"Maddie! Come on, honey, I want a picture of you and Dustin in your costumes!"
Maddie sighed, smoothing down the short skirt she was wearing and adjusting her golden headband.
"Coming, Ma!"
She grabbed her purse before heading out of her room, meeting her mother in the living room. Dustin was decked out in his Ghostbusters outfit, which her and her mother had spent weeks making for him. He grinned at her, giving a thumbs-up.
"You look awesome."
Maddie smiled at him, ruffling his hair. "C'mon, Spengler. Let's take this picture then get a move on."
Their mother smiled brightly, holding up the Polaroid. "Say cheese!"
"Cheeseee," the kids chorused, giving corny smiles.
"What time are you coming home, Dustin?" Maddie asked, ensuring her brother knew what time he was expected home.
"Ten thirty," he recited. "And no, I won't be late."
"Have fun, be safe, love you!" she said, growing louder as Dustin moved away from her open window.
She pulled out the flier for Tina's party, heading to the address printed at the bottom. She heard it before she saw it, muffled music vibrating her truck as she tried to find a place to park. She made her way to the front door, squeezing past several people who were far too drunk for it to only be eight o' clock. She found her way into the kitchen only to be met by a high-pitched squeal.
"You're here!" Blaire said excitedly, wrapping her arms around Maddie's shoulders. She stepped back, examining Maddie's costume. "Lookin' good Wonder Woman!"
"Not bad yourself, Black Canary," Maddie replied, a smirk gracing her face.
The two girls grinned at each other before Blaire dragged her towards the living room, which was set up as a sort of dance floor. The two girls joined the massive crowd and starting dancing to the music pounding through the room. Maddie was laughing at some ridiculous move that Blaire was doing when someone pushed passed them, nearly knocking Maddie over.
"Hey! Watch where you're going, douchebag!" Blaire cried, helping Maddie steady herself.
He turned back towards them, taking a drag of his cigarette as he looked them both over. "Any chance that where I'm going is straight back to you two?" he asked, smirking cockily at them.
Blaire scoffed at him, while Maddie rolled her eyes as she recognized him. He was the new kid, from California or something.
"Get lost, asshole," Maddie said, turning away from him. She felt two heavy hands on her bare shoulders and the scent of cigarette smoke and beer became closer.
"I already got lost in your eyes, sweetheart," he said, his voice dripping with confidence.
Maddie tensed under his touch, fear making her blood run cold. Blaire made eye contact with her and took a step towards them.
"Get. Your. Hands. Off. Of. Me," she said through her teeth, hoping she came through as angry and not scared out of her wits.
He just chuckled and removed his hands. "I'll see you two later, then."
He walked off and was joined by Tommy H., who guided him straight towards Steve. The boys held each other's glare, each trying to intimidate the other. Nancy rolled her eyes and walked off and Maddie turned back to Blaire.
"You okay?" the blonde asked lowly, putting a hand on Maddie's arm.
Maddie forced a smile at her friend. "Yeah, fine."
Two Weeks Earlier
She had woken up in her own bed. The sunlight streaming through her window caused her to wince, the splitting headache she had growing worse. She groaned, sitting up slowly as she rubbed her temples. Try as she might, the memories she had of the night before were foggy, and she couldn't quite bring them into focus.
A noise on the right side of her made her turn her head, and she cringed at the dizziness that followed. Blaire came into her line of sight, the blonde girl squinting her eyes at the brightness of the room. She turned to Maddie, her eyes growing slightly wider as she scrambled to stand, wringing her hands as she looked Maddie over.
"Hey. Hey, how're you feeling?" she asked softly, and Maddie furrowed her eyebrows.
"Like I got hit by a truck. What- what happened last night?" Maddie said, trying to wade through her sluggish memories.
"Uhm, well, I'm not quite sure. I found you upstairs. The cops were there so I was trying to hide, and, uh, you were passed out on the bed," Blaire replied cautiously, choosing her words carefully as she watched Maddie for a reaction.
Suddenly, everything started coming back to her. Kevin's face flashed in her mind, and she felt nauseous.
"Oh, I'm gonna be sick," Maddie groaned, putting a hand on her head.
"Do you need some water?" Blaire asked, rushing to grab a glass from Maddie's nightstand and pushing it into Maddie's hand.
Maddie accepted, taking a sip before putting it back on the nightstand and running to the bathroom. She emptied her stomach into the toilet, coughing slightly as she slumped onto the ground. Blaire appeared in the doorway, concern masking her face. Maddie took deep, stuttering breaths, trying to regain her composure, but was cut off by another wave of nausea. She shut her eyes, attempting to wipe the night before from her memory.
"Are you okay?" Blaire finally asked, watching her friend.
Maddie nodded before shaking her head. "No."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Her eyes started to tear up involuntarily. "No."
Blaire moved into the bathroom, sitting next to Maddie as she wrapped her arms around the brunette's shoulders. Maddie sniffled, trying to keep her tears in, but eventually allowed herself to let out a sob.
Present
Maddie fanned herself, sweat rolling down her neck as she tried to escape the living room to the kitchen. She made her way over to the drinks, grabbing a cup as she looked at her options. Beer, beer, and more beer greeted her, and she turned to the countertop behind her. An unhealthily red punch sat in a bowl before her, next to several bottles of liquor. She sighed, putting the cup back as she went back to find Blaire. She walked through the entryway, nearly running into someone as they came through the front door.
"Hey, what's- Jonathan!" she cried, hugging him excitedly.
"Hey, Maddie," he said, returning the hug.
"What are you doing here? I thought you had to watch Will?" Maddie asked, stepping back from him.
"Well, uh, I did, but I figured I would give the kid a little room to breathe, y'know?" he said, shoving his hands in pockets.
"Yeah, I can see that. How is he doing by the way?"
A collective gasp from the crowded living room cut their conversation, and they turned to the kitchen, where an offended-looking, and incredibly wasted, Nancy stood at the center of attention. Red liquid dripped down her shirt, making small puddles on the floor. Steve stood across from her, mouth gaping as he stared at her ruined blouse.
"What… the hell?" Nancy mumbled, storming through the living room and up the stairs.
Steve followed after her, pushing past the now-silenced party. Maddie watched him go, her eyes lingering on the stairs for a few moments after he left. Jonathan cleared his throat, making her return her focus to him. They continued their conversation, the subject shifting from Will to school to track to photography until Steve suddenly rushed past them, shoving his way through the people packed into the entryway. The pair watched him leave, and Jonathan motioned out the door with his thumb.
"Aren't you gonna go check on him?" he asked, his eyebrows raising quizzically.
"No. No, I don't think so. I think I'm actually gonna go, but you might need to…" she trailed off, motioning at the stairs.
He nodded, and they parted ways, Maddie making her way around the house in search of Blaire. She circled through the kitchen, avoiding drunk teenagers and spilled punch as she looked for the familiar blonde hair. She finally found the girl leaning against a wall as she flirted with an upperclassman. Maddie cleared her throat and Blaire sent her a sheepish smile, saying farewell to the boy before joining Maddie.
"Sorry to be a buzzkill, but I told my mom I'd be back before eleven," Maddie said, half-hearted in her apology.
"Nah, I don't mind. It's not a good idea to get wasted on a school night anyways," Blaire replied, shrugging as they left the house.
The girls chatted as they made their way towards Maddie's truck, but their conversation died down when they say Billy Hargrove leaning against the Mustang next to it. He shot them a smirk as he took a drag of a cigarette, exhaling slowly as the girls quickened their pace to the truck. He flicked the butt onto the pavement, grinding it beneath the toe of his boot before sauntering over to them. Maddie fumbled to find her keys as she tried to move faster but dropped them in her rush. She bent to pick them up, only to be stopped by a large hand covering them.
She looked up to see Billy towering over her, a devilish smile on his face as he dangled the keys from his hand. She swallowed hard and stood, reaching for them. He laughed as he moved his hand, taking them farther from her reach. Maddie made an irritated noise, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for the boy to hand over her keys.
Billy let his eyes drag over her figure before finally holding the keys out for her. "You know, you should be more careful about being alone out here after dark, especially in that outfit."
You should be careful; these parties can be dangerous.
Maddie shuddered slightly as Kevin' voice invaded her thoughts, snatching her keys from Billy and unlocking the door. She let Blaire in and hurriedly started the vehicle, desperate to get away from the still-smirking boy outside.
Maddie sighed as she pulled into her driveway, turning off the truck as she came to a stop. She allowed herself to sit inside for a moment, collecting her thoughts, before making her way to the door. She heard footsteps behind her and turned, smiling tiredly at the appearance of her little brother.
"Hey kiddo, how was trick-or-treating?" She asked, slowing as she waited for him to catch up.
He held up his bag excitedly. "I got, like, five 3 Musketeers bars!"
She chuckled, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "Well, at least one of us had fun."
Her statement was followed by a rattling noise from the trashcan and the two siblings froze, eyes glued to the metal. The noise came again, along with the shaking of the trashcan, and Dustin hesitantly walked towards it.
"Dustin, what the hell are you doing?" Maddie hissed, reaching a hand out to stop her brother.
"I'm just trying to see what it is," he said, slowly taking the lid off of the top. "Holy shit. Maddie, come look at this!"
She took a few tentative steps towards it, sure that her brother was going to try and scare her. "I swear to God, Dustin, if this is some bullshit prank-"
"It's not, I swear," he said, holding up the lid higher so she could see.
"What the hell?"
Her eyelids fluttered slightly, making her jerk herself awake.
Maddie rubbed her eyes tiredly, yawning as Mr. Lappison continued to drone on about theoretical laws of Calculus. She hardly wanted to listen, especially after the late night Dustin had put her through last night.
Neither of them were quite sure what they had found, but they knew it was definitely not normal. They had snuck it past their mother (which was relatively easy), and into Dustin's room. Poor Yertle had gotten evicted, "D'artagnan" being put in his place. Dustin had promised to get rid of it by this afternoon, and Maddie planned to hold him to that promise. The thing gave her the creeps, and she hardly wanted her mother to find it.
The bell rang, releasing class, and Maddie made her way towards the parking lot. She had a shift at Oma's, and she was not going to make it through without a cup of coffee. She pulled into work, sipping her coffee as she went to the back, waving at Mr. Henson, the manager. She pulled on her uniform, trading her Hawkins High Athletics t-shirt for a bubblegum pink polo and black skirt. Maddie took a deep breath, scraping her hair back into a ponytail before walking into the front, the bell on the door ringing as the after-school rush began.
"Mom! Dustin! I'm home!" Maddie called, letting the door shut behind her.
Silence greeted her, and she let out a huff of air. Her mother had been more absent lately, and she felt like she was the adult of the house most of the time. Especially when she had to take care of her younger brother, not that she minded. She stopped at Dustin's door, opening it quietly in case he was asleep. He was out of bed, speaking softly as he stood in front of Yertle's terranium. He moved to grab something and Maddie involuntarily gasped.
"What the hell, Dustin!" she said, closing the door in case their mom came home.
He turned, dropping the 3 Musketeers bar he was holding. "Maddie! Don't scare me like that!"
"Don't scare you? You have a giant slug-thing in your room, and you're talking about me scaring you?" Maddie hissed, gesturing wildly at Dart.
"Actually, I think he's a pollywog," Dustin corrected, pointing his 3 Musketeers at her.
Maddie sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Whatever. I want that thing out of the house by tomorrow, deal?"
Dustin opened his mouth to protest but Maddie held up a finger to cut him off. "Tomorrow."
He sighed and nodded, his shoulders slumping slightly. "Fine."
"Goodnight, you turd. Love you," she said, hugging him before heading to the bathroom to shower.
"Love you too," he mumbled, his attitude soured.
Maddie was not ready for the double shift she had after school.
Signing herself up for it was quite possibly the worst idea she had had in a while. Or ever. She opened her driver's side, putting her backpack on the middle seat when a knock on her hood startled her from her thoughts. She turned to see Billy Hargrove smirking at her through the window.
She rolled her eyes and closed the door, leaning against it as she spoke. "What do you want?"
"What? No 'nice to see you?'" He said, pulling the cigarette from between his teeth and lighting it.
"Sorry, I only reserve my manners for men who don't act like complete douchebags."
The cocky smirk he had on faltered slightly, but he recovered quickly, taking a drag of the cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke towards her. She coughed lightly, waving a hand to clear the air. He inhaled again, his large frame mountainous compared to her petite one.
"Look, you seem really tense. Maybe you could, uh, come over to my place and release some of that. I have a lot of experience when it comes to relaxation techniques," he said, leaning on the door while facing her.
Maddie suppressed a gag, wrinkling her nose in disgust instead. "Yeah, I'll pass."
She moved to open the door but Billy closed it. "Come on, what the deal? Why won't you just give me a chance?"
"Move." Maddie replied through gritted teeth.
"Not till you tell me yes," Billy said, blocking her way. "What's the big deal? Most girls would be begging for this opportunity."
"She said to move," a new voice chimed in, making them both turn towards the owner.
Steve was leaning a hip against Maddie's hood. His eyes never left Billy, and he crossed his arms over his chest. Billy scoffed, flicking his cigarette at Steve's feet.
"Fine. See you around, princess," he said, giving Maddie one last suggestive smirk before walking off.
"You okay?" Steve asked, stepping towards her.
"Yeah. Fine. Thanks," she said, running a hand through her cola-colored waves.
Steve shrugged, kicking at the ground lightly. "Yeah, no problem."
They stood in silence for a moment, staring at some unfixed point in the concrete between them.
"So, uh, thanks again, but I gotta get goin', so," Maddie said, starting to open her truck.
"Wait, Mads. I-" he sighed, ruffling a hand through his hair. "I miss you. I miss us."
Maddie paused, thinking over his words. "Yeah, well, I don't, alright? Thanks for the help with Billy, but I think it's best if we don't talk to each other anymore."
Steve stared at her, his mouth agape as she climbed into the seat. She turned the key, starting it, and he finally walked away, pausing to look back at her. She bit her lip as she shifted gears, pulling out of the parking lot and onto Smith Street. Tears pricked at her eyes and she swiped at them violently.
"Damn it. Damn it." She repeated, running the edges of her sleeve underneath her eyes.
She hadn't meant a damn word of it, but if pushing Steve away was what kept her safe, then so be it.
A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long! I've had a bunch of stuff going on, so I'm trying to balance school, work, and these stories along with personal issues. I'm not abandoning it I promise! We are starting to get into Season 2, so yay! Let me know what you think in the comments below, and follow/fave for notifs! Onto guest reviews!
Guest the best: Thanks! I try to do longer chapters when I update since I update at such strange times. You can totally write your story! I so believe in you, you got this!
Guest: Here's your update! Sorry it took so long!
RedVelevetPanPan: I've missed you, friend! Hope you are enjoying the story and your chapters!
