Billy the Kid

         Billy didn’t like school very much.  He found it extremely boring, so it was hard for him to concentrate on his schoolwork.  All he wanted to do was get his assignments over as quickly as possible, so he could draw.  He loved drawing.

         When he drew, he felt at peace.  He would get lost in his creations, and it took all the pain away.  All he wanted to do was draw.  He didn’t want to feel the pain anymore.

         Billy wouldn’t let anyone see his drawings.  Those were only for him.  His drawings gave him strength and he needed all the strength possible to get through the time he spent at home.

         On the days his mother was at work, he would hurry home from school, so he could draw.  On the days she didn’t work, it would take him twice as long to get home.  Today, she didn’t work.

         The final bell rang for the day and Billy gathered his books and sketch pad and placed them in his backpack.  He pushed his chair under his desk and started the painful journey home.

         Billy usually walked home by himself.  He didn’t have any friends; his mother wouldn’t allow it.  “Who would want to be friends with you?  You’re stupid, fat, lazy, and can’t do anything right!” his mother would berate him on a daily basis.  Of course, none of this was true.  In fact, it was the complete opposite. 

         Billy was extremely smart, the smartest kid in school, yet no one knew it, not even Billy.  He was skinny, he didn’t eat much, everything tasted like ash in his mouth.  His mother would glare at him while they ate.  “How can you eat so much?” she would ask.  “Don’t you know how hard I work?  And for what?  To buy you food, so you can stuff your fat face?”  It was evident that she spent her money on food, a lot of it, but it wasn’t Billy who ate it.  His mother weighed in excess of 400 lbs.

         The closer Billy got to home, the slower his steps became.  He was only a few blocks away, when three kids sped past him on their bikes, scaring him out of his dreary thoughts.  Billy looked up and noticed who they were. 

         Shit!  Please keep going. 

         Billy looked back down and slowed his pace, trying to make himself as small as possible, so they wouldn’t notice him.

         “Hey, Billy…” the leader of the small group mocked.  He turned his bike around and started back towards Billy.  “What’cha doin’, walking so slow?  I’m sure your mom needs you home as quickly as possible, so you can bring her something to eat.”

         The three bullies pulled their bikes up in front of Billy, blocking his path.  Butch, the ring leader, jumped off his bike and started walking around Billy.  “Why didn’t you say ‘hi’ to me as we passed?  You think you’re better than us?”

         Billy was like a deer in the headlights.  There was nowhere to run, no one around to save him.

         “What’s in the backpack, Billy?” Butch teased, as he continued to circle Billy.

         “Noth…nothing,” Billy stammered.  “Just my schoolbooks and homework.”

         “Just your schoolbooks and homework?” Butch snarled.  “You wouldn’t be lying to me, would you Billy?”

         “No…no, of course not.”

         “Well then, let’s take a look just to make sure.”

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