Chapter Text
So, skipping school winds up being kind of risky business. It’s not quite as risky, though, as him and Freddy trying to sneak back into the house past dark after a long day of superhero experimentation. Even with Captain Sparklefingers. Actually, maybe even worse with Captain Sparklefingers.
“There is no way,” Billy said flatly, staring up at the drainpipe that ran somewhat close to their bedroom window.
“Couldn’t you just, you know.” Freddy waggled his fingers dramatically. “Fly up there?”
“Yeah, if I wanna strike the back of the house with lightning and send everyone running,” Billy retorted quietly. The neighbor’s dog was yipping about their presence, and it was making him nervous. He wasn’t a huge fan of dogs.
Freddy shrugged. “It’s worked so far.” He shivered a bit, tugging his jacket on tighter with his crutch-hand. Billy shook his head and tried to ignore the guilt that was creeping up again. It seemed to be doing that a lot lately.
He studied the house again and found a window that was not only right above an eave with a sloping roof that ran all the way down to just a bit above arms-length, but was even open a crack. Bingo. He ran quietly up the porch steps and across the deck, and swung up to grab hold of the roof.
“What are you doing?” Freddy hissed, following him at a considerably slower pace.
“Climbing up,” Billy gritted through his teeth, cautiously clambering up the steep grade.
“That’s Mary’s room!” Freddy whisper-snapped.
“Maybe she’s not in it.”
“How’re you going to get out of her room without anybody seeing you? What—“ Freddy paused, shoulders hunching, defeated. “What about me?”
“I’ll let you in when I get in. Make up something about an alien sighting close call or whatever,” Billy said down, pausing outside the window. He glanced in. He didn’t see anyone.
Freddy huffed down below. “Fine.” He said, a bit shortly. “Hurry up. It’s cold out here.”
“Right,” Billy muttered. “Here goes nothing.” He slid his fingertips cautiously under the edge of the window and lifted.
It squeaked. Loudly. Billy winced the entire time he was opening it. He guessed Freddy was probably doing the same and preparing himself for death (or grounding). But it was open now, so he might as well climb in.
But it was also smaller than he thought it was. And with how steep the roof was, there was no way he could pull his legs up to slide in feet-first. So, he had to pull himself in headfirst.
He landed in a heap on the hardwood and grunted when he clacked his teeth together. Ow. His feet were still stuck in the window.
He managed to push himself up on his hands, and froze. Mary was sitting on her bed, phone in one hand, pencil in the other. She had books and papers spread all over the place, and a pair of glasses pulled down her nose in a very grandma-esque manner. And she was staring straight at him with the dullest expression he’d ever seen outside of himself.
He swallowed. “Uh…”
Footsteps came past the door and slowed. “Hey Mary, what was that crashing noise?”
Without breaking eye contact, Mary casually called, “Knocked my desk chair over while I was opening the window, Mom. Sorry.”
“That’s okay sweetie, just making sure.” The footsteps went further down the hall. Billy watched under the door until they were gone, then whipped his head back toward Mary.
She sighed, pushed her glasses back up onto her nose, dropped her phone and pencil on top of the bedspread, and vaulted off. “Let’s get you out of the window, why don’t we?” She said, and carefully grabbed him under the armpits. Billy, startled, unhooked his feet from the windowsill, and it was enough to tug him loose and set him down on the floor, upright this time. Mary let go of him and got back up to lean out the window, squinting. “Freddy,” she called tiredly. “Where are you down there?”
A pause. “Ah, there you are. Okay, I’ll come let you in in a minute.” She pulled back in and squeakily slid the window shut and locked it. She glanced back at Billy and sighed. “You guys need to quit doing that.”
Billy’s stomach dropped. “Doing what?”
Mary fixed him with a tough look. “Skipping school.”
Whew. That was a relief. She didn’t suspect….but it was still a little irritating. Billy had heard his whole life how important stupid school was, but it never worked on him. And it was easy for her to say. “Of course you’d think so,” he muttered sourly. “Easy to think when you’re smart.”
Mary stared at him. “That didn’t happen overnight,” she said quietly. “And it didn’t happen naturally, either. I worked hard to get good enough to apply for anywhere.”
Billy swallowed hard, uncomfortable. He really didn’t know much about her, and gee would he feel like an asshole if she had some sort of disability and he was mocking her because he was jealous. It’d be just as bad as mocking Freddy for not winning a sack race.
“I uh.” He said. He shrugged in the vague direction of her face. “I didn’t know you wore glasses.”
She looked confused, then blinked. “Oh. I don’t.” She took them off. “No wonder I could barely see Freddy. They’re reading glasses.” She stuck them in a snap case beside her bed. “I better go let him in. It’s cold out there.”
“Yeah,” Billy mumbled. Mary nodded at him and went for the door. She had her hand on the knob when Billy said, “Wait!”
She turned her head towards him quizzically.
Billy gulped. “How—I mean. What’re you going to tell them about why he was out there?”
Mary cocked her head to the side for a moment, like she was thinking and studying him at the same time. Then she shrugged. “I dunno,” she said. She opened the door. “Probably a possible alien sighting or something.”
She disappeared down the hallway, leaving the door open, and leaving Billy standing there dumbstruck. Until eventually, he grinned.