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Borderline
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2
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It was the first time Billy had been out in over a week. These mini
breakdowns which he had were an erratic but frequent occurrence. They
were not usually brought on by any specific incident, just some
mornings Billy would wake up with an irrational fear of the world in
general, and people in particular. Nina would let him mope around the
flat for a few days, catering for his every need, before helping him
gradually rebuild some semblance of a life. Sending him out for the
messages was a standard part of the rehabilitation process. Billy
often wondered what he'd do without Nina. Apart from the obvious
financial factor (Billy never having had a proper job in his life),
he also felt he relied on her emotionally, to help him through the
days when he didn't even feel like getting out of bed, as well as
sharing his joy on the rare occasions when he was truly happy. He had
become so dependent on her that were she to leave him he wouldn't be
able to function at all. Billy shuddered. It didn't bear thinking
about. H
As he entered the shop, Billy immediately pinpointed another obstacle
to overcome. The till was being manned by someone he vaguely knew, a
boy who had been in the year below him at school. That was the
problem with living in a small town: you knew everyone, or more
worryingly, everyone knew you. Billy tried to avoid shops which
involved any speaking beyond saying "thank you" when you were given
your change (something Billy always did without fail, like standing
for women on buses), for example shops which had something he needed
kept behind the counter, but this was all shot to hell if the person
serving you was going to try and make conversation.
As he approached the counter with his bread and Mars Bars and Irn Bru
Billy suddenly wished the shop was really busy, so that there would
be no time for idle chit-chat. But it was deserted save for the two
of them, so Billy was surprised and relieved when the shop assistant
rang up his purchases without saying a word. But as Billy handed over
the ten pound note Nina had given him, the boys eyes suddenly
narrowed and he pointed at Billys chest.
"What's that supposed to mean?", he asked.
Billy looked down at his cheap anorak to see what in particular
amongst the many badges with the names of bands and charity ribbons
he was referring to. He followed the line of the boys finger to a
badge he had made some time ago at the youth club and since forgotten
about. It read "I AM NOT BATMAN" across it in Billys handwriting, his
neatest capital letters. He looked up at the boy, focusing on his
left shoulder so as not to make eye contact.
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3