A/N: Don't worry everyone, no one's gonna be getting flayed at the steel mill. Well, not yet anyways.

xxx

Sneaking out of the house had at one point been Teddi's specialty. Back in New York she had snuck out to go to parties, go on dates or just to get out of the house so often that climbing out of her bedroom window had basically become a muscle memory. It was different now that she was in Hawkins. Her parents were more miserable and focused in on whatever it was that she was up to. But tonight would be different. Tonight would be like the old days. The Harringtons had invited her parents to their New Year's Eve party, and Teddi knew that her mom and dad would be the last ones to leave sometime around dawn if the party really ended up to be as wild as Steve had described. "Last year Carol's mom got so wasted she threw up in the pool and then locked herself in my parent's bathroom for like...three hours." he had said.

Steve Harrington had the same knack for sneaking out (and technically in when it came to sneaking into Nancy Wheeler's bedroom while they had been together) that Teddi had. When Teddi had called the next morning to tell him the very cleaned up version of what had happened between her and her parents the night before he had gone into super sneak mode. Technically speaking it hadn't been their best plan. After her shift was over for the night Teddi would drive home, Steve would follow her and park across the street until her parents left for their party and they would be off. They had decided that they would ditch their bonfire at one in order to get Teddi home well before her parents and they would be none the wiser to what she had been up to.

Teddi had put on an entire act. She came home, mumbled a hello to her parents, and headed to her room to remove her makeup and change into pjs to help with the illusion that she'd be staying in for the night. When her parents left completely dressed to the nines, Teddi was planted on the couch with a can of Coke and a bowl of popcorn. "We'll be home late." was all her father said before shutting the front door loudly behind him. Teddi sprung into action. She ran back to her bedroom, quickly changing out of her pjs and into her outfit for the night. The cold had finally caught up to her. Instead of the usual mini skirt or pair of cut off shorts, Teddi pulled on a pair of high waisted, black jeans and a bright, yellow chenille sweater. She kicked on her boots and grabbed her puffy jacket and was out the front door and rushing over to Steve's car.

"Come on, come on, come on," Steve said, hitting his hand against the steering wheel. Teddi slid into the passenger's seat and the pair shared a high five. "That was like record time, Larsson!" he said as he took off down the street. The way that Steve called Teddi by her last time was much more...soft than the way Billy did.

"Not my first rodeo," she laughed out as she tried to catch her breath. She was a little rusty, but she had still been impressed with how quickly she'd gotten ready. "So this isn't gonna be a problem with the party? 'Cause my parents are hoping for a rager."

"Oh, totally. My mom looks forward to it every year. It's the biggest party in Hawkins...according to her at least." Teddi had never met Steve's parents, but from the way Steve spoke about them she was sure that they would be great friends with her parents. And if that meant they'd be out of the house more often then Teddi was more than fine with it.

"So, where's this steel mill at?"

"It's like maybe twenty minutes out of town. It's been abandoned for a few years. Tommy usually has parties there when nobody has folks that are out of town." and by twenty minutes out of Hawkins, Steve may as well have said the steel mill was in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing around. He mentioned there was a sort of shitty motel that had been turned into apartments a few miles up the road, but that was about it until you got to the next town over. Teddi was sure that Hawkins was quite possibly the most boring town in America.

When they arrived at the steel mill, Teddi noticed that there weren't nearly as many cars as there had been at David's Christmas party. The steel mill was also pretty creepy. Scratch that; very creepy. It definitely looked abandoned. The "Brimborn Steel Works" sign was so old and faded that Teddi could barely read it in the dark. She could hear the party and see a faint glow from the bonfire coming from inside, but the way that the music and voices echoed off of the old building gave Teddi a bad feeling. At least there was a payphone nearby in case some Jason Voorhees character tried to kill them all.

"Is this safe?" she asked, carefully following Steve across the gravel.

"Uhhh...sure. I mean no one's died yet." she wasn't really sure if he was teasing her or not. Once they made their way inside, Teddi was immediately met with the smell of the bonfire and beer. There were a few empty and broken bottles strewn around, as well as a group of three kegs all sitting in a frothy pile of spilled beer next to a cooler. The music was coming from a boombox that was sitting up safely on an abandoned machine.

She recognized more people at this party. Heather, Freddy and Katie were all there and waved at Teddi when they saw her. Robin Buckley, a girl that Teddi was sort of friendly with and shared three classes with, was with a group of her friends. Tommy H and Carol were being the loud, obnoxious hosts of the party. They were entertaining a large group of people closest to the fire with some sort of drinking game.

And then there was Billy. He was by Tommy and Carol's group, but somehow still off on his own. He was leaning up against a railing with a beer bottle hanging between his fingers and a cigarette between his lips. The cold must have finally gotten to him like it had Teddi; he had traded in his usual button up shirt and leather jacket for a very tight white henley and a denim shirt layered under his jean jacket. He also looked very, very bored.

As if he knew that Teddi was watching him, Billy's eyes met hers. He watched her cooly for a moment as she moved across the large room and over to the coolers, taking a swig of his beer before his eyes drifted over to Steve who was beside her. If he felt any sort of way about the two arriving together he didn't show it.

"Want a beer?" Steve asked, holding up two bottles. Teddi nodded enthusiastically before grabbing the beer and taking a large swig. Why had she come to this party? Of course Billy was going to show up. And while the last couple of weeks had been filled with nothing but trying to avoid Billy, that almost felt wrong now. There was this big, screaming secret between the both of them that was impossible for her to ignore. But it seemed like Billy was going to try his damndest to pretend it wasn't there.

"Well, well!" Teddi nearly groaned at the sound of Tommy's voice. "Look what we have here!" Tommy and Carol had turned towards Teddi and Steve, the pair looking at them with nearly identical evil grins. "Billy wasn't enough for ya, huh, Teddi? Moving on to Harrington? You've been a busy girl!"

Teddi wasn't scared of Tommy or Carol. It was obvious to her that they were both extremely insecure with the way that they both dropped Steve for Billy the moment he showed up in Hawkins. At one point back in New York Teddi had been Tommy and Carol. The big bad popular girl at school that looked down her nose at people. But now she pitied the both of them if anything. "Gee Tommy, if you were this worried about your own sex life as you are mine then Carol wouldn't always be hitting on your friends." she said with a slight nod to Billy. It was no secret how badly Carol wanted Billy. As soon as Tommy was out of sight, without fail, she would shamelessly flirt with Billy even though he'd never shown even the slightest interest.

Carol shifted uncomfortably beside Tommy, who was watching Teddi with narrowed eyes. Finally he smirked. "Oh yeah? And what's after Steve then, Teddi? You gonna want a round with me too?"

Teddi rolled her eyes. "No thanks. I have enough disappointment in my life." Tommy glared at her as a few of their friends tried to hide their laughter.

Steve held a hand up. "Alright, Tommy. I think that's enough, huh? We're all just trying to have a good time."

Tommy quickly turned his attention from Teddi to Steve. "No one's stopping you, Harrington. How's it feel to settle for someone else's scraps? Is she the best you can do after that prude Nancy left you for Byers? God, I hope you're putting out, Teddi. Stevie boy's gotta be real hard up after putting up with that priss-"

"Tommy, how about you shut the fuck up for once, huh?" heads turned at the sound of Billy's voice. He didn't say anything else, only flicked the butt of his cigarette away and took another drink. Tommy looked like Billy had slapped him.

Tommy looked between Billy and Teddi a few times. "Are you going soft, Hargrove? Over some lousy lay? What, are you and Steve double teaming her?" he laughed.

"Pretty sure Carol's the one that's into that sorta thing." Billy said evenly.

"You piece of shit-" Tommy spat, moving quickly towards Billy. But of course Billy didn't back down. He matched Tommy's strides, but Teddi stepped in before anything more could happen.

"Billy, stop. I don't need your help." her tone was a little pleading. She really didn't want to see Billy do the same thing to Tommy that he had done to Steve a few months back. Especially with so many people around to witness it. That wasn't something Billy would ever be able to come back from. Teddi could practically hear Billy's ego shatter at her words.

"C'mon, Tommy," Carol said with an over dramatic eye roll. She grabbed Tommy by the arm and gave him a tug. "It's your turn on the keg. Let them have their little lovers quarrel." she said with a pointed look towards Steve and Teddi. This was enough to appease an already drunk Tommy much to Teddi's relief.

"What the fuck was that?" Billy spat.

"Hey, hey. Back off, dude." Steve took a step in front of Teddi, holding a hand out to stop Billy from coming any further.

"Get your hand off me, Harrington. Unless you want a replay of that beating I already gave you." Billy took a step towards Steve, his shoulders held high.

Teddi wiggled her way around Steve and placed herself between the two. "What are you, cavemen? Steve, it's fine okay? Just give me five minutes," Steve eyed Teddi for a moment before shooting Billy a warning look and walking off. "What was what, Billy?" she asked with a tired sigh.

"I don't get you, Larsson. You're always telling me what an asshole I am, and I try and stick up for you and you embarrass me."

"Because I don't need you to stick up for me!" Teddi threw her hands up. "And frankly I'm a little surprised you give a shit after how you acted at the arcade." she crossed her arms.

"How I acted?" Billy asked with a dry laugh. "Teddi, you're such a goddamn pain in the ass sometimes-"

"Likewise!" she snapped. Teddi couldn't believe how stupid she felt to think she could go out for the night and have fun. "You're just so...ugh." she spun around and stomped off. She had had more than enough of Billy Hargrove for the night.

Steve caught up to her as she continued to put distance between herself and Billy. "Teddi, are you okay? If you wanna get out of here-"

Teddi shook her head. "I'm fine, Steve. I'm just gonna step outside for a sec, okay?" she lied, sidestepping Steve and heading outside into the cold night air. She wanted to go home. It of course occurred to her that walking home was possibly the dumbest thing that she could do, but she'd had more than enough testosterone for the night. She had been walking for about ten minutes before she heard the rumble of the Camaro's engine.

Billy pulled up beside her, leaning forward to get a better look at her. "The hell are you doing, Larsson?" he asked.

"I'm walking home." she said, wrapping her arms around her in an attempt to keep warm. Billy coasted along beside her as she continued on down the road.

"You're gonna freeze to death!" he argued. Teddi ignored him. "Teddi, get in the car."

"No."

"Larsson, I will pull over and put you in the car," and Teddi definitely believed that. He'd picked her up like a ragdoll enough times for her to know better than to keep arguing. With a loud huff Teddi yanked the door open and got into the Camaro. They were both silent for a few very long and awkward moments. "Does Harrington know you ran off?" he finally asked.

Teddi crossed her arms. "...He thinks I'm getting some fresh air." she muttered. She felt bad now for lying to Steve, but she was sure that if she called him the next morning and explained he wouldn't be too upset with her.

Billy let out a short chuckle before going silent for another few moments. "...So, what, are you pissed at me for last night?" while Teddi was known to give him the cold shoulder after one of his outbursts, she usually got over it pretty quickly. Billy figured that he must have hit a nerve. It didn't make him feel good to know he had upset her so much by confronting Teddi with the truth. At least it was all out in the open now. He wouldn't need to dance around the subject anymore. It made things awkward in a different way than it had been before, but somehow this was better.

"No...I don't know," Teddi sighed. Her steely exterior was now gone and replaced with a glimpse of her usual bubbly self. "I think I'm more embarrassed now that you know about it if anything. I've been keeping it a secret for so long I didn't expect anyone to ever know…"

Billy shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, well, I guess it's hard to keep a secret from someone who's dealing with the same shit." more silence followed.

Teddi was chewing on her bottom lip as she looked over at Billy carefully. "...Does he hurt Max?"

"No. There's been a few times where it's come close…" those times were starting to become more frequent. Billy wasn't entirely sure what happened that night at the Byers' place. After Max jammed that needle in his neck he had blacked out and had somehow managed to make it back into his own room a few hours later. Max didn't talk about it, but Billy knew that she and her friends had run into something that made her see Neil as an insignificant threat. "She doesn't get it. You know, one day I'm not gonna be there...Susan's too afraid of him to do anything." Billy was gripping onto the steering wheel tightly.

Teddi supposed she could understand how Billy could rationalize the way he was with Max. "Tough Love". But it was much heavier on the tough part than the love. And things needed to change. Fast. "You can't keep treating her like this, Billy," Teddi said shaking her head. "This whole scared straight thing you have going on. It's not any better than what our dads do to us, even if the intention is different. You have to show her that you actually give a shit about her."

She expected him to flip out on her. To start screaming at her and telling her that she didn't know anything about him or what went on at home. Instead he just looked over at her cooly. "And why's that?" he asked.

"Because otherwise she'll end up like you." Billy knew that Teddi wasn't trying to insult him. He wouldn't admit that she was right though either. But she was. Neil had ruled over their household with an iron fist, and it had done nothing but turn Billy into an angry and violent guy that no one wanted to be around. And yeah, Billy's intentions with Max were different. He didn't want her to grow up afraid like he had. He wanted her to grow a thick skin. But his approach was the same as Neil's. He guessed it was a good thing that Max seemed to be a hell of a lot more brave than he had ever been.

"...I'm sorry about Tommy." he said instead.

Teddi raised her eyebrows at the comment. "I'm sorry" was a phrase she didn't think was in his vocabulary. "Tommy's an insecure idiot with a tiny dick. I don't really care about what he has to say," she cracked a smile when Billy laughed. "Besides, it's not anything I didn't hear back home in school or from my dad." she shrugged.

Billy quirked an eyebrow. "Your dad?"

"He used to call me the town bicycle," Teddi rolled her eyes. "I used to be a lot...friendlier, and we lived in this snobby, tiny neighborhood where everyone gossiped."

Billy nearly slammed down on the breaks. "You?" he asked with a laugh. "No way, Larsson."

Teddi sunk in her seat a little and scrunched her nose. "Oooh yeah. I was like...the worst. I was always out partying, getting in trouble, sleeping with like...anyone that was interested. I'm pretty sure that's why I keep putting up with your shit so often. I used to be like you." she teased.

This wasn't the first time Teddi had given Billy a glimpse into her wild past. Even still, he had a hard time imagining it. Teddi was this bubbly, talkative, nice girl. She wasn't anything like him. "I'm not so sure I can picture something like that, Weird Girl."

"And why not? Even Max says that I'm super cool." she joked.

Billy grinned and shrugged. "You're...you know. A nice person or whatever."

Teddi's jaw dropped as she turned to face Billy. "Was that a genuine compliment I just heard from you, Billy Hargrove?"

He groaned. "Don't make such a big deal out of it. I can have my moments."

Teddi smiled, tilting her head as she watched him squirm uncomfortably in his seat. "...Do you think you're not a nice person?" she asked.

"I don't exactly hear it very often."

"True...but you could be. Anything's possible. You could try like...taking a nap or something." she joked. But she meant what she said. If Billy was willing to put in the work he could be a guy that everyone liked. Max had said that she'd seen a change in her brother. Teddi even saw a change every once and awhile when Billy would let his guard down. Especially after tonight when he stood up for her.

Billy let out a soft snort. "Yeah, I'll get right on that," the Camaro turned onto Teddi's street. "Jesus, Larsson, you could walk to my place from here."

"Does that mean you're gonna want to hang out more? You wanna finally play Dungeons and Dragons?" she asked, perking up.

"I'd rather be locked in a closet with Carol." he deadpanned. Teddi rolled her eyes. Billy pulled into Teddi's driveway and put the Camaro in park. "Well, there you go Cinderella. Back home before midnight."

Teddi let out a small laugh and groan. "God, Hawkins is lame...thanks for the ride, Billy."

Billy grinned widely. "Oh, you know I'm always down to give you a ride, Larsson." he definitely didn't miss the way she blushed at the comment before she let out a loud scoff.

"Oh my god. Goodnight, Billy." she muttered quickly before sliding out of the car and rushing to the front door. Billy watched as she fished her keys out of one of her jacket's pockets and slipping inside before he started to slowly pulled out of the driveway. He could probably go back to the party. He had about an hour left before he had to pick up Max from the Wheeler's place. And he definitely didn't want to sit out in the driveway like some kind of lame asshole.

But the door swung open and Teddi poked her head out. "Yo, Hargrove! You wanna come watch some New Year's Rockin' Eve?"

Billy drummed his fingers on the steering wheel for a few moments while he thought it over. His curfew was at one (thanks to Susan convincing Neil to go to the Harrington's party) and he had nowhere else to be. So he pulled back into the driveway, shut the Camaro off and got out. He shoved his hands into his pockets and awkwardly made his way up to Teddi. "Don't try and get fresh with me, Larsson." he said, cracking a grin. Teddi laughed and rolled her eyes before stepping aside to let him in.

"In your dreams, Hargrove."