#Broken Window Smiles|Billy and Riley

[lucygxybaird]

billy x reader preview - reader owns the ranch billy wants to buy

People don’t tend to believe him when he says this, but Billy never wanted to be famous, least of all for gunslinging. He’d hated seeing his name in the paper — each time felt like a bramble burrowing into his skin, drawing blood and stinging mercilessly. At first, his actions were purely motivated by survival: escaping from jail, shooting the blacksmith, falling in with Jesse. And then it had become something bigger than that. 

He had just wanted to do the right thing. To grow into the sort of man that could make his mother proud. It’s why he involved himself in the Lincoln County war, because he just couldn’t stand it anymore. He’d seen it all his life. People like Mr. Hurley, like Antrim, like the son of a bitch who’d killed Carlos, like Riley and Murphy and Dolan, they all thought they could get away with being bullies. 

Because that’s what they were, really, every one of them. Bullies who had never been checked before, who didn’t care who they hurt as long as they got what they wanted. Anybody who didn’t bow and scrape and play along, or at the very least get out of the way, were crushed beneath their boot heels. 

Billy couldn’t — and still won’t — let that sort of thing stand. And so he’d been pulled into their trouble like pieces of a broken house sucked into a tornado, watching the peaceful, hopeful future Mr. Tunstall had promised get torn out of his grasp. More than once during his time in Lincoln County, he’d expected he wouldn’t make it out of this fight alive. Either a bullet in his chest, or a noose around his neck, maybe even the elements if he was stuck out in the middle of nowhere while he was on the run. 

It hadn’t really mattered to him; he’d seen too much death to be afraid of it, and he’d lost too many people not to have half a hope in the back of his mind that he would see them again when he passed on. The most important thing was to do as much as he could, for as many people as he could, before he was taken down. 

And yet, if there’s any one lesson running through his life like a thread in a tapestry, it’s that hope really does spring eternal. Even if the odds seem impossible, insurmountable, you can’t give up. You can fall down, you can bleed, you can go to ground for a little while if you need to, but you have to keep going. 

Which is how, along with sheer dumb luck and a governor who actually keeps his promises, he’s ended up here. 

Billy urges his horse to the top of the rise, a sea of gently waving grass falling away from him in a sweep of emerald, up past a log fence, where it laps up to the steps of a neat little front porch. The ranch house is just big enough for one — maybe two if they don’t mind getting cozy — but that’s all he needs. 

Its boards are painted a faded yellow that might have been sunny once; it looks bright enough, still, in the mellow afternoon light. There are a few shingles missing on the roof itself, but the little chimney jutting up from the center seems sound enough. Two windows frame the front door, and as he watches, he thinks he catches a flicker of movement through one. 

Urging his horse forward, Billy rides up to the fence and dismounts, lashing the reins to a post. He nudges the gate open and steps into the yard, hesitating for a moment. He knows his reputation in this part of the world still carries bloodstains like a bandage wrapped around a wound, and he doesn’t want to frighten anyone who might be inside.

“Hello?” he calls out, feeling a little foolish but considering it worth it as long as he doesn’t scare anybody — or come face to face with a gun barrel, for that matter. “I wanted to take a look at the property. Is anyone here?”

This time he’s sure he sees something through the window, a flash of red. Then the front door opens with a creak, and he’s struck by the sight of you.

“Oh,” he says cleverly, and you just smile at him.

You’re beautiful, sure — smiling like that, you’re damn near stunning — but that isn’t what makes him feel as though he’s been knocked off balance, teetering on his feet. Somehow he has the sense of a lighthouse on the shore, guiding him toward a new shore. Toward home. 

Speaking of home — 

He clears his throat. “I, uh, I wanted to take a look at the property,” he says, only realizing a second too late that he just said that a few minutes ago. 

God, is he blushing? He’s pretty sure he hasn’t blushed since grade school, when he’d helped his pretty teacher with her groceries and she’d given him a kiss on the cheek for his trouble. 

“Right,” you say. “You’d like the owner for that, I bet.” 

“I would.” Billy clears his throat again, folding his hands behind his back as though proper posture will help him get his equilibrium back. What the hell is wrong with him? “Can I — is he around?”

“No,” you say, and Billy feels a pinprick of disappointment, followed by the realization that, at least, this means he’ll have to come back — and so, he’ll see you again. 

And then you add: “She’s around, though.” 

“She?” he repeats, as if he’s never heard the word before, and when you just smile at him again, the truth dawns on him. “Oh! Oh, you — it’s you?”

“It’s me.” 

[steve-harringtons-lover]

Your Worst Nightmare - Billy Loomis

Lilith awoke from her slumber with the sight of her boyfriend, Billy Loomis, sleeping in front of her. Billy had snuck through her window last night, saying how he wanted to see her, so they watched a movie. Nightmare On Elm Street to be exact, Billy's favorite horror movie. Now here they are on a chilly Sunday morning with their limbs tangled together in Lilith's bed and the sun sparkling through her window, hitting Billy's features in all the right places.

Lilith lazily ran her fingers through his brown hair. Her hand found its way to his jaw and rested there as she stroked his cheek with her thumb. Billy smiled as he awoke, loving the feeling of waking up next to his girlfriend. "Morning." Billy mumbled as he opened his eyes. "Morning, sleepy head. Did you have a nice sleep?" Lilith asked as a small smile crept up her lips. "Have I ever told how comfortable your bed is? I may have to sneak through your window more often." Billy replied, snuggling his head further into the pillow.

"You know you can just go to my front door like a normal person would." Lilith said. "I like doing things my way." Billy smirked, looking at Lilith with his brown eyes. "You should probably get going before my parents hear us talking." Lilith said, patting his chest lightly. "I don't wanna go." Billy groaned as he snuggled his head into Lilith's neck, taking in her scent.

"Come on, Billy, you have to. Plus I'm meeting up with Casey soon." Lilith said as she rubbed his back soothingly. Billy was being awfully affectionate this morning, not that Lilith was complaining. "Fine." Lilith could feel Billy's frown on her neck before he pulled away. He did not look happy.

"Chill out. We're having a double date with Casey and Steve tonight remember? And if you cheer up tonight you might get a little surprise." Lilith whispered into Billy's ear before she pulled away, but not before giving him a kiss on the neck. "Oh yeah?" Billy smirked. "Yeah." Lilith stated. Billy kissed her hard.

Billy moved the covers off of his legs before he placed his feet on the fuzzy white rug. He slipped his shoes on as Lilith stood on her knees behind him with her arms around his torso giving him sloppy kisses on his neck. "You might as well give me the surprise now." Billy smiled as he tilted his head to the side to give Lilith more access. "Just giving you a sneak preview." Lilith said before she climbed off the bed along with Billy.

"See you tonight." Billy spoke as he stood beside Lilith's open window. "Love you." Lilith said as Billy begun to climb out her window. "Love you too, doll." Billy said before he climbed down the tree outside the window. Lilith sighed as she watched him walk down the street to his truck. She was one lucky girl.

____ _ _ _

Casey and Lilith have been best friends since freshman year. Lilith was introduced to Stu Macher when him and Casey were dating. That's how she met the rest of her friends. Stu took Casey and Lilith to one of their hangout nights at Stu's house. Lilith doesn't think anyone liked Casey, but they did like Lilith. They weren't sure about her at first, but when Lilith got into a pretty heated about which horror character would be easier to kill with Randy, the group knew she was a perfect fit. A month later Casey dumped Stu for her current boyfriend, Steve Orth.

Even though Stu won't admit it, he was kind of heart broken when it happened. Although, he got over it pretty quickly when him and Tatum Riley started going out in sophomore year. Tatum Riley and Sidney Prescott were also in Stu's friend group. Lilith and the two girls got along pretty well. That night was also the night Lilith met Billy. She swore it was love at first sight.

Lilith arrived at the towns supermarket her and Casey were going to meet at. The two girls needed to grab snacks for tonight's double date even though they were probably going to be ordering take out. "Lilith!" Casey smiled as she spotted her best friend. Lilith's face painted the same expression as she hugged Casey.

"Are you excited for tonight?" Casey asked as the girls entered the store, grabbing a cart on their way in. "Absolutely. Have you rented out the movies yet?" Lilith asked as they walked towards the chip isle. "No, I was figuring we could go together. You think we could get a discount since you're friends with Randy?" Casey asked as Lilith picked out salt and vinegar chips, her personal favorite.

"Hm.. I don't know if Randy is working today, but we can try." Lilith said as she put the bag of chips in the cart. "Oh, grab barbecue chips. Those are Steve's favorite!" Casey said, pointing to the bags of barbecue chips. Lilith scoops up the bbq chips and Billy's favorite chips before placing them in the cart. Casey had grabbed a few Jiffy Pop popcorn and placed them in the cart. "What else do we need?" Lilith scratched her head in thought.

"Ice cream!" Casey excitedly said. "Great idea!" Lilith exclaimed before they raced to the freezer isle. Lilith picked out Napoleon ice cream, cookies and cream, and Casey went to grab the rocky road ice cream. Lilith was looking at the rest of the ice cream flavors to see if any of them caught her eye, but she noticed something in the glass. A cloaked figure with a mask that looked like a ghost frozen in a scream stood at the end of the isle behind Lilith, but when she turned around the figure was gone.

She dismissed the figure when Casey returned with the rocky road ice cream. "Is that everything?" Casey looked over all the junk food that was in the cart. "Maybe drinks?" Lilith suggested. "Right!" Casey stirred the cart towards the drink isle. Lilith was about to follow her, but she checked the freezer again, and she saw the figure again. Before she could investigate Casey had called her over.

____ _ _ _

Randy was in fact working that evening, and he let the girls get a 10% discount on the movies they rented which was great because they rented many movies. The sun had started to set as the two girls pulled into Casey's driveway. Casey lived in a huge farm house a little ways away from the bustling town. Her parents were going to be out tonight on a date, so the house was theirs.

Casey was in her living room trying to set up the television while Lilith was pouring some salt and vinegar chips into a bowl. The phone began to ring, but stopped soon when Casey's voice was heard from the living room. Casey walked into the kitchen with the tv remote after hanging up the phone. "Who was that?" Lilith asked before she popped a salty chip in her mouth.

"Wrong number. I'm gonna look for some batteries, let me know if Steve calls." Casey says before she steals one of Lilith's chips. Lilith nods before Casey leaves the kitchen. Shortly after Casey left, the phone began to ring again. This time Lilith picked it up. "Hello?" She spoke into the telephone. "Hello." A deep, raspy voice spoke through the phone.

"Who is this?" Lilith asked as she twirled the telephone cord around her finger while staring at the blue screen on the television. "You tell me." The voice said. "I have no idea. Why are you calling?" Lilith lightly laughed through the tension that was somehow created. "I wanted to apologize to your friend." The voice replied. "What for?" Lilith asked as she stared out the patio doors which usually showcased a beautiful pool, but it was pitch dark outside.

"Why don't you mind your business?" The voice rudely said, but still held a calm tone. "No can do, chief. Whatever is my friends business is my business." Lilith said as she plopped down onto one of the chairs. "Where is you friend anyway?" The voice asked. As if right on cue, Casey appears with batteries in one hand and the remote in the other. "She's right here." Lilith said before she stood up to hand Casey the phone.

"Who is it?" Casey asked as she moved the batteries to her hand with the hand that was holding the remote so she could grab the telephone. "Creepy phone guy. Want me to make some popcorn?" Lilith asked as she started to walk to the kitchen. Casey quietly nodded as she put the phone up to her ear. "Hello?" Lilith didn't stay to hear the rest of the conversation. She had grabbed the Jiffy Pop they had gotten from the store earlier before turning on the stove and placing it on top of the front right stove top.

Lilith peeled back the Jiffy Pop logo as Casey entered the kitchen again. "What did he want?" Lilith asked while she went back to eating her chips. "Just wanted to apologize for calling the wrong number then he wanted to talk, but I hung up on his sorry ass." Casey rolled her eyes as she recalled the conversation that just ended moments ago. "These batteries are dead, I'm gonna go look for some more." Lilith nodded as her friend went on a hunt for batteries again.

The popcorn started to pop behind Lilith, but before she could tend to it the phone had rung again. Lilith was the one to answer it, again. She had grabbed the portable cell phone so she didn't have to stand in the living room. "Hello?" Lilith spoke as she made her way back to the kitchen. "Aw, I was hoping your friend would answer." The same dark, raspy voice from the previous phone call rang through the phone. "Well she didn't. Why are you calling, again?" Lilith sighed, beginning to become annoyed with the guys constant phone calls.

"What's that noise?" The voice asked. Lilith was standing in front of the stove, shaking the Jiffy Pop from its metal handle. "Popcorn." Lilith spoke into the phone as she turned away from the stove and leaned against the island. "I only eat popcorn when I'm watching a movie." The voice said in a almost teasing tone. "Well my friend and I are getting ready to watch a video." Lilith said as she placed her elbows on the marble island top. "Really? Is it a scary movie?" The voice asked. "Yeah, we rented out a bunch of scary movies."

"Do you like scary movies?" The voice asked again. What's with all the questions? "I didn't at first, but my friends got me into them so..." Lilith trailed off as she stared at the wooden knife holder. "What's your favorite scary movie?" The voice asked, again. "Umm.. Halloween. Y'know the guy who stalks and kills babysitters for a living." Lilith smiled as she played with one of the knives in the holder. That was the first scary movie she watched with Billy.

"Oh, yeah I remember." The mysterious voice said. "What's your favorite scary movie?" Lilith asked as she stood up and began to look through the movies they had rented that were sat at the edge of the counter. "Guess." The voice said amused. "Lets see..." Lilith looked through the horror movies, before she landed on Billy's favorite. Nightmare On Elm Street. "Is it Nightmare On Elm Street?" Lilith asked as she went back to the popcorn. "Is that the movie where the guy has knifes for fingers?" The voice asked for confirmation. "Yeah, Freddie Krueger!" Lilith confirmed. "That's it!" There was a slight silence as Lilith shook the popcorn tray.

"What's your name?" The voice asked. "Why? You wanna buy me a drink?" Lilith joked, succeeding when she heard a deep chuckle on the other line. "How do you know so much about scary movies?" The voice asked while Lilith scooped up the movies from the edge of the island before walking down the hallway. "My boyfriend is obsessed with them. It's all he watches, so I watched all the movies with him so we could have something to talk about." Lilith honestly answered while she locked the doors before walking into the living room.

Casey was standing there, trying to get the television working. "So you have a boyfriend?" The voice almost sounded disappointed. "Yes I do." Casey looked at Lilith, seeming to be asking who was on the phone by the expression on her face. 'Creepy phone guy' Lilith mouthed before the voice spoke again pulling Lilith back into the conversation. "You never told me your name." The voice pointed out as Lilith looked through the movies that were on top of the tv. "Why do you wanna know my name so badly?" Lilith smirked, trying to tease the creepy phone guy.

"Because I want to know who I'm looking at."

____ _ _ _

(Phew, that was a lot! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!!)

[stanbillyhargrove]

Ghosts chp 29

T/W: death

A/N: sorry it's taken me so long to post this, but here we go!

Katrina's POV

Darkness. All around me, consuming. Is this all there is?

No, this can't be it. I can hear something.

Sirens.

Murmuring.

Breathing.

I can feel my chest rising and falling.

Fuck.

--

I woke, mind fuzzy, floating high in painkiller clouds. Had a brief thought to laugh and scream and cry about my failure. Didn't because I was lulled back to sleep.

Somewhere else, I could hear Olivia humming gently, lulling me back to sleep.

--

The next time I woke up, I was overcome with the smell of bleach. Too stiff blankets scratched my skin. I wiggled my fingers and toes, testing my control. I couldn't hear Neil, couldn't feel him, but deep down I knew he was still here.

I opened my eyes, squinting under the bright lights at the bare room. There was nobody here waiting, noone sleeping softly in the chair beside my bed. I tried to talk, to call out, but a sharp spike of pain stopped me and I curled into myself with a groan. Laid there for a minute, breathing deeply as I waited for the pain to subside.

"Hey, you're awake,"

I looked over to see Billy poking his head in the door, a cup of coffee steaming in his hand.

I tried to talk again, to ask him what happened, but opening my mouth sent another flash of pain. He hurried over and placed a notebook and pen in my lap.

"You're not gunna be able to talk for a while," he explained.

'What happened?' I scribbled.

"What do you remember?"

'Neil, he tried to stop me. Mirror.'

He looked so weary when he nodded, "you tried to kill yourself...Katrina, I told you we'd find another way.."

'No other way,' I gave him a thin smile.

He reached over, took my hand in his and squeezed gently, "don't give up yet.."

I met his eyes, saw the purple bags there and realized he was as tired as I was. Stressed and broken down like I was.

"Don't give up on me," he murmured, "just give me some more time.."

I squeezed his fingers and nodded. He sighed with relief, shoulders dropping and leaned to kiss my forehead. Sat down in the chair next to my bed, thumb sweeping gently across my hand.

"How do you feel?"

I scribbled messily with my free hand, 'hurts.'

"Yeah, you did a number on yourself. Cut your tongue right in half," his fingers came up and brushed my cheek, across a cotton bandage I hadn't noticed, "got your cheek a bit too. Scared the shit out of me."

'Sorry.'

He smirked, his tongue between his teeth, "I almost asked them to keep your tongue split in two, oral would have been fantastic."

I rolled my eyes and puffed air out my nose, the closest I could get to a laugh.

'Asshole.'

He laughed, proud of himself. I perked at the smell of citrus, eyes flicking to search for her.

"What?" He asked, turning to look around the room and back at me.

'Elle.'

"She's here?"

Billy smiled when I nodded and stood up.

"I'll take a walk...give you a few minutes and come back with a doctor."

I looked up at him, smiling as softly as I could and hoping he understood how grateful I was.

It took a minute after Billy left for Elle to appear, her usual warm smile replaced with a sad, tight lipped one.

"Hi, Katrina" she murmured.

My eyes watered and I stretched out a hand to lace our fingers together. She gripped my hand tight and brushed her fingers over my hair.

"What did you do to yourself?" She asked, "this isn't like you...you're a fighter."

I shrugged, eyes flicking down.

"Has he really broken you?"

I pulled my hand from hers to hold my notebook and write, 'easier to give him what he wants. Or try again. Do it right.'

Elle sighed, "you can't just give up. You have to be strong and fight him."

Tears started to slip down my cheek, 'it's too hard. I'm tired.'

"I know it's hard but you have to fight this bastard, okay? Give Billy some more time...he really loves you, you know?"

I sniffed and nodded slowly.

She cupped my cheek, fingers sweeping through tears, "and I know you love him too. And that's okay, let yourself love him, Katie. Just stop being stupid and tell him."

I returned her smile and pointed at my mouth before writing, 'can't.'

She laughed, "smart ass."

'Love you, Ellie.'

"I love you, Katie."

She bent to kiss my forehead softly before disappearing.

--

Billy brought me back to my apartment after the doctor explained what my healing would entail. A liquid diet and salt water rinses for two weeks, try not to talk until the stitches fall out and come back if an infection sets in. Tylenol and sleep to manage pain. I feel like I could sleep for two weeks straight, so that's easy enough.

Let ourselves into my apartment and saw Steve and Riley standing there.

"You're home!" Riley came over to hug me softly, "how are you feeling? Hungry?"

I pulled back, held up my notebook and wrote, 'little hungry, tired.'

She kept gentle fingers on my arm as she led me to the couch, "here, lie down. We got some groceries for you, I'll make you something."

I sat down on the end of the couch, 'you didn't have to buy me food.'

Riley smiled, eyes crinkling, "well we couldn't leave you with nothing to eat, all your food went bad."

I went to scribble on my notepad, to ask how much I owed them but she stopped my hand.

"We wanted to do it. Lay down, I'll get you some soup."

Billy sat down on the other side of my couch, placed a pillow on his legs and patted it. He waited for me to lie down and get comfortable before covering me with the blanket that had been draped over the back of the couch.

I wrote in the notebook and tapped his leg to get his attention.

'How's Pudge?'

"He's good, big now. I'll bring him over later."

'My plants?'

He smiled down at me, "we tried our best, a couple of them don't look too happy but you can take care of them later, just get some rest."

His warm hand smoothed over my hair and I closed my eyes, letting myself drift to sleep.

--

"Katrina."

I hummed, not wanting to leave the dark. Not yet.

Warm fingers brushed my skin, bringing the smell of the ocean and the feeling of dirt under bare feet to my head.

"Come here."

I opened them slowly, squinting against the light. Saw that I was on a beach and that Olivia was standing at the edge of the water, looking back at me with her fingers resting lightly on my arm.

"Come on," she urged.

I came forward, joining her at the water's edge. She clasped my hand tight in hers, smiling as she looked out into the horizon.

"I used to read about pirates. Nasty men who murdered and stole. Left destruction and blood in the waves behind them."

I looked over at Olivia, at the wistful smile on her face as the wind blew her hair over her shoulder.

"Princes and princesses too. Women being swept away by Prince Charming and living happily ever after. Having all they ever dreamed of and more," she turned to look at me, "I thought I found my Prince Charming in Neil, but now I understand. Prince Charming and Bluebeard are the same man and you don't get a happy ending. Not unless you can love both of them."

I cast my eyes down, biting my lip.

"But you can't, can you?"

"No," I whispered.

"I've seen love die way too many times when it deserved to be alive," she touched her knuckles under my chin, lifting my face to look at her, "I've seen you cry way too many times. You deserve to be alive and in love."

"But, the only way to get rid of him is if I die, Olivia."

She shook her head, "your heart has to stop, long enough for you to break his hold. But, there's a window of time where you can be brought back. Without him."

"Is that it?"

"There's also a chance that breaking his hold will wipe your memory."

"What? Like, I won't remember anything?"

A sad smile curled one side of her lips, "it's a possibility. But he'd be gone...you'd be free."

--

"You sure about this?" Billy asked.

I nodded.

I'd just told him what Olivia had said in my dream. That there was a chance to end this once and for all. I left out the losing my memory part though, he didn't need to worry about that.

"What if we can't bring you back?"

'I'll be free,' I wrote.

He ran a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"I'll talk to Steve and the girls, see if we can make a plan...but I'm not promising anything and you need to heal up first."

'Thank you,' I smiled and reached to squeeze his fingers.

His mouth twitched into a quick smile that withered when he looked away.

-- 3 weeks later

The cabin loomed in the trees, dark and foreboding. Cold and empty still since the last time I was here. I half expected it to be closed up with caution tape. But there was nothing, no sign that anybody missed this cabin or the man that owned it.

There was still a bag full of my clothes thrown on the floor and a pile of bloody bandages beside the bathroom sink. The only evidence of what had happened.

My stitches had come out almost a week ago. Right when I started to feel Neil's presence coming back. When I started to hear whispers and see shadows at the edges of my vision. It was now or never, we decided.

"Hey," Billy murmured, smoothing his hand over my shoulder and squeezing gently, "how ya feeling?"

I leaned my head against his shoulder and closed my eyes, "nervous."

He huffed out a laugh at the lisp I developed re learning how to talk. He'd spent days howling with laughter when I first started talking again.

I glared up at him and he squeezed me to his side.

"We won't let anything happen to you. We've got it all figured out."

"There's something else...something I didn't tell you."

He tensed, "what?"

"Olivia...she said there's a chance that if I wake up-"

"When you wake up," Billy interrupted.

"There's a chance that I won't remember anything..."

He was quiet for a moment and then a slow smirk spread over his face.

"I guess that means I'll get to blow your mind all over again...maybe I'll get the courage to tell you a little earlier."

"Tell me what?"

A light blush warmed his cheeks when he turned, dipping his face close to mine.

"Tell you that I love you."

--

"Okay, Katrina. You ready?"

I nodded at Steve, hands sweaty at my sides.

"Let's do this."

He nodded once, face tight, "you've got four minutes until we need to bring you back. Riley, you guys ready?"

I looked over at Riley, Brook, Audrey and Tris. They looked like warriors in all black clothes and matching stoney faces, like they would be the ones fighting off Neil for me.

"Protections are set, ambulance is on the way just in case," Riley said, "as ready as we'll ever be."

Steve blew out a long breath, shaking his hands out, "okay, let's do this. Audrey's going to use her powers to keep you still, just in case Neil tries to take over, okay? Try not to panic."

I felt my body starting to tremble when I nodded and whispered, "okay."

Billy stepped up in front of me, a plastic bag in his hands. He cupped my face and kissed me gently.

"I love you," he murmured.

"I love you."

He slipped the bag over my head, pulling it tight around my neck. I felt Audrey's powers keeping me still, stopping me from thrashing and fighting until the darkness took over.

--

I woke to find myself in Neil's world. The pink bathtub surrounded by lush plants to my right, the giant plush bed to my left. The fire crackled and popped angrily in front of me, flames growing to lick the outside of the fireplace.

"Katrina? What did you do?"

Neil appeared in front of me, eyes brimming with tears.

"What did you do?" He yelled.

"I have to end it, Neil," I murmured.

"You can't do that...you can't do that to me, Katrina. What about us?"

I closed my eyes when his knuckles brushed my cheek and leaned into the soft touch.

"Katrina, please, just wake up," he begged, "we can be happy again...I've been trying to be good, you know that, right?"

I could hear the fire crackling louder when I looked up at him, at his watery eyes and nodded, whispering, "I know.."

"Then we up...I won't control you anymore, I promise...I love you, Katrina. Don't you love me?"

My lip wobbled when I glanced away.

"No."

I felt my words hit him like a knife to the chest, felt the red hot pain settle in my heart.

"No?"

I took a steadying breath and looked back at him. At his sharp, angular face and icy blue eyes, his dark hair falling messily around his eyes.

"I don't love you anymore," I choked.

In a split second, he changed. He stopped crying and any sense of grief left him, replaced with burning rage. Strong hands wrapped around my throat, squeezing as tight as he could. Neil's lip pulled back with a sneer at the sound of me choking. I scratched frantically at his wrists, but he just squeezed harder, muscles shaking from the effort.

Darkness spread in my vision, consuming while my lungs stopped gasping for air and I fell into nothingness.

@alias-b @charmed-asylum @champagnesugamama

[farrah-fawcett-spray]

Didn’t We Almost Have It All? Chapter 5

In which Maya tells Riley her true feelings. 

Maya ran a hand through her long blonde locks as she started to walk away from the alley. Leaving Lucas in the dark. He knew better than to follow after her.

But she should know better than to think that her and Riley were irreplaceable.

Or she hoped they were.

Of course they were. They were sister. Best friends. Thunder and Lightning. Honey and Peaches.

Soul mates in best friend form.

All Maya did was walk to the apartment complex the Matthews' still resided in. She climbed the familiar fire escape to the bay window. Where she knew Riley would be.

She knocked on the window three times when she saw her best friend.

Engagement ring off.

Tears down her face.

Farkle laying in her bed as he tried to talk to her.

Riley slowly opened the window and Maya climbed in. Much like those days so long ago.

"Riles.." Maya started.

Riley looked up with bloodshot eyes. "What?" She snapped.

Maya closed her eyes. "Can I please explain myself. "

"Explain how you're going to take Lucas away from me?" Riley asked as she wiped her face.

Maya was fast to shake her head. "I'm not going to take him from you. That's the last thing I want to do."

Riley looked down and swallowed hard as she nodded so slow, Maya almost didn't see it.

Maya took a deep breath. "Remember how scared my mom was when Angela came back into the bakery? How all the hope drained from her face when she saw how soft Dad's face went? When she thought she lost him forever?"

Riley looked up. "You lost hope for awhile that day, too."

Maya nodded. "Because we both knew it take a long time to fall out of love with someone. Mom and Kermit were together from ages fifteen to twenty-two, when dad left. I came into the picture when mom was seventeen and everything was going so great. Until the fighting started. Until Kermit hit us. Until he hid money and I ate here more often, because Kermit spent all the money on alcohol and cigarettes. Not on us. Not on his family. "

Riley frowned. "Maya..."

Maya wiped her face. She didn't even realize she had been crying. "And even though he openly cheated on my mom. Even though he hit us and starved us, mom loved him. She loved him because he was the only person she had ever  been in love with. And even after he left us, she was still so in love with him. Because he was Kermit Hart, her high school sweetheart. She finally started to move on when we were around eleven. But it ended so bad. Her date was terrible. So she swore off men. And then walks in Shawn Patrick Hunter to the diner. And she had hope again. Not for herself. But for me. Because I could have a dad again. And that's all she wanted for me. Was me to have a complete family and not a broken one. "

Riley smiled. "And she got that."

Maya nodded. "We both got it. And we got Carter and George from it. But that's....Riley . My mom cried herself to sleep because she was in love with a man who didn't care about us. It took her seven years to not cry herself to sleep. And that's when I realized, mom wasn't in love with Kermit anymore. And I was s happy. Because hearing her cry night after night nearly killed me. " She said softly. "Even though he left, she didn't get over him. Even when he hit us, she didn't get over him. Riley. It takes so fucking long for someone to get over someone else."

Riley closed her eyes for a moment. "Have you even tried?"

Maya closed her eyes tightly as she nodded. "I have tried everything to get over him! I dated Zay and Josh and Billy and so many other guys to try to and I can't!" She said as tears ran freely down her face. "I can't get over him and I hate myself for it. Because you two were supposed to get together and I was just supposed to be the best friend who roots for you in the background. "

Riley looked down. "So how are you going to get over him? I'm marrying him in three months. "

Each word was a dagger to Maya's vulnerable heart.

Maya looked down. "And I'll live with that for the rest of my life. Because I'm not...going to come between you two. I've done it enough."

Farkle frowned. "Maya you didn't. Riley stepped back in Texas."

Maya closed her eyes. "Sometimes I wish my mother never let me go to Texas." She said softly as she looked down. "Riley. This is what I'm going to do. And you're going to take it, or leave it."

Riley looked up slowly. A look of confusion on her face.

Maya took her hands. "I love you. I love you more than I love anything else in the world that isn't my brothers. But you need to know that I can't be around him and have all those feelings come back. So. What I am going to do is go to your wedding. Be your maid of honor. Party like no other at your reception. And then I'm going to leave. I'm going to leave and never come back in either of your lives. Not even Farkle's. Because that's what's best for this....too long of a triangle. It's best for one part to leave and not look back."

[steve-harringtons-lover]

Your Worst Nightmare - Billy Loomis

Lilith's head pounded as she opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling in confusion, not knowing where she was at or what had happened before she blacked out. Suddenly, the memories of the phone calls, Steve being killed, the patio door shattering, Casey running away, the white mask all flooded back. Lilith felt prickles on her hands and she lifted them up to examine them. There was glass stuck on both of her hands.

She quickly sat up as she realized she was laying in broken glass, but soon regretted that decision as her head pounded even harder. She picked the pieces of glass, that luckily didn't cut her palm, off her hand before gripping her head. She felt a sharp sting in her right arm, and she felt it as she looked around the living room. Something smelled like it was burning. She examined her fingers, realizing they were covered in blood.

She looked at her arm, seeing a big piece of glass cut through her long sleeve shirt and was now stuck in her skin. Blood surrounded the small injury. Lilith tried her best to pull it out, but the stinging feeling continued making it unbearable to get out. She gripped the place under the cut as she stood up. Something was burning. Dark clouds filled the ceiling of the hallway she had been walking through earlier that night.

Lilith saw that the front door was open, so she made her way cautiously toward it. She peeked out the window to see Mr. and Mrs. Becker, Casey's parents, clinging on to each other as they both cried. Lilith opened the door. Before she could ask why they were crying, the question was answered for her. Casey was hung by a rope on the tree in her front yard. Blood covered the rope, and her insides were on the outside. Lilith covered her mouth, almost about to puke at the sight.

"Lilith, darling, are you alright?" Mrs. Becker asked when she noticed the teenage girl on the porch. "Not really." Lilith said as she glanced down to the cut on her arm. "We all need to get in the car. We're going to the neighbor's house to call the police." Mr. Becker announced as he ushered both Lilith and his wife into the car.

____ _ _ _

Lilith sat in the back of an ambulance outside of Casey's house as cops come in and out the front doors. Dewey Riley, Tatum's older brother, worked as the deputy at the towns police department. He was by Lilith's side to see if she was alright. "We're going to take this piece of glass out now, so you might want to hold on to something." The paramedic that was tending to Lilith said. Dewey grabbed a hold of her hand. As the paramedic pulled the piece of glass out, Lilith squeezed Dewey's hand and she bit down on her lip.

When they pulled out the piece of glass the paramedic wrapped the cut in a white bandage. "You okay?" Dewey asked as he gave Lilith a reassuring squeeze of her hand. Right when he asked that, a familiar looking truck pulled into Casey's driveway. "Lilith?" Billy yelled as he stepped out of his truck. Once he spotted her, he jogged over. "You can't be here, Billy. This is an official crime scene." Dewey said as he placed an arm out blocking Billy from Lilith.

"It's alright, Dewey. You should really go help out inside instead of making sure I'm okay." Lilith said. "You sure?" Dewey asked, looking back at her. Lilith nodded her head before Dewey sighed, dropping his arm. "Fine, just don't come inside. Yell if you need me, alright?" Dewey instructed both of the teenagers. Lilith nodded as Dewey walked toward the house before she turned her attention back to Billy. "I'm so sorry I was late, Lils." Billy frantically apologized.

"You're fine, Billy. You wouldn't have been able to save us anyway." Lilith said as she gave Billy a small reassuring smile. He gave her a apologetic smile in response. Lilith shivered as a gust of wind blew through the air. "Here have my jacket." Billy offered as he stepped up into the ambulance to sit beside Lilith. He took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. "Thanks." Lilith leaned into Billy's side as he placed his arm around her.

"You okay?" Billy mumbled as he played with her fingers. Lilith nodded, closing her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder. "It was horrifying though." Lilith spoke, her voice sounding hoarse. The dark, raspy voice rang through her ears. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there, Lils." Billy apologized again before planting a kiss on her head.

Billy and Lilith sat in silence as he played with her fingers. Lilith watched multiple police officers come in and out of the house, Dewey being one of them. "Hey, kid. How about we get you home." Dewey said as he approached the young couple. "Are you sure?" Lilith asked as she picked her head up from Billy's shoulder. "Yeah, you look tired. Plus, this is going to take hours. I'll drive you home." Dewey confirmed.

"Can Billy take me home?" Lilith suddenly asked, placing her hand on Billy's leg. "Do you think that would be safe?" Dewey asked unsure. "He'll protect me. Right, Billy?" Lilith looked up at Billy. "Of course. She'll be in good hands, Dewey." Billy confirmed as he squeezed Lilith's shoulder. Dewey looked between the two. "Alright, fine. Just let me know if anything happens, okay?" Dewey told Lilith. "Promise. Come on, Billy." Lilith jumped down from the ambulance hand in hand with Billy.

She didn't want to bring attention to herself by arriving home in a cop car. Neighbors could make up as many theories as they want. Billy escorted Lilith to his truck. They were nearly there, but something caught Lilith's eye. A white tarp was laying on the ground under the tree Casey was hanging from, covering a big lump. Lilith let go of Billy's hand and began walking over to the lump.

"Where are you-" Billy was about to ask where she was going, but the white tarp caught his eye. "Lilith, don't." Billy tried to stop her from something she was probably not ready to see; however, she ignored him. She kneeled beside the white tarp, taking deep breaths before pulling back the white tarp. Casey's lifeless eyes bored into Lilith's. Casey's cheeks were purple and so were the parts under her eyes.

Lilith tried to shake the image of how much her best friend had to struggle in her last moments. "Oh, Casey." Lilith mumbled, tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she smoothed down Casey's blonde hair. "Lils?" Billy's voice was soft as he spoke up from behind Lilith. She took one last glance at Casey before covering her head back up with the tarp. Lilith stood up and turned around.

She hooked her arms around Billy's neck, nuzzling her face into his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist as he felt wetness seep through his shirt. Lilith had begun to cry for the first time that night. "I know, I know." Billy smoothed Lilith's hair down. No, he didn't know. His best friend wasn't dead. He didn't answer those phone calls. He wasn't there to feel scared.

After a few minutes, Billy walked Lilith to his truck. After putting her into the passenger's seat, he got into the driver's seat. The car ride to Lilith's house was silent, the couple holding hands while Lilith looked out the window. She wasn't up for talking, and Billy knew that. That was one of the things she loved about Billy Loomis. He could always read her body language or her expressions. It might be scary to be that readable to someone, but he has saved her from the most embarrassing moments she's ever been in.

They reached Lilith's house, and Billy pulled into her driveway. Her parents were home luckily. "Thank you." Lilith broke the silence. "For what?" Billy asked as he drew small circles on the back of her hand. "For being with me right now. Especially in a time like this." Lilith finally looked over at him. "You're welcome." Billy said. He gave Lilith a reassuring squeeze to her hand before pulling his hand away. She leant over to give him a kiss on the cheek before she opened the door. They bid each other goodbye before Lilith walks to her door. Billy waited until she was safely inside before pulling off.

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(Hope you enjoyed this chapter!! Also, these chapters are posted on my Wattpad, my user is Njboizrule!!)