Chapter 6: Where is Billie?

**Ann's POV**

It had been three hours, and I still hadn’t found her.

“Billie!” I called out, hoping to locate her soon. I checked the classroom, the lab, and the cafeteria, but she was nowhere to be found.

Had she gone home? I wondered. But it couldn’t be. Billie wasn’t the type to leave school at this time. I started to think about what John might have said to her. I just hope she’s okay. I truly do. She means more to me than just a friend; she's practically a sister.

Even though I was approached by many girls who wanted me to stop befriending Billie, I declined. They even said they wouldn’t hang out with me because of her, but I didn’t care. To me, Billie was special. I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt protective over her, especially since John broke her heart and her sister betrayed her. She’s been living a tough life.

Billie is truly strong, and I’ve always admired her. I often wonder how long she had to endure everything on her own before she met me. I’m just grateful that she held it together. Now that I’m with her, she seems different; she’s been more herself lately, and I’m so happy about that. After the postcard incident last night, which she told me about this morning, she seems energized. It’s as if she has never been happier in her life.

It seemed that her guardian angel, as she had named him, was good to her. She must have loved him even without having met him; I could see it in her eyes—she blushed when I asked her about him. The only problem was that we didn’t know who he was or why he was being so nice to her. Nobody had ever treated her kindly, except for me, I guess. I hoped her guardian angel wouldn’t hurt my best friend. But that was just one of my worries; I needed to find her soon. John had upset her or said something that had broken her down again. She was vulnerable. She was weak. She was fragile. I just hoped I could locate her quickly, as she hadn’t shown up to any of her classes, and the students were already heading to the cafeteria.

“Hey, Ann,” Samantha called as she walked up to me. She was in my class, lived across from me, and was the only one who didn’t tell me to back off from Billie, even though she didn’t like being around her.

“Hey,” I replied, still looking at the students ahead of me.

“What are you looking for?” she asked. I didn’t answer; I just looked around, and she knew who I was searching for.

“What? Are you looking for that friend of yours?”

“Her name is Billie. If you would call her,” I said, glaring at her, making her startle. I felt sorry, but I couldn’t tolerate anyone disrespecting her.

“I’m sorry,” I added.

She nodded. “It’s okay. I guess you did it out of love for her.”

I smiled, relieved that she understood what Billie meant to me.

“Anyway, I saw her a few minutes ago heading toward the toilets,” she said.

“Thank you,” I replied happily as I dashed to leave, but she stopped me.

“I saw Blake and her friends with her, taking her to the bathroom. It may seem serious, but I think they just have something to talk about. You know, after Blake blurted out to John that she had been aggressive, and I think she’s going to make Billie pay for it. Be careful.”

I stared blankly. Blake had been seen entering the restroom with Billie a few minutes ago, and now Billie hadn’t come out yet. Oh my God, no, they are going to hurt her.

They might be twins, but Blake is the type of person who could go to any lengths if someone offended her. From the short time I had spent with her, I knew Blake could be feral. I raced toward the restroom.

I had to get there in time, or... I stopped mid-stride as I caught sight of what was in front of me. A girl was being carried out of the bathroom by a boy in a bridal style. Her hair was wet, and so were her clothes. Her face looked pale, and I could see the birthmark.

“Billie!” I yelled as I ran toward them. The other students had somehow heard my yell and were rushing behind me—though they didn’t care; they just wanted to eavesdrop.

I fell to my knees as the boy who had been carrying her gently brought her down to my level. He cradled her head on his chest as if she were important to him. I didn’t understand why he was acting normally toward Billie when the other boys weren’t. I hadn’t seen him before; he must be new. Maybe that’s why he was nice. I shook my thoughts off and focused back on Billie.

“Billie!” I called, but there was no response, only a stir. What the hell happened? How did she get all wet? I shifted my gaze to the bathroom, where I saw Blake glaring down at Billie.

How can she do this to her twin sister in the name of a boy? Why? Are they not real sisters? Is Billie adopted, and Blake is jealous of that? I just can’t figure it out. They are blood; you could see it. Though Billie might be bigger, with a birthmark, while Blake is beautiful, elegant, slender, and has the kind of figure that drives boys crazy, you can still see the resemblance. They may not be identical, but they are almost.

“What the hell happened?” I asked the blue-eyed boy. He looked at me, his eyes filled with worry. His wavy hair covered half of one eye and the back of his neck. He was handsome, even if he was still bent over; his figure was breathtaking, the kind every girl would crave. I could see that I was not the only one captivated by him. Shaking my head, I forced myself to focus on the boy before he was taken away by the gazes of the other girls.

He turned to face me. “I think she needs medical help; we should get her to the school clinic,” he said. I nodded in agreement.

I had no idea what had happened or what had caused this situation, but I knew Blake was involved. However, my main concern was Billie.

“Yes, I know a place. Let’s go,” I said, glaring at Blake and eyeing her. If Billie survived this, I wouldn’t leave her alone. Even though they were twins, Blake would have to pay for what she had done.