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silentdescantChapter Title: Consequences, part one
Chapter Summary: Before the aftermath of Billy’s fight
A/N: Just another reminder that I will be posting the next chapter on Wednesday because I'll be busy from Thursday to Sunday. That also means that I probably won't reply to comments very quickly.
Next: Tabloid (text only version here)
A/N: Just another reminder that I will be posting the next chapter on Wednesday because I'll be busy from Thursday to Sunday. That also means that I probably won't reply to comments very quickly.
Work at the theatre kept Dom busy during the day, and at night, he went out with Hans and Wes, and Geoff joined them occasionally. They would talk and joke around, and Hans would make sure that Dom was only ordering non-alcoholic beverages.
“There’s a new film showing at the theater down the street. Do any of you want to go see it with me?” Wes asked the group over a meal of take-out Chinese food.
“What’s it called?”
“Undertow. Supposed to be a comedy about a lifeguard or something.”
Hans made an excuse of some sort, but Dom wasn’t listening. He knew, he knew, that going to see Billy’s movie would be a bad idea. The worst idea he could come up with, in fact. But after hearing Billy talk about it during the filming, he had been curious. And besides, he didn’t have a legitimate excuse; his three friends knew full well that he didn’t go out with anyone besides them. “I’ll go,” Dom heard himself say. I guess that’s decided, he thought.
***
The next day, Dom was fighting down a panic attack before Wes came by to pick him up. He thought about begging off, but no matter what he told himself, Dom still wanted to see that movie.
The intercom buzzed. “Hey Nick, hurry up! We’ll be late!”
Dom grabbed his jacket and went downstairs.
While standing in line for popcorn and drinks, Dom half-listened to Wes chat idly about his girlfriend. His hands were shaking slightly, but he ignored it and the jittery feeling in his stomach. Wes ordered the snacks and led the way to their seats. When the previews started, Dom wondered fleetingly if he was allergic to something around him. His breathing was coming in shallow bursts and he felt restless.
As the opening credits started, Dom began to relax. He let himself be sucked into the movie. It was funny (how could it not be? It’s Billy.), and Dom even laughed at most of the jokes. Every now and then, his mind would supply additional information that Billy had told him, like “it was cold that day,” or “the microphone broke the first time that sequence was filmed.”
When it finally faded out and the lights came back on, Dom stood up and rushed into the restroom, where he shut himself into a stall. He rested his forehead on the cool metal and took several deep breaths. He tried to gauge his feelings; he was nervous, but he couldn’t quite place why. He felt sad (but not overwhelmingly so, he noticed) when he thought of how Billy must be feeling now, but Dom told himself that what’s done is done, and there was nothing he could do about it now.
Seeing Billy’s movie was probably not a good idea, Dom knew, but he didn’t feel overly depressed about it either. He took that as a sign of finally moving on with his life.
***
Billy held an ice pack to his cheek while Orlando examined his nose and dabbed at it with a tissue. The blood hadn’t quite stopped. Elijah was also holding an ice pack, but instead of pressing it to his bruised jaw, he was waving it around angrily.
“That fucking idiot! I can’t believe him. He did it on purpose, you know. He wanted us to kick his ass. He’s gonna sue us. Well, he’s gonna sue you, Bill. Orlando never hit him. I didn’t either, come to think of it, but fuck, I wanted to. And he hit me anyway!”
“Elijah, calm down,” Orlando said soothingly. He handed Billy the slightly bloody tissue and leaned back on the sofa.
“This is going to be all over the papers tomorrow. Oh, fuck, this isn’t good. My mouth hurts.”
“That’s what the ice pack is for, Lijah.”
“They got pictures. The people across the street. Oh God, we are so dead.”
“It can’t be that bad. I mean, yes, it’s bad, but surely there’s some bigger scandal going on,” Orlando said hopefully. “Isn’t Tom Cruise getting married? That’s pretty big news.”
“Yeah, fine, it’s big news, but it’s not bad news, and that’s what people want to see,” Elijah muttered, sitting down between Billy and Orlando.
“He deserved everything he got and more,” Billy said quietly, speaking up for the first time. Elijah nodded in agreement, but Orlando just sighed.
“I had no idea people could be that stupid and insensitive.”
“You haven’t lived in LA your whole life.”
“This is going to be bad, isn’t it, Lij?” Orlando asked worriedly, glancing at his friends.
“Yeah. This is going to be bad.”
Next: Tabloid (text only version here)