He Calls Me Babe
I was going with a guy named Jack that year, and he was a real prick. He seemed nice enough the first couple months, but it all went downhill from there. He was touchy feely in the worse sort of way, a way that I wasn't ready for. I had just turned sixteen and this was my first relationship with a guy.
He had dragged me to a party that night. Don't get me wrong; I love parties. But I didn't know any of these sick motherfuckers, and I didn't want to know what Jack was like when he was drunk. I snuck off into the crowd sitting down alone against a back wall. The room smelled of smoke and booze and sweat, and I added to the clamor; lighting my own smoke and taking a drag.
"You wouldn't happen to have a spare light on you, would ya?" I looked up to see a short guy of about my age with black hair and an unlit cigarette danglin in his lips. I held up my lighter as he leaned down for me to light him up. Taking his first drag, he sat down beside me. "Ain't much of a partier?"
"Don't know the crowd." I admitted with a sigh. He passed me a bottle and, with slight hesitation, I accepted a drink; feeling the dry ache of the alcohol starting to buzz in my system.
"Be glad." He told me, his eyes twitching towards a group of rather burly fellows fighting in a corner. "But if you don't know anyone, how'd you get here?" He added as an afterthought.
I sighed, leaning back against the wall. I felt like such a fucking chick. "My boyfriend made me come along." I replied. I didn't add to the stranger my suspicions of it being so that he could get me drunk as fuck in one of the upstairs bedroom, as I had done to a couple girls at parties passed.
"An' he just ditched you right here?" The black haired boy asked.
"Well, no, I ditched him." I explained, then looked up at this new man. "Why?"
"Well," Green eyes met blue, and I felt a chill move across his spine. "if I was him, I'd never let you out of my site. You're too cute. Someone might snatch you up."
I would have been wary, were in not for the deep sincerity in those expressive emerald eyes. "What's your name?" I asked.
"Billie Joe." The boy told me with a smile. "You?"
"I'm Frankie." I replied.
Billie Joe spent the night sitting there beside me, talking for hours and calling me babe. An arm wrapped around me as he told me that he was getting a soft spot for me, told me he was envious of Jack, said I was damn lovable. As the night went on I began to feel it too. We had so much in common, and he was such a sweet guy.
Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to tell Billie Joe that as I had hoped to, for at that moment Jack came over and pulled me up by the wrist. His breath reeked of alcohol. "Come on Frankie; let's go have a dance."
I shook my head to him. "No, Jack. I don't want to dance." His grip on my wrist tightened. "Let me go!"
Jack's other hand snaked around to grab my ass and I tried to squirm away from him. "Stoppit, Jack! Leave me alone!"
Jack did stop all of a sudden, falling back to the ground with an angry expression on his face as Billie Joe wrapped a protective arm around me and sliding me to safety behind him. I peeked over his shoulder at my fuming boyfriend. "Who'th fuck're you?"
Billie didn't reply to him, he was too busy keepin me from it. "Hush now babe." He told me. "I'll take care of this."
They errupted into a fight; fists and kicks and cusses being thrown about the room. The party stopped to watch and see who would butcher who. I gasped sadly as I saw Billie Joe take a hard right from Jack, his class ring leaving a bruise instantly forming on the pale skin. Billie responded with a hard left into the drunk's gut and a hard right to his face. Jack fell to the ground, out like a light.
I rushed to Billie Joe, turning his face in my hand to examine the bruise. Without thinking, I pressed my lips lightly to his cheek. There was a flash of a camera, but I didn't care.
I look at the picture, Billie smiling weakly at me as my lips pressed to his discolored skin. Even all these years later, I still remember every detail, crystal clear. I can't help but grin at the little shot of us.
Billie comes in the room. "Tre, what are you doing looking at that old thing?" He sits down beside me and looks at the page. "Ah, that was so long ago. You came home with me that night."
I nod to him. "And every night after that too."
"Why?" He asks me, those green orbs sparkling with his curiosity.
I lean in and peck him on the lips. "Because you call me babe."
He had dragged me to a party that night. Don't get me wrong; I love parties. But I didn't know any of these sick motherfuckers, and I didn't want to know what Jack was like when he was drunk. I snuck off into the crowd sitting down alone against a back wall. The room smelled of smoke and booze and sweat, and I added to the clamor; lighting my own smoke and taking a drag.
"You wouldn't happen to have a spare light on you, would ya?" I looked up to see a short guy of about my age with black hair and an unlit cigarette danglin in his lips. I held up my lighter as he leaned down for me to light him up. Taking his first drag, he sat down beside me. "Ain't much of a partier?"
"Don't know the crowd." I admitted with a sigh. He passed me a bottle and, with slight hesitation, I accepted a drink; feeling the dry ache of the alcohol starting to buzz in my system.
"Be glad." He told me, his eyes twitching towards a group of rather burly fellows fighting in a corner. "But if you don't know anyone, how'd you get here?" He added as an afterthought.
I sighed, leaning back against the wall. I felt like such a fucking chick. "My boyfriend made me come along." I replied. I didn't add to the stranger my suspicions of it being so that he could get me drunk as fuck in one of the upstairs bedroom, as I had done to a couple girls at parties passed.
"An' he just ditched you right here?" The black haired boy asked.
"Well, no, I ditched him." I explained, then looked up at this new man. "Why?"
"Well," Green eyes met blue, and I felt a chill move across his spine. "if I was him, I'd never let you out of my site. You're too cute. Someone might snatch you up."
I would have been wary, were in not for the deep sincerity in those expressive emerald eyes. "What's your name?" I asked.
"Billie Joe." The boy told me with a smile. "You?"
"I'm Frankie." I replied.
Billie Joe spent the night sitting there beside me, talking for hours and calling me babe. An arm wrapped around me as he told me that he was getting a soft spot for me, told me he was envious of Jack, said I was damn lovable. As the night went on I began to feel it too. We had so much in common, and he was such a sweet guy.
Unfortunately I didn't get a chance to tell Billie Joe that as I had hoped to, for at that moment Jack came over and pulled me up by the wrist. His breath reeked of alcohol. "Come on Frankie; let's go have a dance."
I shook my head to him. "No, Jack. I don't want to dance." His grip on my wrist tightened. "Let me go!"
Jack's other hand snaked around to grab my ass and I tried to squirm away from him. "Stoppit, Jack! Leave me alone!"
Jack did stop all of a sudden, falling back to the ground with an angry expression on his face as Billie Joe wrapped a protective arm around me and sliding me to safety behind him. I peeked over his shoulder at my fuming boyfriend. "Who'th fuck're you?"
Billie didn't reply to him, he was too busy keepin me from it. "Hush now babe." He told me. "I'll take care of this."
They errupted into a fight; fists and kicks and cusses being thrown about the room. The party stopped to watch and see who would butcher who. I gasped sadly as I saw Billie Joe take a hard right from Jack, his class ring leaving a bruise instantly forming on the pale skin. Billie responded with a hard left into the drunk's gut and a hard right to his face. Jack fell to the ground, out like a light.
I rushed to Billie Joe, turning his face in my hand to examine the bruise. Without thinking, I pressed my lips lightly to his cheek. There was a flash of a camera, but I didn't care.
I look at the picture, Billie smiling weakly at me as my lips pressed to his discolored skin. Even all these years later, I still remember every detail, crystal clear. I can't help but grin at the little shot of us.
Billie comes in the room. "Tre, what are you doing looking at that old thing?" He sits down beside me and looks at the page. "Ah, that was so long ago. You came home with me that night."
I nod to him. "And every night after that too."
"Why?" He asks me, those green orbs sparkling with his curiosity.
I lean in and peck him on the lips. "Because you call me babe."