chapter 7: Billie pt 2

Nate POV

This morning was something I had dreaded for a while. As soon as my brother parked outside the school and I stepped out of the car, all eyes turned to me. They couldn’t deny my charm, could they? I was tall—six feet, not three (just kidding)—and muscular, with wavy hair that I brushed back, covering most of my neck. Although my hair was long, I had it cut before coming to this school. I had blue eyes like my mom and a pointed nose that seemed to drive all the girls crazy.

This wasn’t my first time at a new school; it felt more like my hundredth. I had just moved from California to this small town after my dad passed away. My mom returned to her hometown to settle down, as many widows do. She refused to remarry and decided to focus on raising us. Although we weren’t kids anymore, she still treated us like we were, and I loved it that way. I was the charming, handsome boy of the family, while my sister was the "witch," as I affectionately called her.

“Hey, boy!” Zack called from the car. I turned to give him a frown.

“Yeah?”

He winked at me, and I knew what that meant. “Be careful with the girls; don’t drive them wild. And make sure not to stay out late tonight—don’t forget about dinner!”

I shook my head, wondering what it was like to have such a crazy older brother. He thought I was always the partying type, going out with girls late at night. I wouldn’t lie; I was a romantic at heart, but lately, I had fallen out of that mindset for some reason.

I nodded at him.

“You sound a lot like Mimi,” I said, slamming the door hard enough to make him jump.

“Hey, easy on my door! I am not your sister!” he yelled after me, but I was already halfway into the school, under the scrutiny of a thousand eyes. I was used to this attention.

As I walked into the school and made my way to class, I encountered a short professor. When he saw me, he stopped.

“Welcome, Mr. Nate,” he smiled.

“Hi, Mr. Lincoln. Please call me Nate,” I replied. Before he could respond, I headed toward the front desk, where an empty seat caught my eye. I wondered why no one was sitting there.

As other students stared at me curiously, I sensed that this was not the usual look I received upon walking into a room; it felt like something was wrong. Anyway, I shifted my attention from them and faced the teacher. He was already heading toward the front of the room, and once he finished, he came over to my desk.

“Eh, Nate, I heard about your dad. I’m sorry. He was…”

“It’s okay, sir. Things happen, and it’s already happened,” I said. He nodded and patted me on the back before leaving the room. As soon as the teacher left, a few girls rushed to my desk.

“Hey, handsome!” one of them cooed.

I smiled at them but quickly returned to pressing my phone. Though I was trying to act nonchalant, I had to fake it.

“I love your hair,” one of them said. I looked up and took in her figure. She was slender, wearing a jacket and a short skirt that showed off her thighs and highlighted her curves. She had long black hair and big brown eyes. She smiled.

“Thanks, I just had it shampooed,” I said, dropping my phone to focus on her. The other girls looked upset, each trying to gain my attention, but I was interested in this slender one.

“You shouldn’t be sitting here,” one of the girls said. I stopped talking and looked at her. What did she mean?

“Why?” I asked.

The girls exchanged glances, but the one who had spoken seemed thrilled to get my attention and continued.

“This seat belongs to one of the ugliest and least popular girls in our school.”

“Ugliest?”

“She’s like a disease, and everyone hates her. Seeing you sit in her seat was the reason the whole class is staring at you; no one wants to sit there.”

“Where is she? I don’t see her around,” I asked.

“Don’t know; she’s been missing for an hour after a fight with her ex-boyfriend,” the girl replied.

She told me everything about herself—Billie, her boyfriend, and her twin sister who had betrayed her: John and Blake.

I opened the door to the restroom to relieve myself. It had been an hour of listening to stories about Billie, and she sparked my interest. Once I finished, I was about to leave when I heard a soft moaning. I stopped; it came again, more like a sob. Someone was crying, and it was coming from the girls' restroom. I leaned against the wall and heard heavy breathing and gasping.

"What’s going on?" I leaned forward to hear more.

“Please, Blake, it wasn't my fault,” the owner of the voice pleaded.

A bitter snort followed. “Wasn't your fault? Then who wrote a letter to you telling you that you are beautiful? Not me! I just can't take it anymore, Billie! I hate you; you’re not even my twin sister!”

The name struck me: Billie? The heavy girl that everybody hated.

Then I heard a splash and a high-pitched moan. I knew something was wrong. When I heard the desperation in the voices, I rushed from the men's restroom to the girls' side. The door was locked. I banged on it at first, but it wouldn't budge. After my second, third, and fourth attempts, the door finally came crashing down. I sped inside, and the girls froze at my appearance.

“How did you…?” one started to say, but my eyes were on Billie. The other girls were holding her head and dipping it in water. She was struggling.

I dashed forward and pushed the girl holding her down away, lifting Billie’s head out of the water. She was pale; her face had already turned white, and her eyes were small and beautiful—unlike any I had ever seen. A birthmark adorned her chubby face, and she felt heavy in my arms.

“Billie!” I called. Her eyes opened wide in shock as we stared at each other.

“How do you know her name?” the slender, beautiful girl asked, looking at me with hatred. “Are you the one who wrote her a letter?”

I met her gaze defiantly. “What if I was the one? What are you going to do? Dip my head in a basin, too?”

I was furious. How could she do this to her own twin? This was unacceptable.

“Why—” Before she could say anything, I slowly dragged Billie out of the bathroom. Suddenly, I heard a wail that startled me.

“Billie!” a girl shouted, running toward us and crouching down. She shot questioning eyes at me, but I clutched Billie to my chest and stroked her cheek. She was beautiful, even if no one else could see it. Her eyes drew me in.

Students had already gathered, staring at the scene unfolding in front of them. I looked at the girl who was supposed to be Billie’s friend.

“I think she needs medical help. We should get her to the school clinic,” I said, and she nodded in agreement.

“I know a place; let’s go!” she replied.

Despite Billie's weight, I carried her in my arms and raced after the girl leading us.

Billie opened her eyes for a moment before shutting them again.

“You’re okay, Billie. I’m here,” I said, though it confused the girl ahead of us. Still, she continued leading the way.

We reached the clinic in no time; it was located near the school administration area. The nurse recognized her immediately and shot us a look that we understood. However, she just directed us into one of the rooms, and I helped her settle onto the bed.

“What happened?” she asked, horror covering her face. I glanced over at the girl and then explained what had occurred to the nurse. Both she and the girl were shocked.

“I will make Blake pay for this,” she swore. Did she have feelings for her friends like that? I thought.

We waited outside for the nurse to attend to her. Thankfully, it wasn't serious; she told us that she would be released in a few hours.

“Thank you,” the girl said, looking at me appreciatively. I nodded.

“No, it’s okay,” I replied. “What are you going to do now?” I asked her.

She looked at me. “I'm going to report Blake and her friends,” she said, standing up to leave.

“Hey,” I stopped her. “Let me come with you; I’m a living witness, right?”

She smiled, and I could see she was grateful.

We headed out together. Mr. Rogers paced up and down the room while Billie’s parents just stared at the principal. Blake was sitting beside them, while I stood in front with the new girl, whom I had heard was named Ann.

“Is what they’re saying true?” Mr. Rogers turned and fumed at Blake.

“No, it’s a lie! How could I do that to my sister? I was just angry; I couldn't harm her,” Blake lied.

Mr. Rogers faced us. I stepped forward. “I saw Blake and her friends bullying Billie when I had visited the restroom, and I helped her out. It’s true, Principal.”

Mr. and Mrs. Jones, Billie and Blake’s parents, stared at me in disbelief. I could tell they didn’t believe what I was saying.

“She can’t do that! I’m sure; she might be cold to Billie, but she can't do that to her own twin,” her father thundered.

The principal looked at us. “Then I think we need to hear it from Billie herself.”

Ann went out, and after a minute, she returned with Billie. Billie looked okay, but her face was still pale.

Mr. Rogers faced Billie. “Is it true, dear? Did Blake have you dip your head underwater?”

Billie shut her eyes, as if deciding what to say.

When she opened them again, she replied, “No, it wasn’t Blake or her friends; I accidentally dipped my head in the water.”

I stared at her in disbelief. What did she just say? But then I realized why. She sent me an apologetic look, and I understood her intention. She was trying to protect her sister despite everything that had happened.

I watched her with keen interest. Just as I had predicted, she seemed intriguing.