Hidden Acres Ch. 08

'See?' Billy thought. 'I don't deserve this!'

"Yeah, well, it's not a big thing. They were just jealous of me is all, what can I say?" He looked away like he was bored of talking to her. Beverly coughed and then nearly choked. "You going to be okay?"

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry. Swallowed wrong or something."

"Better be careful," he warned her with a laugh. "Do that with the wrong guy and that might be fatal." He gave her a sly smile and wag of his head. Billy knew she caught his drift.

"Oh yeah? Are you that guy? You got enough to choke a gal?"

"Fuck yeah I do. Ask any of the guys on the team, they've seen me in the showers."

"Hmm, maybe I'd like to see that for myself."

"Yeah?" he looked up at her. "Maybe I can arrange that."

"How about tomorrow night? I'll pick you up and we can go out to the lake."

"Sure thing," Billy smiled. Beverly stared at him for a moment. 'No doubt in disbelief in her luck that Billy Rammage would go out with her', he thought.

The rest of the day Billy walked around with his head held high. He still got the dark looks and heard the occasional snicker behind his back, but he didn't care anymore. He had a date with Beverly Tenant and she was hot to trot for what he was packing.

Not even missing the game could put a damper on his mood. Even though he sat home alone in his room while he should have been out on the field putting the rest of the guys to shame, his thoughts were preoccupied with Beverly and what he imagined they were going to do. He put his dirty magazines away, saying, "Not tonight ladies. I've got to save my strength."

Saturday was quiet and tense in the house. His mother and father avoided him like a lightning rod with a storm brewing overhead. He preferred it this way as he was still angry at them. They may have gotten him kicked off the team, but that had set things in motion for him to be going out with Beverly. It would have happened sooner or later, he knew, but maybe they were owed some credit for speeding things up.

Beverly picked him up in her parent's station wagon at seven o'clock and she flashed him a brilliant smile as he climbed into the car.

"You ready for me?" she asked. She wore a long sleeved crop top that bared her midriff and the tops of her hips. Billy could make out her belly button in the middle of her smooth tummy, his eyes drifting lower to the jeans that covered her legs. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, revealing dangling earrings that looked like dreamcatchers.

Billy started to slide over the bench seat but she pushed him back.

"Seatbelt! And patience, tiger."

He rolled his eyes, but he did what she asked. Besides, it wasn't good for him to look too eager. He needed to make her chase him.

She drove out to the lake, shooting him smiles every now and then. Passing the first parking area, she steered the car to the area most teenagers knew as make out hill. There were a couple of other cars already there as Beverly parked at one end.

"Well we're here," she announced. Billy nodded, playing it cool. "You've ever been here before?"

"Oh yeah," he lied. What did she need to know about other girls? She should be thankful he was there with her. "You?"

"Oh no," Beverly said quickly, batting her eyelashes. "I only had my first kiss this last summer."

Sweet, she's cherry.

"Well I bet it was terrible. I'll show you how a real man kisses," Billy said, taking her hand and pulling her close.

"Don't you think we should get in the back? I put the seats down and brought blankets." She spoke quickly, her eyes were wild with excitement.

"Good thinking, babe," Billy said. "Here let me get the door for you."

Billy opened the passenger door and got out. Closing the door behind him he walked around the front of the car and reached for the handle on the driver's side. Before his hand could touch the cold metal he was suddenly tackled to the ground. His back hit the hard packed dirt with an oof and his breath was knocked out of him.

"What the hell?" he shouted but then a boot crashed into his ribs. He cried out in pain but the sound barely escaped his lips when a first connected with his jaw.

Kicking feet bashed into him from his knees up to his chest. Looking up he could see he was surrounded by towering figures, their faces hid in shadows. They pummelled him relentlessly and he could taste blood in his mouth. He tried to lash out but his hands were grabbed and pinned to the ground over his head. White hot pain bloomed in his eyes and then he couldn't see anymore.

At last the ass kicking ended and he cried in pain. He heard the car door open and he knew Beverly was looking down at him. She'd set him up, the bitch!

"You miserable piece of shit," she said in his ear. "This is a lesson for you. You ever touch your mother again and it won't just be an ass kicking. Do you understand?"

Josh nodded hurriedly. His chest was on fire and his whole body was wracked by waves of pain with each heartbeat.

"I'm going to make sure no girl in this town will ever date you. No one wants to be your friend. You think this week has been hell for you? Just wait, it's only going to get worse. I suggest you leave town."

She moved away, but he couldn't see where. Then he felt hands lifting him up and they carried him somewhere. He heard the hatchback on the station wagon open up and then he was tossed into the back of the car. The door slammed and then he felt the car shift as a number of people got into it.

The car started and was driving away from the lake. He groaned and winced in pain as the country road bounced him around, reigniting his wounds. Billy drifted in and out of consciousness and then the car stopped. Hands dragged him out and tossed him onto the grass in front of his house.

The car sped off and he was alone with his pain and raging fury. When he could finally manage it, he pushed himself up and stumbled into the house, hunched over and bloodied.

His parents were out for the evening, something Billy was thankful for. He couldn't bear to see their sanctimonious smug faces. Stripping, he tried to dress his wounds as best he could and then he collapsed in his bed.

Billy had fallen asleep, but felt like he'd only closed his eyes when he was being shaken awake. Groggily he moved and immediately howled in pain. His eyes flew open to see two police officers standing over him, his parents in the doorway, their faces stricken with fear.

"William Rammage?" one of the officers asked. His face was pudgy and would be thought of as good natured, but Billy wasn't in the mood to see anything nice about anyone.

"Yes," he croaked, cradling his side. "I'm glad you're here-"

"You are under arrest, William," the office interrupted. Any joviality that might have been in the officers face before was gone.

"Arrested for what?" he heard his mother cry.

"Assault, attempted sexual assault, battery," the second officer rattled off. He was thinner than his partner, but his face was just as stony. He looked at Billy with distaste.

"What?" Billy and his mother asked in unison.

The larger officer pulled Billy to his feet, a smile on his face as the pain he caused was obvious. He began reading from a card, but Billy was too in shock to hear the words he said.

--

In the holding cell the other men glared at Billy balefully. Whispers of the girl he'd beat up had made their way to his ears, and he knew denying it was pointless. No one was going to believe him.

After hours in the tank, he was dragged to an interrogation room. The detective dropped a pile of photos on the table and laid them all out for Billy to see. He recoiled in horror as he saw pictures of Beverly covered in bruises.

The quiet man then opened a folder and pulled out a small stack of papers and laid them over the photos. Each one was a statement, all of them starting out how they came across Billy and his date in a station wagon, the girl screaming for help. They pulled Billy out and he fought with them. Looking from one sheet to the next, he saw that they were all signed by his former teammates.

Billy's heart sank and as his eyes returned to the photos of Beverly. While he hadn't hit his date, he had hit his mother. He'd made the mistake that thinking his mother was weak and that had meant powerless. He knew that no words would ever make up for what he'd done.

-

"As you have agreed to the extra judicial stipulation, the charges are formally dropped, but can be reinstated if you do not adhere to the agreement."

The white haired judge read from the paper dispassionately. Billy felt like his life's arc was being rewritten and none of the people around him could be bothered to care. The clerk, the bailiff, the attorney's were all going about their routine business, not a single one of them offering him a sympathetic smile or any encouragement.

His parents were in the gallery, but he couldn't bring himself to look at them. His father's disappointment was permanent on his face now and his mother always looked at him with such deep sorrow.

Papers were stamped, copies distributed and then it was all done. An Army officer stood up and waited for Billy to say his goodbyes. He thought to leave without talking to his parent's but the black man with a stoic expression nodded in their direction.

Billy turned to his parents. His mother's eyes were brimming with tears and his father's jaw was set as he held back whatever emotions he was feeling. Looking down at his feet, Billy felt shame and remorse. He knew words were not enough.

"Mom," he said, his voice cracking. "I hope one day you can forgive me."

Turning away, Billy marched up to the Army officer and was led from the room.

--

George watched his son leave the courtroom and exhaled deeply. He hoped that Billy had finally grown up. The apology, of sorts, that Billy had given Mary was the first sign of remorse he could recall from his son. Perhaps the Army would be better equipped to handle his son's entitlement and selfishness.