don't get too close, it's dark inside

Kitty walked up the steps to Billie's apartment. She had been here many times before, but never feeling like this. Rage flowed through her veins, she felt on fire, ready to take whatever the older girl threw at her, because nothing could hurt her more than Billie had hurt Ryder, and she was going to make sure that Billie knew that. She knocked on the door, taking her hair down from her ponytail as she waited for her to answer.

Billie wasn't expecting company so frowned as she heard someone at the door. She got up from the couch, making her way over to the front door. She looked through the peephole, smiling when she saw it was Kitty. "Hey." She nodded as she opened the door. "Come in, come in." She smiled as she stepped aside to let Kitty past.

Kitty ran her fingers through her hair as Billie opened the door, but instead of her usual, smiley greeting, she was stony-faced. Billie's face, where it used to be a familiar, friendly one, was dark, and sinister, and there was something else there that Kitty hadn't noticed before. She stepped inside the apartment, before turning to the other girl. "We need to talk about something."

Billie closed the door behind her before making her way back to the kitchen. "Can I get you a drink first?" She asked, pouring herself a glass of water. "And sure, what's up? You look grumpy."

Kitty shook her head, following Billie to the kitchen. "No, I don't want a drink. And I think I'm a bit more than grumpy." She swallowed, pursing her lips. "You know that guy you met at my apartment about two months ago? Ryder?"

Billie frowned a little, taking a sip from her water. "Ryder? Rings a bell. I vaguely remember meeting him... Didn't he dump you like a month ago?"

Kitty raised an eyebrow at her words. "Yeah. He did. And I think you know why." She said, putting her feet flat on the floor and setting her jaw.

Billie "Honey, you didn't know why so why do you expect me to know?" She asked. "I've never met the guy and now you expect me to know what's going on in his head? He's a guy, they never make sense."

Kitty took a step towards Billie. "I think you know, 'cause I think you remember. You used to live in Lima, right? And you used to babysit there."

Billie took another sip of her drink, not backing away as Kitty stepped towards her. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Lima? Where's that?" She asked, inwardly beginning to panic a little but made sure to keep her cool exterior going.

Kitty swallowed, not faltering for a minute. This was something she needed to do, for her and for Ryder. "I think you know, and I think you remember. How could anyone forget doing something like what you did?"

Billie "I really don't, I'm from Idaho, not Lima." She shrugged. "Something I did? I think you got the wrong person babe. I haven't done anything, to you or this Ryder guy."

Kitty raised her eyebrow, shaking her head. "Don't fucking lie to me. Ryder told me, and he wouldn't joke or lie about this. I know who you are and what you did to him, and I've been through too much to let you get away with it now."

Billie "Ryder told you?" She repeated, disdain in her voice. "So this guy dumps you and then makes up some bullshit reason a month later that somehow involves me and you believe him? I guess we weren't as good friends as I thought. You've been through too much? You mean, he put you through so much?"

Kitty frowned. "Billie, I've known Ryder for a long time, he used to be the most important thing in my life. He wouldn't lie about this. And he didn't put me through anything that he wanted to, it wasn't his fault. It was yours. The whole time, it was your fault."

Billie "Used to be sounds like the important part there." She shrugged. "Mhmm, kind of sounds to me like he's using it as excuse. Maybe he just wanted to get away from you and your whiny bitching." She adds cooly. "I have to say, I was getting a little sick of your constant... well, you just being you. So I don't blame him really, you get a little dull after a while."

Kitty listened to her speak with a set jaw, before, in a split second, grabbing the glass that Billie was holding and hurling it across the kitchen, letting it smash. She paused for a moment, almost shocked at what she'd done, before turning back to Billie. "This isn't about me. I know what you did to him and I can't believe I didn't see it before. You're a monster."

Billie did a double take as Kitty took the glass from her and threw it across the room. "You're a crazy bitch, you know that?" She asked, looking at the shards of glass scattered across the floor. "What I did? Please, you make it sound like it was horrific torture. I'm no monster." She shrugged, dropping the facade she had going.

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Maybe, but thank god I am how I am and not like you are." She gave Billie a dry smile as she seemed to admit it, before shaking her head. "No, you messed him up so bad. When I met him, he couldn't take his shirt off around girls because of you. It took so long for him to trust me."

Billie "How I am? You didn't seem to have a problem with me when you were my yoga friend or when we used to go out for drinks and have girls night. I wasn't a monster then was I? And I'm still no monster." She shrugged. "Maybe he wasn't that into you, otherwise he would have gotten over it quicker. Don't most guys love that sort of thing anyway? Thought I was doing him a favour."

Kitty shook her head. "You can't even see how what you did was so fucked up. And of course he didn't fucking love it, he was eleven! He was eleven fucking years old, and it took him so long to move on from it!"

Billie "It wasn't fucked up." She shrugged. "He was eleven, what's your point? He sure as hell didn't complain at the time so I don't see how it's my problem or even what you want from me."

Kitty "He didn't complain because you just walked into the shower with him, what the fuck was he supposed to do? What kind of sick, messed-up person does that to a kid?"

Billie "Tell me to get out? Say no? Do something about it instead of just enjoying it?" She replied. "Apparently not one you want to be friends with so what are you still doing here? What did you even expect to gain from today?"

Kitty felt her face get replaced with a look of horror. "Well, did he tell you he liked it? Did he say he wanted you to do it?" She took a deep breath. "To tell you that you haven't gotten away with it. People still care about what you did, and I'll take every step to make sure that you get everything that's coming to you."

Billie "Of course he didn't tell me, I just knew." She shrugged. "People? Aka you and the pathetic sad sack that is Ryder? Everything that's coming to me? Like what? What are you gonna do?"

Kitty shook her head. "No, you didn't. But the thing is, you didn't care. And I'm gonna do what should've been done long ago. I'm gonna get a lawyer, a restraining order and a court case, and you're gonna be behind bars where you should've been for the last ten years."

Billie raised her eyebrow at Kitty. "That sounds mighty scary but it's been ten years, how are you even going to prove anything? I'm pretty surely that relies on Ryder actually saying something which he seems to struggle with. Didn't say anything back then during, or after and he doesn't seem too chatty these days either."

Kitty shrugged. "I can figure something out. But until then, here's what's gonna happen; you're going to stay away from him, and from me. I don't want you coming over, I don't want you coming to yoga, if there's a gathering, you're not gonna be there. Got it?"

Billie "Please you're an average med-student, do your worst." She shrugged. "See, here's the thing. I don't want to do that. If he has a problem with me then I want to talk to him about it instead of hearing from his ex-girlfriend. I'll go to whatever gatherings I like, thank you very much."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "I have my ways. Don't underestimate me, seriously." She shook her head, taking a step forwards. "No, you're not. Because if you do, I'll tell everyone what you did. I'll tell them and you won't even get invited."

Billie "Oh, I'm so scared." She joked, rolling her eyes at her. "Please, I can be very persuasive, in case you hadn't noticed. I'm sure it won't be too hard to convince a bunch of crazy airheads that you're the one who's lying."

Kitty "Oh, is that so? Think about it; why the hell would I be making up a story like that about one of my best friends? I don't have a reason; that must mean it's true. Plus the age difference works quite nicely to seal the deal."

Billie "Because you're a crazy bitch." She shrugged. "Well maybe you're trying to get back at me for something, or maybe you're just plain crazy. They also know that Ryder dumped you so maybe I'll just spin them a nice tale about how you're still bitter after he decided he didn't want you anymore."

Kitty shrugged. "They don't think so." She took another step towards Billie. "Why would I be defending Ryder if he dumped me? And think about it; do you really want to risk it? Being a total outcast because people know that you're a psychopathic child molester? Wouldn't you rather just fade into the background?"

Billie watched as Kitty stepped closer again, still not backing off. "I think you underestimate how much faith I have in my ability to bullshit people." She shrugged, although she knew Kitty had a point. "And he did dump you, you can't get around that. He may tell you it's because of me but if he really, really loved you then I think he would have got over his little mental problem."

Kitty snorted. "Like you can bullshit your way out of that." At Billie's words, Kitty didn't reply. Instead, something inside her snapped, the anger towards this girl who now had a face that had been building for so many years. She pulled her hand back and let it fly across the other girl's face, the sound of the slap ringing across the room.

Billie "Wanna watch me try?" She asked, before her hand flew up to feel her cheek as Kitty slapped her. "Crazy bitch." She muttered, moving towards Kitty and using her height to push her back forcefully. "Also you're forgetting one little thing. If you tell those girls, you'll be outing your precious Ryder's secret. The one I imagine he's worked so hard to protect and I'm not sure he'll appreciate you telling everyone."

Kitty raised an eyebrow. "I might be, but he might be okay with it. You wanna take that gamble?" She knew she was taking a gamble with her words - she was almost completely sure he wouldn't want her to, but Billie didn't need to know that. "Just get out of our lives. Monster." She spat, taking a step back.

Billie "The odds sound pretty good to me." She shrugged, even if she was beginning to have doubts in her mind. "So I might just take my chances. Who knows, maybe I'll even pay him a visit to discuss these odds myself." She taunted. "I am no monster." She said cooly, stepping towards Kitty again.

Kitty set her jaw, shaking her head. "I swear to God, if you come close to Ryder ever again, I'll make sure you regret it." She hissed, before raising an eyebrow. "You evil, conniving, bitchy... monster."

Billie "Yeah, see, I don't think you will." She shrugged, quirking an eyebrow back at her. "Yet you were still my friend, what does that say about you?"

Kitty narrowed her eyes. "I would do anything to keep him safe and happy. And that was because you had a good disguise. You were a fantastic actress, I'll give you that, but still a monster."

Billie "So what would he say if he knew you were here? Would be happy about that?" She asked teasingly. "Why thank you, acting is a forte of mine. But I'm really not that bad of a person but agree to disagree I guess."

Kitty shook her head. "What do you care?" She replied, not giving anything else away. "And of course you're a shitty person, you made a guy unable to be close to anyone. It took him four months of carefully going slowly to be able to have sex with me, because of you."

Billie "I don't but you clearly do." She shrugged. "Four months? Maybe it was four months of building himself up to the idea of being with you and not the actual sex part, you are pretty weird to look at when you get up close."

Kitty "Yeah, 'cause I have a heart, ever heard of it?" She rolled her eyes, taking a step back. "We're done here. That's all I came for, but I'm serious. You don't come near him or me. I'm getting a restraining order. Leave us alone."

Billie "No, mine is made of stone." She joked sarcastically. "Fine with me, I was getting a little bored of this anyway. You may be serious but whether I listen or not is another thing entirely." She shrugged.

Kitty pulled her jacket around herself, rolling her eyes. "Well, soon it'll be illegal for you to come near us, so I don't think I need to worry too much. But I swear on my life, in the meantime, if you do, you'll hugely regret it."

Billie "Do judges even give restraining orders for no reason? It's not like Ryder's gonna wanna come clean about why I'm supposedly not allowed near him." She shrugged. "But whatever you say, Wilde."

Kitty shook her head. "They give restraining orders if you need restraining orders. Stay away from the both of us. Have a good life, Billie."

Billie "Whatever. Tell Ryder I'll see him soon, oh wait, you're not seeing him either since he broke up with you." She chuckled. "Yeah it's been fun, see you." She added with a false smile.