Different From The Rest

The phone pressed tightly to your ear, Billie's voice was the only thing keeping you grounded.

"You're doing so good," she kept whispering, steady and soothing. "Just stay with me. Almost there."

You nodded to yourself, breathing shakily, crouched behind boxes in the back room of the record store. The chaos outside had quieted for a moment, but your heart hadn't. Then—
CRASH.

Your whole body flinched at the sound of shattering glass. It was sharp and sudden, and it sounded close.
Too close.

"Billie—" you gasped, clutching the phone tighter.
But the line crackled.
And then went dead.

"No—no, no, no," you whispered, staring at the screen in disbelief. "Billie?"

But it was gone.

Panic clawed at your chest, but you didn't move. You stayed hidden, like she told you to. Heavy footsteps pounded somewhere in the store. You heard something fall. Then a loud, ragged groan. And voices—police, shouting commands.

You stayed frozen.

Outside, Billie had gone into full panic the second she lost the call. She tried calling back, over and over, but it kept going to voicemail. The last thing she heard was that glass breaking. That noise haunted her now.

She didn't think twice—she grabbed her keys, got in her car, and drove faster than she should have. The streets near your job were already lined with police tape, squad cars, and an ambulance.

She jumped out, heart pounding. "Hey—HEY! My girlfriend's in there!" she shouted at the officers guarding the barricade.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, it's not safe yet. We need you to stand back—"

"No, you don't understand, she's in there—her phone went dead—I think something happened, please—"

"Ma'am—ma'am, please—stand back. We're getting people out now."

Billie's chest tightened so hard it felt like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes scanned every doorway, every shadow behind the yellow tape, searching for any sign of you.

And then—

She saw a police officer escorting someone out of the building.

It was you.

Billie's whole body practically folded in relief. She darted under the barricade despite the cops yelling at her, tears already spilling as she ran.

You saw her at the same time.

Your lip trembled. "Billie—"

She crashed into you before the officer could even finish letting you go, arms wrapping around you like she never wanted to let go again. "Jesus—Jesus, I thought—" she choked out. "I thought something happened—I thought—"

"I'm okay," you breathed, clinging to her. "I'm okay."

She pulled back enough to look at you, scanning you like she didn't quite believe it. "What happened?"

"One of the guys—he got shot outside. He broke in through the front—bleeding everywhere. The police were clearing the place. I stayed in the back like you said."

Billie shut her eyes and rested her forehead against yours, shaking slightly. "You did everything right. You did everything right. You're safe now."

You both stood there in the middle of the street, wrapped in each other, while the world around you kept moving—sirens still ringing, officers still directing—but for Billie, all that mattered was that you were in her arms.

Safe.