present

BILLY.

I genuinely didn't have a thought process when I pulled into the airport parking lot and sprinted into the airport. Time was ticking and who knows what Austin was planning. I only knew it wasn't going to be good at all, and I didn't want to stick around for his plan because I didn't want to waste time. I had to get Alice out of there, and that's all I knew.

I ran through the glass sliding doors and looked left and right before booking it to the right towards the security lines. My flight was supposed to take off at 11 a.m. and it was currently 10:30 a.m.

I ran to the shortest security line which was still pretty fucking long, being on a crucial timescale and all, and what I did next I'm not too proud of but I also don't regret.

I gasped for air as I called out to everyone in the line in front of me. "Hey!" I yelled, causing everyone to turn around and look at me, including people from other lines and even the security guards. I held up my phone. "Whoever lets me cut in front of them is getting one thousand dollars each," I exclaimed. Some people gave me questioning looks as I took another breath. "I'm Billy Redford," I sighed as I gave them all a pleading look. "And this is really important," I mumbled.

The man in front of me let me cut in front of him and I asked to see his bank account linked to his phone, which then prompted me to send him one thousand dollars from my bank.

The man exclaimed, "Holy shit! He's not lying!"

I offered him a thankful look and began sending everyone in line money as they let me cut in front of them. I even had to send a thirteen year old boy a thousand dollars who was with his two older sisters. I really don't know how he had a bank account but I don't have time to ask questions.

Finally, I reached the African American woman sitting behind her small podium and she gave me a very disapproving look.

"Billy Redford," I sighed as I handed her my ID and showed her my boarding pass on my phone.

"Mhm," she hummed in disapproval as she scanned it in. "You're the rich white boy who gets money from daddy," she said. "I know who you are."

I rolled my eyes as I placed my hands at my hips while tapping my foot impatiently.

She continued to check my ID and hold it up to my face. "You look better in the picture," she murmured.

I sighed in frustration before gripping my hair in my hands. "I don't have fucking time for this," I yelled.

She looked at me through her lashes before shaking her head. "All that money's got you thinking you're better than everyone else when in reality you're just like the rest of us, but only richer," she said as she handed me back my ID.

I gave her a look before proceeding to walk to the next set of security lines where you walk through the detector and put your items in those bins and whatnot. Listen, I would describe everything but I don't have that kind of time.

I began taking off my shoes and shoving them in the bin, along with my jacket. I proceeded to put my phone and my wallet in the bin as well along with my pack of cigarettes.

"Sir, you can't have those," the man said as he pointed to my cigarettes.

I shook my head and handed them to him along with my lighter. "I'm sorry," I murmured. "I'm just in a hurry."

The man nodded his head and I proceeded to step into the tube that scans your body while holding my hands at the back of my head.

The man motioned me to step forward out of the tube and he wiped my hand with a thin piece of paper, checking to see if I had held any narcotics or anything related to that that was of concern.

"Have a nice flight, sir," he said and I thanked him as I gathered my items from the bin and continued to sprint towards my flight.

I dodged people left and right as I ran, bumping into a few on accident and quickly apologizing as I kept running towards the terminal.

I arrived at the terminal and luckily the plane hadn't started boarding yet, causing me to sigh in relief as I placed my hands on my knees and took a few deep breaths.

"Fuck," I gasped as I continued to intake oxygen rapidly while glancing around me at the surrounding people. "Fuck you," I murmured while having my lungs' condition in mind.

I stood up from my bent over position and scanned the terminal, hoping to find an empty seat. I found one and walked over to it slowly as I glanced over who was around me. I didn't recognize anybody thankfully, meaning I was safe from Austin's guys for now.

I sat at the end of an aisle of chairs next to a teenage girl who was with her family. She looked to be anywhere between sixteen to eighteen, but considering all of the products coming out as of lately and all of the makeup skills teenagers have nowadays, it was honestly hard to tell.

She had music blasting through her earbuds as she scrolled through her phone, and I noticed her, from the corner of my eye, take a quick glance at me only for her to do a double take.

"Fuck," I whispered to myself as I began messing with my phone.

I saw her tap her brother on the shoulder, causing him to turn in her direction.

"That's Billy Redford," she murmured while still looking at me.

"Holy shit," her brother, who looked around the age of twelve, whispered.

The girl quietly mumbled, "Excuse me, sir?"

I glanced in her direction. "Yes?"

"Is it ok if my brother and I take a quick picture with you? I don't mean to disturb you or anything. I'm sorry," she murmured quickly while flashing me a nervous smile.

I nodded my head and smiled softly. "Only if you promise to not say anything about me being on a flight to Atlanta to anyone," I murmured.

Her eyes lit up. "Of course! We can do that! Right, Collin?" She asked while turning her head towards her brother.

"Y-Yeah," her brother stuttered, his eyes still trained on me.

"Thank you," I murmured almost inaudibly. Her brother then held up his phone and snapped a picture of the three of us, and the two siblings quickly thanked me afterward.

Finally, the plane began to board and I had been placed in section C, which luckily wasn't too much of a wait.

After about ten minutes, I boarded the plane and found an empty seat next to the window. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Oliver, my contact in Atlanta, saying something along the lines of, "I'm sending you my location so you can track me. If I leave The Toldstead without texting you, and if I go anywhere besides your house, call the police."

I waited a few minutes for him to respond, and he said, "That's fine. I'll be looking out for you, man. The access code to the gate is: 7942 and the code to the garage is: 07280."

I thanked him before putting the codes in my notes for me to remember for later, and I put my phone on airplane mode.

Alice and I needed somewhere to hideout when we left the hotel, and Oliver's house was the best bet because Austin didn't even know he existed. And plus, Oliver's father is in business with my father, so if it got out that Oliver fucked me over and got me killed, my dad would sue the living fuck out of him. That's the Redford family for you.

After a few minutes of waiting, and after some elderly man had sat into the seat next to mine, the plane began taking off and I watched as the sunlit sky overtook the city, turning it into a meaningless and euphoric sense of hopelessness. The city always captivated me, don't get me wrong. But what I truly wanted was to just get away. I wanted to get away from all of the bullshit and money bosses competing for power over stocks and sales and just genuinely everything. I didn't want that life, unlike my father. If I could, I'd happily just pick up my house and plant it in the middle of a field somewhere where I could enjoy the sense of life, while also enjoying the sense of lifelessness. I'm not truly a loner, but I would rather be alone instead of dealing with Austin and all of the shit that followed him around. To be honest, I don't even know what Austin deals when he talks about it, or when he has his guys go and handle whatever they're supposedly handling. I never asked about it because it never pertained to me. I don't even think Alice knows either. We're both in the same boat, if you want to call it that.

We're both alone.

———

ALICE.

I awoke to the sound of my alarm going off at 12:30, prompting me to then slam my hand on the alarm clock until it turned off. I stumbled out of bed and took a quick glance at myself in the mirror before turning the shower on.

I let the water heat up for a few moments before I stripped of my clothing and let the warm water overcome me, relaxing at the feeling of the droplets awakening my body fully.

I could've said no to the lunch outing with Sebastian, but I didn't want to. I wanted a friend while I was in Atlanta until Billy got here, which would be a week from today. And if Sebastian the movie star was my first and official friend from my time in Atlanta, then I wasn't doing so bad.

I took a rather long shower as I let myself relax, the warm water loosening my stress knots in my back and shoulders.

Upon exiting the shower, I wrapped a towel around my body and began brushing my hair, squirming slightly as I untangled the knots. I stared at myself in the mirror for a few moments, analyzing my face. I dropped the towel and that was when I truly saw myself for what I was.

The makeup I had used to cover up the hickeys Billy had given me around my breasts and at my waistline had washed away from the shower water. I had applied the makeup when Austin texted Billy that their plane had landed, and I had applied it again the next morning when I had gotten out of the shower. I was surprised the makeup had even stayed for as long as it did from the second time I applied it until now. I guess that's what happens when you buy the most expensive concealer you can find, which in my case was a whopping three hundred dollars worth from Sephora.

I placed my fingers gently on one of the hickeys Billy had left at my breasts and then trailed my fingers down to rest them on one he left at my waistline right above my left thigh. I smiled softly to myself as I rested my fingers there for a few moments longer before I walked to the bedroom and began pulling out of my carryon one of the two outfits I had packed.

The one I pulled out of my bag was a simple navy blue, loose fitting tank top with white lowrise shorts. The tank top had a V-neckline which partly showed one of the hickeys on my chest, but I didn't really care. It could show every hickey on my chest and I wouldn't even care. There was nothing to worry about here, and no one to be afraid of.

It was around 1:45 when I heard a knock at my door, which prompted me to raise an eyebrow as I walked over to it.

"You're early," I giggled as I opened the door, only to be greeted by the last person I was expecting to see so early.

"Alice," he sighed, a worried expression strung throughout his face.

"Billy?"

———-
SEBASTIAN.

"You go down the hallway to her room, and I'll just be trailing a few feet behind you while looking at my phone. She'll never know I'm with you," Anthony stated as we walked down our hallway to the elevator.

I shook my head and pressed the downward arrow outside of the elevator. "She's gonna think I'm trying to kidnap her if she sees you," I said as we stepped inside.

Anthony raised his eyebrows. "Wow. Just because I'm black? Wow, Seabass. That's cold," he murmured as he shook his head.

"You know that's not what I meant," I said as I rolled my eyes while shoving my hands in my pockets.

Anthony smirked at me and swatted me on the bicep. "I know, man. I'm just messing with you," he said. He then began singing, "Seabass' got a date. Seabass' got a date."

I cast him a look. "Shut up. It's not a date," I murmured.

"But she's single, you said. Right?" Anthony asked as he raised his eyebrows.

I nodded my head and quietly replied, "Yeah."

Anthony flashed me a wide grin. "Then it's a date," he stated.

I huffed in annoyance, only to let out a small chuckle. "I hate you," I murmured as I rubbed my hand over my face.

"I love you too, Sexy," he replied back as he shook my arm.

The elevator doors slid open and I stepped into the hall first with him trailing a few feet behind. I noticed that down the hall a little ways, a man, somewhere in his twenties from what I could tell, was standing in the doorway of a hotel room.

Then suddenly, Alice walked out with her bag in tow.

"What the hell?" I mumbled as I watched them talk for a few moments before heading towards us.

"Is that her?" Anthony whispered from a few steps behind me.

I nodded my head in response.

"I thought she was single," Anthony replied as I stopped in the hallway, waiting for him to catch up to me.

"I thought so too."

———
ALICE.

Billy and I began rushing down the hallway of the hotel when I noticed Sebastian and someone else standing towards the end of the hallway, staring very confusedly at us.

"Fuck," Billy grumbled as he let go of my hand and started walking faster towards the two men. I had to do a light jog to keep up with him.

"Alice?" Sebastian asked as he watched Billy and I walk towards him.

"Stay the fuck away from her," Billy growled as the two of us stopped in front of the two men.

"Woah. Woah," the other man said as he waved his arms. "I'm sorry, but there must've been a misunderstanding here."

"What?" Billy asked as his eyes bulged. "There's no misunderstanding here," Billy stated.

"Then I'm confused," the other man mumbled as he looked between Sebastian, Billy, and I. "Who are you?"

Billy glared at Sebastian and his friend. "I'm Billy fucking Redford. Who the fuck are you?"

"Oh, shit," the man chuckled as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're that rich white boy."

Billy rolled his eyes. "We don't have fucking time for this," Billy grumbled as he grasped my hand and began pulling me along.

"Hey," Sebastian exclaimed as he grabbed Billy's shoulder, causing him to turn around slowly. "Show her some fucking respect."

Billy pushed Sebastian's hand off of his shoulder while he let go of my hand. He stepped a foot closer to Sebastian as he snarled, "Touch me again and I swear to fucking God I will have my lawyers so far up your ass that you'll be shitting your career out for years." Billy then took a step back as he said, "I have more fucking money in my bank account as of right now than you will ever see in your life time."

The other man spoke up. "Yeah, but out of the two of you, which one actually works for their money?" He raised an eyebrow.

Billy wore a confused look in the man's direction. "I'm sorry. Who the hell are you again? Are you the fucking bellhop or something?"

"Woah, white boy," the man said as he got all up in Billy's face. "You saying that just because I'm black? Is that how this is gonna be?"

Billy rolled his eyes dramatically in response.

The man placed his hands at Billy's chest and pushed him back a little as he once again got all up in his face. "I'll give you something else you can shove up your ass besides my fucking lawyers," the man snarled.

Billy stepped a few feet closer to the man. "Say one more fucking thing to me and I swear to God you'll be wishing you never fucking met me," he mumbled menacingly.

"I already wish I never met you, so that's not much of a threat," the man mumbled back.

I stepped in and grasped Billy's hand within mine. "Billy," I whined. "We have to go. We don't have time for this," I insisted.

Billy sent another glare in their direction one more time before we walked towards the end of the hall.

I looked back to see Sebastian and his friend still staring us down, and I mouthed out to them that I was sorry, more so to Sebastian than to his friend.

"How the Hell do you even know that guy?" Billy grumbled as he lead us to the hotel exit.

"He sat next to me on the plane," I sighed. "He was staying in the same hotel as me so I got a ride with him."

Billy simply nodded his head. "Shit," he murmured. The paparazzi was still sitting outside of the hotel lobby, waiting for their next bullshit article they could write.

"This way," Billy mumbled as he began leading me to one of the side doors of the hotel.

"I'm sorry for all of this," I mumbled as we were about to reach the door, a small tear sliding down my cheek.

Billy stopped us and cupped my cheeks as he wiped away the tear. He offered me a reassuring smile as he mumbled, "It's ok, Alice." He kissed me passionately before he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He then opened the door and just as he was about to type something, his phone got snatched out of his hand.

"What the-" He began before being punched in the face.

"Billy," I cried before a man grabbed me and shoved me in the back of his car. Another man then grabbed Billy by the back of his jacket and shoved him in the car beside me while he held his hand at his nose.

"Phone," one of the men said as he sat in the passenger seat.

I gulped and handed him my phone, still without a SIM card.

He shoved it inside his suit, putting it with Billy's.

The two men in the front seats gave each other a look before nodding.

"Don't fight it," the one in the driver's seat murmured as he sprayed something on a cloth.

"Fight what?" Billy asked as he still tilted his head up, trying to contain the blood that was leaking from his nose.

"This," the man said as he pulled Billy's head forward and placed the cloth at his mouth. Billy's eyes rolled back after a few minutes of fighting back, and he slumped over in his seat.

I gulped as I prepared for what was about to happen. The man reached over and pulled my chin towards him gently.

"He said to be gentle with you," he murmured while a stray tear escaped my eye. He then placed the cloth over my mouth and nose.

The last thing I could comprehend physically was my head falling onto Billy's shoulder and my hand falling into his lap.

The last thought I could completely comprehend was, Please, someone.

Help us.

did anyone see this coming lmao
SHIT'S GOING. DOWN.

also i love billy for roasting the fuck out of sebastian when seb grabbed billy by the shoulder idk lmao i just love beef.