@hargrovc​ didn’t ask for this but got it anyways

   Elena and Billy were supposed to go to the party together that night but Billy had called her earlier saying that he had to watch after Max since his dad and Susan were going out for a date. So instead of going by herself, Nancy and her went shopping together after school before going to the bonfire together. However, halfway through the bonfire, Elena didn’t really feel up to partying without Billy. She just wanted to go home and sleep. Instead of having Nancy take her home, she called her parents, knowing that they would understand and come pick her up to go home.

  The brunette beauty slid into the backseat of her parent’s car, smiling at them when they asked her if she was okay. “Yeah, I just wanted to go home and get some sleep. We have a football game tomorrow and Caroline is wanting us to work on the cheer routine before we go. I figured I would just get some extra sleep.” Her dad smiled as he pulled away, driving them home. 

   As they were headed home, Elena leaned her head against the back seat, thinking about Billy. She hoped that he wasn’t going crazy watching Max. After all, she knew how much he disliked babysitting his step sister, especially when they had plans to spend time with one another. 

  Looking back up to look at the road, Elena saw someone walking in the middle of the dark road and yelled, “Dad, look out!”  Tires screeched against the concrete pavement as he swerved right over the railing of the bridge.

  Elena barely had time to suck in a breath before her parent’s car crash-landed into the water. Her eyes looked around quickly before settling on her parents in the front seats. Her father struggled to wake her mother who was already unconscious from the impact. Elena reached down, trying to unfasten her seatbelt, mentally cursing her fathers old beat up car when it wouldn’t come undone.

    Panic started to set in as she was starting to run out of oxygen. She continued to struggle with her seatbelt but it still wasn’t working. Elena looked up at her father, one last time as their eyes connected. She watched her father shake his head, as if telling her not to give up and to keep fighting, but Elena couldn’t do it anymore. She gave him an apologetic look as she couldn’t seem to hold her breath any longer, fading out of consciousness.

      Beep…       Beep…       Beep…

      Elena laid in the hospital bed, the sound of the monitor beside her stirring her awake. Chocolate brown hues fluttered open as she looked around the hospital room, eyes landing on the curly-haired blond figure asleep beside her in the chair. “B-Billy?” she rasped out, her throat aching as she tried to speak. 

   they’re  all  embraced,  arm  over  shoulders,  chanting  lyrics;  it’s  about  volume,  not  talent.  journey’s  don’t  stop  believing  is  one  of  his  guilty  pleasures  that  he’ll  never  admit  to..  his  laughter  is  loud  enough  for  the  whole  party  to  hear  over  the  pounding  music  and  the  singing  and  the  dancing  and  the  yelling.  head  rolls  back,  offering  beaming  grin  up  to  the  sky  as  dirty  blond  curls  tumble  back  from  his  face.  he  moves  to  the  beat  of  the  music,  foot  to  foot,  hyping  himself  up.   keg  stand?  no  problem !!  he’s  proven  himself  king  many  times  before  and  he’ll  do  it  again  if  it  means  he  keeps  harrington’s  name  buried.  the  buzz  from  the  music  vanishes  and  people  get  back  to  their  drinking,  chugging  punch  and  poorly  balanced  spirits  and  cola,  and  the  brave  ones  are  lining  up  shots  on  the  kitchen  table.  the  beer  goes  down  a  treat.  one  friend  per  leg,  holding  him  up,  as  he  battles  gravity  and  gulps  down  alcohol  like  water.  he  drops,  and  as  he  raises  his  head  he  spots  her,  curls  dangling  in  front  of  his  eyes.    feet  stagger  but  he  catches  himself after  a  wobbly  moment,  wraps  an  arm  around  the  boy  to  his  right,  swipes  his  bottle  back  from  the  other,  and  raises  it.  the  crowd   c h e e r   with  him.  all  the  while,  his  heart  shatters  and  sinks  and  his  good  mood  is  swept  away  with  a  wave  of  drunken  upset.     it’s  not  long  before  he’s  distanced  himself  from  friends,  standing  alone  at  the  front  of  the  property,  staring  down  the  drive  to  the  road.  how  easy  it’d be  to  just  walk  away,  find  that camaro  and  climb  in  and  drive.  zippo  clangs  shut  as  he  inhales  his  first  breath  of  smoke  and  shoulders  relax  immediately.  glossy  blue  hues  drift  shut  as  his  head  finds  the  wall  behind  him.  one  palm  pressed  flat  against  the  wall  to  steady  himself,  all  whilst  he  questions  everything.  where  did  she  go?  why  didn’t  she  say  anything!?  why  is  she  back?  why  is  she  here!?  billy’s  teeth  clamp  together  in  a  brief  flush  of  anger,  and  with  another  puff  of  smoke  he’s  soothed  again.

She wasn’t dumb. She knew why guys acted like this - intrigued looks, crooked smirks, playing it cool. He was just getting into the swing of being in the new school, and she would be a way of testing the waters. But unluckily for May, she was a sixteen year old girl, and this kind of thing worked particularly well with sixteen year old girls. 

“Yeah, alright,” she said, silently thanking whoever it had been at whatever party who had been the first to offer her a cigarette a year or so before. At least she wouldn’t be coughing and spluttering like an idiot in front of Billy. “I’ll show you where people go,” she said, leading the way. There was an alleyway out the back of the woodwork shop, mostly used for deliveries, but not that often. The only member of staff who ever went there was a young guy, an assistant rather than a teacher, who occasionally sold weed to students, so he was more than willing to keep the area a secret for the smokers as long as they kept his sideline quiet. 

“I don’t have any on me, so I hope you’re in a generous mood,” May smiled slightly as they arrived.