is why I never wanted her to know about it in the first place. Now this thing's been blown out of proportion," Billie complained and Matteo gave her a supportive smile.

"Well, you'll both have some time apart and she'll probably forget about the whole thing by the time you're done with your work here in Atlanta," Matteo told her rationally and Billie just shrugged.

"I was serious about moving out," Billie said quietly and Matteo looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

"I need my own space, Matty. I'm an independent person. You know that," She informed him and Matteo just stared at her. "I was thinking of moving either here or LA. Since I do most of my work in both of those places."

"You hate LA," Matteo pointed out and Billie shrugged, not really knowing what to say to that.

"I just want a fresh start. Maybe I can focus on my work better there if I'm near it all," Billie said, putting it quite simply. She didn't really want to live in LA but maybe it was better for everyone if she took some time to work there after filming this movie. Maybe she and her mom needed some time apart if they kept arguing like this. Besides...her mom had Sebastian now so Billie saw it as a good thing with her taking a step back and letting her mom have an actual life for herself rather than worrying about Billie all the time. Her mom deserved to be happy and Billie was okay with staying away if it meant her mom could keep that happiness.

She just didn't know if her mom would see it that way.