#oswc2020

          Thea Queen was a master of silence, or to be more accurate, she was a master at staying silent. Not always and certainly not when she might be best served by remaining mum. (Though heaven knows that there were times where if she had stayed quiet, she would have saved herself a great deal of grief.) No, Thea saved her silence for when she truly needed it: not interfering in her brother’s love life.

          When he had started to date Laurel Lance, Thea stayed silent. She could see right from the introduction of the then brunette Lance that Laurel wasn’t a good match for her brother.  Oh sure, Laurel was beautiful, brilliant, and witty. She even made Oliver want to be a better man; that much was obvious when, at her urging, he registered for college classes even though he’d never been particularly studious. On the surface Laurel and Oliver had seemed like a couple that was in for the long haul. Laurel had even gotten the metaphorical Moira Queen stamp of approval, a feat which none of Oliver’s other romantic conquests could boast.

          Thea, on the other hand, held her tongue as the rest of her family welcomed Laurel with open arms.  It wasn’t that Thea didn’t like Laurel, because she did, Laurel was driven and wickedly smart. Had they met in any other manner, Thea might have even felt a sisterly-like bond with the woman… but they had met as result of her relationship with Oliver and there was no getting around that. The fact of the matter was that Laurel and Oliver would never last.

          Laurel was independent as well as ambitious and, while those are fantastic qualities, they made her a poor match for Oliver. Though he had not yet recognized it at the time, Oliver belonged with someone who needed him. Not a clingy mess or anything, just someone with moments of vulnerability. Someone who could stand on their two feet and yet was unafraid to turn to him, when the need arose. Laurel needed no one, but herself.

          Despite seeing the end of that relationship coming from a mile away, Thea stayed silent. Her older brother wouldn’t have taken dating advice from her anyway.

          She was silent when Oliver started seeing Sara too, and yeah, Thea had known about that long before anyone else had. They hadn’t been super stealthy... or maybe Thea had just been paying too much attention. (She had been going through a Harriet-the-Spy phase back then.) Either way she could have told both Oliver and Sara that it wasn’t going to work out. A relationship that starts with deception cannot end well. Thea stayed silent though. Oliver didn’t need her input on his romantic endeavors; he was a grown man and if he wanted to cheat on his girlfriend with her own sister, Thea telling him that neither Lance sister was his forever after would have only complicated things.

          When Helena had shown up at the Queen family mansion and claimed to be dating Oliver, Thea didn’t doubt it. The woman was every bit Oliver’s type. So, Thea had done the well-mannered thing, invited the older woman inside, and held a polite conversation with her, but even as Helena informed her as to how she and Oliver met, the youngest Queen had to bite her tongue to hold back pitiful chuckles. The other heiress was just setting herself up for a heartbreak. Much like Laurel before her, Helena was a ferocious woman, but she would never need the eldest Queen.

           Then came McKenna Hall. The vice detective probably Oliver’s most stable paramour. She knew who she was and who she wanted to be. Neither she nor Oliver seemed to realize that meant doom for their relationship. As great as she was, she’d never be happy with a domestic life as Oliver’s partner.

           Thea had remained silent in the face of all those romantic failures. Why? Because she trusted that the parties involved would realize the truths that Thea had.

           Watching from the doorway as Oliver struggled to get his bowtie just right in the standalone mirror, she had to say something. Silence was no longer an option.

           “Ollie,” she said, his steel-blue eyes meeting hers in the looking glass.

           “Woah, Speedy,” Oliver said, laughter tinting his words, “you look…”

           Thea wasn’t surprised that he had no end to that sentence. When she’d received the e-mail with the link to purchase her gown, she had had much the same problem. What could one say about a florescent green, mermaid silhouette gown with a square neckline? She looked like a radioactive cucumber!  If all of that weren’t enough bad enough to see the gown tossed in a garbage bin, then the weird ruffle that started below her knees and a single eye-catching flower accoutrement on the right side of the bodice sure were.  Oliver couldn’t come up with a compliment because, well, there were no compliments to give. Not in this garbage.

           “Hey, don’t blame me. I didn’t pick it.” Thea said, taking a few steps into the room and closing the door behind her. The charmeuse fabric of her dress made an atrocious noise as she moved. Gah. She was done with this damn dress already, and she’d only been wearing it for half an hour!

           “Felicity had a very specific vision for today,” he shrugged, his tone seemingly happy, but Thea could hear the slight wavering in his voice. “Happy wife, happy life, right?”

           Bridging the distance until she was standing behind him in the looking glass, Thea was struck by the dichotomy between them, He looked every bit the suave, charming billionaire. No doubt there were countless women out there in the world bemoaning the loss of an eligible bachelor as the clock ticked down on this wedding.  Watching as his eyes met hers, Thea was knocked breathless at the soft smile that turned his lips upward; the stark black of the tuxedo really made his steel-blue eye stand out even more.

           It was time for her to break her silence.

           “You can’t marry her, Ollie.”

          Time seemed to stop. The little side room went silent. Thea couldn’t breathe, mentally preparing for the fallout of such a statement.  

          Then he chuckled and Thea was thrown. That certainly wasn’t the reaction that she was expecting.

           “Did John put you up to this? One last joke before I get hitched or something?” He turned on his heel to look at her, as opposed to the mirror.

           “What? No.” Thea was a little insulted that when she finally gave voice to her thoughts, Oliver believed they belonged to someone else. “It’s no joke either, I’m serious. You cannot marry her, Ollie. She’s not your forever.”

          “Not ‘my forever?’ What does that even mean?” Oliver asked, tone turning slightly defensive.

          God!  What wasn’t he getting about this? She’d said he shouldn’t marry her. What was unclear about that?

          Knowing that time was running out and they’d both be summoned to the altar before too long, Thea didn’t have the luxury of being gentle in imparting this truth. “You deserve a love that’s deep and unending. A love that’s real. A love that’s about who you are and who you will be in the future. Felicity can’t give you those things, Ollie. She loves who she wants you to be, not who you are. Please, please tell me you can see that.”

          The look on his face was so betrayed that Thea felt utterly gutted. But no matter how bad she felt in the moment, Thea knew she had to persevere. If she backed down, let him go off and marry the blonde, he would suffer the consequences for years to come and she couldn’t allow that. If the price of saving him from himself was his anger or hatred, well then Thea would just have to bear that.  She was his sister, his supporter, and she had to stand strong. She had to make sure he knew he deserved better, so much better …even if he hated her for it.

           “Now, Speedy, really? I’m getting ready to walk down the aisle in just a few minutes and you’re throwing this at me?”

           “I thought you’d come to your senses on your own!” Thea answered in frustration, “It’s not my fault that she’s pulled the wool over your eyes so tightly. For heaven’s sake, Ollie, you were in a compromised emotional state when you two first ‘hooked up!’”

           A look of confusion flitted over his features, “How do you-”

           Thea waved her hand dismissively, “I was out of it, yeah, but Malcolm sees everything.”

           “Malcolm,” He echoed, his words carrying a tinge of darkness, “of course. I don’t know what he told you, or why he thought it was appropriate to talk to my little sister about it-”

           “Because I asked,” Thea supplied with a slight eyeroll. “When Felicity made a point of mentioning your,” she put the air quotes around the word with her index and middle fingers, “’relationship,’ to me upon our first conversation after returning to the city, I was thrown. Last I knew you two hadn’t even been on a date and then suddenly she was tossing around the ‘relationship’ word. I figured the only person I’d get matter-of-fact information was from, without any bias, Malcolm and I did.”

           “Oh,” his righteous indignation faded quickly.

Reaching down to take ahold of his hand loosely, Thea pulled him over to the small sitting sofa in the far corner. She sat herself down on the very edge of the couch, cautious of wrinkling her gown even though she hated it. Lacing her fingers with his, she looked over at him seriously, “Do me a favor, Ollie, remember that day, remember how you felt after you took me all the way to Nanda Parbat? Remember what you were feeling that night, okay?”

          He nodded.

          “Now, let me ask you a hypothetical question. If our situations had been reversed, if it had been you in the Lazarus Pit and I had been feeling what you were, what would you have said to me if someone had come onto me in that vulnerable state? If I’d then started a relationship with that person?”

          He didn’t answer right away, giving some serious thought to the hypothetical that she’d put forth. When he did finally speak, it was halting and hesitating.  “…I’d have rung his neck.”

          Seeing that her point was finally starting to penetrate the spell that Felicity had cast upon her brother, Thea pushed the issue cautiously, “Would you have let me marry someone who manipulated me like that?”

           This time his answer was immediate. “No.”

            “I’ve spent countless hours watching you and Felicity play ‘relationship,’ Ollie, and it feels like every time you two hit a bump in the road, she makes it your fault somehow. With her, you are always to blame. God forbid she take responsibility for anything. She’s constantly trying to change you. That’s not right.” She flexed her fingers against his, holding tighter to his hand, “You shouldn’t need to change, not if she’s meant to be the one. You deserve someone who loves you, truly, madly, deeply.”

           “Now you’re just quoting Savage Garden lyrics.” Oliver pointed out, the corners of his lips twitching.

           “I’m being serious here!” Thea said with an aborted laugh.

           “I know,” he assured gently, squeezing her fingers in return. “Speedy, I love you and I appreciate where you’re coming from, but it’s… not that simple.”

           “Why not? It’s not like you two have kids together or anything…” A beat then, “she’s not pregnant, is she?”

           “No, no,” he assured quickly, calming her racing heart with those two simple words, “nothing like that.”

           “Thank god.”

           When he shot her a surprised, slightly hurt look, she quickly sought to justify her immediate response to the possibility, “Not like that. You know if she were, I’d love that child like my own, same as I do with William.”

           His look faded, momentary defensiveness abandoned completely, “I know you would, Speedy.”

           “Then why isn’t it simple?”

           “Any minute now, John’s going to come in that door to fetch me for my wedding. Felicity’s already in her dress, all the guests are here. It’s too late.”

           “It’s not over ‘til someone says, ‘I do.’”

           “Speedy…”

           “No, Ollie, I’m sorry but you can’t marry someone simply because not doing so might inconvenience some people. You should get married because you’re in love, because you want to spend your life being committed to one person.”

           Oliver asked, “Who says I’m not in love with Felicity?”

           Thea snorted, “Me!”

           “I know you’re just trying to look out for me, but… this is my choice.” He reached out and gently tucked one of her carefully styled strands of hair behind her ear. “I’m not getting younger, Speedy. I’m a single parent who leads a dangerous life and keeps so many secrets. I’m not exactly a hot commodity anymore.”

           A slightly hysterical laugh tumbled from her lips in shock. “That’s bullshit, Ollie, and you know it! You’re a handsome billionaire with a heart of gold who saves lives every day. And yeah, you have a kid, but William’s strong and he can endear anyone to himself without even trying. You are just settling for Felicity because it is easy, because she already knows everything. You can’t get married because you’re scared to put yourself out there. It isn’t like you, Ollie, to shy away from anything, but that’s exactly what you are doing right now.”

           “I’m being rational, Speedy. My life’s not easy, but Felicity’s still here. She’s seen me at my worst, she knows what it takes to be with me.”

           “So have I!” Thea snapped, frustration reaching a boiling point.

Listening to Oliver lament how great Felicity was just because she stuck around made Thea sick. He saw that as a positive. What a fucking joke.

          Personally, Thea thought Felicity was a lamprey. Oliver was just the bigger fish that she’d glommed onto. Of course, she stuck around, she’d found someone to feed off of; she’d be a fool to walk away from that. That was not worthy of admiration and she was so done, hearing her brother sing the blonde’s praises. Why couldn’t he see her for what she was? Boy she must have a magic pussy, she thought uncharitably.

           “Yeah, but I can’t be with you,” Oliver said with a weak smile.

          Thea answered thoughtlessly, “Says who?”  

          The room fell deathly silent. Her words hanging heavy in the air. Oh god. Why had she said that aloud? Fuck.

          She’d come in here to protect him from himself, not dump her emotional baggage on him. This wasn’t about her. It was about him and now, he looked like he’d seen a ghost.  Thea had to act quick to get the conversation back on track.  “Ollie, please, don’t marry her. You don’t have to settle for easy. You deserve a marriage of true love, deep love, not just comfortable.”

           “Thea-”

           Two heavy knocks sounded on the door before John entered the room, “Ready, Oliver?”

Which he doesn’t even know why it matters, it shouldn’t一it didn’t. But then, he doesn’t know when exactly, but he started to care. Care what she thought of him and Billy never cares一never hasn’t for a long time.

But something about the look she’d give him in passing times, it was just a quick glance but. He thought there was only one person in this entire world who could look at him like that. Like he was the devil reincarnated and he just couldn't handle it.

One person was enough. He didn’t need, couldn’t handle two hating him that much.

Which is why he is here doing probably the stupidest thing he’s ever done in his entire life. He is going to apologize to Charlie Sinclair and he’s going to hope she even bothers to listen.

He combed a hair through his hair one last time, It shook. He was nervous and fuck when was the last time that happened? Nervous was new, he’s been scared sure too much maybe but nervous? He didn’t like it. Made his stomach feel queasy and his palm sweaty. Whatever.

Just do this. Do this and maybe. Maybe, he doesn’t know. But it has to be better than nothing.

He took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

It seemed chaos issued on the other side of the wooden door there were several voices shouting, loud but he couldn’t make out what was being said. Followed by thuds a lot of them then he heard the sound of the door knob turning. He put on his best warface一smile一 and he waited.

Only.

Only it wasn’t Charlie. Billy’s smile wavered as he looked down at the small girl who had just opened the door. She was young, younger than Max and he can’t remember the last time he’s been around a kid kid, ya know? Did Charlie have another sibling? Noone mentioned一

“Who the hell are you?”

Billy blinked.

Definitely her sister. The resemblance was uncanny now.

He recovered quickly, smile back in full force, but this kid didn’t even care. Of course she didn’t. “Um, actually I’m here for Charlie.” He stammered, the nerves were back.

She didn’t say anything for a minute, looked him up and down, scrutinizing him. Suddenly he was self conscious cause he thought he had worn one of his nicer shirts. But the look this kid was giving him made him feel entirely underdressed. She sighed once rolled her eyes, looked a lot like Charlie while doing it, and hollered.

“Charlie, your boyfriend is here!”

“I’m not一”

“How many times do I have to tell you Steve isn’t my boyfriend, twerp?”

If Billy thought this was a bad idea before the look Charlie was giving him, now made him wished he never stepped food on this stupid porch. As she approached him confused, truthly he still was too and he wanted to turn tail and run.

“Hi, Charlie.” He finally said and it all came out in one breath, which was annoying. But. It was something.

“Billy.” The smaller girl crossed her arms, leaned against the doorframe.

He gave her his best smile and she narrowed her eyes. He deserved that really. Could not blame her especially after what he did but it still. It made his chest tight. He swallowed once, his mouth was dry. Which was new.

“Look I’m not good at this,” He ranted. “In fact I have almost no idea what I’m doing but,” But. “I just need一” His mouth was so dry. “I wanted to一” Charlie raised an eyebrow and it was like his tongue swelled up to the size of a golf ball, he couldn’t talk if he wanted to. He scratched at his temple, breathed in once deep through his nose and tried again.

“Charlie, I wanted to say sorry.”

He couldn’t look at her when he said it cause whenever he tried it was like, like his brain short circuited. Her and her stupid eyes, and that stupid look that they only ever had just for him. It made him feel sick. Like he was this terrible, terrible thing and just tainting everything around him.

She didn’t say anything and he couldn’t一 was too scared to look at her face. Maybe he should just go. Maybe this was. This was just a mistake. Hopefully she would never bring this up to anyone ever and just stick to avoiding eachother in those stupid crowded halls.

“Why are you standing with my door open at night letting out the heat have you一oh.”

It was her Mom who had came to the door next. Vaguely Billy remembers meeting her that night, the same night Charlie pointed a shotgun at him, but seeing her again was different this time. Charlie looked a lot like her mom, he realised soft features, kind eyes though they were never directed at him.

“Billy, sweetie, what brings you here so late?” Her voice dripped with warmth he hadn’t heard in so long it gave him whiplash. Billy was opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water because this was just a lot.

Charlie turned to her mother. “He was just leaving, Mama.” Her hand was already on the door getting ready to close it on him. And he wanted to pretend like it didn’t hurt, but. It did. A lot.

“What?” Mrs. Sinclair frowned. “Already he just got here.”

Charlie looked visibly irritated. “Well he has things he needs to do,” She turned to him. Looked at him with those eyes. “Right Billy?”

Again, a fish out of fucking water. He couldn’t formulate a single conherate sentence for the life of him at this moment. And Charlie would stop looking. So.

“I'm not really doing一” Wrong. The wrong thing to say based on the glare Charlie sent his way but. “This,” He had to clear his throat. “Right now.”

Charlie rolled her eyes and her mother beamed. Smiled so bright he had to blink. When was the last time someone ever looked at him like that? “Good come on in then and I’ll fix you up a plate.” She already had a small hand on his shoulder guiding him in the doorway. “Take your shoes off at the door, hun.”

There were three bodies gathered around the dinner table, one being the small girl he had meant earlier. She raised an eyebrow at his appearance but other than that went back to her seat. And there was Lucas who looked scared to see him, why wouldn’t he?

He made an impression on that kid一 the wrong one. It was shitty and now he’s in his house so of course he’s scared at the sight of him. But. He maybe wanted to try and make, fix this.

Then there was Mr. Sinclair. He was a big man bigger than Billy. Had a mustache on his upper lip and Charlie’s smile. It was nice. They were nice.

“Not another one,” Mr. Sinclair frowned at the sight of Billy, but. It didn’t seem like he was mad. “Where does she keep finding all these boys?”

“Charles.” Mrs. Sinclair warned, slapping his arm on the way to the table and the man rolled his eyes. He turned to Billy and smiled.

“Nice to meetcha, Son.” He offered his hand and Billy took it. His grip was strong and his palms were not as sweaty anymore. Billy smiled. “Nice to meet you, Sir.”

And it was honestly. Charlie’s dad seemed great. Really nice.

Everyone was getting seated and the only open space was, of course, next to Charlie. So carefully he pulled back the chair and sat down making sure it wasn’t too close because truthfully he couldn’t handle being in her presence for long. Especially if she kept looking at him like she was trying to light him on fire, maybe she was.

The smell of the food hit him once his back hit the chair and it was heavenly. Susan cooks sure but most of the time he doesn’t eat with the family, not like this anyway, because he just can't be around Neil. But Susan’s food never smelt this good.

There were dishes of roast beef, green beans, and potatoes. Billy briefly wondered if this is how they ate every night. Something in his chest got tight at the thought.

“Looks great, Mrs. Sinclair.” He commented and the woman all but beamed at the compliment.

“When Charles says grace we can all dig in,” She grinned before sending a sharp look to her husband. Mr. Sinclair cleared his throat once, “Alright everyone join hands.”

Fuck.

BIlly took a deep breath and tentatively turned to Charlie. She wasn’t looking at him, thank god, but had her palm raised upwards, waiting. He took a deep breathe through his nose and took her hand.

Huh.

Charlie’s hand was smaller than his, incredibly so. He never noticed maybe because last time he was this close to her he was wailing his fists into Steve Harrington’s face. And drugged with enough shit to knock out an elephant and hit in the head with the butt of her shotgun.

Now that he’s paying attention Charlie is a dainty little thing but she has so much fire in her it’s easy to forget.

Billy mumbled along to the prayer Mr. Sinclair said because truthfully he had no idea what he was saying.

Neil used to make them go to church but it never really stuck. He was never the religious type.

Because if there was really someone out there, some big omnipresent super powerful being, and he saw the shit that had happened— was happening to him. And didn’t so much as lift a finger? Then they were a piece of shit and wanted nothing to do with it.

Charlie’s grip on his hand free slacked and everyone raised their heads.

“Alright,” Mrs. Sinclair chimed. “Eat!”

Then life came back into the room, Billy couldn’t even think, as dishes were being passed his way. Just pile more food onto his plate and hope he had the room for it. It wasn’t till he got till the fourth dish, because Mrs. Sinclair had made a side of Cornbread he just had to try, that he finally had a moment to taste the food.

It was hard to put into words but basically, her food was fucking delicious. Susan could barely hold a candle to this, and from what he can remember, not even his mother’s food was this good. And that was saying a lot.

“So, Billy, how do you know Charlie?”

He had a mouthful of potatoes when Mr. Sinclair asked him. Ah, right. Small talk. He was good with parents so typically situations like these were no brainers but he could feel Charlie burning a hole in the side of his head. So.

“Uh, she was one of the first people I meant when I moved here.” Which wasn’t a lie really. That first week had been a blur of faces, parties, girls, and drinking, but he didn’t forget Charlie. Or her shotgun. “She and her friends helped me adjust to Hawkins.”

Charlie didn’t say anything and Lucas was just staring at him so it seemed like he said the right thing.

“And where’d you and your folks move from?”

“California sir,” He put a bit of roast into his mouth, and all but melted. “The transition was a lot for me and my step sister.”

Mrs. Sinclair raised one defined eyebrow. “You have a sister.”

“It’s Max, Mom.” Lucas said from his end of the table around a mouthful of food. That made the youngest sneer.

“You’re disgusting, Lucas.”

“Shut up, Erica.”

“You two have literally been arguing all day, please be quiet.”

Mr. Sinclair sighed. “Excuse them and their manners. Or lack there of really.” He gave Lucas a look and pointed at his mouth, sure enough bits of food were there and the young boy was wiping it with the back of his hand. “But you said Charlie and her friends helped you adjust?” Billy nodded once. “Do you know Steve then?”

Billy paused for a second not sure what to say. Like yeah I know the guy nearly knocked his head off his shoulders? Sure that’ll turn out well. Charlie snickered next to him and Lucas laughed.

“Yeah they know each other really well, Dad.” She quipped and sent him a look. “They play basketball together.”

He seemed to like that and Charlie glowered. “Oh looks like I’ll definitely have to get tickets to the next game then.” And for some reason that made Billy smile. It was nice maybe to be acknowledged.

From there it was smooth sailing.

Dinner went by quick, much too quick. He was actually having fun and Charlie’s parents seemed to actually like her. Not the Billy who puts on the façade to make parents like him, the normal one. Who really didn’t know what he was doing. It was just, nice.

Then before he knew it the table was being cleared and it was almost time for him to go. Charlie had been lingering in the kitchen, staying close enough while she did the dishes to hear the conversation between him and her father, but not enough to be brought into it. It stung. And it shouldn’t have.

“Well, Billy it was a pleasure having you,” Mr. Sinclair started. “I’d like to have you over again.”

“Yeah I’d love to—“ Behind her father Billy could see Charlie glaring at him from the kitchen. It made him freeze. “Uh, it was great, the food was delicious.”

Mrs. Sinclair smiled from her spot next to her husband. “Thank you dear it’s nice to have someone that actually appreciates my cooking.”

Charles seemed unphased and gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. “I’m off suge.”

She rolled her eyes. “To work on that piece of scape metal?” Her only response was a thumbs up as the large man made his way through to what Billy assumed was the garage. “Don’t be making noise all night, Charles!”

“Scarp metal?” Billy inquired.

Mrs. Sinclair huffed. “So beat up old car he’s been trying to fix up for a little over forever now.”

“I’m not trying to fix it up!” Billy could see where Charlie got it from now. “I am fixing it up!”

Billy couldn’t help himself. “What kinda car is it?”

The older man turned slowly towards him. Interested. “A 1978 Buick.”

“Not bad,” He hummed. “You know the model?”

“Electra 225.” He crossed his arms, a smile growing on his face. “You know cars?”

“A bit.” Neil didn’t pay or care about his car. That was all him. He saved up months worth of checks to get his camaro. “I drive a Chevrolet Camaro. Had to do tune ups myself.”

“Really?” He was smiling wide now. “Well I could use another set of hands in there.”

Billy tried not to smile and act like he wasn’t relieved he didn’t have to go home, but. Being around them this family it was just so refreshing compared to his cold home. Compared to Neil.

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I got some time to kill.”

They stayed out there in that garage for about an hour and a half. Would’ve stayed longer— wanted to stay longer. But Mrs. Sinclair had poked her head in and reminded Charles, he was allowed to call him Charles now, that it was a school night. So he had no choice but to go home.

It was just when he was wiping oil smears off his hands when Charlie finally walked into the garage. She had changed into pajamas which was just a big sweater that seemed to swallow her whole. But it made Billy glance at her for a moment longer than necessary cause she still found some way to look nice.

“Can I get a moment with him, Dad?”

Mr. Sinclair sent a look between both teenagers and had a hint of a frown on his lips. “Yeah,” he sighed. “I’ll just go get cleaned up.”

He kissed her forehead as he went. “Also don’t forget to take your meds.” He made a grunt like a sound of acknowledgment. “I’m being serious dad!” She called after he had long gone back into the house but at the point it had fallen on death ears.

Now he was alone with her.

Billy wiped his hands down once before closing the hood of the car. They had made some a lot of progress with the car. Turns out Charles wasn’t aware the engine was completely shot, so he would have to find some parts for that. Also brakes were bad and it needed née bulbs in all the headlights. But. It was manageable. Mostly.

“You’re an asshole you know,” She called, dragging him out of his thoughts. “Showing up here out of the blue with that shitty apology.”

“Look, Charlie—“

“You attacked my brother, Billy.” She hissed. “You damn near gave Steve a concussion. His face is still kinda of fucked up, ya know?”

He did know. Saw Steve everyday in the hallways at school and at practice. If he was in pain he didn’t show it, took the beating like a champ from what he remembers.

“I know what I did was messed up.” He had almost a death grip on the dirty rag. “Been thinking about it everyday since.”

“We had to tranq you because you were gonna kill him.” She reminded as if he wasn’t there. Looking back on it now he wishes he could take it all back. But Neil had just pushed him, and it was like he became a black hole. Going around and tainting everything he could that night. Everyone else had just been caught in the crossfire.

“That’s why I came here to apologize,” He was struggling to find the right words. “I just—“ Want you to stop looking at me like that. “I’m sorry for everything that happened that night, Charlie. If I could take it back I would.”

“You can’t.”

Her words stung like she had slapped him. But she was right. You can’t change the past no matter how damn hard you wanted to. It was set in stone. And she had no reason to accept his apology in the first place.

“But,”

But.

“My Dad seems to really like you,” Billy raised his head, their eyes meeting. The way she was looking at him. It was new. “I’m pretty sure he’s about to invite you back next weekend.”

“Why would he—“

Charlie rolled her eyes, “Because he finally has someone to help him with this stupid car.” Billy was still confused. “Erica likes dolls, I like guns, and Lucas is a nerd. Do the math.”

That was nice. Billy would definitely come back and help with this car. He would love to in fact. Anything to get him out the house, so he wouldn’t have to be around Neil. He’d jump at the chance.

That also mean more of Mrs. Sinclair’s cooking. Definitely could use more of that.

“Ok listen,” Charlie began. “You were a complete douchebag the last time I saw you and I don’t know what kind of holy revelation you had since then, but if I even get the slightest inkling that you’re back on your bullshit.” She poked one finger into his chest and it was like his whole body was vibrating. “Then that’s it. Over. I mean it, Hargrove.”

She was giving him a chance.

Of course like everything mildly out of the ordinary it was promptly made the setting of endless horror stories. Every student had their own grisly tale to explain the silence. None of them had the slightest basis in reality.

None of them were half as frightening as that day. The day when everyone heard noises in the attic.

First was a faint sniffling noise, as if someone was trying to cry very quietly. All the students looked around for the crier. No one could tell where it came from.

Then came the scratching. It was unmistakably coming from above the ceiling. Someone was in the attic, scratching at the plaster. A group of teachers stalked upstairs to catch the prankster. They came down again with baffled and frightened expressions. No one was in the attic.

The scratching lasted all day. Sometimes it moved from one side of the attic to the other. It never stopped for a minute.

All the students always left as quickly as possible after school was over. That was the first time the teachers joined them in their frantic rush out of the building.