#Look we're taking the scenic route ok??

[mydisenchantedeulogy]

Live a Little [Part Seven] Promises [Billy Hargrove]

A/n: this is the final chapter before I start the sequel which delves into season 3. I plan to start the sequel before the summer of 1985, however.

Also, in chapter four I made an error. I said the dance was in September but the Snow Ball is in December. It has been corrected. And because Billy and the reader are technically minors in book one - he's 17 in season 2 - there is no explicit sexual content, only mentions of it. Season 3 however is a whole other ball game, so get ready.

Thank you for supporting the story and I hope you continue to read on through the sequel.

Tag list: @boomhauer

If you want to join the tag list for the sequel please let me know.

December 15th

You take one last curious look at your image in the mirror, pleased with the ending results, despite looking worn out. It's been a long week.

To keep busy, you volunteered to decorate the middle school gymnasium for the dance. It occupied a lot of your time, but you were grateful for it. And the results had been worth the effort.

At least you hope.

A sudden knock on your door yanks you from your thoughts as your brother pokes in his head. It's a good thing you are dressed already. He's ready to go, and once he sees you sitting in front of your mirror with a brush in your hand, he narrows his eyes.

"Are you not done yet?" He asks in disbelief. "We're already late."

You turn up your eyes. Whose fault is that? Your brother takes longer to get dressed than you do. Not to mention, you had chores to do; his chores too.

"Don't forget that I have to drive you there. I can easily lose track of time, or take a scenic route to the next town."

He groans and shuts the door in annoyance. He's a handful sometimes.

You snort and adjust your clothing; an outfit Robin let you borrow. Normally you don't go out of your way to impress, but tonight you are chaperoning and you want to look good. For no one in particular; just you for once. You are mostly eager to see your hard work in action; the balloons were a pain and the Snow Ball sign nearly fell on you once.

Leaving your room, you walk into the living room where your family is waiting.

Your mom, who is under oath not to bring out the camera, smiles as she sees you.

"You look gorgeous, hon."

"I thought I might as well try anyway," you mention, thanking her.

Your brother scoffs.

"It's not even your night. And Michelle is going to dance with someone else because you had to make us late."

"Behave," your father warns.

You ignore the little brat. It's understandable; he's eager to profess his feelings to the girl he likes.

"Come on then. Best not keep Michelle waiting," you tease.

Your brother hops up from the couch and races towards the door, not even bothered by your jab. In the meantime, you say goodbye to your parents and retrieve the keys from the hook in the kitchen. Leaving the house, you get into the truck and start the engine. Your brother turns on the radio as you pull onto the main road heading towards town.

Shout plays quietly in the background.

"So, Michelle. What is she like?" You ask, attempting to start a conversation.

"She's nice," your brother merely answers.

You hum.

"Are you going to kiss her tonight? There is still time to drive home and pick up the camera if you want a keepsake."

He tosses a heated look at you.

"That's none of your business."

"Relax kiddo. It was only a joke," you retort with a laugh.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to kiss someone and at his age it's understandable. Besides, it serves him right for rushing you. He's too fun to tease.

"Are you and Camaro Guy going to get back together?" He asks in a mocking tone. "He might have even let me drive his car, but no, you broke up with the only cool guy you've ever dated."

OK, low blow. You roll your eyes. There is no way Billy would ever let him drive the Camaro. The fact he let you was a miracle, and you still don't understand why.

"It's been a month," you mention. "I'm sure he's moved on."

Besides, it's not like there was anything lasting between the two of you; not like you had thought. Billy made it clear by taking no action to save the relationship when you had broken it off. And why? Because he didn't want to admit there was an actual reason he wanted to date you; the I don't have to have a reason was utter bull. And perhaps it was dumb on your part to hang the balance of your relationship with him on one little question, but you didn't want to be just a one-time thing with him; that's what it felt like when he didn't give you a straight answer. But it's expected because you never considered the fact you might want to be his.

All those thoughts had come crashing down on you after the breakup.

The afternoon he had driven you home was the last time you had spoken to him. At school Tommy and Carol had begun to ignore you – no big loss there – and Billy acted as if you had never existed. Though, it wasn't like you had gone out of your way to talk to him either.

It hurt, but it was to be expected. For a while, it even felt like a mistake.

So, you had spent a month leading up to the dance focusing on yourself and your grades. And whenever you passed him in the hall, you simply averted your eyes and moved on.

Easy peasy.

Except it isn't; not all of the time. Thinking about him now makes your eyes tear up.

"I've moved on," you lie, attempting to assure yourself.

It's something you have to do now. Robin had made you see that turning him into an evil villain only buried your true thoughts about him. There is no Billy is at fault anymore; there is only we.

We are at fault. We broke up because neither of us was real with one another.

And no, you don't mean cancer; you mean the fact you cared for him more than you should in such a short time. And that you had wanted to help him get better; a pipe dream in your opinion. Seeing him every day is not easy, but you try to ignore the urge to confront him, perhaps in fear that you might cave and tell him.

You even went as far as asking Robin to teach you the trumpet, but honestly, you have no talent.

Turning up the radio, you groan as I Want to Know What Love Is comes on. The universe is making a joke at your expense; how thoughtful.

Once you pull into the lot at the school, you shut down the engine in relief. Your brother unbuckles and hops down from the truck leaving the door open. In annoyance, you get out and slam it shut. At least he made it at all. You take a moment to compose yourself and adjust your clothing, then you walk into the side door leading to the gym to sign in with Mr. Clarke.

Walking through the main entrance and beneath the balloon arch, you had helped put together, your eyes widen. There are so many students here; you can't believe it. And the decorations look gorgeous; it's magical; a sea of silver, white, and blue. The colors of winter.

But what now? You walk over to the bleachers nearly hidden behind a curtain of tinsel and see Nancy Wheeler sitting alone. She looks crestfallen, but once she notices you, her eyes widen and she motions you over.

"I thought I was the only high schooler here who volunteered to chaperone," she mentions.

It's strange talking to her, given that you aren't close, but she chats plenty enough in class for this situation not to feel so awkward.

"For a minute, so did I," you retort in relief.

Sitting down beside her, you look around in awe.

"It's unbelievable."

You don't remember anyone putting so much effort into the décor for the Snow Ball when you were in middle school.

"The decorating committee did an amazing job. Jonathan has so many pictures," Nancy brings up.

"Jonathan is here?" You ask with a knowing grin.

She smiles and nods.

It's a shame what became of her and Steve, but she and Jonathan are a cute match. You are a bit envious of them.

For a moment, you sit in silence listening to Time After Time play through the speakers across the gym, swaying to the music. Until Nancy clears her throat.

"So, can I ask you something personal?" She asks.

You hum, curious as to what she wants to ask.

"You were there with Steve that night at Jonathan's house, right? Did he protect my brother and his friends?"

"He did; it was sweet," you retort. "And I was supposed to be on a date with Billy Hargrove. Unfortunately, Steve got caught up in his drama."

Nancy merely smiles.

"Mike said you stood in front of him and his friends even though you didn't know them. Thank you for that."

"It was nothing. And if you get the chance, Steve deserves the thank you more than me," you suggest.

Whether it be her brother or yours, or Max and the others, you will always stand to protect them.

Speaking of your brother, you see him dancing with who you assume is Michelle. You are thankful that he got his dance, even if he is a brat.

A few people over from him are Max and Lucas, dancing close; she looks happy. You are glad the two got a chance to be with one another.

That night she swore that she would tell what she was doing at the Byer's residence – not that it was any of your business – but since you broke up with Billy, you had seen less and less of her. The reason behind her actions still confuses you. It's a shame, but you are glad she can smile without fearing that her brother will torment her for it. Perhaps one day you will get a chance to talk with her again and find out what she meant.

And maybe how Billy is doing.

Warm tears fill your eyes as thoughts of him come to mind. You miss his grin and even the lewd innuendoes he often threw at you. A smile pulls at your lips, but your chin quivers as memories invade your mind, causing more damage than good. Did seeing Max remind you of him? You hope he is doing better than you at least; you doubt that thoughts of you randomly enter his mind.

"Are you OK?" Nancy asks suddenly.

You realize that she can see you. Heat rushes across your face from embarrassment and you blink away the tears.

"Tonight has me feeling rather nostalgic. I think I just need some air," you reply.

"I'm here if you want to talk," she mentions.

Standing up, you excuse yourself and walk outside to the truck, leaning against the driver's side door. For a moment or two, you remind yourself that you are OK. Witnessing so many love-sick teenagers dancing with one another with no care in the world has you feeling a little envious. Why is your love life so complicated.

You take a deep breath, opting to go back inside or sit outside a little longer, but across the parking lot, a familiar Camaro catches your attention. You widen your eyes.

Why is Billy here?

Max had made him swear not to bother her or her friends, so it made no sense for him to be at the school. Unless of course, he had to drive her. How vindictive.

You can't see him because of how the car is parked – with its trunk to you – but his arm hangs from the window, holding a cigarette whose end burns like a beacon. Should you walk over and say hello? A knot forms in your stomach at that idea. Perhaps it's for the best that you leave him alone.

But you want bad to see him.

Giving in, you take an uneasy breath, walking across the parking lot to the driver's side window. You knock on the roof to announce that you are there and lean down to see him better. He doesn't look at all surprised; his eyes are dark like the sea during a storm.

"What do you want?" He asks above a whisper.

You can hear the faint sound of music playing on the radio.

"I saw you sitting here and thought I'd come over and see how you are doing," you answer.

Billy snorts.

"I'm fine."

You have no doubts. He's the type to bounce back no matter what.

"Can we maybe talk?" You ask.

"There's nothing to talk about," Billy retorts, flicking ashes onto the ground near your feet.

You frown and lean up.

"No, I guess there isn't."

Billy tightens his jaw and then reluctantly motions at the seat beside him. At least he isn't chasing you away; not yet anyway. You had expected much worse. Walking over to the passenger door, you get in and shut it, resting your back against it to see him better.

The blond takes a drag of his cigarette, eyeing you for a moment. You wonder if he likes your outfit.

"I thought this was a middle school dance. Do you have a date or something? I thought I saw Harrington here earlier."

Is he jealous?

"I'm a chaperone," you answer. "As far as Steve goes, he probably came here to see Nancy."

You tilt your head in question.

"But what are you doing here?"

He rotates the spark wheel on his lighter; a flame shoots from the hood, illuminating the car, then he releases the fork and tosses the lighter onto the dash.

"Max," he utters. "Won't you believe it? I had to drive her to this stupid dance even though I'm supposed to leave her alone."

You frown. A month isn't enough time to change his opinion of her you remind yourself. Not to mention no one knows he's hurting; how bad, you aren't even sure. And perhaps he isn't hurting at all. He might just be an asshole.

"But you're doing better it seems. I'm happy for––"

"Is that what it seems like? Did you come over here to see whether I'm treating Max better?" Billy asks with a snap, interrupting you.

You take a deep breath. He's mad; you understand. Bringing up Max first is not the best topic starter; noted.

"I missed talking to you."

He snorts.

"Sure. An entire month of averting your eyes every time I came into the room proves that."

"Because I wanted to let you have your space. I was unfair to you, but there is so much hate in you and at the time I didn't think you'd ever forgive me," you admit.

Billy leans forward; his blue eyes shine with tears.

"Nothing has changed, babe."

Babe? Not your name or an insult. It's promising.

"And maybe it won't," you utter. "But I do miss you; a lot actually."

You take a deep breath and continue.

"I want you to know that I would have stuck by your side through whatever dark road you went down."

It's the truth. You want him to get better, but with little time, that isn't possible.

"And yet you broke up with me," Billy points out, sharp as a whip.

"A week wasn't enough," you mention. "And at the time it didn't feel real."

Billy scoffs.

"If you wanted more time, then you should have asked."

Tears burn your eyes.

"You don't understand a damn thing. It's not about that."

"I don't understand?" Billy asks in disbelief. He tosses his cigarette out the window. "That's the pot calling the kettle black. And after what you promised me."

What does he mean?

"All I wanted to know was why you picked me. A simple I chose your name out of a damn hat would have sufficed. But you danced around the question when I asked."

"Because you already know why," Billy merely states.

No, you don't. You feel so frustrated.

"What are you talking about? When? And what damn promise?"

"Don't you remember what you said to me that night at Tina's party?" He asks in annoyance.

You shake your head no. That night is one big blur. All you remember are little things here and there; Steve losing at his own game; Billy shirtless.

"You told me that I looked like the loneliest person in the room," Billy states.

Did you? You remember running into him on your way to get another drink – right before you kissed him. But you don't remember insulting him. That makes no sense. Why did he take you home then?

"And when I said that everyone in the room was my friend, you laughed and told me that none of them truly cared; that without popularity no one would bat an eye in my direction," he reminds you.

Oh shit! That sounds familiar. How much did you have to drink that night? You couldn't keep your mouth shut.

"I'm not like that," you utter.

"Alcohol is like a truth serum, babe. You told me what you thought about me," Billy insists. "But that's not all."

What else?

"You leaned in and whispered: if given the chance, I promise I'd never let you be alone. And I accepted."

Your eyes widen.

"I had forgotten."

Billy didn't ask you to date him because he thought you were cute or because you gave him your body; he asked you because you promised to help him. He went out of the way to impress your parents and even let you drive the Camaro because, for a week, you were supposed to make him feel cared for. But you had interpreted the relationship wrong, thinking he thought less of you and broke up with him.

Tears blur your eyes.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's not my place to remind you of your promises," Billy answers.

He's right.

"I'm sorry, Billy. I'm so sorry."

You rest your head against the seat as tears run down your face. Did you see the darkness in him before you even met him? Drunk you has issues.

Feeling his hand cover yours, a spark of hope ignites in you. Does he forgive you? Probably not, but it's worth a shot.

"For once you were right," you utter in a broken tone.

Billy snorts.

"I'm always right."

You turn up your eyes and grin.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself."

You turn your hand and slide your fingers between his.

"I want to keep my promises."

"The week is up, babe." Billy mentions.

You hum and glance at him.

"I want more time. Please."

"How much?" Billy asks, grinning.

Now he's just messing with you.

"As much as it takes," you answer.

The blond releases your hand and rests it on your knee.

"You may be with me for a long time then."

"I'm fine with that," you admit. "I want to be yours."

He bites his lip and motions his head towards the backseat of the car.

"You said you missed me. Do you want to show me how much?"

"We're in the parking lot," you argue. "I swear, you're turned on like 90% of the time."

Your face heats up.

Billy snorts and rolls the window up.

"Hearing you say your mine is a turn-on."

He's a horndog. But what does it matter? You like him this way.

Leaning down, you turn up the radio a bit louder. Sussudio plays through the speakers as you motion for him to come closer. His lips press against yours as he leans forward, running a hand up your thigh. It feels so good to be in his arms again. You feel his tongue sweep against your lips and eagerly you open your mouth, running your tongue along with his; a shiver runs up your spine.

You have no idea how long you have until the dance is over, but you don't plan to waste a second worrying about the world; not with Billy at your side.

The promise you had made Robin holds true in your heart; you are going to enjoy your life a little more. Because tomorrow never knows.

[dukereviewsxtra]

Duke Reviews Xtra: Lady And The Tramp (Remake)

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Continue Our Look At Disney...

Yesterday, I Reviewed The Sequel To Lady And The Tramp, Lady And The Tramp 2: Scamp's Adventure, So, Today We're Talking About The Remake...

One Of The First Original Movies On Disney +, This Film Remakes The Classic Animated Film In Live Action Form, But Is It As Good As The Animated Version?

Let's Find Out As We Watch The Remake Of Lady And The Tramp...

The Film Starts Like The Animated One On Christmas As Jim Dear (Played By Thomas Mann) Gives His Wife Darling (Played By Kiersey Clemons)...

Who I Mainly Know Through Rumors Of Her Playing Iris West In A Possible Flash Movie But With Ezra Miller Rumored To Be Exiting The Role I Don't Know If That Movie Will Come To Pass Despite It Supposedly Following The Flashpoint Storyline...

Anyway, Like The Animated One, Jim Dear Gives Darling Lady For Christmas And After A Rough First Night, Lady Ends Up Sleeping In Their Bed...

Fast Forward A Few Years, Lady Is Now Grown Up (And Is Voiced By Valkyrie From Thor Ragnarok) Given A Shiny New Collar, She Shows It To Her Friends, Jock

Who Has Undergone A Bit Of A Gender Change And Is Now A Girl...

And Trusty (Voiced By Sam Freaking Elliot)

And By God, This Is The Best Casting Choice Made In This Entire Movie!

I Mean If I Were Casting This Film, I Would Have Made The Same Decision As There's No One Else In My Opinion That Could Voice Trusty Than Sam Elliott...

Meanwhile A Schnauzer Named Tramp (Voiced By Justin Theroux) Spends His Days Wandering The Streets Of New Orleans Searching For Food And Causing Trouble For A Dogcatcher Named Elliot (Played By Adrian Martinez) Who Has A Vendetta Against Him To The Point He's Basically The Bad Guy Of The Whole Movie....

I Know There Are People Who Still Believe Aunt Sarah's Still The Bad Guy Of This Movie, But There's A Change In The Remake Unlike The Animated One Which Makes Me Feel Differently And Instead Consider Her Not Much Of A Bad Guy But A Mild Annoyance...

Freeing His Friends, Peg (Played By Janelle Monae) And Bull (Voiced By Wong From Doctor Strange) From Elliot's Carriage, He Makes A Run For It And Eventually Ends Up In The Dear's Backyard...

Beside Herself When Jim Dear And Darling Start Ignoring Her, Lady Finds Tramp And Attempts To Give Away His Position To Jim Dear But When Tramp Says That Darling Is Clearly Having A Baby, To Which Like The Animated One, He Warns Her That Eventually The Baby Will Replace Her...

But Refusing To Believe Him, Trusty And Jock Enter And Send Him Away, Which Is When Tramp Warns Her Again, When A Baby Moves In, The Dog Moves Out...

A Few Months Later, Jim Dear And Darling Have A Baby Girl Named Lulu Who They Soon Devote Their Lives To, This Leads To The La La Lu Scene From The Movie..,

And While Kiersey Clemons Is No Peggy Lee, She Has A Great Singing Voice...

But When Lady Starts Barking Over A Rat That's Been Plaguing The House Lately, Jim Dear Puts Lady Outside Afraid That She'll Wake Up The Baby...

Now When I First Saw This Scene I Didn't Really Like It, Because Doing This Emphasizes What Tramp Told Her Of When The Baby Moves In, The Dog Moves Out, Where In The Animated One, They Introduced Her To Lady Like She Was A Member Of The Family...

But Later I Realized That Without This Scene, We Wouldn't Have Gotten One Good Scene Later, So I Let It Go...

Taking Lulu To See Jim's Sister, They Leave Lady With Darling's Aunt Sarah (Played By Yvette Nicole Brown)...

This Leads To The Worst Scene In The Entire Movie...

While Aunt Sarah Is Upstairs Practicing Her Opera, Her 2 Devon Rexes Named Devon And Rex Begin Destroying The House While They Sing A New Song That Replaces The Siamese Cat Song Called What A Shame...

What...The...Hell...

This Song Is Not Good At All, I'm Sorry I Realize Alot Of People Hate The Siamese Cat Song But Unlike The Remake Of Dumbo Where Not Having When I See An Elephant Fly Was For The Better Of The Story This Song Just Doesn't Do That For This Movie And Just Makes A Good Scene Dumb...

Believing Lady Caused The Disaster, Aunt Sarah Takes Lady To The Pet Store To Get A Muzzle Placed On Her. This Leads To Lady Running Away Only To Get Trapped In An Alley Where She's Threatened By A Street Dog Named Isaac (Voiced By Mr. Krabs)...

Luckily, Tramp Saves Her And Gets The Muzzle Off With The Help Of A Statue At The Park Instead Of A Beaver At The Zoo Before Taking The Scenic Route In An Effort To Avoid Elliot Since Lady Left Her Collar Behind...

Growing Close In Their Time Together, Lady Has Dinner With Tramp At Tony's Which Leads To The Bella Notte Scene With Tony (Played By F. Murray Abraham)...

Showing Lady A View Of The Town, Tramp Reveals To Her That He Once Had Owners That Abandoned Him When They Had A Baby Too...

Found By Elliot, They Go Into The Train Yard Where Tramp Sleeps Only For Tramp To Get Away While Lady Gets Caught...

Taken To The Pound, Lady Meets Peg, Bull And The Other Pound Dogs Who All Talk About Tramp, Which Leads To The He's A Tramp Number...

And I Can Say That This Is Better Than The Last Time Janelle Monae Sang A Kids Song...

(End At 1:31)

This Leads To The Best Scene Of The Entire Movie, As You Know In The Animated Version Aunt Sarah Picks Lady Up And Chains Her Outside...

Well, In The Remake It's Jim Dear And Darling That Pick Up Lady And In Turn Kick Aunt Sarah And Her Dumb Cats Out Of Their House Presumably Forever For Way She Treated Lady...

Everybody Say It With Me....#JusticeForLady...Bravo!

Seriously, I Don't Know Why They Didn't Do This In Animated Version!

It's Then That Lady Bonds With Lulu...

Sometime Later, Tramp Becomes Depressed After Not Seeing Lady For A Long Time To The Point That He Decides To Go See Her Hoping That She'll Give Him A Second Chance...

Apologizing, Lady Appreciates It And Still Loves Him But She Doesn't Want To Leave Her Family After Reconciling With Them. Accepting Her Decision, Tramp Walks Away Heartbroken As A Storm Breaks Out...

But The Rat Returns, Sneaking Into Lulu's Room, Lady Tries To Warn Jim Dear And Darling But They Lock Her In A Closet When Elliot Arrives To Interview Them About Tramp...

Hearing Lady Bark, Tramp Goes Into The House And Kills The Rat Only To Injure His Leg In The Process While Knocking Over Lulu's Crib. Caught By Jim, Darling And Eliot Who Assume He Was Attacking Lulu, Elliot Takes Tramp Away To Be Euthanized Only For Lady To Show Jim And Darling The Rat...

This Leads Lady To Chase Down The Horses With The Help Of Jock And Trusty. Catching Up With The Carriage, They Scare The Horses, Causing The Carriage To Crash...

Finding Tramp Seemingly Dead, Lady Begins To Cry Only Tramp To Wake Up. Arriving On The Scene Of The Crash, The Dears Realize That Tramp Was Protecting Lulu And Decide To Adopt Him, Saving Tramp From The Wrath Of Elliot...

Next Christmas, Tramp Has Been Fully Accepted Into The Family And Is Given A Collar Of His Own As Both Lady And Tramp Spend The Holidays Together...

And That's The Remake Of Lady And The Tramp And It's Ok...

While Not The Best Of The Disney Live Action Remakes, I Do Feel It Has Some Qualities That Make It An Interesting Remake...

One Being That Scene With Aunt Sarah, 2. The Acting Is Pretty Good For The Most Part Despite Alot Of People Talking About The Historical Inaccuracies Of The Film And 3. The Fact That They Used Stray Dogs For The Lead Characters...

Other Than The Problems I've Mentioned With Jim Dear Sending Lady Outside While The Baby Is Sleeping And The Fact The Siamese Cat Song Was Replaced With The Blandest Song In History, I Have No Problem With This Movie...

This Is One I Suggest To See Just Skip The New Song, You'll Be Alot Happier If You Do,..

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...