{44}✔️

Billie's POV

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My Sunday consisted of writing songs with Finneas, missing Dahlia, 'studying' for upcoming quizzes, missing Dahlia, watching SpongeBob, and missing Dahlia.

I miss Dahlia.

"You'll see her tomorrow, dweeb." Finneas hit my knee before pulling his guitar off and spinning around in his chair to get on his computer. "If you miss her so much why aren't you texting her?"

"She's busy. Yesterday she spent time with Cadence, today she's spending time with Denver. Tomorrow after school she's spending time with Cora, then Tuesday she's spending time with Caden, then Wednesday she's spending time with her dad. Dahlia and Billie time doesn't happen until next weekend." I pouted.

"You wouldn't miss her so much if you had friends of your own to hang out with, but..." He sucked in a breath through his teeth and shrugged his shoulders. I took my shoe off and threw it at him.

"I have friends, asshole."

"Ow!" He hissed. "And no, you don't. I don't count."

"Claudia likes me."

"She's not your friend, she's my girlfriend. There's a difference."

"She likes me more than you, either way, bitch." I rolled my eyes.

I hate to admit it, but he's kinda right. Other than Dahlia I don't really have any friends. I mean, I'm friends with Denny, but he's her brother. I'm friends with the twins, but they're her friends. I don't just have my own friend. I have lots of acquaintances at school, but I don't consider any of them to be real friends.

I hummed to myself as I got off of Finneas' bed, hit him on the back of the head and then took my seat once again.

"What are you wearing to the Sadie Hawkins dance?" He asked. My eyebrows shot up and I scrunched my face up, waiting for him to say something else. He rolled his eyes. "You're going to it, aren't you? With Dahlia?"

"Why would you think that?" I squeaked out. He let out a long sigh. "Because she's your girlfriend and she probably wants to go? Because you've only ever been to one dance before and it was with—"

"Let's not even talk about her." I rolled my eyes.

"I just assumed you guys would be going."

I thought about that for a while...I'd love to go with her, but I don't know if she wants to. I'll definitely ask her the next time I get the chance, though. I'd love to see her in one of those fancy dresses...Maybe a short one.

"I'll ask." I shrugged after a little bit.

***

"Do you think Dahlia's gonna mind this?" She questioned as she lit her cigarette. I crossed my arms over my chest and traced the sidewalk with my foot. "I don't know. Maybe? Maybe not? I hope not. I don't wanna make her mad, I just...I don't know, I need friends and I thought you were cool?"

What Finneas had said earlier really got me thinking. I really don't fucking have friends and I honestly never have. I mean, it's not as if nobody likes me, it's just that I don't try very hard to talk to people and I usually only hang around the people that the few people I get to know hang around, if that makes sense? I've never had a friend that was just my friend first and no one else's.

I was bored earlier, so I figured that now was the time to fix that.

"I don't know, Billie, if I had a girlfriend and she went to hang out with some random girl she hooked up with at a party I'd be pretty pissed." Bea has an Irish accent and it makes me laugh. I don't know why it makes me laugh, but it does. She sends me a glare and I stop before clearing my throat.

"I don't know, I just feel like she won't have a problem with it. You clearly don't want anything to do with me romantically and we're just hanging out as friends. Plus, she's...Well, she isn't friends with Kai, but they've seemingly made up now and I don't like that bitch so...We're even?"

"Yeah, whatever." Bea sighed. "I'm only here because you said you'd buy me a burrito bowl."

I waited until Bea was finished smoking and then we walked into chipotle and sat down.

We ordered our food, making small talk as we waited for it to come out, and once it did we dug in. Bea seems really cool. She's not like anyone else I've ever met. She's pretty weird if I'm being honest.

Her dyed white hair contrasts perfectly with her dark skin and her grey eyes, she's got a lot of tattoos and piercings and she's always wearing dark makeup, she told me she's pansexual and that her dads had moved here from New Zealand when she was ten and she'd been adopted by them officially when she was twelve. She didn't mention her birth parents and how she got here from Ireland, and I don't wanna seem rude, but I don't think I've ever met a black Irish person in my life.

She's really cool.

She told me she's in our grade and actually goes to our school and I had no idea that she did. We don't have any classes together. She also happens to be a big fan of music and fashion. I think her and Dahlia would get along well, and even though I'm not entirely sure how Dahlia will feel when she finds out I hung out with Bea again, I do think that if they have time to get to know each other they'll be friends.

She's really funny too! We have the same sense of humor and we seem to like and dislike all the same things. I'm fucking proud of myself. I've made myself a whole god damn friend.

***

Dahlia's POV

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I sighed as I stared across the table at Denver who was looking down at his phone, trying to avoid the conversation at hand. We'd spent most of today hanging out and I had just mentioned the fact that I know about his crush on Fin and the fact that he likes guys a few minutes ago. After denying the shit out of it for a good ten minutes, he finally got quiet once he realized that I wasn't buying anything he was saying.

I just don't understand why he felt like he couldn't tell me of all people. I went through this same exact thing a year ago, he should've known he could come to me and talk about this. I don't wanna push him or force him into talking about things, but I also don't want him thinking he has to feel ashamed of who he is and what he likes.

I was scared to death that my family would turn on me when they found out I liked girls. I was scared they wouldn't look at me the same way, I was scared they'd phase me out and pretend I didn't exist or something. I was scared things would change, but I was scared for no reason. Nothing changed, except for the fact that I didn't have to be afraid anymore. I didn't walk around scared that someone would find out about me anymore. I didn't have to deal with the constant anxiety surrounding my sexuality anymore. That's what changed, and it was amazing. I just want Denver to reach that point too. The point where he realizes we love and accept him for who he is and he doesn't have to worry about it anymore.

"Do not tell Finneas." He demanded after a few more minutes of silence. I scoffed. "Obviously I won't. Why would I do that?"

"I don't know just...Don't." He shook his head. "We're good friends and that's it. That's all he wants to be, that's all I want to be. I don't want to ruin that. He's one of the only real friends I have. I don't want to lose him."

"You won't." I sighed, reaching over the table to pat his hand. "I'm not going to tell him anything, and even if he knew he wouldn't care."

"There's nothing to care about anyway. I'm not gay."

I let out an annoyed huff. "Dude, come on. Why can't you just admit that you're into guys? What's the big deal and why are you trying so hard to convince me you're straight? I'm not gonna judge you, obviously."

"You being gay is good and fine, Dahlia, but that doesn't mean I am too." He spat. "I'm not gay, I'm not bi, I'm not interested in guys at all—"

"Except Fin?" I muttered.

"I don't have a fucking crush—"

"You literally just told me not to tell him about your crush—"

"I told you not to tell him because I don't want you freaking him the fuck out over a false assumption that you have! I'm not fucking gay and I don't like him! God, if mo—" he cut himself off quickly and I furrowed my brows.

Was he about to say something about mom? What the hell does she have to do with this?

"If mom what?" I narrowed my eyes. Yeah, mom's homophobic, what does it matter? We live with dad, not her. She's out of our lives for good now, anyway.

"Drop it, Dahlia." He shook his head and stood up. "I don't know what you think you heard, I don't know what you think you saw, I don't know and I don't care. Fin is just a friend and I don't like guys. Never have never will."

He walked off after that and left me sitting at the kitchen table. I groaned as I watched him disappear and then pulled out my phone.

My mood shifted immediately once I noticed I had a text from Billie.

Bilboa:

Hi, I hope your day with your brother is amazing, lil bitch. Kiss kiss and all that shit. ✌🏻

I laughed and replied to the text. Before I could even put my phone down, I heard it ring. I answered it quickly.

"Hey, Bilboa." I drawled.

"Hey, baby!" She nearly yelled. "Listen, I'm like five minutes away from your house right now. Do you mind if I stop by?"

"Of course not! I could really use your company right now." I sighed.

"Didn't go well with Denver?"

"He's not gay and he doesn't like Fin. Or so he insists."

"He'll come to terms with it eventually...I have a friend with me, is that alright?"

"You have friends?" My eyebrows shot up.

"Bitch—"

"I-I'm sorry I just—You have friends? I mean I know you're popular at school but I—just—yeah, that's no problem."

"I don't think you're gonna like this friend of mine, but I think if you give her a chance you totally will."

"Alright..." I frowned.

I wonder who this friend is.

**********

A/N: This is the fattest filler I'm sorry smh. I'm just having to try to transition this story from what's been going on to what's about to go on, you know?

Aside from all that tho, can I just say I totally understand why Billie has a red light in her room? I have a light bulb that can change into like sixteen different colors but I only use the red and blue and any time that light is on I feel like my creativity jumps right out. My best writing has been done under the red/blue lights. TEA. (Obviously not these damn filler chapters but.) Anyways thank you for reading!

ALSO I picture Bea as this girl just cause she's hella pretty and as soon as I started thinking of new characters I thought of her.