{14} ✔️

Dahlia's POV

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Mondays fucking suck. Especially when you're all bruised up from being thrown off a big ass horse and you're trying to ignore a very persistent blue haired devil.

"You got all weird after you fell off the horse. Are you sure you don't have a concussion?" I sighed as she asked for the thousandth time.

I got freaked out after falling off the horse because everyone was looking at me and Billie and Billie was being super handsy with me. I'm worried they're onto me, I'm worried they all know that I'm into girls now. I'm so paranoid it's unbelievable. Every time someone looks at me I think they know.

I can't tell Billie that that's what's bothering me though. She knows I'm not out to many people yet, but she doesn't know just how scared I am to come out to everyone and I don't want to tell her. She's so fucking open about everything and she doesn't give a shit what anyone thinks of her. She'd think I'm being childish for worrying about something so stupid so much. I don't want her to know how pathetic I am.

"I'm starting to wish I did have a concussion so that I could be in a hospital bed rather than here being questioned by you," I muttered. She gasped, clutching her heart. "How rude! You really hurt my feelings there, baby."

I looked around to make sure no one heard and then looked back at her. "Billie—"

"If only you two worked as much as you talked." Mrs. Baker slammed some books down in front of us and then put a hand on her hip. I stared into her icy blue eyes and tried not to say anything rude. The sight of her makes me want to punch something.

Mrs. Baker is probably the worst teacher I've got. She's rude, condescending, and she loves giving out detentions. No matter how good you are, she'll find a reason to yell at you eventually.

"Yeah, if only." Billie scoffed. I kicked her foot under the table and picked up one of the health books she'd slammed down in front of us.

Mrs. Baker pushed some of her badly dyed blonde hair behind her shoulder and crossed her arms, staring down at Billie. I coughed uncomfortably, knowing that this wouldn't end well.

"I'm sorry? Billie, do we have a problem?"

"Quite a few." Billie muttered.

"If you don't like my class—"

"I don't have to show up? You say that a whole lot, yet when I skip, you throw a bitch fit."

I sighed, rested my elbow on the table and rested my chin in the palm of my hand, watching as the two went back and forth. Expecting Billie to just shut the fuck up and stop egging Mrs. Baker on was like expecting a crackhead to just give up crack out of the blue. Expecting Mrs. Baker to leave well enough alone and hop off Billie's dick was like expecting Donald Trump to stop being a racist imbecile.

Not fucking likely.

"Is everything okay at home, Billie?" Mrs. Baker tilted her head and rested her hand on the table. "Children usually only act out like this when something is wrong at home."

Billie narrowed her eyes and I lowered my head. I wish Billie had continued to sit in the back rather than opting to sit with me today because the entire class's attention is on her right now and since I'm next to her, that means their attention is on me too.

"Everything is fine and dandy at my house, Mrs. Baker." She said it so sweetly and I knew something terrible was coming after. "But I hear things aren't so okay at yours. I hear that your boyfriend of fifteen years is leaving you for one of his little college students. Isn't it hilarious how he couldn't marry you no matter how much you asked, but he can run off and marry some nineteen-year-old Lolita type bitch? I also hear that you've gone broke and that you're close to losing your house, your car, and if you keep being a fucking bitch to the teachers and staff, your shitty little job. But maybe those are just rumors?"

I sighed again as I hid my face in the palms of my hands. Things spread quickly around this school and by now, everyone had heard that Mrs. Baker's personal life was pretty shit right about now, but no one dared mention it. Until now.

"You are the most disrespectful little bast—little child I've ever had to meet in my life!" Mrs. Baker screeched, slamming her hands on the table and causing me to jump.

Billie stood up quickly, slamming her own hands down on the table as she mocked Mrs. Baker's shrill voice. "And you are the most pathetic excuse for a teacher I've ever met! So. Fucking. What!?"

"Get out of my classroom, NOW!"

"Get off of my dick so I can!"

Mrs. Baker was known for having screaming matches with her students but this has seriously got to be the worst one...this year. I tried to hold in my snickers as the rest of the class did too, but I couldn't.

"You think this is funny?!" She screamed.

I cleared my throat and shook my head, mentally hitting myself when yet another giggle slipped out. "N-No, ma'am."

"You can both go to the office! I'll send your referrals up later." She growled before turning to head back toward her desk.

"I didn't do anything!" I whined.

"Don't back talk!"

"Don't back talk." I mocked lowly before rolling my eyes and grabbing my bag. I followed Billie out the door, shaking my head as she slammed it as hard as she possibly could've and then the sound of laughter erupted from the classroom as Mrs. Baker screamed at everyone to shut up.

Billie's tough demeanor was immediately broken after we were out of the classroom. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to get you in trouble, I swear! I had no idea she'd—"

"It's okay, Billie." I smiled. And it really was. Mrs. Baker wrote twenty kids, minimum, up every single day. Anyone who got a referral because of her was usually either let off with a warning or given a 'detention' which actually ended up being pretty fun because Mr. Tomlin was in charge of staying with us juniors when we had to serve detention and we always ended up playing games or something.

Or so I'd heard. I haven't been in detention since ninth grade.

"I promise I'll be good next time I'm in there." She pouted. I laughed and threw my head back.

"I fucking hope not."

***

I was let off with a warning and Billie ended up with a well-earned detention. Surprise, surprise.

"I hope we get to play Jenga this time." She grinned after coming out of the office. "We better get to lunch."

I nodded. We'd stayed in the office during the rest of third period and all through fourth period partly because it was busy and partly because we didn't want to go back to class so soon and the principal, Mr. Myers, let us stall.

"You going to the football game this Friday?" Billie asked. I sent her a small look before sighing. "Well, I wasn't, but now you're asking which means you want me to go so that we can hang out and I'm sure that despite the fact that I want nothing to do with watching a lame ass football game that I don't care about, I'll show up anyways both because I want to hang out with you and because I'm sure Cadence is going and will also beg me to come. And also, I'm trying to live my best teenage life or whatever the fuck."

"Good girl." She smirked. "What are you gonna wear? That dress you wore to the party was cute..."

"Dude," I rolled my eyes. "I'm probably just gonna throw on some jeans or something. I don't know, I don't care."

"You wanna come to my house after the game? Your brother is. He's been hanging out with Fin a lot. It's nice to see my big bro finally make a friend. Granted he is three whole years older than Denver...but baby steps. He'll find his own adult friends soon enough."

I laughed before pulling out my phone, noticing it had buzzed. I was shocked to see it was Kai who'd texted me. She hadn't talked to me really since the party and I honestly haven't made the effort to talk to her. I figured she'd come back around when she was ready, and I've been too caught up in Billie to really care.

Kai bae:

Hey. Meet me by the bleachers by the track rn. We need to talk.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. What could she possibly want to talk about?

Dahlia:

On my way.

"D? You coming?" Billie held the cafeteria door open as she stared at me.

"Nah, I've gotta go do something but I'll see you later. Oh—and yeah, I'll come over after the game!"

I sped walked down the hallway before she could reply. I don't know what Kai needs to tell me, but I'm guessing it's important since she couldn't say it through text.

I practically ran all the way to the bleachers, my eyes searching for Kai rapidly once I got near them. I sprinted toward her when I spotted her and then stopped in front of her, out of breath.

"Damn, you got here fast." She laughed. I nodded. I hate not knowing things and I'm super curious. I need to know what she's got to tell me, ASAP.

"What is it?" I asked quickly.

"Look, I wanted to talk to you about us. And Billie."

I tilted my head at her. "Billie? What about her?"

"She's getting in the way of us, Doe, and I don't like that." She spat. "Before she came here me and you were doing good. We were happy, we spent most of our time together, we were—"

"Fucking." I cut her off. "We were fucking." And that's it. Why's she acting like we were dating? Does she want us to?

"Yeah, and now we don't fucking do that anymore because you don't have the time because you're constantly up her ass! I feel like I don't fucking exist when she's around and I hate that! I know you know that she likes you, and you need to do something about that."

She's right about that. I think Billie might actually like me and I want to ask her out soon. There's a chance that she doesn't actually like me like that, but I'm sick of always beating around the bush. I feel like I can be honest with Billie about most things, almost all. I feel comfortable around her, at least comfortable enough that I can say what I feel. I'm gonna tell her I like her and if she doesn't feel the same way, I'll cry about it and then move on. Simple.

I don't know when I'll tell her though. I need time to work up the courage.

"Tell her you can't hang out anymore so that we can get back to how we were before she popped up."

I nearly laughed at that. "Kai, listen, I'm not going to do that. I'm really glad that me and you met each other and became friends and, you know, experimented together, but I think I wanna ask Billie out. So, obviously, I think that me and you are done hooking up."

Her mouth flew open as she stared at me. "W-What? The fuck? No! How could you—You can't do this to me! I was just a fucking experiment to you? Are you kidding?!"

"No, you weren't just an experiment, but we both agreed that what we were doing was just for fun. Nothing serious and definitely not an actual relationship." I bit my lip before reaching over to grab her hand. "I am so sorry if you felt like there was more going on. I had no idea and I didn't mean to—"

"I know there wasn't more going on at the time, but there could be. There should be! Me and you should get together now. As girlfriends! Like, actual girlfriends who do more than just fuck. I finally know what I want and I want you. We'd be cute together and everyone would love us! We can tell everyone we like each other and—"

"Dude?! What? No! I—I'm not ready to tell anyone yet and I don't want to be with you. I like Billie."

"But I want you, Dahlia, and I always get what I want." She pouted. I rolled my eyes at her.

"Not this time. Sorry, Kai. We can still be friends, but we won't be dating. I don't see you in that way."

She sighed before nodding. "Yeah, okay. I...Okay. I'm sorry, this is super awkward and I'm sorry, I know how fucking bratty I sound and I—I'm sorry."

I frowned as she started to cry, plopping down onto the bleachers as she let out a few sobs. I didn't know she felt so fucking strongly about me. This is all so weird!

"It's okay! We'll get past this." I smiled encouragingly at her as I sat down and wrapped an arm around her. "It will be fine."