Page 1: Stephanie Cooke
Page 2: Annie MacKenzie
Page 3: Amanda Flanigan
Once upon a time… a time no so long ago, there lived a woman who was named Billie-Jean. Billy-Jean, also known as BJ, lived in a small trailer in a little trailer park community called Shaker’s Acres. She lived with her little girl and worked two jobs, one at the local corner store to pay her monthly trailer fees and for her child.At night, BJ made her way into town to dance at the local club. She was only 25 years old and had always thought that her life would amount to more, but it never did. Her dreams of getting out of town were shattered when she got pregnant, just two years into high school at the young age of 16.
Since her mother and father weren’t around, victims of similar circumstances, BJ was all by herself and left school to accept the new course her life would take. The father of her baby was long gone, so she received child support from the government, which was a godsend.
BJ had always wanted to get out of town, but since that didn’t seem likely to happen with her child and work. She would just settle for a man to help take care of her and her family. One that didn’t hit her, fool around on her or drink too much would be nice too, but she wasn’t holding her breath.
The only person in town who seemed interested was the perverted trailer park manager who always winked at her when she dropped off her check. Not only was he perverted in his behaviour, but he looked the part too. His name was Larry and he had a skullet, which is what WOULD be a mullet if he weren’t balding on the top of his head. He gave her the creeps and she couldn’t stand to be near him for any longer than she had to.
It wasn’t that BJ wasn’t pretty; her looks are what had gotten her knocked up in the first place. BJ was a cheerleader that had chosen to shack up with the cutest boy around. But when she got pregnant, he denied it, he called her a liar and BJ became an outcast. Everyone looked at her differently and that made it that much easier to leave school and accept her fate.
While she was pregnant, the owner of the convenience store took pity on her and offered her a job and made a call to Larry to see if any trailers were available.
For 7 years, BJ had worked behind the counter at the corner store. For 5 years, she had danced. It was a continuous loop of working in the mornings, going home to be the best mother she could be, and than out to dance until 2am. Repeat. It seemed like it was all BJ knew.
Monday morning rolled around again. She woke up, threw off the covers and slipped her small feet into her big fluffy slippers. BJ knocked on her daughter's door, “Chloe, wake up”. Five more steps and she was in the tiny kitchen.
Living in the trailer for as long as she had, it was easy to maneuver around, even when Chloe wandered in.
“Breakfast will be ready in a moment, hunny. Just get settled into your spot”.
BJ smiled as she watched her not so little baby flick on the radio and grab the table settings. Deep down, she was glad that Chloe looked more like her than her father. She didn't need any more reminders about what she was working to get away from.
Breakfast was simple. Cheerios, toast with jam, and orange juice. Breakfast was also the only meal together where they weren't totally rushed. There was still thirty minutes before Chloe had to be off to school and Billie-Jean off to the convenience store. They enjoyed the time and talked about the days ahead. With a kiss on the top of the head, BJ sent Chloe off to the bus. Wandering back into the house, she bent down to pick up the daily free paper. As usual, nothing interesting was happening in her po-dunk town. She kicked her slippers off, across the trailer and grabbed her clothing for the day – jeans and a pink tank-top. Snatching up a light blue sweater, she headed to work.
She forced a smile as she walked past Larry's trailer. He was sitting outside, enjoying his morning coffee.
“'Lo Ms. Billie-Jean”, he tilted his head, lascivious smile on his lips.
She waved, while walking past quickly, “Gotta go, Larry. I'm late already. I'll talk to you later” But let's hope not.
Nick, her boss, looked up as she walked in the door. “Right on time”, he tossed her an apron.
“Yea, yea yea.” She laughed as she tied it on. “You know I will always show up, where else will I be?”
“Running around with handsome movie stars, living the dream, and thinking of little Nickie! Ahh..that would be the life”
BJ looked at him from under her bangs. “Yes, that's just what I have planned for tonight. I will send a post card”. She picked up the broom in the corner and went to work.
Time in a convenience store drags on. Monday's are the worst. Everyone has stocked up on goodies for the weekend, or are either working their butts off to try to get off work early. BJ had probably swept the floor 3 times, cleaned all the windows, and stalked the shelves in the 3 hours that she had been there. Nick popped his head out of the office door, “You okay to hold down the fort while I go and do stuff?”. He pouted his lip and batted his eyes.
“Go on, I am sure I can manage. If I get swamped, I have magical faeries to help me”. BJ gestured around to the aisles. “They've already done most of the work for me”.
“Mmmk. I will make sure I am back before the big bad ogres come to ransack the place”, he blew her a kiss and winked before the front door closed behind him.
BJ shook her head. She needed to concentrate on herself, not on mock (it was mock, right?) flirting with her boss. Even if he was kind of hunky.
Nick was 6 years older than her, and also the son of the owner. He was about average height, husky build, with dirty blonde hair. His skin was slightly acne scarred. He had the brightest blue eyes, long lashes (it's never fair that men get the good eyelashes). He had an Elvis smile, with unnaturally white teeth, that melted the female customers hearts. He had also grown from her boss/boss to her boss/friend. At least BJ could now say that she had a friend, other than Chloe.
Just as she was putting the mop back in the closet, she heard the bells over the door jingle. She walked back to the cash, to be of assistance. In the chip aisle was a bear of a man. Tall, approximately 300 pounds, long greasy hair, mountain man beard, and dressed as a biker. He didn't look pretty, nor did he smell like a bed of flowers.
Boone was the man’s name though his close friends, the few he had, called him Bo and he could be found shaking his booty every Saturday night at the disco tech two towns over. Bo usually kept his head down not bothering anybody. But this night, this night was different. Bo’s love interest, his high school sweetheart turned ex-wife named Cindy Lou who left him with a broken heart just over 7 years ago, was getting remarried to another man. Instead of dealing with his emotions like a mentally healthy adult should do, Bo decided the best course of action was to drink the heartache away with beer after beer after beer. When the 12 case of mind numbing liquid finally ran out, Bo jumped into his old pickup truck that was being held together with duct tape and drove down to the closet convenient store, which just so happened to be the one Billie-Jean worked at.
As Bo picked up trusty ole’ Jack Daniels, he notice Billie-Jean from the corner of his eye sweeping the dingy store floor. Billie-Jean’s wavy dark blonde hair and striking brown eyes reminded Bo of Cindy Lou. Or at least the way Cindy Lou looked years ago before age took its toll on her once energized appearance. As Billie-Jean moved her body in a swaying motion while sweeping the floors, Bo became hypnotized. Bo’s reality, his past and his fantasies become entangled into one. Bo no longer saw Billie-Jean working in the convenient store. He saw the once love of his life who ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped on it repeatedly with her bright red stiletto shoes, standing before him sweeping the convenient store floor.
Crazed with jealousy and lust, Bo dropped the bottle of Jack Daniels, which shattered on the floor spilling the amber-colored liquid across the linoleum, and barreled over to Billie-Jean. Billie-Jean had little time for her brain to process what was going on before Bo was right next to her. Bo could move rather fast for someone of such a large frame. Before BJ had time to react, Bo had her upper arm clutched in his large, rough hand. “Cindy Lou!” Bo pathetically screeched, “Cindy Lou! Why did you leave! I loved you! I loved you, Cindy Lou!”
“Who, what?” Billie-Jean managed to say. She was confused and her throat suddenly felt awfully dry. She tried to pull away, to get out of Bo’s clutch but Billie-Jean’s petite frame was no match for his vein-popping forearm. “Please mister” crackled Billie-Jean’s voice, “I don’t know no Cindy Lou.”
“You slut!” Bo yelled with pure hatred in his eyes. He lifted his bear claw of a hand above his head and brought it down across Billie-Jean’s face with enough force that she momentarily blacked out as her body fell to the freshly cleaned floor. With her dark blonde hair strewn across her lightly tanned face, all Billie-Jean could think about was her daughter, her life, Chloe.
What Billie-Jean, and Bo, couldn’t see was that Nick had walked in on the events as they transpired. But with Bo’s eyes fixated on Billie-Jean, Nick was able to enter the store undetected. Nick slipped his hand behind the register and gripped the metal baseball bat that he kept there for protection. Billie-Jean didn’t particularly like guns so Nick switched out the .38 special his father originally kept behind the counter for the metal baseball bat. As Nick carefully and quietly walked up behind Bo, he grasped the bat’s handle with both hands as one would do if they were getting ready to hit a home run across the field. As Nick drew the bat high above him, his high school baseball days came flooding back to him. It was if he could almost hear the nonexistent crowd cheering his name as the metal bat made contact with the side of Bo’s head. Bo was down for the count before he even knew what had hit him. As Bo’s beer-filled body fell limpless, his grasp on Billie-Jean’s arm loosened. Nick dropped the metal bat and rushed over to Billie-Jean’s aid. “Billie-Jean! Are you ok?” “Nick”, Billie-Jean’s right eye was practically swollen shut. “Than . . . Thank you.”
Nick wrapped his arm around Billie-Jean’s shoulder and pulled her close to him as they walked toward the telephone to call the police. Nick made the phone call and as he placed the phone back on the receiver, the tears began to stream down Billie-Jean’s blood red cheeks. “It’s OK, BJ.” Nick said with nothing but compassion in his voice. As he placed his strong arms around her petite body and carefully pulled Billie-Jean toward him, he moved her dark blonde hair out of her face and gently kissed her surprisingly soft lips. “I’ll take care of you.” Nick whispered in Billie-Jean’s ear. “I will get you out of this place. I will give you the stars and the moon.” And even though that was the sappiest line that Billie-Jean had ever heard, she knew it wouldn’t be the last and that Nick would fill her life with sappy lines well into their 80s. Billie-Jean, for the first time in many years, was filled with hope not just for herself but for her daughter as well.
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