#efos

He took his usual seat at the back and waited for Y/N to enter. She’d rejected his ride and he was curious to see if she’d actually make it on time that morning. The second bell rung, warning students who were still in the hallways that they only had a minute left to get to class. Just seconds later she rushed in, her hair a little crazed in its bun that had obviously been a second thought that morning. She squeezed by the students who were already at their desks and took her seat next to Billy with a huff.

“Should’ve taken my ride,” Billy smirked as she tried to catch her breath. She had run the last bit of the way to the school having, kicked it into high gear when she’d heard the bell go off from a distance. Her cheeks were flushed and there was a small trickle of sweat that ran down her neck.

“I made it, didn’t I?” she grinned as her hands worked to undo the messy bun on her head. He watched as her unruly hair came cascading down. She shook it out as her hands tried to maintain it without much success. To anyone else, she looked like a mess that had only just rolled out of bed. To Billy, she looked hotter than ever.

“What?” she asked as she noticed his lingering stare. His eyes had clouded with lust for a brief second, something he quickly pushed away from his mind as he cleared his throat and looked away.

“You look like shit,” he replied with a wicked grin on his face. She lightly punched his side at the insult and the mere touch caused an unfamiliar feeling to spread in his stomach. He figured it was what people meant when they claimed to have butterflies in their stomach and cringed at the realization that he was actually beginning to like this girl in a very different manner than he was accustomed to.

“Need a ride home later?” he offered in an effort to distract himself from the fact he was becoming a teenage girl. She shook her head as she pulled her notebook and pencils out of her bag.

“Steve’s giving me a ride home.”

“Harrington?” Billy asked in disgust. Y/N rolled her eyes at his attitude. It was common knowledge that the two weren’t on the best terms.

“Yes, Harrington. We’ve been friends for years and he gives me rides every now and then,” she briefly explained. “What? Did you happen to think you were my only friend?”

Billy ignored her comment despite the irritation it brought.

“Steve lives on the opposite side of town.”

“So?”

“I’m just saying it would make more sense to come with me,” Billy shrugged, attempting to mask his growing jealousy. “We live close to each other. But hey, if you enjoy wasting his gas then be my guest.”

“Hargrove, why are you making such a big deal out of this?” she questioned. Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to understand his intentions. It had to be his ego making him act out. He didn’t like to lose to Steve in any form even if it was just a car ride.

“I’m not.”

He spent the rest of the class doing his best to remain nonchalant. It usually came easily to him, but the thought of Y/N and Steve made him annoyed, even if they were just friends. He knew they were close, he’d seen it the moment he stepped into Hawkins. Everyone had their cliques in the small town and she had belonged to Steve’s. Billy had felt triumphant when he’d managed to steal Tommy and Carol away but he hadn’t succeeded in stealing Y/N or at least not completely. While she agreed to a friendship with him, he could tell her true loyalty laid with Harrington.

Originally it hadn’t bothered him much. Y/N was an interesting person, but in no way was she considered popular. She was someone who went with the flow and often disappeared into the background if you weren’t looking for her. While he enjoyed her friendship, she wasn’t about to be the next prom queen like other girls who had made Billy’s acquaintance. But maybe it was seeing Y/N underneath the stars the night before that had caused him to look at her in a new light. He hated how cliche it sounded. He didn’t want to live in a chick flick, and he definitely wasn’t the type of guy who would swoon over a girl. It was usually quite the opposite.

Still, he did his best to lean back into his seat with an effortlessness that did, in fact, require a great deal of effort on his part. Y/N simply leaned back as she always did and doodled away in her notebook.

Unbeknownst to him, Y/N’s mind was also occupied with thoughts of him. She couldn’t help but steal glances at him when she was sure his attention was elsewhere, her eyes fixating on the necklace around his neck. He’d pick it up and place it on the edge of his lips, playing with it ever so often while their teacher droned on about Shakespeare.

Billy Hargrove was difficult, and she always did love difficult men. It was one of her faults, undoubtedly stemming from the need to feel needed, and therefore always trying to fix whoever seemed a little broken. But Billy was something she’d never encountered before and so she’d kept as much distance as she could romantically, not once attempting to pursue him. What they had was nice, a casual friendship where they were both allowed to be as rude or obnoxious as they wanted without the other becoming judgmental. However, when it came down to it she couldn’t deny the attraction she felt towards him. She convinced herself that it was just an attraction, and nothing else.

The sound of the bell was almost a relief to Billy. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she stood and gathered her belongings, shaking the hair out of her face. He nodded towards her when she uttered a quick goodbye his way and bounced out the door. He followed behind at a much slower pace and by the time he reached the hallway, she had already vanished into another classroom.

“Byers,” Billy called out as he entered his next class. He could already feel the stares of other students burning into his back as he sat next to Jonathan.

“Billy?” Jonathan asked in confusion. They were barely on a first name basis and had only ever talked when they were both a little too early to pick up their younger siblings from the Wheeler house.

“You know Y/N, right?” Billy began.

“Yeah, since middle school. Why?”

“What does she like?”

“Like?” Jonathan was confused as to why he was asking him if all people. Sure, the two of them were friends but they weren’t very close. If he wanted to know the serious details then he should’ve been asking Nancy or Steve, although he could see why he wouldn’t go that route.

“Never mind, Byers,” Billy sighed as he could tell he hadn’t picked the most appropriate person for his questioning. He stood and heading towards his seat in the back, hiding his disappointment with every step.

“Dancing,” Jonathan called out after him. “She likes dancing.”

*

*

“Nance, please tell me those two aren’t gossiping about me,” Y/N whispered as she tore her gym shirt off. She was drenched in sweat after having been forced to run laps inside the school’s gym despite the fact it was practically scorching inside. Nancy glanced over at two other girls who whispered to each other and shot glances towards Y/N every other second.

“Yup,” Nancy replied with an eye roll, “they are. You know girls suck.”

“Except you.”

“Except me,” Nancy chuckled as she helped wipe away the sweat on her back before Y/N proceeded to do the same for her.. “They’re part of the Billy Hargrove fan club so that’s probably what they’re talking about.”

“You’re joking.”

“No. I wish I was. I’ve heard girls talk about your friendship with him, which I disapprove of by the way,” she added with a pointed look.

“Oh, Nance. Would you even love me if I didn’t make bad decisions every now and then?” Y/N smirked as she pulled her regular t-shirt on. “And besides, he’s not all that bad.”

“You’re wrong,” Nancy argued although she knew it was pointless.

“He’s just…complicated. We all are. Just because he didn’t fight demogorgons doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his own demons he deals with.”

Nancy frowned at the comparison. She’d heard rumors about Billy’s father and Max Mayfield had shared a few brief anecdotes that only proved the rumors right. Still, she didn’t think violence was something that was ever okay unless used in self-defense.

“Well then I think you’ll have to get used to girls gossiping about you,” she replied. “You know how awful they were with me when I dated Steve.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. I’d never wanted to punch someone so badly and you know I’m not a violent person,” Y/N replied at the memory. She was always protective of Nancy and having to hear the awful things spread about her had caused her great anger. Thankfully enough, Steve was quick to dispel the rumors, something she wasn’t so sure Billy himself would do if he were in a similar situation.

“You’re a good friend,” Nancy smiled, “Crap taste in men, but good. I’m glad Billy Hargrove hasn’t changed you.”

“Please, as if someone like Hargrove would be enough to change me, an angel,” Y/N joked. Nancy laughed, the sound pure as she shook her head.

“You’re ridiculous.”

*

*

“Do I waste your gas by having you drive me home?”

Steve was taken aback by the sudden question. One moment he and Y/N were joking like usual, and the next the question has slipped right off her tongue.

“What? Why would you even ask that?” he was confused, unsure of why she would even think that anything having to do with her would be a waste on his part.

“Hargrove offered me a ride home and I turned him down. He said I was wasting your gas since you live on the other side of town.”

Y/N could almost hear the huge eye-roll Steve gave at the mention of Billy. Of course he would say something like that. He was only ever negative when it came to him.

“Well, he’s wrong. You never waste my gas. You’re one of my closest friends and I like talking to you on the way home. You know that.” Steve replied as he gave a reassuring look. “And besides, Billy wishes he could get you in his car.”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’d ever get into that deathtrap,” she chuckled. “But this is the second ride he’s offered me this week.”

“What’s up with that? You two becoming a thing or something?” Steve asked with a frown. His hands tightened around the steering wheel as he spoke, “because you know he’s not good for you.”

“You sound like Nancy.”

“I’m just saying. I don’t know why you’re even friends with him after everything he’s done.”

“Definitely sound like Nance. Have you two been talking about me?”

“That’s beside the point,” Steve replied, exasperated at the fact his advice was going through one ear and out the other. “Just be careful. He’s not like the other guys you’ve dated.”

“Well, I’m not looking to date. I’m off guys right now,” Y/N replied with a shrug. Steve let out a small disbelieving laugh at her statement.

“Yeah, right.”

“I am!”

“Y/N, how many times have you ended up at my house after a heartbreak?”

“Shut up,” she grumbled, knowing all too well that he had a point now. “But I’m serious. Billy and I are friends. And I know you hate that but you have to just be okay with it.”

“Just…promise me you’ll be safe, okay? There’s a scary side to Billy that I’m sure he never shows you. And I don’t want to see you get hurt, emotionally or physically.”