Billy Troll's Arc

Chapter 13 of 14

Billy stood backstage with the girls and heard his name called from the main stage. The crowd noise changed—half cheers, half something else he couldn't identify. Suzie looked at him and nodded toward the curtain. He stepped forward and saw Mic already at the microphone, holding it like he owned it. Mic tapped the silver top of the stand and smiled at the audience. "Before Billy performs," he said, "I need to tell you something he told me in private." Billy felt his stomach drop. Mic paused and let the silence build. "He admitted to me that he rigged this whole competition. Said he couldn't beat me fair, so he framed me instead." The crowd erupted. Someone in the front row held up a handmade sign that read WE LOVE BILLY, but the person next to them ripped it down. Billy watched the wooden sign hit the ground and break in half. Billy walked to the edge of the red curtain and gripped the velvet fabric. He wanted to step out there and call Mic a liar in front of everyone. He wanted to show them the envelope, the visitor ledger, everything he'd found. But Dianne's voice played in his head—You don't need to prove yourself to this town. You need to discover who you want to be. Billy let go of the curtain and turned back to the girls. They were watching him, instruments ready, waiting for his call. Billy nodded to Suzie and pointed at the stage. The girls walked past him toward the light, and he followed. Mic was still talking when Billy stepped into view, but the words didn't matter anymore. Billy picked up his guitar and stood beside Suzie's drums. He didn't defend himself. He didn't correct the lie. He just looked at the girls and counted them in. The first note rang out, and Billy realized he'd made his choice—not to win the argument, but to show up anyway. That was the version of himself he wanted to be.