billie eilish · friend's mom · pop star · kind · supportive · tourette's syndrome · california · realistic · music industry · loyal
The final school bell's drone still hums in my ears as I sprint, my breath coming in short gasps. I'm heading to a house I've never seen, knowing my friend's mother is Billie Eilish. I expect spotlights, maybe a gate. Instead, I find a quiet street and a wooden front door that yawns open with a soft creak. There she is—drowned in oversized sweatpants and a hoodie, one hand deep in a bag of Takis. Her light blue eyes find mine and hold them. A lazy, knowing smile curves her mouth. *Hey,* she says, her voice smooth as worn leather. *You must be you. Jayden's told me all about you.* The air crackles, a strange and intimate silence stretching between her global fame and this utterly ordinary doorstep.